tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4168719459390078962024-03-19T11:58:49.480-04:00Stray VoltageUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger24125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-416871945939007896.post-73018296862424865082023-08-12T16:52:00.001-04:002023-08-12T16:52:16.622-04:00Pitcher Mountain (W1/HA-152)...Picture Perfect<p>This summit might as well be a drive up. About 0.45 mi climb. About 10-15 min tops. Fire tower not open at the top, but you can ascend to get a descent view of Monadnock and Sunapee. Didn't want to hang my antenna from the tower--didn't want to get caught up in all the other J-poles and dishes hanging off the fire tower. Used my (compromise) AX-1 instead. Only occasional QRM operating and a bit slow going based on condx.</p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEip9wTVoaYVOFeQ7e9SA3lOhbsE4nrkYqp1qgqfXMIupBzG0w3UF_VjVkfbc1NGwQ8GwfmBAq6FLYupKzPGiJxsVeNdtPjnUP_sng7kBXehNIyc6vdQYx3LqkfQ4qXrsGIFCpkzx3wP5SGeGNa0xTekkemzyL54h_XoL3XUqaxNXe5EVJTvbHVag9hTCGk/s2048/1-APC_1336.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1365" data-original-width="2048" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEip9wTVoaYVOFeQ7e9SA3lOhbsE4nrkYqp1qgqfXMIupBzG0w3UF_VjVkfbc1NGwQ8GwfmBAq6FLYupKzPGiJxsVeNdtPjnUP_sng7kBXehNIyc6vdQYx3LqkfQ4qXrsGIFCpkzx3wP5SGeGNa0xTekkemzyL54h_XoL3XUqaxNXe5EVJTvbHVag9hTCGk/s320/1-APC_1336.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDavuAnQbtrgS9yjDxjqAuNVCdYSkFegDVqsMbkeDQCo5S5heQb8hL3HyT_nz9qqhs3JaUThyL6pIs0-OftPga0kiR4X7ikhWFrCDwG79EzMSNoia05O0e0JEtpbEXFtgUhgxVA5HOF4eUtDqHr0u1QgPOStxIaAaNTVwQSiUdj8ByVVaSvCuC-VVt_Ok/s2048/2-IMG_1184.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDavuAnQbtrgS9yjDxjqAuNVCdYSkFegDVqsMbkeDQCo5S5heQb8hL3HyT_nz9qqhs3JaUThyL6pIs0-OftPga0kiR4X7ikhWFrCDwG79EzMSNoia05O0e0JEtpbEXFtgUhgxVA5HOF4eUtDqHr0u1QgPOStxIaAaNTVwQSiUdj8ByVVaSvCuC-VVt_Ok/s320/2-IMG_1184.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIOPWCwH4bPfQqbHg9tgKogOHGivpsyWPLdQgBN3tMC3hPjxQMu42_aglLu68rksMDs6qR9953CVnSU2_6KitZhhx_15LkD3zHYG9Yxa48UeZWcmb7Wx8IVB0Zhg-3zYnax-aIjssY_J6g94PlRPwFA2S_-DtU6NjZYzQ9z45czwqFXrE1vQhfTt-eTLM/s2048/3-IMG_1183.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIOPWCwH4bPfQqbHg9tgKogOHGivpsyWPLdQgBN3tMC3hPjxQMu42_aglLu68rksMDs6qR9953CVnSU2_6KitZhhx_15LkD3zHYG9Yxa48UeZWcmb7Wx8IVB0Zhg-3zYnax-aIjssY_J6g94PlRPwFA2S_-DtU6NjZYzQ9z45czwqFXrE1vQhfTt-eTLM/s320/3-IMG_1183.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHX38rYmV_wuq6LynPB_rjBgzXZZE9fUnklssPtHi57rTwgIpDuzhALnJNkglxSCrBtB96Yn0FLoOLusWIS-GezpCOX6Vrb9SHQb_21MwDdsVaau-iwtKVHRzRpMsvEoiGLWqbFXqLXRw1o4L_4yOp5FUAnM3JIMFREa4qZdu__0GBQ-jGks0bcONo4GQ/s2048/4-IMG_1182.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHX38rYmV_wuq6LynPB_rjBgzXZZE9fUnklssPtHi57rTwgIpDuzhALnJNkglxSCrBtB96Yn0FLoOLusWIS-GezpCOX6Vrb9SHQb_21MwDdsVaau-iwtKVHRzRpMsvEoiGLWqbFXqLXRw1o4L_4yOp5FUAnM3JIMFREa4qZdu__0GBQ-jGks0bcONo4GQ/s320/4-IMG_1182.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Monadnock in the distance</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p><br /></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-416871945939007896.post-52508782505059913012023-08-12T07:06:00.001-04:002023-08-12T07:06:35.699-04:00Update on Access to Dakin Hill (W1/HA-212)11 Aug 2023<br /><br /><br />Heavy June/July rains have taken a toll on access via <a href="https://www.msgtc.org/" target="_blank">Monadnock-Sunapee Greenway Trail</a>! Access <a href="https://longgreentunnel.blogspot.com/2021/12/w1ha-212-dakin-hill.html" target="_blank">described by AA6XA (KB1KXL) </a>from the Rt 9 parking lot via walkway/culvert running under Rte 9 is unavailable due to washouts. Yes, one can scurry across the road, but considerable care is required.<br /><br />There were also considerable washouts on the trail itself. I saw a young man sweating out trying to free his 4-wheeler on my ascent. Even his dad with a 4x4 pickup was having challenges extracting him from the ruts. Fortunately, I didn't see them on my descent. I assume they figured it out.<div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtekp-FvcVOj6j2jVNAb58iPUeats1QNbecGlvVtfVlLd8yraE4jmlW0PIhBY3kRKzFdlK_D2r6f69gPgaPkksaKw1LXjxYv4zVcpxvNq8YMrp85R_zebtno2j_b8OxSxeD_TDHWKQbbd255sssKAZtoGDLQTQRNNH1v7Km_VN_IV8DgH6kB4FrRIoVOI/s2048/1-IMG_1165.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtekp-FvcVOj6j2jVNAb58iPUeats1QNbecGlvVtfVlLd8yraE4jmlW0PIhBY3kRKzFdlK_D2r6f69gPgaPkksaKw1LXjxYv4zVcpxvNq8YMrp85R_zebtno2j_b8OxSxeD_TDHWKQbbd255sssKAZtoGDLQTQRNNH1v7Km_VN_IV8DgH6kB4FrRIoVOI/s320/1-IMG_1165.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Washouts on the trail</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiA3Kz14-0Nak50dKlQlgv0pdFDG6X_e29tP3SJUHMKYRVLfXvC39uaRYObul7zr_PW8NyjcNDtb-sZDnYCFt8DJfQs7LTUtdKjwnnyaIPLNdC7He-mDroENCBAj65PCwLXVkkWCtyN7UGNL1S9yLMgRZ0BvuH2_lX8bVlClxIoqZj2faQH-rWYU5hveBg/s2048/2-IMG_1164.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiA3Kz14-0Nak50dKlQlgv0pdFDG6X_e29tP3SJUHMKYRVLfXvC39uaRYObul7zr_PW8NyjcNDtb-sZDnYCFt8DJfQs7LTUtdKjwnnyaIPLNdC7He-mDroENCBAj65PCwLXVkkWCtyN7UGNL1S9yLMgRZ0BvuH2_lX8bVlClxIoqZj2faQH-rWYU5hveBg/s320/2-IMG_1164.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">More washouts...</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div>While some areas to the right and left of the trail were posted, there was no sign on restrictions when I started bushwhacking to the summit. I set my compass to ~320 deg mag and started moving up the shoulder of the hill. Lots of scrub brush, but trekking poles and a good spray of Permethrin that morning helped navigate up and down the summit...tick free.</div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvRjoWVZEqEJy6jzMOV2CRPNkXKOL7ziUxvbfsAfMyQruJPm27VB64uIc0EbjBa2_AcBxsagKEKGyw1vnteGCtYSABVnOPGjTx0lzOsGfZxz1Ptf3DW84XqRA_WOOK-Kw4QbCMqFobs7gt2-3Vwyg37LcKG31y-y7XmxCHrtJZFkJ6RjGtUefoCIvk_XY/s2048/5-IMG_1156.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvRjoWVZEqEJy6jzMOV2CRPNkXKOL7ziUxvbfsAfMyQruJPm27VB64uIc0EbjBa2_AcBxsagKEKGyw1vnteGCtYSABVnOPGjTx0lzOsGfZxz1Ptf3DW84XqRA_WOOK-Kw4QbCMqFobs7gt2-3Vwyg37LcKG31y-y7XmxCHrtJZFkJ6RjGtUefoCIvk_XY/s320/5-IMG_1156.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">No view, but nice respite.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div>No real view, but a nice respite. Tough time making contacts. Two on 20M, none on 40M, and two on 2M FM. That's the risk of a weekday activation.</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2aZPUdWIFxrrwch3-2nzCmaIm6yHxRoLfTOHvfLmMr19w8L-AWuQ-Yqn-hM3EU1q7RuR3mhIbQTGLcnklW69FncVCe691dMUbLjj1S-PsEPJm8ZJM2llM8XRUSorPSL8y_qptckVH2zMQ5SyiUIUxO347rD1pOVClfjE9DUZNJ74QD53EFOKWlklvkxg/s2048/3-IMG_1162_jpg.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2aZPUdWIFxrrwch3-2nzCmaIm6yHxRoLfTOHvfLmMr19w8L-AWuQ-Yqn-hM3EU1q7RuR3mhIbQTGLcnklW69FncVCe691dMUbLjj1S-PsEPJm8ZJM2llM8XRUSorPSL8y_qptckVH2zMQ5SyiUIUxO347rD1pOVClfjE9DUZNJ74QD53EFOKWlklvkxg/s320/3-IMG_1162_jpg.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAwjodaV5Hgs6GUu6EHsbVS7u4vNNVmAj-x7m1hLXz4LOY2jWd05FOPFARnBkFKBupeTEnqYgtkX2lNkbpxCaZzr9GDfjGEgY_SsH0WFlDZsR8zROXhGGJGtK4wUzSynAt_1H-4kWo_h96fsNUms5B5jD7kpiGDNQQhMhVeDsG0CMSI-yx5H3YnevxVWA/s2048/4-IMG_1161.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1636" data-original-width="2048" height="256" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAwjodaV5Hgs6GUu6EHsbVS7u4vNNVmAj-x7m1hLXz4LOY2jWd05FOPFARnBkFKBupeTEnqYgtkX2lNkbpxCaZzr9GDfjGEgY_SsH0WFlDZsR8zROXhGGJGtK4wUzSynAt_1H-4kWo_h96fsNUms5B5jD7kpiGDNQQhMhVeDsG0CMSI-yx5H3YnevxVWA/s320/4-IMG_1161.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div><br /></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-416871945939007896.post-28594530262379487502022-02-08T15:57:00.004-05:002022-02-08T15:58:51.697-05:00Simple Bluetooth Speaker for the Bench<p> Cobbled this together out of some interesting off-the-shelf components:</p><p></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><a href="https://www.ebay.com/itm/193176587297?ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT&_trksid=p2060353.m2749.l2649" target="_blank">USB Audio Bluetooth dongle</a> ($5)</li><li><a href="https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07YSFW5LW?ref=ppx_yo2_dt_b_product_details&th=1" target="_blank">30Wx2 Audio Module Class D Digital Power Amplifier Board </a> $5</li><li>LM7805 voltage regulator with some caps (I used two 0.1 uF caps)</li><li>10k potentiometer</li></ul><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyctQ_8Oy4UBD4D6pmWMnc14FNKlrP44u1nYNbLhYjG9VnxhrWSJZ9iGeGZtwx6TG32O5MwhL558aB9T0Ujy-PhZM9_wpjxbFxYeoD-YRdAdY0uKSeW8-h9uV8nctVV2mO8Mf-KKkyT4Rgoildj_Evt2CG5tVtw2M-6ziUYHAKG62ydvKkrcl0teMu/s1280/Bluetooth Amp.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="1280" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyctQ_8Oy4UBD4D6pmWMnc14FNKlrP44u1nYNbLhYjG9VnxhrWSJZ9iGeGZtwx6TG32O5MwhL558aB9T0Ujy-PhZM9_wpjxbFxYeoD-YRdAdY0uKSeW8-h9uV8nctVV2mO8Mf-KKkyT4Rgoildj_Evt2CG5tVtw2M-6ziUYHAKG62ydvKkrcl0teMu/w400-h225/Bluetooth Amp.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Assembled this on a 1-1/2" x 2-1/2" PC board. Grounded the components to the board with solder braid. Used an old speaker from a boombox that I garbage picked. Solder blobs left on the board for effect. I'll reduce the length of all the wires and then probably mount this in a wooden cigar box as an enclosure.</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/eHw1v9GxcnI" width="320" youtube-src-id="eHw1v9GxcnI"></iframe></div><br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-416871945939007896.post-17194218488433429912021-12-22T17:45:00.006-05:002021-12-24T10:25:50.998-05:00Simple Guitar AmplifierIn the world of "If you know things, you can do things," I present to you a simple guitar amplifier.
Use case for this project was born out of my daughter's (KK4ECV) return home from college. While she has a small amp in her barracks room, she wanted a portable version for the road.
We toyed with several ideas and designs in the weeks before her return. I wanted to put everything in a small project box. But that size only accommodated a small 8 ohm project speaker. Didn't sound too impressive. Around that time I had recalled an earlier trip to <a href="https://www.totalwine.com/store-info/virginia-chantilly/201" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Total Wine</a>. They have a walk-in humidor...a feature of which are empty cigar boxes for take away of a handful of cigars. I grabbed several of the wood boxes for this and future projects.
<div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEi4V9tPqWaUkNxMv8jRHLe7EZQXZZfdE8IsJ4KCgM0UfTG7TojQ0-9uJQNgVLxCoNJs3B_hD73r2e0jQHQggor9s6Q6YDFVSxw25BTfMZ7iCeiodma1j1GbL9Nz6I8ccuk3stDZhLJ2tZ6w16TlqsewgTswsfE97d0p5YEGliGH5sTTDBca-ZGfhI-E=s2048" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEi4V9tPqWaUkNxMv8jRHLe7EZQXZZfdE8IsJ4KCgM0UfTG7TojQ0-9uJQNgVLxCoNJs3B_hD73r2e0jQHQggor9s6Q6YDFVSxw25BTfMZ7iCeiodma1j1GbL9Nz6I8ccuk3stDZhLJ2tZ6w16TlqsewgTswsfE97d0p5YEGliGH5sTTDBca-ZGfhI-E=s320" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="text-align: left;">The</span><a href="https://vintagemusictech.blogspot.com/2019/05/make-mini-amp-for-guitar-lm386-chip.html" rel="nofollow" style="text-align: left;" target="_blank"> amp circuit is a simple LM386</a><span style="text-align: left;">. I used film caps as they are purported to provide better audio fidelity. I don't know if that's true, but they're the only parts I bought. The rest of the bits in pieces were in my parts boxes. </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: left;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgi7qC7b74G_nds_XMNOFWhlXwxm6-K2JnAp6iKH5J5fyhp-QC3l-cXPiBMvP3D4BqZBeY01a_4lxm5iMREWHLqKexR-Za7GUA-Icn51_lyYjj7th9udornKrJdee0eRa8GfpLrDaA2BETSmiKpA4MnyLrd74EvH10DXiXmIqjQR_0b87kiWTZonCeh=s2048" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgi7qC7b74G_nds_XMNOFWhlXwxm6-K2JnAp6iKH5J5fyhp-QC3l-cXPiBMvP3D4BqZBeY01a_4lxm5iMREWHLqKexR-Za7GUA-Icn51_lyYjj7th9udornKrJdee0eRa8GfpLrDaA2BETSmiKpA4MnyLrd74EvH10DXiXmIqjQR_0b87kiWTZonCeh=s320" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgy3Q-nfJ6zclLd_DkIVEI537HpVkeWhC_inBDkGlNFjXnCDtrYPa16Yh3KDCoo5ORjALr2SGAngrAUIEOlG8_vIayF-xbClxta-z2kSy8BRX0h2NmbUsroXYgAvcem8rigYY171OMpRl4YX7MnZcNYOnHlW3D9vXCgjcALbkLv3RIiHgHBfaMWhjaH=s2048" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgy3Q-nfJ6zclLd_DkIVEI537HpVkeWhC_inBDkGlNFjXnCDtrYPa16Yh3KDCoo5ORjALr2SGAngrAUIEOlG8_vIayF-xbClxta-z2kSy8BRX0h2NmbUsroXYgAvcem8rigYY171OMpRl4YX7MnZcNYOnHlW3D9vXCgjcALbkLv3RIiHgHBfaMWhjaH=s320" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div>I etched the board. My daughter soldered all but the LM386. While we both wanted a smaller form factor, both of us felt that a single 32 ohm speaker I took from a garbage picked boombox sounded the best. We opted to forgo a variable pot as the only one in the parts bin was not sufficiently linear.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/8_uN1-fvikU" width="320" youtube-src-id="8_uN1-fvikU"></iframe></div><br /><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-416871945939007896.post-43886792710321704472021-12-04T16:19:00.002-05:002021-12-04T16:19:38.270-05:007 Summits--One Day in December<p> <a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://storymaps.arcgis.com/stories/c9ff4a13eca24b37bc9dcda0d2dce989&source=gmail&ust=1638731171440000&usg=AOvVaw1s5TSj815ZWnL7nZLEvitn" href="https://storymaps.arcgis.com/stories/c9ff4a13eca24b37bc9dcda0d2dce989" style="background-color: white; color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;" target="_blank">https://storymaps.arcgis.com/<wbr></wbr>stories/<wbr></wbr>c9ff4a13eca24b37bc9dcda0d2dce9<wbr></wbr>89</a></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-416871945939007896.post-48336349600824032322021-11-29T09:29:00.007-05:002021-11-29T09:29:50.309-05:00Not Radio: Remote Monitoring<h2 style="text-align: left;"><ol style="text-align: left;"><li>Use Case</li></ol></h2><p>I'm in the process of closing on a small cabin/cottage up in NH. My use case/requirement is to build inexpensive system to monitor the site/structure when I'm out of town. Of note, the system must be:</p><p></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>Inexpensive ($15-25) and make use of as many parts on hand as possible</li><li>Capture video and other telemetry (temp)</li><li>Able to push data remote, as in beyond the local network</li><li>Operate off cell data or WiFi (understanding that cell data will be difficult if pushing video)</li><li>Relatively easy to configure</li></ul><h2 style="text-align: left;">Engineering Steps</h2><div>After some initial tinkering and prototyping, I figured I'd adopt the following approach:</div><p></p><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHYIoRNnyYkyc6MPxS5TzuBbB1lvwtY97bJOo1-b1_DUI8MMFKwIcRX4v1VazdX9Nbf9mgoVmJvDkeXrNinluXYt7kUxTx6ipemsjt4dl4PSnSAFdiCAWh-gdz9KpbV4pZ312M9NeD7Q4/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="665" data-original-width="987" height="216" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHYIoRNnyYkyc6MPxS5TzuBbB1lvwtY97bJOo1-b1_DUI8MMFKwIcRX4v1VazdX9Nbf9mgoVmJvDkeXrNinluXYt7kUxTx6ipemsjt4dl4PSnSAFdiCAWh-gdz9KpbV4pZ312M9NeD7Q4/" width="320" /></a></div><h2 style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Let's Build</h2><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><h4 style="text-align: left;">1. Build prototype and determine board type. </h4>First step is always research. I spent hours considering board types (Arduino, Particle, Raspberry Pi) since I have examples of all of these. I eliminated Arduino early in the game as that solution required additional boards for communications, namely WiFi. My Photon Particle boards came in second. They are about 5+ years old and required some work but they might make due for the telemetry portion of the project. They do not, however, have sufficient processing power to handle video. This left me with the Raspberry Pi. I have several running around the house: Build-A-Pi for Winlink, another for <a href="https://github.com/projecthorus/radiosonde_auto_rx" target="_blank">tracking </a><a href="https://www.weather.gov/upperair/factsheet" target="_blank">radiosondes </a>launched out of IAD, and another running 24/7 as a <a href="https://flightaware.com/adsb/piaware/" target="_blank">FightAware PiAware device</a>. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Now, I looked at potentially repurposing the radiosondes receiver since that use is periodic. [Note, I wanted to use this as a project to not only<a href="https://www.facebook.com/JackHaefner/posts/3755483144463820" target="_blank"> track sondes</a>, but estimate path and retrieve the sondes that might land on terra firma. Still haven't been able to get to this.] There is a Raspberry Pi image specifically devoted to home automation. I burned the <a href="https://www.home-assistant.io/installation/raspberrypi/" target="_blank">Home Assistant</a> image several times but could not get it running.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Instead I bought two <a href="https://www.raspberrypi.com/products/raspberry-pi-zero-2-w/" target="_blank">Raspberry Pi Zero 2W's</a>. These were, by far, the easiest to configure with the most avail code examples that I could borrow. Plus, the form factor was right on the money.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijZMpIlkLtYAltxbIjb1smUkM7HoEOOkCF7IbZxTZKKJGK7PsiWvg9TszDjkTu0WqgyM1mlhcT4FU060X_OEZQABkd9B4AQFovI7KTccy-h3DbGqqYNfELWaHwmNTKrkFJlq2sTdUpeiU/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="1279" data-original-width="2048" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijZMpIlkLtYAltxbIjb1smUkM7HoEOOkCF7IbZxTZKKJGK7PsiWvg9TszDjkTu0WqgyM1mlhcT4FU060X_OEZQABkd9B4AQFovI7KTccy-h3DbGqqYNfELWaHwmNTKrkFJlq2sTdUpeiU/" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Raspberry Pi Zero 2W</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><h4 style="text-align: left;">2. Build video capture app on one board. Test.</h4>I reviewed and tested several applications and images. The most promising, <a href="https://www.blogger.com/#">ContaCam</a> seemed only to work with Windows and/or full Linux images.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">I then tested Motion using several platforms. Motion is installed with the latest RPi images, so the codebase is well adopted and stable. Since I like to operate my devices headless (that is, without installing a monitor and keyboard, but instead remoting into the device), I configured this capability first. Here's <a href="https://desertbot.io/blog/setup-pi-zero-w-headless-wifi" target="_blank">a quick tutorial</a>. I then installed/configured Motion NOT as in image, but the program itself (I never could get the slimed down MotionEye OS image to install and work correctly.) </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">After <a href="https://github.com/Motion-Project/motion" target="_blank">installing</a> and <a href="https://www.instructables.com/How-to-Make-Raspberry-Pi-Webcam-Server-and-Stream-/" target="_blank">configuring the motion.conf</a> files, I plugged in an old USB webcam and was off to the races. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiOqeb4UrTXKjLnhrhoHhKYh33OpgsDcctXHfvspzuClHMUMZZtpIAnaAst86TdeX-CEhZECkvwRUxEsb2a18FBULhzGLm-V7UklaM9dUFqBOFup0He_y8VV9Tr2B1HV-DNrZxrTv9HqE/" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" data-original-height="723" data-original-width="1135" height="204" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiOqeb4UrTXKjLnhrhoHhKYh33OpgsDcctXHfvspzuClHMUMZZtpIAnaAst86TdeX-CEhZECkvwRUxEsb2a18FBULhzGLm-V7UklaM9dUFqBOFup0He_y8VV9Tr2B1HV-DNrZxrTv9HqE/" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Camera Livestream</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Once everything was running to my satisfaction, I <a href="https://programmaticponderings.com/2013/01/01/remote-motion-activated-web-based-video-surveillance-with-raspberry-pi/" target="_blank">turned on port forwarding on my router </a>so that I could see the livestream from anywhere with a connection.<br /><h3 data-en-clipboard="true" data-pm-slice="1 1 []">3. Build telemetry (temp, humidity) using DHT22 (b/c I have several)</h3>My next requirement was to build something that would allow remote environmental monitoring. I have built several weather stations for the backyard, but I could never solve the power problem (operate off a battery, recharge with a solar cell. Once the temps dropped below 40F, forget about it.) Those stations were based on the DHT11 and its DHT22 cousin sensor. Only three terminals used: +3v3, GND, and Data. Data terminal uses a 10k pull up resistor.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiphQ0vBOnI8yGFXFs7ETcyKtrXrgRBegu5lJzl7E_eChxWexvD_4UhmW7Lp7fqbG0-XH1zVGqrKlLFtomSApLRhTjtqj41SdEzMOndwBZ1bxGdOZrXrb87M5ah_Pce-mYDPgu6FI9xDs0/" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" data-original-height="465" data-original-width="330" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiphQ0vBOnI8yGFXFs7ETcyKtrXrgRBegu5lJzl7E_eChxWexvD_4UhmW7Lp7fqbG0-XH1zVGqrKlLFtomSApLRhTjtqj41SdEzMOndwBZ1bxGdOZrXrb87M5ah_Pce-mYDPgu6FI9xDs0/" width="170" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">DHT11, abt $5</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">In the past, I've used Thingspeak as my data repository. While several IOT repositories have gone by the wayside in the 5-6 yrs since I've messed with this stuff, Thingspeak/Mathlab is still in the business. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">After some research, I settled on using the <a href="https://pypi.org/project/thingspeak/" target="_blank">Thingspeak library</a>. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Some helpful tools:</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div data-en-clipboard="true" data-pm-slice="1 1 []"><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>GPIO Pinout Guide: <a href="https://pinout.xyz/pinout/3v3_power" rev="en_rl_none">https://pinout.xyz/pinout/3v3_power</a></li><li>DHT22: <a href="https://learn.adafruit.com/dht-humidity-sensing-on-raspberry-pi-with-gdocs-logging/python-setup" rev="en_rl_none">https://learn.adafruit.com/dht-humidity-sensing-on-raspberry-pi-with-gdocs-logging/python-setup</a></li><li>Thingspeak Integration: <a href="https://github.com/fmandal/dht22" rev="en_rl_none">https://github.com/fmandal/dht22</a></li></ul></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZlClgYJbcLegpykXqkGH9-8zoZUO1c707YIAAE1e52T3TZ7tY3JJvFfonHx8_WqG2EgrsnnwMTS-p3cGHaL5_Jr9cpVf6HPGcc99aciB6715JBX-mJatsUlOjO5FLxxVk3eqi35kN8D8/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="696" data-original-width="1057" height="211" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZlClgYJbcLegpykXqkGH9-8zoZUO1c707YIAAE1e52T3TZ7tY3JJvFfonHx8_WqG2EgrsnnwMTS-p3cGHaL5_Jr9cpVf6HPGcc99aciB6715JBX-mJatsUlOjO5FLxxVk3eqi35kN8D8/" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">I sifted through enormous amounts of complex code and finally settled on my adoption of an <a href="https://www.iotstarters.com/how-to-send-sensor-data-to-thingspeak-using-raspberry-pi/" target="_blank">IOT Starters version</a>: </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div data-codeblock="true" data-en-clipboard="true" data-pm-slice="2 1 []" style="border-radius: 4px; border: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.15); box-sizing: border-box; color: #333333; font-family: Monaco, Menlo, Consolas, "Courier New", monospace; font-size: 12px; padding: 8px;"><div data-plaintext="true" style="background-color: #fbfaf8;">import thingspeak</div><div data-plaintext="true" style="background-color: #fbfaf8;">import time</div><div data-plaintext="true" style="background-color: #fbfaf8;">import Adafruit_DHT</div><div data-plaintext="true" style="background-color: #fbfaf8;"><br /></div><div data-plaintext="true" style="background-color: #fbfaf8;">channel_id = 1577517 # put here the ID of the channel you created before</div><div data-plaintext="true"><span style="background-color: #fbfaf8;">write_key = '</span><span style="background-color: black;">LWX0MK4IX0RLBC94</span><span style="background-color: #fbfaf8;">' # update the "WRITE KEY"</span></div><div data-plaintext="true" style="background-color: #fbfaf8;"><br /></div><div data-plaintext="true" style="background-color: #fbfaf8;">pin = 3</div><div data-plaintext="true" style="background-color: #fbfaf8;">sensor = Adafruit_DHT.DHT22</div><div data-plaintext="true" style="background-color: #fbfaf8;"><br /></div><div data-plaintext="true" style="background-color: #fbfaf8;">def measure(channel):</div><div data-plaintext="true" style="background-color: #fbfaf8;"> try:</div><div data-plaintext="true" style="background-color: #fbfaf8;"> humidity, temperature = Adafruit_DHT.read_retry(sensor, pin)</div><div data-plaintext="true" style="background-color: #fbfaf8;"> tempF=(temperature * 1.8) + 32</div><div data-plaintext="true" style="background-color: #fbfaf8;"> if humidity is not None and temperature is not None:</div><div data-plaintext="true" style="background-color: #fbfaf8;"> print('Temperature = {0:0.1f}*C Humidity = {1:0.1f}%'.format(tempF, humidity))</div><div data-plaintext="true" style="background-color: #fbfaf8;"> else:</div><div data-plaintext="true" style="background-color: #fbfaf8;"> print('Did not receive any reading from sensor. Please check!')</div><div data-plaintext="true" style="background-color: #fbfaf8;"> # update the value</div><div data-plaintext="true" style="background-color: #fbfaf8;"> response = channel.update({'field1': tempF, 'field2': humidity})</div><div data-plaintext="true" style="background-color: #fbfaf8;"> except:</div><div data-plaintext="true" style="background-color: #fbfaf8;"> print("connection failure")</div><div data-plaintext="true" style="background-color: #fbfaf8;"><br /></div><div data-plaintext="true" style="background-color: #fbfaf8;">if __name__ == "__main__":</div><div data-plaintext="true" style="background-color: #fbfaf8;"> channel = thingspeak.Channel(id=channel_id, api_key=write_key)</div><div data-plaintext="true" style="background-color: #fbfaf8;"> while True:</div><div data-plaintext="true" style="background-color: #fbfaf8;"> measure(channel)</div><div data-plaintext="true" style="background-color: #fbfaf8;"> #free account has a limitation of 10 min (60 sec * 10 min) between the updates</div><div data-plaintext="true" style="background-color: #fbfaf8;"> time.sleep(600)</div></div><div><br /></div></div></div><h4 style="clear: both; text-align: left;">4. Combine both apps on a single board</h4><div>Since the telemetry development was freshest in my head, I decided to use the working Motion program and add telemetry on a single card. I then backed up the card as an image in case of crisis.</div><div><br /></div><div>The next very important step was to add some type of auto-starting. If the power blipped or went out, I would have no way remotely to restart programs. I tried several code samples, but settled on using .desktop files.</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Here are the basic instructions from <a href="https://learn.sparkfun.com/tutorials/how-to-run-a-raspberry-pi-program-on-startup/all">https://learn.sparkfun.com/tutorials/how-to-run-a-raspberry-pi-program-on-startup/all</a> ):<div><br /></div><div>Create a .desktop File </div><div>You do not need root-level access to modify your profile's (user's) autostart and .desktop files. In fact, it is recommended that you do <b>not </b>use sudo, as you may affect the permissions of the file (e.g. the file would be owned by root) and make them unable to be executed by autostart (which has user-level permissions).</div><div><br /></div><div>Open a terminal, and execute the following commands to create an <i>autostart </i>directory (if one does not already exist) and edit a .desktop file for our clock example:</div><div><br /></div><div data-codeblock="true" style="background-color: #fbfaf8; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; border-bottom-left-radius: 4px; border-bottom-right-radius: 4px; border-top-left-radius: 4px; border-top-right-radius: 4px; border: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.14902); box-sizing: border-box; color: #333333; font-family: Monaco, Menlo, Consolas, "Courier New", monospace; font-size: 12px; padding: 8px;"><div data-plaintext="true">mkdir /home/pi/.config/autostart</div><div data-plaintext="true">nano /home/pi/.config/autostart/clock.desktop</div></div><div>Copy in the following text into the <i>clock.desktop</i> ile. Feel free to change the <i>Name </i>and <i>Exec </i>variables to your particular application.</div><div><br /></div><div>motion.desktop:</div><div data-codeblock="true" style="background-color: #fbfaf8; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; border-bottom-left-radius: 4px; border-bottom-right-radius: 4px; border-top-left-radius: 4px; border-top-right-radius: 4px; border: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.14902); box-sizing: border-box; color: #333333; font-family: Monaco, Menlo, Consolas, "Courier New", monospace; font-size: 12px; padding: 8px;"><div data-plaintext="true">[Desktop Entry] </div><div data-plaintext="true">Type=Application </div><div data-plaintext="true">Name=Motion </div><div data-plaintext="true">Exec=sudo /bin/motion start</div></div><div><br /></div><div>thingspeak.desktop:</div><div data-codeblock="true" style="background-color: #fbfaf8; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; border-bottom-left-radius: 4px; border-bottom-right-radius: 4px; border-top-left-radius: 4px; border-top-right-radius: 4px; border: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.14902); box-sizing: border-box; color: #333333; font-family: Monaco, Menlo, Consolas, "Courier New", monospace; font-size: 12px; padding: 8px;"><div data-plaintext="true">[Desktop Entry]</div><div data-plaintext="true">Type=Application</div><div data-plaintext="true">Name=Thingspeak</div><div data-plaintext="true">Exec=/usr/bin/python3 /home/pi/DHT22_Thingspeak.py</div></div></div><h4 style="clear: both; text-align: left;">5. Add web hooks for iot triggers</h4><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">TBD<br /><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><h4 style="clear: both; text-align: left;">6. Harden system/prep for deployment</h4><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><div></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPT9Ubk4sVeTWm7_7u-0E0U1MM9GAVXX6Wp0v7G-lidw2UBR8VPuab1FSmfT-brzdlBwVHW1SS3VLLGDcaxc8yeByRsRABusWjYq8Hgu9lhasNRWryxa_XcR1uLAAzdsCOW5jmvwh56AU/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="574" data-original-width="1225" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPT9Ubk4sVeTWm7_7u-0E0U1MM9GAVXX6Wp0v7G-lidw2UBR8VPuab1FSmfT-brzdlBwVHW1SS3VLLGDcaxc8yeByRsRABusWjYq8Hgu9lhasNRWryxa_XcR1uLAAzdsCOW5jmvwh56AU/" width="320" /></a></div><br />TBD</div><br /><br /></div><div></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-416871945939007896.post-30532029726059418602021-11-08T07:18:00.001-05:002021-11-08T07:18:18.965-05:00Have To Post This: You Can Now Order Pizza With Morse Code<p>The intersection of gaming, Morse code, and...pizza: https://techround.co.uk/news/you-can-now-order-pizza-with-morse-code/</p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-416871945939007896.post-13360068171632651372021-10-20T14:12:00.005-04:002021-10-21T09:19:43.933-04:00Learning from the N6QW Direct Conversion Receiver Build<h2 style="text-align: left;"> <br />Background</h2>I started this project in August 2021 as a "next step" following the <a href="https://jackhaefner.blogspot.com/2021/06/pebble-crusher-40m-xmtr.html" target="_blank">40M Pebble Crusher</a> and <a href="https://jackhaefner.blogspot.com/2021/05/first-qso-with-ten-minute-transmitter.html" target="_blank">10 Minute Transmitter</a>. I needed to bridge the gap between building a transmitter and receiver with an ultimate goal of combining the two. As one would expect, this project, the N6QW DCR, helped me achieve "receiver" status; but more importantly, it provided me further experience in building. Such an experience consisted of building techniques, testing, and troubleshooting. Yes, I changed horses midstride several times regarding technique. This lengthened the project. But each evolution was well worth it in the end. <div><div><br /></div><div>Lastly, couldn't have done this without the help of several experienced builders. Credits at the end of this post.</div><div><br /></div><div>My build of the N6 QW Direct Conversion Receiver:</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/7QDw98P0s08" width="320" youtube-src-id="7QDw98P0s08"></iframe></div><br /><h2 style="text-align: left;">Audio Amplifier</h2>The AF amp was my first focus and first construction stage. Why? Well, Nick Tile (G8INE) and Tony Fishpool (G4WIF) <a href="http://www.fishpool.org.uk/N6QWDcRx/document1.pdf" target="_blank">recommended such in their notes</a>. I think Pete Juliano (N6QW) did the same.</div><div><br /></div><div>I built the AF amp first using perf board. I was very excited by the small footprint and such. But in the end, I could not get the stage to function. Most importantly, I found it <i>very difficult </i>to troubleshoot with the maze of connectors under the board. After seeing Paul Taylor (VK3HN) creating etched PCB boards by hand, I felt that I could definitely do the same. He takes a very simple approach that is easily duplicated. </div><div><br /></div><div>I found <a href="http://www.fishpool.org.uk/dcrx.htm" target="_blank">Tony Fishpool and Nick Tile's documentation</a> of Pete Juliano's receiver around the same time that I started etching. I essentially used Tony and Nick's Sprint files for my layout. No need to recreate the wheel. I made some modifications here and there (like adding a voltage regulator to the AF amp). Ultimately, they're designs were very easy to follow.<br /><br /><br /> </div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOFeIkulNLvrDoL0ICejpX8hHgCs7dDFE1uOW29kJcbOr1g-qLHLfiuPrHhd-DP6oHIB35pJvrRo3CKK_WH5XSpcBmRO_tVb77ZyLNAMgIBqBRdNpFhcyKwOf6L2NkZ9Kgf1MumGCW9k8/s2048/IMG_1575.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOFeIkulNLvrDoL0ICejpX8hHgCs7dDFE1uOW29kJcbOr1g-qLHLfiuPrHhd-DP6oHIB35pJvrRo3CKK_WH5XSpcBmRO_tVb77ZyLNAMgIBqBRdNpFhcyKwOf6L2NkZ9Kgf1MumGCW9k8/s320/IMG_1575.HEIC" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">AF Amplifier (Center)</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><h2 style="text-align: left;">Mixer</h2><div>The mixer stage was next. Wiring-wise, this was the mist complicated. I'm still a little surprised that I pulled this one off as I used a SMD version of the 1496 Double Balanced Mixer chip. Tiny is an understatement. Like Paul Taylor suggested, I placed the chip on the PCB and made a little tiny dot at each leg of the IC. I then used a very fine Sharpie to hand trace the circuit: </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSCJf-FpipecetOO_Uqo2Ct62MsgjgV7RwnkAqPBsmVleCGqIGi6B2A2p6bqf1wU7sPgNKetU4KBZqv-4lhUIeQRWl0h_eOh6RhrkUnvK4jASqlOGQA3wGhOboJCHtNi7PmiFB9VMcmWQ/s2048/IMG_1487_jpg.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSCJf-FpipecetOO_Uqo2Ct62MsgjgV7RwnkAqPBsmVleCGqIGi6B2A2p6bqf1wU7sPgNKetU4KBZqv-4lhUIeQRWl0h_eOh6RhrkUnvK4jASqlOGQA3wGhOboJCHtNi7PmiFB9VMcmWQ/s320/IMG_1487_jpg.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4cakpQBc2UJaLvhY15aiKkfBtCUTWAj1J6FNcaqXd4DMhekriMUQNd7eCKbqcQcU5W64NcbEzpf4chVffd0xBALPVEPr10c1Q7MtOVzWFsL9cDFjVrxliGw8UseJV-C6-i3HIfgc3T0M/s2048/IMG_1488.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4cakpQBc2UJaLvhY15aiKkfBtCUTWAj1J6FNcaqXd4DMhekriMUQNd7eCKbqcQcU5W64NcbEzpf4chVffd0xBALPVEPr10c1Q7MtOVzWFsL9cDFjVrxliGw8UseJV-C6-i3HIfgc3T0M/s320/IMG_1488.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuEbq4P9FnisTzuZF4r-32UGoyGwDXdVnMMj4koUxU5Yw0KXtWBd6YkjipC0aTdPCm9T7Rl1BTvxQZkOampE8cnAFiAylZaTU2CEG5ysCy9Et06oCjiGG6UfyoRXjHRGUV21Fynl6sa_4/s2048/IMG_1495_jpg.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuEbq4P9FnisTzuZF4r-32UGoyGwDXdVnMMj4koUxU5Yw0KXtWBd6YkjipC0aTdPCm9T7Rl1BTvxQZkOampE8cnAFiAylZaTU2CEG5ysCy9Et06oCjiGG6UfyoRXjHRGUV21Fynl6sa_4/s320/IMG_1495_jpg.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mixer Stage Almost Finished (checking off components using Nick & Tony's schematic)</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div><br /><h2 style="text-align: left;">RF Amplifier</h2><div>I finished the RF amplifier next. After the first few stages, the build started quickening. But I did run into two problems: how do I manage RF and power between the stages? I moved forward while contemplating this ultimately returning the the mixer and RF amp to add SMA connectors to the board. This required a little "manual" etching of the board, but it made for a clean setup.</div><div><br /></div><div>Regarding power, I used header pins for the +12v power; ground is provided by a really big ground plan on each PCB board and two large boards connected by solder wick. And each stage is attached to the larger PCBs using solder wick. This idea is from Charlie Morris' (ZL2CTM) presentation at the 2021 GQRP convention.</div><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlRtjH-RTdvx-OpQv4-ONyb4o8lmTgkYzj3x7_V0ikqCrFHq4YCGhA_2UFTTJ0-rSs9DimPsMQ6JP-lqFqxvsXphQMyAp0F6vGIPv8G5m7SyKozNs1HTKddBTTW4OegmJGOe4RITBFPZc/s2048/IMG_1509.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlRtjH-RTdvx-OpQv4-ONyb4o8lmTgkYzj3x7_V0ikqCrFHq4YCGhA_2UFTTJ0-rSs9DimPsMQ6JP-lqFqxvsXphQMyAp0F6vGIPv8G5m7SyKozNs1HTKddBTTW4OegmJGOe4RITBFPZc/s320/IMG_1509.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">RF Amp Etching</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihrZQpcRrHDnWaV3enI7RTV9PZ7cNW4W1JuzgqDJWa8sU5CbZ8UYXwTKGR_q-GdNTDVt6FLcNn9FSJQ1-xM-MQEUavkcj1f8xGwvmYvFD5cAWyNONwwHi50-wEGzTCe4wBvAewqukwWA0/s2048/IMG_1553.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1535" data-original-width="2048" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihrZQpcRrHDnWaV3enI7RTV9PZ7cNW4W1JuzgqDJWa8sU5CbZ8UYXwTKGR_q-GdNTDVt6FLcNn9FSJQ1-xM-MQEUavkcj1f8xGwvmYvFD5cAWyNONwwHi50-wEGzTCe4wBvAewqukwWA0/s320/IMG_1553.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">RF Amp Finished</td></tr></tbody></table><br /> </div><div><h2 style="text-align: left;">VFO</h2><div>Not without some frustrations, the VFO was a satisfying build: there's just something about lights and digits showing. I attempted to press an old Arduino Uno and I2C backpack into use. I never learned why and what didn't work with that combo. Instead I bought a few Arduino Nanos and several 16x2 LCDs. Based on the pins on the Ardunio and Si5351, I installed several headers on some perf board. It was just easier for working with the pins. I also had some strange stuff going on with the encoder that I solved by both 1) mounting on a board and 2) properly soldering the connections.</div><br /><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg80_z9y2shtuXW13Q8FqnGzJ4BVffnnghNdO0Ele1a4eLzZUqffEBGJmfyOiT9qpeANOOcKAfq5uFg4HOYSCJscF0QvDv12WoYS_MvMi2GwnYmhn-98Ffe0YqoKUQM0QzaouxTyJXijl0/s2048/IMG_1629.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg80_z9y2shtuXW13Q8FqnGzJ4BVffnnghNdO0Ele1a4eLzZUqffEBGJmfyOiT9qpeANOOcKAfq5uFg4HOYSCJscF0QvDv12WoYS_MvMi2GwnYmhn-98Ffe0YqoKUQM0QzaouxTyJXijl0/s320/IMG_1629.HEIC" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">VFO Construction</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><h2 style="text-align: left;">Band Pass Filter</h2></div><div>Probably the most unsexy portion of the build, but arguably pretty important. (Spoiler alert: I got the entire rig going, but had this really loud squeal with limited receive. At Pete's suggestion, I found this was a misaligned BPF blocking the receive and cranking up the AF gain.)</div><div><br /></div><div>I built the BPF using the number of windings on for the appropriate toroid. I also ganged the caps to get me as close as possible to the value Pete gives in <a href="https://www.n6qw.com/Images/Simple%20SSB/Band%20Pass%20Filter.jpg" target="_blank">his design</a>. I <i>assumed </i>that it worked having no decent way to text it. To be sure, I have a NanoNVA, but adjusting the screen was so darn hard to use. At the suggestion of Tony Fishpool or Nick Tile (I can't remember who), I used <b><a href="https://github.com/NanoVNA-Saver/nanovna-saver/releases" target="_blank">NanoVNA Saver </a></b>vs. fooling with the NanoVNA proper. Found this to be an incredible advancement. </div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>Here's what the old BPF looked like:</div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxFNzJkhoOWuvOgCRhmOY-90T9rTWtm1DU9LvD3273XI6BZuvW2RJRHoAIVUK8zAww1eJ0MP-_rWszLkc9z3mOJVyU9TsQop_iKtRVVwOt5gTXww43HVuSAgK9lpSpFvphOO4-AGBjQmg/s2048/IMG_1583.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxFNzJkhoOWuvOgCRhmOY-90T9rTWtm1DU9LvD3273XI6BZuvW2RJRHoAIVUK8zAww1eJ0MP-_rWszLkc9z3mOJVyU9TsQop_iKtRVVwOt5gTXww43HVuSAgK9lpSpFvphOO4-AGBjQmg/w400-h300/IMG_1583.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Old BPF peaking at about 6.2 MHz</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div>I confirmed this by bypassing the BPF and finding very little performance increase on receive. </div><div><br /></div><div>So I rebuilt the filter. I started with an extra winding on L1/L2 (24, I think, <a href="https://kitsandparts.com/xtoroids.html" target="_blank">which should give me about 2.8 uH</a>). I also removed a few caps and added on some variable caps of unknown range. Truth be told, I just don't trust my meter. Now, Dean Souleles (KK4DAS) suggested that I take a reading on the probes of the inductors and, since I cant tare that reading, account for it in my final read. This seemed to get a lot closer. And that might all be well and good. But I also did this which was both very satisfying and instructive:</div><div><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>I kept the BPF connected to NanoVNA Saver in a constant sweep from about 6 MHz-7.5 MHz</li><li>I removed windings, one at a time, and resoldered to the filter board</li><li>I monitored the screen and watched the peak move to the right at each change. I then adjusted the var caps to modify the skirts.</li><li>I end up removing about three windings (20 total which ought to give me 2.0 uH according to <a href="https://kitsandparts.com/xtoroids.html" target="_blank">the chart</a>). </li></ul></div><div>This was my final result--bam!:</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMjaVGQ6zGxOQcYCd_WGwNpq69kD7Q9r10TPqh61IXnJFU7kM1CQ84YqHSMnlXWDkDa1ztyEhSusDZeunIvamR9vqlDVz_GyWataP9YhPFLSgh2wef15s-0i61dbcx1CdnJ8bBiWSLW7c/s1890/BPF+%2528Second+Edition%2529+Results.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="982" data-original-width="1890" height="208" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMjaVGQ6zGxOQcYCd_WGwNpq69kD7Q9r10TPqh61IXnJFU7kM1CQ84YqHSMnlXWDkDa1ztyEhSusDZeunIvamR9vqlDVz_GyWataP9YhPFLSgh2wef15s-0i61dbcx1CdnJ8bBiWSLW7c/w400-h208/BPF+%2528Second+Edition%2529+Results.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div><br /></div><div>Here's a summary of my adjustments:</div><div><h1><o:p></o:p></h1>
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<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">Start<o:p></o:p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgS4iK0avgnQHh9CkZaOmu0eKvRzMhtMeTJP3aWYdAJ8xqrTukYD1ZD0g_byzPIp0qiu9FueIV0H2yFzzJhOn-grMg5XV3xSwVUWdaqaJXV-7C9N167oGFUHuM7Zf3CGndJguqy3g-eLvc/s1184/IMG_1575+%25281%2529.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="846" data-original-width="1184" height="229" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgS4iK0avgnQHh9CkZaOmu0eKvRzMhtMeTJP3aWYdAJ8xqrTukYD1ZD0g_byzPIp0qiu9FueIV0H2yFzzJhOn-grMg5XV3xSwVUWdaqaJXV-7C9N167oGFUHuM7Zf3CGndJguqy3g-eLvc/s320/IMG_1575+%25281%2529.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLyRTAj_CzykoD1NJWxbR8ymnJs5YfnJwKmO8yLLGcgQ6Pzz5w2upJp8SvpabQfGSWKrJWXI_pchcrm-V1OUZdXqmKKMeV4jjegYMGJMqQmsCAJu66qd-ix1iwKoj_EdDJ5B2PgpriCS8/s2048/IMG_1583.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="184" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLyRTAj_CzykoD1NJWxbR8ymnJs5YfnJwKmO8yLLGcgQ6Pzz5w2upJp8SvpabQfGSWKrJWXI_pchcrm-V1OUZdXqmKKMeV4jjegYMGJMqQmsCAJu66qd-ix1iwKoj_EdDJ5B2PgpriCS8/w245-h184/IMG_1583.jpg" width="245" /></a></td>
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<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">Redesign<o:p></o:p></p>
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<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 17.1pt; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; margin: 0in 0in 0in 17.1pt; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]-->Used T-50-2 (20 turns) vs. T-68-2 (20 turns,
2.28 uH)<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 17.1pt; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; margin: 0in 0in 0in 17.1pt; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]-->Fixed caps (10pF for the 7.5pF; 22pF + 47pF +
100pF ganged in the tank circuit)<o:p></o:p></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"></p><ul><li>Changed L1
and L2 to 22 turns then test/cut until peak was in center of 40m band</li><li>Replaced 10pf
cap with 5pf + 0-20 var cap.</li><li>Replaced 22
pF cap inn tank circuit with 0-20 var cap</li><li>Replaced the BNC connector with SMA connector</li></ul><o:p></o:p><p></p>
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<br /><h2 style="text-align: left;">Final Version</h2></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjs-qeaupC7EHMx2xrq9pLC-z5_TJHuxsFAXHoMypGs9cRjbLsqTIeqpkBR0xXv59rIYKLfjuyG6noGtvrNLH7UcGIdvUt7cwJMyLhcWw6P9SNZ-GxhKFTfqXH_XkofkML4Jtu6BLWAP4Y/s960/DCR.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="960" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjs-qeaupC7EHMx2xrq9pLC-z5_TJHuxsFAXHoMypGs9cRjbLsqTIeqpkBR0xXv59rIYKLfjuyG6noGtvrNLH7UcGIdvUt7cwJMyLhcWw6P9SNZ-GxhKFTfqXH_XkofkML4Jtu6BLWAP4Y/w640-h480/DCR.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div><br /><h2 style="text-align: left;">Troubleshooting/Evolutions/Lessons</h2> The astute reader will see that this blog's title is "<i>Learning from </i>the N6QW DCR." This was both my purpose of this build and my experience.</div><div><br /></div><div>After completing the build, these were my results which were "close, but no cigar" on SSB and CW:</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/pLLY0XSsO2o" width="320" youtube-src-id="pLLY0XSsO2o"></iframe></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/wRxcc3ndKto" width="320" youtube-src-id="wRxcc3ndKto"></iframe></div><br /><br /><div>The #1 key to fixing this: building by stages and via an al fresco/open design. Again, I used Nick and Tony's tips on troubleshooting (see <a href="http://www.fishpool.org.uk/N6QWDcRx/document2.pdf" target="_blank">document 2, Appendix, pg 12</a>). </div><div><br /></div>Given this noise (above), Pete Juliano suggested:<br /><br /><blockquote><ol style="text-align: left;"><li>Tune at 100 Hz. I spotted you tuning at 1 kHz and likely your Si5351 is not calibrated and so while you read 1 kHz – that is the command to the Si5351 – the response is OFF because of the calibration. You can tune in the stations better at 100Hz.</li><li>The sound quality may be improved by doing two things. The first is get a 100nF cap and solder it across the two outer terminals of the volume pot. Next get yourself one of those powered computer speaker systems and run the output through that.</li><li>The signals actually should be pounding in – what are you using for an antenna?</li><li>Is the BPF actually passing the 40M band. You might have to squeeze or expand the coil turns. See Bill’s Myth Buster Volume 17</li><li>Is the PNP Amp working?</li></ol></blockquote><div><br /><div>First, I fully detached the pot from the board. I was getting weird stuff going on as I pressed down on the pot, as if I had a bad physical and electrical connection. Now, watch what happened when I added a cap across the outer pot terminals:</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Xkk0OgqrjHg" width="320" youtube-src-id="Xkk0OgqrjHg"></iframe></div><div><br /></div><div>I tested the RF amp and the mixer--both were doing fine. </div><br /><div>Nick Tile suggested more fixes which I have yet to implement:</div><blockquote>The audio noise level only changes in the presence of a strong signal and it sounds to me like the processor working so you may have some noise on the power rails from the Arduino. I put noise filters on the supply lines, I think I used a 1mH choke in series with the line with 100nF to ground at each end on the positive rail into the processor board.<br /><br />Steve brought something up a few days ago, LM380s can oscillate if pin 6 is grounded, if that is happening, you’ll see it on the o/p if you scope it, and it could be a at a surprisingly high frequency, i decoupled the audio stages pretty heavily on mine and haven’t seen it but it might be a batch/manufacturer dependent issue.</blockquote><div><br /></div><div>To be sure, there's more that I can do and fiddle with to improve this via trial and error and tribal knowledge. Particularly, I'd like to see if there's a way to more tightly filter out a station that seems to be across all the frequencies within the band pass. Sounds like fun to me.</div><div><br /></div><div>Lastly, I'd like to give credit and special mention to those who contributed to this project, either knowingly or unknowingly:</div><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>Pete Juliano (N6QW)</li><li>Bill Meara (N2CQR)</li><li>Nick Tile (G8INE)</li><li>Tony Fishpool (G4WIF)</li><li>Paul Taylor (VK3HN)</li><li>Dean Souleles (KK4DAS)</li><li>Charlie Morris (ZL2CTM)</li></ul><div><br /></div></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-416871945939007896.post-68484626132480353912021-10-06T07:36:00.001-04:002021-10-06T07:39:04.754-04:00FMH Portable Operations Challenge Win!<h1 style="text-align: left;">FMH Portable Operations Challenge 2021, result</h1>The Portable Operations Challenge 2021 took place on September 4th and 5th and the overall winner showed what can be done from a great portable location and using very low power. With just six contacts and running at one-watt CW on twenty metres, Jack Haefner NG2E took out the top spot with a grand total of 615,924 points.<br /><br />His six contacts were from all around the US plus one that went all the way from his Hogback Mountain SOTA summit W4V/SH-007 in Virginia to French SOTA chaser Christian F4WBN near the French/Spanish border. All contacts took place within 32 minutes of operating, in session two of the contest.<br /><br />The most efficient contact measured in kilometres per watt used was that same Virginia - France contact with 6,340 kilometres per watt achieved.<br /><br />So, this year both the overall winner and the furthest km/watt contact title go to one person - Jack Haefner NG2E. WELL DONE Jack!<br /><br />The number of entrants was a little disappointing. There were only eighteen, far more had been hoped for in this, the second year, of the challenge.<br /><br />Of those entering however there were a wide variety of power levels and modes both from home and portable locations.<br /><br />Of the eighteen entrants, fifteen were from the US, two from Europe and one from Australia.<br /><br />Full results will be posted to the website in the next week.<br /><a href="https://foxmikehotel.com/challenge/">https://foxmikehotel.com/challenge/</a><br /><br />Ed DD5LP<br />OBO the FMH POC Steering Committee<div><br /></div>Citation: FMH Portable Operations Challenge 2021, result, 6 Oct 2021, <a href="http://www.southgatearc.org/news/2021/october/portable-operations-challenge-2021-result.htm">http://www.southgatearc.org/news/2021/october/portable-operations-challenge-2021-result.htm</a>, accessed 6 Oct 2021Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-416871945939007896.post-46363232836922758562021-10-04T10:51:00.001-04:002021-10-04T10:51:09.274-04:00Stony Man (W4V/SH-002, 4012 ft) SOTA Activation<p>Headed out first thing Saturday AM to catch a SOTA summit. The weather has been so nice here in Virginia--70s and clear--that I just couldn't pass up the opportunity.</p><p>I would've loved to operate from the overlook, but wires and other hikers on a rocky summit do not mix. I went back down the approach trail, hung my antenna, and was operational in 15 min. </p><p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlcWkbx7NqDjhHyWJJWdMRznEj63B1PmWrDQ0eovWBW9EGSwb_2aPWGEovq6zEz1IfOVxld3-D9MsfE7HWrFIerlIhY0C20BH3Pz4L8TMHWMoCmw9hKIdUs0E2MtcLBhmhzgamRnoygew/s2048/APC_0331.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlcWkbx7NqDjhHyWJJWdMRznEj63B1PmWrDQ0eovWBW9EGSwb_2aPWGEovq6zEz1IfOVxld3-D9MsfE7HWrFIerlIhY0C20BH3Pz4L8TMHWMoCmw9hKIdUs0E2MtcLBhmhzgamRnoygew/s320/APC_0331.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">View from Stony Man Summit</td></tr></tbody></table><br /></p><p>40M was pretty nice. Nothing but 559-599 there. I moved to 20M when calls fell off and grabbed Christophe in the French Pyrenees and two stations in Spain. One of those stations in Spain, <a href="https://www.qrz.com/db/EA2IF" target="_blank">EA2IF</a>, was 229, but I could make him out.</p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwG21QlJ94KbswDC3NaSf0V0nTB5cF284ataaJLgKITvsToDnKFVAEBp4fzEyuLL8LmucKCYrtTXDbrbLWfkGA4u3KwS5WWHEtAzHv-J2AmCJkwPCbSqMdSa3yEEh4ffsPXdHCKd-Uwsk/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="641" data-original-width="1759" height="117" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwG21QlJ94KbswDC3NaSf0V0nTB5cF284ataaJLgKITvsToDnKFVAEBp4fzEyuLL8LmucKCYrtTXDbrbLWfkGA4u3KwS5WWHEtAzHv-J2AmCJkwPCbSqMdSa3yEEh4ffsPXdHCKd-Uwsk/" width="320" /></a></div><p></p>Fifteen contacts in about 45 min to include 2 x S2S. I did, however, have a station that I just couldn't pull out. He kept on sending PASWG as his callsign. I definitely was missing a number, but it probably was a Dutch station. Couldn't log it as I couldn't verify the contact. Darn.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJ_1xoT3pR2QpRsaVMvbSd61HlYSyfb-NweBv6lSxlrZFNp70vxNZfBowQRse5nIgKwXZKccnaXQwgFy4DdWjmZNg_p5y9qw32JCbDURrrVj5jTRqfdRP4mZX1bVVCUaf9vxBrdnrqWmY/s1188/Capture.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="687" data-original-width="1188" height="185" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJ_1xoT3pR2QpRsaVMvbSd61HlYSyfb-NweBv6lSxlrZFNp70vxNZfBowQRse5nIgKwXZKccnaXQwgFy4DdWjmZNg_p5y9qw32JCbDURrrVj5jTRqfdRP4mZX1bVVCUaf9vxBrdnrqWmY/s320/Capture.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">QSO Map</td></tr></tbody></table><br /></div>Made my way back to the car and was home by 1:15 pm. <div><br /></div><div>One of my Summit-to-Summit (S2S) contacts was AC1Z. Not my first with QSO with <a href="https://www.qrz.com/db/AC1Z" target="_blank">Bob Daniels</a> out of NH. What I didn't realize, however, was how many summits he's activated. Look at his log over the past month or so. Looks like he's wandering through the Blue Ridge and Skyline Drive in Virginia. Now <b><i>that's my idea of what I want to do when I retire....</i></b></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5VFeeU2mmmgaOgsNb7-ULcjSb-w6Gf54lgIeuOd_X7f8aXZXXhfKhAGI9zQ6h0hD53dVrYdFmV5hPDppTfFFege94AJBPlV-kJclUcpx5WMmHyYr7x7BOdpMOwCChONIfwcm7LKUHbpw/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="694" data-original-width="1146" height="194" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5VFeeU2mmmgaOgsNb7-ULcjSb-w6Gf54lgIeuOd_X7f8aXZXXhfKhAGI9zQ6h0hD53dVrYdFmV5hPDppTfFFege94AJBPlV-kJclUcpx5WMmHyYr7x7BOdpMOwCChONIfwcm7LKUHbpw/" width="320" /></a></div><br /><br /><p><br /></p></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-416871945939007896.post-62182690251336522312021-09-05T10:32:00.002-04:002021-09-05T10:55:12.626-04:002021 FM Portable Operations Challenge<p>Great time operating on Hogback Mountain yesterday for the <a href="https://foxmikehotel.com/challenge/" target="_blank">FMH Portable Operations Challenge</a>!! While I hoped/planned to spend several hours on site, I only had about 30 min. I never rank on these contests for numbers of contacts. But I did win second place last here for distance in km per watts. </p><p>Here's what I did in 15 minutes of operating on one watt:</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7abSSKXE1dE-fGJ0IqF1AENKXkG8ZTAIH8mOTLXQEfzLEh3R9JPYPpTl2UtfD-uJ8gWE9M1-C-lfvZSOO24w-UI61om2Ss2viIt0AMgwfh1gjBFgpC04pS1t4YLvuFd0dsIZ_pa9VCK4/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img data-original-height="789" data-original-width="1181" height="268" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7abSSKXE1dE-fGJ0IqF1AENKXkG8ZTAIH8mOTLXQEfzLEh3R9JPYPpTl2UtfD-uJ8gWE9M1-C-lfvZSOO24w-UI61om2Ss2viIt0AMgwfh1gjBFgpC04pS1t4YLvuFd0dsIZ_pa9VCK4/w400-h268/image.png" width="400" /></a></div><br />That's quite a spread..... And yup, that's Christian (F4WBN) in France at 6266 km/watt. These handful of contacts were all on 20M using CW. Nearly all these stations are regular <a href="https://www.sota.org.uk/" target="_blank">SOTA</a> "<a href="https://www.sota.org.uk/Joining-In/FAQs" target="_blank">chasers</a>." I know their callsigns well. <p></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-416871945939007896.post-73068517574869920362021-08-13T10:57:00.004-04:002021-08-17T15:04:09.344-04:00ADK SOTA Adventures<p>See <a href="https://arcg.is/1fj8Cy0">https://arcg.is/1fj8Cy0</a></p><p></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-416871945939007896.post-89426516443699618182021-07-18T13:45:00.003-04:002021-07-18T13:45:39.706-04:00Final SOTA Shake Out Activation<p>Final SOTA Shake Out</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/57163RhOYYY" width="320" youtube-src-id="57163RhOYYY"></iframe></div><br /><p><br /></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-416871945939007896.post-6187715339305187402021-07-07T16:49:00.006-04:002021-07-07T17:02:19.529-04:0013 Colonies Special Event<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqtWfM9UWFNKVn7jdzM8X2_3JDApY-XQoiuzhdBMjvdDgrJbbOcF1-OTgIxpR_fDLu28aoe-wg4L13UbMsHbJ5uIlhsTU9MPg57sl_4EaSc7EkiLstS8ZGwx4rVO31c_iMvXez46jQDNE/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img data-original-height="806" data-original-width="1108" height="291" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqtWfM9UWFNKVn7jdzM8X2_3JDApY-XQoiuzhdBMjvdDgrJbbOcF1-OTgIxpR_fDLu28aoe-wg4L13UbMsHbJ5uIlhsTU9MPg57sl_4EaSc7EkiLstS8ZGwx4rVO31c_iMvXez46jQDNE/w400-h291/image.png" width="400" /></a></div><br /><br /><p></p><br /><p>Had fun this past weekend working the <a href="http://www.13colonies.us/" target="_blank">13 Colonies Special Event.</a> This is the 13th year running and the second or third time that I've participated. </p><p>I participated at first via 20M and 40M voice. There were huge pileups and, well, some rudeness on the bands. It is a time honored practice to 1) listen to what is going on. The op on the other end may call out by numbered call districts, so wait your turn and 2) not tune up on the operating frequency. </p><p>With a less than ideal location and antenna height, and since the population of CW proficient operators is smaller than the total of licensed hams, I switched to CW.... </p><p>Some findings:</p><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><p style="text-align: left;">1. CW efficiency. CW exchanges are <i>much more efficient </i>than voice exchanges. CALL RST STATE TU. That's it. Maybe 20-30 sec in total. For instance, the op on the other end would call CQ CQ K2X I'd respond with NG2E or DE NG2E. He'd reply with NG2E 5NN TU (5NN short for 599). My final reply would be 5NN VA TU. That's it. See this video taken on the last day of the special event:</p></blockquote><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/3cNuei6bPO4" width="320" youtube-src-id="3cNuei6bPO4"></iframe></div><p></p><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><p>2. Operating speed. Even though my comfort zone is14 wpm, I cranked it up to 18-22 wpm. I've never gone this fast. But I can recognize his exchange (my call sign and sig report) at up to 25-30 wpm and, well my part of the exchange is simple. I practiced a little before going live. What a confidence boost!</p><p>3. I need to learn how to deal with a CW pileup. I set my rig to operate split 1-2 khz about the operator's listening frequency. All should've been OK, but I was never pulled out of a pileup. Either I mucked up the split or, well, there were so many folks that I was never pulled out. </p></blockquote><div>Way forward. Probably best to ride this wave. Scout the <a href="http://beta.reversebeacon.net/main.php" target="_blank">RBN </a>for nearby beacons and some more DX stations that I can hit at a little quicker pace than my characteristic 14 wpm. I'm not crazy about carrying on a conversation about the my rig, my antenna, my medication, and other subjects old hams chat about. Consider me more desirous to get the QSO at a good clip and spare myself the embarrassment. Also should maybe jump into a CW contest and try to work split and get pulled out of a pileup. I pulled Bob Locher's The Complete DX'er out of the bookshelf for tips. And by bookshelf, I really mean the stack of radio books that sit on a shelf by my operating station.</div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjl6LR-rI0-qKRnz91FChXuOrovaq2jC8OTdwWPO6PmgvnW8XsdD7qddzx3S4E-ALdBIWDL4iBpYNO9JJ4_cM68IvT_wyY9b0ntg8BvnVrClcTQGP7VVRnbU9aAmuMJ3vAGEa_UpMSZwYU/s4032/IMG-1073.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjl6LR-rI0-qKRnz91FChXuOrovaq2jC8OTdwWPO6PmgvnW8XsdD7qddzx3S4E-ALdBIWDL4iBpYNO9JJ4_cM68IvT_wyY9b0ntg8BvnVrClcTQGP7VVRnbU9aAmuMJ3vAGEa_UpMSZwYU/s320/IMG-1073.jpg" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Logbook 1</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrz4BpfnrAEt03kcOwBllbnjBK3f35RlWYZYFw28-6777kApKXQXmoNxrtLRgyOrL3zOgYSmcG3KqQuA7k56_vqGU6QO2IiNOFVR-Z9gWrF89741lmhi-3T3JWAcmXaV1gqqMmXhVDFYE/s4032/IMG-1074.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrz4BpfnrAEt03kcOwBllbnjBK3f35RlWYZYFw28-6777kApKXQXmoNxrtLRgyOrL3zOgYSmcG3KqQuA7k56_vqGU6QO2IiNOFVR-Z9gWrF89741lmhi-3T3JWAcmXaV1gqqMmXhVDFYE/s320/IMG-1074.jpg" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Logbook 2</td></tr></tbody></table><div>73,</div><div><br /></div><div>Jack</div><div>NG2E</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-416871945939007896.post-87212544670845768042021-06-28T19:44:00.001-04:002021-06-28T19:44:49.641-04:00Pebble Crusher 40m XMtr<p>Building this transmitter was a bit of a comedy of errors. Bill Meara, N2CQR, recommended this circuit in my hunt for a transmitter on 12v with a RF amplifier in tow. Bill sent me the schematic, but it took me several weeks to get started. After deciding that I'd like to build this using the <a href="https://aa7ee.wordpress.com/2011/07/24/the-wbr-a-simple-high-performance-regen-receiver-for-40m-by-n1byt/" target="_blank">Manhattan Technique</a>, I had to find some PC boards. I had a few, but they were cheap--they really shattered when I attempted to cut them down. I was also missing a few parts, of course. And there's also the fact that my time is not my own.</p><p>I also credit some delay to trying to visualize the enclosure that would contain this circuit and vice versa. I never solved that last step instead opting to keep the circuit exposed for now. If I get the right performance, I might re-envision the circuit and squeeze it into a circuit for a SOTA outing. I then saw <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-guLpzvVVC4" target="_blank">this short vid by the veritable Paul Taylor (VK3HN)</a> which further cemented my plans to spend time to layout the circuit before I melted any solder. </p><p>I started by redrawing the layout several times. <a href="https://www.thriftbooks.com/w/w1fbs-qrp-notebook_doug-demaw/737958/#edition=696228" target="_blank">Doug DeMaw's book, W1FD's QRP Notebook</a>, includes a PC board layout, but I was purposefully trying to layout the circuit mentally and as close to the schematic as possible, limiting my circuit flips and inversions. </p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikDhX4Mgm6HSYYpZhRDGr89rsITgFSwbFZAnxI6Ty91PMtTbIK53jekZH0Uq6yQQJp6TVrpfxZ8AnJMZLL_tLUdf3SuDl7rahYYPf0kGFACGaQ1che4dngZKkO8QlSyr8OWT40kAHWnVM/s572/Capture.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="566" data-original-width="572" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikDhX4Mgm6HSYYpZhRDGr89rsITgFSwbFZAnxI6Ty91PMtTbIK53jekZH0Uq6yQQJp6TVrpfxZ8AnJMZLL_tLUdf3SuDl7rahYYPf0kGFACGaQ1che4dngZKkO8QlSyr8OWT40kAHWnVM/s320/Capture.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Before</td></tr></tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpLxuI7hT_mFYyBBrb1_zdFf7ahfIK5rn9BGD9n-nzjFt0n4tRTFcdz1t7pok45W99fmInTTaKtiU-qB8QN2_6IfQ_ngNKjJdVHAeVf_HmRssVPyKLQXp_tOmwfZCWplQnzfR-V-Ez_cc/s1058/unnamed+%25282%2529.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="788" data-original-width="1058" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpLxuI7hT_mFYyBBrb1_zdFf7ahfIK5rn9BGD9n-nzjFt0n4tRTFcdz1t7pok45W99fmInTTaKtiU-qB8QN2_6IfQ_ngNKjJdVHAeVf_HmRssVPyKLQXp_tOmwfZCWplQnzfR-V-Ez_cc/s320/unnamed+%25282%2529.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">After Re-layout</td></tr></tbody></table><br /></div><br /><p></p><p>I was then all ready to begin when...who grabbed my crazy glue? Another delay.</p><p>To be honest, working with the circuit Manhattan Style was nice. I drew a small grid on the board with pencil in an attempt to keep the circuit aligned during the build. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSEHKYMjj37rnZNBcCEnEUY-8cAWJ2FsPhNPozW12Gn-XLmdTLd1zRca1QFxxrz7CDx9c_HaP1TJUqK3axgfcpAm7eMxkPPjEEZ1T6uSTenURpbI4OZVgZLvtsJW7R700lpeYv2544xx0/s4032/IMG-0973.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSEHKYMjj37rnZNBcCEnEUY-8cAWJ2FsPhNPozW12Gn-XLmdTLd1zRca1QFxxrz7CDx9c_HaP1TJUqK3axgfcpAm7eMxkPPjEEZ1T6uSTenURpbI4OZVgZLvtsJW7R700lpeYv2544xx0/s320/IMG-0973.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8-IkqkYRg6K-qcfJduGG1z9yfsn6qi1qYgNSIV2Rmp7boaoYD_fD1UUnyvIJ0wWsXh6xRH75oBWLKUc2-Q_L3ShTLYi2MqiD8tXjCujUGD38-Tnayyu2ewZQRN3a2HFxLgZm2qOvRZBM/s4032/IMG-0974.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8-IkqkYRg6K-qcfJduGG1z9yfsn6qi1qYgNSIV2Rmp7boaoYD_fD1UUnyvIJ0wWsXh6xRH75oBWLKUc2-Q_L3ShTLYi2MqiD8tXjCujUGD38-Tnayyu2ewZQRN3a2HFxLgZm2qOvRZBM/s320/IMG-0974.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibfpHIbDMk8Vg3i0lvowxpPn06cnoYBIJLvXBAvUlAGpJ6G5UGhI3HvYpN1zmhZFb9s7uDZo0ca3ZhLFju_zJkz-145_jAovpR6AoY2d-Psv7f01abkMY4FKaC763jfmfpAao3josAyJA/s3597/IMG-0991.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2338" data-original-width="3597" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibfpHIbDMk8Vg3i0lvowxpPn06cnoYBIJLvXBAvUlAGpJ6G5UGhI3HvYpN1zmhZFb9s7uDZo0ca3ZhLFju_zJkz-145_jAovpR6AoY2d-Psv7f01abkMY4FKaC763jfmfpAao3josAyJA/s320/IMG-0991.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p>I spent the week of 21-25 Jun checking and rechecking my layout against the schematic. I even melted some solder here and there. I finished the circuit on Sunday, 27 June. I plugged in the antenna jack and key. I added power and...nothing. Darn. I checked continuity of the ground, transistor pin outs, everything. </p><p>I emailed Bill Meara who had these thoughts:</p><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"></blockquote><blockquote><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;">Jack: First, try to isolate the problem by stage: Disconnect the amplifier from the power supply and from pin 3 on the transformer. Now, does the oscillator oscillate? Listen on a receiver. Fiddle with the variable cap C1 as you listen. Also C5.<br />Check the voltages on Q1. Collector should be high, close to 10 volts. Base should be lower and emitter should be about half a volt less than the base. <br />Is the ferrite bead shorting to ground? <br />Some of the connections to the copper clad board look possibly cold. I would re-heat all of them and let the solder flow onto the board. <br />Make sure you have good contact with the enameled wire on your transformers and chokes. It can be tough to get those wires clean. I usually burn off the enamel with a cigarette lighter, then follow up with some sandpaper. <br />Let me know if any of this helps. 73 Bill</blockquote></blockquote>As suggested, I separated the RF amplifier from the oscillator. And, boom, we had oscillation. But it wasn't on 7.015. It was on 7.0135. I found that my filter was too narrow and I wasn't looking far enough away from 7.015. I reconnected the amp and the signal moved to 7.014. No problem. We were back in business. <div><br /></div><div>I checked voltage across the dummy load which indicated 2.038v. Given that:<div><p style="text-align: left;"></p><p>P(watts) = (V + 0.25)2 /25 where V= volts and 0.25 is the RF voltage drop across the diode.</p><p>P(watts) = (2.38v + 0.25)2/25</p><p>P(watts) = (2.63v)2/25</p><p>P(watts) = 0.27w</p><p>A quarter of a watt is a little lower than I thought. I hoped to get 1/2 watt out of this. NP. But the signal was very clean. I checked on the scope and found only one small harmonic. A near perfect sine wave.</p><p>Here's the video:</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/2swVptayYi4" width="320" youtube-src-id="2swVptayYi4"></iframe></div><br /><p>Here's what it looks like on the Reverse Beacon Network:</p><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFAiar8OGGG3pp4bwbTrXIqooybZ67i_3L_zbqAD4y2N-NMLDEK7dQdOaiZF_WLBKGchOQCfthAszMfYHmlLCBQVFchAM2V0Whs_nH1n6IKbPTpV1ceyPKLhWhvR1eVJ5XvNPxbvF3SpY/s1890/Capture.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="811" data-original-width="1890" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFAiar8OGGG3pp4bwbTrXIqooybZ67i_3L_zbqAD4y2N-NMLDEK7dQdOaiZF_WLBKGchOQCfthAszMfYHmlLCBQVFchAM2V0Whs_nH1n6IKbPTpV1ceyPKLhWhvR1eVJ5XvNPxbvF3SpY/s320/Capture.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">14db into NY; 7 db into OH (270mi)</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p><br /></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtzV_aqDD4GuJz6pAwu_sd8QpM3_pmn9CKHGo4QIoWokZylUbh48dmem5mS8F6CvSfZQKa8PzzFKFtCUdB6P4LBPBiqmMjbrkJNu4pbG0boqhGBHH8pBVppG1dn8fhZJbW1Lm_2CzlNFw/s2048/unnamed.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtzV_aqDD4GuJz6pAwu_sd8QpM3_pmn9CKHGo4QIoWokZylUbh48dmem5mS8F6CvSfZQKa8PzzFKFtCUdB6P4LBPBiqmMjbrkJNu4pbG0boqhGBHH8pBVppG1dn8fhZJbW1Lm_2CzlNFw/s320/unnamed.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Final board. Note cardboard under the ferrite bead to prevent shorting to ground. Alligator clip on transistor as a heat sink...but I can still smell that I'm roasting the transistor....</td></tr></tbody></table></div></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-416871945939007896.post-26607958234649263212021-06-14T15:50:00.004-04:002021-06-14T15:54:42.591-04:00ARRL VHF Contest Fun<p> </p><p></p>I had such a great time participating in the <a href="http://www.arrl.org/june-vhf" target="_blank">ARRL VHF Contest</a> this past Saturday and Sunday. As was my habit, I headed out to Hogback Mountain on the Skyline Drive. Hogback Mountain stands at a little over 3000 feet and has a good view of New England to the N/NE and Pennsylvania to the N/SW:<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCnbuRNs7R0jyURwDZbFdRj8gzN91lMJNfY8DgIIGm8Vfw4ZLaWcawz5_fdKL5BaogLsuM_-wqzho1UKkOr_IIdztrjehUPvm0mvlEH4Rt3GL5CNORlb9di35pGsK2lHdlVbMcV19Z8HM/s1478/image.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="766" data-original-width="1478" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCnbuRNs7R0jyURwDZbFdRj8gzN91lMJNfY8DgIIGm8Vfw4ZLaWcawz5_fdKL5BaogLsuM_-wqzho1UKkOr_IIdztrjehUPvm0mvlEH4Rt3GL5CNORlb9di35pGsK2lHdlVbMcV19Z8HM/s320/image.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hogback Mountain, FM08</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><div>My approach to this contest is laid back. In fact, the June VHF Contest is the <i>only contest series</i> that I participate in. (There is also a September and January segment. September starts to get in the way of hunting and, well, January is pretty cold on a mountaintop.) Since I'm casual about this, I really only use one Yagi and the FM vertical on my Jeep. Also new this year was a significant amount of QRM from neighboring operators. We'd step on each other every time we were operating the same band. We then decided that we'd not call CQ and hunt/pounce instead. Hunt/pounce worked, but it did reduce log entries.</div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjd3VERHGUlf-Ik7uYHc-EQKvxdEjMc930ngBsJK7EmfqRDmEctgwhHrrZquh9B324MCMuTAMJvuzEfPFNDovdTndJC0SeZm1g-Io_w-NfKvtYYN0ssHM7KQ15Z2Nq86jmnz-_93D4yfWY/s2048/20210612_210-25-HDR.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1365" data-original-width="2048" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjd3VERHGUlf-Ik7uYHc-EQKvxdEjMc930ngBsJK7EmfqRDmEctgwhHrrZquh9B324MCMuTAMJvuzEfPFNDovdTndJC0SeZm1g-Io_w-NfKvtYYN0ssHM7KQ15Z2Nq86jmnz-_93D4yfWY/s320/20210612_210-25-HDR.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Spring on the Skyline Drive</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbcNBBCHyTQoU3BZ1DGaux4TBBQHMRF7OLhX3zjprQO5dIPC7E8zFaRz5EiG5EEhV77uaaEcPHEMkYaQjosVcP9V-QEB2JM5bFZvTxtyN5QjWyNPMJL6sI1oPGxpJfVKrY2Er-Ba99BNE/s2048/20210612_210-27.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1365" data-original-width="2048" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbcNBBCHyTQoU3BZ1DGaux4TBBQHMRF7OLhX3zjprQO5dIPC7E8zFaRz5EiG5EEhV77uaaEcPHEMkYaQjosVcP9V-QEB2JM5bFZvTxtyN5QjWyNPMJL6sI1oPGxpJfVKrY2Er-Ba99BNE/s320/20210612_210-27.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Shenandoah Valley, Virginia</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div><br /><div><br /></div><div>Equipment. My equipment was a little different this year. I blew out my IC-7000 to years ago; I replaced the same with an <a href="https://elecraft.com/products/kx3-all-mode-160-6-m-transceiver" target="_blank">Elecraft KX3</a> using a <a href="https://www.ebay.com/itm/132503036008" target="_blank">Dual Band VHF/UHF Transverter made by <br />UR3LMZ</a>. All my SSB contacts were at 8W. (Note: next time I'll reduce power further to 5W and go for the QRP category.) I also used my vehicle mounted <a href="https://www.kenwood.com/usa/com/amateur/tm-d710ga/" target="_blank">Kenwood TM-D710GA</a> for most of my early FM VHF contacts. I then used the KX3 for both VHF and SSB. I know, I know: my Yagi is clearly horizontally polarized. Still, I made plenty of FM contacts with little degradation of signal. Besides, the FM contacts were local.<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEsXPEUjpM3GU4v5LkDTmDLmkcV0Yr2RLnnCemXivVQ7m57xzHQ1sakDAsoGvp9-fmBBoycvO7xBiH5qoVJKFOzXCh0_ydZI1qQos5PWE3x3RlfGDr73maKvqheJEfIu9PI6zp8vqUWqg/s2048/20210612_210-23.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1365" data-original-width="2048" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEsXPEUjpM3GU4v5LkDTmDLmkcV0Yr2RLnnCemXivVQ7m57xzHQ1sakDAsoGvp9-fmBBoycvO7xBiH5qoVJKFOzXCh0_ydZI1qQos5PWE3x3RlfGDr73maKvqheJEfIu9PI6zp8vqUWqg/s320/20210612_210-23.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Elecraft KX3 with Upverter</td></tr></tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjewQAPGAQxEcM5OzZjDlHgtAfdaeaOiIBhk29YqD-BwDmXo4vxcB_QqDXyLMziH4de_83py0xzuO8_EX2DHcINEC5pH7tCiXGhksEiUhcNc75kQLkpUzHZc9UCkAcDD7upqyBppVi12es/s2048/20210612_210-11.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1365" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjewQAPGAQxEcM5OzZjDlHgtAfdaeaOiIBhk29YqD-BwDmXo4vxcB_QqDXyLMziH4de_83py0xzuO8_EX2DHcINEC5pH7tCiXGhksEiUhcNc75kQLkpUzHZc9UCkAcDD7upqyBppVi12es/s320/20210612_210-11.jpg" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My setup on Hogback. Flagpole holder, MFJ-1910 mast...and cooler.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><ol style="text-align: left;"><ul></ul></ol><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>Challenges/Observations.</li></ul><ol style="text-align: left;"><ul><li>I heard very little CW on the bands. I heard none--zip, zero--on the designated frequencies of 144.000-144.100 and only scant QSOs in the 144.200-144.300 range. I only made two or three CW QSOs myself. </li><li>Once I started operating primarily from the KX3, I found that moving between bands/freq tiresome. Next time I'll add the following to memory before going to the field and make sure I know the procedure for doing so in the field:</li><ul><li>144.100 (2M CW Calling/start of band)</li><li>144.200 (SSB 2M Calling Freq)</li><li>146.520 (2M Simplex Calling Freq)</li><li>420 (70cm CW Calling/start of band)</li><li>432.10 (SSB 70cm Calling Freq)</li><li>446.00 (70cm Simplex Calling Frequency)</li></ul></ul></ol><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>Future Plans/Expansion</li><ul><li>I normally operate as a limited Rover. This means that I must transmit and make contacts from more than <a href="https://qrznow.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/US_GRIP_MAP.jpg" target="_blank">one grid</a>. I normally spend all afternoon on the first day of the contest on Hogback Mountain. I leave soon after dark so that I can see the sunset:</li></ul></ul></div><div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxmb9DpLtNh_tZGpQNq6FO1YkIMubQCsue7mEofAZKun15fKBVt52qrzsAyrlT_f2FMWW93eZtgqVt7HkyenqBRIepsNTj2aDFjD42PMkE_hLvHTLzXxTVyhCgm0c16NBYIEaUZQB50Mo/s2048/20210612_210-2.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="995" data-original-width="2048" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxmb9DpLtNh_tZGpQNq6FO1YkIMubQCsue7mEofAZKun15fKBVt52qrzsAyrlT_f2FMWW93eZtgqVt7HkyenqBRIepsNTj2aDFjD42PMkE_hLvHTLzXxTVyhCgm0c16NBYIEaUZQB50Mo/s320/20210612_210-2.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sunset from Hogback</td></tr></tbody></table><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZ-mAkiimFgrlYzHumraFAxFkXORm9XRejjOaWpU8QRKZcKXgrCmOmHekz6WCXYi1Udlrxdw01XwvZYSEoelZhX5fNFHmHNoUgROQPmqrJcrUV4Cd1ntH8CjiWb8A9Cmfv_MXJvkGWoCs/s2048/20210612_210-5-HDR.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: right;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1365" data-original-width="2048" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZ-mAkiimFgrlYzHumraFAxFkXORm9XRejjOaWpU8QRKZcKXgrCmOmHekz6WCXYi1Udlrxdw01XwvZYSEoelZhX5fNFHmHNoUgROQPmqrJcrUV4Cd1ntH8CjiWb8A9Cmfv_MXJvkGWoCs/s320/20210612_210-5-HDR.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Illuminated Clouds from Hogback</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div> </div></div><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><div><div style="text-align: left;">On day two/Sunday, I go to Mass then normally park on the top deck of a parking garage in FM18 for a few calls to qualify. But this plan was impossible this year. The amount of RF pollution and new buildings invalidated this plan. I made a few contacts on FM, but that was it. For future contests, I will forgo parking garages and go a little farther to either Bull Run Mountain or Mount Weather. </div></div></blockquote></blockquote><p style="text-align: left;"></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><ul><li> If I feel ambitious, I may add a <a href="https://www.dxengineering.com/parts/dmn-a430s10" target="_blank">430 MHz Yagi </a>similar to my 2M Yagi. I can stack the two on the same fiberglass mast and use a switch to go between the two. I also have a 6M Moxon that I built that I could press into service, but this might need it's own mast. It also doesn't breakdown so easy for the back of the jeep.</li></ul></ul><p></p><div><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNwAxRzGl40eskstUOLUhWhzVaMeOnQoyNGJWXykzFUdUubDL2QypBoGjpPVJUni7Bg_7PGb3djFxggXXzh8OtLgnT6e6flhneEN8EY1b_g-t9aqo9aZOOZPs6Nh8QjFNgfD_rqTXvlkI/s2048/20210613_210-3.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1365" data-original-width="2048" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNwAxRzGl40eskstUOLUhWhzVaMeOnQoyNGJWXykzFUdUubDL2QypBoGjpPVJUni7Bg_7PGb3djFxggXXzh8OtLgnT6e6flhneEN8EY1b_g-t9aqo9aZOOZPs6Nh8QjFNgfD_rqTXvlkI/s320/20210613_210-3.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: left;">Nice photo, but made zero QSOs on SSB with KX3 and Yagi. Made two QSOs on FM using Kenwood</span><br style="text-align: left;" /><span style="text-align: left;">TM-D710GA mounted in my Jeep. Remainder of the QSOs made from my home.</span></td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><ul><li>Results. At the end of the day, I made 55 QSOs from FM08 and FM18. All but four QSOs were from Hogback Mountain. Best QSO: W1VD, Burlington, CT (363 mi) on 8 watts USB. A personal best. Hogback Mountain (elev. 3000') sure helps.</li></ul></div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIrTtRF9l_Ds49u4KObiTcf1i6oFfVKTNqggcwDcz2aLGy2bTXjJaiEIe5O9YZVNahliPRdd3F3F0dr5CG-FQRBxxX7JM36vJBJ81PcjecOiz6uvzO5SA7-qcbT0ihcYWyuS_5Kp9EgV8/s1159/Capture.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="713" data-original-width="1159" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIrTtRF9l_Ds49u4KObiTcf1i6oFfVKTNqggcwDcz2aLGy2bTXjJaiEIe5O9YZVNahliPRdd3F3F0dr5CG-FQRBxxX7JM36vJBJ81PcjecOiz6uvzO5SA7-qcbT0ihcYWyuS_5Kp9EgV8/s320/Capture.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">QSO Map</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p><br /></p></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-416871945939007896.post-91765165230632933972021-06-05T17:04:00.008-04:002021-06-05T17:11:47.669-04:00Get Ready, Get Set....The <a href="http://www.arrl.org/june-vhf">ARRL VHF/UHF Contest </a>is next weekend. I'm reading my equipment in between chores. Crimped some shorter LMR-400 Max (started with 2', down to probably 19' now that I screwed up a section). I'll probably operate as a "rover." Like the last few years, I'll spend a majority of my time in FM08 on the top of <a href="https://arcg.is/1L1a5j">Hogback Mountain</a> along the beautiful Skyline Drive. Nothing like pulling an all-nighter hammering out some Morse Code like the fate of the free world rests with me and my trembling fingers. I'll follow up the next day from home after Mass (grid FM18) to fully qualify as a rover.<br /><br />Since I fried my IC-7000 last year, I'll be operating FM using my <a href="https://www.kenwood.com/usa/com/amateur/tm-d710ga/">Kenwood TM-D710G</a> in my Jeep. It will beacon my position via <a href="https://aprs.fi/#!mt=roadmap&z=11&call=a%2FNG2E-9&timerange=3600&tail=3600">APRS</a>. New this year: I will operate a <a href="https://www.eham.net/reviews/view-product?id=14939">VHF/UHF using transverter</a> on my <a href="https://elecraft.com/products/kx3-all-mode-160-6-m-transceiver">Elecraft KX3 </a>by Alex Shatun (UR3LMZ). Will also have a small VHF Yagi with me as well. This should be plenty fun.<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjguSDF7GqkWd8bmPdEb-bxL_KX4dewWliufGCfFexiO9pAGXmwfTcOQnibmcfjXBD5wl4Ua1FFNjmEjce0Xbdx00dquvjtgGdCf9jxFIyjNm6ld76x-TzXINCVJ2E4M5Y4oQj_ODR-MG4/s2048/unnamed.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjguSDF7GqkWd8bmPdEb-bxL_KX4dewWliufGCfFexiO9pAGXmwfTcOQnibmcfjXBD5wl4Ua1FFNjmEjce0Xbdx00dquvjtgGdCf9jxFIyjNm6ld76x-TzXINCVJ2E4M5Y4oQj_ODR-MG4/s320/unnamed.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Newly crimped LMR-400 Ultra</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p><br /></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-416871945939007896.post-8155258606567297852021-05-25T09:40:00.006-04:002021-05-25T09:45:03.872-04:00Parts!<p>While I'm making judicious use of my junk box for parts--parts salvaged from garbage picking old TVs and stereos years ago--I still am short some basic components for my basic builds...mostly QRPp transmitters.</p><p>Bill Maera (N2CQR) of <a href="http://soldersmoke.com/" target="_blank">Solder Smoke Podcast</a> fame to the rescue! While I have many of these parts from various grab bags, there are some more unique items that will require a trip over the the <a href="https://www.mouser.com/" target="_blank">Mouser,</a> <a href="https://www.allelectronics.com/" target="_blank">All Electronics</a>, <a href="https://www.jameco.com/" target="_blank">Jameco</a>, or <a href="https://www.digikey.com/" target="_blank">Digikey </a>website:</p><p><span style="color: #222222;"><b>Transistors</b></span></p><ul data-todo="true"><li><span style="color: #222222;">2N2222 (have a ton of these and 2N3904s from previous grab bags)</span></li><li><span style="color: #222222;">2N3904 </span></li><li><span style="color: #222222;">2N3906 </span></li><li><span style="color: #222222;">J-310 </span></li><li><span style="color: #222222;">MPF102 </span></li><li><span style="color: #222222;">IRF510</span></li><li data-checked="false"><span style="color: #222222;">[2N3053] (for the <a href="https://soldersmoke.blogspot.com/2020/07/overcoming-complexity-of-michigan.html" target="_blank">10 Minute Transmitter</a>)</span></li></ul><div><span style="color: #222222;"><span data-markholder="true"></span></span></div><div><span style="color: #222222;"><b>Toroids.</b> (Funny story. I bought several T37-2 and T-37-6 through <a href="https://www.kitsandparts.com/" target="_blank">Kits and Parts</a>, but I really didn't know until reading the <a href="https://www.kitsandparts.com/xtoroids.html" target="_blank">winding data</a> that I needed just a few more of different sizes and composition.)</span></div><ul data-todo="true"><li><span style="color: #222222;">25 x T50-6</span></li><li><span style="color: #222222;">25 x T50-2</span></li><li><span style="color: #222222;">25 x T37-43</span></li></ul><div><br /></div><div><b>Capacitors</b></div><ul data-todo="true"><li><span style="color: #222222;">Large supply of .01 uF capacitors (bypass)</span></li></ul><div><span style="color: #222222;">Resistors. </span><span style="color: #222222;">I have a considerable grab bag that I still need to organize. I haven't been unable to fill my needs yet. Still, <a href="https://soldersmoke.blogspot.com/2020/08/homebrew-resistor-kit-drews-mouser-bom.html" target="_blank">Drew (N7DA)'s picking at the Solder Smoke Daily News</a> are helpful.</span></div><div><span style="color: #222222;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="color: #222222;"><span data-markholder="true"></span></span></div><div><span style="color: #222222;"><b>Zeners</b></span></div><ul data-todo="true"><li><span style="color: #222222;">8V</span></li></ul><h2 style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #222222; font-size: small;">Miscellaneous</span></h2><div><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="color: #222222;">Looking through an older book called W1FP QRP notebook, the author indicates that an aspiring builder ought to have some miniature ferrite beads to place on the base of the amplifier transistor to prevent VHF oscillation and VHF harmonics. </span></li><li><span style="color: #222222;">I want to add a little more flexibility to my building methods. I've been using these 3x3" squares of perfboard that I found in my junk box, but I want to spread out my circuits more. I'll probably never approach the work of the Manhattan Build Master, <a href="https://aa7ee.wordpress.com/" target="_blank">Dave Richards (AA7EE)</a>, I ought to give it a go. This requires some supply of copper clad board. The boards in my junk box shattered when i tried to cut them to a reasonable size. Bill suggested I follow Pete's advice and buy CEM 1 boards on eBay. CEM1 is low-cost, flame-retardant, cellulose-paper-based laminate with only one layer of woven glass fabric.</span></li></ul></div><h2 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #5f6368; font-weight: bold;">Ordnung </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #5f6368; font-weight: 700;">macht </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #5f6368; font-weight: bold;">Spaß</span></span></h2><div><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #5f6368;">While I've only built a few small circuits thus far, I found myself expending a lot of time trying to see what I have in stock for the next build. It became obvious that </span></span><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #222222;">I would end up spending significant time hunting for parts in a box labeled "resistors" or "capacitors"--time that should be devoted to building, experimenting, and enjoying the fumes of some 60/40 solder. While it took the better part of an afternoon, here's the fruits of my labor. A significant time saver. </span></span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #222222;"><br /></span></span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #222222;">And while addressing some of the bulk part items, I suggest readers check out <a href="https://soldersmoke.blogspot.com/2020/08/homebrew-resistor-kit-drews-mouser-bom.html" target="_blank">Drew's (N7DA) lessons learned over at the SolderSmoke podcast</a>.</span></span></span></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEic0ob2lPZ0wlhixulfjyI0Qij5bT836GUlh_3MCr7tC-7pGOeIB1l-5u6HvQQr9c8TWCaytxCZgc2yhz__QpbW6RIIt-49i8JSXCSzh75AUh1Ch2oFuWeO8g7DUDu-_Fg5k-zZM2qthlY/s2048/IMG_0832.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEic0ob2lPZ0wlhixulfjyI0Qij5bT836GUlh_3MCr7tC-7pGOeIB1l-5u6HvQQr9c8TWCaytxCZgc2yhz__QpbW6RIIt-49i8JSXCSzh75AUh1Ch2oFuWeO8g7DUDu-_Fg5k-zZM2qthlY/s320/IMG_0832.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><span style="color: #222222;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgItnXQgUz1f_js_zvAF6DlIyMfxiuBrn0C43vJiGzd6UrEptHz1Rlwh-RmBozAD-8ylpxC9iDe5y14wEcC4P6INtM7C9DezH_zF5iFU0ASEokUHVSDB8fT0ktRsXIHqmvhPp4DYjtDxlQ/s2048/IMG_0833.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgItnXQgUz1f_js_zvAF6DlIyMfxiuBrn0C43vJiGzd6UrEptHz1Rlwh-RmBozAD-8ylpxC9iDe5y14wEcC4P6INtM7C9DezH_zF5iFU0ASEokUHVSDB8fT0ktRsXIHqmvhPp4DYjtDxlQ/s320/IMG_0833.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p> </p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-416871945939007896.post-38324888655215283952021-05-19T19:44:00.008-04:002021-05-20T13:54:10.072-04:00First QSO with the Ten Minute TransmitterAt the recommendation of Bill Maera (N2CQR), I used the <a href="https://www.blogger.com/#">SKCC scheduling page </a>to get someone to meet me on frequency for a QSO. Wish I had a video, but here's the log entry:<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUQb7jZdHVz5ux0h7_znP9q-Zs-IhC1b0vu4rI3P0Z4C3PmoeYodKYaFKX0L2B2cwP3OFoTXRijqrFTLWJ-14n14wFzarl10ozoc0a_Kl_-WQqXZPfZfYXu4-yKAy-oFFfujFZ3XKXJjM/s2048/IMG-0807.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUQb7jZdHVz5ux0h7_znP9q-Zs-IhC1b0vu4rI3P0Z4C3PmoeYodKYaFKX0L2B2cwP3OFoTXRijqrFTLWJ-14n14wFzarl10ozoc0a_Kl_-WQqXZPfZfYXu4-yKAy-oFFfujFZ3XKXJjM/s320/IMG-0807.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>K8JD (Commerce, MI)<br />Bearing: 312°, 711km/442mi<br />SKCC Nr 1395<br />7.1228 MHz<br />19 May 2021<br />2330-2334 UTC<br />Sent: 559<br />Recd: 529<br /><br />Lots of adjacent phone conversations on LSB, but not bad at all for little 360 mW wonder....Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-416871945939007896.post-10757103262794674692021-05-15T16:44:00.002-04:002021-05-15T16:44:30.261-04:00Ten Minute Transmitter On The Air with a Homebrew Antenna Switch<h2 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;">Why I need This</span></h2><h2 style="text-align: left;"><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">My Ten Minute Transmitter is just that--a transmitter. It is not a receiver. To get on the air, I have to:</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">Connect to a suitable antenna</span></li><li><span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">Listen to any reply using a receiver or transceiver</span></li></ul><div><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Since I have few choices of antennas, my transmitter will need to share the same antenna as my receiver. (In this case, my receiver is a KX3). And to use the same antenna, I need a switch that opens the connection to my 40M antenna when I'm transmitting, then close the connection to the transmitter and open the connection between the 40M antenna and my receiver. </span></span></div><div><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-weight: 400;"><br /></span></span></div></div><span style="font-size: small;">Resources</span></h2><p>An antenna switch doesn't sound that complicated. I wondered if I'd need to connect all the negative/shielding together. I used the following resources:</p><p></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><a href="https://swling.com/blog/tag/homebrew-antenna-switch/">https://swling.com/blog/tag/homebrew-antenna-switch/</a></li><li><a href="https://dailyantenna.blogspot.com/2019/02/building-manual-hf-antenna-switches.html">https://dailyantenna.blogspot.com/2019/02/building-manual-hf-antenna-switches.html</a></li><li><a href="https://pa0fri.home.xs4all.nl/Ant/ANTswitch/antswitcheng.htm">https://pa0fri.home.xs4all.nl/Ant/ANTswitch/antswitcheng.htm</a></li><li><a href="https://www.g4ifb.com/html/homebrew.html#ManualAntennaSwitch">https://www.g4ifb.com/html/homebrew.html#ManualAntennaSwitch</a></li></ul><p></p><p>Information about capacitive voltage dividers are here https://www.basictables.com/electronics/capacitor/capacitive-voltage-divider In essence, I don't require a voltage divider since I'm not attempting to take readings through a scope.</p><h2 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;">The Build</span></h2><p>I basically drilled holes on three sides of an Altoids tin for four very old BNC adapters that I scrounged from the garbage about 10 years ago. A SPST switch completed the fourth side. I used a short length of RG-8x coax to tie the hot terminals together. here's a picture:</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiskqhgvSk55GT_r9hoIwVeOOrVoMS5ADxRLyaYKqUbWYvyVdBrluo8yNfjY4XPm9ZF9uuYsgFa56yvhO0OzAujmYBcwyWepfqMR0mZN4um9Wqd7XFi4GBYAadKJRJvzasEnJIXuRIeRvs/s2048/IMG-0808.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiskqhgvSk55GT_r9hoIwVeOOrVoMS5ADxRLyaYKqUbWYvyVdBrluo8yNfjY4XPm9ZF9uuYsgFa56yvhO0OzAujmYBcwyWepfqMR0mZN4um9Wqd7XFi4GBYAadKJRJvzasEnJIXuRIeRvs/s320/IMG-0808.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><h2 style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;">The Result</span></h2><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">The switch worked quite nicely after I remembered to use it! I called CQ several times. While nobody returned my call, I was spotted by Bob Delinger</span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit;"> (</span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit;">KD7YZ) on the <a href="http://www.reversebeacon.net/dxsd1/dxsd1.php?f=0&t=dx&c=NG2E" target="_blank">Reverse Beacon Network</a>. (Bob is in Greenup County, Kentucky (Grid </span><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">EM88ll) which is about 305mi distant. I registered a 5dB </span>signal<span style="font-family: inherit;">--not too bad since I'm putting out only about 360 mW).</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: white;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIFO1yveTFRtFDDU0I_xSZhMstKoMtPt0OsfdopdLDHLEWK8Vh5XnGKsOQLFoegNDHEqeNPSqyzwvvkh636bFY1UJHdVRb7X-88ImAIRVdFd8JDB0eskmFp3wb8iyODndHyeDlMjMqrv8/s2048/IMG-0807.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIFO1yveTFRtFDDU0I_xSZhMstKoMtPt0OsfdopdLDHLEWK8Vh5XnGKsOQLFoegNDHEqeNPSqyzwvvkh636bFY1UJHdVRb7X-88ImAIRVdFd8JDB0eskmFp3wb8iyODndHyeDlMjMqrv8/s320/IMG-0807.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8mTgid1DVovgihDnS91c5UGbchXZm5X_GDVfL0JY-J_M_EmQJGvw-EI3cMRE_i8VvWwt4WfvywaRZ5Gfkgg-4k2aH3P-g_uhyphenhyphenFbblOhsqkKoALcHBMdGlglo6TWKq-Pnnou-d5e_e4tY/s1334/IMG-0809.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="750" data-original-width="1334" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8mTgid1DVovgihDnS91c5UGbchXZm5X_GDVfL0JY-J_M_EmQJGvw-EI3cMRE_i8VvWwt4WfvywaRZ5Gfkgg-4k2aH3P-g_uhyphenhyphenFbblOhsqkKoALcHBMdGlglo6TWKq-Pnnou-d5e_e4tY/s320/IMG-0809.PNG" width="320" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span></div><p><br /></p><p><br /></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-416871945939007896.post-4753361495583068122021-05-12T10:44:00.007-04:002021-05-12T20:22:33.188-04:00Low Pass Filter Construction<h2 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br />Background</span></h2><p>Next step after building a functioning transmitter: clean up the signal. </p><h2 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;">Moving Forward</span></h2><p>To create a Low Pass Filter, I used information readily available at the G-QRP site. A good page is the <span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><a href="http://www.gqrp.com/technical2.htm" target="_blank">A Short Guide to W3NQN Harmonic Filters for QRP Transmitter Output. - George Dobbs G3RJV</a>. This is a good overview, but I found the older version that I think, well, would be an easier for the time being. A copy of George, G3RJV first paper can be found here: </span></span><a href="https://www.kitsandparts.com/PCBs/LPF/filter2.pdf" target="_blank">A Complete Do-It-Yourself Kit ....... with just a few simple calculations (George Dobbs G3RJV)</a></p><h2 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;">Design & Build</span></h2><p>Here's the design:</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAn2AN90OFU-6mBkIoRWzKm-0F7z4xBV7Tf8nsDUNASA8Ai-VRkyxpqH7JgON4MLHLjxLua-oBgYfdH1-G56GG2hED4u88QL24Z7w-aKPgexPc5ylDLbbPVG2rW8DJZdBp5lZ93w6iA20/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="340" data-original-width="923" height="118" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAn2AN90OFU-6mBkIoRWzKm-0F7z4xBV7Tf8nsDUNASA8Ai-VRkyxpqH7JgON4MLHLjxLua-oBgYfdH1-G56GG2hED4u88QL24Z7w-aKPgexPc5ylDLbbPVG2rW8DJZdBp5lZ93w6iA20/" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1rO2YUbkFtYbx9RUqipwGyFVjdjHsf1siIDkfPLS4MLRcFEj9SY0s5X1rLGlnCntOWrNSA9ob7WqootTsal-UxCIVyhh1J6JUKPlQzaTlIYxwVy0Pn_JFhUlsiPstmxAgdFd8EXmqNAE/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="214" data-original-width="826" height="83" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1rO2YUbkFtYbx9RUqipwGyFVjdjHsf1siIDkfPLS4MLRcFEj9SY0s5X1rLGlnCntOWrNSA9ob7WqootTsal-UxCIVyhh1J6JUKPlQzaTlIYxwVy0Pn_JFhUlsiPstmxAgdFd8EXmqNAE/" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8Jcf76gFeDX6_2cZD_8RhF6jeo61EkL_-lTKWJwphcML6e5QMVrBHgcgUpdoRWUrsuYrRXNLH-QlThdKfrzZaDVujbi_TBVrDXMBBD5ctjw442CKQZSzfJyz9IslNBvCMMToIaR9BQ40/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="178" data-original-width="1197" height="48" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8Jcf76gFeDX6_2cZD_8RhF6jeo61EkL_-lTKWJwphcML6e5QMVrBHgcgUpdoRWUrsuYrRXNLH-QlThdKfrzZaDVujbi_TBVrDXMBBD5ctjw442CKQZSzfJyz9IslNBvCMMToIaR9BQ40/" width="320" /></a></div><br /><br /></div><p style="text-align: left;">And here's my parts:</p><p style="text-align: left;"></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>3 x T37-6 (for L2, 4, 6) </li><li>2 x 220 pF and 47 pF capacitors. These will be in parallel for a 267pF cap substituting for the 270 pF caps for C1 & C7</li><li>2 x 470 pF and 220 pF capacitors. These will be in parallel for a 690pF cap substituting for the 680 pF caps for C3 & C5</li></ul></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><h2 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;">Finished Product</span></h2></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><p>Here's what the final product looks like:</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibLK0r2AhB1Al0S587tjN_Z8XD7OvVx3wQDBYhKAcfO0nHa-LjYmL0taD-0nuhyphenhyphenkZETe85uBsK8oiuB2PTGZW0oLwOJzpniAkzjxwYcVac1GcvJl4zo3Mx68nBXwqNRoCQnRu1NAAVLxI/s2048/IMG-0786.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1670" data-original-width="2048" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibLK0r2AhB1Al0S587tjN_Z8XD7OvVx3wQDBYhKAcfO0nHa-LjYmL0taD-0nuhyphenhyphenkZETe85uBsK8oiuB2PTGZW0oLwOJzpniAkzjxwYcVac1GcvJl4zo3Mx68nBXwqNRoCQnRu1NAAVLxI/s320/IMG-0786.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Top Side</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWUbhbAdFHiH941sCuAXV8loeUDBDnbnn15Ef7fr3ed8u-M7oUTTDvXz1ATHUCFN0WT_lIwcn1YVwghX5iKEy_pjR8czqqJVBy1aHolLqr_jtYAvENBoTQFKE0FbwxN2VF0KV-iJAmuo4/s2048/IMG-0787.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWUbhbAdFHiH941sCuAXV8loeUDBDnbnn15Ef7fr3ed8u-M7oUTTDvXz1ATHUCFN0WT_lIwcn1YVwghX5iKEy_pjR8czqqJVBy1aHolLqr_jtYAvENBoTQFKE0FbwxN2VF0KV-iJAmuo4/s320/IMG-0787.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Underneath</td></tr></tbody></table></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><h2 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;">Results/Performance</span></h2><div style="text-align: left;"><p>I listened for oscillation at 2x (14.260 MHz), 3x (21.369 MHz), and 4x (28.492 MHz). I never really heard anything on 14.260, but certainly did on 21.369 and less so on 28.492. The following video shows the test on my receiver and scope plus a quick voltage calculation on the dummy load.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><h2 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;">Next Steps</span></h2></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Nqeiw-x0rdg" width="320" youtube-src-id="Nqeiw-x0rdg"></iframe></div><br /></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: left;"><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>Finalize capacitor value</li><li>Assemble into an enclosure. Add BNC antenna connector and 3.5mm jack for a straight key</li><li>Make some QSOs</li></ul></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div></div><br /><br /><p></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-416871945939007896.post-69766825750305616872021-05-10T19:30:00.003-04:002021-05-10T19:30:31.130-04:00Moving Forward with A 40M Transmitter<h2 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;">The Idea</span></h2><p>In a desire to build <i style="font-weight: bold;">something </i>to get me on the air, I've taken a step back from the 80 MMM and have decided to move forward with a 40M transmitter. Bill Maera recommended aiming at the <a href="https://soldersmoke.blogspot.com/2020/07/overcoming-complexity-of-michigan.html" target="_blank">10 Minute Transmitter</a>. Quite sure this was on Bill's mind when posting <a href="https://soldersmoke.blogspot.com/2021/05/ciprians-romanian-ten-minute.html" target="_blank">Ciprian's version</a>.</p><p>I decided to not build a low pass filter for my 80M MMM. My thinking: I'm a parts cheapskate and I really won't be using the 80M MMM to get on the air. Yeah, I wanted to see an improvement of the carrier wave on the oscilloscope, but I'll be doing this for 40M, right?</p><p>I collected some parts, ordered a few too. Bill recommended trying any NPN transistor that I had in inventory, so I'll thought I'd mock up the transmitter using a 2N2222 or 2N3094. What's the worst that can happen? I mean, there is the word "smoke" in the Solder Smoke podcast <b><i>name.</i></b> </p><p>Here's the design(s) that I used:</p><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipePY8WsNvnFl_igkQgRrrSsb8z_cu684vVJUuEgmf2EnbielbyqPemYJBxrAs1KeielYaVe8wMWYNGoaqG8hyphenhyphenb78ycyH8KP9G6F32RTmYBcpk8ORUVrRIbtVEREdtUParCZeEMSZCK60/" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img data-original-height="303" data-original-width="541" height="224" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipePY8WsNvnFl_igkQgRrrSsb8z_cu684vVJUuEgmf2EnbielbyqPemYJBxrAs1KeielYaVe8wMWYNGoaqG8hyphenhyphenb78ycyH8KP9G6F32RTmYBcpk8ORUVrRIbtVEREdtUParCZeEMSZCK60/w400-h224/image.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Original 10 Minute Transmitter by Steve (G4RAW)<br /><br /><br /> </td></tr></tbody></table><br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2Fxm5rZQ_3TaoPGc8qG09DgFfo4vQ4fUqTVx9RzaQBHfdeCqRQfI1GLAQwvGymu_gTB5VoseIA4HhLxQdR74hyZNNMB-A3ecTjZCU-shkqOCJIXVBoVruamYjOuiESBYbnbIRxmzRR-o/" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img data-original-height="400" data-original-width="293" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2Fxm5rZQ_3TaoPGc8qG09DgFfo4vQ4fUqTVx9RzaQBHfdeCqRQfI1GLAQwvGymu_gTB5VoseIA4HhLxQdR74hyZNNMB-A3ecTjZCU-shkqOCJIXVBoVruamYjOuiESBYbnbIRxmzRR-o/w293-h400/image.png" width="293" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Walter (KA4KXX)'s version as seen in the <a href="https://soldersmoke.blogspot.com/2020/07/overcoming-complexity-of-michigan.html" target="_blank">Solder Smoke blog</a>..</td></tr></tbody></table><p></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>And here's my parts:</p><p></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>100uH coil.*</li><li>.1uF capacitors (2)</li><li>240 pF capacitor**</li><li>7.123 MHz crystal</li><li>22K resistor</li><li>2N3053 transistor***</li></ul><p></p><p>* Using 37-43 toroid, that's about 16-17 turns as indicated in <a href="https://www.kitsandparts.com/xtoroids.html" target="_blank">winding data found on Kits & Parts.</a></p><p>**Walter (KA4KXX) has <a href="https://soldersmoke.blogspot.com/2021/05/ciprians-romanian-ten-minute.html" target="_blank">adjustment inst</a><span style="font-family: inherit;"><a href="https://soldersmoke.blogspot.com/2021/05/ciprians-romanian-ten-minute.html" target="_blank">ructions on the Solder Smoke blog</a>: <span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; text-align: justify;">please be advised that the way to tune the "240" pf series output capacitor is to first connect a 50 ohm dummy load to the transmitter and peak the RF Output Voltage. If there is no defined peak then temporarily use a variable capacitor with a wide range because your value may be much different than mine since you are using <span style="font-family: inherit;">another transistor, circuit board layout, etc. Also, note that in my version I connected the transmitter to a multi-stage antenna tuner before attaching that to my end-fed antenna so my signal out of the antenna was probably very clean.</span></span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; text-align: justify;"> </span>. </span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit;">***Other NPN transistors such as a <span style="background-color: white; color: #3c4043;">2n2222 or 2n3904 should also work.</span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #3c4043;"></span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2Zs-VyHMqy1YJt-xa_3QsRUuROEuD6kLyYNG2WNUTi8n3TCmaKw3PDoO-I4sY7eb5iYcRbMzctLGPqWdWUZoc41s0TFPSzAMB09m4-S1u5Ep8tZzuj1qQXvrm9yL_dWDJOm4QyiM1p74/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="290" data-original-width="590" height="157" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2Zs-VyHMqy1YJt-xa_3QsRUuROEuD6kLyYNG2WNUTi8n3TCmaKw3PDoO-I4sY7eb5iYcRbMzctLGPqWdWUZoc41s0TFPSzAMB09m4-S1u5Ep8tZzuj1qQXvrm9yL_dWDJOm4QyiM1p74/" width="320" /></a></span></div><h2 style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">The Trouble</span></div></h2><div>I breadboarded the circuit and... Nothing. Like absolutely nothing. </div><div><br /></div><div>Now, those who grew up in 70's and 80's remember the teen biopic The Breakfast Club. In that movie, the nerdy teen who found himself in Saturday detention reveals his biggest failure: he couldn't make a lamp in shop class. You know where this is going: I felt like that kid. The 10 Minute Transmitter That Took Two Days to Build. </div><div><br /></div><div>No worries. I now like to think that I'm grown up and laugh at myself, my abilities (or lack thereof), and some of life's little foibles. Be that as it may, Bill relayed some troubleshooting hints:</div><div><br /><div><span><div style="background-color: white; text-align: left;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></div><blockquote style="text-align: left;"><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><ul style="text-align: left;"></ul></div></blockquote><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;"></span><blockquote><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">On this project you might need an antenna or an antenna substitute. Just put a 50 ohm resistor from the variable cap antenna connection to ground. Then try getting it going while fiddling with the variable cap setting. </span><br /><blockquote style="text-align: left;"></blockquote><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">It should work with 9V. But maybe try a fresh battery. </span><br /><blockquote style="text-align: left;"></blockquote><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">To check the voltages -- keeping the key up, the voltage on the collector of the transistor should equal the voltage of your power source. </span><br /><blockquote style="text-align: left;"></blockquote><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">If you've let the transistor get too hot, try with a new transistor. </span><br /><blockquote style="text-align: left;"></blockquote><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Make sure you have the leads right on the transistor, It is usually E B C facing the flat part of the transistor, It is easy to get them backwards. </span><br /><blockquote style="text-align: left;"></blockquote><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">I think Walter was talking about peak output voltage. Don't worry about that for now -- you just want to get it oscillating. </span><br /><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small; text-align: left;">Make sure your receiver is on LSB or SSB or CW (not on AM) Tune around a bit as you fiddle with it. </div><blockquote style="text-align: left;"></blockquote><span face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" style="color: #222222; font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">Peter Parker did a video on this: </span><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v%3DcPPi7uLGtgY&source=gmail&ust=1620675166816000&usg=AFQjCNGSjiBA4orJCijXXOQEZ4Y3JuromQ" href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cPPi7uLGtgY" style="color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;" target="_blank">https://www.youtube.com/<wbr></wbr>watch?v=cPPi7uLGtgY</a><br /><blockquote style="text-align: left;"></blockquote><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Perhaps more useful is this: </span><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://makerf.com/posts/ten-minute-transmitter&source=gmail&ust=1620675166817000&usg=AFQjCNHb18XF4drQpyDum-cd4RamB2Tfcw" href="https://makerf.com/posts/ten-minute-transmitter" style="color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;" target="_blank">https://makerf.com/<wbr></wbr>posts/ten-minute-transmitter</a><br /><blockquote style="text-align: left;"></blockquote><span style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><br /></span><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small; text-align: left;">Hang in there. Let me know how it is going. </div></blockquote><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small; text-align: left;"></div><blockquote style="text-align: left;"><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;"></div></blockquote><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small; text-align: left;"></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small; text-align: left;">Of course, I didn't stick to one set of variables. I did several things--all or some of which may have made the difference:</div><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small; text-align: left;">1. I moved to 12v power. Actually, I used 13.8v and powered through a plug so that I could use my normal rig power supply or LiPo battery from portable operation. Pinout reminder:</div><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small; text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHw8QQ1tVjTsm60hDZwFJUN2fZXi5E4Fo0mMmhvFIhoym8DoI25T2p873EZCFpeYxoJ8Q7R2BbNkgf6YPyhfYO9-D60bs6cwTkbzMFABBSkjn0OjJ_LBcQB6lSA3LcVZR_i1a5tuBTyio/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="370" data-original-width="470" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHw8QQ1tVjTsm60hDZwFJUN2fZXi5E4Fo0mMmhvFIhoym8DoI25T2p873EZCFpeYxoJ8Q7R2BbNkgf6YPyhfYO9-D60bs6cwTkbzMFABBSkjn0OjJ_LBcQB6lSA3LcVZR_i1a5tuBTyio/" width="305" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: left;"> </span></div><br />2. Most importantly, perhaps, I ditched the breadboard. Chances are some small connection is broken or I failed to visualize a vertical connection. "Time to melt some solder," said Bill.</div><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small; text-align: left;">3. Added a variable capacitor so that I could adjust peak output at some point.</div><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small; text-align: left;">Here's what my project looks like:</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiYohELRx4D0eYIMW7CLwI42wPzRlcgkYmhsdNlVApdLbU-2Orm4jtxTi41hphA8f2sH_1TcXoLPhGKf0ueBHW93kYSCxDL8_NXQ8KcyTFAfzniT_gAhsYjUjn_opPEvS25-qaK5wtNCo/s2048/IMG-0772.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2036" data-original-width="2048" height="199" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiYohELRx4D0eYIMW7CLwI42wPzRlcgkYmhsdNlVApdLbU-2Orm4jtxTi41hphA8f2sH_1TcXoLPhGKf0ueBHW93kYSCxDL8_NXQ8KcyTFAfzniT_gAhsYjUjn_opPEvS25-qaK5wtNCo/w200-h199/IMG-0772.jpg" width="200" /></a><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: right;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilvgxd2hfZynB8Nn4FVlHRWuPfDXdd1Z3zDXeACpTH7zD260uVxB6SUGkKwCfZQsNtRZuKtBtoNRZhF4nDphA8C_NeojWlVYPI83MMBMbKwcengF1fazJyDYm8fv_8y0bteR0iC5XXmyU/s2048/IMG-0773.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1995" data-original-width="2048" height="195" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilvgxd2hfZynB8Nn4FVlHRWuPfDXdd1Z3zDXeACpTH7zD260uVxB6SUGkKwCfZQsNtRZuKtBtoNRZhF4nDphA8C_NeojWlVYPI83MMBMbKwcengF1fazJyDYm8fv_8y0bteR0iC5XXmyU/w200-h195/IMG-0773.jpg" width="200" /></a></div></div><br /><br /><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small; text-align: left;"><br /></div><h2 style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small; text-align: left;">And We're In Business</h2><div>We're oscillating, folks:</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/oK66yZRxSxQ" width="320" youtube-src-id="oK66yZRxSxQ"></iframe></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Project Description</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/n5aiISQuj3Y" width="320" youtube-src-id="n5aiISQuj3Y"></iframe></div>Successful Oscillation<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><br /><div><br /></div><div><br /></div></span><p style="text-align: left;"></p></div></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-416871945939007896.post-72001431485489180232021-05-04T12:13:00.001-04:002021-05-05T07:56:19.021-04:00Mounting to Perfboard and Scope Test<p>I was happy to finish out my normal duties last night (training, practice my lute, etc.) and move the MMM to a more permanent perfboard. In the case of this mounting, I did my best to preserve the layout of the schematic if at all possible. I checked continuity after mounting each component, etc. Everything seemed to be going great. But I couldn't get any signal at 3.579 MHz. Damn. Truly, I didn't beat myself up about it. Instead, i headed back upstairs after the youngest went to bed and did some reading. </p><p>I have the circuit another look on a short work break. Tested I connected the battery and heard the slightest amount of oscillation. Hey! And I noticed significant shifts in oscillation when I fooled with the L1/L2 coils. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/DffNgPwPeS4" width="320" youtube-src-id="DffNgPwPeS4"></iframe></div><br /><p></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit;">Troubleshooting: I'm not sure why this would occur. I understand that touching the coil would change the inductance. Ought I need to fix this before moving forward? Exactly how would I do this?</span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">This feedback from Bill Maera: </span></p><p><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"></span></span></p><blockquote><p><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Yes, or you could go with a toroidal coil Aside from the value in uH you have to pay attention to the tap -- and make sure that you are tapping from the correct side (usually X number of turns up from the bottom). Try it. </span></span></p><p><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">If it doesn't work, take a look at the coil and the tap. </span></span></p><p><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">You are mentioned on the SS blog. With a link to your site.<--the real cool part</span></span></p></blockquote><p><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit;">I then put the MMM on a scope shown below. </span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/BgYAIafAITA" width="320" youtube-src-id="BgYAIafAITA"></iframe></div><br /><p><br /></p><p>Next steps:</p><p></p><ol style="text-align: left;"><li>Better understand the coil issue.</li><li>Build a low pass filter (LPF) to pass frequencies below 4 MHz. </li></ol><div><br /></div><p></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-416871945939007896.post-30771790800769429662021-05-02T17:58:00.011-04:002021-05-13T13:50:37.435-04:00<p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">I'm so pumped. I have a beer in my hand and have had a great two days of amateur radio.</span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br />I connected yesterday with Bill Maera (N2CQR) of Solder Smoke Podcast fame. He and I had been in contact for the past few weeks about how to get started with scratch building. </span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Granted, credit goes to Paul Taylor (VK3HN). I saw <a href="https://vimeo.com/523787737">Paul's presentation at the QSO Today Expo in mid-March 2021</a>. Paul presented his scratch built QRP radios. Just amazing. Thought I could never do that. And I can't today. Felt compelled to learn more: how do these radio stages work? How do you figure out which capacitor value is best for this tank circuit? How? What? Lots of thoughts. I wrote Paul, eager as a beaver, and asked his advice. He told me two things: one, sit at the feat of the masters and two, start slow and simple. The masters being: Charlie Morris (ZL2CTM); Peter Parker (VK3YE); and definitely Pete Juliano (N6QW) and Bill Maera who both produce the Solder Smoke Podcast.</span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">I wrote both Bill and Pete with this impassioned plea:</span></p><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-size: small;"><div></div></div><blockquote><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-size: small;"><div><span style="font-family: inherit;">Name here is Jack Haefner, NG2E. <br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit;">I saw Paul Taylor's (VK3HN) presentation at the QSO Expo last month and was completely blown away by his work. Scratch building--at least his approach--seems very logical, throughout, and, frankly, rewarding. But I completely lack knowledge in this area.</span></div><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br />Frankly, I am looking for advice on how to get started. Per his suggestion, I've looked at plenty of sites (Peter Parker (now there's a name) (VK3YE), Charlie Morris (ZL2CTM), and others). While there's plenty there, I just don't know where to begin. </span></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Now, I do have a parts bin and am not afraid to solder something up and see what happens. But I wonder if you might have advice about how to hone in on what I see as some high-level objectives:</span></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">1. I'd like to build in stages <i>and </i>test/understand what is going on in between each stage.</span></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">2. I'd like to build QRP/portable sets since I Iike to do some SOTAs and, well, I'd like what I build to be useful.</span></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">3. No problem starting with CW since I have passable proficiency there.</span></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">I have a multimeter, a scope (never used since, well, I wouldn't know how to use it). I'll probably buy an inexpensive inductor tester since I'll probably need to wind a few of them.</span></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">I have the ARRL Handbook (2011) and Build Your Own Transistor Radios (Quan). There are some explanations in those texts, but they accelerate pretty fast. And I've built kits (Rockmite, Elecraft KX1)--I can certainly follow directions, but, I frankly don't know what is happening under the hood.</span></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Other than that, happy to take any ideas that you might send my way.</span></div></blockquote><p><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit;">Pete's reply a few days letter with echoes provided by Bill:</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-size: small; margin: 0px;"></p><blockquote><p class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-size: small; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Hi Jack,</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-size: small; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><u></u> <u></u></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-size: small; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Thank you for your email and I will be glad to help as best as I can. The first important point is that you have connected with some of the best homebrewers in the world, Paul, Peter and Charlie. –These truly are some of the most talented HB specialists. Charlie has several series of homebrew you tube videos that step you through a project and includes the theory not just solder tab A to Slot B. So check out his channel and work/follow along with him.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-size: small; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><u></u> <u></u></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-size: small; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">As for my contribution here are some suggestions:</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-size: small; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><u></u> <u></u></span></p><ol start="1" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-size: small; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in;" type="1"><li class="m_1163089081820243114MsoListParagraph" style="font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Start with a small project that will let you take that project and learn the two salient aspects – the physical construction and the why it works. One of the best to launch that effort is a low part count (less than 15 parts with the Low Pass Filter and 8 without) transmitter called The Michigan Mighty Mite. Because it is a low part count – not expensive and it will let you understand the why it works. Other projects like this include The Tuna Tin Two from Doug DeMaw W1FB now a SK.</span></li><li class="m_1163089081820243114MsoListParagraph" style="font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Next would be a receiver and I recommend a Direct Conversion Receiver. With these two projects you can have a working station. There are many forms of the DCR but if you look on my website you will see one using a MC1496 IC – these can be bought in SMD for less than $1. See <a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=http://www.n6qw.com&source=gmail&ust=1620077111092000&usg=AFQjCNE6kGjQCLa9SeTiqOIIRFVEzu-6TA" href="http://www.n6qw.com/" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">www.n6qw.com</a> and this link</span></li><li class="m_1163089081820243114MsoListParagraph" style="font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in;"><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.n6qw.com/MC1496.html&source=gmail&ust=1620077111092000&usg=AFQjCNEYip-Ba-gN9v6-kYGxJ5L95ykyhA" href="https://www.n6qw.com/MC1496.html" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: inherit;">https://www.n6qw.com/MC1496.<wbr></wbr>html</span></a></li></ol><p class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-size: small; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><u></u> <u></u></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-size: small; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">There is a video on that link and you can hear how good it is.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-size: small; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><u></u> <u></u></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-size: small; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">I would stay away from the $4 Pixie radio kit on eBay as that is essentially a single fixed channel receiver and you might not hear much. The key here Jack is to start small and take some time collecting info on the Michigan Mighty Mite and Direct Conversion Receivers. You might try to find a copy of Solid State Design for the Radio Amateur as that is a super publication that has many projects and a great stepping stone on the technical side. You might also consider joining the GQRP Club as that is a great source for simple projects that are usable rigs. Connect with the Membership Secretary – Daphne – she will fix you right up!</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-size: small; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><u></u> <u></u></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-size: small; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Chew on what I have sent you and then contact me with any further questions.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-size: small; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><u></u> <u></u></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-size: small; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">There is nothing finer than to be able to tell the station at the other end “the rig here is all homebrew!” Thanks again for your email. You already have many of the things you will need to get launched. Another good starting point is to learn how to use that scope –that is worth its weight in Gold!</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-size: small; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><u></u> <u></u></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-size: small; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">73’s</span></p><p><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Pete N6QW</span></span></p></blockquote><p><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-size: small;"></span> I collected the bits and pieces for my Michigan Mighty Mite the day following his email. The only thing missing: a 80M or 40M crystal. Bill offered me some, but he was layed up for a few days. Well, I finally connected with Bill yesterday. Stopped by his shack. Yup, in person. No masks. Very cool. Showed me his MMM and the JOO (Joy of Oscillation). </span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit;">I quickly returned home assembled my MMM and, sure enough, got a carrier wave on 3.579:</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/omhqdliGFzE" width="320" youtube-src-id="omhqdliGFzE"></iframe></span></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><span style="font-family: inherit;">So, here's my "way forward" for you Govies and former military:</span><div><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div><ol style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-family: inherit;">Capture this MMM into a semi-permanent design: ie, perf board.</span></li><li><span style="font-family: inherit;">Measure performance. What does the carrier wave look like on a scope? Is it a good sine wave? Are there distortions at multiple frequencies? I bet there are! How would I remedy that?</span></li><li><span style="font-family: inherit;">Build a low-pass filter to choke out the IMDs for frequencies above 3.579 MHz. How does the carrier now look?</span></li><li><span style="font-family: inherit;">Can I amplify the signal? Maybe add an amplifier stage or two. Transistor? LM386?</span></li><li><span style="font-family: inherit;">Next, let's look at receivers. Pete & Bill recommend that I build a Direct Conversion receiver. I know Peter Parker (VK3YE) has <a href="https://vk3ye.com/projects/proj80dir.htm">a simplified version</a>. Can I use these two in tandem with a transmit/receive switch?</span></li></ol><ol style="text-align: left;"></ol><ol style="text-align: left;"></ol><ol style="text-align: left;"></ol><div><span style="font-family: inherit;">That's good for now. I'd like to see how I can use a microcontroller for a better VFO, but I'd like to understand a superhet receiver architecture first. So much to learn.</span></div></div><span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><a name='more'></a></span></span><div><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit;">And next, I activated <a href="https://sotl.as/summits/W4V/SH-030" target="_blank">Blue Mountain today</a>. Jeep. Top down ride out to the summit. Made a few contacts first off the bat on VHF FM. Then CW on 20M and 40M. Lots of QRM on the peak and hard to make out some of the weaker stations, but had QSOs with the veritable Christian (F4WBN) in France and Bob Daniels (AC1Z) on a peak in New Hampshire.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit;">What a great weekend!</span></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div><p><br /></p><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;"></div></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0