N1TA is located in the City of Westfield, Hampden County, Massachusetts, FN32od. I am mostly active on 160 - 10 meters, with a focus on contesting and casual DX'ing. I can also be found on the local 2 meter repeaters occasionally. My favorite mode is CW, but I also operate phone and dabble in the JT modes.

Transmitting Antennas

I am currently using a ladder line -fed doublet at 100'+ AGL for 80 - 10 meters.

On 160 meters, the open wire feedline is shorted together via an open frame high-voltage DPDT relay and fed against an acre of galvanized hardware screen; in this configuration, it becomes a Marconi T-antenna.

For more information on using a ground screen as opposed to traditional radials, see Rob Sherwood's (NC0B) article in Ham Radio, May 1977.

I also have a fan dipole for 20 and 40 meters at 40' AGL, usually hooked to my skimmer or used for local contacts.

Receiving Antennas

A permanent 300-foot switchable beverage runs North/South for 40, 80, and 160 meters. I also use a 200-foot switchable Beverage-On-Ground (BOG) running Northwest/Southeast.

Inside the Shack

I have two operating positions. The first has a Flex-6600 and the second is an FT-1000MP. Using bandpass filters or lockouts for partner mode, both positions can be operated simultaneously. Usually the Flex is used as a multiplier station while the FT-1000MP is used as a run station during contests.

I use several amplifiers, most homebrewed to some extent, some modified for single-band use and automatically switched. The run station uses an accidentally heavily-modified Dentron Clipperton-L.