Yeticomnz Museum

More radios preparing to ship to the Yeticomnz Museum

Tram Titan II

Tram Titan III[/caption]

Tram Titan IV[/caption]

2nd browning mk4

Browning MK4

Browning MK4

CTZ 100

Jonson Messenger

TRC 30A

Robyn 123

Blue Robyn

Yellow Robyn

2nd Montgomery Ward

Gladiator 40ch

HYGAin NIB

Hygain Handset

JC Penny mobile

Midland 76 300

The other monty

Panasonic

Realist TRC 459

Realistic TRC-30A

SBE TRinadad Base

RADIOS BELOW ARE IN STOCK
href=”http://dd182003.files.wordpress.com/2013/06/nice-midland-and-sbe-console-v.jpg”> Nice Midland and SBE Console V[/caption]A few more arrivals to the Museum. We need to get in more shelving as we can not display all the radios we have available.

ARF 2001[/caption]

Tram 201[/caption]

Tram 201A[/caption]

Royce 642

2 more Midland Base Radios for the Museum

A New Amplifier Project

It seems difficult to get a twelve volt RF amplifier to work well on sideband at over 1.5kw.
The Texas Star DX1600 and 1600x work well up to around the 1-1.2kw PEP range but are getting pushed in their discomfort zone at much more. Doesn’t seem to much else out there at the moment and Texas Star were not interested in reproducing the 16 transistor DX3200 they once produced as they could not stand up to life in the real world and the return rate was close to 100%. The amplifiers use the Toshiba 2SC2879 device and as far as I know it is still the king of bipolar 12v devices.
Newer mosfet devices are emerging now with power levels approaching 1.2kw PEP per device but the cost is still quite high. The heatsink technology required to remove the heat generated by these small devices will also need to be further improved. While looking around we came upon a device that has been out for some time but has 3 times the power output of the 2879 but runs at 4 times the voltage..50v.
There seems to be a correlation between the IMD products and the voltage that a device runs on when using it in AB class to amplify at HF frequencies. Higher the voltage the better the IMD. The cleaner the amp…all other things being equal…
So if 8 2879′s can produce 1kw OK then 8 of these hi voltage mosfet parts should produce 3kw for the same footprint. Having 8 devices the thermal dissipation can be spread over a larger area of heat sink, but the associated components will be more and special combiners will be needed as well. When it is all said and done a decent tube amp will produce the same for probably less cost and work but I prefer to use solid state and DC. Personnel thing.
First thing was to find the power supplies. 57A 50v supplies are available on the used market. I bought 2 of them for US$135 plus shipping. They look like missiles. 2 feet long. I think they have come out of telephone exchanges. 2950w max output. Although one PSU should run the amp OK in SSB we will use 2 of them so we always have enough headroom…I am not building this ..it is being farmed out and the maker is plodding along slowly getting the parts assembled. he knows what he is doing and has the experience to carry out the job. At the rate things are going it will take a year but fortunately I am in no rush so “steady steady; catchee monkee”..(old chinese proverb!)

The PSU’s

2 ea 4 transistor boards and the combiner

The transistors are the SD2933 devices. 8 of them. Looking for a relaxed 1.5-2kw PEP output.

The 2ea 4 transistor modules

The Stryker SR-955HP

STRYKER SR-955HP

I received this radio recently along with a shipment of other radios from the US. This was the only new one, most were headed to the Yeticomnz Museum in New Plymouth. This radio has been out for a while but the list price in the US$350 range does not seem to have come down much since the radios release. As it appears to be based around the AT-5555 board with all the built in features particular to those radios…PC programmable, SWR shut down, Transmit time out, multicolour display, input voltage display etc etc, I did expect the price to come down into the mid US$200 range after a while but this has not occurred. The CB world had been waiting for sometime for stryker to release their SSB radio and it certainly was well received in the market. I can’t recall reading any negative reports about it so far. And not surprisingly; it is a very good CB radio. It is a bit unfortunate it was released around the same time that Anytone AT-5555 and the numerous derivatives were also being cheaply sold around the world and most people looking for a new CB went with them. At half the price of the stryker they offered much the same functionality with less power. Not withstanding the quality of the Stryker is head and shoulders above the rest and I guess that’s where the extra money is going. The final section is quite different, have not opened it up to see what finals are being used but I don’t think there is a pair of IRF520′s in there.
From the net I read this: “The SR-955HPC is uses four FQP13N10 mosfet transistors that produce 70+ watts PEP.” The front of the finals is encased in brass (I presume to assist cooling?) so I was unable to see the transistors or how many. Too lazy to remove the bottom covers! If there are 4 transistors in there they must be packed close together!
The SSB power from the Stryker is an easy 70w PEP and the audio is solid, unstrained, clear and bright. The power control works on AM and FM and the Mic Gain controls the SSB power out put.
The heat sink is bigger and I did not notice the heat build up that we see in the others as the power is increased above the 25w standard. The stryker is built to handle the power and does it well.

If you want to read a detailed account of how it works then go here : http://cbradiomagazine.com/Stryker%20SR-955HP%20SSB%2010%20Meter%20Export%20CB%20Radio%20Review.html
Nobody does it better!
For the manuals and other data: http://www.cbtricks.com/radios/stryker/sr_955hpc/index.htm

I will just gloss over the radio with my impressions after using it for a few days and getting used it.
Programming the thing seems to have been a problem for a lot of people. Me too. I thought the Maxlog mini usb cable would plug right in and off we would go. It plugged in alright but could not communicate. I wanted 5khz steps for the freeband and I was getting tired of turning the coarse clarifier to find the zeros. I had a cable for an AT-5555 and inserted that into the plug on the board and it fired up immediately in PC mode and downloaded the contents of the radio to the PC. I then went and changed the mid band from 27405 in 5khz steps. Surprisingly while the Anytones and the maxlog have 60 channels per band the stryker seems set on 40 only…bugger… had to go into the next band and part of 28mhz before I had all the range in 5khz steps I like. Wrote it to the radio and there it was all good.
Freeband in 5khz steps. Far out.
About the only things you need the cable for is to change the channels or fiddle with the roger beeps.
Colours..adjustable from the radio..take your pick, I went with a dimmed light blue. No +10khz switch, have to use the clarifier if you do not program them in. Clarifiers. There are 2. Course and fine. Standard inner and outer fare on an export CB. Fine can be TX or RX or Both. Course seems to be fixed RX/TX. Pity..makes it hard to work split on the fly. Will have to program the splits into the radio. Failing that you can work 5khz split from the fine clarifier if you set the range to 5khz with the function and hand book and lots of turning. Leave the coarse clarifier on the 1khz setting or else it is not of much use! The other options are 10 and 100khz.
To access the function menu from the radio you need to push and hold the function button, then keep pushing it to scroll through the menus. Changes are made by rotating the channel selector.
Band changing is a bit clunky. Move the “BAND . VFO” switch (which is cunningly concealed between the mic plugand 3 other knobs) to “BAND” and turn the CH selector up or down to change the band before returning the switch to the center position. Works but you have to think about it. The same switch when moved right puts the radio in “VFO” mode which allows you to scroll up and down in steps of 1khz, 10khz, 100khz or 1mhz. To change this step is accessed from the function button but only when switch is in “VFO” mode. If they had included a 5khz step in the VFO mode it would have solved all the programming issues for those who want to use this radio freeband. However in the VFO mode the radio could be used from 24mhz thru 30.105. I have only used it on 11m so far.
Receive is OK..I kept the RF gain backed off a little bit to decrease the white noise and the hi cut reduced it some more…you get used to it. Did not notice any AGC pumping on strong stations or any more splattering than one would normally expect from a CB radio. Neither NB or ANL seemed to do anything. (In SSB mode)
So to wrap it up…it is a great CB radio..easily one of the best to hit the market in a long time. It really is that good. Excellent package but like all good things it does come at a price. I think it is worth the money.
But as a 10m or freeband radio it does miss the mark a little bit in functionality. Needs memories and better band change and tuning step change functionality.
In summation the build quality and audio quality of this radio will carry it forwards despite it being sorely overpriced in today’s CB SSB market. In many ways the maxlog M8800 is easier to use and a hell of a lot cheaper, with most of the functionality…but…
I will still hang onto this one ….Its a keeper.

Why the CB Microphone on my 10m Transceiver?

Add on after 2 weeks on the bench
Been using it for a couple of weeks now and have a couple of things to add…The receive is not that good on weak signals as the noise starts covering them up. The noise blanker does work well on pulse noises. Stops them dead. Might need an rx tune but compared to an Optima out of the box it doesn’t deliver. The band change continues to annoy…be better off with a dedicated button somewhere. The TX on SSB continues to delight. It does deliver, strong punchy audio. heat sink has got a bit warm after longish overs..can just hold your hand on it. a fan would fix that easily. Still way cooler than any rx75 PA I have used. It is starting to slide off the bench because of the effort to check all the frequencies I easily do with the memories in the Optima. In all fairness it would just be a matter of programming in the ones I like in one section of the band but would still need to change the mode switch. Have yet to mess with the Roger Beeps or echo or monitor. It is still a good talking radio. can’t take that away from it..just needs to work on the receive a little to make it worth the price tag they are asking. Get rid of some more of the white noise and perhaps add an IF shift to attract some extra interest. I think it is too expensive for most mainstream CB’ers and it is no amateur radio, that’s for sure. Drop the price a hundred bucks and then watch them fly out the door. If Stryker don’t then Mr Cheapy Chinaman is going to come along with something similar and beat him at his own game. Which would be a shame; for Stryker.

Back to the freeband Bill Orr’s take in 1990

This was sent to me by my mate Ed in Canada…If you made a quad for CB in the 70′s or 80′s chances were you had that red quad CB hand book by your side. This is one of the guys that wrote it..I think there were 2 of them…been too long ago…

“I understand that the running number of radio Amateurs remains nearly constant. That is to say, the population is not increasing. To combat this, a no-code VHF license has been proposed that presumably will remove a large stumbling block for the would-be ham. The result will be more radio Amateurs in the long run, making the Amateur Radio service more viable and healthy. Right?
Perhaps. However, we may be barking up the wrong tree. I suggest you take an hour or so and listen to the spectrum between 26 and 29 MHz. CB radio, as it was known, has disappeared and a new form of “hobby” radio has grown up in its place. The full 3-MHz range is chock full of SSB stations going about their business in a “ham-like” attitude. Seemingly absent are the loud-mouthed ignoramuses who made CB radio a shambles a few years ago. In their place are thousands of operators, behaving themselves, and having fun! There’s plenty of OX in this range, too. I counted 14 countries in about 30 minutes listening time. Not much talk about equipment, but a lot of chatter about friendships and local color. It sounded very interesting. Too bad these thousands of operators are not hams!
But why should they be hams? What’s the advantage? They can converse and enjoy themselves with no danger from the FCC. They exchange OSL cards and other pleasantries – and they have 3 MHz of space to do itl More frequencies than any HF ham band. The future radio hams are already on the air, and I don’t see any chance of them becoming licensed Amateurs because there’s little in it for thern! They don’t need Amateur Radio as we know it. A 11odified ham transceiver and a store-bought beam puts the operator on the air, ready to work OX and make new friends. To add insult to injury, I recently received a QSL from an English Amateur. On the card were his call letters and also his “identifier” for CB radio. He had the best of all possible worlds.
As long as the FCC and other licensing bodies allow unlicensed communications to take place in the 27-MHz region, we can’t expect Amateur Radio to have much growth. The competition is too strong. And Amateur Radio shouldn’t be blamed for either this problem or the lack of growth of the Amateur population! I’m not sure what the solution is, but I do r<now that a lot of happy people are enjoying the fruits of Amateur Radio the easy way.
Can you blame them?
I propose that the ARRL initiate special broadcasts from W1AW in the 27-MHz range. This will, however. require special authorization from the FCC. These daily voice transmissions would include information about Amateur Radio, giving an address to send for more information on how to get a ham license. As time goes on, lessons in Morse code, rules and regulations of the Amateur service, and help with the Amateur exam could be given.
A regular on-the-air course in Amateur Radio should be initiated and it could be broadcast right where it’s most needed-in the middle of the “hobby” frequency range. I think that 1.5-kW PEP into a multi-element Yagi aimed at the heart of the country would gain a lot of attention among those who are potential radio Amateurs. Just as the Voice of America aims its broadcasts to selected areas of the world, the ARRL could aim its special 27-MHz transmissions at would-be Amateurs. Let’s convince them that there is value in getting an Amateur Radio license!
Bill Orr, W6SAI”

Can’t say I would relish the thought of a 1.5kw “I love Ham radio” signal sprayed across the country. How would they feel if we sprayed 20m with recordings from ch 35 lsb……?? That would get their attention..probably find the hams could dish it out pretty good too if they had to! Don’t really want to piss those hamsters off too much or they may turn their illegal ham sets and antennas to ch 35 and close down our beloved ch 35 with awful SSTV QRM. 

238AT/0 Activation in Cambodia

Just back home after 5 days in the sleepy riverside town of Kampot in Southern Cambodia. Not sure what Kampot is really famous for but it does have a resident crew of expats chilling out and getting on with their lives and lifestyles here. Kampot is 148km south of the capital Phnompen and please don’t ask me anything about the capital (including how to spell it because I don’t know!) Cambodia has suffered greatly during the pol pot regime and then when the vietnamese came in to boot him and his merry band of Kymers out. It seems that things are getting sorted, roads are going in and infrastructure is developing. The old ruins in Angkor wat are probably the biggest thing going for Cambodia tourist wise but certainly not the only things up for offer. It is hot. Hotter than here. Kampot province is famous for its Durians and I did have a couple and they were yummy. Fleshy and tasty. Ate the whole thing! Mangoes when in Season and I guess june/July looking at the trees. Kampot is located on a large river which is actually an estuary. many foreigners have built little guest houses and beer joints along and even up the river so a great place to chill out. And if you want to work a bit of DX then There is that too…I left the radio and antenna intact so just a matter of plugging in the coax and firing up. The DX was in from about 6AM thru 9Am and then from 3pm we would have Europe coming in till things went short around 10pm. Indonesia was in most of the time as was Thailand and philipines. Worked 320 odd stations and about 40 countries including 341, and 351 which both came in well. 14 div was most worked..If I can post the basic results with call sign and progressive number up here I will . For now just the pictures. Worked bits of most days as well as helping out around the place and drinking beer. (I said it was hot!) 

I did hear that there had been some confusion over the legality (for DX purposes) of the activation since we commenced on April the first and it was seen to be a hoax! Remind me to pick a different day for any further activations!

238AT/DX	Activation from Kampot Southern Cambodia			April 1-April 4 2013
Progressive	Callsign	Signal in/ out		Date
1	161AT207				105	101AT170
2	234/161SD077				260	102AT103
3	26DB617				139	104AT149
4	68RB001				162	104ET001
5	1SD019				196	104RA001
6	1KW001				58	104RC101
7	47DK137				16	104TK001
8	47DX101				161	104VOG001
9	153AT063				10	108LA019
10	108LA019				220	109HA105
11	30UM044				183	10ET555
12	30IR046				246	10ET555
13	1AT259				259	133LR/0
14	1DX411				17	136FR101
15	18FAT011				313	13AT052
16	104TK001				217	13AT251
17	136FR101				317	13AT351
18	30AT410				308	13DA110
19	3AT086				140	13GT005
20	3AT128				328	13IR123
21	91NR484				194	13OT001
22	1SD224				293	13SD180
23	1ET102				286	13SD599
24	14SD054				207	14AP001
25	47DX054				53	14AT040
26	14ET169				55	14AT047
27	1AT979				125	14AT047
28	14ET002				148	14AT054
29	1IR058				50	14AT071
30	1IR124				297	14AT099
31	14ET103				170	14AT140
32	1AT586				132	14AT190
33	1LR102				205	14AT211
34	14SD174				214	14AT211
35	1AT145				325	14AT271
36	1SD375				192	14AT285
37	14AT728				123	14AT290
38	1AT147				147	14AT311
39	1SD142				208	14AT355
40	35AT160				124	14AT365
41	1ET108				111	14AT447
42	15SD011				145	14AT482
43	1RJ050				130	14AT627
44	36AT102				37	14AT728
45	1SR231				210	14AT736
46	14PFE001				118	14AT762
47	14AT936				47	14AT936
48	1SD125				117	14CDX007
49	1AT337				187	14DA049
50	14AT071				218	14DT175
51	1AT135				131	14DX049
52	1TVB950				225	14DX079
53	14AT040				209	14ED055
54	153SD777				28	14ET002
55	14AT047				149	14ET073
56	351AT046				31	14ET103
57	3DA012				26	14ET169
58	104RC101				219	14ET181
59	91AT222				202	14FAT123
60	91NR118				318	14FR082
61	91/JZ09GBR				334	14GT011
62	91/ANTOT				203	14GT040
63	91/JZ27BEO				227	14GT226
64	91NR479				222	14GT383
65	91/JZ230TBH				320	14HF053
66	79HF010				230	14HF297
67	153_E_252				144	14IR017
68	341DA/0				212	14OD003
69	43UNIT045				46	14PFE001
70	3HF001				164	14RF083
71	172AT114				199	14RI107
72	3SD100				138	14RS057
73	43DA162				146	14SD005
74	172AT101				201	14SD028
75	41SD133				206	14SD038
76	25AT101				231	14SD049
77	43SD133				316	14SD053
78	43LE415				24	14SD054
79	43SD180				211	14SD115
80	43DA050				235	14SD121
81	41RC001				169	14SD132
82	25HF011				233	14SD138
83	302TRC109				198	14SD141
84	41SD011				102	14SD171
85	43SD128				34	14SD174
86	43SD310				314	14SD181
87	41SD484				193	14SD197
88	43SS129				119	14SD209
89	172DA010				195	14SD212
90	43SD280				309	14SD223
91	43RC461				215	14SD272
92	172SD104				197	14SD305
93	43AT143				224	14SD387
94	43SD268				229	14SD644
95	43CT004				232	14TC002
96	43AT015				223	14TC028
97	43DA007				324	14TL046
98	43UNIT318				67	153_E_252
99	43WR944				9	153AT063
100	18VOG049				54	153SD777
101	43SD071				263	155SD850
102	14SD171				184	155TN717
103	43EW352				42	15SD011
104	43TR299				273	161AR101
105	101AT170				332	161ASD101
106	30AT210				322	161AT032
107	1SD103				289	161AT127
108	30AT307				271	161AT205
109	302SD109				1	161AT207
110	1AT417				315	161AT399
111	14AT447				300	161AT482
112	79RC100				279	161OD002
113	161SC074				113	161SC074
114	30AT019				213	161SD002
115	1AT174				282	161SD102
116	79WO189				323	161SD137
117	14CDX007				327	161SD800
118	14AT762				310	161SM034
119	14SD209				121	163IR001
120	165SD102				154	165CM102
121	163IR001				120	165SD102
122	26DX047				275	16OZ457
123	14AT290				74	172AT101
124	14AT365				71	172AT114
125	14AT047				89	172DA010
126	1AT148				92	172SD104
127	19DX056				177	172SD104
128	1RC147				15	18FAT011
129	26AT032				285	18HF001
130	14AT627				312	18SD126
131	14DX049				100	18VOG049
132	14AT190				303	19AT306
133	1AT670				295	19AT515
134	1SD114				136	19DX012
135	19SD280				127	19DX056
136	19DX012				298	19PA001
137	1AT499				307	19PL018
138	14RS057				278	19SD265
139	104AT149				135	19SD280
140	13GT005				141	19TRC614
141	19TRC614				51	1AT135
142	30VR101				35	1AT145
143	30SD013				38	1AT147
144	14IR017				126	1AT148
145	14AT482				115	1AT174
146	14SD005				204	1AT215
147	14AT311				155	1AT255
148	14AT054				13	1AT259
149	14ET073				163	1AT303
150	30AT401				49	1AT337
151	30EA101				110	1AT417
152	34AT077				160	1AT435
153	49AT014				137	1AT499
154	165CM102				221	1AT506
155	1AT255				32	1AT586
156	93AT011				294	1AT586
157	34AT034				133	1AT670
158	1SD199				167	1AT746
159	1MRM				329	1AT782
160	1AT435				166	1AT785
161	104VOG001				27	1AT979
162	104ET001				14	1DX411
163	1AT303				23	1ET102
164	14RF083				305	1ET104
165	34AT213				41	1ET108
166	1AT785				29	1IR058
167	1AT746				30	1IR124
168	3DX013				6	1KW001
169	14SD132				237	1LR032
170	14AT140				33	1LR102
171	30RC564				321	1LR149
172	91MEX191				159	1MRM
173	3SD107				228	1RC101
174	43RC207				311	1RC105
175	41SD279				128	1RC147
176	41RB198				43	1RJ050
177	172SD104				306	1SD017
178	3AT128				5	1SD019
179	3AT021				107	1SD103
180	3SD113				134	1SD114
181	43XL005				216	1SD119
182	43AU858				48	1SD125
183	10ET555				39	1SD142
184	155TN717				238	1SD156
185	43SP245				280	1SD156
186	43AC701				292	1SD165
187	14DA049				158	1SD199
188	26SD117				22	1SD224
189	26SD005				36	1SD375
190	26TM357				45	1SR231
191	26OK800				52	1TVB950
192	14AT285				299	20AT014
193	14SD197				335	20DX012
194	13OT001				276	20SD111
195	14SD212				296	20SD116
196	104RA001				291	21AT101
197	14SD305				269	21DX116
198	14SD141				302	21WW051
199	14RI107				304	233BG001
200	327KL137				2	234/161SD077
201	14SD028				76	25AT101
202	14FAT123				82	25HF011
203	14GT040				290	25SD135
204	1AT215				240	266OD004
205	14AT211				241	266RC001
206	14SD038				326	26AT030
207	14AP001				129	26AT032
208	14AT355				3	26DB617
209	14ED055				122	26DX047
210	14AT736				191	26OK800
211	14SD115				189	26SD005
212	14OD003				188	26SD117
213	161SD002				190	26TM357
214	14AT211				248	2DA357
215	14SD272				257	2SD178
216	1SD119				109	302SD109
217	13AT251				262	302TRC/SU
218	14DT175				83	302TRC109
219	14ET181				114	30AT019
220	109HA105				267	30AT032
221	1AT506				270	30AT055
222	14GT383				106	30AT210
223	14TC028				108	30AT307
224	14SD387				274	30AT318
225	14DX079				150	30AT401
226	30RC127				18	30AT410
227	14GT226				234	30AT766
228	1RC101				151	30EA101
229	14SD644				12	30IR046
230	14HF297				226	30RC127
231	14SD049				171	30RC564
232	14TC002				143	30SD013
233	14SD138				11	30UM044
234	30AT766				142	30VR101
235	14SD121				284	30VR101
236	49MU107				333	31PAT001
237	1LR032				330	31SD017
238	1SD156				331	31SD101
239	3AT136				200	327KL137
240	266OD004				68	341DA/0
241	266RC001				157	34AT034
242	43DOWNUNDER271				152	34AT077
243	43AT175				165	34AT213
244	43UNIT803				56	351AT046
245	43WR141				40	35AT160
246	10ET555				281	35SD127
247	3AT031				44	36AT102
248	2DA357				254	37SD002
249	3SD028				179	3AT021
250	3AT068				247	3AT031
251	43VCJ371				250	3AT068
252	3SD077				19	3AT086
253	3DA120				20	3AT128
254	37SD002				178	3AT128
255	43SD280				239	3AT136
256	43DA225				57	3DA012
257	2SD178				253	3DA120
258	43TM373				168	3DX013
259	133LR/0				70	3HF001
260	102AT103				249	3SD028
261	43SD181				252	3SD077
262	302TRC/SU				72	3SD100
263	155SD850				173	3SD107
264	41RC456				180	3SD113
265	41SD484				176	41RB198
266	41SD185				81	41RC001
267	30AT032				264	41RC456
268	43AT144				84	41SD011
269	21DX116				75	41SD133
270	30AT055				266	41SD185
271	161AT205				175	41SD279
272	56SD113				87	41SD484
273	161AR101				265	41SD484
274	30AT318				186	43AC701
275	16OZ457				96	43AT015
276	20SD111				93	43AT143
277	56KP101				268	43AT144
278	19SD265				243	43AT175
279	161OD002				182	43AU858
280	1SD156				288	43AU979
281	35SD127				95	43CT004
282	161SD102				97	43DA007
283	43SI199				80	43DA050
284	30VR101				73	43DA162
285	18HF001				256	43DA225
286	13SD599				242	43DOWNUNDER271
287	47RC122				103	43EW352
288	43AU979				78	43LE415
289	161AT127				174	43RC207
290	25SD135				91	43RC461
291	21AT101				101	43SD071
292	1SD165				85	43SD128
293	13SD180				77	43SD133
294	1AT586				79	43SD180
295	19AT515				261	43SD181
296	20SD116				94	43SD268
297	14AT099				90	43SD280
298	19PA001				255	43SD280
299	20AT014				86	43SD310
300	161AT482				283	43SI199
301	47AT121				185	43SP245
302	21WW051				88	43SS129
303	19AT306				258	43TM373
304	233BG001				104	43TR299
305	1ET104				69	43UNIT045
306	1SD017				98	43UNIT318
307	19PL018				244	43UNIT803
308	13DA110				251	43VCJ371
309	14SD223				245	43WR141
310	161SM034				99	43WR944
311	1RC105				181	43XL005
312	18SD126				301	47AT121
313	13AT052				7	47DK137
314	14SD181				319	47DX002
315	161AT399				25	47DX054
316	14SD053				8	47DX101
317	13AT351				287	47RC122
318	14FR082				336	47RO109
319	47DX002				153	49AT014
320	14HF053				236	49MU107
321	1LR149				277	56KP101
322	161AT032				272	56SD113
323	161SD137				337	56SD555
324	14TL046				4	68RB001
325	14AT271				66	79HF010
326	26AT030				112	79RC100
327	161SD800				116	79WO189
328	13IR123				62	91/ANTOT
329	1AT782				61	91/JZ09GBR
330	31SD017				65	91/JZ230TBH
331	31SD101				63	91/JZ27BEO
332	161ASD101				59	91AT222
333	31PAT001				172	91MEX191
334	14GT011				60	91NR118
335	20DX012				64	91NR479
336	47RO109				21	91NR484
337	56SD555				156	93AT011
			47 COUNTRIES
			331 CONTACTS

There are mistakes in this log due to my typing errors…the true log is the written one on paper whic has been sent to AT HQ for all verifications. This one was /is just a service to DXers…I think 37 division is actually 11 and the seven and eleven was getting me confused…..Don’t take this as gospel please!!

Some observations on operating an activation.
I would have to say that the skip runs hard and heavy for only a small percentage of the time spent on the radio. Because of this it is extremely important that the operator can make as many contacts as possible within this time. Unfortunately the opposite is usually the case due to the steady calling of the dx stations drowning each other out. I would try to write down as many callsigns as possible that I heard so I could call them back when I had completed the call I was on, but if the station called repeatedly and in so doing blocked my ability to receive the station I had called or was working then we have a lot of wasted time. Even when I called a station the other stations would still keep calling. Because they keep calling they can’t hear me. because they keep calling I can’t hear the station I want to complete so I can move on. Too many times I was left with incomplete contacts due to this. Very frustrating. Remember gentlemen Dxers, if you are polite and only call once or twice I will write it down and call you back. If you persist in calling and calling the activation station may write down your callsign and not call you back! Because of the noise I could not always get the complete callsign and would then have to fight to get it….because the country code is first I frequently missed it and would just get the suffix numbers. The letters are important as AT, SD RC, IR etc do stick out as we recognize them. FAT is difficult as we are not looking for 3 letters. similarly TRC…similarly..AT, IT, RT, get confusing too….Anything unusually takes a little longer to verify and sort out….I don’t mind to hear a country at the end as it helps me sort out the call. Good to put the country at the end of the call but just call once, just once…Another good tip is to wait a while..count to 8 slowly then call…Some italian stations do not put the country code or the country…I like to hear the full call and the country. If I know your call and hear it for sure I will respond. I think I lost 50% of the calls due to stations calling over and over and causing QRM. Once I call a station the other stations need to stop calling. The more stations I work, the less the QRM and the more chance I will hear you….I won’t blame any countries or calls here…I knew I would just have to suck it up and just try to do the best I could with out getting up set and getting angry and then wasting more time telling people off on air…at home I just turn off…here I had a job to do. it would have been great if there was a second operator to take over and help out but it was not the case. Colin has recently lost his eyesight and with his hearing being his primary contact with the world around him he did not want to put up with the noise and general QRM of the radio. it was enough that he allowed me to stay in his house and activate 238AT/DX for the 4 days we were on air.
EQUIPMENT
I brought 2 bags with me and spread the gear between both bags so if one went missing or got stopped the other may go through. Both came through with no hassles at all. The visa was obtained at the airport and I should have had a photo. because I did not have a photo an extra charge was levied. All up it cost me US$50 for the one month visa at the airport. I had 2 ea 30A Switch mode PSU’s..meanwell from china. No noise and voltage set for the radio at 14.2 and the mosfet amp at 14.5v. The radios were a Mk1 A optima which is pretty much identical to the MK3 Optima and a new Maxlog 8800 I use in Jakarta from time to time. both radios put out about 40w PEP and drive the amp to 140w or so. The optima heard a little better but because so many calling not sure if it was an advantage or a disadvantage. Neither radios could handle the heterodynes and mush very well, but the optima had the advantage of the extra filter and when I used the 2nd filter and the pre amp on the amplifier together it seemed to be a good match for the noise. I used headphones because my ears are bad and to keep the noise down. I brought a skypper and a screw together 1/2 wave vertical. The vertical went up in a flash and was working so well I never stopped to erect the skypper. I brought the skypper back home and left the vertical up. I think I could have worked more stations with the skypper but turning it would have been a problem. Both antennas fitted into my zip up kit bags (about 1m in length) and require no tuning. The skypper came from DA016 in Spain and was well made and specially made to fit into a back you can take on the aeroplane. The vertical was a little low in resonance and was 1.5 : 1 Swr on 27.5mhz. I did not let it worry me. I should have cut another 2 /’ off the top, and will do one day. The antenna would have been about 9m to the base. The antenna was bought from China and also is in about 6 sections and also packs up under a meter. All the sections screw together and then locked in by grub screws. Can’t get it wrong. has three little radios that get hooked up in everything as it is going up! I have just ordered another 10 of them so if anybody interested I will sell them at US$100ea plus shipping. I taped up all the joints with a few wraps of thick electrical tape to add some strength and prevent water ingress. The amplifier was a twin mosfet magnum T2000 using those 75w ERF devices. It performed with out a hitch. Cheap as, so worth every cent..the newer ones have one device driving 4 for a lot more power out (3-400w) but the 140 w from this amp did seem adequate for the activation and got nowhere near as warm as the bigger one. I think the 40w would have over driven the single driver anyway. I think two of these devices driving 8 for a good solid 500w would be a good match for the 40w radios. Internal fan ran when the amp was on and kept things cool. Coax run was RG8 and about 15m. Would have preferred RG8X but could not find any in time.
The Optima is easy to use with the memories and the ability of the memory to hold the side band and any split. A simple job to check out the frequencies of note without a lot of flicking about. I noted I used the clarifier a lot more on the Optima. never used it on the maxlog! Well actually I did when working split…went into the menu and set up the clarifier for tx only and set up the split…that’s why I was working RX 5khz down but I could have gone rx 2mhz away as well! The maxlog was simple and other than taking a few minutes before the ptt would kick in (sometimes) performed for the final 2 days. I think stations preferred the sharper sound. I don’t know..could have sounded like shit too and nobody would have complained….as long as they could hear me and get the numbers.!!!!
when we arrived in kampot the power was off so we bought a gen set, battery and battery charger. One should not run switch mode supplies on a generator. They never seem to last long so we would have had the battery and the charger on the genset if required. As it was it was not required but Col now has a genset to run the fridge, fans and water pump. He doesn’t really need the lights!!!
Will I go back again? You bet. That was a great relaxing week with as much Dx as I could handle.

Australia’s ACMA..Could this be why we have seen an increase in state sanctioned crimes against freebanders

Summary: ACMA chairman Chris Chapman has said that he was “gobsmacked” by the Convergence Review recommendation that ACMA be abolished, saying he sees a big future for the authority in a digital world.

By Josh Taylor | August 30, 2012 — 22:30 GMT (08:30 AEST)
The chairman of the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) Chris Chapman has admitted to being gobsmacked by a recommendation in the Convergence Review that the ACMA be abolished, saying that the group only examined 40 per cent of what the authority does.

As part of the recommendations to come out of the Convergence Review; which examined the regulatory environment for the media and the internet One recommendation was that the ACMA be abolished, or folded into a new overarching regulator for content and communications.

Speaking at the Charles Todd Oration in Sydney, Chapman said that he was surprised by the recommendation.

“I’m still a little gobsmacked that the review can recommend the abolition of the ACMA. I think our internal reckoning suggested it touched on 40 per cent of the activities we undertake,” he said.

While the government has still yet to say whether or not it will act on any of the recommendations of the review, Chapman said Australia needed to move beyond the conversation about the Convergence Review.
“I think we’re getting bogged down by that,” he said.

“Discussions around convergence are too narrow. Whether you use networked society or information society, I think there is a dialogue that has to be prosecuted, in all facets of government, business, consumers, citizens and regulators, that goes well beyond the current narrow thinking that has, up
until now, been couched in convergence.”

He said that, as the world entered a “hyper-digital” era, the regulator needed to be flexible to adapt to rapid changes to the industry.

“I think this evolution drives a need to empower the regulator to be flexible and rapidly adaptive to changing industry circumstances, which may involve more rapid ‘fit for purpose’ intervention and may equally, if not more so, involve regulatory discretion and the exercise forbearance, which empowerment will be a crucial part of the way forward,” he said.

Chapman said that as networks evolve, regulating the communication on those networks will be even more complex.

“We need to acknowledge the inevitable movement towards an even more complex communications world, where network elements can and will be emulated in software — think ‘virtualisation’” leading, in turn, to an ever more intricate and subtle interconnection between networks, devices, services and content,” he said.

He said that, as a starting point, the government should aim to bring the current legislation “up to date” with the digital world.

“However, things have changed quite radically over the last six or so years. And I suggest we all must plan for further radical change over an indicative lifespan of any proposed regulatory reform process,” he said.
“Sitting where I sit, and having daily intimate knowledge of the various influences and dynamics and interplay with current Acts and regulatory constructs, that process needs to make use of broader concepts of convergence than those we have only just got used to, concepts that take into account the fact that we are dealing with deeply complex, indeed ambiguous, changes in communications and media today.”

Internally, ACMA has undertaken an assessment of its regulatory role, looking at 98 different activities it conducts. Chapman said that in 37 of these activities, ACMA believes it is meeting or leading world’s best practice, while there is room for improvement in another 61 areas. He said
this report will be made public in October.

So there it is folks…The convergence board only inspected 40% of whet they did because drinking tea, driving around aimlessly and watching TV for the other 60% of what ACMA does; did not count as work. The boss maybe “Gobsmacked” ie “lost for words”, but he is trying to fight back by busting freebanders to make the department look good so he can file a case for his continued salary and pension. Like he said, things have changed so much over the last few years with the digital revolution and the poor ACMA buggers are not able to keep up with the technology out there, let alone police or protect it. So to build up some numbers they are targeting out of band CB’ers to prove they are up to the job. Their jobs are at stake fella’s. We all better get on the freeband so they have something to do in order to save their livelihoods. We can’t let these guys turn into dole bludgers and welfare recipients.! it just wouldn’t be right, would it?