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QSL I designed in Photoshop
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| May 2014, I received my Flex-6500 Sofware Defined Receiver. The
6500 had been available for some time, but I waited till they released a new SmartSDR that included Panafall, Tracking
Notch Filters, Quick Recording and Playback. The 6000 is a vast improvement over the previous models, which put
heavy demands on the computer, susceptible to RFI because of the Firewire connection, has virtually no distortion.
It reproduces the audio in precisely. If you have a gravely voice as I sometimes do, and you have high end equilized
for good high end, it will emphasize it and some non SDR hams will interpret it as distortion. The compressor is
far superior to the previous models as it works more smoothly and is infinitely easier to set up. Even though, the V1.2 release does not record to recoverable files, you can get the Audacity audio recorder and make a virtual connection to one of the many DAX channels, record, transmit and save to a file. The connection between SmartSDR and the hardware is simply through your Ethernet LAN. I have not tested it with Wi-Fi for performance. Hey, also, the VLF coverage has virtually no images and is completely usable. The previous Flex models filled the VLF frequencies with broadcast images. The image below shows two of the four possible slices, but shortly after I received this, Flex released the 6300 with only two slices, which is much more affordable and is about the same price as the new price of the Flex-5000A. |
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| Left: Flex-6500, Expert 2K-FA Amplifer, Described below: Equipment Rack Changed from what is seen above. |
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Present Audio Chain Top to bottom: Behringer Ultragraph Pro Equilizer - used for room sound system (Not in transmission chain) Ultralink Pro mixer Ultragain Pro mike preamp Ultrcurve pro Equilizer (for Electrovoice RE27) Virtualizer effects (room sound system Not in transmission chain) Aphex 204 Aural exciter (not in use) Pyle 200W Audio Power Amp for room sound |
| Bottom: Remote control antenna switch -left AOR 5001D general goverage receiver -right |
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| With the Controlled Envelope Single Sideband compressor designed by David Herschberger W9GR,
added to the Flex, the need for a multiband compressor was eliminated to my satisfaction. I removed the multiband compressor from the rack and bypassed it in the 2496 equilizer. A QEX paper on this algorithm can be found at here. |
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| In March 2012, I received my Flex-3000 Sofware Defined Receiver. I first started to drool over this one year ago when I read a two part article in Monitoring Times Magazine. Meanwhile I was practicing model helicopteer flying skills on a flight simulator, which I started in October of 2010. Finally, at the end of 2011, I was decided where I wanted to go in 2012. As I continue to spend some of my time on the model Helis, I am happily "back Home" doing what I do best. |
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| My old faithful Ten-Tec Omni-D has been relocated as an emergency rig. The RCA BTA-500R was
sold and moved to the QTH of Neal Newman KA2CAF on 12/16/2002. Below was a picture of my shack when I installed
tha BTA-500R. I used a Gates Dualux II console feeding into a Moseley TFL-280 Audio Limiter for 160m and a Gates
"Statesman" audio limiter for future 75 meter operation. My Ten-Tec OMNI-D allows me to operate on SSB
and CW. Back to compactness. |
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The Shack that WAS. |
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NEW - XT-1-A Transmitter moves from KW1I to WA2WHV! About 5 years ago, I bought a book called "The Complete Shortwave Listener's Handbook" Fourth edition by Hank Bennett, David T. Hardy, and Andrew Yoder, Pg 184. After browsing the amateur radio chapter I saw picture of a ham standing next to a magnificent, old broadcast transmitter that he had converted for ham radio use. There it stood with its numerous meters and 4 powerful looking 833 tubes beautifully displayed in a window. Actually Owning it did not enter my mind, but 5 years later. |
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On July 10, 1998 I purchased an RCA BTA-500R from
Jesse Carroll, the owner of the former WERA 1590 AM in South Plainfield, NJ. The station power was 1KW, but this was the backup transmitter. Click here for an accounting of the events and progress in converting this broadcast rig for ham radio use. The license of WERA was bought out by WWRL which was a 5KW station on 1600. WWRL now runs 25KW because of the shutdown of WERA. (WWRL uses a Harris DX-25 transmitter) |
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THE BTA-500R MOVES AGAIN! As of December 16, 2002 it was purchased and moved to the QTH of Neal Newman KA2CAF! Photo shows Neal and the transmitter lying on its side on a U-Haul trailer just before leaving my driveway. I hope to work him with my XT1A when we both get back on the air on 160 meters. Visit the new home of the BTA-500R. |
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Pictorial History of my life in ham radio. |
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| Links to some favorite sites. | People who have helped me along the way. |
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