Wednesday, April 13, 2016

HF Radio Stuff

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Icom AH-4 Icom AH-4 80-6M Automatic Whip Antenna Tuner or Long wire 120W PEP Max
This is an Icom IC-7200 in camo color.  This is the radio I wanted to put on my boat Inspiration II when I owner her.  Alas, she is no longer mine but I have changed my focus slightly - to RV & Sailboats.  SAM seems to like the RV idea, I think, as main living quarters and less time on a sailboat.  This means I need to get a boat that is smaller and single hand-able.  With this expanded focus I need to get a tuner or tuners.

LDG Electronics IT-100 - LDG Electronics IT-100 Automatic Antenna Tuners
My first idea is to use a dipole at home and on the RV and a long wire on the boat.  Translated this means that we must use two different tuners.  The long wire tuner is an Icom AH-4 and the dipole tuner is like LDG Electronics IT-100 Automatic Antenna Tuner. However, it may be best to just use a long-wire for all applications except fixed base home and maybe even there too.  If I do use a long wire then I will get the KISS tuned counterpoise and move it around as well.

OK, In the end I did buy the AH-4 and will run a long wire for the boat, Rv and at home.  Starting with a 72' longwire and a few 11- 17' radials for the counterpoise at home and for RV and boat the KISS gets the nod.

Tuesday, April 5, 2016

♪♫♫ Back Home Again in Indiana ♫♫♪





The whirlwind tour of the FL & Texas is history. We are back in Indiana, boatless, and we are tired.  The search for a new, more appropriate boat, will commence soon.  Right now I am leaning towards a Pearson 35 or a Sabre 34 and SAM is non-commital but likes semi-planing hull Trawlers.  The future boat should be an interesting quest.  Our daughter now works in CT so I will start the search this summer out east.


The Pearson 35 is a well built boat, available and at affordable prices .  One of our friends has a very nice one and this is the basis for our liking that boat.
The Sabre 34 was recommended to us by our mechanic in FL and it has the same availability, price point and build characteristics.  I like the Sabre cockpit layout and the cutter configuration so that may limit availability somewhat.

Friday, April 1, 2016

Not so nautical

This blog post and subsequent ones, until we get a new smaller boat, will only be loosely related to nautical adventures.  That said, we left Indiana last Tuesday and made it to AR near Memphis where we stopped for the night.  The next day we drove to within 3 hours of Austin, TX which is where we are now.

Tonight will be the rehersal dinner for my niece and tomorrow the wedding.  Sunday we will turn around for the trip home to Indiana.  It has been an action packed last two weeks and the trip down was filled with adventure too.  This included finding a hospital to take a look at a rash I was having.

We are staying in an RV Park cabin near our wedding venues and it is raining pretty hard with thunder now.  Temperature is 59°F and barometer is 992.6 and trending +.  The crew went out to shop, eaat and have hair done while I stayed at the cabin to take care of Abby and take a much needed shower.  I sign with you now but may add some later if anything interesting happens.