KB7YOU Station Setup
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I like to explore all aspects of amateur radio. I don't have a favorite mode and I like to try out lots of different things from CW to meteor scatter to digital modes to portable operations while camping.

Radios

• My handheld: Icom W32A dual band radio. Nice radio. You can receive on 2m & 70cm at the same time or receive 2 2m or 2 70cm stations at the same time. Not as small as a lot of handhelds but a good size AND you can use a $20 battery pack that takes 6 NiCad's. Much cheaper than the 80-100 battery packs most radios need. 
   
• My first "real" radio: Icom IC706mkIIg. This is a really great rig. I use it as a mobile and as a base. It lets me use 2m and 70cm repeaters during my commute plus it gives me 2m & 70cm SSB, digital and CW for DX'ing, satellites and other stuff. It's got HF coverage from 160m to 6m and you can get the AH4 antenna tuner which is a very handy device. All around a very solid radio will 100w output on HF, 50w on 2M and 30w on 70cm.
   
• My base station HF rig: A Kenwood TSB-2000. This is an all mode radio that covers HF, 6 meters, 2 meters, 70 centimeters and 1296 MHz. The B version is a 100% computer controlled radio. The front panel has a power switch and nothing else! I've really been enjoying this radio. The receiver seems excellent, the transmit audio is great and I have received many good reports from other hams. This has become my workhorse rig. With a built in TNC, satellite capabilities, computer control and excellent DSP IF filtering, the TS-2000 is meeting all of my needs. It is a good "bang  for the buck" rig at about $1,300.00. The TS-2000 (has the normal front panel displays and buttons) runs about $1,500 as of November 2004.
   
• My 2m/70cm FM mobile: I have a Kenwood TMD700A which I got because it has a built in TNC and APRS. Plus it's a very good, computer controlled dual band rig with some extra features like cross band repeating and the built in TNC. This is an expensive radio at $500.00 and probably not a good first choice. If you are interested in packet or APRS you can use a program on your PC and any 2m rig (like the 706 or a handheld) to explore this mode.

Antennas

I really enjoy building and experimenting with antennas. I am a big fan of wire antennas. They are cheap, simple, and easy to build. Except for my 2m/70cm antenna and my Force 12 vertical dipole, all of my antennas are wire based. My primary antenna is an inverted L. Since I have no CCR's in my neighborhood, it runs the entire length of my property, over my house about 12' up from the roof line. The neighbors all think it's really cool. Anyway, here is my antenna list:

• I have several permanent antennas and I'm always experimenting with them and building new ones. Since I like to check out all the bands and because I do a lot of portable operation my antennas are pretty simple. Here is what I have:

• Inverted L - Up 35 feet and 220 feet long. This antenna is connected to my radios  via an AH-4 antenna tuner, the internal  tuner in my rig or a QPAK antenna tuner. The antenna runs east/west and, with my tuner, gives me all or partial coverage of all bands from 80 meters to 6 meters. I experimented with this antenna for several months, adding station grounds, radials and adjusting it's length and height to get it working well. I made the antenna from a scrap length of CAT-5 networking cable.
• 40 meter dipole - I had an old G5RV floating around and I strung it up about 25 feet between a few trees in my yard. I connect this antenna to my AH-4 tuner or directly to the internal tuner in my radio. It works well on 40 meters through 6 meters.  Since it runs north/south it complements my "L".
• Force 12 40 meter vertical dipole - This is a  really neat antenna. It is car portable (breaks down into 4 foot sections) and can be setup in about 30 minutes. It comes with great instructions, a series of matching coils and all the hardware you need to get it up and running. I've learned a lot about dipoles and antenna matching methods playing with my Force 12. I plan on setting it up permanently at my home so I can use it more frequently. It performs very well and if you set it up for 40 meters and leave off the matching coils an antenna tuner makes it useable on 80 meters through 6 meters.
• Backpack portable vertical whips - Last summer I spent some time designing, building and experimenting with vertical antennas. I now have a collection of verticals that I can strap to a pack or setup in 5 minutes or less. I use these for QRP and occasionally set one up at my house. If you are interested in experimenting with and building your own antennas this is a great place to start. Some  hardware, wire, PVC tubing and a selection of whips and ham sticks are all you need. I built 5 antennas for less than $50.00.
• 2m/70cm collinear antenna - A basic omni directional base antenna for 2m & 70cm FM contacts. I've also had good luck using this antenna for 2m and 70cm SSB contacts even though most SSB folks use horizontally polarized antennas.

Other Stuff

I am an experimenter first and a radio operator second. I spend at least as much time building and experimenting as I do talking. I also enjoy computer assisted radio so much of my equipment is for this area.

I spend a lot of time searching out inexpensive test equipment and I'm always looking for plans and kits. Here are the highlights of my "support equipment"

• MFJ "Antennalyzer" - This handy tool is great for designing, testing and building antennas. It's also a great tool for the electronics experimenter since it makes a great RF signal generator. I've used it as a signal source  while learning how to build RF filters, oscillators and as a test instrument when working on various electronics projects.
• HP 1725A Oscilloscope - I got this used for $300. It has a bandwidth of 275 MHz which makes it a great scope for RF projects up through 2 meters.
• Home brew rig to PC interface - I built my own audio and TX control interface for my TS-2000 and Icom 706. I'm still improving the interface but the current version works well. I designed and built my first one in an afternoon.
• Power - I use deep cycle marine batteries as well as a 40 amp Daiwa variable  voltage power supply. I have auxiliary solar panels  for  my small 7 aH batteries.
• Electronic components - I have been collecting electronics parts for over 10 years. I have a great selection of active and passive components as well as prototyping boards, wire and coax, mounting hardware and boxes. At least twice a year I visit the local electronics surplus store and buy anything interesting. I  also keep an eye out for Radio Shack sales. You can still get great parts and deals at RS if you keep an eye out.