scott_sanford

After finding a power supply at Rickreall, as related here, I didn’t have much excuse to not get the old Kenwood working. So this morning I drove down to Ham Radio Outlet for the antenna and base that I’d picked out online. (I’d worked out a scenic route to Rickreall that took me past Ham Radio Outlet, but I missed that exit on the way down. I didn’t need to go there anyhow.) I’d been dithering a week or so about this but realized having the radio not working but very close would bug me until I did something about it.

The pieces I’d picked out online looked great in person but I didn’t let that stop me from circulating and looking at toys anyway.

Once back home I was ready to assemble everything but me puttering around in the living room was very interesting to the cat! So I sat down and spent some time petting the cat until she grew bored with me. All the parts went together quickly and easily.

Everyone who’s bothered to read this far knows that big 5/8 antennas are more sensitive than short rubber duck antennas. Mere minutes after the antenna was attached it started bringing in a faint signal; a little adjustment of squelch and volume got me a weak but intelligible signal from someone who said he was mobile on I-5 and who was talking to someone out of my reception range. The 40 year old Kenwood was bringing in this with a lot of static but otherwise just fine; the brand new handie talkie couldn’t detect a signal at all.

Spot checking with a handie talkie confirmed both basic reception and transmission. I can’t say much for long distance – in these tests two meters wasn’t just my operating band but the approximate range between radios!

It all works and I am feeling satisfied.