I've been busy uploading photos from my Field Day Tour to the section web page. I'm getting additional pix from around the state, so I hope to have plenty more to add.
Shown above is the logo that I put together for my Field Day Tour t-shirt. I'll have to admit that I didn't create it from scratch, but based this logo on another one I had seen on the web.
The logo was something I put together late in the game as I had originally decided to buy a t-shirt from the League. I didn't want a black t-shirt, and while I could have appropriated the logo and created by own iron-on, I don't think HQ would look kindly on an SM who did so (its that ethics thing, I guess). HQ expressly prohibits the use of the logo for do-it-yourself t-shirts.
My daughter made a version of the logo, which turned this into a sort of contest between us. She's a budding graphic designer, and she has much more talent than her Old Man, plus she has an artist's eye — good color choice, design balance and clean design are natural for her while I have to try to use the WAG method and hope for the best.
Her logo came out quite nice, with a kind of faux neon look to it. But the colors she chose — blues, purples, pinks — just frankly were a little too feminine for me to use. Putting the logo on a white t-shirt would have been a little problematic, the design looked better on a contrasting color. The kids didn't come with my wife and I on the Field Day tour, otherwise I would have insisted she put her logo on a t-shirt and wear it.
FT-890 ON THE AIR. I've been using the FT-890 on CW and its as good a performer as you might expect. The QSK works great, and while you can't change the character weighting, the slide switch on top has an extra position that its predecessor, the FT-757GX, does not: The extra setting gives you a heavier weighting, which is an interesting option but one I probably won't use.
The keyer speed seems to have a more linear adjustment range than the 757 had. Finding the “right” CW speed on the earlier rig was tough due to the narrow travel of the slide pot. I don't know if the FT-890 has a wider slot or simply a slower adjustment rate, but at any rate its better.
But alas, you get spoiled by the “modern” rigs; the FT-890's sidetone is fixed at about 780 Hz and is NOT adjustable. I've been spoiled by my Icom rigs and have the sidetone set at 600Hz. It makes me feel as though I'm transmitting off frequency when I use the Yaesu.
To confirm the rig was transmitting on frequency, I checked it at very low power with another receiver, and its dead-on. I'm used to matching the sidetone to the received signal for zero beat. Can't do that with the 890, which bugs me.
After working CW, I'm not sure if the internal fan is actually working in the rig or not. The sucker got pretty warm, and unlike the older FT-757GXs I own, I never did hear the fan kick on — which may be one of the rig's improvements over its predecessor. Or perhaps the rig didn't warm up enough for it kick on? I'll have to see what's going on.
Otherwise the rig is great, and the receiver is head and shoulders above the FT-757GX. I am going to send one of the FT-757GXs off for an alignment (the one with the best case), and list all three of them for sale on eBay in the coming weeks. It amazes me what people pay for used rigs, even ones that don't work right. I saw an FT-757GX sell — with no output on transmit — for more than $250! Mighty expensive parts rig. I hopefully can find other FT-757GX fans out there when time comes for me to sell these.
That's the report for today, I'm off for lunch and a little radio time. 73 …
dit dit