The new Kenwood TS-990S

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JVC KENWOOD Corporation is proud to announce that the prototype of a state-of-the-art Amateur transceiver scheduled for worldwide launch under the KENWOOD brand in the winter of 2012 will be unveiled as a reference exhibit at Dayton Hamvention 2012 to be held in Dayton, Ohio, USA (May 18-20). Prior to the launch of the TS-990, a prototype will be displayed as a reference exhibit at Dayton Hamvention 2012 in Dayton, Ohio, USA (May 18-20), at HAM RADIO 2012 in Friedrichshafen, Germany (June 22-24), and at Ham Fair 2012 in Tokyo, Japan (August 25-26). Please note that as this product is under development, published information is subject to change without notice. Main features: Frequency … Continue reading →

Solar Mechanics and Amateur Radio

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Ever since I renewed my interest in HF radio communications, I researched the Sun with equal fervor because this celestial body affects Amateur Radio in ways only a few truly understand. Wikipedia defines the Sun as: the star at the center of the Solar System. It is almost perfectly spherical and consists of hot plasma interwoven with magnetic fields. This massive body is composed mostly of hydrogen and helium, is 150 million kilometers from our planet, is 4.5 billion years old and is about at the half way point of the life. My point of curiosity is the Sun’s magnetic field which is the phenomenon behind every Amateur Radio fields of … Continue reading →

Kenwood TS2000 vs TS590S : in my opinion

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I would like to share my appreciation and experience of two Kenwood HF transceivers. First, the Kenwood TS2000, which is probably the only radio that offers a little bit of everything without breaking the bank. The first TS2000 I purchased had a receiver problem. Its replacement worked flawlessly. These random defects do not appear to be isolated as several accounts of owners of TS2000 reported “out of the box” issues over the long history of this product. Once satisfied of the “quality” of my replacement unit, I experimented with many of its key features. Sky Command : This feature lets you control and operate your HF station from a Kenwood … Continue reading →

G5RV vs Alpha Delta DX LB Plus: Which Antenna ?

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For the past year, I’ve been using the legendary G5RV HF antenna (Full length, 51 feet each side, 29 feet of balanced 300 Ohms twin-lead, 18 gauge copper wire) and the Alpha Delta DX LB Plus  multi-band fan dipole antenna (100 feet, 12 gauge copper). The G5RV manufacturer claims are that it will cover from 10 meters thru 80 meter bands. The Alpha Delta claims are that it will cover 10 meter thru 160 meter. Both antenna are connected to my HF transceiver (Kenwood TS590S) using 50 Ohm coax, terminated on PL259 connectors. The Alpha Delta is setup as an inverted-v at 40 feet with an acute angle of 110 degrees. The … Continue reading →

Amateur Radio VHF repeater: A day in the field.

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Ever since I started this bobby in radio communications, my field of interest has been focused more toward HF frequencies (From 0 to 30 MHz) and its ability to travel enormous distances without any other assistance than bouncing signals in the ionosphere. However, the vast majority of Amateur radio hobbyists operate on non-HF frequencies (From 50 MHz to 21 GHz). You will find an ocean of services on these frequencies. With the help of a repeater and some repeater add-ons, a skilled Amateur operator can open communication channels virtually anywhere around the world using one of many options a repeater has to offer. Amateur radio repeaters are mostly found around urban … Continue reading →

What is that noise on HF ?

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I wanted to convey my curiosity around an event every HF Amateur Radio operators heard at one time or another, but could only speculate as of its origins and purposes.  What I am referring to is this noise heard on Amateur Radio bands, mostly the low bands, ranging from 1.8 MHz to 10 MHz. This noise sounds like a large diesel engine running at full throttle, going in and out of phase. Know what I’m talking about? Heard it too? I first heard it when I was listening to an Italian Amateur Radio station working a pile-up on 40 Meters.  Similar to Stephen King’s “Langoliers”, a noise in the distance began … Continue reading →

PSK-31: Discovering digital mode on HF radio

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Wikipedia defines PSK31 as: “Phase Shift Keying, 31 Baud”, a digital radio mode, used primarily in the amateur radio field to conduct real-time keyboard-to-keyboard informal text chat between amateur radio operators”. This story begins on a warm and sunny early spring Sunday afternoon when I decided to explore PSK 31. I heard people telling stories about using PSK31 and thought to myself I would need a lot of extra-gear to be able to use PSK31, wouldn’t I? Turns out I don’t! I already bought a recent HF transceiver, one with all the I/O goodies needed to run PSK31. The Kenwood TS-590S has a USB port and you can do virtually anything … Continue reading →