Tag: Rigs

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TS-590-sLately I get more and more interested in the new Kenwood TS-590S. When I read it’s brochure and manual, when I look at the clips of first runs on air I get the impression this must be my new transceiver!
Last friday I decided I have to consolidate the shack and sell most of it before buy something new. Put on for sale: Kenwood TS-450, Kenwood TS-50 + AT-50, PS-52 power supply, SP-31 speaker, lots of filters, BHI-DSP speaker, Signalink USB, Condor 16 kit, a few SWR/Power meters and a Kenwood AT-130 antenna tuner. It became an unbelievable saturday with lots of e-mails, calls and people coming over to see the goods. Already sold: the TS-450 and the TS-50 +AT-50. PS-52 and SP-31 expected to be sold today. Signalink and 1 SWR/Powermeter already flew out the door.

I’m nearly half way to the new Kenwood. Still one thing I need to do: listen to the thing with my own ears and check if I like the sound of it! Only thing I’m in doubt of: shall I swap my good old TS-850S for the TS-590S or should I keep it as a backup transceiver? Hmmmm, tough one.

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CQwwWPXLast weekend I participated in the CQ WW SSB 2010 contest at our clubstation. First timer for a 48 hour contest. While preparing I decided not to work the full 48 hours. Earlier this year I participated in the PACC-contest for 24 hours and I found that exhausting enough. So I did want to start on saterday morning around 5:00 UTC until 22:00 UTC and return on sunday around 6:00 UTC untill 16:00 UTC. That left sunday evening for breaking up the gear. Everything worked as planned, kind of… We were active from the clubstation with two hams. We had build up 2 seats and there where 4 antenna’s operationable. A 10-15-20 beam, a 80m dipole, a 40m dipole (which hung too low) and a 20m dipole (which hung waaay to low). We swapped seats every once in a while to use the beam for 15m and 20m. 15m and 20m where the bands this weekend. I was able to work a few really far calls and added 19 new DXCC-entities to my log. In total I worked 295 QSO’s. Not too much, but I blame it to the bad antenna conditions (at least for multiple operators).

We really need to get up more monoband dipoles and get them up high! Problem is there are enough high trees around our clubstation but almost none possibilities to climb them. I think we need to figure out how to get the antennas up. For the PACC next year we want to try a multi-multi-station for the first time. So that is gonna need some serious preparations!