{"id":11,"date":"2011-02-20T01:02:20","date_gmt":"2011-02-20T01:02:20","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/kg6tt.com\/?page_id=11"},"modified":"2018-11-15T02:37:32","modified_gmt":"2018-11-15T02:37:32","slug":"station","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/kg6tt.com\/?page_id=11","title":{"rendered":"Station"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Clearlake Permanent Station<\/a><\/h2>\n

November 15, 2018<\/a> <\/time><\/header>\n

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The New QTH<\/strong><\/p>\n

I suppose \u201cnew\u201d is a fairly relative term \u2013 seeing that I have had at least eighteen physical shacks <\/em>since my very first bedroom radio desk<\/em> at age thirteen. My current shack is my third since my retirement in 2000 and the second one that I decided to build outside the home itself.<\/p>\n

Regardless of how \u201cpermanent\u201d I expected any new living arrangement to be, it was always important that I make my hobby space as personal and comfortable as possible. Oftentimes it felt that as soon as I got my ham station near completion \u2013 really a process more than an actual goal \u2013 life\u2019s circumstances would demand that I dismantle and begin again. This time I\u2019d like to share a short picture essay of my station\u2019s construction. It has been a bit over a year since I actually moved to my Laddell Avenue address. Am I done? Well who knows? Come on back this QRZ.com page periodically and see what\u2019s happening at KG6TT.<\/p>\n

No Room at the Inn<\/strong><\/p>\n

We have a three bedroom home so you would think I could maybe convert one of the bedrooms to a hobby room? Not so said my otherwise very supportive XYL. So other arrangements had to be made outside the house proper. Our double-sized city lot already contained our home, garage, driveway, numerous raised garden plots, a \u2018new\u2019 green house, a lot of greenery, and an overstuffed tool shed. It became clear that I couldn\u2019t simply build a separate structure, as I had done once in the past, but instead I would have to create space within the garage itself \u2013 a very, very full garage.<\/p>\n

Clearlake is a small city located on the South-East corner of Clear Lake \u2013<\/em> in North-West California \u2013 about 110 miles North, North-West of San Francisco. Clear Lake<\/em> is California\u2019s largest fully contained lake and\u2026 well simply a beautiful place to live or visit. But was it to be a great place for a ham radio operator? While it certainly has its challenges I like to think of the Clearlake ham experience<\/em> as an evolving one.<\/p>\n

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Three Views of Clear Lake, California<\/em><\/p>\n

It turns out that Lake County\u2019s climate is virtually perfect for wine growing (Lake County is immediately adjacent to upper Napa County). While grapes love growing up here, people can find that it often gets uncomfortably hot in the summer and pretty darn cold and awfully wet in the winter. Just placing a desk or bench in the garage proper just wouldn\u2019t workout. The garage had no insulation, a cold cement floor, drafty windows and doors, and insufficient electrical wiring. On the other hand, there was a partially walled off space at the back of the garage that was unused. The space was long and narrow and just as poorly non-insulated as the garage itself. It also had no windows, no door, one AC outlet, a cement floor that was slanted, uneven and full of large cracks and dark as a crypt. Basically it seemed a perfect prospect for some really creative thinking and doing. Two weeks, several trips to our nearest Home Depot (120 miles round trip), and a lot of YouTube videos later, my new ham shack was born.<\/p>\n

\nA \u201cMan\u201d Cave Is Born<\/strong><\/p>\n

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Out with the Old, In with the New:<\/strong> It is always nice to begin with the fun stuff \u2013 hammer, sledge and wrecking bar stuff! I stared by ripping out the old sheet rock from the walls and ceiling. Next, I patched and sealed the old cement floor and then installed a level<\/strong>, raised floor on suspended joists. Then it was time to install new 110 and 220 VAC wiring with numerous outlets (there is even an exterior mounted 220 VAC entry jack for my emergency generator).<\/p>\n

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Let there be Light! <\/strong>It was time to deal with light, air circulation and shack security. I cut in a new window and a separate portal for a small air conditioner. Then I added a fourth wall with a nice solid-core door to create a fully enclosed space.<\/p>\n

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Time to finish the walls.<\/strong> First, I insulated the walls and ceiling (I insulated and moisture sealed under the new floor earlier). Next, I sheet rocked the walls and ceiling; applied joint tape, sanded, and then applied several coats of paint. Time factor:<\/strong> Exactly two weeks from start of project (pencil sketch plan) to completion.<\/p>\n

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OK, not totally finished, but close. Here you can see an outside view showing the new window and air conditioner portal. A couple months later I added yet another window about 10 feet to the left of the portal. While the additional window was not actually in the shack it did provide necessary natural <\/em>light to the physical area where I have my small electrical work shop.<\/p>\n

Moving In is So Sweet<\/strong><\/p>\n

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Time to move in<\/strong>. Actually this a temporary, first, physical layout. I think I am on version 4.0 now. I began by placing a really heavy desk (my center piece) at the far end of the new room (I had a genuine \u201cfun\u201d time getting this desk into this space due to the shack\u2019s narrow width). Since the shack\u2019s floor space was extremely limited (and that I have gathered a lot or equipment that I like to use) it was necessary that I go vertical with my rigs as much as possible. So I built a heavy duty, four shelf, hutch to sit on the desk. I sort of over-engineered<\/em> it. Gosh was it heavy. You see, I have this thing about sagging shelves, so to prevent sagging each shelf was a glued and screwed \u201csandwich\u201d made from two pieces of interior 3\/4? plywood. A separate, heavy duty shelve system \u2013 seen at the end of the desk \u2013 holds my amplifiers and all things \u201cantenna\u201d related. That dark area that you see just above the chair seat is where a 4? PVC pipe goes through the wall to the side yard. Its outside opening bends downward to prevent rain entry.<\/p>\n

Keeping It Neat<\/strong><\/p>\n

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My Antenna\/Solar Battery Closet<\/em><\/p>\n

Shortly after I finished my shack\u2019s construction I built a small antenna\/solar battery closet on the garage\u2019s outside wall just above the PVC pipe\u2019s exit. A 10? ground rod is immediately below. Inside the water proof closet I have three 90 amp hour marine deep cycle batteries, a 400 watt solar charge controller, a remotely controlled coax switch, and a grounded feedline\/rotor cable bulkhead. This grounded bulkhead along with five coaxial common mode chokes effectively shunts to Earth much of the RF currents flowing on the outside of my antenna feedlines. Shortly you will see that my antennas are in very close proximity to my equipment. Not an optimum situation and one that currently prevents me from operating much over 500 watts on most bands. Even though my station is capable of operating up to 1500 watts to the antennas, nearly all of my HF and VHF operations are at 100 watts or less.<\/p>\n

On to Shack Version 2.0, 3.0\u2026<\/strong><\/p>\n

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Time to unpack and stack more of my stored equipment<\/p>\n

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No matter what rigs I have my Ten-Tec Orion is always front and center. This Orion, which I have owned since 2004, is equipped with the optional high-performance second receiver, eight roofing filters, 10:1 auto antenna tuner, a super crisp blue on white display, pan-adapter, and right and left channel stereo speakers.<\/p>\n

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Immediately above my Orion I have my Ten-Tec Jupiter and my Omni-VI (option 3). Above those I have my minty Drake 4B line.<\/p>\n

Yes, I am very fond of my Ten-Tec equipment. I\u2019ve owned and used most of what Ten-Tec had to offer since they entered the market in\u2026.. 1970? Beyond those pictured I have two Pegasus transceivers, a nine-band Scout, a Century 21 setup, and my most recent addition \u2013 a Ten-Tec Eagle.<\/p>\n

My shack also includes numerous HF receivers specifically aimed at shortwave listening (my other life-long interest). And of course, what grey-haired ham would not have his or her share of genuine boat anchors. Many I originally built from kits. My first radio was a Knight-Kit Ocean Hopper. Later I built my own Knight-Kit R100A receiver and T60 transmitter (the last two I still own and they still work). I think I was 13 at that time. This hobby was so gratifying to me growing up that I eventually obtained my EE with my first job as a senior design engineer at Heathkit (Heath Company), where I got plenty of experience building and fixing all sorts of kits. To this very day I still enjoy building equipment where ever practical as well as doing virtually all my own repairs.<\/p>\n

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I strongly believe in the adage, \u201cuse just as much power as necessary to effectively communicate.\u201d Most of the time that means 100 watts or less. Nevertheless, QRO has its place too. Where 100 watts isn\u2019t enough I have three amplifiers to choose from: my Ten-Tec Centaur and Centurion and my QSK modified ALS-600.<\/p>\n

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My Kenwood HF station can be seen at the right side of this photo. Above it is my Drake R8 receiver. On the far left you can see my second Yaesu FT-100D.This one is used mostly for 6-meters. Notice my Ten-Tec Scout immediately below the FT-100D. Just below that you\u2019ll find my Yaesu FT-8800. The photo below shows my Honda Accord with my mobile HF\/VHF equipment.<\/p>\n

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Mobile operations include a Yaesu FT-100D and a Yaesu FT-1500. The large screwdriver antenna is a Don Johnson original.<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

I am really not an exclusively Ten-Tec user. I also have that cherry set of Drake twins (shown earlier), two Yaesu FT-100Ds (the first one I purchased in 2004 and has been in my Honda for over 12 years), that Kenwood TS-830s system shown above, a Xeigu X108G for portable work, and a YouKits HB1B for CW QRP (not shown). These rigs and more are not merely shelf \u201cqueens\u201d but each one is fully functionable and immediately usable with the throw of a switch (or two\u2026 or three).<\/p>\n

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One of my two Ten-Tec Pegasus transceivers. This one is used almost exclusively for digital mode operations. I store some of my keys and paddles in the drawer. Below that drawer is a scanner and below that is my trusty HP Workgroup Laser Printer.<\/p>\n

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Earlier I mentioned that I have a Xeigu X108G HF transceiver. I like just about everything there is about this 20 watt SSB, AM, FM, CW transceiver\u2026 everything except its completely non-functional Noise Blanker (design fault) and that it only has semi-breakin CW<\/em>. Its 2017 <\/strong>guys, let\u2019s get on the ball already!<\/p>\n

Into the Ether We Go!<\/strong><\/p>\n

Hows that saying go? Its all about location, location, location<\/em>? Or is it antenna, antenna, antenna<\/em>? I suppose it is about what you have the most control over. My location <\/em>is where my home is\u2026 \u201cand that\u2019s the fact, Jack!\u201d<\/em> -Bill Murray from the 80\u2019s motion picture Stripes <\/em>(just had to include that). So I can\u2019t change my location but perhaps I have some control over my antenna designs.<\/p>\n

There are good points<\/em> and a bunch of not-so-good points<\/em> concerning my erecting antennas at my QTH. Good point:<\/strong> I am allowed by the City to put up a tower. Hot diggidy! Wait for it\u2026. a not so good point is that the tower can\u2019t go above 35 feet in height. Hey, I\u2019m a pretty short guy so I guess I really don\u2019t need a very tall tower. Good point:<\/strong> I actually have an unassembled 32 foot, free standing, tower ready to go. Fact: <\/strong>In order to put up this tower I need a sizeable cement and rebar filled hole for its base. I don\u2019t think that falls into either a good or a bad point, just another one of those facts, Jack<\/em>. I\u2019ve always believed in working smart rather than working hard, so I first looked into ordering a already made (dug?) hole from eBay<\/strong>, but it seems the 5? x 5? x 5? box the appropriate hole would be shipped in was just to large for U.P.S. Good point:<\/strong> I own several picks and shovels so I can dig my own hole\u2026 and that is exactly what I tried to do. Fact:<\/strong> the top soil here is about 6? deep and beneath that \u201cdigable\u201d soil you will find tons and tons of volcanic <\/em>rock. History lesson: <\/strong>Clear Lake<\/em> was formed from a volcano\u2019s caldera! So I discovered that hole digging really does fall into the not-so-good category. So only a few days after moving to this QTH I realized that I had to move on to Antenna Project Plan B<\/em>\u2026 at least for now.<\/p>\n

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My antenna project plan B<\/em> consisted of a partially erected, 30 foot telescoping mast placed at the center of our garage\u2019s nearly flat roof. Three sets of four 1\/2? black double-Dacron ropes would be used to guy the mast. A three-foot reinforced top section would be added to better support a Hygain rotor\u2019s optional mast bracket. A Cushcraft MA5B would be installed a foot or so above the rotor on a 5 foot mast stub (the only length I had on hand). I would place my three-element 6-meter yagi 3 feet above the MA5B (way too close but it works). At the top of the stub I would install my dual band VHF\/UHF collinear vertical. Finally, just below the rotor\u2019s mast mount I\u2019d attach the tower mount point for my 160-, 80-, 40-, and 30-meter 1\/4 wave horizontal sloper.<\/p>\n

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Here the antennas mounted to the \u201cstill collapsed\u201d mast have been raised vertically with help from my son, Allen, my XYL, Evelyn, a local friend, Jack (not the same Jack), and a\u00a0 neighborhood handyman. Let it be known that it is a real pain putting up any antenna using non-hams as your only assistance.<\/p>\n

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Antennas are raised to their final height\u2026 roughly 35 feet about ground.<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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Another view of the completed antenna installation.<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

And Let the Noise Begin<\/strong><\/p>\n

I\u2019ll write more about this project later. Basically I knew before I moved to this QTH that I would encounter nasty night time noise levels, especially on 160-, 80- and 40-meters. The electrical grid infrastructure has been poorly maintained for years. Add that fact to the knowledge that many of your neighbors have sizeable pot grows \u2013 many of which are indoors requiring RF polluting grow lamps.<\/p>\n

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Here is a snap shot over out backyard fence. About 40 feet from my radio room.<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

This is not the first time I have had to deal with RF noise problems, but it is the most difficult RF noise environment I\u2019ve ever experienced. Over the years I have applied numerous band aids seeking what improvements I could manage on my own as well as obtaining necessary assistance from PG&E technical crews and my neighbors. In my current situation, PG&E equipment is the least of my problems as most of what I am experiencing comes from neighborhood solar installations and unapproachable pot farmers. Here is a photo of my current noise level on 40-meters (it is 3am). 80-meters is worse.<\/p>\n

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My Orion\u2019s noise blanker and my JPS ANC-4 Noise Canceler are a reasonably effective combo for reducing a portion of my electrical noises, however my most effective instrument for nearly all types of electrical noise has proven time and again to be my magnetically shielded receive loop \u2013 a DIY design project I originally scratched out in a notebook about 10 years ago.<\/p>\n

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My current receive loop is the second incarnation of the original project. I have used this same loop at this and my previous two QTHs.<\/p>\n

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My installed DIY 18 foot circumference, shielded magnetic receive loop.<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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At the end of September, 2017, I reinstalled my GAP Titan vertical. It is a really noisy antenna for reception, but it works really well as a low angle radiator (DX) and a perfect mate to my magnetically shielded receive loop. My XYL\u2019s vision is not what it should be \u2013 hence the orange guy ropes\u2026 its only fair as the GAP Titan is <\/em>growing in her garden.<\/p>\n

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Here Comes the Sun<\/strong><\/p>\n

It was time to harness the sun so I recently added a DIY 400 watt solar array. Combined together with three 90A, 12 VDC deep cycle marine batteries and a MFJ-4416B Super Battery Booster, my solar system has been able to run my Orion all day and half the night without AC backup. (more on this later)<\/em><\/p>\n

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Perched on a pivot my support frame can be easily refocused for the different seasons.<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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The four 100 watt solar panels are mounted on the pivotable frame. Heavy duty 10 gauge DC \u201csolar\u201d wires and passive combiners group the panels into a parallel design for maximum current capability. The final combined output travels a very short distance to the nearby antenna\/solar battery closet.<\/p>\n

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Shack\u2019s solar array in the summer position.<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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I received my first license in 1964\u2026 now some 54 years later I find today\u2019s Amateur Radio just as captivating.<\/p>\n

\u2013 Jerry, KG6TT<\/em><\/p>\n

(Hobby \u2013 An activity or interest pursued outside one\u2019s regular occupation and engaged in primarily for pleasure.)<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

________________________________________________________________________<\/p>\n

KG6TT Shack: August 22, 2009, Fairfield, CA, Solano County
\n<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

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The aspiring ‘contest’ and ‘DXing’ station.<\/strong> And although I am pretty enthusiastic at both of those ham pastimes, I remain but a small signal at best. Some ‘health related stuff has kept me from the contest chair most of this past year but I am hoping much of that will be behind me by Winter 2009.<\/p>\n

My workhorse station is my Ten-Tec Orion and Alpha 76A combo (the Alpha is modified for ‘quiet’<\/em> QSK operation). The Orion is such an amazing transceiver that it has easily become my ‘main’ for most of my CW, SSB, and RTTY serious DXing operations. For more casual operating and various soundcard modes I use a Ten-Tec Pegasus\/Ten-Tec Centaur combo. The Pegasus has such an easy way about it and a very clean sound. matched up with N4PY’s software and it is as much fun as it is versatile. You will also note my Omni-V.92. probably the best rig that I own for long listening sessions and flawless CW. These days it seems to be the rig of ‘everyday’ choice. I guess there is something to be said for pure perfection in engineering. even when 20 years old.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

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Other rigs in the shack<\/strong> include a Ten-Tec Argonaut V (solar powered), a direct conversion Ten-Tec Century 22, and a Yaesu FT-100D (‘Go’ Rig and shack VHF work). All of my transceivers except for the Century 22 are computer interfaced and have dedicated M-Audio soundcards attached. For logging and general station operation I rely on the DXLabs Suite, N1MM Contest Logger, and VE3NEA’s ensemble of tools for propagation info, world-wide beacon activity, and now CW Skimmer to provide that needed edge in CW pileups. I am so impressed with all these software packages. and they keep getting better. I’m about to add an LP-PAN to the Orion to enhance the skimming <\/em>bandwidth.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

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My antenna<\/strong> ‘garden’<\/strong> <\/em>is pretty modest, although I do have a 40′ crank-up with a Wilson SY-2 ‘quad’-bander on top and an Alpha Delta ‘B’ 160, 80, 40, and 30-meter sloper off to one side. The tower also acts as the top support for two full-wave, 17-meter loops. I am working on a 17-meter MOXON, but not there yet. There is also a GAP Titan on the other side of the back yard (surprisingly NO man-made electrical noise) as well as a collection of long-wire, collinear vertical, J-pole and yagi antennas for VHF and UHF. I had planed to install a K9AY 160\/80-meter receive loop but so far I just can’t\u00a0 figure out how to shoehorn it into the small backyard and keep it ‘XYL-friendly’.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

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Mobile operation at KG6TT<\/strong> can take one of two paths the most enjoyable is when I’m triking in my VHF\/UHF equipped Terra-Trike. There is a J-Pole on the flag. a 30-watt amp behind the seat with a 10-amp gel cell and a solar panel. Sure raise a lot of eyebrows. but surprisingly not nearly as many as the original Don Johnson growing out of the back quarter-panel of my Honda Accord. Took me nearly 40 years of hamming before I finally put HF in my auto (a second FT-100D). Should have done it YEARS ago. Great companion when traveling or simply stuck in commute traffic.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

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No shack tour would be complete<\/strong> without a few cameos of my two most loyal companions Scout and Charlie (Whiskey). Charlie got his name when his first act upon entering our home as a kitten was to curl up around my Vibroplex. He is in the shack most days and loves the sound of CW. Scout doesn’t get the whole radio thing (sort of like the XYL). Basically its really Scout’s job to keep Charlie in his place! Errrr also sort of like the XYL! Anyway Charlie always has understood the lure of Amateur Radio.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

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Hopefully you came to this page because we just worked each other. If not give it some time. and the right propagation. Come on. where are those darn sun spots!?<\/em><\/p>\n

73,<\/em><\/p>\n

Ralph Jerald ‘Jerry’ Volpe<\/em><\/p>\n

KG6TT Fairfield, CA<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Clearlake Permanent Station November 15, 2018 The New QTH I suppose \u201cnew\u201d is a fairly relative term \u2013 seeing that I have had at least eighteen physical shacks since my very first bedroom radio desk at age thirteen. My current shack is my third since my retirement in 2000 and the second one that I […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/kg6tt.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/11"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/kg6tt.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/kg6tt.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kg6tt.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kg6tt.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=11"}],"version-history":[{"count":10,"href":"https:\/\/kg6tt.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/11\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":117,"href":"https:\/\/kg6tt.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/11\/revisions\/117"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/kg6tt.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=11"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}