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VOLUME ONE ISSUE ONEOCTOBER 2021THE DIPOLES USA T3FDIn This IssueWELCOME - N3FJP SOFTWARETHE BENFITS OF WINLINK - THE WINNER IS

DIPOLESUSA MONTHLYWELCOMEBy Mike N1YKHWelcome to our first newsletter. DipolesUSA.com has been selling amateur radiorelated items since 2015. It all started when Iwanted to build a simple dipole antenna. I hadtwo choices; Buy a cheap dipole with substandard everything, or an overpriced alreadymade one. Neither gave me the option tobuild my own antenna and use Americanmade parts. Well, going and buying the individual parts needed to build a simple dipoleantenna gets expensive quickly. If you buy inbulk to save some money you’re left with a lotof leftover stuff that you may or may not useat a later time, factor in that you just spentover a hundred dollars and didn’t get exactlywhat you wanted. Simple solutions, I thought.Just ask the XYL if we could buy a largeamount of amateur radio antenna parts andstart a home-based business. After some convincing, promising not to put a warehouse inthe backyard, and I believe a new stove, weagreed that we’ll start sourcing Americanmade materials and see what happens.(Continued)Top RightWe had lots of positive feedback by local hamsand from customers. That positivity led us expand to SWL kits, Baluns, and an Ebay store.We have attended multiple Hamfests, had aBooth on the first three ever Virtual Hamfestswith QSO Today’s HAM EXPO, and then TheARRL Letter came, Fast forward four years.The Terminated Three Wire Folded Dipole akaThe T3FD was added to our line as a kit. Thiscame about because a HAM friend of mine thatwas involved in MARS was friends with a brilliant HAM named Ken Crawley WB4ENE. Kenhad forty years’ experience building antennasfor The Government, not to mention a fewpatterns. He was building a Mil-Spec T3FD thathe had been perfecting for years, the cost between 10- 12 a foot, so his T3FD-266’ wouldcost between 2,500.00 and 3,000.00 and themost popular size, the T3FD-120’ was going for 1,500 with shipping . (CONT’D PAGE THREE)Ken Crawley WB4ENEpictured right.Ken testing the T3FD Balunand resistor combinations.a top his mountain retreatin Idaho in 2019.Below pictures hisstructural testing.TopT3FDBottomK1YKH &N1YKHLocal Hamfest in RhodeVOLUME ONE ISSUE ONEPAGE TWO

DIPOLESUSA MONTHLYWelcome continuedSo my friend suggested that Ken and I get together and see if we could come up with a lessexpensive T3FD kit option for around 3 a footfor HAMs involved in MARS, DHS SHARES orJust a great All Band antenna system. Well, thatprice point was unobtainable, but we couldcome up with a kit that landed between 4.00to 5.00 a foot. These kits came with everything you needed, from the support polyesterrope to the ladder line and balun. The customer would just need to connect their coax. Thereit was, the Dipoles USA T3FD kit were born.Supplies were bought, built, and tested. Afterhitting our targeted performance testing andwith great feedback from the customers it letus know that we accomplished what weplanned.N3FJP SOFTWAREOne of our goals at DipolesUSA is to promoteHAM radio. In 1997 or so I came across a few linesin QST where the ARRL mentioned Scott N3FJPand his Amateur Radio Software. I checked it outand have been a customer ever since. For a onetime payment you get your Logging and Contestsoftware with lifetime upgrades. N3FJP is constantly adding some new and fun feature to makehis HAM radio software exceptional. I asked Scottif I could use one of his many articles from hiswebsite to share with HAMs that may not knowhim and hisdedication to our hobby.Unfortunately, Ken passed away in 2020. I’msure you can image what great friends we hadbecome so when Ken and his wife asked if mywife and I if we would keep Ken’s version of theT3FD available, that was an easy yes. Weworked out the details, then at his request tookover the assembling of the T3FD, not only tokeep his work alive, but because it was reallysuch a fun and versatile antenna system. Ken’sbiography can be found on the DipolesUSA.comwebsite at MEET THE ENGINEER - DIPOLESUSA.COMKen has a great page there, in his own words.Let us know if you have any ideas or somethingyou’d like to see in our newsletters.We would love your feedback to our first newsletter: Mike@dipolesusa.comLeftN1YKHMIKEVOLUME ONE ISSUE ONEWHO IS N3FJP by Scott DavisBorn in 1962, I have lived in Glenwood, adevelopment just south of Bel Air, MD, forall but 10 years of my life. I was thrilled tomove back into the neighborhood in 1998with my wife Kimberly and two sons,Christopher and Bradley. When we movedback, my Dad and Mom still lived directlyacross the street in the home I was raised!I love all the beautiful gardens and wildlifethat we have to enjoy here in Glenwood.I graduated from Bel Air High School in1980 and from Towson State (Cont”d)PAGE THREE

DIPOLESUSA MONTHLYWho is N3FJP ContinuedUniversity with a Bachelor of Sciencein Business Administration in 1985.After three years as a cost estimatorfor Martin Marietta, I began a careeras a Management Analyst with Baltimore County Government, responsible for budget and personnel administration. I became eligible (barely)for early retirement from BaltimoreCounty in 2012, so I'm now running asoftware business, N3FJP's AmateurRadio Software, full time from ourhome.In addition to my family and job(s), Ihave lots of interests that include:My Christian faith, and particularly aninterest in apologetics, which presents rational evidence and basis forthe Christian belief.love and the need for electric refrigerators.With nature as the only resource, it'san an inexplicable miracle, unduplicated in any lab.Dirt became us. Either we are conscious clay in a way that no one canexplain, or we are infinitely more.Amateur Radio! I obtained my firstcall, WB3CZF, in 1976 at the age of14. I enjoy contesting, experimentingwith antennas and general rag chew.Writing software! I started out writing Amateur Radio programs for contesting and general logging in VisualBasic for my station in 1997 and ittook on a life of its own! I've since rewritten the entire package in C#.netand my son Chris, KB3KCN, who cancode circles around me, is helpingtake N3FJP Software to the next level!Brainstorming, designing andbuilding solar projects includinghot air, hot water and electricity thatare easy and inexpensive to build(even for a guy with no carpentry experience like me), help the environment and save money.After the Earth cooled, there was water, rock,dirt and mud. Not a microbe of life existed.If we, life, arose by accident, we arenothing more than conscious clay,dirt and rock from the ground, thatagainst all odds, combined thoroughly by accident in just such a way tocreate a beating heart, sight, (Cont’dtop right)VOLUME ONE ISSUE ONEMy family and I built this 24' X 8' collector using PEX pipe in our back yardin the summer of 2009.It was very easy to put together and did not require any pipe soldering.I have complete details and lots of construction pictures at the linkabove!PAGE FOUR

DIPOLESUSA MONTHLYWho is N3FJP ContinuedThis low profile, easy to build, neighborhood friendlysolar hot air collector is only 13 inches high by 24 feetMusic! I was in a rock band at the end of high school and college.I was also in a Celtic band later. Members of our group have alsogotten together since then to write and record some originalI'm a fitness enthusiast (or at least I'm tryingto be)I've been an avid Baltimore Raven'sfan before they won the Superbowl the firsttime!Gardening! We have quite a few gardens around our houseand we are in the process of transforming the half acre ofwoods behind us into a woodland garden!Astronomy, and astrophotography in particular! Juststarted in 2007 and currently using a Celestron C11on a German Equatorial mount.Thanks for taking the time to learn a little moreabout me.73 (best regards), Scott - N3FJPAgain I wanted to thank Scott and his family forletting us share with the Dipoles USA group. We’llhave more from N3FJP in future Newsletters.Please check out the N3FJP website for an All inOne solution to your Amateur Radio Logging needs.We would not suggested it if I didn’t love the software and five star Tech Support. Mike N1YKHKimberly and I took this picture (a series of stackedimages) from our driveway in May, 2008 of M51, theWhirlpool galaxy.N3FJP's Amateur Radio SoftwareVOLUME ONE ISSUE ONEPAGE FIVE

DIPOLESUSA MONTHLYBenefits ofWinlinkDo you have one of those new rigs with a builtin sound card? An old TNC? How about an external sound card like a Signallink? If so, Do youuse it? May I suggest Winlink? The software isfree, easy to setup, and is great to send email ifyou internet goes out.The scenario could be you’re region has beenhit by a natural disaster. Normal lines of communications are down and you need to notifysomeone outside the outage area of your wellbeing or worst, you’re in need of help. Now, Ifyou have previous set up Winlink, you have theability to connect , over the air, to a Winlinkserver and send that email. It’s Simple and free.Send me an email when you’re up and runningat N1YKH@Winlink.org and make sure to put//WL2K in the subject line to be whitelisted.Donations are welcome.LeftWinlink Allowsyour Packet Station to become alifeline for Boatersin distress.VOLUME ONE ISSUE ONEPacket Station at the K1YKH and N1YKH QTH. This stationsits on one of the local node frequency used by Connecticut ARES 24/7/365. A simple change of frequency and software and we can send emails without the localInternet Service Provider.The Winlink setup is straight forwardbut takes a few steps. Once you receive your verification, you’re readyfor the operational stage. The information on Page 7 was copied fromMy Account Winlink Global RadioEmailGood Luck and have fun.PAGE TWO