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It’s ALIVE !

29 March 2016 | by Richard AA4OO | Leave a Comment (1)

The 1Watter 40m #551 -- Lives

The 1Watter 40m on it's inaugural QSO

Inside the enclosure

The 1Watter is a kit from kits and parts dot com

The Universal 1Watter (also called the 1H2O) is a full featured little superhet radio transceiver that you can build for about $50. It doesn't come with an enclosure, a tuning pot, speed pot or an on/off switch so that will cost extra unless you already have some in the junk bin.

Some of the features include;

1 mighty watt of output
Good selectivity from the 3 crystal filters
A VCXO tuned frequency range for the 40m band from approximately 7,020 kHz through 7,039 kHz
A built-in full functioned keyer with provision for adding a speed pot and messages

Included command button accesses the functions of the electronic keyer
Natural sounding sidetone (nicer than my Ten-Tec Century/21)

The Build

The kit is delivered in a box and inside are a couple of brown paper bags stapled together. Inside one of the bags are a couple of plastic bags with the components. The other bag contained the header kit. The ferrite toroid mix types are separated in different unmarked plastic bags so don't mix them up (the instructions tell you which bag has each mix). If anything is missing the kit supplier (Diz, W8DIZ) is very responsive.

The kit includes both SMT caps and through hole caps. I tried to solder one of the SMTs but I didn't have the right kind of tweezers to hold it in position for soldering so I used the through hole caps.

SMT and through hole caps are supplied

This is the 3rd revision of the Universal 1Watter board and I was the first to build the 40m version.

While the schematic was correct, some of the instructions weren't sorted out properly for the 40m kit. I related issues as I found them to the designer and he promptly updated the online documentation.

I soldered the components and wound toroids as I had time over a few evenings and the initial voltage tests went well.

using through hole capacitors rather than the SMTs

some of the bits and bobs

build is progressing

close up

XTAL filters give it good selectivity

Everything except the final transistor

AGC circuit

Debugging

When the build was completed I connected the rig to an antenna and heard nothing.

The keying circuit and transmitter worked fine and I verified those functions but the receiver was deaf as a stump.

Thus began a number of days of investigation. Diz (the creator of the board) guided me through a number of debugging steps.

The first recommendation was to examine and rewind the binocular toroid balun that transformed the impedance from the xtal filters to the input of the U5 oscillator. He believed that I may had wound it incorrectly. I desoldered it and rewound it but that did not resolve the issue.

He then guided me through determining if one of the filter crystals or filter capacitors was bad. I desoldered a few components as a tests but that did not resolve the issue.

There are 3 identical mixer chips on the board. I swapped them around as there was a suggestion that there were some faulty chips in one of Diz's shipments.

I then took the board to my Elmer Paul Stroud AA4XX. He had a signal generator, Oscilloscope and RF detector. He traced the RF and all looked well but we still were unable to obtain any signal through the U5 mixer. Lastly we tried disconnecting the AGC transistor to see if it was clamping it and that didn't resolve it either.

Diz asked me to return the radio to him so he could take a look. After a couple weeks he emailed me saying he thought the BFO xtal might have a problem. But he later discovered that the oscillator in U5 was not starting up. Apparently the circuit design had a low Q and needed more current to get the oscillator working. He modified the design, adding a 16k resistor to the bottom of the board on U5 to get the oscillator going. After that all was well and he shipped the board back to me.

The FIX for all those problems required an extra resistor connected across U5

Learning from problems

Being the first person to build a particular version of a kit brings its own set of challenges, especially when you're as new to kit building debugging RF problems as I am. However I'm actually glad the kit didn't work right at the initial build.

The process of debugging the board, was a great learning process. I studied the schematics and learned, as best I could, the function of each circuit so that I could better understand how to test it. During the debugging process Diz instructed me that although RF signal generators and scopes are useful you can tell a lot by touching a RF component with an inductive metal object and listening for a buzz or hum from the BFO.

So all-in-all, even though the bug in the board was not due to a error on my part, I'm glad it occurred. I understand more about superhet radio design than I did before and more than if the kit had worked right off the bat.

On the air

After receiving the board back, I hooked up the frequency XCO potentiometer, paddle, command button, audio and output potentiometer and an external speaker. I then connected a 12v battery and heard the 1H2O keyer chip announce itself at power up in Morse "1 W".

Frequency control pot on the left

Volume control, output jack, cmd pot and paddle input

You can change speeds and modify settings via the command button which I have not reviewed yet. I also plan to add the speed pot so that I can easily change keyer speed without entering the command menu.

For this first on-air excursion I was using it at the default startup 15wpm keyer speed. You can default the speed higher with a different resistor value.

I have a resistor shrink wrapped and connected in-line to the blue-white wire coiling above the radio connecting to the speed pot terminal. In essence fixing the speed at 15wpm until I add the speed pot.

Ready to transmit

On the air... I was using my paddle out of the photo to the right of the Bug

First On Air QSO

I tuned around and found a strong station at the end of a QSO near 7030 kHz.

When he sent the final dit-dit I called and WD4AXJ answered my first call. He was in TN near Knoxville, and I received a 559. We chatted for about 10 minutes. Sorry about the blurry video. I thought I'd focused.

After I recorded this video I found an open frequency and sent out my call. Very shortly thereafter KD2FSH answered my call and reported me as 599!

Whoo - hoo. 599 for my little 1Watter 40m.

I was transmitting using my 40m attic antenna. So deed restricted HAMs take note. You can build a one-watt radio and make contacts using your attic antenna. Haha.

You'll hear in the video there is some weirdness going on with the audio derived AGC. It is clamping down sometimes and is worse when I don't have the volume turned up very loud. When I began calling it clamped after every semi-break-in but didn't do it much after that. I'll have to look into that.

The AGC clamping may be a side effect of the increased gain Diz added to the BFO oscillator. I'll ask the forum.

Other than the AGC issue I'm super pleased with the little board. I touched the heat sync a couple of times after transmitting my side of the qso and it was warm but not really hot. It seems as though as long as you have a reasonable match to the antenna the power transistor should be happy.

My next steps are to get it in an enclosure and get it out to the Excalibur antenna site to hook onto that nice 40m doublet we put up a couple weekends ago. I plan to use my efficient little BLT tuner for that purpose. I will do a further review of the feature set on the keyer and record some more qsos for a later review.

Summary

The band was fairly busy and the little 1Watter did a fine job with stations on nearby frequencies. You can hear some getting around the passband but it is not bad at all. I'll do some tests to further define it's selectivity but at first glance it is far better than my old Ten-Tec Century/21.

My calls were answered quickly and I received good signal reports. It didn't sound as though the transmitter was drifting at all during the QSO. That's one advantage of using VCXO in the design. The disadvantage of using a crystal controlled oscillator for the frequency control is limited tuning range. The transmitter only has about a 18 kHz tuning range around 7030 kHz and I don't find many of the SKCC folks around that frequency but it is the QRP watering hole for 40m.

It is possible to shift the frequency with some capacitance changes but I think I'll leave it as is for a time and see how many states I can work.

Just imagine. This little $50 single band kit has good selectivity, a nice built-in keyer with a natural sounding sidetone, and lest we forget... You get a MIGHTY 1 WATT of OUTPUT. What more could a QRP ham need.

That one-watt of output was sufficient for all the QSOs I attempted tonight.

So lower your power and raise your expectations

72/73

Richard, AA4OO

UPDATE: 04/01/2016

I am still having the AGC pumping issue and others on the list have reported similar issues but only on receive. It happens to me when I key unless I turn up the volume very high. I did get it installed in a case but I still need to wire up a real power connector rather than using alligator clips.

!Watter installed in a case

UPDATE: 04/05/2016

After doing quite a bit of reading I learned that the LM386 op-amp used in the 1watter is rather notorious for audio oscillations. There are a number of suggested fixes. I went with a 4.7uf cap connecting Pin 7 on U6 (the LM386) to ground. That hasn't totally resolved the issue but it's much less pronounced now.

cap fix for LM386 oscillations

I have it in the case with all the proper plugs now (see below) so I'm happy. I've been making QSOs every day with it and it continues to amaze me and the stations that work me. It is stable as a rock with regard to frequency and the large knob with the single turn 10k pot seems to work well for tuning. I have enough control to vary the frequency slightly without having to turn it too much. The tuning range is only about 20kHz so just 3 frequency markers are plenty to let me know what frequency I'm near. The selectivity is just fantastic for such a simple little radio. Diz has created an inexpensive winner.

1Watter in enclosure with all the proper connectors for the case

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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Local Lightwave Activity / A New 630m Resource Site

28 March 2016 | by Steve VE7SL | Leave a Comment (0)

Toby, VE7CNF, has sent me some mail indicating that his new lightwave system is ready for a two-way test!

His system is very similar to the ones built and deployed by myself and Markus, VE7CA, in late 2013. The culmination of that activity is described here, in 'On Making Nanowaves - Part 6'. Our lightwave QSO and homebrew gear were later described in a 'how to' article in the 'The Canadian Amateur' as well as in the newest edition of 'The Radio Amateur's Handbook' (2016).

Toby describes his most recent pre-QSO backyard testing:

The lightwave gear appears to be working well. Focus looks good and the
finder scopes are doing their job. There's a reflective sign high up on a
hydro tower 170 meters away that's handy for testing. It lights up bright
when the transmitter's on it.

Back scatter off the clouds above my house worked too. I heard my CW beacon, audible 339, off a patch on the clouds about 1 degree wide. I don't really know if it was clear air scatter from closer by, or scatter off the clouds, but the spot was small. That's with the tx on the front deck, and rx in the back.

I used Spectran to check the noise from city lights in my area. At QRSS10
speed there are spectral lines at 540, 600, and 660 Hz. They aren't too
strong, but those are some frequencies we should avoid.

VE7CNF's lightwave system - TX (L) & RX (R)

As well, Mark, VA7MM, is also putting together a similar system to join the fun ... it's great to see new local activity!

Hopefully the weather will co-operate enough to allow us to make a two-way QSO later this week. Plans call for Toby to set up near the same location in West Vancouver used by VE7CA as it offers a clear LOS path to Mayne Island, 54km to the southwest.

54km Georgia Strait crossing (courtesy: https://www.google.ca/maps)

*****************************************************

Rik, ON7YD, has set up a new website devoted to information specific to 630m. His 472kHz.org site looks as if it will be a valuable resource for those looking to get information and a start on our new band. At present, there is some really great information regarding transmitters, antenna systems and calculating E(I)RP levels. Have a look!

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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Portable Ops 10/45: Nice Lunch on the Radio!

28 March 2016 | by Burke NØHYD | Leave a Comment (0)

Wow, today was the most fun I have had in a while on the radio – the bands seemed decent today. So with my freshly charged KX3, and beautiful spring weather I set about to make some contacts from the local park.

N8XI (15024T) – Rick was calling CQ on 20 meters looking for SKCC members. I gave him a call and we had a quick exchange from KS to MI.

Then I started calling CQ….

KF8DA – Roger gave me a call from Ohio and QSB was really bad on his end, but we got the contact done.

NX3Z/QRP – Jim answered my CQ and was right down there in the noise most of the time. He was QRP from Arizona using a KX1 – it took many repeats but we finally were able to finish the QSO. Jim emailed me and said that even though he is an SKCC member he was using the keyer on the KX1 so this won’t count for an SKCC contact – but I always love 2xQRP contacts! Thanks Jim!

K7EP (1683T) – Art answered my call from Washington state with a nice signal and a nice fist.

WH6LE (13533S) – Last up for the day was Pete from North Carolina for a nice quick contact.

It was a fun day today – much better band conditions than last week. Thanks to everyone the found me! I did go up to 15 meters right at the end and called CQ a couple times with no takers.

I also made some SKCC contacts over the weekend, so right now I am sitting at 27 SKCC contacts as I work towards 100 for the Centurion award.

Burke Jones, NØHYD, is a regular contributor to AmateurRadio.com and writes from Kansas, USA. Contact him at [email protected].

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Portable Ops 10/45: Nice Lunch on the Radio!

28 March 2016 | by Burke NØHYD | Leave a Comment (0)

N8XI (15024T) – Rick was calling CQ on 20 meters looking for SKCC members. I gave him a call and we had a quick exchange from KS to MI.

Then I started calling CQ….

KF8DA – Roger gave me a call from Ohio and QSB was really bad on his end, but we got the contact done.

K7EP (1683T) – Art answered my call from Washington state with a nice signal and a nice fist.

WH6LE (13533S) – Last up for the day was Pete from North Carolina for a nice quick contact.

It was a fun day today – much better band conditions than last week. Thanks to everyone the found me! I did go up to 15 meters right at the end and called CQ a couple times with no takers.

I also made some SKCC contacts over the weekend, so right now I am sitting at 27 SKCC contacts as I work towards 100 for the Centurion award.

Burke Jones, NØHYD, is a regular contributor to AmateurRadio.com and writes from Kansas, USA. Contact him at [email protected].

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Weekly Propagation Summary – 2016 Mar 28 16:10 UTC

28 March 2016 | by Tomas NW7US | Leave a Comment (0)

Here is this week’s space weather and geophysical report, issued 2016 Mar 28 0122 UTC.

Highlights of Solar and Geomagnetic Activity 21 – 27 March 2016

Solar activity was at predominately very low levels with an isolated C1 x-ray event observed on 23/0354 UTC from Region 2524 (N15, L=277, class/area Eho/340 on 19 Mar). No Earth-directed coronal mass ejections were observed in coronagraph imagery.

No proton events were observed at geosynchronous orbit.

The greater than 2 MeV electron flux at geosynchronous orbit was at normal levels on 23 March, high levels on 22 March and moderate levels on 21 and 24-27 March.

Geomagnetic field activity ranged from quiet to unsettled levels with an isolated active interval observed early on 23 March. The period began with quiet conditions, but increased to quiet to unsettled levels late on 21 March due to the onset of a weak, positive polarity coronal hole high speed stream (CH HSS). Predominately quiet to unsettled conditions persisted through early on 24 March under the influence of the positive poarity CH HSS. Wind speeds averaged about 425 km/s through midday on 23 March. A gradual increase was then observed to a peak of near 565 km/s early on 25 March before decreasing to about 350 km/s late on 26 March. From 21-25 March, total field (Bt) ranged between 1-10 nT while the Bz component varied between +9 nT to -5 nT.

Quiet conditions persisted from late on the 25th through 26 March. Predominately unsettled levels were observed on 27 March due to the onset of a co-rotating interaction region in advance of another positive polarity CH HSS. On 27 March, wind speeds increased to near 440 km/s, Bt reached a maximum value of 12 nT while the Bz component rotated between +8 nT to -9 nT.

Forecast of Solar and Geomagnetic Activity 28 March – 23 April 2016

Solar activity is expected to be at very low levels with a slight chance for C-class flares through the outlook period.

No proton events are expected at geosynchronous orbit.

The greater than 2 MeV electron flux at geosynchronous orbit is expected to be at moderate levels on 28 March and on 01-03, 07-11 and 17-23 April. High levels are expected on 29-31 March, 04-06 and 12-16 April.

Geomagnetic field activity is expected to be reach G1 (Minor) storm levels on 02-03 and 11-13 April with G2 (Moderate) storm levels expected on 02 and 11 April due to the influence of recurrent, negative polarity CH HSSs. Quiet to unsettled levels are expected on 28-29 March, 04, 08, 14 and 23 April, with isolated active levels expected on 28 March and 23 April, all due to various CH HSSs. Mostly quiet condtions are expected for the remainder of the outlook period.

Don’t forget to visit our live space weather and radio propagation web site, at: http://SunSpotWatch.com/

Live Aurora mapping is at http://aurora.sunspotwatch.com/

If you are on Twitter, please follow these two users: + https://Twitter.com/NW7US + https://Twitter.com/hfradiospacewx

Get the space weather and radio propagation self-study course, today. Visit http://nw7us.us/swc for the latest sale and for more information!

Check out the stunning view of our Sun in action, as seen during the last five years with the Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zXN-MdoGM9g

We’re on Facebook: http://NW7US.us/swhfr

Visit, subscribe: NW7US Radio Communications and Propagation YouTube Channel

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LHS Episode #165: Knifey Spoony

28 March 2016 | by Russ K5TUX | Leave a Comment (0)

We're back at it again, producing podcasts, drinking, laughing, having way too much fun. We hope you do at least a couple of those things when you listen to the show. This time around the topics include the UK selling spectrum, a California university ham factory, cartoons, a Debian Summer of Code project, tax reimbursement for FOSS developers, Firefox Servo, upcoming hamfests and a whole lot more. Thanks for tuning in--and please don't forget our LHS Hamvention 2016 Generosity Campaign campaign. Hamvention 2016 is less than two months away.

73 de The LHS Crew

Russ Woodman, K5TUX, co-hosts the Linux in the Ham Shack podcast which is available for download in both MP3 and OGG audio format. Contact him at [email protected].

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Stunning Ultra-HD View; Sun Timelapse 2015 NASA/SDO

27 March 2016 | by Tomas NW7US | Leave a Comment (0)

This video is ten minutes of coolness.

This cool time-lapse video shows the Sun (in ultra-high definition 3840×2160 – 4k on YouTube) during the entire year, 2015. The video captures the Sun in the 171-angstrom wavelength of extreme ultraviolet light. Our naked, unaided eyes cannot see this, but this movie uses false-colorization (yellow/gold) so that we can watch in high definition.

The movie covers a time period of January 2, 2015 to January 28, 2016 at a cadence of one frame every hour, or 24 frames per day. This timelapse is repeated with narration by solar scientist Nicholeen Viall and contains close-ups and annotations. The 171-angstrom light highlights material around 600,000 Kelvin and shows features in the upper transition region and quiet corona of the sun.

The first half tells you a bit about the video and the Sun, and you can see the entire year 2015 rotate by. The second half is narrated by a NASA scientist. It is worth watching all ten minutes. And, then, sharing!

The sun is always changing and NASA’s Solar Dynamics Observatory is always watching.

Launched on Feb. 11, 2010, SDO keeps a 24-hour eye on the entire disk of the sun, with a prime view of the graceful dance of solar material coursing through the sun’s atmosphere, the corona. SDO’s sixth year in orbit was no exception. This video shows that entire sixth year–from Jan. 1, 2015 to Jan. 28, 2016 as one time-lapse sequence. Each frame represents 1 hour.

SDO’s Atmospheric Imaging Assembly (AIA) captures a shot of the sun every 12 seconds in 10 different wavelengths. The images shown here are based on a wavelength of 171 angstroms, which is in the extreme ultraviolet range and shows solar material at around 600,000 Kelvin (about 1 million degrees F.) In this wavelength it is easy to see the sun’s 25-day rotation.

During the course of the video, the sun subtly increases and decreases in apparent size. This is because the distance between the SDO spacecraft and the sun varies over time. The image is, however, remarkably consistent and stable despite the fact that SDO orbits Earth at 6,876 mph and the Earth orbits the sun at 67,062 miles per hour.

A blending of an entire year, 2015, of the Sun as seen by NASA SDO at EUV 171 Angstroms

Why This is Important

Scientists study these images to better understand the complex electromagnetic system causing the constant movement on the sun, which can ultimately have an effect closer to Earth, too: Flares and another type of solar explosion called coronal mass ejections can sometimes disrupt technology in space. Moreover, studying our closest star is one way of learning about other stars in the galaxy. NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland. built, operates, and manages the SDO spacecraft for NASA’s Science Mission Directorate in Washington, D.C.

For us radio enthusiasts, the study of the Sun helps us understand the dynamics of radio signal propagation. And, that aids us in communicating more effectively and skill.

Thanks for sharing, voting, and watching. More information and live Sun content can be accessed 24/7 at http://SunSpotWatch.com

You can also get the Space Weather and Radio Propagation Self-study Course at http://SunSpotWatch.com/swc

Visit, subscribe: NW7US Radio Communications and Propagation YouTube Channel

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