Posts Tagged ‘amateurradio.com’
Weekend plans go semi awry.
September 18th, 2016 | 
Author: My first planned activity was to participate in the NJ QSO Party on Saturday. The work party that I attended at the Middlesex County Office of Emergency Management went longer than I anticipated. I'm glad we got the work done that we did, though, as it was important that it got done before the Simulated Emergency test in October. When I got home, there was still plenty of time to participate in the contest - no doubt. Other chores had to be taken care of first, though; and I made sure I got those done. End result? One very tired W2LJ and no NJQP on Saturday.
After dinner, I sat down with the tablet and saw on the ARRL NPOTA Facebook page that Peter K0BAK was doing a sweep of NJ activations this weekend, including AA17, the New Jersey Coastal Heritage Trail. My heart sank a bit because he's such a superb operator and activator - does AA17 really need to be activated twice the same day? And if you had the chance to work either me or Peter .... heck, even I'd rather work Peter than me !!!
New Jersey QSO Party this weekend!
For all the details, please visit: http://www.k2td-bcrc.org/k2td_index.html
I have a Middlesex County OEM work detail to attend in the morning. I hope to get some operating time in sometime during the afternoon. Maybe out on the patio table with the mag loop?
72 de Larry W2LJ
QRP - When you care to send the very least!
New Jersey QSO Party this weekend!
For all the details, please visit: http://www.k2td-bcrc.org/k2td_index.html
I have a Middlesex County OEM work detail to attend in the morning. I hope to get some operating time in sometime during the afternoon. Maybe out on the patio table with the mag loop?
72 de Larry W2LJ
QRP - When you care to send the very least!
Haven’t said this in a while
On the QRP side of things, I see from an e-mail by Doug KI6DS to the QRP-L list that the QRPGuys have a new kit offering out. The following is their description:
The QRPGuys Multi-Tuner is a Z-match design that will match a wide range of coax fed, long wire, and balanced line antennas, like high-impedance, low-loss UHF twinlead or ladder line for 40m-10m.
It uses the N7VE integral led swr indicator with an absorptive bridge to protect your final transistors from a poor match. In the TUNE position, you cannot damage your transmitter caused by a high SWR. It is looking at a 50 ohm load and the LED is indicating only the reflected power. At full brilliance your SWR is 4:1 or greater, at half brilliance your SWR is approximately 2:1, and the LED will completely extinguish at 1:1.
Rated for 5 watts continuous, 10 watts intermittant, weighs (4.3 oz.) and comes with female BNC connectors for the input/output, with S.S. hardware for the long wire and balanced line connections. There is no point to point wiring. All connections are accomplished by mounting the components on the PCB. This kit can be built in a couple of hours. On a difficulty scale of 1 to 5, 5 being the most difficult, this is rated at 3.
For more information, and ordering, you can go to http://www.qrpguys.com/
I don't have to tell you (but will, anyway) how important it is for us to patronize concerns like QRPGuys, QRPMe, QRP Kits, SOTA Beams, and the numerous other QRP vendors around the world that are out there. Blogging is my way to give a bit back to the hobby. Offering kits is the way these guys give back to the hobby. Yeah, they are there to make a buck or two; but they're definitely not in this with visions of becoming the next Elecraft. You keep me "in business' by reading; and we keep them in business (and as a result, keep the QRP hobby alive) by purchasing their wares.
72 de Larry W2LJ
QRP - When you care to send the very least!
Haven’t said this in a while
On the QRP side of things, I see from an e-mail by Doug KI6DS to the QRP-L list that the QRPGuys have a new kit offering out. The following is their description:
The QRPGuys Multi-Tuner is a Z-match design that will match a wide range of coax fed, long wire, and balanced line antennas, like high-impedance, low-loss UHF twinlead or ladder line for 40m-10m.
It uses the N7VE integral led swr indicator with an absorptive bridge to protect your final transistors from a poor match. In the TUNE position, you cannot damage your transmitter caused by a high SWR. It is looking at a 50 ohm load and the LED is indicating only the reflected power. At full brilliance your SWR is 4:1 or greater, at half brilliance your SWR is approximately 2:1, and the LED will completely extinguish at 1:1.
Rated for 5 watts continuous, 10 watts intermittant, weighs (4.3 oz.) and comes with female BNC connectors for the input/output, with S.S. hardware for the long wire and balanced line connections. There is no point to point wiring. All connections are accomplished by mounting the components on the PCB. This kit can be built in a couple of hours. On a difficulty scale of 1 to 5, 5 being the most difficult, this is rated at 3.
For more information, and ordering, you can go to http://www.qrpguys.com/
I don't have to tell you (but will, anyway) how important it is for us to patronize concerns like QRPGuys, QRPMe, QRP Kits, SOTA Beams, and the numerous other QRP vendors around the world that are out there. Blogging is my way to give a bit back to the hobby. Offering kits is the way these guys give back to the hobby. Yeah, they are there to make a buck or two; but they're definitely not in this with visions of becoming the next Elecraft. You keep me "in business' by reading; and we keep them in business (and as a result, keep the QRP hobby alive) by purchasing their wares.
72 de Larry W2LJ
QRP - When you care to send the very least!
Review – BTech UV-5X3 TriBand Handheld
UV-5X3Although the case design is familiar, the radio inside is not. BTech has recently introduced the new UV-5X3 to the US Ham Radio market. This radio is a true triband transceiver with internal filters specifically configured for triband operation.The firmware in this radio has been reworked to include several new features not found in similar appearing radios.
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In the Box
Included with the radio are the:
– 1500mAh Li-Ion Battery **
– 85 page User Guide – English
– Charger base & AC adapter
– Hand strap
– Belt clip
– PTT Earpiece / Microphone
– Antenna (1) – VHF / UHF 6 3/4″ (17cm) A-V85
– Antenna (2) – 220 MHz 6 1/4″ (15.5cm)
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** This is the identical battery that is commonly mislabeled as 1800mAh on some handhelds.
The UV-5X3 was specifically designed as a Tri-Band transceiver. The internal filtering allows not only the traditional VHF and UHF frequencies, but also includes the 222-225 MHz Ham band for the US.
Case DesignThe UV-5X3 has the traditional case design, which allows me to use my high capacity BL-5L 3800mAh battery with no alteration to the base. Accessories such as my mobile battery eliminator, Spkr/Micr, etc. are fully compatible.
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Transmitter
The frequency range is VHF 130-176 / 222-225 / UHF 400-480 MHz, supporting both Wide and Narrowband with 2.5kHz steps.The radio’s filtering scheme allows for full power on all bands. My OTA audio reports have been clean with clear with mellow audio. Power levels are respectable using a Bird VHF/UHF Termaline.
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DTMF / IRLP Access
Something new also appearing on this model is a DTMF gain adjustment, allowing me to adjust the DTMF audio to the transmitter to a comfortable level for both repeater control and IRLP access.
If you are in a area that requires tone burst for repeater or network access, the 1000Hz, 1450Hz, 1750Hz, and 2000Hz burst are accessible by pressing the PTT along with one of the four pre-assigned keypad keys.
The receiver sensitivity is excellent, and the audio quality is clear, loud, and undistorted. Along with the 3 TX/RX bands, the receiver also includes the traditional commercial FM radio band. (65MHz-108MHz)
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Tone Scanning – The receiver also has the ability to identify the tone of a repeater being transmitted by a received signal.
This feature gives me the ability to add / delete channels from the scanning list using the keypad. No longer a software only function. The more I can do from the keypad, the better I like it.
A Long Press of the [*SCN] button will start the scanning process.Channel Mode – When scanning with the Display Sync set to ON, the upper and lower display will scan together. This is explained below under Display Synchronization.Frequency Mode – When entering Scan, the image below will appear on the screen. Enter the first 3 digits set the range start, the second 3 digits sets the stop.
Example: Entering 146 : 146
Start the scan range at 146.000
Ends the scan range at 146.999
AntennaI found two antennas included with the radio. One was the standard upgraded A-V85 antenna, and a slightly shorter one for the 220MHz band.
Antenna (1) – VHF / UHF 6 3/4″ (17cm) A-V85
Antenna (2) – 220 MHz 6 1/4″ (15.5cm)
The separate antenna specifically tuned for 220 MHz is a great addition. The SWR shows 1.3 which is excellent. No compromise. I labeled my 220 antenna, as they are very close in appearance.
.Display
The radio has a tri-color display, allowing the color options of the blue, orange and purple. The LCD can be formatted in either of three formats. Choices are Frequency, Channel number, or up to 6 Alpha Characters.Display Synchronization
The UV-5X3 supports display syncing, which gives ability to track both the upper and lower LCD. I keep mine set to display the channel name in display A, and the frequency in display B. When you change the channel, both the upper and lower displays move together.
.Programming
Manual programming is pretty straight forward once you enter a few channels. A programming guide can be found at Manual Programming with a Menu Definition summary available at Menu Definitions.
The software support for the UV-5X3 can be found in the Latest Daily Build of CHIRP. There are a few new options that will be added to the 5X3 in the near future. One is the ability to Stun, Kill, Revive. This gives you the ability to disable your radio remotely.
The new chipset (RDA1846S and RDA5802N) provides reduced AGC switching noise and a low-IF digital audio processor for improved sound quality.
The programming cable requires a traditional two pin Baofeng / Kenwood style. There are several cable available. The generic cables may require special drivers, due to the use of cloned chips. For Plug and Play, a cable using an FTDI chip is recommended.
ConclusionThe UV-5X3 firmware has obviously been reworked to include:
– Tri-Band Support: VHF/1.25M/UHF
– D-ANI (Display incoming DTMF Tones)
– Synchronized Displays
– DTMF audio gain level adjustment
– Add / Remove Channels from Scanning list via keypad (LCD Dot Indication)
– On the Fly scanning by Frequency Range
– 4 Tone Burst options
– Remote Stun, Kill, Revive
Review – BTech UV-50X3 (Tri-Band)
by John ‘Miklor’
Included with the radio are: 50X3 Weight: Main Chassis 2.1kg (4.6 lbs) Specifications The 50X3 is FCC Part 90 certified for commercial use in the US. Control Head The suction mount is about the best I’ve ever used. It requires a smooth metal or glass surface, but the silicon rubber cup will not let loose. My control head has been mounted atop my computer for over a month, and it is going nowhere. The button functions are displayed on the LCD screen for easy function identification. The PTT button on the upper right is for Momentary or Toggle PTT. One press turns the TX on, next press turns it off. Setting to Toggle is convenient if running a net or using a mobile headset.  Cooling The 220 ham band transmit range is limited to 222-225MHz. The receiver is capable of being programmed above and below those frequencies, but may be outside of the performance range due to the ham band specific filtering.
Microphone The radio comes with a full function keypad style microphone. On the right side are two slide switches that control the Lock and Lamp feature, and on top of the microphone are two frequency Up and Down buttons. Along with a 16 button DTMF style keypad are 4 programmable function keys. Choices are Squelch Off, TX Power, Rptr Shift, Reverse, and Tone Call. There are two microphone input jacks. One on the control head, the other on the main unit. There is also a built in microphone element inside the control head. Although the audio quality is excellent, the sensitivity is that of a standard microphone. The OTA reports were excellent with plenty of audio, so there’s no reason to shout. A nice feature in the audio section is an adjustable microphone gain control. There are 5 settings available. Min, Low, Normal, High, and Max. Normal is great for speaking in a normal volume an inch from the microphone. Running a net with VOX and a headset, you can bring it up a bit. Driving in an off road vehicle, you just might need to set it back.
Receiver Along with the standard VHF / 220 / UHF frequencies, the receiver covers: 0.5-1.7 MHz (AM Radio) The control head has built in speakers, as well as one in the main module. An external speaker jack in the rear also allows for a larger speaker if desired. The jack provides for either mono or stereo output. (each receiver can have it’s own speaker). I found a menu setting to adjust the tone of the speaker as well. Although there is more than ample audio output, when the volume control is all the way down, the radio is silent, as it should be. Cross Band Repeat The radio takes full advantage of the independent receiver by including a Cross Band Repeat function. I entered the VHF and UHF frequencies, power level and tones, selected the Cross Band mode, and was ready to go. The audio levels are preset and the audio quality reports were excellent. Cross band repeating using a 220MHz frequency was not possible. This is more than likely a precaution due to the minimal frequency separation. Display The control head has a large 5″ LCD with your choice of background colors. Options include White-Blue, Sky-Blue, Marine-Blue, Green, Yellow-Green, Orange, Amber, and White. The brightness and contrast are also menu selectable.
Unless you are only entering a few channels, I would recommend the optional PC05 programming cable. The UV-50X3 uses the CHIRP programming software. Scanning in the VFO mode allowed me to scan either the VHF, 220MHz, or UHF band. In the Channel mode, the scan would select any channel in the list regardless of band. Power Cable There are radios that draw less power whose power cables use thinner wire, lower value fuses, and can be plugged into accessory plugs. Do NOT use these cables, even though they may be plug compatible. The 50X3 draws twice the current, and will blow the fuses and possibly overheat the wire. The cable on the 50X3 appears to match that of the hi-power Yaesu, Icom, Kenwood series. ONLY use the proper cable for the radio. Base Station Operation For mobile drive testing, I teamed this radio with a Nagoya Tri-Band TB320A and SB-35 NMO mag mount and the results were excellent. Conclusion Some of the added advantages to the US market are the FCC Part 90 certification, local US support, and exclusive program support using CHIRP software. The radio can also be shipped worldwide by contacting BTech directly. This is definitely one of the nicest mobile transceivers I’ve used; and yes, I’ve owned the “big 3”.
More Information: Miklor.com |
Four years after its initial design, the VGC 6600PRO has evolved into the BTech UV-50X3, a full featured Tri-Band mobile that delivers a full 50W on VHF and UHF, with addition of a 220 MHz module that delivers 5W output. The 220 MHz module was specifically designed and filtered for 222-225MHz US ham band operation. I mention this as there are currently radios being advertised as Tri-Band operating in the range of 240-260MHz that are not adaptable to frequencies below 240MHz due to their internal filtering.
