Long Wire Balun

Now that I have my WiNRADiO G31 up and running, my next concern is getting a decent antenna connected to it. I currently have a random length wire connected to it which is about 25 feet long. It's not that high up either. My roof of my house is higher so it's not ideal. It's winter here right now though and I don't have the inkling to going out in the snow to make it any better at the moment. I know, I know, the performance of any antenna is directly proportional to the severity of the weather while putting it up, but I can wait a few months.

Meanwhile, I have ordered  a long-wire impedance matching transformer from Winradio.  This is the WiNRADiO WR-LWA-0130 Long Wire Adapter as shown here.

Often referred to as Long Wire Balun (or an Unun), this device is used to match the impedance of a long wire HF antenna to a 50 ohm input impedance of a receiver.  Such impedance matching usually results in a significant signal strength increase (up to 17 dB in some cases, and approximately 5 dB on average), compared to the long wire antenna connected directly to the antenna input of the receiver. At least that's according to their site.

There are lots of different makers of these baluns and many varying prices out there - you can even build your own if you're so inclined. Me, I liked the compactness of this one so just ordered it. I have never bothered with matching a listening antenna before now. There are many smart people out there that say you don't need to, and I know from my own experience that if you attach a big piece of wire to a shortwave receiver, it'll start picking up lots of signals. Others go out of their way to match the antenna and even put up resonant antennas for listening. I have a different reason for using one.

Sometimes when the wind blows or there's a snow storm, or even a thunderstorm many miles away, my antenna will bring some pretty high voltages into the shack.  I have seen my coax spark across the connector with electricity of many thousands of volts. Think of what that can do to the tiny circuits that are specifically made to be sensitive! This type of balun shorts all of that, or most of it, to ground. There is a DC connection of the antenna directly to ground through the balun. Granted some of this energy will transfer through the transformer, but the frequencies in this type of build up are generally very very high and will not transfer efficiently.  That's the real reason I'm using one of these baluns.

VP8DNT

It's a long way from here to the Falkland Islands (10759 kms.), and I just made contact with Zorra, VP8DNT on 20 meters sideband with my Icom IC-7000. Woot!

Apparently, this is JH1AJT, who will be active from the Falkland Islands 21-28 January 2012 as VP8DNT.

He will be active on 80-10. There really weren't that many people calling him, it came in bursts, but when I found an opening, I sent my call and was instantly replied to. I'm always amazed at how far 100 watts will go from my Par End-Fedz 20M, which I have mounted vertically in a tree.

We exchanged true 59s on my Icom IC-7000, then I captured this short video on my WinRadio G31DDC. If you watch the top left panel, you can see his (weak) transmission rise up from where the gray bar is on the baseline. He is listening up 5 kHz though, and many operators don't know this.



Here is a photo of the Falklands from VP8DNT's QRZ page-

Finally, here is the VOACAP circuit reliability for this path. Really not good at all for a contact on 14 MHz at 23:30 UTC

What are my Amateur Radio options for communicating long distance via morse code?

I saw this question recently from a newcomer to the hobby of amateur radio. He went on to ask whether a lost-cost QRP rig might a good choice as his first radio.

QRP is not for beginners. QRP makes for a horrible operating experience for the newcomer. Just because it's low power doesn't mean you should start there. The "weak signal" will frustrate and probably kill any excitement a new ham would have. The radios are certainly affordable, but it can be like having the deck stacked against you if you're new to the hobby.

The entire reason QRP is a facet of the hobby is because of the added challenge. Old timers realize they can easily work the world with a high gain antenna and 1000W. 100W is just about as easy. QRP is an added challenge to the ham that's "worked 'em all". Kit-building is a fun and rewarding experience, but QRP operation is a different animal altogether and is no place for the newbie. The rigs are cheap, but the operating time investment is not. It takes a lot of patience and practice - something a newly minted ham is going to have little of for "getting into" the hobby. Borrow an elmer's 100W rig, even if it's a single band radio, you can always turn down the power if you want.