Spinning & GrinningI have been unhappy with the installation of my IC-706MKIIG and TM-D700A in my 2005 Toyota Tundra. Unlike some of the more recent models, my Tundra has little to no room to squeeze in radios. I have had both radios under the passenger seat, which was a very tight squeeze and also prevented me from [...]
My Field Day adventure started on Tuesday, 23 June. I finished the final touched to the eARSIB and then through every possible item I thought I might need (minus a 25 pin to 9 pin cable for a Kantronics KPC-3+ which I will talk about later) in a total of 3 footlockers. I [...]
I am getting ready to head out for my road trip west. I recently got an opportunity to visit the Pony Express National Museum and am going to tailor my route west to follow (for the most part) the Pony Express route.
The Pony Express was a fast mail service crossing the North American continent [...]
It was good to get back behind the wheel of my 2005 Toyota Tundra – although can’t say I am excited about paying to fuel it up. I’ve attempted to get a good HF install for mobile operations before experiencing limited success… with perhaps my biggest rookie mistake being an attempt to use the [...]
There was something wrong with the power connection on the back of the IC-706MKIIG. Power would sometimes cut in an out, usually when I was driving over bumpy roads. I pulled the cable off and noticed that the pins were bent out of shape. The pins in the connector (cup shaped) were [...]
I completed a quick and easy addition to my IC-706MKIIG today using a great article from Phil, AD5X. The article describes how to add a 12v fan on the back of the IC-706’s heatsink to help keep the radio cool. Phil’s article describes how to use a Molex plug on the back of [...]
I spent some more time on Sunday improving my HF mobile install. After completely removing the rear interior panel of the cab and finding no grommet or any other easy method of passing the feedline into the cab I was able to find a nice sized grommet under the passenger seat. I was [...]
Tonight I hooked up my IC-706MKIIG in my truck. Very temporary setup – I just wanted to see if everything would work. I mounted the antenna using an L bracket on the inside of the bed of the truck near the cab. I’m using single band antennas and used one cut [...]
2006 CQ WW DX Contest: It has been a learning experience so far. Much more intense than Field Day. It seems as if the bands are jam packed – nothing but “CQ Contest” from 80M to 10M. I started last night a had contacts mostly on 80M, but also a few on [...]
Had a nice 80M CW QSO last night with Tony, KN4VL. There was some QSB and QRM, but we hung in there for about an hour ragchew. Tony is a retired Marine and has children and grandchildren in the armed services. I think I’m slowly making progress on the CW front.
Yesterday after [...]