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May 2022 HAMs Issue |
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Newsletter Index |
Publisher:
Information Station Specialists |
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The Source |
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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 Coil |
resonance 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 now 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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© 1983-2022 •
Information Station Specialists • All Rights Reserved
PO Box 51, Zeeland, Michigan, USA, 49464-0051, Phone
616.772.2300, Fax 616.772.2966,
Email
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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. |