Re: QSL Cards

5
Bang wrote:What's a QSL card?
It’s the old school way for ham radio operators to confirm radio contacts by exchanging pretty postcards via mail.
QSL is the Morse code Q code (shorthand) for “confirm contact”. Takes more work than confirming electronically through Logbook of the World, etc, but the upside is you can wallpaper your hamshack wall with them.
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Re: QSL Cards

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Woodsman wrote:That is a seriously classic station you have there Huckleberry :mrgreen:
I like using old tube radios. The laws of physics haven’t changed since their heyday and they still work just fine. Plus, they keep the room warm on cold Winter nights and are EMP resistant. I earned my Worked All States and my DXCC with them.
I also have a go-box with up to date miniaturized gear for field day and emcomm: lugging around a boatanchor to a mountain meadow is something you only want to do once. ;)

Radios include a Drake TR-4cw, Kenwood TS-520se, Swan 500c, Hallicrafters HA-6 and HA-2 transverters for 6m and 2m, Kenwood TS-60 for 90 watts on 6 meters and Uniden President I use to monitor 10 meter beacons. 600 watt amp for oomph.
Box is a 6U Gator Case with Icom-7100 and Kenwood TM-710G.
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Re: QSL Cards

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SwampGrouch wrote:DAMN! I am impressed!
You and me both!

As a novice back in the ‘70s I had a Hammarlund HQ110, complete with the accessory internal 2 meter converter, I used to slope detect fm to listen to the local repeaters. TX was a Heath DX60B with a an old Heath VF1 vfo. Later I had a Heath HW101. Been solid state since but yes, tube gear is very cool.
Edited to correct- it was a Hammarlund HQ110 obviously..
Last edited by Woodsman on Thu Feb 15, 2018 9:06 am, edited 1 time in total.
Member, LGC

Re: QSL Cards

14
I don't know nuthin' 'bout ham radio, but I do have piles of old tube amps, both mono pairs and stereo, preamps, and tuners. Only fundamental difference between a home audio power amp and a musician's amp is the front end. Same circuitry, same tubes, same tube pairing and balancing issues, same problems of new Russian / Chinese tubes vs old US, UK and German - made tubes.
Plus same issues of restarting old amps that have sat for years, "re-building" the capacitors slowly.

Here's a nice beach scene from the Bahamas. We call this guy the "Arthur Bird" (not sure why)
"Even if the bee could explain to the fly why pollen is better than shit, the fly could never understand."
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Re: QSL Cards

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SubRosa wrote:I spy a bug next to yer Drake gear?

73Subs
Good eye, Sub. Yeah, it’s a Vibroplex bug hooked up to the Drake. I assembled the KK1 key next to it from a kit.
Bugs were made for telegraph operators (I know you knew this) who transitioned to radio telegram operators so they could send at high speed since it was the same device they used in the old telegraph office. They are faster than straight keys, but to be honest I’m more accurate with a straight key. One day I’ll go over to an iambic paddle, but “not yet O Lord”.
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Re: QSL Cards

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HuckleberryFun wrote:
SubRosa wrote:I spy a bug next to yer Drake gear?

73Subs
Good eye, Sub. Yeah, it’s a Vibroplex bug hooked up to the Drake. I assembled the KK1 key next to it from a kit.
Bugs were made for telegraph operators (I know you knew this) who transitioned to radio telegram operators so they could send at high speed since it was the same device they used in the old telegraph office. They are faster than straight keys, but to be honest I’m more accurate with a straight key. One day I’ll go over to an iambic paddle, but “not yet O Lord”.
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73
I came across this a while back:

Iambic Keying - Debunking the Myth by Marshall G. Emm, N1FN
http://cwops.org/pdf/iambicmyth.pdf

He makes some interesting points.

I haven't played with CW for years, but if I ever get back to it, I think I'll start with a traditional keyer paddle. It just seems more intuitive to me. Vibroplex makes a nice one that looks a lot like their bug, which is pretty cool.
Member, LGC

Re: QSL Cards

17
Woodsman wrote:
SwampGrouch wrote:DAMN! I am impressed!
You and me both!

As a novice back in the ‘70s I had a Hammarlund HQ110, complete with the accessory internal 2 meter converter, I used to slope detect fm to listen to the local repeaters. TX was a Heath DX60B with a an old Heath VF1 vfo. Later I had a Heath HW101. Been solid state since but yes, tube gear is very cool.
Edited to correct- it was a Hammarlund HQ110 obviously..
I had a HQ-170. It was my project radio I got at a Sea-PAC swap table just before it closed for $50.
I spent a lot of time cuddled up to it with a soldering iron. Never did work quite right.
I’m looking for a HQ-180 for a general coverage receiver. The HQ line were great radios.
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Re: QSL Cards

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Quite a rig! You're more than just a weekend amateur. Before the Internet age, I used to listen to short wave radio but I don't listen much any more. BBC and CBC had some good programs, but it seemed like a competition between BBC and Radio Moscow during the Cold War period.
"Everyone is entitled to their own opinion, but not their own facts." - Daniel Patrick Moynihan

Re: QSL Cards

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highdesert wrote:Quite a rig! You're more than just a weekend amateur. Before the Internet age, I used to listen to short wave radio but I don't listen much any more. BBC and CBC had some good programs, but it seemed like a competition between BBC and Radio Moscow during the Cold War period.
There are still SWL listeners out there. I got a handful of SWL cards from listeners who overheard me talking to another ham and was happy to get them and send cards back. Right now my only SWL receiver is a early Eighties DX-302 which has the nice feature of working on either mains power or C-cell batteries. Here in the Pacific Northwest I’ll frequently hear stations in the Western Pacific (Indonesia, Micronesia, etc) on the 40 meter band. Such things recapture the magic of the early days of radio.

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Re: QSL Cards

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JaxTeller wrote: Tue Nov 13, 2018 10:25 pm Just found this thread. What bands/modes do you operate?

I am a no-code extra class in Western MN. If able we should try a QSO and you'll have my card to add to your collection ;)
I’m an Extra. On HF Im on 10,12,15,17,20,40,80 meters. Im off until Sunday if you want to QSO.
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