Chasers: Show us your Station

G4OBK - Main equipment of current station in use:

YAESU FTDX5000 (1.8 MHZ - 50 MHZ) (200 WATTS)
ICOM IC-7400 (1.8 - 50 MHZ BACKUP - 144 MHZ CW/SSB) (100 WATTS)
YAESU FT-1802 (145 MHZ FM) (40 WATTS)
DENTRON MT-3000A MANUAL ATU
SIGNALINK USB TERMINAL UNIT FOR DATACOMMS
TWO BENCHER PADDLE KEYS
MICROHAM CW ELECTRONIC WINKEYER
DAIWA CN-801 POWER METER
RADIOSPORT AND SANAKO BOOM MIC HEADSETS
TWO COMPUTERS
TWO SEC 1223 SWITCHED MODE DC PSUs

ANTENNAE:

OCF DIPOLE 160M - 6M MOUNTED IN TREE 40 FEET CENTRE (128 FEET LONG TOP)
7+7 ELEMENT WIMO CROSS YAGI FOR 144/145 MHZ MOUNTED AT 9.5M AGL (DOUBLE FEEDERS)
YAESU G-450C ROTATOR
(ANTENNA UPGRADE IN EARLY 2018 PLANNED - SUBJECT TO PLANNING PERMISSION BEING GRANTED ON APPEAL FOR A MAST)

Show us your station!

73 Phil

16 Likes

(Deleted the previous post 'cause the picture was upside down)

MTR3B running 2-2.5 watts to a EARC style antenna attached to a fence post about 4’ off the ground. Just set up on a chair out in the garage. Pretty basic.

Patrick AC0SR

13 Likes

respect to all the QRP chasers - that’s the way it should be done!

4 Likes

Chaser shack at M1BUU is pretty basic.
Main shack rig - Yaesu FT817 (2001)
Second rig - KD1JV Designs MTR-5B
Back up rigs - KD1JV MTRs (1st and 2nd batch), Home brew BITX20, SW-40+ and SW-20+

Standard mic on FT817 but with in-line speech processor for SSB.

Keys- RM31 Czech key, Palm Mini Paddle, Kent Twin.

Paper and pencil for logging, Samsung J3(6) for DXcluster / SOTAwatch.

Picnic bench obtained via Facebook advert from maker, ÂŁ50 several years ago.

Antenna - home brew 5 band 15-40m linked dipole on 9m fishing pole bungee’d to washing line post, ends at about 1.5m agl, running North/South.

Here was the operating position whilst working OK/G4OBK/P during his Czech tour. -

At times I’ve tried CAT control, but it never seems to work out-

When condx allow, it’s fun to chase with my 1watt SW-20+

A non-SOTA QSO, but the following video shows my SSB setup in action.

73, Colin

20 Likes

Now THAT is the way to buy your Hobgoblin! I presume the tray catches any drips…

1 Like

Hello,

This is my shack today (in constant change, you know…) all fitted in a tiny closet.

TRX:

  • Elecraft KX3 + PA 100w + Tuner MFJ-945E
  • Kenwood TM-G707 for V-UHF

Antennas:

  • Delta loop monoband 40m (homebrew)
  • Dipole monoband 30m (homebrew)
  • Hexbeam 20m–6m
  • V-UHF Vertical Diamond X50

Accesories:

  • Iambic Ariston (old)
  • Rotator Yaesu G450
  • Paper log (backup) + Computer
  • CW Winkeyer USB (contests…)
  • Desk clock (utc!)

It is a pleasure chasing sota friends but I rather prefer my shack on any mountain.
73 de Ignacio

9 Likes

Hete is my rather untidy station. It is in the family office which is used for lesson planning, homework and occasionaly radio.

I also suffer from problems with CAT control…

( Rig Ft450D - MFJ antenna tuner behind it, and an inverted L for 160 and a ZS6BKW ( A rearranged G5RV ) for everything else, all between trees in the neighbouring wood ).

I expected to do 90% activating and 10% chasing - but it does not seemed to have worked that way!

73

Paul

9 Likes

At the home QTH in the study upstairs …perhaps a messy desk but can quickly clear a path to reach the paddles when activators spotted and heard! Listening on CW with Century in wide open filter position (DC receiver) then responding with KX3 - antenna is 150’ EF-wire at 50’ ponderosa pine trees feed with 9:1unun and 100’ hardline to house.

…Cheers, Steve wGOAT

Boo & Peanut’s view of the house from their goat-yurt

19 Likes

I like to use HDSDR when I’m at home:

Station consists of:
KX3 sn:7060
40-10m End Connected OCFD (from M0RZF)
HF80CL mobile vertical for 80m
PC
Xonar U5 soundcard
Diamond GSV3000 power supply
Alberto Frattini Magnetic Chrome Iambic Morse paddle

Work in progress: adding an common earth bus on the back of the desk.
Next year I hope to add a graphics card that can run a larger 4K monitor. KXPA100.

73 de OE6FEG/M0FEU
Matt

9 Likes

The small keyboards are used portable for CW using the programmed buffer feature of the PX3 and also a KBAR CW device.
Gary a. W0MNA

10 Likes

Latest at mo
More to come up grades etc

Yeasu F450AT
Trio TR-751 2M
MFJ 949D
HOME BREW ANTENNA ROTATORY SYSTEM

F/W 40M LOOP HOZ H/B RG6 Q/STUB FEEDER
T6M 3EL MOXON BEAM H/B
6EL YAGI 2M H/B

CURRENT UNDER CONSTUCTION
160M 1/2W SEXTUPLET FOLDED DIPOLE ( FOR 80M AND 160M)

PLANNING STAGES ALL TO BE H/B
2M THREE EL MOXON
70CM THREE EL MOXON
6 EL 70CM YAGI
VHFUHF SPLITTER BOX REMOTE

Plus various portable antennas and 9:1 and 4:1 UN and Bal.s

Karl M3FEH

8 Likes

Yaesu FTdx1200 100w
Yaesu FT847
Kenwood TS2000
HLA 300 Linear Amp Barely Used On Hex Beam
23cms Home Brew ATV Transmitter

Hex Beam at 35ft On 30Ft Tower

23cms 19 ele Beam for ATV
70Cms 19 ele Beam
6 ele Low Q G4CQM design 2 mtr beam.
On 45ft tower.
Yaesu 650 Rotators
MFJ 993B Intellituner

Tait mobile on 2mtrs FM for aprs or packet with tiny 2.

Heil Proset Headset

Not forgetting the most important asset the wife of 54 yrs who brings in the tea.

30 Likes

Love the AVO 8 on the top shelf :slight_smile:

1 Like

-Elecraft K3S/100 with most of the upgrades (just don’t have the 2M internal transverter or subreceiver)
-Telepost LP-Pan 2 fed to a 192 KHz external sound card
-Kent paddle key
-Yaesu FT-2900R (these days it rarely has the mic connected. I’m now using it as an APRS iGate/Digipeater, but I’ve made a few local SOTA contacts with it from my QTH to the W4V Shenandoah peaks)
-Dual ViewSonic monitors & a Dell computer
-Software: HRD, Win4K3Suite, APRSIS32 are usually running. I’ve also used PowerSDR IF Stage, and other similar software for interpreting the panadaptor display.
-Astron Power Supply to power the whole mess
-My antennas include a fan dipole for 20 meters and 6 meters in the attic, and a W1AB Killer Antenna fed with 450 ohm window line, which in an undisclosed location somewhere. Incidentally, the W1AB is a solid performer. I’ve made contacts from 160-6 meters with it, DXCC, etc. It’s also very low cost, easy to build, and easy to hide.

73
Nate N0PCL

5 Likes

EA2LU chaser station:
Elecraft K3+P3
Expert 1K-FA , always half power for EU full power for DX (yes Mariusz no KW here, hihi)
TS 790 for 2M
Old Bencher paddle (gift from 80´s CW students)
Antennas:
X7 yagi for 20/17/15/12/10m
HF2V 160/80/40/30m
Inverted Vee 40/30M
5el vert pol homemade Yagi for 2m
6M7JHV long Yagi for 6m
Living on 5-story building apartment in a city enviroment plenty of human noise, chase is not a easy task!
I want to thanks activators and sometimes chaser for his patience when I twice my calls!!


Starlings like the “magic band” hihi

Sometimes, I chase from my Contest/EME place with OB11-3 and OB2-40 in a 30m high tower, this tower also works in 160m as shunt fed. There also are 2m 70cm EME, tropo antennas. This place is 15km away from home at 750m asl, petrol AC power generator and not noise at all!!

See you on the bands, and thanks you very much for great fun chasing
73s
Jorge
EA2LU

12 Likes

My rig
Yaesu VR5000 HF /VHF/ UHF
Yaesu FRG100 HF
Icom R71 HF
GP5/SSB HF
Yupiteru MVT7100 HF/VHF/UHF
Yaesu FRG 8800
Collins 51J4 & 51S1
Antenna vertical on 4th floor , 8 radials
QTH abt 200m from meditterenian sea shore.

73
Eyran 4X4-2238

7 Likes

That’s my favourite rx i’m using when i’m on the roof and always impressed of it’s HF abbillities especially on low bands.
Yupiteru MVT 7100

Today btw i’ve reached the 3K points on SOTA SWL Table, hope to aply the award soon.
73
Eyran 4X4-2238

11 Likes

Past week I sold my qth rig and I am using the qrp for my shack.

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That station has worked me countless times! Thanks @G0RQL!!!

73

Matt G8XYJ

My very first SOTA chase took place in May 2012 when I still was totally unaware of the existance of the SOTA programme.
While running QRP, I contacted on 20m CW a Scottish station calling CQ and he gave me what at that time was a complete senseless reference to me. I, fortunately, wrote it down on my log and I can tell you now that the station was MM0FMF/P and the copied reference was GM/SS-049.
At that time, I was living in the central part of Spain, in Aranjuez-Madrid and this was the station I had:

RX-TX: Kenwood TS-940S (HF), Yaesu FT-817ND (HF and V-UHF) and Yaesu FT-470 (HH V-UHF)
AMP: Kenwood TL-922 (HF) and DAIWA LA-2035R (VHF)
ATU: MFJ-986 and MFJ-941B both for HF

Note that the FT-817ND and the MFJ-941B ATU were there to serve me for portable operations at that time and once I got bitten by the SOTA bug, they got into a rucksack to become my SOTA kit.

These were the antennas I had then.
Tribander yagi 10-15-20m Hy-Gain TH5-DX
Inverted V broadband folded dipole 6-160m Barker&Williamson BWD-90
Inverted V monoband Bazooka dipoles for 40 and 80m (homebrewed).

In summer of that same year 2012, we moved up North to my birth land in Navarra, where I owned a house in a small village 18Km SouthWest of the city of Pamplona. After about a year and a half or two, the shack, which consisted on the very same equipment, looked just slightly different, like this:

Regarding the antennas, this is me on top of the tower the day I finally managed to get the yagi on top of it in December 2013. In the picture I’m installing a vertical 5/8 lambda antenna for 2m band on top of the mast.

This is the tower with the Hy-Gain TH5-DX yagi (10-15-20m) and 2 home made bazooka dipoles for 40m and 80m in my house 18Km SouthWest of Pamplona.

Except for that very first one chase mentionned above, all my SOTA chases up to June 2017 were made with those rigs and antennas.

In July 2017, we moved to a 7-story building appartment in the city of Pamplona.
I decided not to dismantle my station in the house at the village because I like and use to go there from time to time to enjoy chasing and playing radio with that good station in that very low noise environment, so I bought an Icom IC-706 MKI in the 2nd hand marked, as well as a Barker&Williamson VS-300A ATU to form this little shack in our appartment QTH.

I have been posting in this reflector some pictures as well as sharing my experiences since the very begining with a 13-14m long endfed random wire antenna I have installed in the balcony of this appartment facing NorthWest. After several changes (improvements) I’ve made in its configuration, the wire is currently looking like this:

Front view from accross the street.

Bottom view from the street level.

Even in QRP in the beginning or with the currently 18 watts output of this basic station, I’m having a lot of fun chasing SOTA activators accross Europe whenever I can be QRV and even some DX ones in Northamerica when conditions play ball.

Cheers,

Guru

7 Likes