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via HACKADAY: The Pi Pico, An SDR Receiver Front End
Via AMSAT: ANS-154 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins
Via AMSAT: CubeSatSim Kits Available at Hamvention
How to set up a HamClock for your shack
I appreciate that the last post here was about the HamClock and I said I wouldnβt be providing a guide to building one but Iβve been asked by a few people if I can write some instructions, showing whatβs needed from start to end so Iβve decided to do it. This is a long guide [β¦]
The post How to set up a HamClock for your shack first appeared on QSO365.via HACKADAY: WSPR To The Wind With A Pi Pico High Altitiude Balloon
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SolderSmoke Daily News
- SolderSmoke Podcast #251 Aurora! CBLA, Winterfest, Legal Action Against SolderSmoke, HB sBITX, SDR, Raspberry Pi, Rounded Passbands, MAILBAG
SolderSmoke Podcast #251 Aurora! CBLA, Winterfest, Legal Action Against SolderSmoke, HB sBITX, SDR, Raspberry Pi, Rounded Passbands, MAILBAG
Audio: http://soldersmoke.com/soldersmoke251.mp3
Travelouge:Β Dean goes to the North Pole to see Aurora.Β
A CBLA Call to Arms!Β
Winterfest.Β Lots of goodies.Β MXM Industries 40 meter transceiver. 1 dollar.Β
Jean Shepherd. Recording of Bill talking to Shep in 1976.Β
Legal Trouble: Could put us out of operation for a while.Β We need listener input.Β
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Pete's Bench
Homebrew SDR (based on Zl2CTMβs original design) and how good it sounds.
Raspberry Pi Zero W is now working on FT-8 with digital adapter.
Ferrite Cores at Digi-Key (a replacement for the FT-37-43 where Β you buy 100 and the price is 21 cents/each)
ADE-6 βgreat specs in HF but more expensive than the ADE-1
For Pete's recent blog posts, go to this site and click on "Archive" in the right column:Β
https://n6qw.blogspot.com/2024/03/march-31-2924-happy-easter-to-those-who.html
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Dean's BenchΒ
sBITX progress, McGyver-ing a lifted pad, replacing crystal on the CODEC board, sBITX success! See:Β
https://kk4das.blogspot.com/2024/03/homebrew-sbitx-tx-modules-pa-lpf-and-mic.html
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Shameless Commerce Division:Β Please use the Amazon link on the blog to start your Amazon purchases. And please consider using Patreon to support the podcast and blog.Β We try to send extra content to our Patreon supporters. Mostly DIY RF --Β Boards, Kits and Pete's PSSST
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Bill's Bench
More trouble with the 15-10 rig.Β Rounded passbands in 25 MHz filter. See figure 4 in both links:Β
https://www.arrl.org/files/file/QEX_Next_Issue/Nov-Dec_2009/QEX_Nov-Dec_09_Feature.pdf
https://www.networksciences.com/pdfs/tutorial.pdf
Experimenting with Balanced Mixers and Product Detectors.Β Paul VK3HNΒ Suggests the MC1496 chip; Walter KA4KXX points to SSDRA circuits
But it is on the air!Β Using the PA from a BITX40 module and an RD06.Β Β
Put an OLD dial from Pericles HI8P on 15-10 version 1.Β Soul in the new machine.
Grayson KJ7UM's Hollowstate video.Β
Mike WU2D's amazing 10 meter DSB transceiver.Β
Jack AI4SV (Dhaka Jack) liked video of recent QSO with AzoresDSB rig
Mike AA1TJ and Dave AA7EE on backwaves and 100 uW QRPpppp
Dave G3UURΒ on my curved passband problem
Alan W2AEW heard my only QSO with the MXM indsutries SupeRX/TX40
Wes W7ZOI, Mike WN2A, Walter KA4KXX. Farhan VU2ESE on passband,Β
Ramakrishnan sent article about Charles Proteus Steinmetz.Β Beautiful.Β
Justin AC8LV built a receiver!Β FB.Β
San Francisco QRP:Β Β KDOFNR TouCans Rig, and N6ASD Zinc-Oxide TX
Frank KC8JJL -- Another guy who heard first ham sigs from a homebrew rig.Β
Nate KA1MUQ's homebrew thermatron superhet
Dino KL0S sent info on the PAL CB VFO I picked up at Winterfest. Airborne!Β
Bob W8SX will be once again doing SolderSmoke interviews at Dayton.Β Thanks Bob
Peter VK2EMUΒ Always good to hear from him.
Tobias Feltus -- Wisdom teeth removed, wondering if he will get sBITX hallucinations...
Rick WD5L continues to work on his Herring Aid 5
Ciprian YO6DXE wants to learn CW. No alerts from his FB Blog!
Todd K7TFC -- Likes CW, says it eliminates the Blah-Blah-BlahΒ
HamClock
For some years Iβd been aware of HamClock and around April last year I decided to investigate further and built one using an old Raspberry Pi 3B that I had spare.If youβve never heard of HamClock, itβs described on the authors page thus: βHamClock is a kiosk-style application that provides real time space weather, radio [β¦]
The post HamClock first appeared on QSO365.OSTAR: Neuer Hotspot fΓΌr Duplex-Betrieb
Node-Red Calling Summit to Summit
In the arcane and niche world that is the intersection of peak bagging and ham radio, aka SOTA, the participants fall into two broad groups; activators and chasers.
Happening daily across the planet, activators, especially the apasionada, ferret radios to wild and distant peaks, setting up a temporary radio station and then hoping that the co-dependent chaser community hear, respond and make the trek worthwhile. All things being equal smiles abound.
Within this rarefied world is another notable accolade where activators assume a dual role of activator and chaser. The chance to communicate from one peak to another is special in that two apasionadas get to experience what their weak and faint signal must sound like to chasers but unlike most chasers get to do it in a βelectricalβ noise free environment. Often a faint and perfectly audible voice from a distant location plays in the headphones. This contact unsurprisingly is know as a Summit to Summit (S2S).
Some in our community are legendary in the pursuit of S2S contacts such as Colorado based Cary (KX0R) and Dave (N6AN) here in SoCal.
Sadly, Iβm not one of these legends nor anywhere close.
As with many activators, my initial goal was to attain the coveted Mountain Goat award which in true Western style I achieved in a respectable two year window having shlepped my gear up 100+ mountains. The equivalent chaser award, Shack Sloth took me over seven years to achieve through only S2S contacts, no comfy chair for me!
Truth is Iβm never quite as aware as I could be about other activators concurrent efforts and pretty much all my S2S contacts have been others calling me.
I love to mix up my hobbies and pondered the practicality of applying technology to my deficiency.
I kicked the tires on an idea, in hindsight possibly overkill of creating a small PC centric solution for the 2023 G/LD event that Mark M0NOM organized. Reasonable progress was made but I became distracted and then further distracted with a return to the UK.
My morse code dabbling has spurred a re-interest in past projects primarily to complete and/or use some of what Iβve done in the past.
Green for go!!
Peaks can be cold, dusty, beautiful and throughly inhospitable. Two problems exist that limit my S2S enjoyment; awareness and too much fiddling to get on frequency.
Improving awareness could be as simple of an LED lighting up or possibly a bank of LEDs conveying opportunities immediate and those slowly drifting into history. A green LED could indicate a new and current S2S opportunity, yellow some or one that are aging out dictating prompt action and red for opportunities that are most likely missed.
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Less fiddling might be a winner
On a busy Saturday, details of activators scroll by on our notification web site in a random and jarring way. Iβm reading one, checking the time, frequency and suddenly the line is displaced down one or two or more slots. Lost, I attempt to regain acuity and give up in my transliteration from web to frequency readout on my radio. Another S2S is missed.
Tailored for my iPhone screen, a list of current activations is displayed with a color coding to denote age matching the LEDs. Sorting them narrows to band (maybe 10m for the current 2024 challenge), geography, calls, mode etc.
Quickest way from A to B
Once upon a time people paid me to write software.
During the dawn of computing we used a gamut of languages from labor intensive assembler to one of a multiple of block structured languages and even the grand daddy of βobject orientedβ in the form of Simula 67. As someone, that was ejected into the ranks of shepherding software engineers, I often lamented at how long software development remained in what appeared an efficiency neolithic age. ChatGPT has dispelled that notion but along the way graphical almost cartoon like systems have surfaced.
As a quick and efficient way to develop a working system, Node Red is actually quite easy to master and satisfying in the immediacy of usable software. Maybe not appropriate for large scale mission critical system, it never the less has a real and valid place.
Zeros at 7 oβclock
Raspberry Pis come in many shapes and forms but alas have been far too hard to find for far too long. Rummaging through my βjunk boxβ yielded a Pi Zero W, forgotten and feeling inferior to the newer and unobtainable Zero 2 W, its pressed into serviced simply based on its size and ability to sit neatly on my newly established βflight deckβ aka a clip board.
The Pi OS comes in two or three flavors one known as βheadlessβ but unlike a Zombie can be counted on to do useful things. Installed along with Node-Red on my forgotten Pi Zero W and itβs single USB serving as a conduit to the CAT interface on my KX2, Iβm off to the races.
In addition to QSY-ing to a frequency, pressing CALL with send W6PNG in morse or S2S an declaration of opportunity.
LED Duration
On that same busy Saturday, itβs plausible that the Green, Yellow and Red LEDs are on all the time somewhat negating their value. I need to experiment with durations which could vary depending on time of week or an event. For example, maybe on a busy day green is only for displayed β¦.
Predicated on cell service
Cellular service is seemingly everywhere even in remote parts of the Western USA especially atop a peak. However, a peakβs height and hence reception of/by multiple towers can confuse things such that we often end up with no cellular service. Go figure.
Iβve learnt that sometimes itβs worthwhile to pause, try something and then consider refinement and next steps. Thereβs lot of things I could do beyond determining if the current prototype is usable and useful.
Certainly this work/project has been a great complement to hiking in that itβs a brain work out.
Any comments, thoughts, suggestion or ideas how to evolve this little project are always welcome.
Microsoft Surface Go LTE GPS for Ham Radio
How to build a shack clock using a Raspberry Pi and a 7β³ Touch Display.
A few weeks ago I bought the official Raspberry Pi 7β³ touchscreen display for a project which sadly didnβt work as intended, this left me with the unused display and a case. I started thinking about things I could use it for and settled on a shack clock. Long term readers of my site will [β¦]
The post How to build a shack clock using a Raspberry Pi and a 7β³ Touch Display. first appeared on QSO365.Progress Marches On!
Why you might want to try using my DX Cluster
Telnet: dxspider.co.uk:7300 There are many DX Cluster nodes out there and to be fair, theyβre all very similar. They all connect into the same network and they all offer pretty much the same services. I make no claims that my node is better than any others but it does have a lot going for it [β¦]
The post Why you might want to try using my DX Cluster first appeared on QSO365.MMDVM Hotspot and the new Raspberry Pi Zero 2 W
A short while ago, the new Raspberry Pi Zero 2 W was announced. The original Pi Zero and the Zero W are widely used in MMDVM based hotspots and the new Zero 2 W is a direct, drop in replacement. The most obvious question is whether you need to replace your Pi Zero with a [β¦]
The post MMDVM Hotspot and the new Raspberry Pi Zero 2 W first appeared on QSO365.Thermal solutions for the Raspberry Pi
Recent metal case offerings from Raspberry Pi enclosure manufacturers help mitigate heat issues when you dare try process-heavy applications including amateur radio spotting servers.
The post Thermal solutions for the Raspberry Pi appeared first on Ham Radio . Magnum Experimentum.
Airspy YouLoop LF/MF/HF MΓΆbius Receive Antenna
The Airspy YouLoop is a no tune, broadband, small footprint, affordable LF to HF receive antenna that works indoors. Its modular construction facilitates experiments to understand where the MΓΆbius inspired electrical design provides benefit.
The post Airspy YouLoop LF/MF/HF MΓΆbius Receive Antenna appeared first on Ham Radio . Magnum Experimentum.
Release DVPI Version 1.0
Β
Release DVPI Version 1.0
Version 1.0 and Version 0.95 are the same.Β If you are using Version 0.95 you do not need to update to Version 1.0.Β
DVPiManager has some features added.Β If you want to use features added in Versio 1.0, you only need to download dvpimanager.
DVPi uses the USRP Client protocol.Β When you install and use DVSwitch, you must read and comply with the license that appears. The user is responsible for the license for the use of DVPi.
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1.Download Link
https://github.com/phdlee/dvpi/releases/tag/v1.0
https://github.com/phdlee/dvpi/releases/download/v1.0/dvpi_1.0.zip
https://github.com/phdlee/dvpi/releases/download/v1.0/dvpimanager_1.0.zip
2.What was added in Version 1.0 (from Version 0.95)
2.1Β DVPi Manager 1.0 has added the ability to change the DMR password.
Β Of course, you can change the DMR password using the DVSwitch Setup function in DVPiManager. But it will be a pretty long process.
If you have changed the DMR password in https://brandmeister.network/, you can easily change the DMR password in DVPiManager.
Enter the password you changed at brandmeister in the password field.
If you are using DVPi in DualMode, select both MMDVM_Bridge#1 and MMDVM_Bridge#2. If not, just choose MMDVM_Bridge#1.
Then click the'Change Password' button. Restart DVPi and your new password will take effect.
2.2Β DVPi update function
If the update fails, you can download the DVPi executable file below.
https://github.com/phdlee/dvpi/releases/download/v1.0/dvpi_up.zip
3.Β Getting started with DVPi
Posts on DVPi :Β Β http://www.hamskey.com/search/label/dvpi
Thank you for using DVPi.
Next time, I'll post a new kind of article.
Ian KD8CEC
Release DVPI Version 0.95
Release DVPI Version 0.95
Version 0.95 is a candidate version of Version 1.0
so, If there are no major problems you won't need to upgrade to Version 1.0
DVPi uses the USRP Client protocol.Β When you install and use DVSwitch, you must read and comply with the license that appears. The user is responsible for the license for the use of DVPi.
1.Download Link
https://github.com/phdlee/dvpi/releases/tag/v0.95
https://github.com/phdlee/dvpi/releases/download/v0.95/dvpimanager_095.zip
https://github.com/phdlee/dvpi/releases/download/v0.95/dvpi_095.zip
2.What was added in Version 0.9
2.1 DVPi is stabilized.
Β The goal is 10 hours of nondisruptive operation, but most of the test devices have been running for more than 24 hours. The main purpose of Versoin 1.0 is stabilization
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