A couple of days ago, I worked Keith, KU1N and was pleased to hear that he was also using a Cobra antenna. When I asked him what kind of antenna tuner he was using, he said that he was using the internal antenna tuner in his Elecraft K3. He’s connecting the ladder line to a 4:1 balun, and then connecting the ouput of that to the K3.
I was a bit surprised, but that’s really a testament to the design of the Elecraft antenna tuners. I know that the antenna tuner in my KX3 will tune an SWR of at least 10:1. So apparently, the impedance at the end of the ladder line is 2000 Ω or less on the frequencies that he’s using the antenna.
It would be interesting to see which has the lower losses: my big, old Dentron Super Tuner or the tuner in KU1N’s K3. In any case, it was an interesting contact. And, as an added bonus, Keith mentioned at the end of the QSO that his son and his wife both used my study guide to get their license.
Another satisfied listener
Yesterday, I made contact with a guy on 80m. After the first exchange, there was a fairly long pause before he came back the second time. When he did, the first thing he said was, “I knew your call sounded familiar. Thanks for your work on the ICQPodcast.” I guess the reason for the delay is that he must have been Googling me.
He repeated that about three times during the course of his transmission. So much so, that when it was my turn again, I told him that if he had said that one more time that I was going to get a big head. I then thanked him for his kind words.
What kills me is that he thought I was some kind of celebrity. I suppose I am, but in a very small way. (One of my friends calls me “ham famous.”)
I think that all of the guys you hear on ham radio podcasts are just ordinary hams. We get on the air and make contacts just like anyone else. So, I told him that if he ever heard me calling CQ, to please return my call. We may be a little more widely-known than other hams, but that means nothing on the ham bands. We just want to make contacts like anyone else.
Make and model
Before I got my IC-7300, I used to send “RIG HR ICOM IC746PRO” when telling the other guy what kind of rig I was using. Now, I just send, “RIG HR IC7300.” I figure that with all the publicity it got a year and half ago, most operators will know about the radio.
Over and above that, though, make and mode really is redundant information. Kenwood doesn’t make an FT-450D, nor does Elecraft make a TS-990. The model number serves to tell the other op what the make is as well as the model number.
It never made sense to me to do that, but I went along as that seemed to be the common practice. I’ve stopped doing that now, and you probably can, too.
Derick AB9PR says
RE make and model: We all know that it’s the antenna that makes a station what it is, not the rig. For that reason, when I’m describing my station in a QSO, I mention the antenna first. Unless I’m using a boat anchor or something equally exotic, the rig is really an afterthought.
Dave New, N8SBE says
“Keith mentioned at the end of the QSO that” What? I’m hanging on the edge of my seat… :-)
Dan KB6NU says
Geez. How did I forget that? :)
The added bonus is that Keith mentioned that his son and his wife both used my study guide to get their license.
Dave New, N8SBE says
I still have problems on voice contacts when I talk to an old-timer and tell them I’m using an Elecraft K3. They come back all puzzled, because they didn’t know that Hallicrafters ever made a “K” series. After clarifying the spelling, they ask, “Is that an American company?”, or other similar questions that show they have no idea what Elecraft is.
Guess it goes to show that you can’t always assume that the other fellow is familiar with current popular radios or even nomenclature.