July 2000 QST

164 Pages·2000·33.75 MB·English

(cid:1)
July 2000 Volume 84 Number 7
CONTENTS
David Sumner, K1ZZ
Publisher Technical
Mark J. Wilson, K1RO
Editor
Steve Ford, WB8IMY
28 The Micromountaineer Revisited
Managing Editor
Joel P. Kleinman, N1BKE Wes Hayward, W7ZOI and Terry White, K7TAU
Associate Technical Editor Build this QRP transceiver and take advantage of the fantastic conditions
Larry D. Wolfgang, WR1B; Dean Straw, N6BV; on 10 meters.
Robert Schetgen, KU7G; Charles L.
Hutchinson, K8CH; Paul Pagel, N1FB 34 Flags, Pennants and Other Ground-Independent Low-Band
Senior Assistant Technical Editors
Receiving Antennas Earl W. Cunningham, K6SE
Joe Bottiglieri, AA1GW
Assistant Technical Editor You don’t need acres of real estate for these high-performance antennas.
Ed Hare, W1RFI; Zack Lau, W1VT; 38 Verticals, Ground Systems and Some History Rudy Severns, N6LF
Mike Tracy, KC1SX; Al Alvareztorres, AA1DO
Laboratory Staff Squeezing the best performance possible from this popular antenna design.
Rick Lindquist, N1RL 47 Everything Works Thomas H. Schiller, N6BT
Senior News Editor
Of all the components of your Amateur Radio station, nothing is more
Rosalie White, K1STO
Public Service important to your operating enjoyment than your antenna.
Dan Henderson, N1ND 63 Product Review Joe Bottiglieri, AA1GW
Contests
ICOM unveils its new IC-718 HF transceiver and QST puts it to the test.
Mary E. Lau, N7IAL
At the Foundation Also, the Yaesu FT-1500M 2-Meter FM mobile transceiver.
Bernie McClenny, W3UR
How’s DX?
Bill Moore, NC1L
28
DXCC, VUCC
John Hennessee, N1KB
Washington Mailbox
John Troster, W6ISQ; Emil Pocock, W3EP;
Diane Ortiz, K2DO; Stan Horzepa, WA1LOU;
Paul L. Rinaldo, W4RI; Al Brogdon, W1AB;
George Fremin III, K5TR; Roger Burch, WF4N;
John Dilks, K2TQN; Rich Arland, K7SZ; 63
H. Ward Silver, N0AX
Contributing Editors
Michelle Bloom, WB1ENT
Production Supervisor
Jodi Morin, KA1JPA
Assistant Production Supervisor/Layout
Sue Fagan
Graphic Design Supervisor News and Features
David Pingree, N1NAS
Senior Technical Illustrator
Michael Daniels 9 “It Seems to Us. . .”: Galileo
Technical Illustrator
15 DC Currents Steve Mansfield, N1MZA
Joe Shea, Paul Lappen
Production Assistants Congress heads into the political season as telecommunications bills
Steffie Nelson, KA1IFB continue to drift.
Proofreader
John Bee, N1GNV 45 A Tale of Cell Sites and Towering Heights Ralph Henes, K9VDD
Advertising Manager When representatives of a major cellular telephone provider came to town,
Hanan Al-Rayyashi, KB1AFX this ham welcomed them with open arms. Find out why.
Advertising Production Coordinator
Melissa Yrayta 70 Happenings Rick Lindquist, N1RL
Advertising Assistant Restructuring generates application avalanche; ARRL President Haynie
Debra Jahnke proposes “The Big Project”; ARRL launches continuing education pilot project;
Circulation Manager
League continues opposition to experimental video plan; FCC debuts ULS
Kathy Capodicasa, N1GZO
Deputy Circulation Manager Internet filing; nominees sought for ARRL Board of Directors; more...
In order to ensure prompt delivery, we ask that
you periodically check the address information QST (ISSN:0033-4812) is published monthly as its official journal by the American Radio Relay
on your mailing label. If you find any inaccura- League, 225 Main Street, Newington, CT 06111-1494. ARRL yearly membership dues (including a
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Telephone: [phone] POSTMASTER: Form 3579 requested. Send address changes to:
QST, 225 Main St, Newington, CT 06111-1494 Volume 84, Number 7
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4 July 2000
QST Workbench
54 The Doctor is IN
QSLing with “greenstamps;” a linear-loaded dipole for 30 meters;
operating from inside hotels; more...
56 Build a Simple SMD Workstation Rick Littlefield, K1BQT
Have you been avoiding surface-mount devices (SMDs) because they are so
difficult to work with? This clever project brings an end to the “bad old days”
of toothpicks and tweezers
58 Short Takes Steve Ford, WB8IMY
Prolog2K for Windows
F
59 Test Your Knowledge! H. Ward Silver, N0AX 0JH
Time to polish up your “jargon” vocabulary. SM
60 The Help Desk SKI,
W
Characteristics of commonly used transmission lines. O
T
O
K
61 Hints & Kinks Bob Schetgen, KU7G K
Y
A universal logging computer interface; field repair of ribbon cable. NR
E
H

Our Cover
56 92 Snow-encrusted antennas in July. What better
visual relief can you find during the height of
summer? This impressive antenna farm
belongs to club station SK0UX near
Stockholm, Sweden. On their half-acre site
the club has managed to erect antennas for
every amateur band from 160 meters to 3 cm.
Try some of the antenna ideas in this issue—
before winter makes a return visit.
Membership in the ARRL, including a subscription
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$47 Canada, $54 elsewhere, payable in US funds.
Age 65 and over, with proof of age, $28 (US only).
Operating Licensed radio amateurs age 21 and under may
qualify for special rates; write for application. Life
membership is also available. Membership and
QST cannot be separated. Fifty percent of dues is
46 Net Directory Registration allocated to QST, the balance for membership.
Sub-scription rate for libraries and institutions: $34
51 1999 Simulated Emergency Test Results per year postpaid in the US and possessions,
$47 Canada, $54 elsewhere. Single copies $5 in
Steve Ewald, WV1X the US.
92 2000 ARRL UHF Contest Rules Membership without QST is available to the
immediate family of a member living at the same
93 ARRL 10-GHz And Up Cumulative Contest Rules address, and to anyone who is legally blind,
for $5 per year.
94 1999 ARRL November Sweepstakes Phone Results Dan Henderson, N1ND Foreign remittances should be by international
postal or express money order or bank draft
negotiable in the US and for an equivalent amount
in US funds.
Departments Copyright ©2000 by the American Radio Relay
League Inc. Title registered at the US Patent
Office. International copyright secured. All rights
reserved. Quedan reservados todos los derechos.
At the Foundation..............................86 Public Service....................................75 Printed in the USA.
QST®, DXCC®, VUCC® and DX Century Club®
Contest Corral.................................100 QRP Power.........................................85
are registered trademarks of the American Radio
Coming Conventions.........................89 Radios to Go......................................81 Relay League, Inc.
The ARRL and QST in no way warrant the
Correspondence................................24 Section News..................................101 products described or reviewed herein.
Digital Dimension..............................80 Silent Keys.........................................87 QST is available to blind and physically handi-
capped individuals on audio cassette from the
Feedback...........................................69 Special Events...................................91 Library of Congress, National Library Service
for the Blind and Physically Handicapped.
Ham Ads...........................................142 Strays...............................59, 86, 92, 93 Call 1-800-424-8567.
Indexed by Applied Science and Technology Index,
Hamfest Calendar .............................89 The World Above 50 MHz.................82
Library of Congress Catalog Card No: 21-9421
How’s DX?..........................................77 Up Front in QST.................................19
Reprint Permission
Index of Advertisers........................158 W1AW Schedule................................88 For permission to quote or reprint material from
QST or any ARRL publication, send a written
New Products .......33, 44, 46, 53, 69, 87 We’re at Your Service........................10 request including the issue date (or book title),
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Old Radio...........................................79 75, 50 and 25 Years Ago..................88 you intend to use the reprinted material. Send the
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July 2000 5