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Over the past couple of weeks, I’ve managed to steal away to the machine shop and continue to work on mounting the Schurr Einbau mechanism. I found a piece of polycarbonate in my scrap bin to make the interface between the Einbau and the base. It turned out that the mounting holes are tapped M3-0.5 so I had to make trip to Ace. While I was there, I picked up some brass screws also. Total cost of the project is 52.99 USD. I bored the holes in the base today with the milling machine and tapped them when I got home. Couldn’t resist putting it all together even though I haven’t finished polishing the base or the polycarbonate plate…

I have had a couple of comments regarding the 80m coil for the homebrew Buddistick.  I had a few minutes today to set it up and try to get it tuned into 3.897.5 which is the frequency for the Arkansas Razorback Net. I think the 80m band might be difficult for this antenna. I was able to get it tuned to the right frequency with a SWR of about 1.4. But the low SWR “width” is not very wide. It won’t cover the entire 80m band without having to adjust the radial in or out.  So I think this would be a very narrow bandwidth antenna on this low of a frequency.

This is the note I got from Budd when I asked about 80m to begin with:

The homebrew Buddistick works well on 80 Meters. Use PVC couplers to allow yourself to go to one inch OD for the coil. The coil length I used Is 11″.  Use the same wire suggested for the other coils….insulated wire. Same gauge. If you wind 110 turns on that one inch form, that coil will be about 9 inches long.  The single elevated radial will be about 66′ long and the wire should be stored on a kite line winder.  This coil, with a Long Whip (9′) on top, should resonate on the bottom end of 80 Meters.  Try that info and tell us where it resonates. Your final adjustments will be on the radial. If you want to go up to say 3900 MHZ, take some turns off the coil after you make your initial measurements.
Budd

So the narrowness of the SWR curve was expected. I did turn on my radio to see what I could hear,  but tuning through the 80m band, I couldn’t hear anything.  Not being familiar with 80m, I don’t know what kind of activity to expected at 4:3o in the afternoon.  I won’t give up. I’ll work on it again but it’ll be a few days.

I am still happy with the homemade Buddistick antenna and my homemade Buddipole. I have also made the homemade Buddipole. I will write a post about that in the near future.

K5UNX

Join W5KUB for live coverage of Hamvention 2014 beginning at 1300 UTC today. Astronaut Douglas Wheelock, KF5BOC, will be the guest and co-host on both Friday and Saturday morning. Should be a lot of fun, and definitely entertaining!

Live stream @ http://www.amateurradio.com/live

If you enjoy the live webcast, don’t forget to drop a small donation to support W5KUB’s efforts.

I tried SIM31 again, and it sounds familiar like PSK31 and it is a way. But it uses FEC (Forward Error Correction) and it copied signals very well. Much better than PSK31. Good for QRP work. You also can run the software in automatic mode. First I thought, why should I make a contact with a computer. But I did. Today I worked RA3AL/QRP (see photo of his shack) running 1 watt and I was using 5 Watts on 20 meter. Perfect qso. Also worked RN9AZ Asiatic Russia 3500 km. I wonder what the mode will do on 2 or 6 meters. So, when you are in for something new, try SIM31.

Once again, I do not have the good fortune of being able to attend FDIM and Dayton.  Attending FDIM is like, #1 on my wish list, but not this year and probably not next year, either.  Joey’s Confirmation is this weekend and next year, Cara’s will be the same weekend. So maybe FDIM 2016?  I can always hope!

But even though I’m not there, I do have the symposium running on a separate tab and I am listening, while working. http://www.ustream.tv/channel/g4gxl-test is the link, for those of you not in the know.

What I am listening to is mostly over my head.  I’m not a technical wizard by any stretch of the imagination.  Most of these guys making presentations are using transporters while I’m still rubbing two sticks together, trying to make fire.  That said, it’s still fun to listen to. Craig Behrens NM4T gave a talk that I am actually able to follow and enjoy – same for Rev. Dobson’s talk on regenerative receivers earlier this morning. And right now there’s a fascinating talk being given about WWII POWs building clandestine radios by Dave Cripe NM0S. Man, I wish I were there!

All this talk of Arduinos has me curious.  There’s a guy who comes to all the NJ Hamfests who sells beginner kits and I have that ARRL Birthday Month coupon kicking around – and they have a good book on Arduino experimenting, if I remember correctly.  Intriguing (like I don’t have enough to do!).

This afternoon during lunch I had a cool QSO with Gary WA2JQZ who was operating the Marshall Spaceflight Center ARC station WA4NZD. Gary was using a Yaesu FT950 at 5 Watts to a dipole.  He was a good 579 or louder here and I got a 559 in return.  I had actually worked Gary a few weekends ago during QRPttF. So we talked about that among other things.

And I hope I’m not “talking out of school” here, or giving away state secrets, but Gary shared some information that I am going to pass on.  Please listen for N4A later on this year, sometime towards the end of July. The Marshall Spaceflight Center ARC will be using that call to run a Special Event station honoring and commemorating Apollo 11 – which of course, landed on the Moon in July – July 20th, 1969 to be exact.  I’m not sure when they will be on, but I am sure there will be announcements in all the usual places.

As a Baby Boomer, I was a huge manned spaceflight fan/geek.  When I hear about something like this, I make every effort to work the space flight themed Special Event stations – even if it means picking up a microphone (ugh!)

Update – Congrats to TJ Campie, W0EA (fellow blogger) who won one of four TenTec Rebel radios, which were given as door prizes today at FDIM. It was neat to listen in as his name was announced.

72 de Larry W2LJ
QRP – When you care enough to send the least!

Yes, it’s ready to view over on www.txfactor.co.uk

Bob and Mike assist Roger G4ROJ with his amazing kite aerials. Nick pays a visit to Ben Nock G4BXD at his Military Wireless Museum in Kidderminster and discovers Ben’s impressive collection of war sets and spy sets. Mike reports from the Exeter Radio and Electronics Rally to find out what people expect from a rally in the 21st century. We also review a new quad-band mobile radio from Wouxun.

We hope you enjoy this bumper edition!

73

Nick 2E0FGQ
TXFactor Team