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Martin Ewing holds the amateur radio callsign AA6E.

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AA6E operating desk. At left is the Flex 6500 transceiver and antenna controls.  At the center is an Intel NUC7i5 computer.

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The AA6E antennas include an 86-ft non-resonant dipole (center) and a vertical discone antenna (right).

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We are using the Flex 6500 software-defined radio for HF contacts (1.8 - 30 MHz).

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As we make a radio contact, we enter the details of the station and the operating conditions in our station log - log4om.

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After an operating session, you can upload the local log information into the cloud-based Logbook of the World database.

Antenna Notes

Antennas are part of every radio amateur's life.  Here are some of my notes on antennas.

  • SteppIR Beam.  The SteppIR antenna here has been a mainstay for ~14 years.  It is a 3-element yagi-type antenna that is tunable between about 14 and 54 MHz.  Mine runs at about 40 ft above ground level with a Yaesu G-1000DXA rotator.  Frequency tracking is automated through a serial connection to the Flex 6500 transceiver.
  • SteppIR Maintenance. Like any mechanism, the SteppIR needs occasional maintenance.  Click here for information on a current set of problems at AA6E -- and their resolution (mostly).

Transition, May, 2019:  Because we are moving to a new QTH (Evergreen Woods), the antennas at our Branford QTH have been removed.  Hopefully, some new ones will sprout at the new location before long.

AA6E.net – ewing@alum.mit.edu

copyright © 2020-2023 Martin S Ewing

Callsign history

K5MXF WA1OCT WB6YBQ
VK2ERX AA6E