First QSO in 4 meters!

On sunday, 16 feb, I've a first QSO in 4 meters band using my PRC-351. The QSO involved also 3 other hams in Benevento.

Working conditions:

• IZ8JJI/M: radio PRC-351, (wire) quarter wave antenna mounted on the roof of my car
• IZ8FQX Pompeo: radio PRC-351, 6 meters loop antenna tuned on 4 meters
• IZ8VKE/P Gaetano: radio Wouxun KG-699, 5W, rubber duck antenna
• IZ8UZV/P Cesare: radio Wouxun KG-699, 5W, rubber duck antenna

Clansman PRC-351 Military manpack

In order to experiment operations on low VHF FM (in particular 4 meters), I've bought another military radio: a Clansman PRC 351.

Frequency coverage: 30-76 MHz in 25 kHz steps, covering 6 and 4 meters ham band
RF Power output: 4 W
Power supply: 24 VDC

I've got the radio without accessories, and I'm going to use a Clansman Single Transducer Headset   (see info and photos on Armyradio web site) which I bought some times ago. Is simple to use, like a speaker-microphone.

I've no battery. To get the 24 VDC needed from a 12 V battery  I use a variable voltage notebook power supply similar to this:

The highest voltage is 24 VDC and Imax = 2 A, enough to supply the radio without any problem.

Using the radio is very simple: rotate the 4 frequency knobs (x10 MHz, x1 MHz, x100 kHz and 0-25-50-75 kHz). The ON-OFF knob have 4 positions:

• O: OFF
• W: Whisper (radio on, squelch on, low volume on headphone, high microphone sensitivity)
• L: Loud  (radio on, squelch on, high volume on headphone, low microphone sensitivity)
• *: squelch off, Loud mode

A real volume control is not present, but the audio in Loud mode is enough to understand voice also keeping the headphone in hand (in a quiet envoronment). No problem in any mode wearing headphone.