KC2UEZ Life as a Ham Radio Operator

Today I upgraded my license to General. I am now able to use more of the frequency spectrum offered to ham operators.

I have also upgraded my radio station. I did purchased and installed the UVS-200 antenna I mentioned before for 2M and 70cm, it allows me to cover over 100 miles radios without problems.

I also purchased the Yaesu FT-857D and added the Inrad 2khz filter. I am also using the LDG automatic antenna tuner Z-100 Plus and the LDG ft-meter. For HF antennas I have a MFJ-1778 G5RV and a Cuchcraft R5 at about 20’.

I am very happy with the station so far. For portable I purchased the Yaesu FT-60R for 144 and 440 operation. I have not yet put anything on my vehicle; I am waiting for the FTM-350 to become available.

I recognize now that I am on the HF bands that the next step is to get more power and a directional antenna to be able to cover larger distances and have better QSO’s.

So my next few upgrades will include probably a Flex 3000 SDR radio, an Expert 1K-FA Linear Amplifier, a tower and a multiband antenna. When does it end…

Picture on QRZ.com

After assisting to a few meetings of the local ham radio club, Tryon ARC (K2JJI) and talking to the members I volunteer my self to run the groups website http://k2jji.org

The club has currently between 30 to 40 members. The group is made up of residents of Fulton, Montgomery and surrounding counties of the state of NY. The group has a great history; it was founded back in 1978 and still going strong.

Lately the club is trying to help the county to implement an EOC. I am a new member of the club so I don’t know much about it, but this ongoing effort has about 2 o 3 years on the making. Apparently the county likes to use the allocated funds for other things. At the moment if a disaster happens in our county, we are pretty much on our own.

Anyways, if you have a few minutes please visit the clubs website. I have added a few applications and tools such as streaming the audio from the local repeater 146.70Mhz- (FN22/FN23) and using google maps to show APRS, IRLP and Repeaters maps.

My interest in ham radio and telecommunication started in the country of Panama, where I am from originally.  I watched the movie “Smokey and the Bandit” back in 1980 something and developed an interest in CB radios.  A couple of years later, I was able to participate in a couple of scout events called Jamboree on the Air were scouts from all over the world got the opportunity to make contact using ham radios. It was at that point that I knew radio/telecommunication was for me.

Like many other ham radio operators, I started on the Citizens’ Band. My first radio was a Cobra 21 LTD, a home-made linear regulated power supply and a dipolar antenna. Then, I upgraded hardware little by little.  First the antenna was upgraded to an Antron A-99. This improved coverage; however, it caused our neighbors to experience TV interference. Needless to say, I learned quickly about band pass filters and SWR measurements. Finally, I graduated to a Cobra 148-GTL-DX.  This radio enabled me to make DX with other countries.

I moved to the US in 1997 in order to attend college and find a job. I did not have much time to do anything radio-related. This year I found some time and decided to give ham radio another chance. I studied for the technicians test and on November 20th I was granted KC2UEZ by the FCC. A friend and a local ham radio operator lent me a Yaesu FT-2600m power supply and an antenna. I am now back on the air. I am in the process of studying for my General’s license and hope to be able to take the test and pass it soon.

Currently, I am thinking about purchasing the Yaesu FT-857D  to use as my base radio after I pass the Generals test. I will also upgrade my 2M Jpole antenna to the UVS-200 by OPEK (sub-licensed to other manufacturers). If you have any opinions or comments about this radio or antenna, please let me know.