‰  NOW 40 WPM  ‰  TEXT IS FROM MAY 2015 QST  PAGE 58‰
THE OUTPUT OF THE K3.  INTERESTINGLY, I NOTICED THAT THE K3S MUCH SMALLER
TOP FIRING INTERNAL SPEAKER, ONE THAT I GENERALLY JUST USE WHILE TRAVELING,
SOUNDED ALMOST AS GOOD AS EITHER.  MY OPINION IS THAT IT COMES DOWN TO HOW
MANY SPEAKERS YOU WANT AND WHERE YOU WANT TO LOCATE THEM WITH RESPECT TO
THE RADIO POSITION.  FRONT FIRING SPEAKERS WILL, OF COURSE, WORK MUCH
BETTER THAN THE INTERNAL TOP FIRING SPEAKER IF THERE IS A SHELF ABOVE THE
K3.  NEW PRODUCTS  WINTER 2014 2015 INTE

ROTATOR AT THE BASE OF THE MAST, ALLOWING COMPLETE MAST ROTATION.  THIS IS
NOT AS DIFFICULT AS IT MAY SOUND, ESPECIALLY IF YOU ARE USING A HEXSTYLE
BEAM.  IF YOU ARE LOOKING FOR A ROBUST, PORTABLE MAST, LOOK NO FURTHER THAN
THE SPIDERBEAM MAST.  REASONABLY LIGHTWEIGHT, EASY TO SHIP ON MOST
AIRLINES, RIDICULOUSLY STURDY, AND EASY TO SET UP WITH ONE PERSON WITH A
FEW OPTIONAL ITEMS, THIS MAST WILL BE A PART OF YOUR PORTABLE GEAR FOR A
LONG, LONG TIME.  PHONEMA KSP3 HAM SPEAKER  PHONEMA INTENDS TO PROVIDE
EXTERNAL SPEAKERS DESIGNED TO WORK WITH MOST POPULAR AMATEUR TRANSCEIVERS.
AS WE WRITE THIS, THEIR ONLY PRODUCT IS THE KSP3, DESIGNED TO COMPLEMENT
THE POPULAR ELECRAFT K3 TRANSCEIVER.  THEY HAVE ANNOUNCED PLANS TO OFFER
SIMILAR UNITS FOR CURRENT ICOM, KENWOOD, TENTEC, AND YAESU RADIOS.
ELECRAFT SEEMS LIKE A LOGICAL STARTING POINT, SINCE THE ELECRAFT TEAM HAS
ELECTED TO FOCUS ON THEIR RADIOS, AMPLIFIERS, TUNERS AND TEST GEAR, LEAVING
EXTERNAL SPEAKERS AND POWER SUPPLIES TO OTHERS.  BASED ON THE SUCCESS OF
THEIR PRIMARY PRODUCTS, THIS SEEMS TO HAVE BEEN A GOOD CHOICE.  IT DOES
LEAVE A SPACE FOR OTHERS TO FILL, AND PHONEMA HAS JUMPED IN.  THE KSP3

INSTALLATION THE STOUTNESS OF THIS MAST DOESNT MEAN THAT IT IS DIFFICULT TO
ERECT.  W1AW STATION MANAGER JOE CARCIA, NJ1Q, AND I ERECTED THE MAST ON A
PLEASANT FALL DAY IN THE SIDE YARD AT ARRL HQ SEE FIGURE 10.  ALTHOUGH BOTH
OF US WORKED ON THE MAST, THE STAINLESS STEEL CLAMPS WITH EACH TELESCOPING
SECTION ALLOW FOR RELATIVELY EASY INSTALLATION BY A SINGLE PERSON.
SPIDERBEAMS WEBSITE OFFERS DETAILED INSTRUCTIONS ON HOW TO ERECT THE MAST,
WHICH IT SAYS WAS DESIGNED FOR ONE MAN DXPEDITIONS.  INDEED, IT WOULD BE
EASY TO TRANSPORT A SPIDERBEAM MAST, A SMALL HEX STYLE BEAM, FEED LINE, AND
VARIOUS SUPPORT HARDWARE WITH A GOLF CLUB TRAVEL BAG.  KEEP IT UNDER 50
POUNDS THE STANDARD WEIGHT LIMIT OF CHECKED BAGGAGE ON MANY AIRLINES, PUT
YOUR TRANSCEIVER IN A CARRY ON, AND VOILA, YOU HAVE A DXPEDITION IN A BAG.
MANY OPTIONS ARE AVAILABLE TO MAKE THE MAST EVEN EASIER TO USE.  THERE ARE
TRIPODS TO ASSIST IN STABILIZATION, BUT WE USED THE BASE PLATE OPTION FOR
GROUND MOUNTED, FLAT SURFACE INSTALLATION.  THE BASE PLATE IS ABOUT 8
INCHES SQUARE WITH SMALL TEETH TO GRIP INTO SOIL.  SIMPLY PLACE THE PLATE
WHERE YOU WANT THE MAST, STEP ON IT, AND YOU HAVE A SECURE RESTING PAD FOR
THE BOTTOM OF THE MAST.  THE OPTIONAL GUY HARDWARE ALLOWS THE ENTIRE MAST
TO ROTATE, EASY ENOUGH TO DO BY HAND.  STANDARD ANTENNA ROTATORS ARE EASILY
ACCOMMODATED, AND THERE ARE A FEW DIFFERENT ADAPTERS AVAILABLE TO INSTALL A
‰  END OF 40 WPM TEXT  ‰  QST DE W1AW  ƒ