Category: WEARC Blog

  • Unexpected passing of our President Don K2DEG

    Unexpected passing of our President Don K2DEG

    I am shocked and sad to have to report that Don, our club president, has joined the silent keys on the other side of the DX. Don passed on 26th December 2022 from complications recovering from COVID.

    None of us anticipated losing Don so suddenly and I am sure many of us would have wanted to share the New Year with him, all of us will miss his wisdom, experience and humor that helped keep our club together.

    Don was first licensed at the age of 15 as a Novice in 1953 (KN2DEG) in Montclair, NJ. There was an article about him in the local paper. He went on to get General, Advanced and finally Extra Class licenses, He was also very proficient at CW having been an instructor during his military service as a sergeant in the Army National Guard for eight years.

    Don was married to Marilyn for over 61 years, had two children and was a proud grandfather. Professionally he worked as a CPA and founded his own firm with a couple of partners in Fairfield, NJ finally retiring after enjoying 50 years with the firm. He also enjoyed playing the banjo, singing, collecting antique broadcast radios, and cooking.

    Don had been a Ham for 69 years, a significant achievement. A member of the ARRL he was awarded the DX World Award in 2018, a life member of Ten Ten International (#1239) where he always took part in their contests. He wanted to pass down his Ham Radio experience, bringing his grandchildren to all the club events and getting them talking on the air.

    We will always remember Don as a strong member of our club and it is fitting to see him pictured at our last club event, Grover Cleveland where he was passionately helping a young cub scout operate on air.

    Some words from our members…

    Don was a great guy as well as a leader. When WEARC’s president, John, N2NO, passed away suddenly, Don stepped in and took his role. He helped the club move forward with club projects such as the satellite project and supporting the DMR switch. He was also a big help with VE sessions.

    When COVID hit, we were no longer able to host our VE sessions at the Essex Fells building. Don, came up with the idea of asking his former company to allow us to use the covered driveway under their building for the sessions. This allowed us to start out “Stay in your car” VE sessions to get through COVID. These sessions were very successful, not only in helping to get operators licensed, but also adding members to the club.

    Don was a big supporter of club social gatherings. Under his watch, the ROMEO (Retired Old Men Eating Out) group was started. Whomever would be available would gather for breakfast on a Thursday morning at one of the local diners. Due to my job, I was never able to join one of the breakfasts.

    Don also supported an occasional diner gathering which was held at Don Pepe’s restaurant. Don’s one rule about the gathering was we had to order plenty of red sangria. These diners were attended by many of the members and some of their spouses. They were always a great time.

    Don was a great operator. He would help on Field Day by working CW, gathering double points. He would be there to help with any special event, including our Grover Cleveland event. He will truly be missed.

    Mike Luongo, K2NNN

    I will remember his smile, his upbeat voice, his jokes, and his stories.

    I will miss him at our Thursday morning breakfasts.

    Don held the WEARC club together, keping us organized.

    He was always willing to help another HAM with a problem if he could or would know someone who might be able to help.

    He will be truly missed.

    Bill Kelly, NB1LL

    It’s had to put a date on when I first met Don but I believe it was 2017 at a WEARC meeting. The regulars told me about a well-dressed guy (rare for hams) who showed up to the previous meeting and they hoped he would return.

    Don and I gravitated toward each other because of our business backgrounds. We tended to have a similar approach to club events and managing projects. The club president at the time took ill and had to vacate the position. When it came time to select a replacement, we all took a step back while Don took a step forward and thus became our new president. Don stepped in easily, and smoothly began leading the club. He is a natural at leadership.

    Around this time, a group of us had decided to start a weekly breakfast club. We enjoyed discussions over breakfast with topics ranging from electronics, careers, growing up, and yes even politics. Don and I may not have always agreed but he was willing to hear the opposing view if you had facts. When either one of us could bring enough evidence to bear, the other conceded.

    Don’s adroit leadership kept us steadily moving forward with successful field trips to the battleship NJ, ARRL headquarters, Grover Cleveland, and a series of annual Field days with high point scores. He was always willing to do anything that he asked others to do.

    Don spearheaded remodeling the club station and rewiring the antenna feed lines. Don was actively working on getting us a new and improved meeting place, post covid.

    The club breakfasts have special importance to me. I’ve learned many things about my fellow hams (ROMEOS) or Retired Old Men Eating Out that has provided enjoyment and respect for their amazing experience and talents. Many times Don and I would be the last ones left at the restaurant leading to one on one discussions.

    Don and I shared a strong bond having learned that our career paths had intertwined over the last 40 years. My accountant in 1983 was actually Dons partner. Don validated my bad experiences with the guy and the reason he was no longer at Don’s firm. We discovered that we had several clients and associates in common during our careers. Had I known Don at that time it might have made a significant improvement for my firm over the years. We always had a great time reminiscing and comparing notes.

    I enjoyed working with him. I enjoyed his warmth and friendship. I am going to miss him greatly.

    Benett Rosen, AC2NI

    My first introduction to Don and the members of WEARC came about just prior to the 2022 Ham Radio Field Day. Previously, I had attended the club’s weekly meetings on-line and was anxious to meet some of the members in person.

    Over one’s lifetime you may personally meet and remember, I would guess, more that 1500-2000 people if not more. Some of these meetings fly right by and others remain with you as you work to establish long term friendships (and relationships). Such was my initial meeting with Don. A warm, firm handshake and direct eye contact from a fellow who had an e-mail address of ‘otmusic@ ….net’ was what I needed and received at that point in time.

    Don and I shared an interest in music as well as ham radio, sharing many memorable moments focusing on the NY Paramount Theatre and the Theatre District going back over 40-50 years if not more. Although our friendship was all too brief, I feel that I have known Don much longer – more like the 50 years when we treaded the same turf in Times Square.

    A man of impeccable warmth, honesty and wit, Don will be dearly missed and most certainly remembered.

    My sincere condolences to the Saltzman Family and to my fellow members of WEARC.

    May Don rest in eternal peace.

    John E Beck Sr, KD2WGN

    Don became club president about the time I joined the club in 2019. He helped me adjust to being a good member helping me deal with some comments and issues. During the many unofficial club breakfasts I got to know Don better, learn that he helped many members behind the scenes as well as hear his stories of his early life: like running a teenage business showing movie films, endless trips into the city to buy surplus radio parts.

    Don was an inspiration to the club, will be a difficult president to replace but whatever happens I hope his desire to keep the club alive and to attract younger members will survive. 

    We missed our Holiday Club Dinner this year, perhaps at next years dinner we can take a moment to remember Don and show him we continued as WEARC.

    Steve Wilcox, N2DH

    While I have not known Don long, as I became more active in WEARC I began to interact with him more consistently and he was always up for a conversation.

    In my short time with the club my most cherished memory is from Grover Cleveland day, which he was quite fond of. Don truly enjoyed teaching and talking about amateur radio with the younger people. Don took a lot of time talking radio and CW. He worked with numerous scouts that day and it was east to see the joy on his face. That’s what I’ll remember most.

    Don will truly be missed, he was an inspiration.

    Sincerely,

    CJ – KD2TZX

  • First Public Display of the WEARC Satellite Tracker

    First Public Display of the WEARC Satellite Tracker

    Our satellite tracker has finally come of age. It made its first public appearance during Field Day 2022.

    After some last-minute upgrades, the project was considered deployable and set to work tracking satellites for real.

    After a night research we were armed with a list of potential targets. The list was short, only 14 possible satellites and only three with FM transponders. The majority, and current trend is inverting linear transponders. When you take out paths that were not visible from the Field Day site and those that are unlikely to be active, we get down to about eight candidates including the ISS. It was a quiet day at the location, many of the normal satellites were too far south and the ISS would only make one short 6 min pass during the Saturday.

    Prior to Field Day the tracker has only tracked the beacon with telemetry of one contact. There were still unanswered questions about how SSB worked on inverting linear transponders. It seemed like each transponder had a narrow band of frequencies and trended to use USB for the uplink and so LSB on the downlink. This meant setting the radio to use USB on transmit and LSB on receive, not your everyday setting so took some time to find out how to set up the FT991. I still do not know the process of calling CQ, given we have about 6 minutes of usable time, you make a call on the uplink then presumably have to tune around the downlink to hear any reply. There is no lock between RX and TX, with Doppler changes and the lack of a fixed offset in the tuning makes the normal known TX and RX frequencies unpredictable. I have to assume that operators use their clarifies to resolve signals hence the tuning the RX after a CQ. Same goes for responding to a CQ, you hear the downlink but don’t have to time to process the necessary uplink frequencies and although the tracker software will correct for Doppler, it won’t convert a newly tuned RX frequency into the corresponding uplink frequency.

    The bottom line was that I did not expect to make a real contact, our best bet was the ISS and we only had one short chance.

    Our Results

    We had a good day, we heard eight satellites, a pileup on the ISS a few SSB signals and several beacons. There is a slight possibility we had a reply through the ISS but for sure it is not a confirmed contact. The ISS was low in the sky and we seemed to have about 3 minutes of traffic. Not long to get things done.

    We did confirm that USB is the preferred uplink and that contacts are understandably short, quick CQ, callsign and then reply.

    This is what we heard:

    • NAYIF-1 (E0-88) – heard SSB stations, not English
    • TO-108 – heard SSB stations one part call sign EM3 was really strong.
    • ISS – many stations, W2EFR? And KE4AZZ particularly strong
    • AO-73 – beacon fairly faint
    • AO-7 Possibly telemetry/beacon
    • PO-101 – beacon
    • XW-2C – Beacon, multiple strong SSB signals, just didn’t get time to tune them in to hear callsigns, also multiple CW signals.
    • XW-2B – heard SSB including a part call AC3?

    This might not seem like a lot, but it was great practice and shown how critical it is to be able to have the radio set up for the pass and get experience tuning in SSB quickly when Doppler is being adjusted.

    The Future

    I think it is critical to have a duplex TX/RX, being able to listen to the downlink as you transmit will eliminate many of the concerns tuning in the RX. With a duplex setup you should be able to monitor the transmission and get the RX ready on the correct frequency as you switch to RX. It will also alert you to another station using the same frequency. Duplex can be achieved using two radios or a SDR system.

    Also having an automated way of calculating uplink and downlink frequencies as needed would make listening and replying to stations more effective. We will look into either obtaining or developing such capabilities.

    Next Trial

    If there is interest, we can go out again and set things up. If one or more members is interested, then we can schedule a trip. We will need an open space where much of the horizon is visible without obstruction and some place we can put the mounting pole in the ground and attach the four guy ropes. Alternatively, if someone has a towing hitch adapter, we could work from a parking lot.

    Further Information

    You can see more about our tracker project here

  • “Flying Solo”

    “Flying Solo”

    I’ve been out a number of times with the guys running portable, but always using all or mostly their stuff. I was hemming and hawing over batteries and first portable antennas. But sooner or later you just have to jump in.

    I recently purchased a Bioenno BLF-1212A and made a 20M dipole. I chose the battery mostly due to its max continuous current draw of 20A which I figure will cover just about anything I might do.

    With that there was only one more thing to do… get out there and solo. (I expect many of you will recognize the location at Eagle Rock.)

    It took a couple of tries to get the antenna situated. Stupid human tricks… it works a lot better if you uncoil the coax first and then pull the antenna up. That’s the point of doing it yourself. But it was up in no time, inverted V-ish. I used the grills at this location to tie off the ends of the dipole, although I did bring a couple of screw drivers (I need to get tent pegs) but didn’t use them. If you squint just right you’ll see it in the picture. 

    The antenna uses a 3D printed center and insulators. I don’t have a choke at the center yet. The legs are 12 gauge bare braided wire. The center connection is BNC and I have a 40′ piece of coax with BNCs at both ends and UHF adapters (only one used).

    Then came the moment of truth. I had measured carefully, but my luck with antennas is not good. A quick check with the Nano VNA looked good although the photo is horrible (I may print up some light shield for this thing as they are tough to read in the sun). The SWR seemed good across the entire band (that barely visible curve near 1:1) so I was all clear. 

    I then hooked up my (10 lbs.) 7300 and battery and was off to the races. I started at the the top of the band and rolled down to the first POTA I found and made a quick contact at 20W in Illinois. I got a good signal report and could hear easily. I then tried for some time without making a second contact. I was receiving many stations beautifully, but couldn’t break through any of the pile-ups. At one point I turned the power up to 40W and then quickly made some more contacts also with good signal reports. I wasn’t trying to activate the park, and wasn’t calling Park-to-Park. 

    I only had a couple of hours so it was soon time to pack up. All in all, a great day. 

    I’ve been considering a smaller radio for portable. (Did I mention mine is 10 lbs.?) Most of these are lower power and many are more expensive than my 7300. I’ve been hoping that a lower power, less expensive radio will do well portably. I’ve read many times that power doesn’t matter much (you need to double… S unit… ), and I believe all of that on an open band. But my experience with the guys and on my own, is that while 10W or 20W will get you across the country without competition, that once you are competing with other Hams to make a contact, power does matter. So my plan at the moment is to stick with my 10 pounder and keep experimenting with how much power I really need. 

    Pictured here is my complete kit and it does all fit in my pack. I just wouldn’t want to have to hike too far with it. 

    To everyone who put up with all the questions and let me use their radios and batteries and antennas, Thanks. Little by little I’m getting there. 

    73 Rich kd2wjr.

  • WEARC Parks on the Air Activation of Wawayanda State Park – 10/16/2021

    WEARC Parks on the Air Activation of Wawayanda State Park – 10/16/2021

     Had a Great time at our Park’s on the Air Activation of Park K-1636 Wawayanda State Park. Thanks to Matt Kaufman, K2ATV, Metin Serdar Serbetci, KD2UAF, Rich Kopelaw, KD2WJR, and Stan Rogacki, K2EXX. And we even had our newest Member Max, K9D0G show up!! LOL!! Forecast was supposed to be rain all day, but it turned out to be a Totally AWESOME DAY! Looking forward to seeing more Members on the next Activation. Lou, K2TAC.

    The Parks on the Air platform gives Licensed Radio Operators the opportunity to take our equipment out to a remote location outside our homes.  Whether park, or parking lot, we get to test the efficiency of our gear in various configurations and locations.  We make contacts with other Operators State Side and around the World.





















    Say Hi to our Newest Club Member Nominee, Max, K9D0G

  • 2021 ARRL Field Day Event

    2021 ARRL Field Day Event

     West Essex Amateur Radio Club’s 2021 ARRL Field Day Event. 

    Thanks to all that showed up to make this event a memorable one. Special Thanks to all my Friends from the Montclair University Repeater Group! You guys are awesome. More pictures and videos to come.  

    We had a great turnout of Club Members for this years Field Day.  We were able to utilize the grounds at the Rockpoint Community Church, in North Haledon, NJ.  Several of the Pastors from the Church, as well as some of the parishioners came by to pay us a visit during our 24 hour activation.  We had several Law Enforcement Officers also stop by to see if we needed anything and said to call if we needed them for anything.  We also had North Haledon Mayor Randy George stop by and pay us a visit.  He was thoroughly impressed with our setup and the service that we provide.  He also expressed interest in using us for any future projects with the town.  

     Many came early to setup, and get everything ready.  Some were local hams that heard we were having a Field Day in their neighborhood.  Others were part of the local repeater group.  The Montclair University Repeater 443.450  We had 3 operators stay the full 24 hours.  And others came throughout the day to help.  Even though the weather was rough on Saturday, we made it through.  Lessons learned on what to improve on for next year.  Several of the Club Members operating were Rookies.  And testimonies from them concerning their first Field Day was that this definitely solidified them in the Hobby.

    We Encourage any, and ALL to next years Field Day Event.  You won’t be disappointed.  73’s.

    Lou Mercado, KD2TSC





































  • 2021 Field Day

    2021 Field Day

    Come Join Us!!! We at the West Essex Amateur Radio Club, will be having a Field Day Event at Rockpoint Community Church, 400 North Haledon Avenue, North Haledon, NJ 07508 starting at 2PM Saturday, June 26th, and continue through the night for a full 24 hours, until 2PM Sunday, June 27th. All are invited!! Come see us operate, learn more about how you can get involved, and even make contact with other operators both here in the US, Canada, and even the World!! We look forward to seeing you there! 

    Directions

    1. Take Garden State Parkway North to Exit 160.
    2. Follow signs to Rt 4 West and Rt 208 North.
    3. Get on Rt 208 North.
    4. Exit Rt 208 North at Goffle Road, North Haledon/Hawthorne/Paterson Exit.
    5. Go 3 lights on Goffle Road and make a Right Turn onto Rea Ave.
    6. Go uphill for about 1/2 to 3/4 mile.
    7. Rockpoint Community Church will be on your Left side.
    8. Go all the way up to the upper parking lot.

  • New Operator Considers HF Antenna Options

    New Operator Considers HF Antenna Options

    For someone that has no technical background in engineering or electronics, getting started in amateur radio during a global pandemic presents some unique challenges over and above that which would normally be faced by such an individual. This blog post will chronicle one man’s journey through the uncharted waters (for him) of getting started in amateur radio.

    As background, I spent my entire professional career in corporate finance. As such, I am far more comfortable discussing the capital asset pricing model than the intricacies of HF propagation. To me, the closest I ever came to anything resembling a Smith Chart was dabbling with my children’s spirograph when they were toddlers. But the idea of communicating with others in distant locations via transmission of radio frequencies (i.e., ragchewing) always intrigued me, and so upon retirement, I decided to finally explore the hobby.

    The first Covid-related challenge I faced was finding a location to take the licensing exam, as testing was suspended at most of the amateur clubs near me due to societal lockdowns. This was actually how I found WEARC, as they managed to overcome this particular hurdle by administering testing outside.

    The next hurdle I faced after getting licensed was a similar suspension of formal Elmering programs in clubs near my home for the same reason that testing was suspended. (To be fair, I have found that Hams are generally a very friendly lot that seem to freely offer their counsel and guidance and genuinely want to help newbies get on the air, but through no one’s fault, there’s a limit to how effective that counsel can be if it is limited to exchange of emails to answer specific questions. Perhaps the best way to describe these limitations is to borrow a quote from former Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld when he famously stated:

    <<“there are known knowns; there are things we know we know. We also know there are known unknowns; that is to say we know there are some things we do not know. But there are also unknown unknowns—the ones we don’t know we don’t know.”>>

    It is the last category, the so-called “unknown unknowns“, that pose the greatest challenge.

    With a newly minted license that affords HF privileges in hand, one thinks all that’s necessary is to buy a rig and an antenna, and jump on the air to start making distant contacts. Things like power supply (i.e., linear vs switching), antenna tuners (manual vs automatic), SWR/Watt meters, etc. are not top of mind at the outset. To some extent, finances can be rate-limiting insofar as the HF rig and antenna system one chooses, but setting aside finances for the moment assuming no budgetary constraints, there nevertheless remains a myriad of issues and decisions to be made, particularly with respect to antenna systems and the limitations therein for a given property. And this is to say nothing of the aesthetics involved with converting a serene bucolic garden setting into an HF antenna farm.

    When starting to evaluate antenna options, a newbie naively thinks this is merely a choice of a wire, a vertical/radial, or a beam antenna. But in addition to logistical limitations that may limit one’s options with respect to an HF antenna, there are many other corollary implications associated with each that soon come into play and need to be thought through. For example, one needs to think about and decide:

    • where exactly in your home will you set up your radio shack?
    • how will your transmission line(s) exit?
    • what shall be the path the transmission line(s) will take to the exit point?
    • if a wire antenna, what type?
    • what bands do you want to work?
    • if contemplating a wire antenna, do you want one of its ends to be at or near the house for support and connection to the transmission line and lightning protection,

    or

    • do you want the antenna to be located some distance from the house in the yard, and if so, what path will the transmission line travel to reach it (e.g., right out of the shack by way of a crawl space, by way of an attic)?
    • what type of lightning protection, and how will it be installed, recognizing there may be no ‘perfect’ lightning protection; just mitigation?
    • if a vertical antenna, where can it be located on the property to allow for 360 degree radials, or if it will be along a property line, what will be the RF implications of radials with a 180 degree arc?

    These are just a few of the various considerations that come to mind in deciding on the optimal antenna system and its installation. Indeed, many items listed above are interdependent of one another, and while every consideration may not be of critical importance, the new Ham oftentimes ‘doesn’t know what he doesn’t know’, and he therefor approaches each and every issue similarly. This is just one example of how an Elmer could be invaluable.

    And so the journey continues. Perhaps the most sage advice offered by one experienced Ham was to adopt a ‘satisficing’ antenna solution to get on the air on a single band rather than seeking the perfect multi-band solution. But a ‘perfect’ solution would enable the Ham the flexibility to work multiple bands to exploit current atmospheric conditions, and psychologically, it would fulfill an innate desire to work the full range of bands and frequencies to which one’s FCC license affords privileges. At least this is the rationale I have used thus far to continue my quest for a truly optimal antenna system.

    In conclusion, while it is a veritable certainty that I will never advance the art and science of amateur radio, and it is highly unlikely that I will ever compete, much less win, any amateur radio contests, I still hope to experience the enjoyment of ragchewing on HF bands in the near future.

  • Neither Cold, Nor Snow, Nor Howling Winds!

    Neither Cold, Nor Snow, Nor Howling Winds!

    That’s right! Neither Cold, Nor Snow, Nor Howling Winds, will keep these Hams from going out and testing their gear and making contact. The same held true for a couple of us WEARC Club Members. Lou Mercado – KD2TSC, Wayne Oshin – KD2UXU, and Metin Serdar Serbetci – KD2UAF.

    This past Saturday we packed our gear and went to Eagle Rock Reservation, in West Orange, NJ to test out our gear. KD2UXU has just upgraded to General Class, and wanted to test out his newly arrived Xiegu 5105, and his new Wolf River Coil antenna setup. So off we went into the Wild! Man was it cold! But if you don’t train in bad conditions, how well do you think you’ll do under real pressure.

    We were able to get his antenna tuned to 40 and 20 meters and get him to help in a Parks on the Air activation. He made his first ever HF Contact to South Carolina running QRP at 5 watts! Great Work Wayne! He say’s he hopes to do more POTA activations in the very near future. Looks like we have a POTA Team in the making!!!

    Wayne says, ” I just want to let everybody know that I had a great time. Lou and Metin both helped me get up and running, as this was my first outing on HF as a new general class. I can’t say enough of how great it was and exciting to get my first two QSOs. Being a new member of WEARC I feel fortunate to have found a great club with great members who are very supportive, and willing to take time to help the new guys.”

    While we ARE STILL dealing with a Global Pandemic, we continue to practice Safe Operating Skills. Using masks, reasonable distancing, and awareness of others. We can continue to learn and teach others during this time. As long as we remain Responsible in our actions, I firmly believe we CAN make it through the Storm.
    In the meantime, Get Out There, and get in some air time!!

    73’s.Lou, KD2TSC.











  • 2021 Winter Field Day – The Rookie’s First

    2021 Winter Field Day – The Rookie’s First

    Winter Field Day 2021 was a new experience for me in my Ham Operators Journey.  This was my first Contest that I ever participated in. Had no idea what to expect.  Except, that I was going to have a Blast!  While no Records were broken, Lessons were Learned.  New Friendships were started.  Old Friendships were Fortified.  And the Hobby was well promoted to those that dropped by to see what it was that we were up to.

    Only had four hours to setup and operate in.  Unfortunately, I had to work the Saturday.  And a Long Day it was……  So it was All-In Sunday!!!  While I was there to primarily work the Contest, I also had to be the Host to the event at the area I chose.  That meant coordinating with those that showed to help.  Greet the guests.  And several other duties.  None the less I totally enjoyed every moment.

    We had a few Elmers show up, so definitely Learned a lot.  From proper placements of antenna’s.  To good etiquette when working hf and ht’s.  Encouraged a few of the guests to go and get licensed. While others watched from far.
    Had a Fellow Club Member, Metin Serbetci, KD2UAF, join the fun.  Talk about a Stand Up Guy!  Gave 100% of himself to help out with the setup, and breakdown.  He’s currently studying for his General License.  But I’m sure he’s going way over to Amateur Extra Class with absolutely no problem.

    Used my Yaesu FT-891, with an LDG Z-100 Plus Auto Antenna Tuner, and my BuddiStick Antenna.  Worked 20 meters on 100 watts.  Powered by my Bioenno Lithium Iron Phosphate (LiFePO4) 12V 12Ah battery.  And used the N3FJP logging software for my logs.  At the end of the Day I only made 18 contacts on 20 meters.  But for my first time Contesting, I had a BLAST!!

    I encourage everyone that would like to learn more about Amateur Radio to contact any club and get all your questions answered.  You may also contact our club and I’m sure one of us would be more than happy to lead you in the right direction.

    73’s,

    Lou Mercado

    KD2TSC

    Metin Serbetci, KD2UAF on the Yaesu FT-891.



    Boy, if we could only tap into that antenna!!

  • Starting a New Life for the Clubs Donated IC-701

    Starting a New Life for the Clubs Donated IC-701

    Long before I joined the club a couple of years ago, a club member, now a silent key, donated his IC-701. He was Harold K2IBM an active member who recently went silent key. Since we have been getting some new club members there is a need for a “loner HF station” so a new member who has not yet invested in a rig can get on the air. In the past these members would have used the Club Station, but we are still in semi-lock-down because of COVID-19. Don K2DEG and a few other club members managed to get into the Club Room and retrieve some items, the IC-701 and an Antenna Tuner were part of that raid. 

    These parts were passed to me for a look over and check if everything was working. This Blog is my first switch on and test. You get to see me thrash about powering it up safely, learning how to operate it on receive and transmit. 

    IC-701

    This Icon radio was manufactured in japan somewhere between 1978-1979. Apparently (Google search) the IC-701 was built when Icom was just entering the US amateur market and this was their Flagship HF radio.

    Part One “The Switch On”

    Part 2 – Power Output Test

    This next video shows me testing the power output using a set of attenuators and a true RMS power meter. The test shows that on 14MHz. the unit produced just under 100Watts of power. The actual results had a attenuation of -55dB between the TX output and RMS power meter. The meter showed a -5.2dBm level so after the maths we have a recorded output of 49.8dBm. Since 50dBm is 100Watts, we did pass test by producing 100W of power.

    Part 3 Transmitter Harmonic Test

    We now use the Spectrum Analyzer to double check our power measurement and also measure the 2nd and 3rd harmonics. This test validated the previous power measurement and that my cheap RF power meter worked accurately. It also showed the IC-701 had 2nd harmonics at -62dB and 3rd at -56dB. The spec sheet states a Spurious Emissions of less that -60dB so, by my measurement a just pass result although the third is a little high. 

    This was the plot of the Harmonic measurement.

    The video of me taking the measurement can be seen below, but the plot above was not taken at that time.

    Part 4 RX Issues

    I spent some time with the receiver and concluded it was sometimes sensitive but most of the time just a deaf noisy receiver. I tested it using a signal generator providing -60dBm which gave a consistent S5 on my two radios. However I screwed up the recording of that video. We pick up the story again with the radio under test and working as well as I have been able to make it…

    See the RX testing video below.

    So, there you have it. This is the end of this first Blog. You have seen that the Club loaner HF station is a bit deaf right now and what I think is wrong with it. The next blog will be me taking it apart, repairing the switch and, with luck, making it work again. Until then 73’s from me.