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History  -  ON4OC

  1950

National HRO-5 and Hallicrafters SX-43 receivers. 

Transmitter: 30W. 1 x 807 (home made).  

Location: Martelarenstr. in the center of Aarschot, 

on the river Demer, at 11m a.s.l.

 

 

1953

Location: Nieuwrodesesteenweg, 25, B-3200 Aarschot (2km S. of the center, on a natural 'plateau')

Latitude: 50' 58' 30" N., Longitude 04' 50' 13" E., at 55m A.S.L..

   

Receivers: National HRO-5, to be replaced by HRO-7, and Hallicrafters SX-43.

Transmitter: Home made, VFO (clapp), 6V6 and 6L6 drivers/multipliers, and push-pull 807's in class-C with 100 W. output.

                   Amplitude modulated with push-pull 807's in class AB1.

Antennas:  276 ft (84m., is 4 wavelengths for 20m.) Long Wire, at 12m above ground and end- fed with a 600 ohm open wire line,

                 running E-W and with a major lobes in the direction of Venezuela and the USA. Operation from 80 to 10m.

In November 1957 we installed a TELREX 3 element full size 20m yagi Model 503, rotated with a "prop-pitch" electrical motor, at 20m a.s.l.

The 7th of November 1959 , 2 Telrex monobanders were added, for 10 and 15m, a so called “Christmas-tree" array.

 

1 9 6 0 

                   

Receivers: National HRO-50 and the old Hallicrafters SX-43.

Transmitter: VFO Heathkit VF-1. Tx; home made, 6V6 and 6L6 drivers/multipliers and push-pull 807's, in class-C with 100 W. output.

                   Amplitude modulated with push-pull 807's in class AB 1.

Antenna: 3 element TELREX full-size monoband rotary beams for 20, 15 and 10m, at 20m above ground. 

               The rotator was a modified "Prop-pitch" motor.      

               And the 276 ft (84m) Long Wire for 80 to 10m.  

 

From 1961, Tx; Heathkit «Apache» (home build), 2x6146 parr. final, 100w A.M.. 

                                                 

     

In 1962 a TMC Model GSB-1 single sideband adapter was added to the National HRO-50 receiver.  

 

 

We build a Heathkit «SB-1» phasing-type exciter and operated with single sideband, suppressed carrier, "SSB"- modulation. 

 

 19 6 5 - 1 9 8 9.

Receivers: Hallicrallers SX-117, triple conversion receiver, can work as "master" or "slave"

                   with the companion HT-44 transmitter.(80, 40, 20, 15 and l0m)

Transmitter: Hallicrafïers HT-44, phasing type single sideband exciter, 100W H.F.. can work as "master" or "slave"

                     with the companion SX-117 receiver.  

Home build, power supply with "hallicrafters"-look.(extreme left)

Antennas: The TELREX christmas tree: 3 element TELREX full-size rotary beams for 20m, 15m and l0m, at 20m above ground.

                  TELREX duo-band inverted "V"'s for the 80m and 40m hands, with the apex at 20m above ground.

                  And the 276 ft (84m) Long Wire.

 

1990

Transceiver: YAESU FT-90I DM all mode transceiver for 160, 80, 40, 20, 15 and 10m bands + WWV,

                   with FV-90IDM synthesized scanning VFO, FC-902 Antenna Tuner and FL-2100B linear amplifier (600W PEP output).

 

1991: 

YAESU FT-ONE, a general coverage all mode transceiver (150 kHz to 30 MHz continuous) 100W output,

              with the FC-102 antenna tuner, SP980 and the FL2100B lineair amp..

 

 

Antennas: Since the TELREX christmas tree (3, element TELREX full-size rotary beams for 20, 15 and 10m) had been damaged

                  by a hurricane in January 1990, we had been working with the 276 ft (84m) long wire

                  until July 1991 when we installed a Butternut vertical HF6V for 80/40/30/20/15/l0m.

The TELREX duo-band inverted "V"'s for the 80m and 40m (and 15m) bands, (with the apex 20m high) had been repaired.

The 29th of November 1993 we started with 2 (light) triband yagi's:

  1. HY-GAIN TH3MK3-S «Thunderbird» ; a 3 element for 20, 15 and 10m at 22m above ground

  2. FRITZEL UFB 23; a 2 element for 30, 17 and 12m at 20m height.

The rotator was a reconditioned KR-2000RC                              

Computer:

 Hardware: Early 1991 we started with a PC (Philips Model P3354), 80386SX μP, 3 ½ “ floppy-disk drive, 40MB HD, a VGA color monitor and an EPSON FX-1050 printer (matrix). We used Yapp as packet-radio program, the PC was expanded with a 80387 co-processor, 5MB memory, a 34OMB Hard-Disk and a HP 510 "DeskJet" (black) inkjet printer.

Software: Since 1993 we use the "SP" Version 7.0 program for Packet Radio (on 70cm) and "SWISS-Log" Version 3.8 for logging purposes, ASAPS V.2.2 for HF-propagation computation, the Daily Solar Geophysical Data Broadcast Processor Database Manager Version 1.02 and the Professional Dynamic Auroral Oval Simulator Version 2.00 for computation of solar- and geomagnetic activity.


ON4OC  &  YV5EU

In 1954 on June the 10th we contacted, for the first time, YV5EU in Caracas. Gus happened to be ex-ON4LO before the second world-war.

Licensed in 1936, he started by building his complete station including inductors and even variable condensers! 

He immigrated to Venezuela and became a Venezuelan citizen and obtained the call YV5EU

          

We started to have regular sched's, at least once a week on Sunday at 11.00 GMT on 14.130kHz. 

His mother lived in Brussels and came often to our place to listen to her son.

 

 Gus, with his Collins 75A4, 52J4 and 1kw (am mod.) equipment.

Besides our Sunday schedule we had many contacts for antenna/propagation tests on all HF bands 80 through 10 m.

Gus was a serious antenna experimenter; he even constructed a 1 km long-wire, strung between 2 hilltops, for comparison tests with yagi's and dipoles!                                           

     

Gus working on his TELREX  full size, wide spaced, mono band beams.

His QTH was on top of a hill overlooking Caracas city. A fantastic location, we where able to communicate in spite of  the most poor propagation conditions, only a black-out could stop us.

In 1973 Gus obtained a license for Spain with the call EA6CR.

From then on Gus resided more and more on the island of Ibiza. We had made 971 qso's with his call YV5EU.

On July 10th 1994 we celebrated our 40 years of continuous contacts, a total of 1700 qso's, with his call's YV5EU and EA6CR!

This event coincided with his 75years birthday (June 6).

 

 

 

Then  Gus was  mostly on Ibiza. He operated with his Drake equipment and a 5 element FRITZEL. For 80 and 40 he has several dipoles and a vertical.

 

1996 - EA6CR, Gus, in QSO with ON4OC on 14.130 kHz. 

 

In January 2000 we made our 2000th QSO!

 

(971 from Venezuela, mostly Caracas, and 1029 from San José on the island of Ibiza.)

 

The 2nd week of September 2002, the QTH of EA6CR was hit by a direct lightning flash, which caused severe damage to his equipment.

Simultaneously he got very serious health problems. Our last QSO, was on the September the 1st . 

The total number of QSO's was 2132.

Then the equipment had been repaired, and Gus had  recovered. The 12th of January 2003, we took up our series of Sunday schedules, but since November 2003 we only had contact via, "600Ω", telephone (still on Sunday at 12:00 LT!).

 

Gus, YV5EU/EA6CR (ex ON4LO), became a SILENT KEY on the 14th of June 2009 (° June 6 1919).

 

 


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