AmateurRadio.com

So,   I have now had the X1M since Friday.  I have to say that overall, I like it.  Friday night (as previously posted) I checked in to the

Xiegu X1M

Brothers Net, and was heard clearly in Virginia, and again on Saturday night, when one of the members in Virginia relayed my check in to the operator in Maryland.  Also on Saturday I logged 5 of the 7 Florida QSO Party spelling bee stations from my living room, as well as a couple of other Florida stations.  Reports ranged from good for QRP, to Wow!  Only 5 Watts?  Keep in mind this is in a much-less-than-ideal setup.

In our apartment, KD2CHE and I are extremely limited on space, inside AND out.  The X1M is attached to an L-shaped random wire in the front yard, by way of a Balun Designs 9:1 Unun, and an Emtech ZM2 tuner.  Emtech recommends not using an additional balun or unun, but it seems to perform a little better with this crazy antenna.

It tunes up on most bands, and appears to tune  up on 75, but signal reports were bad on 75, with a lot of RF feedback, and I can hear myself in the  speakers I have attached to our TV when I transmit.  17 meters seems to be an issue with the TV speakers as well.  I’d love to put up something better in the front yard, but we’ll see what the landlord and neighbors are willing to put up with.  160, by the way is a no-go, but I don’t think that’s a surprise.

I’ve gotten the hang of using the X1M pretty quickly.  I haven’t used the memories yet, but I use the dual VFOs quite a bit, as well all of the different tuning speeds.  Everything is fairly straight forward once you get the hang of it.  Audio is what you would expect for a radio of this size (this thing is SMALL!), and fine through headphones.  The receiver is very sensitive.  I’ll get some actual numbers next weekend.  I like that you can kill the display light to conserve batteries, which will help when portable.

I’ve tried battery power.  With 8 alkaline AAs the radio seems to perform OK, however, 8 LiIon batteries are not quite enough voltage for the rig, producing some howls and distortion with the volume above about 40%.  I guess I’m not too surprised at this, since 8 FULLY charged AA Eneloops only put out 9.6 volts.  I will supplement that with 4 more Eneloops in series for a max of 14.4 volts.  Later on, I can pick up something a little more sophisticated.  I also made a coax-to-powerpole cable for mobile use, so I can always just set up next to the car when needed.

A coax power plug for making your own power cord, and a 1/8″ stereo (3 cond) plug for wiring to a key/paddle are included.  The power connector is a very common size, 5.5mm OD x 2.1mm ID, or Radio Shack size M, which made powering the radio up easy, since I had a size M-to-tinned-leads cable already.  I wired a straight-key up to the 1/8″ plug, and had to set the keyer mode to manual, which was also not hard to figure out.  The instructions are in Chinese, but an English translated manual is available from Import Communications, or in the X1M Yahoo group.

I think the little X1M has a nice future in my collection.  It’s no KX3, but for about $300, it’s a nice little radio.

To be continued………..

I finally received my assembled Xiegu X1M today.  I unpacked it and started tuning around before going out to dinner with the XYL, but after I got home I picked

Xiegu X1M

up the mic and tried it out.  Attached to an Emtech ZM2 tuner, and about 50-odd feet of random wire in the trees here, I checked in to the Brothers Net on 7192kHz.  Not bad for 5 watts, and a less-than-ideal antenna.  We’re off to a good start.  More to follow.

I have it on good authority, that there will be a new ARRL sponsored challenge coming this spring.  The MacGuyver Challenge (as it is being

ngg – flickr

referred to) will judge the builders’ abilities in creating a 1 Watt or higher 40M CW transmitter, using the highest percentage of household items possible.  The word is that the prize may already be claimed by junkbox-king Kyle Scrapschen, KB2CRP, who was showing his self titled “Junk Drawer Rig” at this year’s Mohawk Valley Hamfest in Sprakers, NY.  Using 17 antique twist-ties, an engraved spork, a lump of some crystallized kitchen-matter, and vintage Mattel Speak-and-Spell, Kyle claims to have had a QSO with a ham aboard a spam-fishing trawler off the coast of  Gough Island!

In other news, it’s April 1st.  Have a great one folks.  I was going to post a story about actually receiving my Xiegu X1M, but that’s NOT funny.

–Neil W2NDG

X1M QRP SSB/CW Transceiver Kit

I’ve been watching this little thing for a few weeks.  They showed up on the Kight Radio Store web page and after a few days, when I decided to pull the trigger, they had sold out.  Today they are back in stock, and one of them is on its way to me (hopefully).  Construction is described as easy assembly which I gather makes it similar to the KX3 kit.  Here are the features and specs from Kight Radio:

Transceiver: X1M [v2.01] 
Frequency range: 0.1 ~ 30mhz transceiver;
Modes: ssb / cw
Power output: 5 Watts (max);
Operating voltage: minimum 9.6v (dc), max 14.5v (dc);
Operating current: 0.35a (min), 1.2a (max);
Preamplifier;
Memory 100 channels ;
RIT function;
Automatic internal CW keyer
Back-light  on/off
Keyboard can be locked;
Dimensions: 97 * 40 * 155 (mm)
Weight: 0.65
Receiving sensitivity: better than 0.45uV
Frequency stability: better than 0.5ppm
Frequency accuracy: better than 0.5ppm (boot 5 minutes)

An interesting additional feature says this equipment can be connected to HAM RADIO DELUXE software.  The user can choose any ICOM equipment, but the IC-718 is recommended.

The text also states that the version they are shipping to the USA is set up to transmit only on the Amateur bands.

I’ll let you know how it goes.

Graphene Supercapacitor

This is a small article I wrote for our office newsletter.  Major implications for portable Amateur Radio equipment and emergency communications.

Batteries.  They have become a huge part of our everyday lives.  Think of how many devices we use that need to be recharged regularly.  Cell Phones, iPads, laptops, digital cameras, cordless vacuums, electric razors, and now cars too.  Tesla and other pioneers in the electric car industry are slowly moving toward technology that resolves a lot of the capacity issues in their devices, with some models now reaching a 300 mile range.  The iPhone has become another great example of what engineering can do for battery capacity, with newer models able to go for a day or more between charges with normal use.  Capacity is no longer the issue it once was.  Charging time is now what’s holding battery technology back in applications like cars, industrial machinery, and tools.  Even using one of the Tesla Superchargers takes about 30 minutes to charge a Tesla S to 50 percent capacity, and most cell phones still take an hour or more for a full charge.

The answer to this problem may lie in a substance called graphene.  Graphene was invented in 2010 at the University of Manchester, UK.  The two scientists who came up with the process were awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics.  Graphene is a single layer of carbon, forming a thin sheet, one molecular layer thick, and has amazing properties both physically and electrically.  Graphene is extremely conductive, and shows promise in the field of electronics, helping to create faster and smaller semi-conductors, as well as many other practical uses.

The original method to create graphene is extremely low-tech, and not very practical.  The Scientists at the University of Manchester were able to pull a single layer of carbon molecules off of a piece of graphite by using Scotch Tape.  This proves to be impractical on a large scale though, and a new method was needed.  Last year at UCLA, researchers found a way to make graphene out of graphite oxide dispersed in water using low powered lasers.  The lasers they used however, were the ones in an ordinary DVD burner.  By coating a DVD with graphite oxide, and burning it on the label side using LiteScribe technology, they were able to create sheets of graphene, opening the door to a cheap method of creating this substance.

The real surprise came when one of the researchers attached a square of graphene to a light bulb, and managed to keep it lit for 5 minutes, after a charge time of only a few seconds.  What they had stumbled on, was a new way of creating something called a super capacitor.  Capacitors store electricity like batteries do, but charge and discharge rapidly, sometimes many times a second.  A super capacitor combines the properties of both a battery and a capacitor, giving us a component that can charge rapidly, but behave like a battery once charged.

Thanks to the new method of creating graphene, this technology is closer to reality than most.  Imagine being able to recharge device in seconds instead of minutes or hours.  The possibilities this brings to the computer and auto industries are fantastic.  It also opens up the idea of cordless, rechargeable devices to a host of new industries.  Keep an eye on this, as it is going to change the way we look at portable devices, and energy storage.

Splinter Transceiver from BreadboardRadio.com

Kit building appears to be on the rise again.  With so many people talking about it lately I attempted to research sources for kits, only to find out that there wasn’t a single-source for Ham Radio kit suppliers.

I decided to put together a good list of sources for kits that are currently available.  Many of these are for QRP operation, but a few are full-featured professional transceivers (Elecraft, DZ).  On the beginners side there are a few sources that stand out:  Hendricks has a great assortment of kits, including some SSB QRP equipment.  QRPme offers the inexpensive, easy-to-build tuna-can products, and I would like to make special mention of the Four State QRP Group NS-40 which has the coils etched right into the PC board!  What a great idea!  I’ve covered trasmitters, transceivers, and some receivers here.  Some accessories are mentioned in the source descriptions.

Revised 2/18/2013  Changes in Hendricks, YouKits, Tony Parks. Added CR KITS, and BreadBoard Radio.

Revised 2/20/2013 Added K5BCQ & K5JHF Kits

Revised 2/26/2013 Added Kit Radio Company, GQRP Club, Kenneke Comm., Walford Electronics, Kanga UK, QRP Project, Kits by EA3GCY, and OZ QRP

Enjoy, and feel free to add any corrections, or additions in the comments.  The list can always be found at RadioKitGuide.com–Neil W2NDG

-Hendricks QRP Kits http://www.qrpkits.com/

• BitX20A/17A SSB Transceiver.  The BitX20A and BitX17A are complete SSB kits with board, all parts, digital display and custom powder coated and punched case that is based on the BitX20 that was designed by Ashlan Farhan.  Output is Read the rest of this entry »

As I’ve mentioned before, KD2CHE and I belong to a local transmitter hunting group.  We get together one or two times a month.  One member will hide the box and give us a general area, which is usually a radius from a point (i.e. 2 miles from the intersection of routes 1 and 2 in Anytown, NY).  We are the only ones without doppler equipment, yet we almost always find the transmitter.  Here’s some pointers for those of you that enjoy a bunny hunt every now and then, but may not think you can participate without sophisticated direction-finding equipment, or for those of you with dopplers that want to refine your techniques.

First of all, when I know the area, I print a map from the computer, and draw a circle for the hunting area.  Then, using either our knowledge of the area, or a combination of Google Maps, and Bing Maps, I find a large building that I can drive all the way around, as close to the center as possible.  I mark the spot on the map as our starting point.  KD2CHE drives, while I navigate.  When the time comes to leave for the location, I load up the equipment:

• The mobile in the car, for communicating with the other hunters, an Icom IC-207H
• An older Kenwood all-mode 2 meter mobile, with an RF-gain control, attached to an OPEK micro mag mount antenna
• A smartphone with Google Maps, or a laptop with a broadband connection
• Bright flash-lite
• 1 HT set to the third harmonic of the hunt frequency, usually my Icom IC-T90A with a good antenna
• 1 HT set to the hunt frequency with the antenna off, usually my Baofeng UV3R MkII
• 1 HT set to the hunt frequency for KD2CHE to use out of the car

Once the transmitter is activated, KD2CHE drives slowly around the building at the starting point, stopping when the transmitter stops, and starting up again when it comes back (the one we use is usually 30 seconds on / 30 seconds off).  I mark the points in our loop where the signal was strongest and weakest, drawing a line with an arrow to get our initial vector.  Then we navigate in that direction, using Google Maps as a guide.  As the signal changes I mark the observed strength on the map.  When we reach the point where the signal strength goes back down, we determine the high point, and KD2CHE drives as close to perpendicular to the original route as she can.

During this process, the RF gain control on the Kenwood comes in handy.  The box puts out a full 5 Watts, so as you get close to it, an un-attenuated receiver becomes useless.  For the signal readings with the RF gain all the way down, I write an ‘A’ in front of the s-meter reading on the map.  As the strength goes up again, we keep an eye on the 2 HTs.  When we’re within 1 or 2 blocks, one or both of them will become active.  The third harmonic will usually not work until you are almost on top of the transmitter, which comes in handy.  This is when we start looking for a good spot.  In many cases there will be a public park, or area of some sort nearby, and the rest of the hunt is done on foot with the HTs, and the flash-lite  if necessary.

Body shielding will get you a direction to walk in.  Hold a radio that is getting a weak signal (the IC-T90A has a fixed-level attenuator I can activate) close in to your chest and slowly turn around, and make note again of the weak and strong points in the circle.  Keep in mind though that sometimes, a good hider will put the box in a location that creates reflections and ghosts.  Sometimes you just need to use logic, or in the case of our last hunt, KD2CHE found the box simply by looking, while everyone else was wandering around the woods with Yagis and other fancy equipment.

Of course it helps to know the area, and to have some insight into where people like to hide things.  One of our hiders frequently hides in places he discovers while hiking.  Another likes to hide in very unique, and sometimes questionable places.  Once or twice we’ve had to explain to the authorities what we were doing.

I’m convinced that a doppler might enhance our abilities, but I’m afraid of relying on it too much.  We actually have one, but it needs some work.  We’ll see.

73!  Neil W2NDG