Re: .1uf cap on tune knob question
Should work well enough to bench check it, but I would wait till I got that cap in before transmitting on the air.
The cap reduces noise in the tuning voltage detected by the Raduino, without the cap the frequency will jump around a bit more.
Allard's sketch also reduces the jumping about, best to have the cap plus Allard's sketch.
Jerry Gaffke, KE7ER, ?Flora OR
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On Mon, Jun 5, 2017 at 07:42 pm, Chris Coel wrote:
Hi fellow bitxers I misplaced my .1uf cap and am assembling slowly my bitx40.. is this comment required for proper operation on tuning knob or is this something that just improves it's usability/user sanity such as getting rid of clicks..
?
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Re: Calling West Coast BITX operators
College Professor Simon Thompson
Hi
Simon, VE7SXS, in Terrace, BC, Canada. I am very close to the bottom of the Alaska panhandle.
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On Jun 5, 2017, at 6:55 PM, Jonathan Peakall <jpeakall@...> wrote:
Hi All,
Just curious, how many West Coast BITX operators are on this list? Anywhere on the left side of the country. If you don't mind, sound off with your state and town. I'll compile a list from the responses. I have three plus myself that I know personally:
WB0NPM - Escondido CA
KE7RTV - Sparks, NV
W7LTG - Spanish Springs, NV
KK6RPX, Albion CA
Thanks!
Jonathan - KK6RPX
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Re: Can't upload to Raduino
Pat, definitely a possibility, but I'd first like to see how hfsigs responds to a defective product claim. As I've been troubleshooting this evening, trying different USB cables, etc., I just tried plugging the display board back into the Nano+Oscillator boards, and when I inserted the USB plug into the Nano, the display came up, with a single row of blocks, so that's a good sign. I'm still getting an error from the IDE, which is detecting the correct COM port and board, if the message on the bottom right of the IDE window is any indication. Although, I suppose it could simply be reporting what I configured in the Tools menu. Hadn't thought of that until just now.
We'll see what hfsigs has to say.
Mark
W4MAP
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Re: Can't upload to Raduino
Mark, The pins on the the nano barely stick thru the top of the nano , you actuality cut the top of the nano, destroying the top on each side.? Sounds weird but ?u need to cut off the top, then you pull out each pin. I used some female headers and made a socket.. It was the safest method as you wont damage the board. It all fits well but the raduino spacers are a bit short after the socket mode so i just used longer ones..
joe
On Mon, Jun 5, 2017 at 11:17 PM, <kivafolks@...> wrote: Joe, you and I must have slightly different versions of the Raduino. On mine the Nano sits in a pair of plastic headers. The pins on the underside of the Nano board appear to be plugged into the headers and go through the larger oscillator board, and are then soldered. There is no way to reach the pins between the two boards, all I see is the plastic header between the boards. It looks like I'll have to use a soldapult and solder wick to try and free up the board, if I have to go that route. Also, looking at the board, it looks like there would not be sufficient clearance to use a socket. The display board barely clears the Nano board now...Too bad.
I sent email to teamhfsigs@... explaining the situation, hopefully they have a solution.
Mark
W4MAP
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Re: Can't upload to Raduino
Mark, If you have a sharp pair of diagonal cutters you can get in between the boards to cut the pins and then remove them one by one. I would suggest that instead of trying to remove them all together. You are correct there is not room for the Nano and a socket, at leas that I could find. I went ahead and mounted mine back where it came from on some header sockets but I intended to separate my display and Nano anyway and use a serial display. If you want to keep them together put the sockets on the other side and when you solder the pins into the new Nano have them stick? up instead of down. That way you can mount the Nano on the other side and it still have the correct pin out. I would have done that but all the Nanos I had at the time already had the pins soldered in the conventional way. Here is a picture of what mine looks like now. 
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Re: Calling West Coast BITX operators
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Re: Calling West Coast BITX operators
KI6SSI - El Dorado Hills, CA near Sacramento
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Re: .1uf cap on tune knob question
Since I cannot edit I should add I am using a 10 turn pot suggested from back in the analog tune days.?
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.1uf cap on tune knob question
Hi fellow bitxers I misplaced my .1uf cap and am assembling slowly my bitx40.. is this comment required for proper operation on tuning knob or is this something that just improves it's usability/user sanity such as getting rid of clicks..
Wanting to know if it'll survive without it until I get to the parts store to grab a cap or two.
Thanks for the help!
Chris
N7ccx
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Re: Calling West Coast BITX operators
N7CCX - cn85mm (Portland metro area) Oregon
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Re: Can't upload to Raduino
If hfsigs doesn't have a solution, another ?more expensive option and it would ?add a couple of weeks is to order just the raduino board and display for $25 including shipping?
Pat aa4pg
Sent from my iPhone
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Joe, you and I must have slightly different versions of the Raduino. On mine the Nano sits in a pair of plastic headers. The pins on the underside of the Nano board appear to be plugged into the headers and go through the larger oscillator board, and are
then soldered. There is no way to reach the pins between the two boards, all I see is the plastic header between the boards. It looks like I'll have to use a soldapult and solder wick to try and free up the board, if I have to go that route. Also, looking
at the board, it looks like there would not be sufficient clearance to use a socket. The display board barely clears the Nano board now...Too bad.
I sent email to
teamhfsigs@... explaining the situation, hopefully they have a solution.
Mark
W4MAP
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Re: Can't upload to Raduino
Joe, you and I must have slightly different versions of the Raduino. On mine the Nano sits in a pair of plastic headers. The pins on the underside of the Nano board appear to be plugged into the headers and go through the larger oscillator board, and are then soldered. There is no way to reach the pins between the two boards, all I see is the plastic header between the boards. It looks like I'll have to use a soldapult and solder wick to try and free up the board, if I have to go that route. Also, looking at the board, it looks like there would not be sufficient clearance to use a socket. The display board barely clears the Nano board now...Too bad. I sent email to teamhfsigs@... explaining the situation, hopefully they have a solution. Mark W4MAP
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Re: Dhl customs cost to the usa
Yes, ordering from India and shipping India mail had the package in my hands about 2-3 weeks after I ordered it, no customs fees.
I don't think DHL was an option when I bought mine.
Ken, N2VIP
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On Jun 5, 2017, at 4:08 PM, Jacob Long <jasclo98@...> wrote:
Ok ill just use the indian post i don't mind waiting to possibly save a lot of money
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Calling West Coast BITX operators
Hi All,
Just curious, how many West Coast BITX operators are on this list? Anywhere on the left side of the country. If you don't mind, sound off with your state and town. I'll compile a list from the responses. I have three plus myself that I know personally:
WB0NPM - Escondido CA
KE7RTV - Sparks, NV
W7LTG - Spanish Springs, NV
KK6RPX, Albion CA
Thanks!
Jonathan - KK6RPX
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Re: Can't upload to Raduino
Removing the old nano is not to difficult. Just use a pair of side cutters and slowly clip a few pins at a time.? Once that is done you will have removed the top part of the nano, but most of each pin remains. Now just unsolder each pin, they pull out easily. Then just use solderwick to clean the holes.
If you have some female pins you can make socket.. and nano will never get you again.
Joe
VE1BWV
It's looking increasingly like I have a defective Nano board. I executed the dpinst-amd64.exe driver file since I'm working with it on a Win7 Netbook with an AMD processor. The IDE properly detects the com port but can't perform the upload. The Duemilanove doesn't have any issues. I don't look forward to unsoldering this Nano board. I agree with Joe, I'd pay extra for a socketed Nano board. A bit discouraging!
Mark
W4MAP
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Re: Europe to States BitX QSO
VOACAP propagation tools give only about a 10% chance unless high gain antennas are used. It looks like Spain might be the best shot. 73 Willy
On Mon, Jun 5, 2017 at 5:35 PM, William Maclean <w1ly@...> wrote: ---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: William Maclean <w1ly@...>
Date: Mon, Jun 5, 2017 at 4:43 PM
Subject: Europe to States BitX QSO
To: [email protected]
I would like to complete a BitX/BitX QSO over the pond.? I have worked 30 DXCC entities SSB since I finished my BitX40 in April. The farthest was ZS6CCY at 12,500km but Most of those stations have BIG GUN antennas and I only have an inverted V at 18 m. I will set up a 40 meter Moxon pointed at Europe if the inverted v is not enough I think that the hour before sunrise at your location would give us the best chance. If you have completed a BitX/BitX EU-USA QSO let me know what worked. If anyone has an interest in this test drop me a line. 73, Willy W1LY
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Re: Dhl customs cost to the usa
I went with the regular shipping option, included in the price and it only took 2 weeks to arrive in
Ontario. I suspect that you can count on similar shipping times to the USA.
Michael VE3WMB
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Cesar,
The X1M uses the MC1350p IF amplifier chip in it's IF section which in standard configuration has it's AGC pin set with a preset pot. The MC1350p has a gain of about 40dB and has AGC (although AGC not used in the standard X1M).
The AGC board produces an audio AGC control signal. You lift the AGC pin on the MC1350p and connect the audio AGC control and you have AGC for the X1M.
Unfortunately the Bitx has no vairable gain IF stage to which an audio AGC signal could be applied so it will not work with the Bitx (without a lot of redesign work and modification).
Regards,
Peter VK1XP
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Here on the West coast propagation was poor and there were only a
few stations. As such, the call CQ and chat method worked fine. With
more stations though it would soon descend into chaos and likely
prevent contacts instead of encouraging them. As more folks here on
the West coast we may have to go to a net control type of thing. And
there are more stations coming up, since I got mine I have talked 4
others into getting one and I assume they in turn are talking it up
to others.
If there is a net control, IMHO having them QRO seems like a good
idea, it will help them be the link that pulls it together. In the
summer later might be better, the skip was short on the West coast
but lengthened as it often does as the sun goes down. By 9:30PM I
was picking up stations from IL load and clear and made a few
contacts to the East.
Jonathan - KK6RPX
On 6/5/2017 2:00 PM, KC8WBK via
Groups.Io wrote:
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Our group of BITX40
operators have been doing a QSO night for Bitx40 operators and
anyone else interested for several weeks.? We have organized this
as an undirected event at a certain time and frequency where the
participants are encouraged to call CQ. Last night it was 7pm
local at 7277 kHz.? The intent is that it can be a world wide
event, and that an operator can participate at his local time, or
at the local time of adjacent time zones.
The goals of this net are to operate QRP to QRP, to encourage new
users to call CQ and learn to operate, to learn what the BITX40
transceiver is capable of, to enable discussion of technical
aspects of QRP radio (antennas, tuners, radio kit building,
propagation, etc.), and to build camaraderie and friendship.
Last night was very successful, with 18 QSOs from across the
Eastern USA and Canada, ranging from New Brunswick to Georgia to
Iowa.? We were lucky in that one of the operators took the role of
net control, because it would have been somewhat chaotic if there
was no one directing the net.
Considering the fact that we are low power, and we are often
working faint signals, how would you recommend to operate a QRP
net??
We could continue to encourage operators to gather at a certain
time and frequency and call CQ.? However, this tends to get
difficult with more than 5 or so operators.
We could have a QRP operator with a good station act as net
control, so rather than all participants being encouraged to call
CQ, the participants would answer a QRZ from net control.
We could have multiple net control operators, perhaps on nearby
frequencies for different regions.
We could have one operator using more power to coordinate the net
as net control. This kind of takes the fun away but would work
better.
We could start out calling CQ on a certain frequency and then have
contact stations move to adjacent frequencies to work out QSOs and
ragchew.
We could use spotting websites to shift frequencies when QSB
happens.
Do you have any suggestions on how to improve our QSO night
procedures?? How should we improve our procedures?
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Re: Dhl customs cost to the usa
I order stuff all the time from India and Thailand,China etc and have yet to be charged any duty on any package.
Ian K3HQL
From: terryhugheskirkcudbright via Groups.Io <terryhugheskirkcudbright@...>
To: [email protected]
Sent: Monday, June 5, 2017 2:55 PM
Subject: Re: [BITX20] Dhl customs cost to the usa
hi
i do not know about usa but in uk,? dhl will charge a ridiculous charge for customs clearance.? the advise is to have it sent by india post.
apparently dhl have an agreement with uk customs to charge the recipient and then pay uk customs. as in my case uk customs did nor charge me and as i had it sent by post then i did not have to pay but if i had it sent by dhl then i would have been charged.
there is a topic about this that i raised.
terry gm4dso
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Jeff
Stephen Stocker
Willy