Spring 2010 Status
It has been quite a while so I think it is time for an update on the K3LFO/W3DIO Rover activities. As you know we have slowed down the intensity of our roves due to rover and equipment problems.
The current economic conditions have wreaked havoc with both of us. The company I was working for went bankrupt! Two months prior to the closing, I was laid off along with many other employees in an effort to survive. The result was that after 40 years of continuous employment I have been forced to retire on a less than adequate salary. Dave has been struggling with his new families needs as well. We have both decided to take a break from Roving for a while.
The status of the rover is not too bad. At least nothing a little money won’t cure. Besides the normal annual maintenance the engine has developed a squealing noise that comes and goes. I think it may be either a water pump bearing, an alternator bearing or perhaps power steering bearing. At any rate it doesn’t help to lure us into the Mountains and back woods with a pending failure. Also the engine driven air conditioning is no longer working. Last year we had the propane system worked on but it still doesn’t hold gas for very long. This affects the furnace, refrigerator, and stove.
Next is the status of the Radio systems. At the end of the September 2009 the main mast rotor froze up and wouldn’t turn. To work on it we have disconnected the upper mast and left it lying on the roof, removed the lower mast and the rotor. Out of 4 HAM-M / HAM-IV rotors ALL were in need of some repair. This work is still in process.
The DS222R rover antenna needs to be fixed and installed. It has a high SWR for some reason so we are still running the old 40 year old Cushcraft 11 element.
The 6 Meter PAR Moxon needs to be repaired after it was mangled several times in June and September.
The new 900 Mhz Amplifier will not put out more than 10 watts. I think I will need to purchase another Motorola Amp on ebay to fix this.
The new 3456 Amplifier needs to be built up with a heat sync, chassis and control board. Until then we only have 1 watt on 3456.
The new 2304 transverter and 50 watt amplifier need to be mated and installed. Until then we will run with the old 2304 system at 30 watts. It works just fine but takes up a bunch of space in the equipment closet.
The 2 TS2000’s and all switching systems are in good shape and fully operational.
The 6M system is fully operational with 400w output except for the antenna mentioned above.
The 2M system is fully operational with 400w output.
The 1.25m system is fully operational with 110w output.
The 70cm system is fully operational with 160w output.
The 33cm system is running barefoot with 30w output.
The 23cm system is fully operational with 150w output.
I hope to get some or most of the repairs and updates done by next September. For now I don’t see up going out for the June contest.
73 to all, Jim K3LFO
