AmateurRadio.com

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].

Things are coming along

The boxes are slowly getting unpacked and things put away, the roll top ham radio shack is taking shape as well. I found I had a lot more gear than there was room for in the condo and may have to shed more gear! At this point there has been some bumps in the radio setup but all seems to be slowly coming together. I can't believe all the cables that are involved in having the radio talk to various hardware components. There has been one major mystery I am not as of yet to solve.....I have setup the Alexloop and added the K3 to the mix. I was able to get a great SWR and surprisingly a low to moderate noise level...BUT.....I was calling CQ on different bands with 5 watts but was not once spotted on the Reverse Beacon network. Hmmmm I then went "simple" I hooked up the KX3 to the Alexloop and again calling CQ at 5 watts was not spotted at all on the Reverse Beacon network????? I have tried to move the Alexloop closer to the window and the balcony door, the only thing that happened was the SWR was very hard to adjust on the Alexloop. I then move the loop about 4 feet from the balcony door and the SWR was great but no spots?
My setup is a stealth operation and really can't put the Alexloop on the balcony but I am 6 stories up and back in the townhouse I did have the Alexloop inside and it did very well so at this point I am stumped.
Mike Weir, VE9KK, is a regular contributor to AmateurRadio.com and writes from New Brunswick, Canada. Contact him at [email protected].

I should really get extra points for being out in the West Cumbrian winter but hey ho at least it wasn’t Corney Fell, that really is nasty in the driving rain.

Another reasonable attempt with the 5w and 3 ele beam. A bit frustrating tonight as I could here many stations much further away but just couldn’t work them but then again I’m not in it for the glory, just a bit of fun.

Here’s the map all the same. The east coast does get missed quite a bit but there is a lot of rock in the way.

Alex Hill, G7KSE, is a regular contributor to AmateurRadio.com and writes from Cumbria, UK. Contact him at [email protected].

So it was my birthday recently and to celebrate the turning of another year and that I had indeed taken a day off – I decided to build a FOXX 3 QRP CW transceiver. These little kits are available from Kanga-products.co.uk and are designed to fit in a Altoids tin.

The kit comes pre bagged up in separate bags, and its just a case of soldering the correct component to the correct area on the circuit board. The kit itself is a 1 Watt QRP transceiver that can be bought on various bands. Mine was for the 20m band.

The board has a clear and easy to read Silkscreen and the pads are suitably wide enough to allow anyone with different levels of skill to create the kit. Each step allows you to test each part of the board, so you learn how each part of the kit relates to the transceiver as a whole.

I had a great time building it, it’s a simple, easy and great fun little kit. I hope to take it out and about – so hopefully you can hear my tiny signal on 20m soon.

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.

When I do long SOTA hikes at high elevation, I usually take along a very light weight radio, that is, on the order of 6 -7 ozs. Usually that means my Steve Weber, KD1JV, designed ATS-4 or an MTR. The radios are CW only and have limited band selections. These radios light and efficient. However, there are times when I don't mind carrying a slightly heavier load if I want more flexibility with bands/modes. While I have a KX-3, I find the FT-817 to be my radio of choice. It's easier to pack, takes less space than the KX-3, even with a T1 Tuner, and just feels a little more rugged.

There is a company called AMP-3 that has developed a very nice pack/bag to efficiently transport the FT-817, power supply, cables, connectors, log, etc..  I used this bag in a recent activation in New Mexico and was impressed with it's practicality. I have no financial interest in AMP-3, other than I've sent them a lot of money for their products.

Below is a link to a video of how the pack works.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c_pUIzlqzKU

Also he web site address is:

http://stores.amp-3.net/-strse-73/Custom-Made-Yaesu-817/Detail.bok


Mike Crownover, AD5A, is a regular contributor to AmateurRadio.com and writes from Texas, USA. Contact him at [email protected].

A while back I wrote a blog post about the availability of $20 software defined VHF/UHF radios in the form of re-purposed USB digital television dongles.

Now-days, with the improvements in software and documentation, the hardest part is finding the right dongle. What you order from EBay, and what you receive, can be two different things and only some of the dongles are suitable for use as VHF/UHF software defined radios.

So, I was pleased to see that at least one hobbyist electronics supplier has sought out and supplies a suitable device for SDR at a fair price :

Adafruit has available the USB dongle and “antenna” suitable for experimentation for $22.50, not far from the EBay (direct from China) price.

Click here to go directly to the product page: Software Defined Radio Receiver USB Stick – RTL2832 w/R820T

No, I didn’t receive a free evaluation unit and I don’t work for Adafruit … I’m just glad to see these useful devices available from a local company with an increased chance of you “Getting what you paid for.”

Adafruit also helpfully stock the adapter cables to convert the less common MCX antenna connector into the much more common BNC connector: MCX Jack to BNC RF Cable Adapter

Owen Morgan, KF5CZO, is a regular contributor to AmateurRadio.com and writes from Texas, USA. Contact him at [email protected].

For the last 3 years I’ve favoured begin part of one special event station. SOS radio Week. It is one of those events that seems to bring in a few QSO’s from all round the country to support one of the countries most easily forgotten about emergency service. Unless of course, like me, you live by the sea. The Royal National Lifeboat Institute (RNLI) has been running in some form or another since the year dot and its volunteers save lives at sea in all conditions. It is entirely funded by donations and the Workington club are once again putting on 3 stations and our sister club at Furness will be putting on a fourth to make up the ‘LBC’ or Lifeboat Cumbria set.

St bees is a very small village in West Cumbria and our lifeboat is thankfully not called out to often. My first close up encounter with them was a few years ago when they were called into action to rescue to young boys who had been jumping off the rocks and got into difficulty. During last years operation they were called out to rescue a fishing boat that had lost power and was drifting towards the head. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a £250k rib driven by a £350k submersible tractor down the slipway and into the water with such speed. There’s nothing particularly appealing about the Irish sea in January and I’d imagine that being under it is a tractor is even less appealing.

So this year, as with all years, we’ll be attempting to raise a bit of cash as well as awareness. the LBC group of stations have raised over £3000, approximately a third of the total raised by the whole country. This year we’ll add to that total and support our volunteers as best we can. Please keep an ear out for the stations between the 25th January to the 2nd February 2014 or have a look on the website SOSRadioWeek for all the other stations around the country. Band to be decided but this year we’ll have 2 stations, one for domestic and one for DX.

Gb1LBC – Silloth

GB2LBC – Workington

GB4LBC – St Bees

GB5LBC – Barrow

SOS Radio Week 2014 – 25th Jan to 2nd Feb

Alex Hill, G7KSE, is a regular contributor to AmateurRadio.com and writes from Cumbria, UK. Contact him at [email protected].