May 2022 HAMs Issue
Newsletter Index	Publisher:  Information Station Specialists	Subscribe to The Source
Clockwise:  (1) "The Lowdown" 630 meter test antenna’s maiden transmission at 9PM EDT on the night of April 27, 2022.  (2) Test frequency 474.50 kHz using a modified Icom 7100.  (3) Paul Dobosz (K8PD) setting up the test configuration. 630 Meter Vertical Antenna Passes First Test "The Lowdown" Gets High Marks in First On-Air Trial ZEELAND, MI: It was 8:30 PM Eastern Daylight Time on the 27th of April when Information Station Specialists began a one-hour test of the first commercially available vertical antenna for the new 630 meter amateur radio band. Within minutes came reception reports from as far away as West Virginia, Pennsylvania and North Carolina. Clark from West Virginia commented, “I copied the test and rated it 549 to 579 all evening - great signal.” Antenna designer Paul Dobosz (K8PD) states, “This antenna is designed for the amateur radio operator who wants to get on 630 meters but doesn’t have the space for the large antenna typically required. The Lowdown 630 squeezes exceptional efficiency from a compact antenna by using an optimally designed combination of inductive center-loading and a large capacitive hat." A ground system of 32 radials 25’ in length surrounded the base of the antenna. A low-loss transmission line impedance matching transformer was used to raise the characteristic impedance up to 50 Ohms at Attaching the Loading Coilresonance yielding a SWR of 1.04:1 at the operating frequency. The antenna is designed for input power of up to 250 watts. The transmitted signal was generated using a modified Icom IC-7100 transceiver operating at 2 watts (+33dBm) through an outboard low-pass filter driving a RF power amplifier to 200 watts, producing an EIRP of approximately 4 watts. A repeating CW message loop was transmitted from 8:30 to 10:00 PM EDT (4/28/22 – 0030 to 0200 UTC). To gauge demand, provider Information Station Specialists is taking order reservations for the first flight of the antennas and will be showing a production model at Hamvention in Ohio May 20-22 - Exhibit Booth 1002. The antenna is expected to begin shipping from Information Station Specialists in June 2022.
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Information Radio Stations is a generic term synonymous with Travelers Information Stations (TIS), Highway Advisory Radio Stations (HAR) / Highway Information Systems & Low Power Radio Stations (LPR). Operation of the stations is governed by FCC Part 90.242 Rules. A FCC license is required. Information Radio Stations may be fixed or portable. Subcomponents may include transmitter, antenna and ground system, digital voice player, wattmeter, cabinet with conventional or Corbin locks, lightning arrestors for RF, power and telephone lines, coaxial cable. Most stations employ black maximized antennas to discourage ice accumulation and security measures to prevent unauthorized program access. Options include synchronization, battery backup, solar power, remote programming by local, network or telco, multi-station audio distribution via RF or LAN / WAN or wireless network.