I have been following this thread with considerable interest. I still
have a HW-7 that is functional, and recently bought an Argonaut 515 from
a list member. The 515 is light years ahead of the HW-7, as expected,
but I had lots of fun with the Heathkit for years. I kept a sealed
motorcycle battery around that still held a charge well, just in case I
had to operate without power for some time. I keep some wire antennas
handy for this, along with Ten Tec and MFJ tuners. I put the battery
into one of my friend's Moto Guzzi LeMans 1000, so I need to get another
emergency battery. These sound very interesting.
My home antenna is a Hy-Gain DX 88 trap vertical with a lot of radials
under it for a counterpoise. I made lots of contacts with the 10 watts
from my Argonaut VI, even on SSB with the Ten Tec RF speech clipper. I
have found that it is a bit harder with the 5 watts output from my
Argonaut II, and lots harder with the 2.5 watts from the 515. My
antenna situation here is rather limited, and I hope to move someplace
that is flat and not obstructed by houses and a hill for about 140 degrees.
I wanted to buy an Argonaut 509 when I lived out in western
Massachusetts, and it would have been a lot of fun hiking up to the top
of Mount Tom, and setting up a portable station. So, I can see the
appeal of SOTA. My knees are not so great any more, so I would have to
take the road up there, if I were to walk up there now. We don't have
much in the way of hills here in Northern Illinois, until you get near
Galena. I hope those of you who can still climb will do so, and have a
great time in the process.
Steve WA9JML
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