Shack

I currently have no dedicated shack room, and operate from wherever I may roam or set up. I have a portable setup and a base station setup.

Accessories

Things that make things happen.

  • Bencher JA-1 — Japan-only iambic paddle, circa 1945–1960. The JA-1 is a BY-1 with smoky finger pieces and the ST-1 spring tensioner.
  • G4ZLP DigiMaster CW Keyer — UK-made keyer with K1EL WinKeyer support. Works with every program I’ve thrown at it.
  • MFJ-550 — Your basic straight key. Cheap and plastic.
  • NucleoTNC — Kit-built TNC from Mobilinkd. Used for APRS and packet on VHF.

Amplifiers

Very light on this one since I don’t have space or the antenna to use an amplifier, but I do own one.

  • Heathkit HA-14 — [WIP] Heathkit HA-14 with matching Heathkit HP-24 PSU.
  • OGS 50W — OGS 50W HF amplifier.

Antennas

I have either built or bought a few antennas and we all know the deal … we can never have too many options for antennas!

Power Supplies

Having rigs means you need power. I have acquired power sources that I have repaired or bought and work to keep my rigs powered and on the air as long as I need.

  • Astron RS-50A — Repaired linear supply from a church organ set. Added an inrush limiter to stop tripping the breaker.
  • Kenwood KPS-21 — The Kenwood power supply that Kenwood claims doesn’t exist and Astron remains silent about.
  • Powerwerx SS-30DV — Switching supply on my portable case. Low noise, front-panel PowerPole ports.
  • Samlex SEC-1223 — A well-designed, reliable, and RF quiet power supply!

Radios

I own more radios than I thought I did, but I guess you can never have too many radios. I started with VHF/UHF as any technician would and then purchased one of the best sounding rigs I’ve heard to date.

  • Baofeng RD-5R — A DMR HT that I am using to test a multi-mode digital gateway project I am working on.
  • Baofeng UV-5R EX — My first HT. Gets me on the air, hits local repeaters.
  • Baofeng UV-5R Plus — Yet another Baofeng. Yes, they’re cheap.
  • Kenwood TK-790 — Old, but trusty. I got this for VHF packet access with a TNC.
  • Kenwood TK-880 — Because a guy can’t have too many Kenwood radios.
  • Kenwood TM-261A (v1) — Purchased for an APRS digipeater project.
  • Kenwood TM-261A (v2) — Bought a second one and came with a custom TNC
  • Kenwood TS-50S (v1) — [SOLD] HF rig which I bought from Japane. Battery and TCXO upgraded. Recapped.
  • Kenwood TS-50S (v2) — HF rig which I bought from Japan. Battery and TCXO upgraded. Recapped.
  • Kenwood TS-850S — Solid Kenwood radio. TCXO upgraded, got WAS on 100W barefoot with this one.
  • QYT KT-8900D — Dual band base station from a fellow ham. Slow TX/RX but reliable.
  • Xiegu G1M — QRP Xiegu quad-band HF (80m/40m/20m/15m)
  • Yaesu FT-2700RH — Gift from a fellow ham. VHF/UHF radio used for APRS and packet.
  • Yaesu FTM-400DR — [DEAD] Repaired once, then connected the PowerPoles backwards.
  • Yaesu FTM-400XDR — Another Yaesu, and not trusting the factory service on this one.
  • Yaesu FTM-7250DR — My first mobile rig. Dual band, C4FM and Wires-X capable.

Tuners

The one tool that is the bane of our existence, but useful to have.

  • ATU-100 EXT — A design by N7DDC that works really well
  • Kenwood AT-50 — Original Kenwood beauty. Works with both my TS-850S and TS-50S.
  • MFJ-939K — Kenwood cable variant. Works with both my TS-850S and TS-50S.
 

About

I am Elisamuel Resto Donate, and I go by Sam - Amateur radio callsign KF0ACN or WSMN396 on GMRS