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Date:         Wed, 20 Jun 2007 12:22:54 -0400
Reply-To:     Sam Conant <samcvt@COMCAST.NET>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         Sam Conant <samcvt@COMCAST.NET>
Subject:      Re: Grounds (was Quality Inverters)
Comments: To: David Kao <dtkao0205@yahoo.com>
Content-Type: text/plain; format=flowed; charset="iso-8859-1";
              reply-type=original

Yup....Some would say that we Westymaniacs are neither centered or grounded. {;?)

My Westy doesn't drag a tail.

For several years I was a Red Cross Disaster Service volunteer and served in several functions from Shelter management and Disaster Mental Health, from public relations to communications and headquarters disaster response operations management throughout the country and in NYC after the 9/11 attacks.

My 84 has served well as an emergency communication center when cell towers, land lines were down and communities were isolated. I can run both VHF and UHF as well as HF rigs from inside the camper with multiple operators if necessary using batts, generator and/or solar resources.

I use the Westy annually with a local ham radio club during Field Day as well.

I think this year, though, I'm going to try operating (for Field Day) from my 25 foot Catalina sailboat out on Lake Champlain. I've not rigged the boat for HF, but just acquired a new 28 foot Shakespeare antenna from a fellow who got it from West Marine, and his spouse opposed mounting it on their power boat - got if for a song. I would probably get better results from the boat if I used the back stay as the antenna, but I want to try the fiberglass vertical first. I'm even temped to clamp the vertical to my 17 foot Grumman canoe and float it 20 feet or so behind the Catalina ... just for grins ...

I'm not an engineer, and usually tell folks that I'm so klutzy that I tend to lose parts of ball point pens when I try to change the cartridge - does anyone do that any more? But, back in the late 1950s and early 60s, before I transferred to the mud-diving navy, I was a high speed code and tty operator in the USN. 73 Amigo Sam Conant (N1PDL) Colchester, Vermont

----- Original Message ----- From: "David Kao" <dtkao0205@yahoo.com> To: "Sam Conant" <samcvt@COMCAST.NET>; <vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM> Sent: Wednesday, June 20, 2007 11:49 AM Subject: Re: Grounds (was Quality Inverters)

> Ah... I see. No wonder some fat and slow RVs like to drag a tail behind. > For some reason we Vanagons almost never ground ourselves. > > Somehow HAM and RV seem pair up always. If you see a guy setting up a > field station the station is almost alway on the side of an RV but never > a Vanagon. Vanagoneers in the eyes of HAM are nuts. They don't ground > properly their Vanagons. I think we Vanagoneers eat burgers but those > RVers don't. > > Well, I like HAM a lot. I forgot what I did and FCC sent me this paper > that said KG6ETA. But they said "technician" although I am really an > engineer. I have always wanted to engineer my vanagon into a grounded > field station. I got a Transworld 1.2KW solid state HF power amp. My > Halicrafter transmitter can drive it nuts if not grounded. Unfortunately > I do not have a receiver and because they said technician I have not > established a ground tail to begin with yet. > > Why Vanagons have never seen to pair with HAMs I don't know. Sam, perhaps > you can explain. Does your vanagon drag a tail? > > David > > > > > > > > > > > > --- Sam Conant <samcvt@COMCAST.NET> wrote: > >> Well, I guess Dave, that you could attach a grounding strap beneath the >> chassis which would drag along the road surface, as some commercial >> trucks >> have done. But, you're correct that the Westy makes a decent "faked" >> ground >> nonetheless. >> SamC >> (N1PDL) >> ----- Original Message ----- >> From: "David Kao" <dtkao0205@YAHOO.COM> >> To: <vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM> >> Sent: Wednesday, June 20, 2007 2:31 AM >> Subject: Re: Grounds (was Quality Inverters) >> >> >> > To me ground means ground (the earth). When I hang a long wire >> > (antenna) >> > for >> > my HF transceiver the ground has to be physically connected to ground. >> > If >> > not >> > I won't receive signal from far away or my signal won't reach too far. >> > But >> > you sure can fake it. For example when I set up a CB antenna on my >> > westy >> > The >> > Westy chassis is no problem as a good ground for the antenna. >> > >> > Maybe this is just a different ground that has nothing to do with the >> > ground >> > you guys are talking about. Never mind. I don't want to steal the >> > thread. >> > >> > David >> > >> > >> > --- Jack <john.cook58@VERIZON.NET> wrote: >> > >> >> Not directly related to inverters but perhaps of some interest. >> >> >> >> A pet peeve of mine regards the word, "Ground". As used in >> >> electricity >> >> and >> >> electronics, the word is an unfortunate historical artifact which, in >> >> my >> >> humble >> >> opinion, should be removed from use, since it's too often >> >> misunderstood. >> >> It >> >> implies some magic iso-potential conductor connected to earth which >> >> rarely >> >> exists outside of a text book. Given common conditions such as high >> >> fault >> >> currents, fast rise/fall surges (e.g., sparks), that "ground" is >> >> anything >> >> but >> >> iso-potential. This misunderstanding can lead to serious problems, >> >> even >> >> from >> >> designers who should know better. (This isn't even beginning to deal >> >> with high >> >> speed digital circuitry, analog instrumentation, A/D, D/A and RF >> >> systems.) >> >> >> >> Much better to use the words, frame, shell, chassis, shield, common, >> >> 3rd >> >> wire, >> >> green wire, etc. Those more descriptive terms provide better >> >> understandings of >> >> what the conductor is and (sometimes) what its purpose is. In large >> >> system >> >> schematics, we might see the identifiers, frame-1, frame-2, frame-3, >> >> shield-1, >> >> etc., even though the connections may be tied together somewhere. >> >> >> >> Sorry to rant. And sorry if the above makes little sense to you. You >> >> have to >> >> have been there. >> >> >> >> //Jack >> >> >> > >> > >> > >> > >> > ____________________________________________________________________________________ >> > Got a little couch potato? >> > Check out fun summer activities for kids. >> > http://search.yahoo.com/search?fr=oni_on_mail&p=summer+activities+for+kids&cs=bz >> > > > > > ____________________________________________________________________________________ > Pinpoint customers who are looking for what you sell. > http://searchmarketing.yahoo.com/


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