Apartment QTH setup
I finally have enough equipment to setup a amateur / ham radio station at my apartment.
Interior:
- FT-817ND all mode HF/VHF/UHF transceiver (5W) w/ CAT cable
- BD-35 VHF/UHF amplifier
- 1GHZ VIA mini-ITX computer, equipped with 12V Powerpole outlets
Exterior:
- 8ft aluminum extendable tent leg (military surplus)
- D-130NJ discone antenna (6m, 2m, 70cm TX) @ ~16ft above ground
- 15ft N to PL-259/M/UHF LMR400
- lots of zip ties to attach to a 1″ square metal fencepost.
So far I’ve managed to get 11 repeaters from 6m to 70cm, but that was with a 50ft run of RG-58U (4.2dB loss @ 400Mhz, 1.9@100, 1.3@50). This short LMR run is a mere 0.35dB @ 400, so ultimately I should be going from ~10W output to ~30W.
I’m going to assess the performance over the coming weeks, and if my ability to hit campus remains lackluster I’m going to add an additional 7ft to the antenna height by adding another aluminum tent mast and u-bolting them together. That should put it slightly above the roof line of my building (but sadly still well below the neighbors to my immediate north and south).
Other equipment:
- Lead acid battery / jump starter
- DJ-580 (APRS/packet duty)
- MFJ-269 HF-UHF antenna analyzer
Additionally, portable:
- TH-F6A w/ semi-permenant SMA to BNC adapter & CAT cable
- law-enforcement-style earpiece and lanyard
- RH-205 telescoping 2m antenna (9.1″ stowed, 52.8″ extended)
- VX-3 (XYL’s)
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