Licensed since 1956, I've seen a lot of changes in the Ham Radio hobby. It has been a social and technical tool for me throughout my life, bringing me many good friends, employment opportunities, and enjoyable experiences.

I have a somewhat out of date homepage at k7buc.org

 

The Primary Antenna

 

The new HyGain AV-18HT HyTower vertical antenna is installed! It works great.

Evening view to the southeast

 

Radials run through the Mesquite and Prickly Pear Cactus areas (Ouch!)

 

\

Climbing up to the antenna plateau

 

On December 7, 2012 we poured the concrete for the HyTower.

 

Large Rocks taken from hole, note the pick

 

Thanks to David, my wife's Yavapai-Apache cousin who can really swing a pick, the job got done.

 

A large piece of "caliche" (calcium carbonate) from the hole. A pick just bounces off this stuff.

It is elastic and tough, and iforms a 10 foot deep layer at the antenna location.

The concrete flows into holes in this layer which gives the base a lot of strength.

 

The tranceiver is a Flexradio Flex-3000.  It is a joy to use, having by far the best receiver I have ever used. My backup rig is a Yaesu FT-900. The Amplifier is an Alpha 77, a legal limit amp which employs a single 8877/3CX1500A7. On bands where an antenna tuner is required I use a Nye Viking MB-V.

The vertical antenna is a Hygain Hytower AV-18HT with 70 fifty-one foot (15.5m) radials, located 20 feet above and 200 feet to the North of the hamshack on a desert plateau, and is fed by 200 feet of Andrew LDF5-50 7/8" hardline.

Since I have a soft voice, I use a bit of audio processing. A Neumann KM-184 mic feeds an M-Audio preamp followed by a W2IHY i-Box balanced interface driving the Flex 3000. The Flex 3000 has a pretty decent audio processing chain built-in.

 

Pictures of Equipment at K7BUC

Main Amp. Alpha PA-77 (one 8877 tube)

 

First attempt at a Ham Shack in Rimrock, AZ

 

Shack as of (Nov 2012) pic 1, showing the Armstrong Sound Soak acoustical panels. It covers the walls and ceiling.

 

Current Shack pic 2

 

 

Yaesu FT-900 and DSP unit (backup)

 

Operating Position (backup)

 

73 Del