Yaesu VX series

These were tiny dual-band FM handhelds produced by Yaesu. 

In the past I have used these (I have a VX1 and VX2) on both 2m and 70cm simplex and repeaters. Many found the supplied antenna not as good as they could be and they replaced these with better ones. 

These days, many have bought much less expensive Beofeng units, although the quality control on these seems a bit hit and miss. 

At the moment the Chinese manufacturers seem to have work to do to get amateur radio products to the same consistent quality we are used to from Japan. They will get there, but it may take a few years. When Chinese products get to the same quality and consistency we are used to from Japan the Japanese will face serious competition.

See https://sites.google.com/view/g3xbm4/home/vhfuhfmicrowaves/vhfuhf-commercial-rigs/yaesu-vx2 .

The current G3XBM (operating) shack

G3XBM QRP shack in a bedroom corner

Thought readers might like to see what the G3XBM station consists of currently.  In the photo I have annotated most pieces. The little silvery box to the right of the SignaLink interface was a VX2 programmer (software for which crashed my PC a year ago), but this box  is to be used to house my WISPY 10m WSPR beacon transceiver. The K1 was last used yesterday and the FT817 gets almost daily use, with the very nice audio speech processor underneath. Not shown are the lightbeam kit or the LF and MF tranverters for 136 and 472kHz which are housed elsewhere close the the earth-electrode antenna feed. There are also several homebrew rigs in drawers that get brought out from time to time. For the time being, the Elecraft K1 is not being sold.

The maximum power I can run currently is around 7W from the K1 and about 12W out on 472kHz from the transverter (about 5-10mW ERP) and 30W from the 136kHz transverter (about 50uW ERP). I have no great desire to run much more power. The FT817 is only used at 2.5W or less.  

All for the want of an SMA-BNC adaptor

This week my wife and I are on holiday at my brother's home in South Devon. I don't bring much ham gear with me these days, but I packed my VX2 dual bander and a small mag-mount to erect when static on the car roof.  Packed the rig, charger, several whips, mag mount  ......but I forgot to put in the essential SMA-BNC adapter.

Never mind, there are plenty of things to do instead of amateur radio including seeing the house in Island Street, Salcombe where my dad used to live in back in the 1920s now on sale as a second home for rich bankers at £325k. The house has no views, is tiny, has nowhere to park the Rolls and floods when there is a very high Spring tide.
 

Back from (rainy) Devon

Got back from our week in Devon today. Although I packed my VX2 dual band mini portable it only got used to listen to BBC Radio 4 I'm afraid. All week, apart from a couple of brief breaks it rained and rained. There is an old saying, "come to sunny Devon where it rains six days out of seven". As much as I love the county where I, and my ancestors back to at least the 1400s lived, sadly the saying is true! Get good weather and there's nowhere else to beat it. Get a wet week and it's a bit bleak. This is a picture of Bolt Tail in better weather last Sunday.

QRP 2m FM

For the next few days I'm going to stay with my brother in S.Devon. I'll be taking along little ham gear, just the VX2 handportable to see what I can work out /P on the cliff tops. Usually I find activity levels down there very quiet but occasionally I manage to surprise myself by working some simplex DX. The weather forecast is normal for when I go to Devon - rain, then rain and then some more rain :-(  The VX2 is a rather good little 2m/70cms portable - very small and light - but it works better with a decent antenna such as a 1/4 wave whip on 2m, which also works pretty well as a 3/4 wave on 70cms too.

ZL operation

Although I still take a listen most nights with the VX2 handheld, I have to report that sightseeing is taking a higher priority than QRP operation on 70cms FM in ZL-land at the moment.

The country is SO beautiful, so clean, so uncrowded and the people everywhere are genuinely kind, helpful and interested in you. New Zealand is a lovely place.

Next 70cms FM operation likely to be March 12th when we arrive back in Christchurch on our last night before flying to VK-land to see friends then flying home.

First QSOs in ZL land

This evening, Friday Feb 20th, I managed to work ZL1UHR via the Wellington repeater linked into their national linked repeater network. He was in Hamilton NZ. The QSO was with my little VX2 handheld running 1W to the helical from my hotel room in Wellington, NZ. Later I worked ZL1SAT up in Auckland.

Today the weather has been dreadful: really heavy rain all the way from Taupo down to Wellington (355kms) by car. Tomorrow things look a little better and when we cross to South Island the sun is expected to shine again. New Zealand is a wonderful place with friendly people, great scenery and no crowds. The picture is of two delightful Maori girls we met on Wednesday when we went to a Maori evening with dancing, singing and Maori food.