The decades since Aug 20, 2001 here at the radio table have gone by very quickly. Forty years ago, if someone had told me that someday we would be linking digital radio communication systems together over a thing called the internet, I would have thought that they were nuts!

The decline in everyday local analog FM repeater traffic--coupled with the loss of HF capability here at the shack back in 2011--makes digital radio communication modes essential for this station to continue its tradition of working international HAM radio stations. I often hear stations scolding others that digital radio modes "are not real radio" because they rely on independent microcomputers called hot spots and the internet to establish direct VoIP links between stations.

I agree that digital modes are not practical for reliable emergency communications because they rely on delicate computer network infrastructures that are often the first to go down during devastating disasters. I don't do QSLs for digital QSOs unless they mark a special occasion for the other station. For example: Their very first contact on HAM radio, first contact on DMR, etc. Real radio to them is real radio to me because sharing our love of radio together is the best and the most important amateur practice of all because it always leads us in a unified direction for a greater good for all HAMS, regardless of our favorite modes.

Meanwhile, this busy hive of 24x7 worldwide digital traffic, coupled with automated call sign lookup, remote station APRS info (if enabled), and the superior digital audio quality over traditional FM all offer the best baseline analog and digital modes that I am looking for in a low-maintenance 21st-century amateur radio station that I can comfortably retire with and still satisfy my passion for 144/220/440 FM simplex, local repeaters, and access to digital stations all around the world via a HotSpot.
73




Dual band ground plane kits

The Yaesu FTM-7250D and FTM-400XD base rigs are both equipped with these identical birds. They seem to be holding up well in the hot Texas sun, wind, and her occassional ice storms. They were also found to be resonant on the 220 FM band with a SWR footprint almost identical to my Ugly Duck monoband 220 work antenna. All of the dual band mobile antennas that I have ever tried with the GPK-01 have worked well, but the Diamond NR770 mobile antenna is the only one that I have ever found to be nicely resonant on the 220 band according to a cross-needle 220 SWR meter. Quick SWR Comparison measured on the Alinco base 220 rig* NR770NMO Ground Plane Kit US Calling Freq 223.500 Mhz (SWR 1:1.9)    Primary Repeater 223.075 Mhz (SWR 1:1.1)    Secondary Repeater 223.45 Mhz (SWR 1:1.8) Ugly Duck 220 Mhz Coaxial Dipole US Calling Freq 223.500 Mhz (SWR 1:1.9)    Primary Repeater 223.075 Mhz (SWR 1:1.15)    Secondary Repeater 223.45 Mhz (SWR 1:1.6) *The Alinco DR-235T is no longer in production Legacy Antennas in 2004 (pre digital era on 50ft push-up pole) TOP TO BOTTOM Comet GP-9 * CushCraft 2m Horiz Beam * 2m/6m AM/FM Homebrew ISS packet G-plane * DXEE Multi-Band HF Dipole * Co-phased M2 6 meter loops (34 confirmed states during the big 6m band opening in 2004) Wrecked by a winter storm blast on Feb 1, 2011. The top North guy wire snapped during a strong northerly wind gust. My legacy HF control point in those days. The Alinco DR-235T 220 monobander (lower right corner) is the only radio still in service today on it's monoband 1/4 λ Ugly Duck dipole. HF operation is sorely missed, but the HOA did not approve of putting any large HF antennas back up after the wreck. No flashback to the legacy HF shack would be complete without a tribute to the classic Turner Plus 3 desk microphone that was used for all four radios at the time. I bought it non-working for $10 and was able to restore it to full operation with a new battery and a few other minor repairs. Like my base ground planes, my Yaesu FTM-7250D mobile rig is also equipped with a a Diamond NR770HNMO dual band antenna. A Pi-Star YSF to DMR hotspot tethered to my cell provides access to DMR talkgroups worldwide from the 7250D YSF tranceiver in it's native digital mode. This vintage Motorola external speaker still sounds great after riding mobile with me for many moons on many different rigs in many different vehicles. It spent it's public service life on a central Texas fire engine. Microphones bring many different spices to life My other microphone