[VHFcontesting] FT-817 Owners: VHF Sweepstakes is THIS WEEKEND!

[Mark S. Adams, P.E.]

Hi All,

<<obligatory TenTec content; this applies equally to 526 owners!>>

Here is a message I sent in reply to a query about the FT-817. Since the 
VHF Sweepstakes is THIS WEEKEND, I urge you to try out that super little 
radio on 6, 2 and 432 SIDEBAND and CW.
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........
Portability? Well, the 817 rocks. A 7A-hr gel cell and 5w flexible solar 
panel provide nearly endless power.

VHF+?  My 817 has helped put me in the ARRL VHF qrp national top ten box 
twice. It's size and versatility are FB. Lots of microwave guys are using 
it as a transverter for the uW bands and that is what I'll be doing with 
mine after I buy a TS-2000X for my VHF contest station. Until then, the 817 
will do the job along with WA5VJB homebrew beams for 2/222/432.
http://www.clarc.org/Articles/uhf.htm

VHF++?  Oh, did I mention that W1GHZ has a cool 222 transverter kit 
(offered thru www.downeastmicrowave.com ) that is designed just for the 
817? (can be used with any rig though). It uses 12M as an IF and runs 6W 
out. Mine is about 75% complete. (As of 1/14/03 it is 99+% done.)

VHF QRP Mountaintopping?  Imagine this--an 817 ($550) with the W1GHZ 
xverter ($150) , 4 HB beams for 6-432 ($20), 15' of EMT mast ($3), your gel 
cell, key and some coax, all on the top of your nearest high point. What 
will this get you? Well, your name in QST for sure when you enter the QRP 
category in an ARRL VHF contest. The VHF Sweepstakes is coming up in 
January BTW.  Check out my last effort with 817 at:

http://www.arrl.org/contests/soapbox/index.html?con_id=11&call=k2qo

The RX?  OK, I admit, the RX, for the most part, is NOT up to the level of 
the mid priced rigs. But does it really practially matter?  If your goal is 
WINNING major contests, yeah. I used the 817 for FD this past year. I did 
376 Q's. I figure my Omni might have provided me with another 10-20 due to 
its filtering and BDR capabilities. There were stations I passed up because 
big adjacent signals were blocking some little pistols.

Bottom Line?  You simply cannot have more fun playing radio unless you do 
it naked.  Isn't FYBO coming up?
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THE REAL BOTTOM LINE? If you have an FT-817, you are already equiped for 
VHF SS. Just add a cheap WA5VJB yagi. I have built 5 of them out of scraps 
of pine and pieces of welding rod and they are FB!

http://www.fredspinner.com/W0FMS/CheapYagi/
-or-
http://www.fredspinner.com/W0FMS/CheapYagi/vjbcy.html

Lastly, there is a lot of FM activity in the January contest, so if you are 
an FM only person, don't worry, make Q's.


72,
Mark K2QO/R
Look for the K2QO Rover in ARRL VHF Sweeps, Jan 18+19, 2003
6, 2, 222, 432, 10GHz and Light