AmateurRadio.com

I wondered why there had been so many hits on an old WSJT-X post over the last week. I guess you were all looking for a new version.

The good news is that it is available on K1JT’s WSJT-X page now.

I’ve downloaded it this evening and had a quick 7MHz JT65A QSO with CT3IB and everything seems well. I can’t see any huge differences so far, so guess it is a maintenance release, fixing any issues that the team have become aware of.

I’m looking forward to when some of the other WSJT modes are included in the new WSJT-X interface, as hinted at on Joe’s site.

Tim Kirby, G4VXE, is a regular contributor to AmateurRadio.com and writes from Oxfordshire, England. Contact him at [email protected].

I posted a few weeks ago about issues I and others were having decoding the telemetry from FUNCube-1. Initially this seemed to be related to a dashboard software update, but even downgrading to an earlier version has been giving variable results.

What seems to have been the issue is a reduced quality of received signal. Operators with higher gain, optimised antennas appear not to have seen problems. Why there has been such a fall off isn't clear, the power output of FUNCube-1 hasn't altered and appears not to be tumbling.

The FUNCube team have now released a new version of the Dashboard Software. Version 820 can be downloaded from http://funcube.org.uk/working-documents/funcube-telemetry-dashboard/ The major change in Version v820 centres on improved decoding routines which give better results, especially with weak signals at low elevations and simpler antennas.

I have been running this now for several days and can confirm it is much better, as promised low elevation passes now get successful decodes and night time passes when the telemetry is on low power get successful decodes something I wasn't getting before.

Now I have the shack sorted I have set up a dedicated receiver using the original FUNCube Dongle using the X-30 white stick collinear and this has been pulling in decodes nicely.

This morning I had surpassed the 2000 telemetry decodes milestone, as can be seen on the rankings page.

Another nice result over the weekend was seeing my callsign in one of the FITTER messages

Rx'd my callsign in the 'Thank You' Fitter messages from FUNCube-1 over the weekend, nice touch! pic.twitter.com/MvJt8p6tVU
— Andrew Garratt M6GTG (@nerdsville) February 3, 2014

It is a nice touch that the FUNCube-1 have started acknowledging the receivers, hopefully with the improved software there will be more participants.

The next stage for me? Well must sort out trying to have a QSO via FUNCube-1 and the other satellites..

Andrew Garratt, MØNRD, is a regular contributor to AmateurRadio.com and writes from East Midlands, England. Contact him at [email protected].

It’s a constant theme on this blog – the frequent updates of my QRP go Pack. Well I’ve reached a point where I think I’m happy with the current configuration. My pack differs to many I’ve seen on YouTube. I include more than just the radio equipment. I also include some basic tools and items that make for a comfortable set up when I’m out portable.  The ability to make a wind break, or even a shelter and also to be able to have a warm drink means that in actual fact I can stay out portable for quite some considerable time.

Have a look at my latest configuration of my pack. This I have decided is the autumn winter configuration. I have already started thinking about what I would remove and add for a summertime set up.

Dan Trudgian, MØTGN, is a regular contributor to AmateurRadio.com and writes from Wiltshire, England. He's a radio nut, IT guru, general good guy and an all round good egg. Contact him him here.

I had some spare time today to put the MFJ 1788 loop to the balcony test once again. Up to this point I have not been able to make any CW contacts with the antenna. I was able to pull in some State side WSPR spots but that was it. I was coming to the conclusion that my DX was going to be Canada to U.S contacts. Today I set the Loop antenna for 15m and the SWR was great at 1.1:1. and up and down the band I went. I heard KP2/AG2J calling CQ at 21.025 and he was booming in here. I called out to him and low and behold he came back to me with a fast report! Fast report or not my 5 watts signal from the balcony just made it to the Virgin islands!! I then heard KH6LC from Hawaii..........but I was not able to make contact BUT for the first time I was hearing some DX stations. I then was able to contact PJ4LS with some repeats on my part but I still had my 1788 loop signal down to the Antilles off the coast of Venezuela!! The other station I heard but was not able to contact was ZZ80MT in Brazil. This was a good afternoon on the radio of me I was able to hear and make some DX contacts.
Mike Weir, VE9KK, is a regular contributor to AmateurRadio.com and writes from New Brunswick, Canada. Contact him at [email protected].

In the course of my reading around about DMR yesterday, I came across some interesting DSTAR developments that I had missed.

ON8JL has an interesting range of standalone gateways, the Dadystar and the Babystar. The Babystar, in particular, looks like an alternative to the DVAP/Raspberry Pi gateway. It retails around EUR280 and comprises of a standalone unit with a 430MHz 10mW transmitter, receiver and Ethernet interface.

You can plug the Babystar into your internet router and use your 70cms DSTAR handheld to access the DSTAR network. It looks like you can program the necessary settings into the Babystar by means of a web interface hosted on the device.

See ON8JL’s webpage about the Babystar device

See MM0DUN’s page on using the Babystar

Meanwhile here, it was a more pleasant February morning, so I was able to get out into the garden for some chores this morning, taking the IC-E92 handheld. I’d just completed cleaning out the henhouse when Joe HL5KY put a call out on REF001C

I gave Joe a call and we had a very pleasant chat, and the chickens made their voices heard in South Korea!

Tim Kirby, G4VXE, is a regular contributor to AmateurRadio.com and writes from Oxfordshire, England. Contact him at [email protected].

Tim Kirby, G4VXE, is a regular contributor to AmateurRadio.com and writes from Oxfordshire, England. Contact him at [email protected].

I didn’t have a whole lot of time to spend, so I did FYBO “down and dirty” this year. I operated for about an hour from my driveway using the same setup that I use from the parking lot at work – the KX3 with the Buddistick mounted on top of the Jeep. It seems to work fine for me there, so I figured “What the heck”.

I stayed on 20 Meters the whole time and made about 8 or so contacts, and called CQ a lot! Among others, I QSOed with Steve K4JPN, Jim N0UR, Dave AB9CA and Greg N4KGL. Not really an FYBO QSO, but by far the best DX was with Guru EA2IF, who is located in Navarra, which is in the western part of Spain in the Pyrenees. Guru, who was also QRP was using a 3 element Yagi. Obviously his altitude and his antenna made the big difference. I gave him 559 and got the same in return.

My reported temperature was 45F. I was a bit surprised when Jim N0UR sent me a 55F from Minnesota. I was not surprised at all that the QSOs from the South were all in the 60s and 70s. Even though it felt chilly after a while, on the whole it sure felt warmer than it has in weeks. This looks to be a brief respite only, as we are being told that there’s a chance for more snow on Monday.

Later on this evening, I was able to hear FT5ZM on 30 Meters, the best that I have heard them so far. They were 559 and the QSB was bad. But they were readable. In fact, I heard them work fellow Fox hunter, Steve WX2S. Unfortunately, I was not able to break the pileup ….yet. But I will get there!

72 de Larry W2LJ
QRP – When you care to send the very least.

Larry Makoski, W2LJ, is a regular contributor to AmateurRadio.com and writes from New Jersey, USA. Contact him at [email protected].