Equipment

Transceivers

I’m using an Icom IC-9700 for VHF and UHF operations. For HF operations an Icom IC-7300 is available. Antennas used for HF: CG-3000 + wire for 160/80/60M, limited to 100 Watts. A Cobweb vor 40..10M (incl. WARC) for bands above 7 MHz. limited to 400 Watts using an Expert K-FA 1.3 SSPA with built in tuner. For 6M and 4M, I’m using a 4/5 elements beam during Sporadic E season (april..september) which is removed in the winter season to reduce the wind load on the mast.

Antennas

For VHF/UHF I use an Diamond X-5000 vertical (2/70/23). For 6 and 4 meters there is a 4/5 element antenna (where 70 MHz is feeded passive from the 6m driver). For 2 meters there is a 9-elements LFA-antenna. For 70cm a 19-elements LFA and for 23cm and 13cm I’m using a 120cm dish with dual-band ring radiator. For the HF bands I’m using a CG-3000 auto-tuner with 15,7 meter of wire on 160M/80M/60M. For the 40M up till the 10M band (incl. WARC) a CobWeb is used (folded dipole for each band).

Amplifiers

I’m using an amp for 2m and 23cm. This is the Gemini mid-power series SSPA delivering up to 500 Watts of power on 144 MHz and 180 Watts of power on 1296 MHz. The legal limit in the Netherlands for bands above 1 GHz is 120 Watts. Below 1 GHz the legal limit is 400 Watts. The amplifier has a sequencer build in based on the W6PQL-design. The LNA’s are from SHF-Elektrotechnik (2/70/23).
The SSPA for 13cm is home-build using an old UMTS-amplifier. This is  good for about 60 Watts of power.
For DC there is a SPE Expert 1.3K-AT, which gives legal limit on HF and 50 MHz.

Rotator

I’m using the Yaesu G-1000DXC rotator on both masts. This is designed for a mid-size HF-beam so more than enough for my VHF-and-up antenna’s. The rotator is mounted on the flat roof, using a tile foot antenna holder with 8 60*40*5 cm tiles as counterpose. The good thing about this rotator is the ability to turn 450°, with the blind spot to the North (the most uncommon direction from PA). I still have to build a rotator controller.

Other stuff

On high frequencies you need a stable frequency source. I’m using the familiar BG7TBL GPS Disciplined Oscillator to get a stable 10 MHz source. There is also a Leo Bodnar GPSDO to create a stable 25 MHz source needed to lock the LNB to receive weak-signal and SSB-sources via the Es’Hail-2 satellite.

Old transceivers

Since I was licensed since 1997 I’ve had many transceivers. Started with a 2m handheld which I later changed for an Kenwood TM-V7 (‘The blue wonder‘) dual-band mobile radio. During the first years I was active with packet radio, starting 1200 baud on UHF. Later this became 9600 baud with an modified Kenwood TK-805 UHF radio.

I can’t remember the complete list of radio’s I owned. But here is a try: Albrecht  RL-102 (VHF handheld), Kenwood TM-V7, Kenwood TK-805, Several Motorola’s (MX3000, GP-300, MTS-2100), Philips FM1200 (VHF), Condor 16 (VHF 2M, 4M), Condor 3000 (UHF), Icom IC-7700, Icom IC-92D (D-star), Icom IC-746, Yaesu FT-2000d with DMU-2000, Wouxun KG-UX920P, Icom IC-9100 and Icom IC-7100.