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Upgraded vk3ye.com website

✇The Daily Antenna
Peter Parker



Enjoy reading about diverse facets of amateur radio? Like building projects? Sometimes find my videos hard to find? If any of these applies to you check out my upgraded website at https://vk3ye.com .

A lot's been done. For a start the technical section has been expanded with more articles about more aspects of electronics and radio. Join me as I dismantle and explain various pieces of gear, ranging from consumer to professional. There's features on electronic parts you can get for free or very cheaply. And components and what they do get a new section with pointers to numerous videos. 

The 'Beginner and General' section has also grown. This has many more articles on more topics including newer digital modes. Some older articles have had updates. You can read more reviews, with this section better organised. 

Antennas and projects are two of my site's popular sections. Much more has been added, incorporating much material that first appeared here on The Daily Antenna. Examples include using sports oval lights as antennas, Rowland Rings, quick antennas for the higher HF, VHF and UHF bands and more. The projects department also has items added in all sections. 

To cap it off, everything's on a faster and better server. Links from the old Alphalink url have redirects but if you do have a website that links to it please change them over to the new vk3ye.com address.

Happy reading and building! 

My six most viewed videos

✇The Daily Antenna
Peter Parker
What are my video viewers most interested in? Fortunately YouTube allows sorting of videos by popularity. Antennas seem to be a common thread, especially magnetic loops. People also like crystal sets. Anyway here's the top six. Happy viewing! 

1. 100w magnetic loop


2. Homebrew software defined radio


3. Choke 'balun'



4. Triband end fed half wave




5. A demonstration of a crystal radio



6. My favourite magnetic loop for HF pedestrian mobile (actually no longer my favourite as I since built a newer lighter one of aluminium described in another video)



Final note. After about 18 months of writing this blog I've decided to cease adding to The Daily Antenna blog. I've enjoyed it, but as you might have noted from the decreasing frequency of posts, it was becoming somewhat of a chore to come up with material. Taking time that I'd rather spend doing experiments to make videos about. Thanks to you all for reading and commenting. I'll continue to be active with the following: 

VK3YE website

VK3YE YouTube

VK3YE Radio Books on Facebook


Some radio related Facebook groups

✇The Daily Antenna
Peter Parker
If you're on Facebook here's some groups that may be of interest.

Ham Radio Homebrew https://www.facebook.com/groups/Ham.Radio.Homebrew/

Ham Radio Homebrew Corner https://www.facebook.com/groups/hamradioconstruction/

Amateur Radio QRP https://www.facebook.com/groups/qrpradio/

Making antennas for amateur radio https://www.facebook.com/groups/388985131912074/

Radio receiver kit and circuit construction https://www.facebook.com/groups/141931123174948/

Portable antenna tips and techniques https://www.facebook.com/groups/1200545163358449/

DIY cheap electronic kits and projects https://www.facebook.com/groups/147858562595896/

CW Morse Code fans https://www.facebook.com/groups/46861088039/

Magnetic loop antennas https://www.facebook.com/groups/861746933918546/

Crystal set radio group https://www.facebook.com/groups/crystalsetradio/

These are good places to ask questions and see what others are up to. If there's others you like please mention them in the comments below. Note that some groups are public while others are private so you may need to apply and answer a question or two to prove you're not a spammer.
Now's a great time to be reading books. Especially with not much else to do. 

439 MHz FM: How far can you talk on a cheap handheld?

✇The Daily Antenna
Peter Parker
A few days ago I went for a walk along the beach. Taking my handheld. There was activity on 439 MHz, the main FM simplex frequency. A 46km contact was made despite being low and just having the handheld's standard antenna. More here!



PS: Into low power amateur radio? Minimum QRP is the top-selling manual on the equipment, antennas, operating and strategy of successful QRP operating. It's available for under $US 5 each in electronic form. Or you can get a paperback version. Visit VK3YE Radio Books to find out more. 

151 MHz wireless microphone range test (and how I got started in amateur radio)

✇The Daily Antenna
Peter Parker
I like little radio transmitters. I found a little one in a box of junk from a hamfest last year. It turned out to be more interesting than expected. It was an FM wireless microphone on 151 MHz. Fortunately I have equipment and antennas that can receive on that band so I did some range tests. 

The first two tests were done with the transmitter fixed and me walking around with the receiver. I used both a VHF handheld and an FT817 on SSB with a small beam. Understandably the latter gave longer range. 

The third test was with the FT817 (on FM) connected to a home station antenna and me walking around with the wireless microphone transmitter. This took advantage of the 817's better sensitivity. In this video I also talk about how I started in radio. As the video's unedited I drop out as I walk further away. Then I come good as I return.



PS: Enjoy reading? Consider this selection of amateur radio books I have written. They are available in ebook or paperback. 


    

How far can you talk on 2m FM simplex with a handheld transceiver?

✇The Daily Antenna
Peter Parker
Cheap Baofeng handhelds sometimes get a bad rap. And the antenna that they (and other handhelds) come with doesn't make the transceiver that good for simplex unless you're elevated. But if you can put on a good antenna then you can have better luck. Enjoy this video where I give it a range test from the beach.  


Now's a great time to be reading books. Especially with not much else to do. 






7 transistor 7 MHz 700mW FT8 and JS8 DSB transceiver

✇The Daily Antenna
Peter Parker
Super simple. Direct conversion/DSB for two popular digital modes on 7 MHz. Under 1w output but gets good results. A lot of similarities to my Beach 40 DSB rig. Video discusses QRP PA design so could be worth watching even if you're not into digital modes. 


PS: Into low power amateur radio? Minimum QRP is the top-selling manual on the equipment, antennas, operating and strategy of successful QRP operating. It's available for under $US 5 each in electronic form. Or you can get a paperback version. Visit VK3YE Radio Books to find out more. 


Two range-boosting antennas for your 2m handheld transceiver

✇The Daily Antenna
Peter Parker
Two quick and simple antennas for improved performance from your 2m handheld. Video describes and demonstrates.


VK6FC's Foll-up: https://www.armag.vk6uu.id.au/1985-september-AR.html VK2ZOI's Flower pot: https://vk2zoi.com/articles/half-wave-flower-pot/
PS: Enjoy building antennas? Many hams do. Hand-carried QRP antennas, my first antenna book has been very popular. That concentrated on basic concepts and the lower HF bands. Anyway here's the follow-up. Called More Hand-carried QRP antennas it describes more than 30 antennas and accessories that you can easily build. And there's more of an emphasis on upper HF, VHF and UHF antennas that the previous volume didn't have so much on.

Backyards on the Air: FT8 & JS8 activity

✇The Daily Antenna
Peter Parker
Backyards On the Air is a local activity intended to substitute for portable operating during these shut in times. The last one also coincided with ANZAC Day (26 April). Here I've set up a temporary station (FT817ND & 1/2 wavelength wire end-fed) to make some 40m FT8 and JS8 contacts. 



PS: Enjoy reading? Consider this selection of amateur radio books I have written. They are available in ebook or paperback. 


    

More MSK144 receiving on 6m

✇The Daily Antenna
Peter Parker
Six metres or 50 MHz is often associated with high sunspot activity like we haven't seen for a couple of cycles. And it's true that's when most of the really long distance DX is worked. 

But 50 MHz is not a one trick pony. For example in summer there's sporadic E propagation for some really strong signals even with low power and small antennas. That should be exciting for those in the northern hemisphere. And throughout the year there's meteor scatter communication. Modern digital modes allow at least exchanges, if not real conversations, to be frequently made. Even if your antennas are fairly modest. This latest video is a few mornings of receiving 6m meteor scatter activity on a very basic HF wire antenna and noisy location. Stations from as far away as 1500 km were decoded. 


New to MSK144 and meteor scatter? You might enjoy my first video where I try receiving it on 50 and 144 MHz. 



Now's a great time to be reading books. Especially with not much else to do. 

Feel like watching something?

✇The Daily Antenna
Peter Parker
RadioPrepper on YouTube has a great run-down of various channels that could be worth subscribing to on YouTube (hit the bell icon etc!). They will appeal to people into QRP and portable.



PS: Enjoy building antennas? Many hams do. Hand-carried QRP antennas, my first antenna book has been very popular. That concentrated on basic concepts and the lower HF bands. Anyway here's the follow-up. Called More Hand-carried QRP antennas it describes more than 30 antennas and accessories that you can easily build. And there's more of an emphasis on upper HF, VHF and UHF antennas that the previous volume didn't have so much on.




Two fun videos from W5IG

✇The Daily Antenna
Peter Parker
I won't say much except to encourage you to watch them!



PS: Into low power amateur radio? Minimum QRP is the top-selling manual on the equipment, antennas, operating and strategy of successful QRP operating. It's available for under $US 5 each in electronic form. Or you can get a paperback version. Visit VK3YE Radio Books to find out more. 


Noise canceller projects

✇The Daily Antenna
Peter Parker
With many people at home now might be a time to start on those projects you've always put off. Something good for the shack, especially if you live in an area with high noise, is an HF noise canceller. The idea is that you have a second deliberately poor antenna that picks up mainly noise. The signal is combined with the main antenna. Changing the phase relationship of arriving signals should allow a point where the noise can be nulled out. 

Here's a few links to get you thinking.

https://www.vk5tm.com/homebrew/noisecancel/noisecancel.php

http://www.alg.myzen.co.uk/radio/136/noise_can.htm

http://ra3wdk.qrz.ru/NoiseCancel.htm

https://py2nl.blogspot.com/2017/08/relics-radio-communications-hf-band.html

Of course cancelling the noise is one step. It might be better, if you can, to remove it first. Here's some tips.

https://www.sotabeams.co.uk/blog/combating-hf-noise-what-works/

If you've built these projects or something like them please let us know in the comments below.

Now's a great time to be reading books. Especially with not much else to do. 

Coincidence!

✇The Daily Antenna
Peter Parker
I was just browsing through a real estate advert. It was for a beachfront house. As is normal they had pictures of the view. And would you believe they were photographing while I was out portable. See if you can find the picture of my portable station here:

https://www.realestate.com.au/property-townhouse-vic-chelsea-133263434

The video I took is here:


Has this happened to you? Have you discovered pictures of your portable station taken by an unrelated person for an unrelated purpose? If so please leave your comments below. 

PS: My latest antenna book, More Hand-carried QRP antennas, is now available in both ebook and paperback formats. More details here.

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