On 2013-07-18, Michael A. Terrell wrote:
"DoN. Nichols" wrote:
Michael A. Terrell wrote:
[ ... ]
I congratulate you on your new call, but after almost 50 years of
working with RF I've lost interest in ham radio. Running a 5 MW EIRP
station with a 1749' AAT antenna kind of spoils you. :-)
Thanks! I've been attending hamfests for decades, but without a
strong interest in getting my own ticket -- until now. Another thing to
play with.
I have a Harris Hybrid high band VHF that was retuned for two meters.
It's a heavy mobile, with a rackmount power supply. I was considering
adding a MPU and a pair of DDS chips to make it tune the entire two
meter band, instead of four rock bound channels.
That would be a nice improvement. I remember lots of rock-bound
2 meter handhelds back in the 1970s and 1980s (4 channels IIRC). This
little Yeasu (half the size) has a nice synthesizer VFO built in, and
something like 99 frequency pair memories..
I have some E.F. Johnson & Midland UHF mobile radios that could be
put on 432. The Johnson use a power varactor after the High band VHF
output stage to triple the frequency. Crystal controlled. The Midland
are synthesized, but little information is available on programming them
for 432.
Interesting. Not sure that there is room to build a mobile rig
into my Nissan Cube -- and keep the room for people which I need. :-)
Something like that might work well as a starting point for the
spread spectrum once you cut it free from the rocks.
[ ... communications experiment snipped ... ]
But I got to spend time watching jet fighters taking off into
the dawn one after the the other, and returning rather later and
lighter. Watching those things getting just a little off the ground and
then standing on their tail and climbing was impressive. :-)
I worked around airfields, but only saw copters with student pilots
who came quite close to putting the blades through the window of the
tower while I was repairing equipment in the control room.
Real motivation to getting the tower back on the air, I guess. :-)
My only experience with 'copters was a flight simulator for the
SH-3A (sub hunting 'copter) which my employer built four of. Three in
pairs of 18-wheeler trailers (one for the electronics, and one for the
cockpit and the sonar room with the instructor's console in between),
and one laid out to be installed in a building.
I remember spotting one thing that the engineers missed in the
power rack. They mounted a big contactor on its side to take up less
space, not realizing that the thing needed gravity to turn off quickly.
:-)
That may be why I was eligible for the shift to technician
from assembler when that project (and the following A7A simulator) were
wrapped up.
Enjoy,
DoN.
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