FT-790R, 1W of Forlorn Hope?

“One Watt! One Watt! What on earth bl***y use is that to you?! I don’t know… (sigh)” exclaimed one local straight-talking OM on 2m FM yesterday.

His response to my acquisition of a rather dated Yaesu FT-790R ‘portable’ transceiver was less than encouraging. It’s just as well I’m an optimist then. With a maximum output of one Watt on one band (70cm) I think I’ll need to maintain an upward outlook.

But here’s the thing – I always find myself drawn to obtaining the more elusive QSO. You need a certain amount of eccentricity and tendency to self-harm to stand on a hilltop for hours calling out on 23cm FM QRP, for example. I was the first in the area to start calling CQ on DV mode on 2m. It took months before my first simplex QSO and then very little since.

The higher bands and modes have their rewards in spades, however. The rush of excitement when you finally make that new or distant contact. The perceived camaraderie knowing someone has gone to the same quirky lengths as you to operate on a lesser used band/mode or from an unusual location. You feel you have made a meaningful and personal connection, at least for the duration of the QSO. Oh, it’s such a far cry from exchanging reports of 5/9 with the fiftieth Italian station running 1kW on 20m you’ve spoken to in one morning. Better still, no QSL cards.

Any why the FT-790? Well, at just over £100 it’s one of the few portable internal battery-powered transceivers you come across before taking the small fiscal leap to an FT-817, for example. Either way, it will hold its value if my 2m friend’s prophecy becomes true.

Anyway, so far so good. It’s powered up and seems to be fully serviceable. I’ve even managed a short-distance QSO with John GW4ZPL over the Menai Strait in the Caernarfon direction, just a few miles away.

I’ll be out and about when the weather improves and will post my experiences here. Will it be too futile, or with a bit of luck will I make that elusive QSO I’m after? Will my single sidebanded plaintive cries of CQ reach a caring ear?

Maybe I’ll be happily shouting “One Watt! One Watt!” from a heathery Welsh hilltop.

FT-790, forlorn hope?

Loving My Alinco DJ-G7

Alinco DJ-G7

There are many reviews on the internet already about this cracking little 23cm-capable transceiver. In fact, it's the only 23cm handheld currently manufactured, which begs the question when will the Chinese fill the obvious gap in demand?

I'd like to add a couple of comments to help G7 owners get the most out of their cherished handsets:

Firstly, you'll find that programming the frequency offsets for 23cm repeaters may involve two minutes rotating one of the knobs. So, before you do this, set the tuning steps to 1MHz and not 25kHz, for example. You'll be able to dial a 20MHz offset in no time.

Secondly, make full use of the large alphanumeric display. This is the only radio I have where there are enough characters to enter a repeater call sign AND its location as shown to the right.

Alphanumeric display

If you're thinking of trying 23cm FM with one of these, I'd urge you to go ahead! I've had so much fun working good distances with just 300mW from a local hilltop. The top power on 23cm is 1W with 5W on 2m and 70cm, of course. The audio quality is crisp and clear and QSO's are very rewarding. Is there activity? Well, not a prodigious amount, of course. Try monitoring the SOTAwatch website for hilltop activity or put out a call on 2m or 70cm asking for stations QRV on 23cm to respond. Note that some stations may have horizontal beams for SSB - simply turn your antenna on its side when needed. Do some research on homebrew bi-quad antennas as they're really easy to construct and will give you immediate gain without sacrificing portability. Again, there is plenty of excellent information on the net. I used this design here: Hybrid Quad Directional Antenna

Check your licence terms, though, as Foundation holders don't have access to this band. Otherwise I look forward to working you soon!

Read Ross G6GVI's excellent review here: G6GVI Alinco DJ-G7


Update - here's a list of stations worked in my first week QRV on 23cm:

GW4ZPL	John	Caernarfon
G7IEI	Shaun	Bolton
G6AOS	Steve	Blackpool
G6ODU	Bob	Ormskirk
2E0DDD	Rob	Stoke
2E0XYL	Karen	Wirral

Sandpiper 23cm 19 Element Yagi

My relatively new Sandpiper beam is now performing well after a shaky start. It's a misnomer to sell it as anything else other than an antenna kit, to be truthful. It really does arrive as a bag of bits and two rough photocopied pages of sketchy instructions.

It didn't help that the elements were supplied in the wrong sequence with a couple of 'wild card' elements from another antenna design altogether. Marc, the manufacturer, was extremely apologetic and helpful in sending me the antenna measurements straight away by email. However, it meant the additional purchase of a metal rule and measuring callipers from our local excellent ironmonger to get cracking.

After what seemed an afternoon of measuring and re-measuring, the beam started to take form. This involved discarding one element and chopping down another to size. In the initial construction the reflector ended up as the first director. What was supposed as a reflector must have come from a 70cm design. No wonder the thing worked better sideways.

But now, all is well. Coupled with my 1W Alinco DJ-G7 I worked Stoke on Trent (2E0DDD) simplex from a local Anglesey hilltop thanks to a slight tropospheric enhancement. It seems to offer the best combination of gain and beam width. This means your calls will be heard reasonably widely with enough gain (17.1dBi). You won't be losing out too much due to de-pointing either. Its size also means that it can be supported by a modest pole/guys or tripod without offering too much windage.

I think it's possibly the most optimal solution for hilltop and portable operating.

The completed 19 element 23cm Sandpiper yagi