“Antennas should be heard, not seen”
Photographs included on this page are subject to Copyright ©
After several years of chasing DX and DXpeditions, the whistle has taken on a different sound.
Firstly, the authorities have introduced stricter requirements regarding antennas, which are now only allowed to be 2 meters above the roof ridge.
For me, this means that my antennas can only reach a height of about 8-9 meters in front of the house and about 12m on the backside of the house.
The antenna farm will be reduced to relatively simple wire antennas. No more towers or roofs to climb, my aging body is no longer suited to that kind of thing.
In the future my wire antennas will be of a type that can be serviced standing on the ground, with help from telescopic masts and/or hoists.
Secondly, the behavior on the bands has taken a turn for the worse.
I guess this is due to the increasing use of computers to generate and receive CW (often with the audio muted) and a lack of understanding of how to call on CW.
With the audio muted, you lose control of what is happening on the frequency.
Often there are calls “on top” or tunes on ongoing QSOs, lack of understanding of the concept of “SPLIT”, sending useless question marks or asking after the DX’s call.
All of this only creates QRM for everyone else.
Every time you activate your TX, there will be an opportunity to make QRM. Think about it!
The Shack January 2025
The computer are only for rig firmware updates, logging and lookups in QRZ.COM and others.
The computer will never be a part of any radiocommunication wharsoever. It’s my hobby, not my computers.
Soldering iron and screwdriver?
My workbench are upstairs and not worth taking photos of yet.
CW on a PC? Never, I want to have fun.
Shack window view
View over the Baltic Sea (looking towards northeast) from my shack window.
On the flagpoles, left: The Bornholm Island regional flag and right: The Danish flag “Dannebrog”, which celebrates its 800th anniversary June 15, 2019. In the view direction there is more than 300 km to the nearest land.
The photo are from 2019, but the view are still the same, except from new flags on the flagpoles.
Elecraft K4D Transceiver
Elecraft K4D transceiver with 100 Watt output and internal ATU.
7″ touch screen, modes: CW, SSB, AM, FM and digital modes.
Build-in modem for RTTY and PSK and a wired or wireless US-layout keyboard can be attached to a USB connector.
1 or 3 line text decoder on the screen.
You can also generate RTTY/PSK code by typing ordinary morse code on a paddle.
The K4D (and possible KPA500/KPA1500 amplifiers and KAT500 ATU, if available) can be controlled on the PC with the Win4K4Suite application. The application are also available for the K3/K3S, KX2, KX3 and some Icom radios.
Photo: 2023.
Elecraft K3 and P3
Transceiver Elecraft K3 and Panadapter P3 was my previous main station, but now my spare station.
On air now and then for keeping the electronics alive.
Photo: 2020.
2026: Put up for sale.
RM ITALY MLA300 Power Amplifier
Max. 300 Watt output with about 12 Watt input drive from the transceiver.
According to the manufacturer, it is recommended to reduce the output power to 250-280 Watt (7 – 11 Watt drive depending on the band).
The supply voltage is 13.8 Volt DC from an external PSU that can deliver at least 40 A.
It’s good for SSB, but less suitable for CW and not at all for QSK CW, as the relays are too slow.
Have the Italians never heard of pin-diode switching?
When using VOX in CW mode the first character is not correct, so I use a footswitch instead when transmitting. A bit awkward but it works.
I have tried raising the “Key down before HF out” setting on the transceiver, but it does not seem to have the desired effect.
Photo: 2026.
Elecraft KAT500 Automatic Antenna Tuner (ATU)
With an AUX cable, the ATU can read the band and frequency on the transceiver (Elecraft K3 or K4) and thus tune itself without transmitting.
The ATU is of course tuned in advance before it is put into operation and the results stored in the ATU’s memory.
It is tuned on the CW segments on all bands from 160 meters to 6 meters.
On the 160, 80, 60 and 40 meters bands it is tuned for every 5 kHz and on the 30 to 10 meters bands for every 10 kHz and on 6 meters only at 50.1 MHz, as well as on the few frequencies where I work SSB.
The ATU can be programmed from a PC using the “KAT500 Utility” application from Elecraft (free download from www.elecraft.com).
Supply power: 13,8 VDC, max. 1A. Can be supplied from the transceiver’s 12VDC output (RCA). The ATU can handle operational HF power up to 1000 Watt, but optimized for 500 Watt. Max. tuning power are 7 to 100 Watt, best at 20 Watt.
Used together with the RM MLA300 power amplifier. The ATU has outputs for 3 different antennas, which are programmable via the Utility app.
Photo: 2026
Jetfon PC55 SW Switchmode PSU (Left)
Diamond GSV3000 Linear PSU (Right)
Power Supply for Elecraft transceivers and Power Amplifier.
Jetfon: Up to 16 VDC, but locked at 13.8 VDC., 50 A, peak up to 55 A.
Diamond: Up to 15 VDC, but locked at 13.8 VDC, 25A, peak up to 30A.
The Jetfon PSU are used with my Elecraft K4D and RM PA.
The Diamond PSU are used with my Elecraft K3+P3
Photo: 2026.
Racal RA17L
Vintage tube communication receiver.
Freq. range: 0.5 through 30 MHz.
Mostly for display, but used from time to time. The receiver has also historic value for me as Racals was used in my professional days as radiooperator.
Photo: About 2016.
Radio Works Carolina Windom CW80
for the 10-160m bands.
Extended with a coil and few meters of wire on the short leg, so the antenna acts as an ordinary dipole antenna on the 160 meter band.
The main problem are the position of the antenna with the short leg going over the roof of the house and the vertical element are partly shadowed by the house in southwestern, west and northwestern directions.
But I don’t have other possibilities for the setup.
Photo: 2024.
Homemade folded EndFed 60m.
Setup like a NVIS antenna. Feedpoint up about 6 meters with about 14 meters of wire, folded 2/3 length and the rest returned to the pole. Space between the wires are about 1 meter.
Balun: 1:9 (homemade).
Are mostly used in domestic Danish QSOs on 60m band.
Photo 2025.
Bengali Graciella Iambic Paddle.
Really very nice finish and it’s heavy, magnetic tension.
My first choice of paddles.
Photo: 2024.
Elecraft Dual Paddle HexKey
Iambic paddle.
Magnetic tension, just a dream! Elecraft, but made by Bencher.
My second choice of paddles.
Photo: 2024.
Bencher BY-4 Iambic paddle.
Perfect for my stiff fingers (hi).
Photo: 2024.
Kent Twin TP1-B Iambic paddle.
Very heavy and solid. Nice to use.
Photo: 2024.
Vibroplex Original de luxe
Unfortunately, it’s too hard for my arthritic fingers and wrists, so the bug are mostly for decoration.
Mounted with the option “Round vario arm” that permits a better and quicker setting of the transmitting speed.
Photo: 2024.
Vibroplex Square Racer Iambic paddle.
Magnetic tension, easy to ajust and use.
Photo: 2024.
CWtouchkeyer P1PAD Iambic paddle.
No moving parts or contacts, you just have to touch the paddles.
You have to pratice a lot, not easy to use. It CAN be very sensitive to HF on some bands, but else nice to use.
Is available in many configurations, with and without internal keyer Electronics. My model have only the paddle Electronics and I use the internal keyer in the transceiver.
Photo: 2024.
Great Northern Telegraph (GNT) handkeys
Two different models.
The black model is similar to the one I – for many years ago – learned the art of CW.
My arthritis wrists and fingers do not allow them to be used daily, but they are touched once in a while.
Photo: 2024.
Elecraft MH2 microphone
As I mostly work CW, the microphone are only used in my daily SSB QSO on 60m band with a handful of other Danish SSB stations.
The microphone is attached to a shelf in front of me and in conjunction with a PTT footswitch or VOX it works excellently as a hands-free microphone.
The microphone type is electret (condenser).
Photo: 2024.
Kotion Each G1200 headset.
With electret (condenser) microphone.
Used in conjunction with a PTT footswitch (or VOX), but rarely used, only if the surroundings are noisy or if my surroundings call for calm 🙂
Photo: 2024.
Computer
Lenovo IdeaCentre All-in-one 24″ PC (left).
Samsung Ultra wide monitor 34″ (right).
The computer are only used for rig firmware updates, logging my QSO’s and lookup on the Internet.
The computer will never be a part of any radiocommunication wharsoever. It’s my hobby, not the computers.
Photo: 2024.
My signal strength in the Pacific Ocean with 100 Watt output.
Or was it just a dream? 🙂
Previously used stations.
| Year series | Rig | Status |
|---|---|---|
| 1969 – 1973 | Various radio stations between 25 Watt and 5 kW as professional radio operator. | Still good memories |
| 1971 – 1973 | SM19/SMH (with no TX) as SWL (OZ-DR1651) | Recycled in 1974 |
| 1973 – 1974 | Ten-Tec PM2B QRP transceiver, 2 Watt, modified to 5 Watt output. | Donated in 2013 |
| 1974 – 1977 | Yaesu FT-200 transceiver, 100 Watt output. | Sold in 1977 |
| 1977 – 2011 | Atlas 210x transceiver, 100 Watt output. | Recycled in 2017 |
| 2011 – 2011 | Yaesu FT-101ZD transceiver, 100 Watt output. | Donated in 2013 |
| 2011 – 2013 | Yaesu FT-840 transceiver 100 Watt output. | Sold in 2014 |
| 2017 – 2023 | Yaesu FT-450D, 100 Watt output (ex-Spare station). | Sold in 2024 |
| 2013 – 2023 | Elecraft K3 + P3, 100 Watt output. | Put up for sale |