My Station

Transceivers and Amplifiers

My amateur radio station is centered around a Yaesu FTDX101MP transceiver, which I acquired in December 2020.  My secondary HF radio is a Kenwood TS-590SG.   I use a microHAM MK2R+ SO2R controller, which allows me to operate both radios at the same time in a variety of situations.

I have a linear power amplifier available on each station.  An Alpha 9500, and an Alpha 87A.  Both are microprocessor control automatic amplifiers capable of legal limit output on the HF bands.

I also have an Icom IC-7000 transceiver in the shack, but usually only use it as a receiver with my amplified magnetic receiving loop.

Some of my Other Gear

(2) Palstar HF-Auto Automatic Antenna Tuners
(2) Hamation Bandpasser II Bandpass Filter Systems
(2) Hamation Shack Master SM-8 Band Decoders
(1) Hamation 8×2 Automatic Antenna Switch(2) Hamation RS232 Routers
(1) LBS 1500-Watt Triplexer for 20-15-10 Meters
(1) Array Solutions RAT PAK 6-Position Coax Switch (Used to route receive loop between three radios)
(4) Samlex Power SEC-1235M Switching Power Supplies (Totally Quiet, Love them!)
WaveNode WN-2D Digital RF Power/SWR Meter
Green Heron RT-21 Antenna Rotator Controller/Yaesu G1000DXA Rotator
Yaesu G-450A Rotator (For Amplified Magnetic Receive Loop)
Palstar SP30B Communications Speaker
Electrovoice RE-20 Large Diaphragm Dynamic Microphone
W2IHY 8-Band EQ and EQ Plus Audio Processors
Kenwood TM-V71 Dual Band VHF/UHF Transceiver (Antenna: Diamond X300 at 45 ft.)
Uniden 536HP Communications Scanner (Antenna: Diamond Discone at 30 ft.)
Begali Simplex and Bencher BY-1 Iambic Paddles

All of my antenna and control cables enter the shack via a KF7P custom entrance panel with Morgan, Alpha-Delta, and PolyPhaser surge suppressors.

My Ham Radio Software

General Logging:  LOG4OM Version 2

Contest Logging:  N1MM +

JT Weak Signal Modes (FT8, MSK144): WSJT-X

Companion Software for WSJT-X:  JTAlert

Antenna Rotator Software:  PstRotatorAz

Antennas:

Quadband Yagi at 19 meters (62 feet) – JK Model MID-TRI-40
This antenna has five active elements on 10-meters, four on 15-meters, three on 20-meters and two on 40-meters, interlaced on a single 26 ft. boom.  The antenna weighs 165 lbs. (75 Kg)  This antenna is fed with two runs of Times Microwave LMR400 coax.

Inverted Vee for the 80-meter CW band.  It is tower mounted at 61 feet (17 meters) – fed with LMR400 coax to a DX Engineering high power balun.

80-meter multi-band doublet (Some call this a double-extended Center Fed Zep) hung in a flat-top configuration at 30 feet (9 meters), center fed with DXE 300 Ohm window line.  The window line terminates to an external DX Engineering 1:1 balun, and a 15 ft. run of LMR600 coax runs to a Palstar HF-Auto tuner.  I can use this antenna on all amateur bands from 75 meters up through 6-meters.  I mostly use it on 75, 60 and 30 meters.

5-element 6-meter yagi mounted at 72 feet (22-meters).  This antenna is the 6M5X made by M2.  This antenna is fed with LMR600 coax.

160 Meter Half Sloper mounted on the tower at 50 ft.

The tower antennas are rotated with a Yaesu G-1000DXA.

I use a W6LVP amplified magnetic receiving loop on the low bands. It is mounted at 8 ft. above ground, and is rotated by a Yaesu G450 rotator.  It is located 130 feet from my shack and fed with 160 feet of Belden type RG11 quadshield coax.

LBS Triplexer N4EEB
Here is a photo of my Morgan AC Line Filter, LBS 1500W Triplexer, and the Hamation Automatic Antenna Switch. The triplexer allows me to use the tribander portion (20-15-10 meters) of my antenna as three separate antennas at the same time. It works great.

 

Pictures of my 72 ft. Rohn 25G tower with JK Mid-Tri-40, M2 6M5X, and 80m Inverted Vee

This is my W6LVP Amplified Magnetic Receive Loop mounted at 8 feet about 130 feet from the shack. It is rotated by a Yaesu G-450A. The lower rope on the left of the picture is one end of the 80 meter inverted vee from the tower. The upper rope supports one end of the 135 ft. center fed doublet.

The view from the 60 ft. level of my tower looking southeast over my pond.