Well we finally took a picture of the new 6M station. The IC-7700 performed very well on 6M. With or temporary M2 9el yagi up on a forklift and the long boom Cushcraft yagi with a broken rotor we still made over 800 QSOs and worked 238 grids.

The Current VHF Operating Positions

The currently operational six meter station.

This is also the single-op high power HF operating position and the LF listening post. Once I ordered a Ten Tec Omni-VII for this station, but it needed a firmware update before it will work properly with the sequencer. Ten Tec's customer service promised the update but hadn't delivered months later so the Ten Tec is gone. After January 2007 we added the mast mounted preamps and a sequencer. We log on the laptop at the lower right and run digital modes on the 2 screen desktop on the left. VHF Station

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The newest two meter station.

We now have the IC-7800 and a 60W DEMI transverter for the 2M station. Yes our AC powered rigs are plugged into a UPS. Aren't yours? Think about it. If you plug a 4 year old $600 computer into a UPS why not an IC-7800? VHF Station

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The 222 MHz station.

We added a stack of 4 big wheels (omni-directional) since last year. The yagis already had a mast mounted preamp, but we now have one on the wheels too. VHF Station

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The 432 MHz station.

Another band with a new mast mounted preamp. UHF Station

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The 902-903 MHz station.

Yet another band with a band scope, a new mast mounted preamp, and also a new power amplifier. UHF Station

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The 1296 MHz station.

Yet another band with a new mast mounted preamp, and also a new power amplifier. from DEMI. If you haven't figured it out by now, I really like having an active band scope on every band I can have one. UHF Station

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The 2304 MHz station.

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The 3456 MHz stations

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The 5.7 GHz station.

This is the only band at the barn that still requires a 24 or 28 volt supply. Whenever DEMI gets back into production this one will be gone too. VHF Station

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The 10 GHz station.

Doesn't look like much, most of it is mounted at the antenna. VHF Station

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The 24 GHz station on the bench during assembly.

Yes there is both a PA and a preamp. VHF Station

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These pictures tend to raise two questions. What is all the red tape on the radios for? Answer: To keep people from pushing buttons they shouldn't. Every one of these stations uses a sequencer and transmitters must be turned on by the sequencer, not by VOX, etc., in the radio or by hitting the transmit button on the rigs. Also on the old Kenwoods it keeps someone from turning the output power up from 1 watt which most of the transverters are set for. Why all the old Kenwoods? Because they really run 1 watt when set there. Most rigs come on at full output and use an ALC circuit to adjust power. Transverters don't like the brief 25 watt (or whatever) pulse they get from such radios.

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One more picture of interest.

Some of the wall paper accumulated with all the equipment above. VHF Station

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