AmateurRadio.com

 

• BULLETIN: FCC "Paperless" Amateur Radio license policy to take effect in February
• Radio politics in Thailand has ham radio caught in the middle
• Two more world-circling pico balloons are launched from Australia
• The ARRL announces some DXCC and VHF contest rules changes
• Ham radio featured on New York City “Save A Life” television program
• And this just in: scientists launch sounding rockets during surprise auroras over the Arctic

    THIS WEEK'S NEWSCAST

    Script

    Audio 

YouKits Canada has announced the latest version of the TJ2B SSB handheld radio, that now also will provide cw mode after many requests from users of this radio.
The unit has also received some great reviews by the techs at ARRL test lab and have been published recently in QST.
Yimin strives to do his ultimate best with QC and trouble shooting as well as refunds and repairs. Not unusual for him to send a replacement radio before he has accepted the problem unit.
The HB line of radios has proven themselves over again in the field. many new projects are being developed by YouKits and we look forward to seeing these new items in the future.

 

http://www.youkits.com/#TJ2B_MK2_5_Band_SSB_Handheld_Transceiver

 

73 Fred Lesnick

VE3FAL

Fred Lesnick, VE3FAL, is a regular contributor to AmateurRadio.com and writes from Thunder Bay Ontario, Canada. Contact him at ve3fal@tbaytel.net.

It's been a while since I really made an effort to use the ol' Vibroplex.  I gave the contacts a decent cleaning today and gave it a whirl in a QSO with Art K8CIT. I don't think I sounded terrible - and I hope Art didn't think so either. I could use some more practise, though, and I will continue to use it more often.

I haven't run this piece in a long time. It's from my old webpage on how to adjust a bug:

Using a bug is a real fun part of using Morse Code.  Adjusting one properly so that it works right for you and doesn't frustrate the heck out of you is easy; if you take your time and work methodically. Refer to the photo below for reference.


The first thing you do is to back off all the adjusting screws quite a bit.  Not all the way; but far enough out so that everything is nowhere near being set.  Once that's done you want to adjust the action of the pendulum.  Unscrew "A" - this is the pivot point for the pendulum.  Slowly tighten it. You'll know you have it adjusted correctly when the pendulum moves from side to side freely with no binding; but, at the same time, you can move the finger pieces up and down with your fingers and feel very little or no play.

The next thing you want to do is to adjust screw "B".  Allow the pendulum to hit the damper.  Screw in "B" to the point where you can either see or just perceive the pendulum has touched the damper.  Stop there and secure the screw with the knurled lock nut.  It is important not to move the pendulum too far away from the damper or else you will not be able to reliably stop your "dits".

The next thing you want to do is adjust the  left trunnion screw -  D.  This will control the amount of side to side travel of the pendulum.  For smooth code this gap should be very small.  I take a piece of ordinary printer paper, fold it in half to double it and adjust the spacing so that the paper will just slip between the point of the screw and the pendulum.  This results in a very small amount of side to side travel.  The end result is a nice and clean transition between "dits" and "dahs".  I do the same thing for the amount of spacing for the "dah" contact at C.  I turn that trunnion screw in so that the paper slips in the gap easily with no binding, then I lock the set screw in place to keep the setting.

The next thing you want to do is adjust the "dits" making part of your bug.  This is done by adjusting "E".  When "E" is adjusted correctly, you should be able to swing the pendulum to make "dits"; and get 10 to 15 "dits" before the pendulum dampens out and comes to a rest.

"F" controls the tension of the "dit" action.  I find it best to tension the spring about half way.  Hopefully, if you follow this guide and play around a little bit and experiment, you will find the "sweet spot" that will allow you to send really glassy smooth Morse Code.

Sending with a Bug is just as much fun as sending with a keyer and paddles.  However, sending with a Bug allows you to add a little personality.  Listening to CW sent with a keyer sounds sterile compared to that sent with a Bug.

If you need to slow down the speed of your Bug to a point that's even slower than what you can get with the weight(s) positioned all the way to the end of the pendulum, then clip a clothes pin or a few alligator clips to the end of the pendulum.  This will slow down a Bug to an effective speed as low as 13 words per minute or so.

In my opinion, you know that your bug is adjusted properly when you can send characters like X, Y, Q, C, F and L with little effort, and they sound good - or at least recognizable in my case!

Here's a great video that shows you how to do it, also:


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 w2lj@arrl.net.

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 ve9kk@hotmail.com.

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.