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So how was 2011 here at VE3WDM,

I have always been a QRP operator but for the first time I decided to drop my output power to less than 5 watts. By the end of 2011 the output had dropped to 500mW's or less with great success as well.

I took some time to look around the shack to notice how much "stuff" I had that was just taking up space. I then put up for sale items I was not using and made enough for some new toys.

I discovered WSPR and all that you can do with it. 


 I was able to upgrade the shack. The Elecraft K3 was upgraded with a second receiver and matching filters. Along with some added treats.

My main contest antenna was the Sidekick from High Sierra antennas. It was a great antenna that gave me coverage from 10m to 80m. The problem was it could only be outdoors when I was on the radio due to antenna restrictions. I tried the Sidekick in the attic along with my 20m dipole but it just did not work.

I sold the Sidekick and ordered the Alpha Delta DX-33 and installed it in the attic. I am now able to work 10m to 40m anytime I want and not worry about an outdoor antenna.

I found time to get some kits done and added to the shack. 

I also had some Plasma TV interference so I purchased an  MFJ-1026 and that fixed the problem it's a great unit.

I did more portable op's this year with my Elecraft KX1 and had a great time.

There was my trip of a life time to the UK and ham radio came along for the ride as well. 

There was some wall paper added  WAS awards, 1,000 miles per watt at 8,325 miles per watt. I then topped that record with 16,737 miles per watt.

Much more went on but these were the highlights here at VE3WDM!

Sorting the parts

Good afternoon all, just the other week I finished building my Idiom press CMOS-4 keyer. When I was investigating the keyers from Idiom press there was another keyer called the K5 which had 6 programmable memories. The K5 did not seem to come as a kit and it was more pricey as well so I settled for the CMOS-4 kit. I ordered it online with my credit card but unlike other kits I have ordered from other companies this time around I was never sent confirmation of shipment or a tracking number....nothing......it just arrived here at the
house one day. Anyway, I had read many great reviews about this keyer and has seen some YouTube demonstrations of it was well so I was eager  to get it built and running. If you have read in

RCA troubles

my blog in the past the first thing I like to do with any kit I get is do the inventory of parts. It lets me know all is here as well familiarizes me with the parts. This kit like all the others had part numbers for the parts but for some reason the list gave you a part number and told you it was a 15 ohm resistor for instance and that there were 20 of them and  that was it!! So these 15 resistors were they R1, R20, R3 or what, as the kit had other resistors with other part numbers and values assigned to them. So for all the parts I had to go through the build

Resistor and diode layout

instructions and identify that transistor part number ZC4005 which was a MPSA92 transistor was in fact Q1 in the assembly instructions. Each part had to have this done and I then put the parts in a bag and labeled the bag with the assembly part number on it. The assembly instructions were very clear but more pictures would be very helpful during the build. Steps that involved an odd detail were marked out very clearly and at times in BOLD print. One part issue during the build was an RCA jack that would not fit through the per-drilled hole. This is not a disaster but a bit of a pain having to get the cordless drill out to open up the hole. The only other issue I ran into and should be rectified in my humble opinion is.....there are some diodes that have to be installed and there is a polarity to follow. To make this easier the

Diode circles missing at bottom

silk screen on the PC board has a large circle place over one of the diode holes. This is to help with placing the diode on the PC board with the right polarity. Well for some reason there are 3 areas D2,D3 and D4 were the circle did not make it onto the PC board. You are told of this in the instructions and shown on a layout diagram with the proper polarity. How about fixing the boards as well.........Those were the only issues I had with the build. The kit tested great once it was done and if you do order the CMOS-4 as a kit or already built make sure you read the operating manual cover to cover. This is were the kit really shines great detail has been put into the manual. Because this keyer is a real stand alone keyer all programing is done with your key no computer is needed. In the manual you are given exercises to do and make sure you do them!!! This will get you accustomed how the keyer works and how to program it as well. If you are in the market for a keyer this is one to take a close look at. In this post I wanted to include some assembly pictures as I found on the internet there were very few. As you are going through the build a picture would really help at times.

DC power jack very close to speaker

Adding wires to board

All wires added

Push button setup

Battery pack added

Myself , Julie and Oliver wish you all a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!!

The excitement had me fill in the wrong band a new one is coming for 14 MHZ (click for full size)

Attic dipole (click to enlarge)

One of my goals during the CQWW CW contest was to drop my power and beat my last 1000 miles per watt record. Up until this past contest
my miles per watt all time high was 8325 miles per watt!! Now you also have to remember I am not running a huge tower loaded with eye candy beams. My radio waves into ham land are done with an attic dipole in a "Z" configuration (Alpha Delta DX-EE), so it has a nice wooden roof above an insulated ceiling below. Yes it is not the latest and greatest of antennas but I'm not doing to bad with it. During the contest  I dropped the Elecraft K3's power to 500mW's to see what I could do. To my surprise ZS4TX came back to me... I made contact and exchanged contest info. After the contest I emailed ZS4TX (Bernie) and he was shocked that I was running QRPp at 500mW's. My signal according to Bernie was above average into South Africa. So my new "to beat record" is 16,737 miles per watt I more than doubled my last record!!!
 

The folded or "Z" part (click to enlarge)

Some weeks ago I blogged that I was installing Ubuntu on my laptop as I was going to give another operating system a try. It's been over a month now and the learning curve has been slow. It's not because Ubuntu is difficult and arduous it is Bill Gates who has a firm hold on me.  We all learn new things different ways and the trick is to find how best you learn.  As for me the best way I learn things depends on what I am trying to learn. When it comes to operating systems...well.... it has and always been the Windows systems.  When one of Bill's OS's where changed there was the frustration factor of just trying to make it work. This is where I am at with Ubuntu; I have downloaded some programs and once downloaded for the life of me I can't find them. It occurred to me the other day that I am looking for these programs with a Windows mindset.  I began to head over to Youtube to check out some learning videos. The problem here was I would have to keep stopping,
trying what they said then getting back to the Youtube video and then back to the same spot in Ubuntu again. That was just a receipe for frustration as this game plan was far from smooth going. It was off to some user groups but that turned out most of the time to be a hunting trip. I would end up going to so many links that the original question was forgotten and at my age that process does not take  long.  I came to the conclusion the written word in the form of books was the way to go to solve this monkey on my back.   I hope to become more familiar with the Ubuntu OS now and get past the wall I have come up against. Over the Christmas break I will be taking a leisurely approach with the help of some books and hands on learning to get Ubuntu in check.

The shipment arrived

Ready to go

The postal service came through for me and not only was the Elecraft P3 here before Christmas it made it to my home in a record 5 business days. The package arrived on Thursday but I had to wait for Saturday to open the boxes and drool!! Before the P3 arrived I had downloaded the manual and assembly instructions to go over things. I did have plans of participating in the ARRL 10 meter contest but the P3 blinded me to the contest.  The two boxes were very well packed with bubble wrap on all sides and the contents of each box again
surrounded in bubble wrap. I sat down Saturday afternoon as the morning was dedicated to putting up the Christmas tree and decorating our home. As always I took inventory of all the parts I encourage anyone who orders any kit to make sure you do the inventory. This kit is another of Elecraft's solder-less kits. It comes with the boards (front panel board with LCD, rear I/O board and rear RF panel  

Front panel done

board) all ready to go the only real assembly is the mechanical side of the P3.  By spending some time putting the kit together yourself you save some cash. The first step was to install some stand offs onto the front panel board these are used to secure the front LCD board to the front plate assembly. The fit of the front panel board into the front plate was perfect no binding or poor alignment of screws into stand off threads. I have found with all the Elecraft kits the attention to this type of detail makes the kits a joy to put together. It was then time to assemble parts of the enclosure and rear panel. The installation of the I/O board and RF board in the rear panel went very smooth. As the end was near it was time to install the 40 pin ribbon cable. The instructions for this were very detailed and clear. A red stripe on the ribbon cable was to be

I/O board installed

Back panel

oriented toward  certain parts on both the I\O board and the front panel board. Failing to plug the ribbon cable in correctly would result in damage  once power was applied. Lastly there was a TMP coaxial cable from the main board to the RF board and except for a few more chassis screws the P3 was done. The total time was about 2 hours with some breaks and taking my time. This unit is plug and play with the K3 radio. To get the P3 mated with the K3 there was a power cord that plugged into the K3. This way when the K3 was powered on so is the P3. ( there are other options for power up and only involved changing a plug in jumper on the P3) The IF feed comes from the K3 to the P3 with a supplied

The finished product

BNC coax jumper. Finally there is RS232 DE 9 cable (again supplied by Elecraft) between the P3 and K3 so they can "talk". I then brought my RS232 from the PC to the P3. This allows me to update the P3 over the internet and the P3 utility can communicate the P3. I have not had to much time to play with the P3 as Sunday was dedicated to shopping and resting as I worked all night Saturday.

Hooked up to K3