AmateurRadio.com

My wife and I have an upcoming trip the Bahamas. We’ll be meeting our friends Keith and Terri on their live-aboard sailboat. I got a wild thought…I should take the KX3 and end-fed half wave antenna along, and I’ll be maritime mobile from the Exumas! I submitted the paperwork via email, and anxiously awaited my callsign. I got a response back really quick from Ms. Linda with the Bahamian government, asking for an additional form to be completed. My credit card was quickly charged the $35 fee. Today I checked with Ms. Linda on the status. I found out that I won’t receive my license until AFTER I return from my trip. This is all on me, as I should have planned this out sooner.

There’s still a chance that my license will arrive in time, but it’s a pretty slim chance. Fingers crossed.

My wife and I have an upcoming trip the Bahamas. We’ll be meeting our friends Keith and Terri on their live-aboard sailboat. I got a wild thought…I should take the KX3 and end-fed half wave antenna along, and I’ll be maritime mobile from the Exumas! I submitted the paperwork via email, and anxiously awaited my callsign. I got a response back really quick from Ms. Linda with the Bahamian government, asking for an additional form to be completed. My credit card was quickly charged the $35 fee. Today I checked with Ms. Linda on the status. I found out that I won’t receive my license until AFTER I return from my trip. This is all on me, as I should have planned this out sooner.

There’s still a chance that my license will arrive in time, but it’s a pretty slim chance. Fingers crossed.

Another Arduino project I’ve been working on is a DTMF decoder used to control a relay board. Using a ham radio receiver, I can switch lights, radios, computers…anything…on or off from miles away. Here’s the video:

Here’s the wiring diagram. And here’s the Arduino code.

I’m using a Sainsmart 4 relay board, although pretty much any relay board would work. You’ll also need a MT8870 DTMF decoder – these run about $2 on ebay. And of course, you’ll need an Arduino Uno. Again, check out ebay for these as well. The total cost here should be less than $12 and you’ve got a fully functioning radio controlled DTMF relay controller!

Another Arduino project I’ve been working on is a DTMF decoder used to control a relay board. Using a ham radio receiver, I can switch lights, radios, computers…anything…on or off from miles away. Here’s the video:

Here’s the wiring diagram. And here’s the Arduino code.

I’m using a Sainsmart 4 relay board, although pretty much any relay board would work. You’ll also need a MT8870 DTMF decoder – these run about $2 on ebay. And of course, you’ll need an Arduino Uno. Again, check out ebay for these as well. The total cost here should be less than $12 and you’ve got a fully functioning radio controlled DTMF relay controller!

This week we installed a new Yaesu Fusion DR-1X repeater at a very nice site in Central Illinois. One of the things I’m a big fan of is controlling supply power via the web. This ability to remotely control the repeater is great – even if the controller goes belly up, you can turn the entire system off or just remotely power cycle it. I’ve used the Digital Loggers data center type power strips before, but they are a bit expensive – over $100. So for this site, I used the Iot Relay – Enclosed High-power Power Relay for Arduino, Raspberry Pi, PIC or Wifi, Relay Shield also from Digital Loggers. At under $20 from Amazon, it’s a great deal. It’s a relay connected to four outlets, enclosed in a very nice plastic case. Hooked to a Raspberry Pi, this little box provides me the ability to power cycle or turn off any equipment via the web. How do I get the from the web to the remote repeater site? Well through AREDN ham mesh software running on 5GHz equipment of course!

Since I had an extra Raspberry Pi on the shelf, this quick hack made for a fun project. I’m also going to add a temperature and humidity sensor so that we can monitor the environmental conditions in the repeater building. Here’s a short 3 minute video I made explaining the code and the connections. Have fun! Put the Amateur back in Amateur Radio!

This week we installed a new Yaesu Fusion DR-1X repeater at a very nice site in Central Illinois. One of the things I’m a big fan of is controlling supply power via the web. This ability to remotely control the repeater is great – even if the controller goes belly up, you can turn the entire system off or just remotely power cycle it. I’ve used the Digital Loggers data center type power strips before, but they are a bit expensive – over $100. So for this site, I used the Iot Relay – Enclosed High-power Power Relay for Arduino, Raspberry Pi, PIC or Wifi, Relay Shield also from Digital Loggers. At under $20 from Amazon, it’s a great deal. It’s a relay connected to four outlets, enclosed in a very nice plastic case. Hooked to a Raspberry Pi, this little box provides me the ability to power cycle or turn off any equipment via the web. How do I get the from the web to the remote repeater site? Well through AREDN ham mesh software running on 5GHz equipment of course!

Since I had an extra Raspberry Pi on the shelf, this quick hack made for a fun project. I’m also going to add a temperature and humidity sensor so that we can monitor the environmental conditions in the repeater building. Here’s a short 3 minute video I made explaining the code and the connections. Have fun! Put the Amateur back in Amateur Radio!