SWR Indicator

I added the Hendricks QRP Kits SWR Indicator to the MFJ QRP Cub this week. I found room for it on the back panel of the little box.

This is a little return-loss bridge that was designed by Dan Tayloe, N7VE.

The kit went together fairly well, and the instructions were easy to understand, especially with all of the photos. The hardest part was how to get the signals in and out of the board. I settled on using short pieces of RG-174 running from the RCA plug to the board, and from the board to a new BNC bulkhead connector. Even with RG-174, it was hard getting the shield into the holes on the board. I eventually got it, but it looks a little ugly.

Pictures to follow as soon as I can take some

Outer Banks and Radio

I just came back from a vacation to the outer banks. While we were planning, Lennie found a ham radio connection there. It turns out that the Outer Banks is where Reginald Fessenden proved the viability of AM Radio during tests he made there in 1901-1902. The photo is from the marker at Weir Point. There is another marker just over the bridge to Pea Island. We passed it, but were pretty tired from our trip to Ocracoke and didn't feel like stopping. Besides, as Lennie said, "How many Fessendens does any one person need?" More info and a photo of the other marker are in a paper by VE2VC (PDF).

I got a chance to operate QRP from the beach this trip. My station consisted of an MFJ 40-meter QRP Cub transciever, an MFJ 30-meter 9030 transciever, and a Hendricks QRP Kits SL Tuner. For most of the trip, I used a 51-foot length of copperweld tied to the wooden handrail of the walkway leading out to the deck. I had a 16-foot length of copperweld dangling down to the sand for a counterpoise. I didn't have much luck on either 40 or 30 meters. Finally, on the last day, I got out my DJ9SQ mast and set it up with a "folded vertical" fed by the SLT. The 51-foot length of copperweld became another radial. This time I had better luck on 30 meters. I just need to brush up my code. Apologies to those I assaulted with it.

Update: Another great article on Fessenden and the Outer Banks is at coastalguide.com.