Need help insuring I got the right equipment for my husband who lost a leg in Iraq

[TabithaS]

Hello everyone

My name is Tabitha.. Just under two years ago my husband lost a leg in Iraq.. After he was medically discharged we moved back to Grand Rapids MI where the VA paid for him to continue his physical therapy at a local hospital.. He handled the whole thing very well and never regretted that it happened...

The hardest part about all of this is hes stuck at home all day and he gets bored! He probably has 300 different hobbies in our giant basement that he has taken over, but im fine with that. The problem is it takes only so long before he gets bored from a hobby.. The main ones he continues to do is making custom LED lighting for any and all purposes and fixing broken computers.. He probably has 50 laptops in the basement because people were throwing them away because something broke, it would take him 20 minutes to find the problem and fix it lol...

So anyway... about a year after we were married about 7 years ago we were watching a movie he loved called Contact (1997) with Jodie Foster.. And he went on and on and on about how he used to have a Ham radio and loved it... His birthday is tomorrow (july 22)... I spent a LOT of money buying some Ham equipment and I would love it if anyone could tell me if I have everything needed and hopefully its all compatible because I don't know anything about these.

I got everything off of ebay.. so are there specific cords that I have to get to hook up the transceiver to the antenna tuner and power supply? he is in the hospital now, he had a back surgery a few days ago an he will be there for another week and a half, so I want to have an awesome surprise for him heres what I got him

Boxed Yaesu FT-840 HF Transceiver - Its in mint condition with all the original parts and packaging (also in mint condition) so it will be like it just came from the factory.. The seller is putting everything in a separate box as to not damage the original box.

Kenwood TR-7730, 2m FM Transceiver, Amateur Radio

MFJ Delux Versa Tuner II, Model MFJ969

SE HF-360 FIBERGLASS VERTICAL RADIAL FREE ANTENNA 80 TO 10 METRE - Will this antenna work with both radios?

Pyramid PS-21 KX Fully Regulated, Low Ripple 20 AMP Power Supply

RETECH CB-10 External SPEAKER For Ham CB Communication Radio

6' USB CAT cable Yaesu FT-840 FT-900 FT-890 FT-600 radio programming interface

2 meter amature radio J-Pole Antenna - From KB9VBR J-Pole Antennas | Amateur Radio VHF and UHF antennas for sale its the one on the far left.. Will this antenna work with both radios?

I got Low Loss Coax Cable... this is what I got Wilson Electronics 950602 2' White RG6 Low Loss Coax Cable


I know this is a lot to read but I really want to make my husband happy and make sure I can hook up everything..

Thank-you very very much for anyones help

 

[SpectreOZ]

Hi Tabitha, kudos for you for undertaking such a mammoth enterprise...


Kenwood TR-7730, 2m FM Transceiver - This will work well with the KB9VBR J-pole antenna.


Yaesu FT-840 HF Transceiver - This will work with the SE HF-360 FIBERGLASS VERTICAL antenna on 80m through to 10m but another antenna will be required for 160m operation.


Pyramid PS-21 KX 20 AMP Power Supply this outputs 13.8v @ 18A continously and 20A @ peak only, the Yaesu draws 20A @ peak 100w output on SSB.


Wilson Electronics 950602 2' White RG6 Low Loss Coax Cable unfortunately this is 75 Ohm TV/AV cable whilst some people will use it for Communications feed lines others most definitely wont opting for 50 Ohm lines instead (like RG8)... personally I use it for receiving antenna feed lines

Everything else looks sweet...but does your husband hold a current Amateur Radio licence? as this is mandatory to operate the equipment and avoid infringing on FCC regulations...

 

[n9mxq]

I'd say contact a local ham club, here's two:

ARRL Affiliated Club
GRAND RAPIDS ARA
City:
Grand Rapids, MI
Call Sign:
W8DC
Specialties:
Contest, Digital Modes, General Interest, Public Service/Emergency, Repeaters, VHF/UHF
Services Offered:
Club Newsletter, Entry-Level License Classes, Hamfest, License Test Sessions, On-The-Air Bulletins, Packet Radio BBS, Repeater
Section:
MI
Links:
Home Page, Grand Rapids Amateur Radio Association
Go Now!

ARRL Affiliated Club
MICHIGAN DX ASSOCIATION
City:
Grand Rapids, MI
Call Sign:
W8DXI
Specialties:
Contest, Digital Modes, DX, General Interest, Public Service/Emergency
Services Offered:
Club Newsletter, Hamfest, Mentor, On-The-Air Bulletins, Tvi/RFI Committee
Section:
MI
Links:
mdxa1 ›

I'm sure either of these clubs would have people who would be glad to help..

 

[Rt169Radio]

Yes, along with people helping on this forum it would be good to see if any local ham radio clubs would assist you. I'm sure they would gladly do it. Does your husband have at least a current general class ham radio license?

Also tell him thanks for serving! What branch was he in?

 

[TabithaS]

He does have a technician class license he got it while still in the army so he could play around with his friends equipment when he was deployed And I bought a book for him to study to get his general license and signed him up to take the test on August 9th (I even signed myself up to get a technician's license, it actually looks fun to me..

He was a Military Police Officer int he Army... now please don't get me wrong.. I didn't tell you about his leg and such to get pitty, he hates pitty.. i just told you all because I know he is going to join this forum pretty soon.. prolly today when some of the equipment shows up

SpectraOZ - you said he will need another antenna for get on the 160m? Is this something he can build? He loves to build his own techie stuff... if so is there a website or book that you can lead me to that will have all the diagrams so he can tinker?

I do have another question.. there is an old satellite dish on my roof that I am going to ask his brother to take the dish off so I can use the pole part to mount an antenna... now, can I mount both of the antenna's on the same pole? they would be pretty close together... I assume not because they could interfere with their signals but I thought I should ask...

I do have one for thing to add to the list... I found someone on craigslist thats about 45 mins from me that has an awesome looking 50 foot tower that has 3 different Ham antennas on it... he is selling it to me for 30 bucks! lol and he said he has tons of equipment that he will sell to me dirt cheap, I guess it was his big brothers house and he died and they hated each other... I'm not one to scam someone and I did tell him that his stuff was worth a lot more but he didn't care... just wants it gone..... so I don't suppose anyone lives near SW Michigan that may want to see what this guy has

 

[TabithaS]

Rt169Radio,

So I need a different power supply? What do I look for?

 

[Rt169Radio]

Rt169Radio,

So I need a different power supply? What do I look for?

I would get the Astron RS-50A or RS-50M, those power supplies are quite enough. Because the Yaesu FT-840 at its top power needs 20 amps always going, and the RS-50A and RS-50M is 37 amps always going with a peak of 50 amps. The difference between the two is one has meters on it and the other doesn't, the one with the meters is the RS-50M.

http://www.aesham.com/transformer/astron-rs-50a/

http://www.aesham.com/transformer/astron-rs-50m/

 

[N8IAA]

Rt169Radio,

So I need a different power supply? What do I look for?

Hello, TabithaS. I'm going to suggest the Samlex SEC-1235M. It is rated at 35 amps intermittent, and 30 amps continuous. It will handle that Yaesu rig without a problem Since he likes to build stuff, he could make a long wire antenna for 160m that can be tuned for the other HF bands.
HTH,
Larry

 

[TabithaS]

wait a min... so does this mean i need a separate power supply for the antenna tuner?

and I never got the answer about installing the antennas on the same post... will that mess things up because they are too close?

thanks again everyone for all your help?

 

[TabithaS]

Ok I did what N8IAA advised and went with a Samlex SEC-1235M...

 

[Rt169Radio]

Okay that's good. Now would it be asking to much if we could see pictures of all the equipment set up?

 

[N8IAA]

I do have another question.. there is an old satellite dish on my roof that I am going to ask his brother to take the dish off so I can use the pole part to mount an antenna... now, can I mount both of the antenna's on the same pole? they would be pretty close together... I assume not because they could interfere with their signals but I thought I should ask...

The pole should be good enough for either antenna, but not both. It would be because the weight and wind working on it would be too much for the pole to handle.
HTH,
Larry

 

[SpectreOZ]

The roof mount/pole would best be suited for the VHF J-pole antenna as it would have less wind loading (most domestic service satellite dish mast installs I've seen don't look like they'd take the strain of a large antenna), the multiband antenna is 5.5m long so something a little beefier like it's own mast perhaps bolted/bracketed to the side of a fixed structure, house OR garage would be the way to go IMHO (easier access too)

How did you go getting in touch with a local amateur radio club? most are pretty helpful sorts and could possibly assist with the antenna installation or at least provide some additional guidance/pointers

 

[AC2OY]

Wow Tabatha he is very lucky to have you!! Good luck with everything maybe BOTH of you could join the local club they will help and perhaps some folks would come over and help set up the antennas!!

 

[gr8rcall]

Hi, and welcome to RadioReference!
While I can't help you much in the way of HAM radio, I would like to thank your husband for his service.

It is people like him that keep me free to post on this site today! Please thank him for me!

 

[902]

Hi Tabitha,

I agree with Fuzy_GSXR1000 about how fortunate your husband is to have a supportive woman.

Do you think your husband would like to build his own power supply? It's not an instant thing and it would take some time to gather up the components, etch the boards - if they're not made commercially, and do whatever fabrication is necessary, but here's a neat schematic for him to make his own. 13.8V, 40A Switching Power Supply. This one is a "switching power supply," so it's a little more efficient (uses less electricity and doesn't waste as much energy in the form of heat). The person who posted it says he has tested it for compatibility with his HF radio with acceptable results. He's also included a parts list. This one's kind of advanced, but there are other project kits that come complete.

I like building stuff, maybe more than I do using it. I've built receivers, transmitters, controllers, repeaters, "transverters" (converting 50 and 144 MHz to 28 MHz) etc. All of that stuff is out there, including entire HF radio kits. It's a nice way to learn and, since he's got a bunch of stuff he's repaired or is repairing, he's almost there.

I also think the club idea is great. For one, it's a group of local people who are usually supportive when they're not cranky (or they can be both). After I moved from the Midwest to Down South, my entire family joined the local ham radio club and go to meetings once in a while where we learn about the things the other members enjoy doing. So far, this group has done Skywarn weather training with the local National Weather Service folks, built model ships with radio remote controls, gone on "bunny hunts" looking for hidden transmitters with direction-finding equipment (some of which people built by themselves), and handled message traffic for practice if we get hit by severe weather and the phones go out (happens once in a while). That can also lead to getting involved in something called MARS. I was Air Force MARS for a while, but the Army and Navy/Marine Corps have their own programs, and they all cooperate with each other now. Back when I was doing that, the mission was handling messages from deployed service members to their families back home, sometimes patching them into the stateside telephone network. Now, it's communications support for emergencies, too.

By the way, welcome to RR and to amateur radio! I didn't mean to overwhelm you with "stuff." I've been a ham for 35 years now, and I'm always finding something new that I haven't done before, as well as jumping back to some good old things that I had fun with when I was a kid.

I don't think he or you will get bored here.

 

[russellmaher]

Hello TabithaS:

I'm a member here that is not an Amateur Radio operator, but I am a veteran and want to say Thank You to your husband for his service and his sacrifice.

Thank You, also, for your devotion and for standing by him, and helping to get his hobby going.

My best wishes to you both.

Russell

 

[northzone]

Best wishes from a fellow Military Police. (82nd Airborne)