Author Archive: W5HRC

October 2023 Tech Talk – Building an EFHW Antenna

1 October, 2023

Saturday at the EOC

Join the Hurst Amateur Radio Club on Saturday morning October 21st for a technical talk on HF antennas, with a focus on the End Fed Wire.
Join Michael KJ5AJU for this presentation next Saturday. We are providing this tech talk prior to the construction project managed by Paul, W5PFH, next month.

  • We will discuss the major types of HF antennas, including the Dipole,
    Vertical, the Long Wire, and the End Fed Wire.
  • Our construction project will be for a multi-band End Fed Wire, so we
    will focus on its characteristics.
  • Building a Balun will be a part of the project; we will discuss the
    operation of a Balun and its construction.
  • If desired, an autotuner may be used in conjunction with this End Fed
    Wire; we will review the proper use of a tuner with an End Fed Wire.
  • A key final question: Do we need a separate counterpoise or ground
    for the End Fed Wire? We will look at pros and cons.

October 21, 10 to 11 AM, at the Hurst EOC

Tech Talks

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Found Some Old Friends at Belton

18 April, 2023

So . . . we’re hanging out at Belton, and a Life Member drops by to say hello. Charles Penry WA5VHU and his wife Cindy KD5CCB were visiting the HamExpo and visited with us for a while.

Charles is holding a radio we brought for sale that was once owned by Betty Roden and donated to the club some years ago!

We set up next to Jason KC5HWB (Ham Radio 2.0). The weather was perfect! Several club members stopped by to say hello.

Events

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2023 Winter Field Day

16 January, 2023

Our 2023 Winter Field Day was great fun!! We operated as 3-Oscar (three stations, outdoors). We used independent power (generator and battery) for the entire event! Three stations operated continuously throughout the night. The bands were pretty good. We operated 10 and 20 meters until early evening, then 40 meters, and finally 80 meters for the last few contacts.

For a few hours, we shared the park with a church group of nearly 100 kids who seemed to be using our antennas as goals for their football game. After they left, our antennas were still standing and we continued to operate.
Jeremy, N5KKE brought a smoker and prepared chickens and hot dogs. We ate well and enjoyed moderate temperatures throughout the night, until about 6:00 am.

In the early morning, the thermometer plunged and the wind picked up. We got a taste of real winter and decided that some kind of tent or shelter with sides would have been a great idea! Great spirits and good fun kept us warm and we operated until about 9:00 am on Sunday. After filling ourselves with doughnuts and hot coffee we packed up and headed for home and warm beds.

These events are a ton of fun. If you haven’t been lately you’re missing out. Our next field day is at the end of June. I hope you’ll join us.

 

Field Day

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