Hi Jim,
I'm a disillusioned ham in an apartment.
I have an Extra class
license and have yet to make a contact on HF since moving to California some
22 years ago.

Apart from the fact that I love my job I hate the radio reception out here.

It seemed to be way better back east in Philly where I lived for 13 years
before moving out here.

I have tried the following antennas without success.

I have two shortened high-power dipoles for 20 meters. I have one also for
15 meters. They seem virtually worthless. The 480 just tells me I have a
high swr

I also have one of the end fed dipoles I can't remember who makes it. I'm
tenpted to string that along the inside roof of my apartment and see if it
will work.

I also own the following other antennas that I need help assembling.

A Budistick

A ventenna antenna both of which I bought at Pacificon last year.

The only antenna that seems to have possibilities which my good friend Buddy
Brannan helped me assemble over the phone is the Alex Loop Walkham antenna.

I also have the biggger Alex magnetic loop. Unfortunately it nees to have
the ends of the copper tube soldered to the tuning unit.

I've asked a non ham friend to do the soldering for me. I'll be lucky to see
it back in six months.

The Yaesu FT817ND is a cute little radio. It can be made sort of accessible
using either the Radio Mate British made keypad or the millenium Qsyer.

Each keypad has its own advantagages. For instance the Millenium will read
the mode and frequency in CW if certain commands are used.

The Radio mate has one command set that will let you go thru the various
modulation schemes with the press of a keypad key.

I don't remember that one can do this with the Qsyer but I might be wrong.

I had to get a sighted fellow to setup some of the initial menus for me.

Right now I can't seem to get the Yaesu to pick up any am band stations. It
did until I took it to Pacificon last year. Then a Yaesu tech made some menu
adjustments and now no more am band. It seems to pick up all of the other
bands ok. I can't even get KFBK here in Sacramento and that's a 50 thousand
watt station. I'm reluctant to send it back to Yaesu they'll think I'm nuts.

I also have an Icom IC703 Plus with the speech board in it but can't figure
a way to run up the speech without taking apart the radio and adjusting a
pot.

So in short I've got three radios and no HF contacts.

When I lived in Philadelphia I had such bad antennas from a condo that I
used to quip as a novice that I should get the worked all blocks award.

I miss CW.

I can't believe what I'm asking is that impossible.

I may get an MP1 eventually but for now I'm really reluctant to get another
piece of aluminum and generally disgusted with the hobby.

I don't want one more useless piece of hardware.

I also don't understand all the bells and whistles on the 480.  For instance
I have no idea how to spot a CW signal with the control it has. In the old
days you just zero beat the signal.

I've tried to listen to the net on Sundays and all I generally hear are
extremely weak signals.

I'm sure I'm doing something wrong.

73,

Eric
KU3I