I just got the radio I've been drooling over almost since i got my license 6.5 years ago, a Yaesu Ft-950 :) So last night I got my home made interface for
digital rewired for it (I do a lot of JT65) and got on the air,
I called CQ just once and got a VK contact on the first try! Pretty good for about 3am and the first contact on my new used radio.. Maybe I'm over excited on this.. but just had to say it:)

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Kent Timm wrote to All <=-

@MSGID: <57ABD1D2.307.fido-amateurr@freeway.apana.org.au>
I just got the radio I've been drooling over almost since i got my
license 6.5 years ago, a Yaesu Ft-950 :) So last night I got my
home made interface for digital rewired for it (I do a lot of JT65) and got on the air,
I called CQ just once and got a VK contact on the first try! Pretty
good for about 3am and the first contact on my new used radio.. Maybe
I'm over excited on this.. but just had to say it:)

Nice start to the new rig. :)


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On 08/10/16, Kent Timm pondered and said...

I just got the radio I've been drooling over almost since i got my
license 6.5 years ago, a Yaesu Ft-950 :) So last night I got my home made interface for digital rewired for it (I do a lot of JT65) and got
on the air, I called CQ just once and got a VK contact on the first try! Pretty good for about 3am and the first contact on my new used radio.. Maybe I'm over excited on this.. but just had to say it:)

Well done, thats super cool ;-)

Best, Paul
ZL4PH

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I just got the radio I've been drooling over almost since i got my
license 6.5 years ago, a Yaesu Ft-950 :) So last night I got my home made interface for digital rewired for it (I do a lot of JT65) and got
on the air, I called CQ just once and got a VK contact on the first try! Pretty good for about 3am and the first contact on my new used radio.. Maybe I'm over excited on this.. but just had to say it:)

Congrats on the first QSO! The 950 is a really nice rig, although, I really, really, really am waiting on the 897D's "real" replacement. I'm more a
"shack in a box" kinda guy.

"There's no place like ::1"

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Well done, thats super cool ;-)

Yes, it's not my first Aussie contact, but to get that on the first CQ of a new (to me) radio was graet, I think the first time I got a VK it took me about 2 or so hours to calm down.. Keep in mind I live in an apartment and use a hamstick mounted above my satelite dish for 20 meters,

Haven't even had it on today.. one of my air conditioners decided to dip all over the floor last nite and I won't waste space on the rant that would sum it up... portable ACs are a pain..
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Congrats on the first QSO! The 950 is a really nice rig, although,
I really, really, really am waiting on the 897D's "real"
replacement. I'm more a "shack in a box" kinda guy.

I'm hoping the FT950 will last me the rest of my life or til i win the lottery and go nuts.

I've read people have had a problem with the FT950's dieing if the switch them off at the power supply instead of turning the radio off by it's own switch first, so that's made me a tad nervous, so I'm thinking about getting
a WEST MOUNTAIN PG40S PWRGATE and protect it that way in case of power failures, which thankfully don't happen too often here. Right now I have my power supply (Drake PS7) plugged in to the UPS with my computer, but I know if I'm transmitting it would be way to much load for the UPS.

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On 08/11/16, Corey Reichle said the following...

Congrats on the first QSO! The 950 is a really nice rig, although, I really, really, really am waiting on the 897D's "real" replacement. I'm more a "shack in a box" kinda guy.

Were you a fan of the Yaesu FT-847 by any chance? That was my first radio,
HF, 6M, 2M and 440 in one package. I don't have that one any more, but I do have an FT-817nd for fun and a K3 as my main rig.

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On 8/10/2016 8:55 PM, Kent Timm wrote to All:

I just got the radio I've been drooling over almost since i got my license 6.5 years ago, a Yaesu Ft-950 :) So last night I got my home made interface for digital rewired for it (I do a lot of JT65) and got on the

air,

w00t!

I called CQ just once and got a VK contact on the first try! Pretty good

for

about 3am and the first contact on my new used radio.. Maybe I'm over excited on this.. but just had to say it:)

I don't think it's possible to be over excited. :-) Everyone geeks on something. :-)

I still have just an HT, but was excited the first time I connected to a local repeater! I've since acquired a hand me down HF rig & home made antenna, but haven't hooked it up yet... Have to get a power supply and get it setup. :-)


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And I should have said...

KM4UXV

:-)


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I still have just an HT, but was excited the first time I connected
to a local repeater! I've since acquired a hand me down HF rig &
home made antenna, but haven't hooked it up yet... Have to get a
power supply and get it setup. :-)

Yes, Aussies and other longer distant contact are always fun to get. Russia is a good one to get excited over also. Power supplies are always a big thing that doesn't get that much attention, if you can, get a linear power supply instead of a switching one. The modern switching ones are smaller, lighter, more efficent and can make a lor of RF noice that will show up as "birdies" though the bands. I'm sure some are better then others.. I have a old Drake PS7 linear power supply, it's huge, 33 POUNDS about the size of a breifcase and
no RF birdies to interfere.

When your on the HT bring up you're looking for a power supply once in a while, somebody might have one they'd be willing to part with. just be sure to test it first and that it can delived the Amps an HF radio needs. I'd recommend 25amps continious.
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I've read people have had a problem with the FT950's dieing if the
switch them off at the power supply instead of turning the radio off by it's own switch first, so that's made me a tad nervous, so I'm thinking

I think most radios are prone to that, to be honest. You could leave your PS on all the time, and just use the radio's pwr button :P


"You can tune a piano, but your can't tuna fish!"

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Were you a fan of the Yaesu FT-847 by any chance? That was my first
radio, HF, 6M, 2M and 440 in one package. I don't have that one any
more, but I do have an FT-817nd for fun and a K3 as my main rig.

Well, it was before my time, so to speak. I've been licensed since 2008, and at that time, the FT-817, 857, and 897's were the "bee's knees".

I do love my 817nd and 857D, though. Top-notch radios, IMO, even if they do suffer from their "shack in a box" design when compared to the K3.


"You can tune a piano, but your can't tuna fish!"

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On 08/12/16, Corey Reichle said the following...

Well, it was before my time, so to speak. I've been licensed since
2008, and at that time, the FT-817, 857, and 897's were the "bee's
knees".

Only been licensed since 2011 myself. I bought the 847 used. Completed WAS
and most of DXCC on it before I built a K3. It was great because I could use
it for 2m SSB or for a repeater, etc. I thought it was decent on HF but
didn't really have anything else to compare it to at the time.

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