Archive for the ‘qrp’ Category

« Older Entries
Newer Entries »

K5P on QRP

January 21st, 2016 | Author:
I managed a QSO with K5P yesterday on 20m CW with 5 watts out for my 180th country on QRP. I don't know why, but I am always amazed by this, especially when breaking a pile-up. I have a decent antenna, a log periodic up 50 feet, but so do most of the QRO guys. Always fun. I suppose that's what's interesting about ham radio, it's never the same two days in a row.

I will be looking to work VP8STI on QRP. I need some band slots on QRO, but still need them in my QRP log for the first time.The pile-ups will need to die down a little before I jump in.





I like this logo, nothing against the SSB guys, but it only has a morse key on it:-)

Get a taste of the RF coming and going

January 18th, 2016 | Author:

Elecraft CP1 - A tasty RF treat

I had some time this afternoon to assemble another Elecraft mini-module kit.  This time it was the Elecraft CP1 directional coupler.

Elecraft CP1 Kit

Couple what?

Ah, so if your new to this like me you might be asking what does a coupler do?  Well it sorta listens in on the signal going out (forward) and reflected (back) and is able to send an attenuated sample of the signal to other devices.  It attenuates the sample by either 20db or 30db depending on how you build the kit.

The 20db version is good for signals 25 watts and less so that's the way I built it.  It was easy to build but my glue under the second toroid wasn't strong enough and you can see it popped up a bit.  Also the Elecraft instructions had one confusing instruction concerning mounting the toroids.  The instructions say "... When wound and mounted correctly, the enamel wire will emerge from the top of each core and connect to the top hole at each inductor location".  Well when you wind a toroid only one of the wires can "emerge from the top of the core" while the other comes from underneath.  This confused me for a minute until I finally just went on with the install.  Anyway, if you're a stickler for following instructions that one may cause a moment of pause...

The switches for the two outputs forward, reflected (J3, J4) are in the up position when they are not in use.  When the switch(es) are in the up position the 50 ohm 3 watt resistor(s) take the place of the switched off output.  Don't disconnect an output and leave the switch in the bottom position.  I'm not sure what will happen... maybe nothing, probably a bit of a mismatch on the SWR, or maybe it could be like "Crossing the streams" in Ghostbusters.  Your mileage may vary.

My uses for a coupler

My old Ten-Tec Century 21 has an analog VFO dial that gives me a good guess at where I'm at but I use an external frequency counter to give me more information.  I had it sorta rigged my frequency counter to sample the signal from RF leaked on the shield but I didn't really know how much power I was sending to the counter so this coupler allows it, as well as other devices, to be safely connected to the transmitted signal.

I also plan to use the coupler for IMD tests using a oscilloscope and other projects.  It's  handy device to have in your collection.

My confusion

I will admit I am still such an idiot when it comes to understanding how this stuff works.  After I built it I was testing continuity and saw that input/output (J1, J2) both showed a short from ground to center pin on both BNC connectors.  I thought I'd mis-soldered something and spent the next two hours unsoldering components and trying to trace the fault...

There was no fault.  The way this thing works is a bit of mystery to me but as best I can tell it simply reverses the phase of the signal coming in one side (J1) and leaving the other (J2) and as far as continuity tests go, EVERYTHING has almost zero impedance.  I'm still bewildered but it's AC not DC so my continuity tests don't mean much.

But in the end - It works

I finally just resoldered it, scratched my head and thought I'd give it a try.  I connected the coupler between my radio and a dummy load and transmitted a watt and noted that the SWR on the radio was fine.  Then I hooked up my frequency counter and it worked like a charm sending an attenuated signal to J3 for the frequency counter.

My MFJ watt meter doesn't seem to be all that accurate but I did a power test with it both in-line and absent.  My MFJ watt meter measures 300w / 30w so it isn't very accurate at QRP levels.  But I noted a slight difference in power reported when the coupler was in-line.  If I had to guess by "Mark-One-Eyeball" I'd say the coupler was stealing about 1/2 watt.  Maybe a bit more so that's something to consider.  I'll know better once I build my Elecraft watt meter since it's accurate down to a tenth of a watt.

That's all for now

So lower your power and raise your expectations

72/73
Richard, N4PBQ

An afternoon with JT-65HF

January 17th, 2016 | Author:
The morning today was full of chores that had to be done so it was up early and go go go. That plan worked out just fine and it allow me to have some time at the radio. I listened for a bit on the CW portion of 20m and it was very slow. I then decided to stay on 20m but move onto JT-65HF and see what was happening there. Right off the bat I decoded ZS6C from South Africa I was not able to connect up with him after several tries he seem to fade off the waterfall. That sure would had been a nice contact but on the positive side I have seen him on the waterfall many times in the past so there will be more opportunities.  I did have lots of  U.S stations calling CQ as well but I was not able to make contact with any of them either day......just not my day on the waterfall. I then changed it up and moved to calling CQ...oh and this post was being written while I was operating JT-65HF you just have to keep an eye on the waterfall and the decoded message. It is going to take a while for me to get the hang of the timing down. When you call someone on the waterfall there is not much time during decode to see if they are coming back to you, coming back to someone else or calling CQ. I did have KA4HOT come back to me but we were not able to complete the QSO most likely because I'm still getting the hang of the QSO rhythm.

SOTA Rig Reconfiguration

January 17th, 2016 | Author:
Activating SOTA's, if you do it regularly, is an iterative process. Of course the primary focus is to get to the top of whatever summit you might be tackling on a given day, but another part of the game is how you get there. Of course the right clothing to be comfortable in whatever conditions you face, the right pack to carry your gear and of course the right radio. But then, some of the fun begins. Not only the right radio, but how will I configure the radio to maximize my signal, be as light as possible and how to I package of this so I don't have radio gear all over the ground or digging in my pack to find the battery, paddle, etc.. I have activated 150+ summits and this is a continuous process.

Since I've retired, I've now have the opportunity to have continuous thoughts about things like this without the interference of work or schedule related thoughts, it's great. Consequently, I've had some time to give my rig configuration some thought. What I have done is not totally unique as I have gotten ideas from others and mixed them into my own concoction. I have the 3 Band MTR, with 17m, 20m and 30m. I chose these particular bands so that I would have flexibility on contest weekends. So below is my latest, not my last configuration.


As you can see I am using a backpacking cutting board as the foundation of the setup. I used a product called Scotch Extreme fastener to attache the LIPO battery and the Pico Paddle, it's sort of like Velcro but it snaps into place and is 10x stronger than velcro. I simply drilled holes (this board has seen several iterations as you can see the many holes), and used rubber bands to hold the radio in place. I may decide to use the fastener instead. The "Rite in the Rain" card is for logging. A nice neat package to pull out of the pack, hook up the antenna, plug in the power and off I go.

There are however a couple of further improvements.



You can see I've added a tethered pencil for logging and an optional Elecraft T1 tuner, if you have a non-resonant wire. I can fasten it to the board with either rubber bands or the Scotch fastener.

I've also added a protective cover for the MTR. It's made from sleeping pad foam and protects the face and switches on the MTR when getting jostled in your pack. On the backside of the cover I've cut out recesses where the switches are and added little magnets that are attracted to the four screws on the case. Thanks to Fred, KT5X for this idea.


So there you have it, a light, three band, package that is compact, light and ready to go. So until I reconfigure again.

SOTA Rig Reconfiguration

January 17th, 2016 | Author:
Activating SOTA's, if you do it regularly, is an iterative process. Of course the primary focus is to get to the top of whatever summit you might be tackling on a given day, but another part of the game is how you get there. Of course the right clothing to be comfortable in whatever conditions you face, the right pack to carry your gear and of course the right radio. But then, some of the fun begins. Not only the right radio, but how will I configure the radio to maximize my signal, be as light as possible and how to I package of this so I don't have radio gear all over the ground or digging in my pack to find the battery, paddle, etc.. I have activated 150+ summits and this is a continuous process.

Since I've retired, I've now have the opportunity to have continuous thoughts about things like this without the interference of work or schedule related thoughts, it's great. Consequently, I've had some time to give my rig configuration some thought. What I have done is not totally unique as I have gotten ideas from others and mixed them into my own concoction. I have the 3 Band MTR, with 17m, 20m and 30m. I chose these particular bands so that I would have flexibility on contest weekends. So below is my latest, not my last configuration.


As you can see I am using a backpacking cutting board as the foundation of the setup. I used a product called Scotch Extreme fastener to attache the LIPO battery and the Pico Paddle, it's sort of like Velcro but it snaps into place and is 10x stronger than velcro. I simply drilled holes (this board has seen several iterations as you can see the many holes), and used rubber bands to hold the radio in place. I may decide to use the fastener instead. The "Rite in the Rain" card is for logging. A nice neat package to pull out of the pack, hook up the antenna, plug in the power and off I go.

There are however a couple of further improvements.



You can see I've added a tethered pencil for logging and an optional Elecraft T1 tuner, if you have a non-resonant wire. I can fasten it to the board with either rubber bands or the Scotch fastener.

I've also added a protective cover for the MTR. It's made from sleeping pad foam and protects the face and switches on the MTR when getting jostled in your pack. On the backside of the cover I've cut out recesses where the switches are and added little magnets that are attracted to the four screws on the case. Thanks to Fred, KT5X for this idea.


So there you have it, a light, three band, package that is compact, light and ready to go. So until I reconfigure again.

I Need You in My Log! SKCC K3Y/0 Special Event (January 2016)

January 15th, 2016 | Author:

I need your help!

Come meet me on the shortwave (HF) ham bands for the Morse code (CW mode) special event, the Straight Key Century Club (SKCC) celebration, with special callsign, K3Y. During the shifts (time slots) listed below, I am the control operator as K3Y/0.

Tomas, NW7US - operating Morse code as special event station, K3Y/0I need you to make a contact with me.

This special event takes place every year during January. We celebrate the legacy of Morse code, and promote Morse code and manual creation of the code by any non-electronic (digital) device and method. Which means that we love mechanical bugs, straight keys, two ends of a wire, or any other manual device, if Morse code is generated. The Straight Key Century Club is a free membership group. The link to their website is below.

I need you to make a contact with me, during my scheduled times, listed below.

NOTE: YOU DO NOT NEED TO BE A MEMBER OF THE (free) SKCC GROUP. To get into my logbook, you meet me on my frequency, and use Morse code to communicate with me. It is painless. If you must, you can use computer-generated Morse code. Or, you can tap it out on any Morse code signalling device, like a bug, a set of paddles, or a straight key; whatever you choose to make Morse code emanate from your HF transmitter.

HOWEVER: For those of you who want to get fully immersed in the spirit of this event, you are invited to use a straight key. And, as a bonus, you may and can join the SKCC group for FREE. Then, you would have your own SKCC number. That’d be cool; we SKCC members use that number in our exchange during our QSO information exchange. But, you don’t need that. Since it is free, why not?

What is needed is simply you, getting on the shortwave band, finding me, hearing me, and responding to me with Morse code. In other words, we need to have a QSO using Morse code. I am not a fast operator, so no problem if you are not very fast. I’ll meet your speed.

In any case, here are some of the times I will be on the air as K3Y/0… please dust off your straight key, bug, paddles, whatever, and make a QSO with me. Thanks!

My current schedule:

UTC Start/End (remember, these are NOT your local times, but are the UTC (GMT) times!)

(revised times, as of edit date)


00:00 - 02:59 19-Jan-16
00:00 - 02:59 20-Jan-16
00:00 - 02:59 21-Jan-16
00:00 - 02:59 22-Jan-16
00:00 - 05:59 23-Jan-16
14:00 - 18:59 23-Jan-16
20:00 - 21:59 23-Jan-16
00:00 - 02:59 24-Jan-16
14:00 - 18:59 24-Jan-16
21:00 - 21:59 24-Jan-16
00:00 - 02:59 25-Jan-16
00:00 - 02:59 26-Jan-16
00:00 - 02:59 27-Jan-16
00:00 - 02:59 28-Jan-16
00:00 - 02:59 29-Jan-16
00:00 - 05:59 30-Jan-16
13:00 - 18:59 30-Jan-16
20:00 - 21:59 30-Jan-16
00:00 - 03:59 31-Jan-16
13:00 - 23:59 31-Jan-16

Now, what frequency will I be on?

To find out what frequency I am on:

Visit http://g.nw7us.us/sched4SKCC and look on the right side for my callsign, NW7US. I usually post my frequency of operation right after my call sign.

Typically, evening operation is 30m, then 40m, and then possibly 80m.

If you are trying to alert me to your presence, you may message me on my personal Facebook profile, under my “Tomas David Hood” profile messages, but I may not see that right away.

Here is the detail covering the K3Y operation and the SKCC group: http://skccgroup.com/k3y

73 de NW7US
dit dit

This was last year:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UfRvITFpTb4

..
Tomas, NW7US - operating Morse code as special event station, K3Y/0

..

Needing some help with JT65-HF

January 9th, 2016 | Author:
Ok all you JT-65 op's out there I have some questions about my setup here at VE3WDM using the new release of WSJT-X ver 1.6.0. Here is what I am using in my setup- Elecraft k3 in DATA A mode, Signalink USB, Windows 7 and finally as I said WSJT-65 ver 1.6.0. Tigertronics has a great web page for setting up the sound card for Windows 7. I followed all the step and all seemed to go well until I noticed one setting keeps reverting back to a default setting. Once I go to the step "Setting the windows software playback levels" you are instructed to set WSTJ's sound level to 50% which I did. I kept this window open but notice once the WSJT program came out of transmit the WSJT volume reset to 100% and stays there? To get the setting back to 50% you have to manually reset the volume but once again it resets to 100% after
Reset sound setting?
transmitting. The other issue is my waterfall and really at this point Im really not sure if it's a issue or lack of knowledge of this mode. I have seen on many Youtube videos of a nice blue waterfall with yellow and red JT-65 signals. My waterfall has two very large "signals" on the left and right of the waterfall. The first picture (PIC-1) is with the signalink RX at zero so there is no decodes (that makes sense) but what are the "things to the left and right on the waterfall?
PIC-1
As I turned the volume setting on the Signalink to 9 o'clock I was able to see decodes but the mystery signals were still present on the left and right to the waterfall. This can be seen in PIC-2 but then just an hour later with all settings the same what waterfall looks like PIC-3!
PIC-3
PIC-2
So I'm not really sure what is going on with the receive RX and why the sound setting is getting reset from 50% to 100% after each transmission. Any input would be a great help to getting this mode up and running.
« Older Entries
Newer Entries »

Subscribe FREE to AmateurRadio.com's
Amateur Radio Newsletter

 
We never share your e-mail address.



Do you like to write?
Interesting project to share?
Helpful tips and ideas for other hams?

Submit an article and we will review it for publication on AmateurRadio.com!

Have a ham radio product or service?
Consider advertising on our site.

Are you a reporter covering ham radio?
Find ham radio experts for your story.

How to Set Up a Ham Radio Blog
Get started in less than 15 minutes!


  • Matt W1MST, Managing Editor




Copyright © 1995-2024 AmateurRadio.com, All Rights Reserved.
Celebrating 29 Years of Service to the Amateur Radio Community

RSS Feed | Sitemap | DMCA Contact | Privacy Policy / GDPR

Each individual posting is the property of its respective author and the opinions expressed may not represent those of AmateurRadio.com including its editor, staff, or sponsors. Content may not be reproduced without written permission.