Radio Check: Repeaters & Range Testing

As I discussed in my previous article, I successfully installed a much larger antenna for my HAM radio base station, but due to my schedule I wasn't able to really flex my HAM muscles outside of a few basic tests: the SWR for the new antenna was good, and I was able to connect to a few repeaters slightly outside of the range of my old mono-pole mobile antenna. So, this week I hopped on Chirp and went about testing the full power of the upgraded station. 

Using Chirp, a programing application for radios and scanners, I downloaded lists of repeaters within 25, 50, and 75 miles of my location in northeast Ohio. Chirp is a great resource for HAMs and radio enthusiasts, as it allows users to download lists of frequencies from a variety of sources which are updated daily and filter based on your preferences. I used the query source from RepeaterBook, a listing of all known HAM repeaters in the United States and abroad, and pulled in all the repeater frequencies for the 2 meter and 70 centimeter bands on which I'd be transmitting. Chirp provided a list of more than 100 repeaters within listening range of my station, their sub-audible tones and general information about their locations. I began going down the list, which stretched across most of northeast Ohio on into Pennsylvania, and made radio checks for each repeater, to see if I could get a "hit" or hear a response. The image above shows a sampling of repeaters I  hit while testing. The range of my station alone, without the additional boost of a repeater's relayed transmission, is more than 50 miles, so I was quite happy with the result.

If you've already read my previous articles, you'll know that repeaters are automated transceivers HAMs use as relay points. They use a "duplex" receiver and transmitter to listen for transmissions on one frequency then beam them out on another, often across a much farther range than what the original transmission would otherwise carry. Because repeaters are always in the same location, and often have courtesy tones, or beacons, which let listeners know their transmission has been heard, they make ideal testing frequencies, rather than using a person-to-person "simplex" frequency where another person must be present to hear and respond to a radio test. Transmitting to a repeater also increases the chances that another HAM operator will hear your radio check and respond with feedback about their location and how well they heard you, which is really exciting! 

The task however, like a lot of work in radio and signal testing, is a long and somewhat tedious process. For one, while RepeaterBook strives to keep their record as up-to-date as possible, some frequencies are bound to be out-of-date, repeaters may only be re-transmitting at certain times, and others may not have a tone or beacon which will clearly confirm that you've hit it. In may ways, the testing process is like walking blindfolded, until you find something. But, finding something is quite rewarding when it happens. It's always great to hear the "beep", Morse code beacon, or recording from a newly discovered repeater and recording a new active frequency in your log. Below is an example of a repeater response from W3LIF near New Castle, Pennsylvania. 

Sometimes I stumbled across a conversation, or a full-blown "net" which is kind of like a HAM radio call-in show, with people who check-in and talk at scheduled times each day. Sometimes, the same group of people will keep in touch via nets regularly for many years. One net I stumbled across while testing had 47 HAM operators check-in on one night, so the HAM community in northeast Ohio is alive and well.  

But, by far the most rewarding experience, is connecting one-on-one with other people. In my first week of testing I connected with a handful of individuals, from Wadsworth to Youngstown (Home of the YSU Penguins), who heard my transmissions and responded to my radio checks. Not only is it great to make a new contact, it's good to know that your transmission was heard loud-and-clear by a real person in a certain location. Most of the time the other HAM operator is happy to spend a few minutes providing feedback on your signal. For example, they can let you know if your signal is clear or garbled, to give you an idea of whether you can transmit with low, medium or high power to reach a certain location clearly. My particular radio can transmit at 50 watts, which at full power, uses a considerable amount of energy and can even make the radio and antenna hot to the touch, or even interfere with other devices near the transceiver -like a Bluetooth stereo. (FYI: a ferrite choke will limit interference like this even at high power outputs. That's the answer to question G4C08 on the General License exam question pool, by the way).

There are a lot of factors that can impact signal propagation, including the transmitter location, the location of the receiving antenna -whether it's high atop a hill, tower, or city sky-scraper, etc.- physical barriers -such as hills, mountains, etc.- and the availability of a receiving counter party, human or otherwise, to confirm receipt of your message. But, in one week of testing, I've been heard as far as 54 miles out, without the help of any signal boost from a repeater's output transmission. With the help of the repeaters on my own signal's frontier range, I estimate I can probably be heard clearly on the 2M and 70CM bands around 100 miles in all directions, covering an area of over 28 thousand square miles across parts of Ohio, Pennsylvania, West Virginia and even southern Ontario. 

I will continue to test that frontier and see just how far I can potentially transmit beyond that boundary. I did hit a repeater in Lisbon, Ohio roughly 35 miles southeast of my location using only low power, which suggests my range could be even greater than the images I've included here. 

I'll stick to my 2M and 70CM band with the antenna I have for now, and continue to make to contacts in northeast Ohio and surrounding areas. However, as I continue to invest in the hobby, many more challenges await such as transmitting to orbiting satellites, or even the International Space Station -both can be done with my current equipment and technician's license. And, as I get even more advanced, I can even try using a shortwave antenna on the 20M band, which can basically transmit world-wide!

KD9ZDY Gets a New Antenna

Since earning my technician's license this past fall, I've basically just been listening in to various HAM frequencies, scanning for signals and learning about my equipment. In spite of passing my exam, there was still a lot I felt I needed to know before really getting started. Beginner's anxiety generally kept me away from transmitting with my call sign, and even when I did try, I found that my limited antennas (handheld "rubber duckies") were not really well-tuned enough to generate an audible signal that would travel more than a few miles. Even if there were some other HAM operators in my listening range, it wasn't likely they'd be able to hear me unless they were tuned-in right at the same time I was transmitting, and also within a short distance from my location. I could listen in on signals as far as 100 miles out, but I could not transmit that far. I needed a bigger antenna, something to really put my 50 watt ICOM IC-2730a transceiver to work. 

So, I began my latest HAM project: installing the telltale antenna -the ones that easily identify the radio enthusiasts in your neighborhood, and sometimes run afoul of the maligned home owners' association. I ended up buying a 2-meter and 70-centimeter band antenna from HYS. This fiberglass antenna had good reviews, and is basically a slightly less-expensive copy of the similarly tuned name-brand Comet antenna, which has a good reputation in the radio industry. The HYS is white and flexible, so it blends in nicely with the front of my house, and it should hold up to heavy Midwest winds. Outside of the good reviews, and attractive price point, I chose this model because it's tuned for the 2-meter and 70-centimeter bands which are the most common frequency ranges for local FM HAM communications. The length in meters and centimeters, is roughly equal to one wavelength between 144-148 MHz "2m" band and 420-450 "70cm" band. The 5-foot, 7-inch pole with three steel radials at the base is perfectly tuned to transmit at the 2m and 70cm frequency ranges. The HYS also boasted a 1.5 standing wave ratio (SWR), meaning it was well-suited to provide the most gain (signal strength) for the 50 watt power output that my transceiver was capable of providing. An SWR that is too high can cause damage, as too much of the power pushed into an antenna will feed back into the radio. An SWR of 1.5 or less means that the antenna is sufficiently resonant to safely transmit. But, I'd still need to install and test the antenna to make sure it works as advertised. 

Before the tough business of mounting the antenna and wiring the it to the base station, I first connected my a hand-held Baofeng UV-5R transceiver to the antenna to make sure it wasn't blatantly faulty. I dialed up the input frequency for my local repeater, and listed for its response "beep" on the output frequency. Sure enough, I heard the beep. So, at the very least, the HYS antenna would be as good as what I was already using. 

Set-up was actually quite straight-forward. I only needed a mount, a lightning arrestor, grounding rod, and about 30 feet of all weather HF coaxial cable, plus some siding hooks and wire clips to run the the wire neatly around the back of the house and in through the basement window where my radio is. I chose this location and set-up as a compromise between getting the antenna as high as possible without drilling into my home's plastic siding, and being able to install the antenna, and potentially remove it safely, without having to climb onto the roof. You can see from the photo above that a person can easily access the antenna from the front porch without a ladder. The other main safety precaution was adding a lightning arrestor and ground rod near the point where the cable enters the back of the house. The 4-foot copper rod is buried straight down 2-feet from the base of the house with three, 4-foot copper radial wires extending away from the home to disperse any charge from a lightning strike. 

Now it was time to test station KD9ZDY's new antenna with the real transceiver from the comfort of my basement HAM "studio." First, I wanted to make sure the antenna has a safe SWR of 2 or less as advertised, before transmitting. For this, I used my handy NanoVNA network analyzer. Success! The analyzer, calibrated to measure SWR between 100 and 500 MHz, shows two deep troughs at the 144 and 420 MHz ranges where the ratio dips below 1.5. So, the antenna came as advertised and is safe for my transceiver to transmit on the 2m and 70cm bands.

The final step was to get on the air and announce myself with a radio check to see if anyone or anything could hear me. Success again! While I didn't immediately hear from any other HAM operators, I could hear the beacon, or courtesy "tone", from repeater antennas I'd never been able to contact before. Repeaters, automated transceivers, which listen for your transmission and repeat it over a much longer range often send a beacon, tone or squelch tail (the static fuzz that denotes an end of transmission), if it successfully receives a transmission. In the video above, you can hear the repeater's beacon when when I made contact with it. Not long after confirming my station's new capabilities, I was getting responses from other HAMs across the region, confirming that they got my signal loud and clear.

RTL-SDR: Home-made Air Traffic Control

If you've read my previous article, "Flight Tracking: I Guess I'm a Plane Guy Now...", you're well aware of my interest in air traffic control (ATC) and flight tracking. If you look to the right of the Cubicalruins homepage, you'll even see my embedded flight tracking window from FlightRadar24.com, my favorite flight tracking website. But, radio -and specifically SDR- allow me to take my hobby a step further. Rather than depending on web-based flight tracking websites, I'm now able to run my own air traffic control system from home. 

A screenshot of RTL1090 and Virtual Radar Server on my PC

Anyone involved in aviation or flight-tracking will already know this, but air traffic controllers and airport towers used to use radar to identify incoming and outgoing planes. But now they primarily use unique transponder (radio) signals from each individual aircraft to identify and track all flights. The most commonly used transponder system is the Automatic Dependent Surveillance Broadcast (ADS-B) system which broadcasts on 1090 MHz, and some smaller aircraft use a Universal Access Transceiver (UAT) system, which broadcasts on 978 MHz. While radar is still used as a secondary tracking system by both military and civilian air controllers, the ADS-B and UAT systems now allow a hobbyist like myself to pull actual, real-time flight data from the planes, helicopters, blimps and sometimes weather balloons directly to our PCs. Using SDR, we can see everything the FAA air traffic controller sees.       

In my previous article I discussed setting up and testing my RTL-SDR dongle and antenna to pull AM and FM voice radio into my PC. This was a pretty simple initial test. But, getting ATC signals into the PC, decoding them, and plotting the data onto a viewable air-traffic map was considerably more difficult. In the end I was able to run the RTL-SDR with two different ATC/plane-tracking applications, PlanePlotter and Virtual Radar Server. Both provided challenges, but after multiple troubleshooting attempts I got both systems up and running. 

Using Carl Laufer's "The Hobbyists Guide to the RTL-SDR," I started my my home-made air-traffic control project. Page 67 provides a brief intro to plane tracking on the RTL-SDR; page 69 describes how to download and install Dump1090, a primary decoder of ADS-B data from 1090 MHz; page 72 provides instructions on installing RTL1090, another decoder; and page 75 describes how to install and use PlanePlotter, an application for viewing the planes on a map. While the instructions were very useful, I did run into a few hitches along the way, and I'm not sure if these were due to my Windows 11 operating system, outdated versions of the software, or my own lack of knowledge on PC's -normally I use a MAC. However, I'll try to provide some helpful step-by-step guidance at the end of this article for SDR enthusiasts hoping to run Planeplotter or Virtual Radar server.

The F-14 "Tomcat" on display at the MAPS Air Museum in North Canton, Ohio

My first hitch was that the suggested decoding software, Dump1090, simply did not work on my PC. My command console just did not recognize the command "--net-ro-port 30002 --net-beast" when added to the dump1090.bat file necessary to run the decoder. I'm still unsure why. Thankfully, Laufer's book had an alternate suggestion for a decoder, RTL1090, which I downloaded from Jetvision at https://rtl1090.com/. The funny thing is RTL1090 didn't work either until certain dll files such as rtlstr.dll were also installed; and guess which zip file had exactly the dll files I needed? The dump1090 zip! So, regardless of which decoder you use, I'd recommend downloading both RTL1090 and Dump1090, the IMU version and source code, and extract them into the same folder. That way you'll know you have all the dll files needed to run each application. Ultimately, I was able to successfully install and run RTL1090. 

My next challenge was installing a program to visualize the data from RTL1090. I downloaded Planeplotter at https://www.coaa.co.uk/planeplotter.htm as well as Virtual Radar Server at https://www.virtualradarserver.co.uk/. Both were easy to download and install. But, I should mention, PlanePlotter requires a one-time 25 Euro (roughly $30 USD) license fee and software registration if you plan to use it beyond the two-week free trial period. The next step is to set up your new visualization apps to accept the ADS-B data from your antenna and decoder. You must set up your decoder (RTL1090 or Dump1090) as a TCP/IP client in the options menus, using port 30002 for Dump1090, or 31001 for RTL1090. Once the correct port is saved in the options, and you begin running the application, you should see planes flying in your app! 

My home ATC set-up with RTL-SDR dongle and antenna

After all this, the results were well worth the effort. I've always been fascinated by air travel, and the complexities of keeping all those thousands of aircraft above our head safely moving. The ADS-B signals on 1090 MHz is a big reason why this is possible. Plus, I live very close to the Kent State University Airport home to the FedEx Aeronautics and Academic Center; there are always maybe 1 to 6 little KSU aircraft buzzing over our heads at any given moment pinging their data to 1090Mhz. So, there is always something to watch. Additionally, not only am I using a web-based app to see aircraft, but now I'm an actual contributor to these sites, providing my own flight data to help others see planes over my reception area.      

I've done my best to provide quick step-by-step tutorials on each set-up below. 

RTL1090

1.) Go to RTL1090.com and download the IMU version of the software.

2.) Go to https://github.com/MalcolmRobb/dump1090 and download the zip file for the application. Extract all files into the same single folder as the RTL1090 IMU. 

3.) Install and run RTL1090. If any dll files, such as rtlsdr.dll, are missing, search the directory at the url in the previous step for those files and add to your single extracted file for dump and rtl1090. 

4.) Once installed, open RTL1090 and click "start," if your RTL-SDR is plugged in and connected to an antenna you should see numbers scrolling in the List tab. This is the raw ADS-B data coming from 1090Mhz. You're all set!  

5.) [Optional] Download and extract all files for the RTL1090 "Scope" version from RTL1090.com, and run this version if you'd like to see the Scope and Plug-in tabs in the newest "beta" version of the application. 

NOTE: I was unable to connect RTL1090's IMU or standard versions with Planeplotter. For some reason, the RTL1090 "Scope" version worked. Plus the Scope version has it's own small visual aid with planes and headings as well.

RTL1090 + Virtual Radar Server 

1.) Follow steps one through five above. 

2.) Download Virtual Radar Server at https://www.virtualradarserver.co.uk/Download.aspx. 

3.) Open Virtual Radar Server, then go to Tools > Options. Click Receivers, and click the plus (+) icon to add a receiver. Name the new receiver RTL-SDR (or whatever you choose). 

4.) Make the data source "AVR or Beast Raw Feed."

5.) Keep the IP address 127.0.0.1. Make the Port: 31001 for RTL-SDR. (It should be 31001 even if your RTL1090 window says 31011.)

6.) Click start on RTL1090 and have it running in a different window. Then click the http://127.0.0.1:8081/VirtualRadar link in the middle of the Virtual Radar Server window. In the browser, you should see planes within receiving range of your antenna. You're all set!

7.) [OPTIONAL] In Tools > Options you can click on Receiver Location and enter your coordinates to save your current location. The next time you open your browser map, it will automatically center on your location. 

RTL1090 + Planeplotter

1.) Follow steps one through five under the RTL1090 instructions above. 

2.) Download and install Planeplotter at https://www.coaa.co.uk/planeplotter.htm, and open the application. 

3.) [OPTIONAL] When prompted, you can register your download and pay for a lifetime license through PlanePlotter's payment service. Once the payment is made, you'll get an email at the registered email address with the registration confirmation code which is good forever. Otherwise, skip this step and simply use the free trail. 

4.) [OPTIONAL] When prompted, enter your current coordinates to set your location on the map.

5.)  In PlanePlotter, go to Options > Mode-S Receiver > AVR Receiver > TCP/IP Client. Make the address and port 127:0.0.1:31001. (Again, even if your RTL1090 window shows the port as 31011). 

6.) Go to Options > I/O Settings and check MODE-S/ADS-B. Then, click AVR Receiver TCP and OK. This will set your RTL-SDR up as a TCP/IP client. 

7.) In the main window, click the green circle and make sure RTL1090 is running in another window. You should see planes on your map. You're all set! 

8.) [OPTIONAL] Obtain a MapQuest API key at https://developer.mapquest.com/documentation/ by clicking "Grab the key." You may need to create an account with developer.mapquest, but the API key is free. 

If you enter the Mapquest API key in Options > Charts under the Mapquest option, and save, you can download a more detailed map to view beneath your planes by holding the right Shift key and clicking the globe or "MAP" buttons in the toolbar of the main PlanePlotter window. The stock map is very, very, basic. 

NOTE: For some reason, I could only get the Mapquest chart to work by holding the Shift key and then clicking the MAP button. 

"The Hobbyist's Guide to the RTL-SDR: Really Cheap Software Defined Radio." Fourth Edition. (2024), Carl Laufer.

RTL-SDR: Decoding Radio Signals on your PC

"They have the radio on computers now?" That was my first thought when I learned about Software Defined Radio (SDR) after I started studying for my HAM radio license exam. It was one of the more interesting tidbits I passed over while hitting the main question pool info such as antenna set-up, band plans, basic circuitry etc. But, it intrigued me. It was one area where HAM radio has taken a leap forward, providing inexpensive access to digital signal decoding to learners and hobbyists.

My PC showing SDR# software

Home SDR for hobbyists got a big boost in 2012 when Realtek launched the RTL-SDR dongle; it's a USB plug-in about as big as a "fun"-sized Halloween candy. One end plugs into your PC's USB port, and the other side has a coaxial connection that can be fixed to an antenna, or antenna system. Once the RTL-SDR is installed with all the drivers, and attached to an antenna, it will immediately begin feeding radio signals from the air to your PC. 

The big difference between SDR and most PC radio applications is that sound is not simply being streamed through your internet service provider, it's actually being picked up from the airwaves flying around you every second of everyday. You can un-plug your Wifi or data connection, and the RTL-SDR will still pick up those radio frequencies. It can even listen for, and decode, signals no normal PC or radio would ever get such as the amateur radio bands, nautical communications between boats and ships, and ADS-B and UAT transponder data from all aircraft both large and small. None of these signals are encrypted, and it's perfectly legal for hobbyists to listen in, provided they do not transmit on these frequencies in a way that could disrupt normal communications. 

The RTL-SDR dongle & antenna 

When I first unpacked my RTL-SDR and antenna set, which I ordered at RTL-SDR.com for roughly $60 USD including all components and shipping, I didn't quite know where to start. So, I also ordered The Hobbyist's Guide to The RTL-SDR by Carl Laufer as my starter guide. The book is a well-indexed set of step-by-step tutorials and trouble shooting techniques combined with general information about SDR and the various signals hobbyists can decode. Page nine discusses the initial installation of the RTL-SDR dongle, its drivers, plug-ins, and port numbers; page 13 provides a step-by-step tutorial on SDR# (or SDR sharp), a basic application for decoding, viewing and listening to signals received by the dongle. 

After a few read-through's, I was ready to test my new set-up. For my first test, I decided to get the daily weather. I tuned my SDR# app to 162.400 MHz, the frequency for NOAA Weather Radio for Akron and inland northeast Ohio, and it worked! I used my RTL-SDR to get weather (in possibly the most complex way possible). 

But, the test was a success. I could not only hear the weather report clearly, I could see all of the RF and modulation info-graphics necessary to locate and tune lots of different voice broadcasts and data transmissions. In the video above you can see the graph peaking at exactly 162.400 MHz, the NOAA station for Akron. The smaller peak just to the right is 162.550 MHz, the weather station for Cleveland and the Lake Erie shore. Both are in listening rage of my little antenna, but the higher peak is the closer signal. The digitally decoded graphics, and filtering options offered by RTL-SDR and SDR# are the perfect addition to any HAM radio base station. 

"The Hobbyist's Guide to the RTL-SDR: Really Cheap Software Defined Radio." Fourth Edition. (2024), Carl Laufer.

Advice from the HAM Radio Community

If anyone says the HAM radio community is a bunch of old guys playing around with out-dated toys, stop them right there! 

There's nothing "OLD" about HAM technology; and, there were a few young women at the HAM fest put on by the Massillon (OH) Amateur Radio Club as well.

In fact, an enterprising fellow named Daniel Estévez just recently landed the first amateur radio on the Moon, with the help of The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA). You can check out his blog, here.

Unfortunately, I was not able to connect to his signal, even after running out of my Mother's house with my big antenna. The broadcast lasted only for a few days on 437.41 MHz, and I missed it. But, I think Daniel and JAXA, paved the way for more space exploration, specific to the radio field. 

Another thing I wanted to message was just how helpful the HAM community can be. 

A new set-up with the appropriate SWR meter

I needed an SWR meter for my new rig, I got an extremely in-expensive Astatic PDC1. I won't get into more details, but for those of you who don't know, SWR stands for Standing Wave Ratio. HAM operators need to know they have a low SWR ratio to make sure the output of their radio does not cause damage to their radios. 

Well, this inexperienced blogger used the Astatic PDC1. And, I did not know at-the-time that my particular model was designed ONLY for CB Radio, also known as Citizens Band Radio... And, my new SWR meter started to SMOKE. This is not to suggest that the Astatic is a bad product. It was just the wrong one for my set-up. 

Where did I go for better advice? Reddit of all places. (I know, the home of neck-bearded dorks who live in their moms' basements). However, it turns out this community is not-all bad. They were the ones who suggested the appropriate model for my set-up! 

What I ended up going with was the MFJ-862 UHF/VHF meter, which was a little more expensive and did not burn out. So, in the end, I got good advice from a Reddit user whose username was very NSFW ;)

Rig Step-up & Basic Electronics

This past January, I upgraded to a more advanced VHF/UHF transceiver for HAM radio communication, the ICOM IC-2730. Previously, I'd only been using a handheld Baofeng UV-5R. Though the IC-2730 is built to be a mobile transceiver mounted in a vehicle for talking and receiving on-the-road, it makes a good stationary base station at a much more affordable price than dedicated stationary transceivers such as the IC-7300.

The advantage of the new ICOM is a 50 watt output allowing for greater signal range, a dual-band input allowing the listener to tune in to two different frequencies at the same time, a big bright user-friendly display, a microphone with channel and volume controls as well as adjustable squelch knob to block out weak frequencies while scanning for audible chatter. In short, the IC-2730 is a nice stepping-stone between the economical handheld and the powerful, but expensive, base station. For an experienced HAM, it's the perfect mobile counter-part to a dedicated base transceiver. 

However, when I opened the box and examined my new IC-2730 my inexperience was on full display. When I attempted to fire it up I found only bare high-gauge wires -nothing to go into my wall socket. How the heck was I supposed to plug this thing in? I thought maybe the box was missing the "plug." But, after reading the manual it was clear everything that was supposed to be delivered was in the package. I guess that's why there's a whole section on basic electronics in the HAM radio technician license exam; I was going to need to do some basic wiring.

Because my IC-2370 is a mobile unit, it was made to run off a stand-alone power supply such as a car battery. So, the input and ground wires are lengthy and come with naked leads that can be cut to any length and attached to any type of power source by solder or a connector. (A lot of people have these installed in their cars by a professional, rather than mess with all that themselves.) Additionally, my radio needs a fairly high amount of power to reach the output signal it advertises, and it uses direct current (DC). Home power sockets use alternating current (AC). 

So, in addition to my radio, I'd need a power supply that can be plugged into the wall, accept AC current, convert the AC current to DC and amass a specified amount of voltage (13.8 V), then force a high enough current (30 Amps) to the radio to achieve it's maximum signal range. My solution was the BTech RPS-30PRO bench power supply. This adjustable power box is what gets electricity from the wall socket, converts it to DC and stores the 13.8 (or more) volts needed to power most HAM radios. 

Now I needed to figure out how to connect my radio's bare wires to the BTech power supply box. With some basic research, I found out this could be done with some very basic insulated fork connectors and a crimping tool. Connectors in all shapes and sizes are exceedingly cheap and typically available in the wiring and electronics section of any hardware store. A crimping tool usually runs from about $10-25 dollars (USD). Once I had the right hardware, I crimped the bare wires to two fork-shaped connectors and screwed them into the output leads of my power supply. On the first try, I was ready to go!

While the extra wiring and installation steps seemed at first like a drag, it turned out to be nice learning experience for this not-so-handy blogger. If fact, like many HAMs and DIYers, I took the opportunity to build a small wiring kit for my workshop that includes a set of connectors, wires, a crimping tool as well as an all-in-one wire cutter/stripper. I'm now ready to take on the installation and set up requirements for any new HAM radio or component for either a mobile station or base station. Plus, the screw-knob design of the power box leads allows multiple transceivers or HAM components to be attached at once. So, hopefully, it's the last bench power supply I'll ever need to buy. 

The tools, wires and connectors allow me to use wires specific for radio frequency transmission and cut them to the perfect length for my set up. This reduces signal loss and RF interference, and avoids the tangle and clutter of excess wiring. And, because my licensing exam required me to know basics in electric safety, I was confident in doing the job without damaging my equipment, and most-importantly myself. Safety first!

Now I'm up and running with my new base station, and able to connect with repeaters and HAM groups in both Ohio and Illinois. So, far I've made contacts with The North Shore Amateur Radio Club (ns9rc) using a 147.345 Mhz repeater frequency operating from a tower in Northfield, IL from Chicago as well as a HAM net via a 442.000 Mhz repeater frequency from a tower in Uniontown, OH from Kent, OH. So, I'd say my new ICOM IC-2730 is working well.