wrote:
On Jan 22, 5:32 pm, wrote:
On Jan 22, 5:41 pm, wrote:





On Jan 22, 9:37 am, wrote:
You bring up an interesting point Ace - I did get a continuous signal
here and couldn't decide whether it was long path and short path at
the same time, or whether I was actually getting the moon bounce? Food
for thought!
John Plimmer, Montagu, Western Cape Province, South Africa
Terry wrote
John, if you are into building your own stuff you may wish to consider
building a variation of the PA0RDT
min-whip that Dallas Lankford came up with..
http://www.kongsfjord.no/dl/Antennas...0Complementary
%20Push-Pull%20Output%20Active%20Whip%20Antennas%20II.pdf
I live very close, within three miles, to two MW stations that drive
many active antennas, including the original PA0RDT
mini-whip into overload. Dallas's version is bullet proof. Any IMD
products are covered by the natural noise floor.
Terry- Hide quoted text -
Terry, Prof. Dallas is one of our greatest hobby experts but I think
my RF Systems DX1 Pro MkII will outperform his designs. The DX1 is
also bullet proof against close by stations, it has the highest IP3
point of any antenna on the market. As for the PAORDT mini-whip, it is
a piece of junk that I should take off my listing = poor pickup and
sucks up every bit of noise in the neighbourhood.

As for DIY, if I pick up a soldering iron I will do myself serious
damage and burn the house down = not an option for a 70 ear old dodo!

John Plimmer, Montagu, Western Cape Province, South Africa
South 33 d 47 m 32 s, East 20 d 07 m 32 s
RX Icom IC-756 PRO III with MW mods
Drake SW8 & ERGO software
Sony 7600D, GE SRIII, Redsun RP2100
BW XCR 30, Sangean 803A.
Antenna's RF Systems DX 1 Pro Mk II, Datong AD-270
Kiwa MW Loop, PAORDT Roelof mini-whiphttp://www.dxing.info/about/dxers/plimmer.dx

Yea, I can understand the risk of soldering......

I fell at work back in April of 2006 and manged in less then a second
to wrack my right knee and
right elbow. The Workers Compensation "gatekeeper" MD ingoted my
complaints about increasing
numbness and inability to control my right hand. I am right hand
dominate. Finally in August of 2007
he decided he better send me to a hand/elbow surgeon because I
couldn't hold anything in my right
hand. After some attempts as using a brace to relieve the stress to
allow the elbow to heal, the
surgeon told me surgery was the only option. So in early November 2007
I had elbow and arm
surgery. The main nerve that controls the fingers was begin pinched by
two damaged muscle
sheaths. I have one nice 4" scar across my arm and a 4" scar along my
elbow over the funny
bone. The upshot of all of this is I can't solder without endangering
me, and everyone around me.
I desperately needed a specially wired 3.5mm (1/8") male to male
jumper. I managed to get it
done but it was ugly and the lack of control in my right hand made
holding a 700 degree F soldering
iron interesting. When my wife got back from her mom's she resoldered
it and forbade me from
even thinking about soldering until and unless I get fine motor
control back!

It is very frustrating as I have building things since I was 9 and
here I can't only not solder, but
I can not build the new RF Entry Bulkhead I want. It would be insanely
reckless, even by my
standards, to handle power tools. From what the physical therapy (PT =
pain and torture) team
and the surgeon tell me I will likely never regain enough fine motor
control to work with surface
mount components and will have other "continuing issues".

Bummer.

I am very lucky because my wife is very 'crafty' and I have some
friends who have pitched in,
often on very short notice, to help me with my odd antenna needs.

Terry

You can teach the left hand to do anything the right could do. I
practice this (eating and writing), even though both hands work.