[sarcmembers] Re: SARC Memorial Day Weekend activities...
- From: "David Dowler" <dave@xxxxxxxxxx>
- To: <sarcmembers@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Sun, 31 May 2009 23:01:12 -0700
Well. then we won't reach our goal of the idiot proof station.
We will have to teach people how to use the older stuff we have. I am not
opposed to that. I am hoping to get some basic test equipment for the work
room to help elmer some folks that might want to learn.
I am told that amplifier that I fixed was broken because of an operator
that misused it. We have a bunch of cables that were wrapped around the
Tower with the HF antennas on it because somebody turned it too far. We have
somebody that locked the door to the work room in spite of the fact that
there were two large signs on both sides of the door warning to not lock it.
We have people that leave on the wireless switch in the front room even
though there is clear instructions next to it of when to turn it on and off.
These kinds of things have not inspired my confidence.
I thought the goal of a fail-safe station was a good one. If it can't be
achieved for financial reasons, then we will have to re-evaluate the
situation and strive for the best attainable station that is within our
means. That still can be a fun to use station. Besides, adversity builds
character. Making donated and second hand stuff work well, and a lot of
volunteer effort might make all involved better off in the long run.
Dave KA6BFB
_____
From: sarcmembers-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
[mailto:sarcmembers-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx] On Behalf Of george bernard
Sent: Sunday, May 31, 2009 10:30 PM
To: john maetta
Subject: [sarcmembers] Re: SARC Memorial Day Weekend activities...
nobody is going to give us grant money in the amount of ten thousand per
unit in this economy when medical research is being shut down.
get real. i run a scholarship program for law enforcement officer which i
started 3 years ago. i am one of the few people who can still
fund such items. i have come to know the major donors in the s.b. area and
they are all shut down this year. i dont know what to tell
you but it is going to be lean for a while. george
santa barbara, ca web page is www.balanceindustries.com for my company cell
818-370-9407
_____
From: dave@xxxxxxxxxx
To: sarcmembers@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: [sarcmembers] Re: SARC Memorial Day Weekend activities...
Date: Sun, 31 May 2009 11:37:53 -0700
I don't want to tie up this reflector too much with this discussion.
Basically, if we make the station idiot proof, the current HF amp will not
be part of it. We need to get amps like the Alpha that have built in tuners
and automatic protection circuits that do not allow you to get into trouble.
This is where all the talk about getting grants comes in, because those
kinds of amps require $$$
Dave KA6BFB
_____
From: sarcmembers-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
[mailto:sarcmembers-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx] On Behalf Of george bernard
Sent: Sunday, May 31, 2009 9:54 AM
To: john maetta
Subject: [sarcmembers] Re: SARC Memorial Day Weekend activities...
bob h and i both feel that operators need to be checked out before letting
them operate the different rigs. for ex: i read the book on the 432 brick
amp and found out that only 10-15 watts should be used as driving power.
how do we protect against that kind of situation. also, the low band amp is
a tube type and many hams today have never dipped a plate current. george
bernard w6nre
santa barbara, ca web page is www.balanceindustries.com for my company cell
818-370-9407
_____
From: dave@xxxxxxxxxx
To: sarcmembers@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: [sarcmembers] Re: SARC Memorial Day Weekend activities...
Date: Sun, 31 May 2009 09:41:49 -0700
No amps were hooked up. The antenna was attached directly to the radio just
for testing, and then I had such good results I continued using it.
In discussions I have had with various members, we are trying to make the
station "idiot proof". It is our goal to make the station configuration such
that people can walk in an operate without much thought. Some of the items
at the station lend themselves to this by default, others are problematic.
The VHF/UHF station might have problems because of the various
configurations possible.
I am thinking that in order to minimize confusion and constantly pulling the
equipment out to see how it in connected, we should have a laminated piece
of paper with a few possible block diagrams of the equipment in question.
The current block diagram could be marked with a grease pen or similar
marker. If a deviation occurs from the existing block diagrams, either it
should be returned to a standard configuration after use, or the new
configuration should be added to the laminated paper.
Many people are hopefully going to use this club station. We want to achieve
the goal of maximum enjoyment by all. We need to have the flexibility of
being able to change configuration for the advanced users while at the same
time being able to have ease of operation, failsafe operation, and
predictability for the beginners. We should design the station with this in
mind.
A few of us are discussing a switching method for the HF stations that would
allow both stations to share all of the HF antennas (lf course, not the same
one at the same time). It would be simple to use and involve a simple rotary
switch at both operating positions with a column of LEDs. One LED would
illuminate green to show which antenna was used at your operating position,
while another would illuminate in Red to show the antenna selection of the
other operating station. Failsafe circuitry would ensure that both stations
could not be on the same antenna.
This would not solve the issue of rotor placement, however. Since there are
likely to only be two HF antennas on rotors, we could possibly do the same
thing with the rotors. If we got exactly the same rotor and control box for
both HF towers, we could literally use one rotor box at each station and
switch which one was used at which operating position.
Anyway, much thought needs to go into this in the future. This is just an
glimpse of the things we can do to achieve the stated goals and maximize the
enjoyment of all.
See you all next week, right? It's a busy ham radio month. Club meeting,
VHF contest, field day, swap fest.
73 Dave KA6BFB
_____
From: sarcmembers-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
[mailto:sarcmembers-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx] On Behalf Of george bernard
Sent: Sunday, May 31, 2009 5:45 AM
To: john maetta
Subject: [sarcmembers] Re: SARC Memorial Day Weekend activities...
dave, is the te-400 hooked up to the 736 and also is the 432 brick in the
line. i had everything hooked up temporarily last week and worked some
432 ssb. there were power supplies required, one for the 400 and one for
the mirage brick amp. george bernard
i will probably go to the stn this morning, sunday and look things over. i
am planning to purhase some dsp speaker amps when i find out which
ones are preferred, at this moment it looks like the mountain air units.
santa barbara, ca web page is www.balanceindustries.com for my company cell
818-370-9407
_____
From: dave@xxxxxxxxxx
To: sarcmembers@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: [sarcmembers] Re: SARC Memorial Day Weekend activities...
Date: Sat, 30 May 2009 22:45:08 -0700
All
More work occurred at the station. Eric WB6FLY added some hooks for cabling
beneath the operating table to keep the cables off the floor. It definitely
is tidier. Bob W6RFH added a few more shelves. Bob and I cut some of the
long cables, and lengthened others. The 2M radio now is back on its normal
vertical. The circularly polarized 2M AZ/EL antenna is now connected to the
736R. I worked a few 2M SSB stations with it this evening.
Bob figured out that the rotor with the big HF Yagi was not working because
somebody wrapped the cable around the pole. For the time being, there are no
mechanical stops. Be cognizant of the cable wrapping while using this
antenna.
I borrowed the manual on the Log Periodic. It is not available on the
internet, and I wanted to make a PDF of it for our own use before it gets
lost. I will scan it and put it with the rest of the manuals I have on the
club network. I believe we have manuals for most if not all the club
equipment in PDF format.
The operating position is starting to come together. Here are some pictures.
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