Issue #4 - Tuning Up a Kilowatt

Hello, these "Trials and Errors" forums are for the discussions stemming from the column, located on the front page of QRZ in the only large box featured on QRZ. Thanks, Dave

 

Would it be possible to have the information included in the web page? I am looking at the forums.

 

Hi, that wouldn't work here. This is a regular weekly column on QRZ, the first, and each issue has a forum associated with it. Your help and understanding is appreciated. Regards, Dave

 

The MercuryAT seems well matched to the IIIs amp, but now that the Mercury Lux is out seems a little underrated.

Are Lux owners expected to just be careful with power levels vs modes with the MercuryAT in line, or is Kenny working on an AT2?

 

Hi Jim - Good question, and I should have asked him this in the interview I did with him a while back (see earlier issue of this column). Personally, I have a MercAT and a Merc LUX and they work well together, but I'm not pushing it above 1300-1400 watts, and I don't work digital modes with the amp on. I'm sure that he has one coming in the long run, but not certain just when. Dave

 

All those whining it's not just the amp that needs investing should have thought better, when they bought the very first piece of equipment and at each purchase.
Buy once, hurts once (something like that)

Oliver

 

So you are a plug and play guy, why not cut your antennas for that band and if you want better performance either build or by a monoband antenna for each band. Tuners are for lazy guys that don't want to tune their antennas properly.

 

I know many hams that have a MFJ for RTTY contesting and it hasn't dropped anything. If you are going to refer to GOD then at least capitalize the G.

 

OK

 

Hello Nick, thanks for the note. Yes, I have dipoles cut for 20 and 40. I have however focused on an OCF Dipole that covers 80-6 and does a fine job of it. In some of those bands, it requires a tuner (band edges) but is remarkably low SWR on my favorite bands. I was able to also add 15 meters, a real mismatch here, by using the tuner. I skip all over the allotted frequencies and I'm able to do so with the OCF and a SS amp that has split second bandswitching. I consider an antenna tuner, or maybe more accurately a "match box," as essential due to the variety of antennas that I am constantly testing for Trials and Errors. 73, Dave

 

Hey Jim -- I noticed that you have a picture of a baby Sulcata on your QRZ avatar for forum posts. How is that little fella doing? I've had several tiny babies like that. Now, here's a photo of what one of them looks like now . . .

 

Update and FYI on my column "Tuning Up a Kilowatt" . . . I had an accusation, a misstatement by another ham, that I "dissed" LDG and gave them a bad review because "they wouldn't send a free tuner." That is quite wrong. I bought the LDG tuner at Ham Radio Outlet, as the Phoenix store manager will confirm. My only "diss" was that LDG doesn't provide loaners for such a purpose, as did KM3KM and MFJ. To include the LDG tuner cost me personally, as HRO would only take it back (despite it being essentially BRAND new) if I paid a 15% restocking fee. This was made clear in my article, so how someone could assume or comment that this is some kind of "payola" is beyond me. That was more of a diss at HRO, but I can understand their point of view as well, as an open box item can't be sold at full retail price and there's no reason for that "ding" to be solely on their side. Dave

 

Oh, that was a few years ago. We found new homes for the little ones, and my wife re-homed the females so we won't have more hatchlings - but kept the males (too many Sulcatas end up in rescue). They still fight once in a while, but things are much calmer than when the girls were around.

Here's our big guy Gideon, as we were moving him back to his pen after he barged though the chain link fence. I think he's even bigger now. :-(

 

Hi Jim - thanks for the photo of Gideon. Good looking tortoise! Reminds me of our big girl, Punkin. Takes two to put her into a wheelbarrow or cart to move her. They are just like bulldozers. We just had a huge $200+ clay pot planter knocked over and bulldozed by Punkin. You have no idea of their strength till you see them in action. I agree, we need to stop the hatchlings. Too many of them now in AZ, and as you say, they are going into shelters. They're such special animals. I hope that anyone considering one will recognize their care requirements and leave the breeders alone, as there are many for adoption and re-homing. Dave, W7DGJ

 

I mainly live my radio life through the experience of others and the reason why this site is so important to me. As I begin to upgrade to a higher power grade the fears of reconfiguring my setup to handle higher power is always concerning.

The other part is choosing the right gear!

Ham gear is like software, great on the hype but you have to learn it their way to use it. I mainly work QRP but there is a desire not to force listeners to strain their hearing when conditions are poor, so the high power option is very appealing.

What I'm trying to say is thanks for taking the time to review your equipment trials so that the 'not so serious' ones like me don't have to take it all so very seriously when it's time to upgrade our equipment choices and not to loose a heap of money in that fuzzy process.

My main QRP tuners are the Icom AH-4 and the AT-180 but things may change upon your reviews.

Cheers... Bob