Yaesu FNB-102Li Repair (FAIL)

I wonder if I can fix this battery? The short answer is: No. I have had the Yaesu FNB-102Li extended battery since I bought my VX-8R.. so a while. However, it died less than a year into owning it. The ‘normal’ or slim version has held up just fine. At Hamcom this year, I purchased a replacement from Batteries America for around $45. It beats the heck out of the $80+ for the Yaesu version which didn’t … Continue reading

No more proprietary connector on my G450a

I’m kind of on a tear with Yaesu hate lately. OK, maybe not full on triggered, but I am tilted. They make some really nice, high-quality products, but I am sick of their proprietary nature. This is true with many of their connectors, be it power, signal, mic, phones, etc. I have had a G450a antenna rotator for a couple of years. I finally upgraded to a heavier control cable (302) because I am running almost … Continue reading

Clean up your act!

See this? That is what an over-modulated PSK-31 signal looks like on the waterfall. The green is the OMs signal, and the purple are all of his sidebands. I counted 5 of them. Do you see any other conversations going on next to them? No. You may be thinking, “Well, maybe it was a quiet night on 20M”. Nope.. here is what that exact space looked like a few seconds after this person quit splattering all … Continue reading

Ham desk

After working on this thing for some evenings, and most weekends for about 4 months, I finished my custom designed and built sit/stand desk, and uploaded a couple of videos that detail the entire build process… take the third link if you just want to see the finished product. Continue reading

First time, and in control!

I answered the call of W5ADC (Tony) to volunteer to support the Plano Fun Ride this year. The event is a pretty small semi-casual bicycle rally. It has a 5 mile loop and a 10 mile loop. It is a family friendly ride. I expected to have Tony throw me in SAG duty, rest-stop.. or even shadow on the race director. Nope. Tony had other ideas… I was the Net Control Operator… All I can … Continue reading

Mobile Installation Complete!

It took almost all day, but I’m done installing my Yaesu FT7900R in my 2008 Mazdaspeed 3. I tried to keep it as stealth as possible. Here’s what was involved: Installed Diamond K412S as low as possible to avoid the low clearance in the garage at work. (this was really a K412NMO that I converted to SO239) Installed Diamond SG7500 antenna and aligned three pivot points. Removed hatchback trim panels and pass-through rubber housing. Removed … Continue reading