Thursday Night 7.211 MHz Early Bird Session Starting At 7:30 Central Time
AF5AI - Hans
I became a radio ham in the 70s as SWL Followed by the novice license with 6 channels in the 2 meter band 10 Watts simplex only. General was next for VHF and UHF all mode. Then my favorite CW 12 wpm and became PA3DPO. Moved to the States and used the W4/PA3DPO. 2011 I had to start all over and did all 3 exams in one sitting. Still enjoying the hobby and especially the Albuquerque boat anchor net. Ken became a good friend of mine. I'm the YAESU guy and Ken likes his Kenwood hihi. Hope to hear from y'all on Thursdays. 73 and God will bless you and keep you.
AF5AI Hans.
Greg - wa4iii
I am Greg Walker, wa4iii, Thanks for accepting me in the group. First licensed in 1974 as Novice, wn4iii. In 1975, I upgraded to Technician, then to general.in 1978, Advanced in 1979 and made Extra in 1996. I am retired and enjoy country living in Northwest Alabama.
My hobbies include building homebrew projects and trying to keep my Boat Anchors working. Also I enjoy working in my shop doing mechanical work and woodwork. I can't say I enjoy mowing the grass and weeds, but it has to be done. I try to make all the local Hamfests and tailgate parties. DXing and rag chewing and participating in some selected nets pass the time. Attached is a few pictures of some of my radios. Although my main station is a Yaesu FT2000D with an Ameritron AL82 and an AL80B amp converted to 6 meters. I use an FT991 on 50, 144, and 432mhz. Antennas include a cushcraft A3S at 70 ft, Dipoles on 160, 80, and 40 meters and a cushcraft non rotatable, rotatable dipole for 30, 17, and 12 meters. I say nonrotatable because it is clamped directly to the tower. BTY, I don't work 30 and 60 meters. I do SSB. AM. and FM where permitted. AM station is a Johnson Valiant with a Drake R4A receiver and Drake MN2000 Tuner.
For the Albuquerque Boat Anchor net, I pick out one of the radios and usually an amp from the collection. I alternate them, so you may eventually hear all of them on the air.
73, Greg - wa4iii
KJ5HQI - Casen
Our youngest member, Casen is 13.
My name is Casen and I got my license in August of 24. My callsign is KJ5HQI. My setup currently consists on an icom 718 with an off center fed dipole for hf, and an icom ic v8000 with a tram antenna for my vhf.
W4IV - Robert Fitch
I have been repairing electronics professionally since the changeover from vacuum tubes to solid state.
I was forced into retirement due to health conditions in 2002.
Now I enjoy buying vintage electronics for cheap and bringing them back to life. Shown in the picture is my Swan 500C that I bought for $1 at a tailgater. After cleaning the controls and switches it came back to life. It has 8950 finals and still does rated power. I paid more for the power supply than for the radio ($35)! It has been recapped, and refinished. I received the Kenwood TS-520 as payment for services, along with the DG-5, AT-200, and the SM-220. The solid-state rig is a TS-590s I use for digital modes (rarely). The 2-meter ssb radio is a Kenwood TR-751A that I bought from "that big online auction site " The amp is the Kenwood TL-922 that I rescued from destruction from the "golden screwdriver". It has been completely updated with the restoration kit from Kessler engineering. I had to replace the band switch and the filter bank. The tubes are the original 3-500z, and it still puts out rated power. My HF antenna is a simple off center fed dipole with the apex at 30'.
W4IV - Robert Fitch
Bob - NB0BN
Started as an SWL, first licensed in 1978 but not active until 2018 when I saw a Swan 270 on Craigslist and decided to get my ham radio license again. Passed the tests and the radio was still available. I bought it on the way home. Since then my Swan collection has ballooned. I've enjoyed making these old radios work again.
My Swans include: 120, 140, 175, 240, 260, 270, 270B, 350 (2), 350C, 400 (2), 500, 500C, 500CX, 500 CX SS16, 600 T and R, 700, SS-200, Astro 150, Astro 102BX and a Swan Mark 1 linear amplifier.
My primary antenna is a 135 foot long doublet, running north and south, about 35 feet high, fed by open wire feedline into a Johnson Matchbox with Annecke mods.
I am also using an old Gap DX Challenger that I picked up at a hamfest in 2024, but it needs a bit of work.
73 Bob NB0BN
Adam - N0ZIB
Licensed in high school in the mid 90's. Family and career took me away from ham radio until 5 years ago. Now I'm more into it than ever! CW, SSB, digital, new SDR rigs, boat anchors, I enjoy it all. Current station is Ten-Tec Orion II and Jupiter, Icom IC-7600, Yaesu FT-101EE, Drake TR-4 and a Hallicrafters SR-150, but it's always changing. Love the technical side of this hobby!
Adam
Bryan W9BED
First licensed in 1977 novice (KA9CEE) general call N9BJB, Now Advanced W9BED, studying for Extra. I work as an IT manager in Southern Illinois, near St. Louis, for a utility company and enjoy operating my boat anchors as well as modern rigs for VHF/UHF
Operational Boat Anchors:
Collins S Line, Collins 30 L-1 amp, KWM2, Two Swan 350's, Swan 240, Swan 250, Swan 500 (x2), Swan 175, Siltronix 1011D (x3) Hallicrafters Sx100, Heathkit SB220 amp, Johnson Viking Ranger Transmitter, Gonset SB-100 Transmitter Hammarlund HQ -129X receiver
Bryan W9BED
ke7jzz - David DiFrancesco
I got my extra about 8 years ago and I love working on old ham gear. I live in Holladay Utah and have up 4 antennae, a G5RV, a 37ft sloper, a 40m dipole and another one that I don't know what it is called with 80m traps. I was a Novice then a Technician back in the 60s WA7FED and started new as a no code general 10 years ago. I would apologize for the appearance of my shack, but I know who I am talking to, no need.
Loved electronics all my life BSEE from the U of Utah started DOD Electronics in my basement in '73 currently with Rolls Corporation making commercial sound equipment. My hobby right now is getting boat anchors up and running. Love things that glow and amplify. Got my extra 2/11/17 OK, OK I'm a no code extra, but still...... My main rig now is the Hallicrafters FP-300. And using a Rolls HR341 audio processor for cleaning up the signal a little, nulling out anoying heterodynes and limiting the S meter burners. I have a homebrew sloping antenna at 40 down to 20 feet about 50ft long using a homebrew 9to1 UNUN. Also a homebrew desktop mic. My favorite would be the Atlas 350 there in the picture, if it worked, no luck so far.
DAVID
Dan - N5NBK
I come by loving boatanchors naturally. I have always loved anything old. In fact, my wife says that I was born old. Of course, now I qualify since I am 73.
I was licensed as KA5GRL IN 1978, and upgraded to Technician in about 1979 and changed my call to N5NBK. Life with jobs and family kept me as a Technician until about 1990 when I passed my General 13 word per minute code test. Now that I am retired, I need to study and pass my Extra class exam.
The last few years I have enjoyed collecting radios that I could not afford in my younger years. The Collins transceivers are my favorite. I have one KWM-1, two KWM-2’s, two KWM-2A’s, one KWM-380, and one HF-380. I have a Collins 75A-4 receiver. I also have a love for the Kenwood hybrid transceivers, owning several in the TS-520 line, a TS-530, and a TS-830.
My ham shack measures 27 foot by 36 foot, and I am doing my best to fill it up. I have over 40 transceivers to date, and 7 linear amps.
My antennas consist of a rotatable 40 meter dipole at 50 feet, an eight element log periodic at 55 feet for 20 through 10 meters, a nine element vertically polarized 2 meter beam at 60 feet, and a folded dipole for 40 through 10 meters at 30 feet.
I look forward to participating in the net on Thursday evenings.
73 Danny N5NBK