N2KNL 73

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Day and Night World Map

 Hello.. My wife Elaine KB1VAJ and I live in the United States, Harwich, Massachusetts on Cape Cod, Grid Locator FN41XQ. Elaine has had her Technician Class License since 2010. I passed my Novice License (KB2JGD) in January 1990 and upgraded to General Class 13 W.P.M. July 1991. In October 2018 I upgraded to Extra Class. I’ve been interested in radio since the 1960’s, listening to nighttime AM stations, WLS, WCFL, WABC, CKLW, worldwide shortwave stations and TV/FM broadcast DX’ing from Syracuse, N.Y.. I got my Citizens Band radio license in 1976 and was active through the early 1980’s. I moved to Cape Cod in 1993. I like HF VHF contesting at home and mobile, SKYWARN weather spotting/reporting, storm chasing, attending hamfests and weather conferences. I am a active member of two ham radio clubs, Vice President/Secretary of the Pilgrim Amateur Radio Club in Harwich and Vice President of the Northeast Amateur Radio Club and trustee of the KM1CC Marconi Cape Cod Radio Club. Every Wednesday my ham buddies meet for breakfast. I have been collecting  antique radios since high school in the early 1970’s. My favorite sports teams are the New England Patriots, Boston Red Sox and Chicago Cubs.

    Elaine and I operate a variety of equipment, an ICOM 7600, 7300 and 746PRO tranceivers, Ameritron ALS-600 watt solid state linear amplifier and a Vectronics HFT 1500 HF 160-10 meter antenna tuner.  Handhelds include a ANYTONE AT-878 2m/70cm Analog Digital, KENWOOD TH-D72 APRS 2m/70cm,  WOUXUN UVD1P 2m/220 and my original 1990 ICOM IC-32AT 2m/70cm handheld purchased in 1990. I listen to the police and fire trunk system and ham radio analog/digital 2 meter D.M.R. on my Uniden Bearcat BCD536HP and SDS200 Scanners which were both expensive, $500 with a $75 amateur radio digital upgrade.

   Please QSL via LOTW, HRDLog.net, EQSL.cc & postal mail.

Bill & Elaine.


Maggie helping out with a 40m QSO with Peter VK2UXO in Australia..

Current Station 2019-2020 / ICOM 7600 – 7300 – 746pro

2015-2017 / ICOM 7600 – 756 PROIII – 746PRO

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My First Station.. Yaesu Ft-101EEE  1990..

 Just passed my General Class License / My new ICOM IC-751A – 32AT Handheld  1991..

    Elaine and I purchased a new Aluma Tower T50H Crank up/ tilt over Tower in 2011 and has been in service for 9 years (2020). We operate a Mosley TA-33M HF Yagi, Cushcraft A50-6S 6 Meter Yagi, Cushcraft 13B2 2 Meter Yagi and a YAESU G-800DXA Rotator. 40 & 80 meter dipoles center fed on a 35 foot mast #10 wires run to trees on each side of the property. Three wired cameras are mounted on the tower. A Davis weather station wind sensor is mounted at the top tower section and the second on the chimney mast for backup when the tower is down for maintenance.

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Tower: 2 , 6 and 10-15-20 Meters       40 & 80 Meter Dipoles.

 

Installed a new Alpha Delta DX-DD 40-80m Dipole

Removed the lightning arrestor

The choke and antenna/coax center feed.

 

   Before tuning, the SWR was 1.2:1 on 3.490 mcs / 1.2:1 on 7.030 mcs. I removed a total of 8 inches of wire each end (80 meter side) and removed 2 inches each end on the 40 meter side of the coils. The 40 m frequency changed from 7.030 to 7.053. 80 meter from 3.490 to 3.850.

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New ANYTONE AT-D878UV Dual Band Handheld and two Raspberry Pi hotspots.

October 12, 2018.. New Amateur Extra Operators..

    Northeast Amateur Radio Club members (L to R) Dave N1DRS, Bill N2KNL, Jim N1VEQ & Bud KC2BUD all passed their Amateur Extra Class Exams at Near-Fest Deerfield, NH Hamfest on 10-12-2018. Congrats to all!

Boxboro (MA) Hamfest September 12, 2018

  I purchased 1,050 feet (about 350 feet each spool times 3) of LMR 400 Ultraflex with N connectors. A ham who sold it to me said it was from a Connecticut cell tower site. I’ve been to 50+ hamfests since 1990 and I never scored like this! Stuff goes for $1.50/ft. at Ham Radio Outlet. Not sure if I will install the 2 meter boomer at the top of the tower using the LMR-400, 70 feet from the top of the crank up tower to the shack. Total 160 foot run.

 

August 25, 2018

Farthest 2 Meter Tropo Contact So Far..

Moderate VHF Tropo Inversion this morning. QSO with Dave KJ4MCZ in Nelson, Virginia. 580 mile tropo. 144,200 kcs Signal S1 100 watts U.S.B. VHF Yagi up at 70 feet A.G.L.

Posted by Bill Kretschmer on Saturday, August 25, 2018

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    Dave Kj4MCZ FM06 in Nelson, Virginia. 580 mile tropo. August 25, 2018 0932 hours EDT. Running a ICOM 746PRO 100 watts U.S.B. into a Cushcraft 13B2 Yagi at 70 feet A.G.L..

FN41XQ <TR> FM06QN

Harwich, MA to Nelson, VA

Surface WX last 24 hours ending 0800 local..

August 20, 2018

Updated Tower Project Finished..

 

 

  Installation photos on the tower page..

www.N2KNL.com/AlumaTower/

Amateur Radio Contacts 1990-Present..

Worked 96 Countries 80-10 Meters so far from 1990-2018..


Worked 6 Countries 6 Meter Sporadic Es so far from 2011-2019. Trans-Atlantic Sporadic Es to Portugal, Spain & England..


Worked US & Canada on 6 Meters so far from 2011-2018. Sporadic Es, Aurora & Tropo..


Worked 10 States & 2 Provinces 2 Meter S.S.B. so far in 2018..

Our A.P.R.S. Stations

My first Dayton Hamvention 1990 with Gordon West (left) and Gordon with me (right) at Boxboro MA. Hamfest 2015.

Some of my favorite contacts since 1991

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HF VHF Mobile/Storm Chase Vehicle

     The 2003 FORD Explorer is equipped with a ICOM 7000, Tarheel 75A screwdriver antenna and a TuneMatic Automatic Motorized Antenna Controller Tuner. Two roof mounted Larsen 2 meter 5/8 wave antennas, one for the ICOM 7000 2 meter radio and the other for the Byonics APRS Tracker. M2 6 Meter and 1960’s vintage Cushcraft 2 Meter Halo antennas for VHF Contesting on 50.125, 144.200 & 432.1 megacycles with the ICOM 7000 & 746PRO.

Photo location: Scargo Hill, Dennis, MA overlooking Cape Cod Bay & Plymouth Hills, Elevation 160 feet A.G.L..

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CLUBS/ORGANIZATIONS

  Elaine and I are members of BARC and PARC. I’m also a member of NEARC, ECARS and A.R.R.L..

  • KM1CC Marconi Radio Club, Harwich, MA. (Trustee)
  • NorthEast Amateur Radio Club, Wellfleet, MA. Club call N1ERC (Vice President) ;
  • Pilgrim Amateur Radio Club, Harwich, MA. Club call WA1YFV (Vice President/Secretary);
  • East Coast Amateur Radio Service, ECARS Life Member #2856 (since 1991)
  • ARRL Member (since 1991)
  • QRZ dot Com Member (since 1993)

BARNSTABLE AMATEUR RADIO CLUB   K1PBO

Special Events Station- Cape Cod Mini-Maker Fair 2015

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Paul W1NP, Russ K1RTA and Bill N2KNL

 

NORTHEAST AMATEUR RADIO CLUB   N1ERC

NATIONAL LIGHTHOUSE DAY-HIGHLAND LIGHT, TRURO, MA

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Check out my Classic Radio Website..

www.RadioTimeline.com

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icom

                                            ICOM IC-7600 HF/6M All-Mode Tranceiver


         ICOM IC-7300 HF/60 M/6M/2M All-Mode Tranceiver


                    ICOM IC-746PRO HF/6M/2M All-Mode Tranceiver


ICOM IC-7000 HF/6M/2M/70cM All-Mode Tranceiver


             ICOM IC-229H 2M Tranceiver


ICOM IC-32AT 2M/70CM Handheld


KENWOOD-TH-D72 2M/70CM – A.P.R.S. Handheld


KENWOOD-T-72A 2M/70CM – External G.P.S. – A.P.R.S. Handheld


KENWOOD TM-271A 2M Tranceiver


KANTRONICS 3 Plus

 

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CU on 30 meters…

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