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uBITX now on back order.
12 December 2017 | by The uBITX kit as I predicted, proved so successful when it went on sale on Saturday 9th December, by Monday 11th, Asharr Farhan was telling us all on the BITX20 group, current stock of the first uBITX production run was exhausted!
Demand has just outstripped supply, by what the thinking was there was enough stock to last for 2 months?
Anyone ordering the uBITX now, will not get shipped until after at least the 25th December. This is now being flagged up when you come to order.
Did the uBITX become more successful overnight than the ICOM IC-7300, did it sell more in it's first days of sale? Or does it say to the main three radio manufacturers, you missed a market for a plain no bells and whistles multiband radio that everyone can afford and muck into and understand?
One thing for certain Asharr Farhan has proved without a doubt that he has been the first to achieve and do this, putting into mass production a multiband rig at a price point that everyone can be part of and enjoy! I am sure as well as the uBITX there is a lot more to come from HF Signals in the future!
Well done VU2ESE!
Steve, G1KQH, is a regular contributor to AmateurRadio.com and writes from England. Contact him at [email protected].
Demand has just outstripped supply, by what the thinking was there was enough stock to last for 2 months?
Anyone ordering the uBITX now, will not get shipped until after at least the 25th December. This is now being flagged up when you come to order.
Did the uBITX become more successful overnight than the ICOM IC-7300, did it sell more in it's first days of sale? Or does it say to the main three radio manufacturers, you missed a market for a plain no bells and whistles multiband radio that everyone can afford and muck into and understand?
One thing for certain Asharr Farhan has proved without a doubt that he has been the first to achieve and do this, putting into mass production a multiband rig at a price point that everyone can be part of and enjoy! I am sure as well as the uBITX there is a lot more to come from HF Signals in the future!
Well done VU2ESE!
Steve, G1KQH, is a regular contributor to AmateurRadio.com and writes from England. Contact him at [email protected].
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The FA-VA4 Vector Antenna Analyzer (LF-100MHz)
For some time I had been considering the purchase of the MFJ259 antenna analyzer but after a little online sleuthing, came across this little beauty, the FA-VA4 Antenna Analyzer by Funk Amateur in Germany and available through their Box73 website here.
I liked the fact that the cost of the analyzer was about half that of anything else comparable ($140 US including shipping) and that it covered the new 2200 / 630m bands!
I think many amateurs planning on building a system for either of these new bands will find the very affordable FA-VA4 a handy piece of equipment when it comes to working on their LF / MF antenna since most available SWR meters do not cover these frequencies accurately.
Delivery time was fast and everything was very well packaged. The FA-VA4 comes in partial kit form and requires only a short amount of time to put together.
The necessary assembly consists of soldering pin strip connectors, switches, AA cell holders, and the BNC connector. All of the tricky SMD components have been pre-mounted ... total assembly time was less than 60 minutes and everything fired-up nicely, without problems, thanks to the well written instruction / user manual.
Included with the kit are three BNC connectors needed to calibrate the instrument for the highest accuracy. These consist of a 'Shorted' connector, an 'Open' connector and a 50 ohm 'Load' connector (SOL). A simple three-part calibration procedure for all frequencies takes about 15 minute to complete, while the instrument calibrates itself as it scans through all frequency ranges with each connector plugged into the output. Once this task is completed, the analyzer is ready for use.
If you're like me, I think the main use will be to check out and tweak some of your HF antennas using the SWR or Z sweep function. This allows you to set a desired 'center' frequency along with a + / - sweep range and have the display draw a nice plot of your system.
Had my 630m antenna not already been tuned and matched, I would have found the analyzer to be a great help but, thanks to my 'scopematch', that antenna has already been optimised.
All menu features and data entry is via three momentary-contact push switches. Although this might initially seem awkward, it is not, and operation is pretty intuitive.
The main modes of operation are:
Single Frequency SWR Measurement
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| courtesy: http://www.box73.com/product/5 |
Single Frequency Impedance Measurement
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| courtesy: http://www.box73.com/product/5 |
Single SWR Measurement Run
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| courtesy: http://www.box73.com/product/5 |
Single Run For Impedance Measurement (Resistance and Reactance)
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| courtesy: http://www.box73.com/product/5 |
SWR Measurement On Five Frequencies (5 Band Measurement)
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| courtesy: http://www.box73.com/product/5 |
As well, all of the above can be viewed in a continuous 'cycle' mode, as inputs are changed and all screens can be saved for future reference.
Additional capabilities include use in an HF Signal Generator Mode (~ 1V square wave @50 ohms), the ability to measure C and L at a given frequency, as a 'dip meter' and to measure cable resonances and determine lengths.
The complete manual may also be downloaded from their website here.
I will soon put all of my antennas to the test and see what work might need to be done to optimize them, particularly my HF half slopers, which, in spite of their great performance, have always proven a bit of a mystery when it comes to pruning them to resonance ... I rather suspect that the sloping wires are more of an impedance tuning stub than a radiator and that most radiation comes from the vertical support tower, not the sloping wire.
All-in-all, the FA-VA4 appears to offer very good value for the money and is a well built, quality test instrument. I think it will become a popular choice among hams, especially those on LF / MF. The only thing different that I would have liked, would be to have a UHF (SO 239) connector rather than a BNC on the output, since most amateurs are using these on their HF systems ... or, the inclusion of a BNC-to-UHF adapter.
If you already use this device, please feel free to add your comments below!
Steve McDonald, VE7SL, is a regular contributor to AmateurRadio.com and writes from British Columbia, Canada. Contact him at [email protected].
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No love for CW in ARES / RACES
CW - emergency communication ?
With the recent spate of natural disasters and dire warnings of impending doom, from terrorists and rogue nations alike, it got me to looking into my previous emergency ops participation.
When I was a newly minted amateur operator about a decade ago, I participated some in traffic nets and obtained FEMA certifications to participate in emergency operations. At the time I had built my go-kit, consisting of battery powered FM 2m/440 equipment and portable J-poles. It even had wheels and a pull handle, very spiffy. But I wasn't much concerned with CW.
With a re-kindled interest in QRP and CW operations, it got me to looking again at participation in emergency ops, and to my surprise there are few states that even list CW as a mode for emergency communication frequencies.
The following table lists the only pre-approved ARES frequencies I can find, designated for CW. There are 37 states missing from this list... If you live in a state other than those listed below; no CW emcomm for you buddy.
Excerpt from http://www.idahoares.info/resources_ares_frequencies.shtml I looked in a number of ARES/RACES sites listing nationwide frequencies and they appeared to have the same list
Why no love for CW?
I understand that CW is a slow mode of communication and not well represented by the amateur radio masses, but let's face it, CW has more efficiency at getting a signal through in marginal conditions than FM or SSB. When a disaster strikes and the electrical grid is down for hundreds of miles and gasoline for running generators is short, you won't be operating QRO stations or have power to run computers for digital modes. Powering a 12v battery with a solar panel may be your only option.
CW's power density is superior to any non-digital mode. A 5 watt CW signal packs as much punch as 100 watt SSB and let's not even discuss the inefficiency of FM or AM. In extended emergency conditions, using CW could mean the difference between getting a message through and not.
Operating CW in Emergencies
So if there were an extended emergency, shouldn't there be some fallback plan for use of low cost, easy to build and store XTAL controlled radios? Many home-built XTAL controlled CW radios use QRP watering hole frequencies for their center frequency; 3560, 7030 and 14060 kHz. Why not designate those frequencies using CW as standards for emergency communication?
Maybe CW is sinking so far into obscurity in amateur radio, this sort of thinking doesn't enter the consciousness of those in charge, but I don't think it should. Maybe CW clubs like FISTS and SKCC could partner with QRP clubs (who tend to be CW focused) to form a homespun group of emergency operators prepared to use CW when all else fails. It might be fun to organize, and who knows, it could save a life, or reunite separated family members.
That's all for now...
So lower your power and raise your expectations
72/73
Richard, AA4OO
Richard Carpenter, AA4OO, is a regular contributor to AmateurRadio.com and writes from North Carolina, USA. Contact him at [email protected].
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Radio Frequency Interference From 12V-to-USB Adapters
Many small electronic devices have switching regulators in them that can generate a bunch of Radio Frequency Interference (RFI). This is not my first encounter with RFI-spewing devices. See this article about a automotive 12V-to-USB adapter giving me trouble: This Interference Seems To Follow Me Everywhere
I recently bought a couple of adapters that are physically larger than the one I wrote about. I was thinking that a larger size might allow for a little more filtering and a design that does not radiate. I was half right: one of them works pretty well, the other is an RFI Bad Boy.
Take a look at this short video where I check them out.
This is an Amazon link to the adapter that works pretty well.
Enercell® 2-Port USB CLA Car Charger
73, Bob K0NR
The post Radio Frequency Interference From 12V-to-USB Adapters appeared first on The KØNR Radio Site.
Bob Witte, KØNR, is a regular contributor to AmateurRadio.com and writes from Colorado, USA. Contact him at [email protected].
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ICQ Podcast Episode 255 – The Art of De-Soldering
In this episode, Colin M6BOY is joined by Martin M1MRB, Edmund Spicer M0MNG and Bill Barnes N3JIX to discuss the latest Amateur / Ham Radio news. Colin M6BOY rounds up the news in brief, and this episode’s feature is The Art of De-soldering.
We would like to thank Kevin Murphy (W8VOS) and our monthly and annual subscription donors for keeping the podcast advert free. To donate, please visit - http://www.icqpodcast.com/donate
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- Amateur Radio Operator to Change on International Space Station
- Croatia gets 60m, expands 160m Access
- German Klasse K Licence Postponed
Colin Butler, M6BOY, is the host of the ICQ Podcast, a weekly radio show about Amateur Radio. Contact him at [email protected].
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ALTV’s Christmas Spectacular
AmateurLogic.TV Episode 112 is now available for download.
Tommy’s battery power solution for Arduino. Peter wants to make new Hams. George builds the ultimate color ‘Heads Up’ Display. And Mike joins us for some special holiday fun.
1:28:37
George Thomas, W5JDX, is co-host of AmateurLogic.TV, an original amateur radio video program hosted by George Thomas (W5JDX), Tommy Martin (N5ZNO), Peter Berrett (VK3PB), and Emile Diodene (KE5QKR). Contact him at [email protected].
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uBitx price $109 !!
It's a fast and changing world and it appears I cannot write things quick enough at the game of Amateur Radio Blogging!
Tony G4WIF has just pointed me to the price of $109 for the uBitx and a new website!
I have just read what Asharr Farhan has said on the BITX20 group. The price will rise to $129 after Christmas, due to production costs, hiring more people etc.
Of course I have just ordered mine!
Checkout here for details: http://www.hfsignals.com/index.php/ubitx/
Hope you all enjoy getting one just as much as I enjoy writing about these things.
73 Steve
Steve, G1KQH, is a regular contributor to AmateurRadio.com and writes from England. Contact him at [email protected].
» Leave a Comment (1)
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