AmateurRadio.com

Some things are BFDs and some things just aren’t.  What are BFDs?  Well, son, this video might help you out.  BFDs would include passing healthcare legislation, your first kiss, discovering plutonium, or your parachute not opening.  There are two news items in amateur radio right now that, despite all the hubbub, aren’t BFDs.

Remote operation from anywhere is now allowed for DXCC awards.  ARRL will now allow contacts from remotely-operated stations to be submitted for DXCC awards, regardless of where the control point is located.  This seems to be a BFD for many people because of instead of buying a multi-giga dollar megastation, which was the previously accepted way to buy your way to DXCC, today with modern technology and better living through chemistry you can rent a megastation with a credit card and operate it with your favorite computing device from the comfort of your meager home station, hotel room, or police station drunk tank.  Why is it not a BFD?  Remote operation contacts were allowed for DXCC credit before, the only thing that has changed is where the control point is allowed.  The contact is still made over the air.  This isn’t like Echolink computer-to-computer contacts.  The remote station must be located within your home DXCC entity.  If you still want to get your DXCC the old fashioned way, you can.  DXCC is about personal achievement, and how you got it is a BFD to you, not anyone else.

The FCC will no longer issue paper licenses.  Why is this not a BFD?  There are several reasons.  The online ULS record is considered your official credential.  If you want a paper license, you can go to the ULS, download a PDF, and print it out.  One can also request the FCC send them a paper copy.  What is BFD is that the FCC will save $304K a year with this change.

Anthony, K3NG, is a regular contributor to AmateurRadio.com.

Since my original Fredbox 2m AM design, a number of derivatives have been designed and built around the world. This is what our hobby is all about. Although the original Fredbox worked well and its results surprised me, it was always ripe for further developments, which is healthy. My Sixbox was a 6m version and at some point, when fitter, I’d like to make a simple 10m AM version for local natters.

See https://sites.google.com/site/g3xbmqrp3/vuhf/fredbox for the original Fredbox. Click on the schematic to enlarge. Other derivative ideas are on my website www.g3xbm.co.uk.   By the way, it got its name from Fred G8BWI who was a disabled local in the Cambridge area back in the 1970s. Fred was a regular contact and he could talk for hours and hours and hours and hours zzzzzzzzzzz. RIP Fred.

Roger Lapthorn, G3XBM, is a regular contributor to AmateurRadio.com and writes from Cambridge, England.

For about a month or longer I have noticed the the solar data chart that is on my blog is not always updating to the current day. Sometimes the information is 3 or more days old, I thought it was just my blog and was not refreshing properly but I have also noticed on other blogs the same thing happening.  I sent Paul N0NBH an email regarding this today. I like this little app on the blog as it's a nice fast check of conditions for both me and my readers. Having said that it's also true and I have experienced it myself……and that is don't always go by the solar data get on the air you may be surprised.
Mike Weir, VE9KK, is a regular contributor to AmateurRadio.com and writes from New Brunswick, Canada. Contact him at [email protected].

G6ALB has reported some progress in his tests using 433MHz AM modules, although it looks like an external linear audio transistor stage may be necessary to get best AM (voice) sensitivity from the super-regen detector. On TX he is getting 10dBm from the TX module at 5V (more with higher supply voltages) although the mod seems to be a mix of AM and FM. Our first “DX” test will probably be from G6ALB to me using the voice modulated TX module. I’ll receive Andrew on my FT817ND initially. When the super-regen RX is sensitive with speech I’ll try to receive him with that. Super-regens should be sensitive on AM, but are usually poor NBFM detectors.  We are about 3km apart and both have V2000 verticals externally mounted. At 70cms these have gain.

Andrew has ordered 5  pairs of 433MHz AM modules (TX as well as RX) for not much more than £2 total from China. This makes each TX/RX pair very inexpensive. It amazes me that they can make these so inexpensively. I hope G6ALB succeeds in this venture. It would be good to be able to communicate with him using a really low cost 70cm transceiver. I expect Andrew will write up his results in an article for a UK magazine later.

It seems entirely possible that a complete 70cm AM transceiver can be made for just a few pounds based on these low cost 433MHz AM modules.

Roger Lapthorn, G3XBM, is a regular contributor to AmateurRadio.com and writes from Cambridge, England.

It was find a birthday present for one of my Amateur friends, well he is going to be 70 in a few weeks, so it was time to look for something useful or interesting.  A bottle of Scotch maybe or a woolly hat? Then I had a thought he owns a Yaesu FT-897, and I had seen the Chinese selling external meters on ebay for this radio. There are two versions available, white backed scale, or black versions. I decided to take the risk and send for one in black, will it arrive here before his birthday? It did! It was delivered in less than 10 days from HK, although the sellers address was Shenzhen China?

The analogue meter replicates everything you see on the digital bargraph meter on the front of the FT-857/897 (S, PWR, SWR & ALC)

First thoughts not bad, quite weighty, excellent black anodised metal case, with a 3.5mm jack to plug into the external meter socket under the VFO knob on the front of the FT-897, or the left handside bottom front ext meter skt of the FT-857. It was time to take the roof off and have a look inside, well I did want to make sure it was ok for him?





There is plenty documented on the Web about making an external meter for these radios and really there is not much to it. But the Chinese have really made a very good job of this for the money, its not just a meter stuck in a box, they have taken their time to produce a little PCB with the calibration pot which can  be easily accessed from the rear of the case through a small hole. The PCB has then been bolted across the two rear meter terminals and it is a real solid job.




There were no instructions in the box that it came in, but these are well documented at the bottom of the ebay sales literature, and reference to all of this is set out within the Yaesu manual.

Conclusion: Well made and produced for the cost, you would find it very difficult to get all the bits together including the case and build it for the price. I wasn't able to test it out as I don't own either radio, time to wrap it up and put some kisses on the birthday card.

Reference:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/New-External-S-meter-SWR-Power-meter-for-Yaesu-FT-857-FT-897-Black-/121480229454?
Steve, G1KQH, is a regular contributor to AmateurRadio.com and writes from England. Contact him at [email protected].

'29 MOPA Plan

I have completed manufacture of the three RF chokes required for my new MOPA project. Two of the chokes (the ones in the amplifier) are broken into three sections, presumably to reduce stray capacitance or unwanted resonances while the choke for the Hartley oscillator section is one single winding.


The choke forms were first turned on the wood lathe, using Mahogany hardwood scrap, to a diameter of 3/4", and then stepped down slightly, for the space occupied by the windings. The windings, using single silk enamel #31, were then done, still on the lathe, while rotating the spindle manually.





I've always been surprised at how little inductance is really needed for effective choking on HF and it would seem that the 'standard' 2.5mH is much more than is actually required. The single-ended version is just 190uH, while the three-section chokes measure just 240uH, about 10% of what normally might be specified today.
Steve McDonald, VE7SL, is a regular contributor to AmateurRadio.com and writes from British Columbia, Canada. Contact him at [email protected].

The 29-29.1MHz sub-band continues to be the best place to find HF AM. This is the HF band with most space, although there are AM enthusiasts on 160m and other bands. When these bands are not busy AM has its place.

When 10m goes “off the boil” 29MHz AM will be ideal for local nets with very simple gear. Ranges are fine for local nets. Also there is a ready supply of ex-CB kit around, although making a wholly homebrew QRP rig for 29MHz AM is a nice group project. There are some ideas for starters on my main website.

As an example of how effective 10m AM can be see http://www.macnaughtonart.com/10metlog-ss24.htm .

Roger Lapthorn, G3XBM, is a regular contributor to AmateurRadio.com and writes from Cambridge, England.