I love it when some say conditions are horrible still on HF, they're 
improving and the club I belong to is even talking about going back to 3A 
next field day. Biggest problem right now is the shelter but it looks like 
it's going to happen.
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "colin McDonald" <[log in to unmask]>
To: <[log in to unmask]>
Sent: Sunday, March 20, 2011 1:33 AM
Subject: Re: Ht burning out?


> Darren:
> as with anything from the internet, make sure you take things with a grain
> of sault.  Just because the guy has a call sign and writes something
> coherent, doesn't mean he's automatically correct or even close to the 
> mark.
> Many licensed hams who write articles and blogs and tid bits are correct,
> but things like this just have to be taken with a huge pinch of sault.
> Same goes for the sub group of would be, old time HF operators who haven't
> touched it in years because "the conditions aren't there" or the
> "propigation is terrible" or whatever...in their experience perhaps, but 
> the
> facts of the matter are quite the opposite for those of us who actually 
> make
> an effort to closely monitor such things on a daily basses.
> I get pretty choked at some local hams who would have everyone, including
> new hams, believe that there is no point to getting on the HF frequencies
> because propigation is so bad anyway, why bother.  These guys haven't 
> turned
> a radio with a decent antenna on in 15 years or more in most cases...or
> they're of the type that sit down on 3700 and don't move.  Unless they 
> hear
> Europe blasting in at 40 over S9 on 80 meters, then they figure there's no
> conditions.
>
> anyway sorry for the rant, but I don't like intentional misinformation
> especially for newer hams.
> I am occasionally wrong about something and am corrected usually lol.
> However, if I am wrong, it is not intentionally misleading.
>
> 73
> Colin, V A6BKX
> ----- Original Message ----- 
> From: "John Miller" <[log in to unmask]>
> To: <[log in to unmask]>
> Sent: Saturday, March 19, 2011 8:11 PM
> Subject: Re: Ht burning out?
>
>
>> Even back when I liked 2 meters, and used an HT a lot, I never had that
>> problem and really can't think of one person I know who has.
>> ----- Original Message ----- 
>> From: "KK4AHX Darren Duff" <[log in to unmask]>
>> To: <[log in to unmask]>
>> Sent: Saturday, March 19, 2011 9:03 PM
>> Subject: Ht burning out?
>>
>>
>>> Hi.
>>> After reading the below paragraph in an online article I am worried 
>>> about
>>> burning out my ht. It's the only rig I have now. I want to get a mobile
>>> to
>>> use as a base station but it's not in the budget right now. I would like
>>> to
>>> know what other's think. here is the snip from the article.
>>>
>>> HAND HELD DUTY CYCLE LIMITS
>>>
>>> If you subject today's HTs to frequent full power, 5w transmissions of
>>> several minutes duration they overheat and the final power transistors
>>> may
>>> fail prematurely. Kenwood and Yaesu state in their service manuals that
>>> their HTs are rated for 20% duty cycle at their maximum RF output, or 30
>>> seconds of transmit to 2 minutes of standby. After I first got my
>>> license,
>>> I burned up three sets of "finals" in less than a year with long winded
>>> QSOs using a Radio Shack HTX-202 which produced 8w when powered at 13.8V
>>> from my auto cigarette lighter plug! When the warranty ran out, I
>>> replaced
>>> it with a Kenwood TH-22 and repeated the same result. Kenwood's Virginia
>>> Beach service center politely admonished me that I was "exceeding the
>>> recommended duty cycle" and should buy a mobile. I followed their advice
>>> and am satisfied with my two Kenwood mobiles, but I sought out other HTs
>>> and pass that advice along.
>>>
>>> Thanks, 73's.
>>>
>>> Darren Duff.
>>>
>>> amateur radio station KK4AHX.
>>>
>>>
>>