Tag: ts-890

Memories past and Present

This past weekend I made a trip down to Orlando Florida to experience Hamcation. It was a lot fun. I got to meet some cool people and of course came home with some radio related goodies. The Region 4 U.S. Army MARS group had a dinner Friday night and I got to connect faces to voices. It was a good time.

This was also a time for some refection. On my way down and back I traveled on Interstate 75. This was the same route I used during the 2004-2005 hurricane seasons. I provided HF radio communication for the convoy bringing relief supplies right after a hurricane. I did this 4 times in 2004 and once in 2005. Back then, communications was not as well developed as it is today.

During those trips I would check into the South CARS net or the South Coast Amateur Radio Service net. According to South CARS: “The purpose of the net is to assist those seeking to contact other amateur radio stations, or areas; to provide weather and travel information; to assist in emergencies when needed.” They operate on 7.251 MHz from 0800 to 1300 hrs Eastern. I used the net to check my radios and listen for any travel information that might have affected the mission. I joined back then (#3773)and still occasionally check in from time to time.

On this trip I was traveling solo so I dialed up 7.251 and checked into the net. While the net was operational, they kept me company and I enjoyed listening to the net. At times, it brought me back to those disaster relief days. Good memories; I felt the sense of purpose I had back then. I appreciate South CARS today as much as I did back then. I know that if I was ever called up again to provide EmComm in Region 4, South CARS would be there for me.

Other good news is I may have a trade for my amplifier. I found a TS-890s and hopefully the trade will go though by the end of the week. I am not young anymore as I have retired twice now. I know that my days of deploying are numbered as the body starts to wear out. Currently I still go camping and therefore could deploy if needed. However, as time marches on I will become more home centered. The good news is ham radio offers opportunities both home and abroad. I have a pretty good home station and I am a pretty good Net Control Station. I plan to use the TS-890s for CW and other fun things.

I’ve had a good run. I’ve got to do some exciting things in my life. In retirement, I am still busy, I still have lots to do. My focus is changing. A fixed income doesn’t mean eating Alpo, it means careful planning. If I want something, I can have it, if I plan for it. The other option would be to go back to work and that ain’t going to happen. Life is good — de 73 Scott

Hamcation 2025

This was my first Hamcation and it was a lot of fun. Lots of people, lots of food and lots of ham gear. I only spent one day there, but it was a fun-filled, packed. day.

One of the highlights of my day was the Begali Booth. Up until this point, I had 4 Begali paddles in my collection. Each one purchased directly from Begali and each one through Bruna. Buying a Begali key/paddle is like being adopted into a family. That’s how Begali treats their customers. I finally got to meet Bruna in person.

They had many of their paddles there — so many to choose from. I like to dabble with straight keys and my preference being a cootie key since they have the same back and forth motion as a paddle. Bruna had a Sculpture Swing and after sending a couple of characters, I was smitten, and I was lucky to get the last one, the display model. I also got to meet Bruna’s husband Roberto who packaged up my prize for me.

I hope to get a review done on the Sculpture Swing in the near future.

Diamond Antennas, one of my favorite brands for mobile/portable VHF/UHF antennas has a new portable HF antenna for the US market. I have seen this antenna on European website but this was the first time I have seen it in the U.S. It is a portable HF/UHF/VHF antenna that covers 7-440 MHz. With optional coils, it also covers the 3.5 and 1.8 bands.

The screwdriver portion of the antenna is 15″ long and the 1.8 MHz coil is 17″. For comparison the yellow packaging is 21″. This will be a great antenna for POTA/SOTA. I can’t wait to get this on the air.

Kenwood had a teaser for their new VHF/UHF mobile. Looks like it might be out by the end of the year. Here is a shot of a non-working model.

It looks pretty cool. I am mainly an HF guy and I stopped there to look at the TS-890. That is my current dream radio. I brought one of my amps down there to trade but the stars were not aligned. I have a nice lightly used SPE 1.5K FA up for sale or trade. I would like to get a TS-890 and may consider a FTDX101MP. I would also consider an Elecraft KPA/KAT500. It’s a great amp but it doesn’t do MARS so I had to get another amp that would (SPE 2.0K FA).

While cruisng the swap building, I came across this book:

I bought on a whim and Grayson autographed the book for me. I may never build anything out of tubes, but I thought the book would be a fun read.

I got to talk to a lot of people while I was there. I talked to one guy there that was looking to get a radio after being absent from amateur radio for many years. He was thinking about getting an IC-705. I asked him if he had any other radios and he said no. I suggested he look into getting an IC-7300 first. The 7300 is still my “if i could only have one HF radio” radio. Many times new or returning hams opt for the QRP route, not knowing how frustrating QRP can be for the less experienced. For a first or only radio I recommend a 100 watt radio. You can always turn a 100 watt radio down to 5 watts but a 5 watt radio is already at its max. A lot of times when camping, I am running CW at 20 watts.

It was fun seeing all the stuff, meeting people, and bringing home a few things. Hope to see you at the next one. 73- de Scott