A New Hex Beam

This blog, much like my entire life, has an identity crisis.  It kind of started out as a ham radio blog then became an on-line diary.  Today, however, we are going to go back and talk radio some.

A couple of years ago, I purchased a Mosley three-element tri-bander antenna.  It covers three bands: 20, 15, and 10 meters.  It worked fine until about four months ago when the SWR went to pot on 20 and 15.  Because it still works fine on 10 meters, I was sure that the problem is at a trap but I had not laid the tower down to check it yet.

The other day, after running an OMISS net on 17 meters, I decided I needed to do something so I acquired a 6-band hexagonal beam from KIO in Alabama.  Apparently, the phrase "hex beam" is copyrighted by someone else because KIO is careful to call theirs "hexagonal beams".  Anyway, this beam looks like an upside down umbrella frame.  A friend suggested that if it were mounted lower, she could use it to dry her delicates.  Perhaps the rf energy would help.

A very nice feature of it is that it covers 6 bands without using a tuner: 20, 17, 15, 12, 10, and 6 meters.  It also uses only one feedline which is very nice when you are shelling out big bucks for coax.

The hex beam is basically a two-element beam on all bands where the driven element is in the shape of a "W" and the reflector is in a horseshoe shape around it.  Being a two-element beam, it is not going to have the directional characteristics that a larger antenna would have but, as the old saying goes, you can't have everything.

Yesterday I took the Mosley down and put the hex beam up in its place.  I know that the World is full of anecdotal stories but here is one for this antenna.  There is a gentleman who lives in Florida, Dick, KI4QMB, who has a penchant for running one watt on the OMISS nets.  I'm not a big QRP (or low power) fan but many people are and that diversity is what makes ham radio so much fun.  At any rate, I had NEVER heard Dick on 20 meters, not even a peep, until yesterday with that new hex beam.  Not only could I hear him but we were able to have a QSO!

Now to fgure out what happened to the Mosley and fix it!

Journey to Dayton

In just over three weeks, Dave Ward and I will set off to Dayton, Ohio to attend the 2013 Hamvention.  This is the largest amateur radio convention in the United States and is "Mecca" for those of us who like to talk radio.  We will drive 800 miles there and back and, because we started planning so late, we are having to stay in a hotel which is 32 miles away.

I've been twice, in 2010 and 2011.  Dave hasn't been and figures this may by his only venture to see the show.  The attendance at Dayton will be about 18-20,000 people and every manufacturer who makes anything remotely connected to ham radio will be there.  New  equipment manufacturers and distributors will have about 300 booths and the flea market area will have over a thousand tables.

Like all shows, there will be seminars and demonstrations, along with dinners sponsored by various companies and groups.  The group I am most active in, OMISS, or Old Man International Sideband Society, will have a booth and they are also planning a dinner for Saturday night, May 18.  The dinners are really fascinating because you get to meet and see the people you talk to on the radio every day.  We have several people in the group who are musically inclined and there will be some "pickin' and singin" after the dinner.

I've kinda been eyeing a new radio and I might just take a look at them while I'm there.  Yaesu has introduced their new FTDX-3000 which is really neat looking and one of them may follow me home.  Besides that, I have a few odds and ends that I need to find but nothing else.

Dave says he is not in the market for anything but we'll see when we get there.  Regardless of any purchases made, it promises to be a lot of fun.

OMISS Nets

In September, 2009, shortly after I got my General License, I was roaming around the hf bands, not really having a lot of success in talking to faraway places when I stumbled across a net where people got on a list and, when their turn came, they could call one or two other people on the list.

The net was called the OMISS Net, short for Old Man International Sideband Society. My first day on the net, I made six contacts including people in Georgia, New York, and the Isle of Man! I was really impressed. By March, 2010, I had received my Worked All States Award without even really trying hard. Two years later, I have over 1400 contacts on OMISS in every state and several foreign countries.

Some people question why you would want to participate in a net where all you do is exchange signal reports, and it does sound a bit odd, I admit. However, after two years, many of the people on this net have become like family and it is very reassuring to turn on the radio and hear their voices. I've had the good fortune to meet many of them at Dayton and other places and I even run an occasional net when we are in town.

If you are a ham radio operator and get a chance, check out our website at www.omiss.net and find out more about us. We are nearing 8000 members and growing rapidly.