My Amatuer Radio Equipment


This page is dedicated to show you the equipment that puts "Amateur Radio Station KB3CAT" on the air. Let's start by describing the capabilities of my station. I operate on the 6 Meter, 2 Meter, and 70 cm ham bands. On 6 Meters, I run AM, FM, SSB and CW; on 2 Meters, I run AM, FM, SSB, CW; and run FM only on 70 cm. Let me show you my station and the equipment that makes my station possible.


Antenna Setup

My Antenna Setup

These are my antenna setup. Starting from the bottom..The lowest and biggest one is my 3 element, 6 meter band horizontal polarization beam which I use for all 6 meter equipment. The next one up is an 11 element, 2 Meter band horizontal polarization beam which is mostly used for SSB and AM use. The next one up is my 7 element, 70 cm. vertically polarized beam which I use for 70 cm. FM. The last one at the very top of the mast assembly is my 5/8 wave vertically polarized 2 meter band ground plane. This one is used primarily for 2 meter band FM simplex and repeater operations. The highest point is approximately 20-25 feet in the air which can be rotated 360 degrees by a rotor at the bottom of the mast. Now lets get to the radios.


"The Shack"

'The Shack'

This is "The Shack" which is located in my basement. This is the "brains" of station operation. Here I have radios (obviously), Harborcreek Township map, SKYWARN map, Erie County map, Erie City map, and other essentials of a Ham Radio communications center. Now lets get to my radios.


Radios

6 Meters

Clegg99er

This is the Clegg Labs 99'er. This radio is an old one (as most of my radios are). It has vacuum tubes inside and is crystal controlled. It is for AM only and puts out about 5 watts PEP. It has the original microphone.

Multimode

This is actually a 2 meter radio..but the box above it (with the writing to the far left of it) converts the frequencies from 2 meter to 6 meter. This radio allows me 6 meter FM, CW, and SSB capabilities. The radio itself has 2 power settings, but the converter only allows 5 watts in with an 8 watt PEP output.


2 Meters

This is the Radio Shack HTX-202. It is used for 2 meter FM only. I use this radio as a portable, mobile, and base radio for 2 meter FM. It has the capability for Pl tones (Rx and Tx), different offsets for repeaters and more. This radio is primarily connected to the 2 meter vertical ground plane antenna. It has two power outputs; Low Power at 1 watt and High Power at 5-6 watts. I usually have this running through the amplifier described below.

Shown in the center of the picture, this is the amplifier that Radio Shack made to go along with it's HTX-202 model HT (Handy Talkie). With 5 watts out this amplifier puts out 35 watts PEP. (Good for simplex operations!!)

Making it's second appearance on this page, my multi-mode radio. It's made by ITC (I've never heard of it..if you have information on this radio, please e-mail me!!). This radio is my radio for 2 meter SSB and CW operations. This can also be a base radio for FM as well. It has a set Pl tone of 127.3 Hz (for our local club repeater). The microphone is a Shure brand desk mic.

This is the Heathkit Twoer (also called a "Lunchbox" for it's lunchbox shape and handle (hidden behind the clock). It is also has tubes and is crystal controlled with AM capabilities (like the 99er). It has an estimated output of 2 watts PEP, which is perfect for our local 2 meter AM net. This is usually hooked up to the 2 meter, 11 element beam.


70 cm.

This the sister radio of the HTX-202, the HTX-404. This 440 model of the 2 meter radio has the same specifications as the 202, just different frequencies. A good radio however both the 202 and 404 have been discontinued by Radio Shack.


I hope you have enjoyed this page. If you would like to learn more about ham radio, here are some website you might find interesting:

American Radio Relay League
Federal Communications Commission


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