“Antennas should be heard, not seen”
Photographs included on this page are subject to Copyright ©
The Shack
The shack setup.
The computer is for firmware updates, logging as well as lookups in QRZ.COM a. o.The computer will never be a part of any radiocommunication whatsoever.
Soldering iron and screwdriver?
My workbench is upstairs and not worth taking photos off yet
CW on a PC? Never, I want to have fun.
Shack window view
View over the Baltic Sea (looking towards NE) from my shack window.
On the flagpoles, left: The Bornholm Island regional flag and right: The Danish flag “Dannebrog”, which celebrates its 800th anniversary June 15, 2019.
As you can see, it was a nice spring day with a calm wind from N/NW, sunny with abt. 8 dgrs. C.
In the view direction there is more than 300 km to the nearest land.
Messy CW?
Here’s why I sometimes mess around a bit in my CW.
My two cats Taiji (black & white) and DX (red) are the reason to much QRM in the shack and they both love to rest in front of my radio and paddle, so I’m not able to work 🙂
They also love to push my paddle-hand while I’m on-air, which results in QSD.
Maybe a hint to me, that I should take a look at their food bowles and fill them up (again).
Meow!, Meow!
Elecraft K4D
From left:
Boya mic. on modified Kenwood MC-50 stand, Elecraft K4D Transceiver, Elecraft Dual Paddle HexKey and KPA1500 Amplifier (RF-deck).
The KPA1500 PSU are under the desk and not shown.
The K4D, amplifier and ATU can be controlled on the PC with the Win4K4Suite application..
THE KPA1500 IS OUT OF ORDER, SO UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE OUTPUT IS 100 WATT AND ATU IS A MFJ-998.
Racal RA17L
Vintage tube communication receiver.
Freq. range: 0.5 through 30 MHz.
MFJ-2990 Vertical for 10-80m bands.
Covers all bands from 80m to 6m. Should also cover 160m, but can’t tune it on 160m.
The antenna is 13,5 m (43 ft.) tall and self-supported, but since my QTH are very close to the coast, sometimes with very strong winter storms, the antenna are equipped with guying ropes.
The antenna is installed with the feed point at ground level (up 50 cm) and with abt. 20 burried radials of different lengths.
Due to the lack of space, the radials are not evenly distributed, but mostly in the western and southwestern direction.
Mounted on a MFJ-1903 Tilt base for easier antenna maintenance.
Extended Fritzel FD4 OCF Dipole, modified to cover the 160m band.
Fritzel FD4 OCF Dipole (10-80m) with extended coil and about 5 meters of wire in the short leg of the originale antenna, so it can cover the 160m band too.
The coil are made of a 50mm Ø plastictube with 120 turns (abt. 100 uH).
As I live close to the Baltic Sea (30 meters) the pole is equipped with many guy-wires..
Bengali Graciella Paddle
Really very nice finish and it’s heavy, magnetic tension.
Elecraft Dual Paddle HexKey
Magnetic tension, just a dream! Elecraft, but made by Bencher.
Bencher BY-4 paddle.
Perfect for my stiff fingers (hi).
Kent Twin TP1-B paddle
Very heavy and solid. Nice to use.
Vibroplex Original
2 models, the black one are including round vario arm.
Vibroplex Square Racer, Iambic paddles.
Magnetic tension, easy to ajust and use.
CWtouchkeyer, P1PAD, Iambic paddle.
No moving parts or contacts, you just have to touch the paddles.
You have to pratice a lot, not easy to use. It CAN be very sensitive to HF on some bands, but else nice to use.
Is available in many configurations, with and without internal keyer Electronics. My model have only the paddle Electronics and I use the internal keyer in the transceiver.
Great Northern Telegraph (GNT) handkeys
Two different models.
The black one (model 605) is similar to the one I – for many years ago – learned the art of CW.
My arthritis wrists do not allow them to be used daily, but they are touched once in a while.
Previously used stations.
1969-1973: Various radio stations 25 W – 2-3 kW as professional radio operator.
1973-1974: Ten-Tec PM2B QRP transceiver, 2 Watt, modified to 5 Watt output.
1974-1977: Yaesu FT-200 transceiver, 100 Watt output.
1977-2011: Atlas 210x transceiver, 100 Watt output.
2011: Yaesu FT-101ZD transceiver, apx. 120 Watt output.
2011-2013: Yaesu FT-840 transceiver, 100 Watt output.
2017-2023: Yaesu FT-450D, 100 Watt output. Used as spare station, now sold.
2013-2023: Elecraft K3 + P3, 100 Watt output + KPA500/KAT500 500 Watt.
K3/P3 now used as spare station and non-home QTH activities.
KPA500/KAT500 are sold.