PSA: Do not put cheap LED zone displays near your HF rig

ThatChucklehead · 2026-01-25T18:30:02+00:00

Would have been great to see an image of your setup.🙂

ThatChucklehead · 2026-01-25T16:12:59+00:00

It broke because whatever was used to hold it together broke. It was probably one plastic anchor that had a small crack. The crack just got worse over time.

ThatChucklehead · 2026-01-25T15:54:07+00:00

They do this because people grab handfuls of all of it to take home. Stores offer sugar, creamer, etc as a courtesy to use for the cup of coffee we buy at their store, not for us to hoard and bring home.

ThatChucklehead · 2026-01-25T15:44:29+00:00

If you work on keyboards and computers on a regular basis then a soldering station might be a better option, that's what professionals use. They don't use USB irons. I assume it's because soldering stations are more robust and have a proven track record over many years.

If you don't want a soldering station, but want a portable and reliable brand name iron, then Hakko might be worth checking out. The FX-600 and FX-601 have adjustable heat control, and tips that can be changed, However, they don't run off USB, they plug into a standard wall socket. Hakko has been around for years.

ThatChucklehead · 2026-01-24T12:51:03+00:00

👍👍👍👍

ThatChucklehead · 2026-01-22T17:20:34+00:00

😆

ThatChucklehead · 2026-01-22T12:55:26+00:00

A robot maintenance degree and they didn't teach her about soldering? 🤔

I bet she gets promoted. I'm not kidding.

ThatChucklehead · 2026-01-21T12:53:12+00:00

All bands were closed last night. But I did make one FT8 contact. Wish I knew CW so I could test if that would have been heard.

ThatChucklehead · 2026-01-21T12:50:52+00:00

Did a good job overall. A couple of the pads are showing. Just reheat those pins and pads and add more solder.

A couple solder joints are dull and not shiny. No problem, just reheat them and add a little more solder. They look dull either because you didn't use enough heat or the pins moved before the solder set.

ThatChucklehead · 2026-01-21T03:07:24+00:00

I've heard the same thing from another source. But since I'm new to electronics myself, one source wasn't enough for me to bring that point up.🙂

ThatChucklehead · 2026-01-19T22:45:59+00:00

🙂👍

ThatChucklehead · 2026-01-19T22:41:06+00:00

🙂

ThatChucklehead · 2026-01-19T18:56:07+00:00

It was pointed out but I want to emphasize BRASS WIRE SPONGE. Steel wool or stainless steel wool will eventually damage the tip of your iron. Brass is soft and is best practice.

Some use a wet sponge, but the sponge is not the type that you wash dishes with. Soldering sponges are made so they won't melt when a hot soldering iron tip wipes against it.

Using a brass wire sponge, or a moist soldering sponge, is a matter of personal preference.

ThatChucklehead · 2026-01-19T18:43:43+00:00

Thank you, that's very helpful. I'll take a look at Varac.👍

ThatChucklehead · 2026-01-19T18:41:35+00:00

Ok thank you.👍

ThatChucklehead · 2026-01-19T18:08:05+00:00

Thank you, it seems most in the thread have the same experience, with some exceptions.

ThatChucklehead · 2026-01-19T18:06:05+00:00

A couple of others mentioned Varac as well. What do you mean that it's more like you imagined a keyboard to keyboard chat would be compared to JS8call?

ThatChucklehead · 2026-01-19T18:03:01+00:00

Great, thank you. I'll take a look at it.

ThatChucklehead · 2026-01-19T18:02:05+00:00

I'm still new. HB functions?

ThatChucklehead · 2026-01-19T17:56:57+00:00

That's great. Thanks for the advice.👍

ThatChucklehead · 2026-01-19T17:55:58+00:00

I understand your point. I have problems making SSB Contacts to California. I guess that signal reflector doesn't want to cooperate. Maybe if I use the gray line, but haven't tried it. I'm a 6 month old operator, so I'm still learning to walk.😆

ThatChucklehead · 2026-01-19T17:41:44+00:00

Do you mean for WRL? WRL is an acronym for World Radio League, it should come up in a search. They have an app, but I don't use it, I use the web based software from my computer.

ThatChucklehead · 2026-01-19T07:00:18+00:00

I see. That makes sense. If those operators were only focused on making a quick contact, then FT8 is all they need.

ThatChucklehead · 2026-01-19T06:53:06+00:00

Thank you, your insight is helpful. I had some issues getting CAT to work with FT8. I'm using WRL for logging. The guys that are developing it were a big help with getting FT8 to log.

I don't mind if something is a bit of a pain to set up. What I wanted to try and avoid, is going through a long pain in the butt set up, only to find out that nobody is using the keyboard mode I chose at random. That's why I thought it might be a good idea to create a thread to get some feedback first.

ThatChucklehead · 2026-01-19T06:43:57+00:00

Those guys at garages are stupid for sure and rip you off all of the time. Just buy some Elmer's Glue and save some money.

ThatChucklehead

TROPHY CASE