please remember that there are ham bands at 136khz, 472-479? khz, and commercial marine cw at 420khz and 500khz.
a switcher drifting its spurs around? might well make the radio unusable down there.?
the question might be...does any of the operaters of this radio care about that possibility? I? would submit that yes there just might be..
Alan w7aln cw forever? the original digital aka morse code (circa 1850's)
Hi Jerry,
Right.? The choke is in series with the converter module input.? The cap is after the choke connected input to ground of the converter.? I made the swap to 10uF but I don't see a significant change?.? Curious: Why the reduction in capacitance?? It seems to me that reducing the frequency range of the DC bus (via 1000uF cap) develops a better condition for the buck regulator to operate.? If I understand these buck converters right, the choke of the converter is charged and then discharged into the output when the charger FET is turned off.? The result is a pulsing DC? ?
To be clear, the waveforms I've been sending are of the converter output, zoomed into the the ripple only of the 5.3xx vdc output.? In general, the frequency of the ripple is above 200KHz with a p-p magnitude of about 50mV.? That's about 1% DC regulation at a pretty high frequency.? It seems to me that if the noise is above the audible range that the audio amplifier(s) may boost it but it will never get heard.? Or is it a desired condition to drive the noise frequency to a specific range?
I'm a long time UPS guy.? I have good knowledge of rectifiers, inverters, solid state switch schemes and battery technology but DC use in an audio to RF environment is still new to me.??
I do appreciate your thoughts.
Thanks again, Scott
![IMG_2601.jpg]()
? ?
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Re: sBITX waiting for shipping details
Mark,
How much was shipping on that kit?
toggle quoted message
Show quoted text
On August 16, 2022 at 2:23 PM "Mark Earnest via groups.io" <mark@...> wrote:
Partial Kit #77 showed in Pittsburgh in 10 days from shipping notification.?
It was on the air in less than an hour.
This thing is sweet. I haven't replaced the voltage regulator yet but I have a dozen or so of them from Amazon and I'll probably replace the LM338 before trying anything more than 10 watts just to be safe (I want to enjoy this working before I take a soldering iron to it :)
?
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Re: Funtronics uBitx digi interface installation in V6
David:
I've never run into such a person, but clearly he does not want to learn CW, so he's never going to use ALP as a learning tool. He's using it as a crutch, and that's not the position I'm taking with a decoder. The goal for anyone who is learning CW is to be able to copy the code in their head. Clearly, that's not his goal and probably never will be.
I still think it can be a learning tool. True, ALP can be a crutch for some, but that was not the reason I invested so much of my time in it. Your friend is, indeed, an anomaly. I have a club member who bragged that he got his CW WAS award, but doesn't know CW. He did it with FT8. To me, such awards should have an asterisk beside them. Maybe the rules will change.
Jack, W8TEE
On Tuesday, August 16, 2022 at 04:19:24 PM EDT, david todd via groups.io <ac9xh@...> wrote:
last point of my opinion, and i apologize if i come across as a hater,but im not.
Friend of mine is a no code ham. he learned the basics of the code and uses a decoder to decode the cw. he sends about 20 wpm with his paddle ,which doesnt make sense because he cant copy past 6 wpm with his ears. i proved this with on air copy. doing about 8 to 10 wpm. he said he couldnt copy it even though he sends really fast. he doesnt try to decode the cw in his head since the decoder is doing it for him. I told him if you can send 20wpm you should be able to receive faster than 8. no way. i had 3 other hams verify this. WEIRD,BUT TRUE.He stated"why learn to copy faster when i have my decoder. he uses software to do this on his computer.Im not knocking him,but i did explain the reasonings of not using one.happy he is trying cw and using it,but the decoder gives him a false sense of accomplishment. he has been using this setup for several years and still cant copy faster than about 6 wpm. WEIRD ISNT IT. My friend is an engineer for 30 years, very very smart, but has been ruined by his decoder. HI HI.3 of us have been working with him with various,various methods, and we even paid for his classes,etc just to be friendly. he went,but the instructor stated "ive never seen anyone who can send 20wpm and not copy by ear at least over 6 wpm. He refuses to try to fill his head with the decode but can send 20 wpm with his paddle. foud out some of his secret. he uses precanned groups of statements. qth,radio,rst,etc. He goes thro the motions and then after his decoder decodes the other hams info he clicks the statements he wants sent next,it also includes the 73,etc. .very canned,very brief, using decoder and software on computer.? is he running cw? yes,but with an analog radio and no goodies attached to it,like a decoder,he is dead in the water without it.Ive praised him over and over for trying CW,but He stated "i can make 1000s of cw contacts and basically not even know CW"The computer and decoder will do it all for me.His words,not mine.Also his paddle is basically for looks. he uses computer control to do the sending 99% of the time.
please inform the other end u are using one if you cant decode the signals when adjacent qrn,qrm,qsb affects it or you are in a pileup.This leads to abrupt endings of qsos. or qsos that really seem robot operated.I ran into this when doing ft8. Someone calling cq forever and not responding to others who respond to their CQ.
just my own opinion of it.
73
David
ac9xh
-- Jack, W8TEE
|
Hi Jerry, Right.? The choke is in series with the converter module input.? The cap is after the choke connected input to ground of the converter.? I made the swap to 10uF but I don't see a significant change?.? Curious: Why the reduction in capacitance?? It seems to me that reducing the frequency range of the DC bus (via 1000uF cap) develops a better condition for the buck regulator to operate.? If I understand these buck converters right, the choke of the converter is charged and then discharged into the output when the charger FET is turned off.? The result is a pulsing DC? ? To be clear, the waveforms I've been sending are of the converter output, zoomed into the the ripple only of the 5.3xx vdc output.? In general, the frequency of the ripple is above 200KHz with a p-p magnitude of about 50mV.? That's about 1% DC regulation at a pretty high frequency.? It seems to me that if the noise is above the audible range that the audio amplifier(s) may boost it but it will never get heard.? Or is it a desired condition to drive the noise frequency to a specific range? I'm a long time UPS guy.? I have good knowledge of rectifiers, inverters, solid state switch schemes and battery technology but DC use in an audio to RF environment is still new to me.?? I do appreciate your thoughts. Thanks again, Scott  ? ?
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Re: Funtronics uBitx digi interface installation in V6
Jack,
still love all your work you and Al have done to further the hobby.
I guess im just very opinionated on some topics.Sorry.
anyway will be looking for your stuff to come out at 4sqrp.
73
David
ac9xh
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Re: Funtronics uBitx digi interface installation in V6
last point of my opinion, and i apologize if i come across as a hater,but im not.
Friend of mine is a no code ham. he learned the basics of the code and uses a decoder to decode the cw. he sends about 20 wpm with his paddle ,which doesnt make sense because he cant copy past 6 wpm with his ears. i proved this with on air copy. doing about 8 to 10 wpm. he said he couldnt copy it even though he sends really fast. he doesnt try to decode the cw in his head since the decoder is doing it for him. I told him if you can send 20wpm you should be able to receive faster than 8. no way. i had 3 other hams verify this. WEIRD,BUT TRUE.He stated"why learn to copy faster when i have my decoder. he uses software to do this on his computer.Im not knocking him,but i did explain the reasonings of not using one.happy he is trying cw and using it,but the decoder gives him a false sense of accomplishment. he has been using this setup for several years and still cant copy faster than about 6 wpm. WEIRD ISNT IT. My friend is an engineer for 30 years, very very smart, but has been ruined by his decoder. HI HI.3 of us have been working with him with various,various methods, and we even paid for his classes,etc just to be friendly. he went,but the instructor stated "ive never seen anyone who can send 20wpm and not copy by ear at least over 6 wpm. He refuses to try to fill his head with the decode but can send 20 wpm with his paddle. foud out some of his secret. he uses precanned groups of statements. qth,radio,rst,etc. He goes thro the motions and then after his decoder decodes the other hams info he clicks the statements he wants sent next,it also includes the 73,etc. .very canned,very brief, using decoder and software on computer.? is he running cw? yes,but with an analog radio and no goodies attached to it,like a decoder,he is dead in the water without it.Ive praised him over and over for trying CW,but He stated "i can make 1000s of cw contacts and basically not even know CW"The computer and decoder will do it all for me.His words,not mine.Also his paddle is basically for looks. he uses computer control to do the sending 99% of the time.
please inform the other end u are using one if you cant decode the signals when adjacent qrn,qrm,qsb affects it or you are in a pileup.This leads to abrupt endings of qsos. or qsos that really seem robot operated.I ran into this when doing ft8. Someone calling cq forever and not responding to others who respond to their CQ.
just my own opinion of it.
73
David
ac9xh
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Re: Funtronics uBitx digi interface installation in V6
The 4SQRP people have the Beta boards from China and are starting to test them. I don't have a firm date, but it looks like late Sept, early Oct to me, but that's just a guess.
Jack, W8TEE
On Tuesday, August 16, 2022 at 03:45:17 PM EDT, david todd via groups.io <ac9xh@...> wrote:
Anyway jack,
hows your t-41 going.
Do you know when your transceiver will be available for sell as a whole unit?
73
David
ac9xh
-- Jack, W8TEE
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Re: Funtronics uBitx digi interface installation in V6
David:
I think you read what I was saying incorrectly. I said a practice session is done with the eyes closed. If the student is doing that, they're not using the decoder. However, if they "get lost", the can open their eyes, see what tripped them up, and close their eyes again and soldier on. I think it can lessen the frustration of getting started learning Morse.
I'm not pushing the T41 decoder. Indeed, you can turn it off and not even know it's there. It is not a feature of the T41 that would make anyone buy or not buy it, so I really don't have a stake in the decoder. There's nothing wrong with us disagreeing on this. A student just getting started could try both approaches and see what works best for them. No one solution fits all.
Jack, W8TEE
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Re: Funtronics uBitx digi interface installation in V6
Anyway jack,
hows your t-41 going.
Do you know when your transceiver will be available for sell as a whole unit?
73
David
ac9xh
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Re: Funtronics uBitx digi interface installation in V6
On Tue, Aug 16, 2022 at 12:28 PM, Jack, W8TEE wrote:
my guess is that less than 10% of those licensed after 2006 know CW.
This is the reason decoders should not be used. but thats my opinion, like i stated earlier, thousands will agree with me but not on this particular forum. still waiting for you t41 to come out to buy it. 73 David ac9xh
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Re: Funtronics uBitx digi interface installation in V6
Jack,
love your books and projects, but i have to disagree with your philosophy.If you become dependant on decoders, you will have a harder time of speeding up your copy. Ive spent alot of time teaching code. and most who have used decoders,never get past the hurtle that the decoders present. I know you are pushing it since its in you rig, but i definitely disagree.Everyone has a point, an opinion, and i gave mine. I wont change my beliefs because others? say? they disagree,or "make a point". Sorry jack but i dont see eye to eye on this with you or anyone else for that matter. Guess its because i dont have a stake in the game.And there are 1000s that agree with me ,just not on this particular forum.
73
David
ac9xh
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Re: sBITX waiting for shipping details
Partial Kit #77 showed in Pittsburgh in 10 days from shipping notification.?
It was on the air in less than an hour.
This thing is sweet. I haven't replaced the voltage regulator yet but I have a dozen or so of them from Amazon and I'll probably replace the LM338 before trying anything more than 10 watts just to be safe (I want to enjoy this working before I take a soldering iron to it :)
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Re: #sbitx: Raspberry Pi Heatsink?
I am convinced by now that heatsinks are unnecessary - vcgencmd measure_temp tells me the RPI measures 56.4c after 5 hours being switched on, surrouding is about 26c.
Vy 73 de
Rolf, DL8BAG
Am 15.08.22 um 23:31 schrieb Ken N2VIP:
toggle quoted message
Show quoted text
To add to Shirley's great response:
When first released, the RPi 4 had heat issues, but shortly after the RPi 4 was released, updated firmware was released that corrected the issue.
Firmware updates happen in the background when you run a recent OS image from the Raspberry Pi Organization.
You shouldn't have an issues with heat, the RPi in the sBitx is 'floating' over the digital board with ample air-flow in my opinion.
Ken, N2VIP
On Aug 15, 2022, at 12:29, Shirley Dulcey KE1L <mark@...> wrote:
The Raspberry Pi in the sBitx does not work especially hard. The processor gets warm but is well within specs. Mine has small paste-on heat sinks, but that's because I had already installed them when I was using that Pi for other purposes; I bought the basic kit. (I have switched to an RPi Model 400 for what the one in my sBitx used to do.) If you want to install heat sinks similar to mine they won't do any harm, and might help if you operate your sBitx in very hot conditions (say, on a picnic table in the sun); they are readily available for a couple of dollars. A more substantial heat sink like one of the tall tower ones (with or without fan) should never be necessary, and might cause a problem fitting the Pi into the sBitx case.
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Re: DAYLIGHT RADIO - PLASTIC TOROID MASTER
Yes, understood.? Just thought I would let it be known that it is
not the core that shields a toroid.? It is inherent in its shape.?
Physics.? :-)
On 8/16/22 9:49 AM, Ashhar Farhan via
groups.io wrote:
toggle quoted message
Show quoted text
David,
Shielding is not the issue. Losses are. Lower Q
leads to higher losses. The Q is determined by the material
inside the toroid. Air/Vacuum is the best material with least
losses for an inductor, whether a solenoid or a toroid.
Toriodal inductors are inherently shielded by their
geometry, no matter what the core material is, air, ferrite
or other.
73,
David N1HAC
On 8/15/22 8:24 PM, Ashhar Farhan via
wrote:
David,
The inside of the toroid should be
hollow and it not hollow it should have as little
in-fill as possible. This is the key to high
performance 3D printed toroids. PLA or ABS are lossy
and they can lead to lossy filters.
- f
would not a simple tubing do the same?? .. the
"shielding" of a coil wound on a ferrite core
comes from the core material ... so i guess a
normal pastic tubing will work equally well if not
better (fewer loss cause fewer plastic inside the
coil)
so ... what is the reason to print plastic
toroids??
dg9bfc sigi
Am 15.08.2022 um 23:50 schrieb David R. Hassall
WA5DJJ:
Dear group,
I asked a friend of mine to build a master
toroid stl file that we can put in our 3D
printer software and come up with the plastic
toroids almost any size we want.?? The Master
was built on the basic size of 1 inch in
diameter with a height of 1/2 inch and a
thickness of? 0.2 inches.?? I use the CURA
program to build my 3D printer files and it will
allow me to scale all three axes once the basic
25mm toroid.stl file is loaded into the
software.? It also allows you to print almost
any number of a basic design in one printing.??
Here are some examples that I printed this
morning:
![toroid pic]()
I just used the scaling values of 25%, 50%, 75%
and 100% to get the different sized plastic
toroids pictured above.? So with the master stl
file anyone with a 3D printer should be able to
print almost any size plastic toroid form that
you would need.?? I have attached the master stl
file to this Message and it should enable anyone
with a 3D printer to make the plastic Toroids
that they need for the Daylight Radio Project.
Take care and have fun.
73 Dave WA5DJJ
SUPER QRSS GRABBER
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Re: Funtronics uBitx digi interface installation in V6
Just for clarification, this hardware is not my offering. ?It uses my code, but I don’t directly support the hardware or profit from it. ?They did send me a complimentary unit. ( I ask people selling kits to send me a free unit or a bottle of bourbon…hi hi)
The CW decoding feature was always a bit of an experimental novelty, and never really intended for day-to-day use. ?I copy everything in my head. ?Your mileage may vary.
If someone is going to embed my keyer in a rig, I recommend buying an Arduino board, or building a circuit from scratch with an AVR chip.
73 Goody
toggle quoted message
Show quoted text
On Aug 16, 2022, at 11:53, david todd via < ac9xh@...> wrote:
Justin ,i went to their website and it looks like a keyer.  its something i wouldnt install in my ubitx v6 but to each their own.probably has a decoder for those who like to send way faster than they can copy cw.HI HI. Im a purist. decoders for cw are an insult to the cw community as a whole if you operate cw.this is from their website:K3NG’s arduino code, such as LCD display, USB keyboard, rotary encoder and CW decoder etc. looks nice for shortwave listeners who like to tune in those secret signals, but just my opinion,? my decoder is my ears. you always know someone is using a decoder when there is a little bit of adjacent noise and the decoder cant tune it in. even though your signals and theirs are 599. decoders for those who try to appear to copy way way faster than they are able to.sometimes they use the programmable keyrs to make canned contacts too.Sometimes "SOME" those who use decoders? are the ones who apply for fast code decoding awards from the ARRL w1aw bulletins. 73 David ac9xh
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Re: Funtronics uBitx digi interface installation in V6
I installed the Funtronix board and it works well for FT8. There’s plenty of room in the InKit enclosure for the 5 inch Nextion screen, as well as other mods ( I have a second nano for the Nextion s-meter, also another mod for an analog s-meter, an AGC, a broadcast band filter which is an absolute must in Los Angeles, and other mods).
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Try reducing your 1000uF down to 10uF. Of course, the capacitor comes after the choke from your power source (L-C).
Hi Guys,
I picked up some of the buck regulators from Amazon that Ashhar originally recommended.? After reading this thread, with regard to switching noise concerns, I built an input LC low pass filter to "head off" potential noise issues.? I've not installed it the transceiver (waiting for replacement IFRZ24 transistors to do the work all at once), but I performed some bench tests.??
Out of my junk drawer, I found a blue toroid and wound it with 36 turns of 22ga magnetic wire.? I made a static measurement of 4.98uH of the choke and added it with a 1000uF, 25v electrolytic to make an input low pass filter.? The DigiKey Low Pass Filter Calculator calculated a -3db cutoff frequency of 2255.3059Hz.? On the output, I added a 470uF 16v electrolytic to reduce some of the switching noise.
The output waveform looks good.? The stability is good but there is about a 30-60mV ripple @ ~208KHz.? My anticipation is this will work fine but before I install, I would appreciate your comments.
Thanks, Scott
![IMG_2597.jpg]()
![IMG_2600.jpg]()
??
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Re: DAYLIGHT RADIO - PLASTIC TOROID MASTER
Here's some info on loss tangent from David W. Knight, G3YNH, site He mentions the microwave heating test is invalid because the properties of a material at microwave frequencies may be very different than at HF. Here's a clip of the info he provides on loss tangent by material type. Since I have some blue PEX tubing, which is cross-linked polyethylene and PE is listed as excellent,? I thought of making a trial toroid from 1/2 inch PEX. It's 22mm x 10mm x 10 mm (7/8" x 3/8" x 3/8") in size. Low res photo attached. It may be easier to stuff a 1/2" piece inside a 3/4" or 1" piece of PEX to increase the wall thickness.
E. Material selection by loss tangent.
Lossy
Tanδ ≥ 0.01
( δ ≥ 0.57° )
|
Good
0.01 > Tanδ ≥ 0.001
( 0.57° > δ ≥ 0.057° )
|
Excellent
Tanδ < 0.001
( δ < 0.057° )
|
Fibreglass (GRP)
Nylon
PVC
Phenolic (SRBF, SRBP)
Rubber
Neoprene
Wood |
ABS*
Acrylics (Perspex, Plexiglass)*
Glass, Porcelain
PET (Mylar, polyester)
Polycarbonate (Lexan)
Silicone rubber
ETFE (Tefzel) |
Vacuum
Air
Mica
Polyethylene (PE)
Polypropylene (PP)
Polystyrene (PS)
PTFE (Teflon) |
|
* Borderline performance. Tail-end of low-frequency dispersion
occurs in HF range. | --
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Re: Funtronics uBitx digi interface installation in V6
David:
...decoders for cw are an insult to the cw community...
I disagree. I was licensed in 1954, so had to learn CW and, while that's not the case today, I think it's a shame that all hams don't know CW. Regardless, my guess is that less than 10% of those licensed after 2006 know CW.
Al (AC8GY) and I have spent a lot of time on the T41-EP SDT and one of its features is the ALP CW Decoder. I spent almost 5 months with Al tweaking the decoder to make it as robust as I possibly could. We presented a paper last May at FDIM on its algorithm. It works pretty well on a good signal.
And here's my point: If you are trying to learn CW, a decoder can be a useful learning tool. I encourage students to close their eyes and copy the code in their head. Perhaps starting out with W1AW practice session at whatever speed you can currently copy. If your "head copy" on the back of your eyelids messes up, you can open them up and see what you missed displayed on the T41 display. That might give you clues as to nettlesome patterns that are tripping you up. In such practice sessions, a decoder can be very helpful. Even if you're experienced with CW, it can be useful (e.g., a cell phone ring and you lose concentration for a few characters).
Indeed, I would hope the CW community sees the ALP and other decoders as a potential tool that can expand the CW base.
Jack, W8TEE
On Tuesday, August 16, 2022 at 11:54:01 AM EDT, david todd via groups.io <ac9xh@...> wrote:
Justin ,i went to their website and it looks like a keyer. its something i wouldnt install in my ubitx v6 but to each their own.probably has a decoder for those who like to send way faster than they can copy cw.HI HI. Im a purist. decoders for cw are an insult to the cw community as a whole if you operate cw.this is from their website:K3NG’s arduino code, such as LCD display, USB keyboard, rotary encoder and CW decoder etc. looks nice for shortwave listeners who like to tune in those secret signals, but just my opinion,? my decoder is my ears. you always know someone is using a decoder when there is a little bit of adjacent noise and the decoder cant tune it in. even though your signals and theirs are 599. decoders for those who try to appear to copy way way faster than they are able to.sometimes they use the programmable keyrs to make canned contacts too.Sometimes "SOME" those who use decoders? are the ones who apply for fast code decoding awards from the ARRL w1aw bulletins. 73 David ac9xh
-- Jack, W8TEE
|
Hi Guys, I picked up some of the buck regulators from Amazon that Ashhar originally recommended.? After reading this thread, with regard to switching noise concerns, I built an input LC low pass filter to "head off" potential noise issues.? I've not installed it the transceiver (waiting for replacement IFRZ24 transistors to do the work all at once), but I performed some bench tests.?? Out of my junk drawer, I found a blue toroid and wound it with 36 turns of 22ga magnetic wire.? I made a static measurement of 4.98uH of the choke and added it with a 1000uF, 25v electrolytic to make an input low pass filter.? The DigiKey Low Pass Filter Calculator calculated a -3db cutoff frequency of 2255.3059Hz.? On the output, I added a 470uF 16v electrolytic to reduce some of the switching noise. The output waveform looks good.? The stability is good but there is about a 30-60mV ripple @ ~208KHz.? My anticipation is this will work fine but before I install, I would appreciate your comments. Thanks, Scott ??
|
Rolf Schroeder
David McGaw
John Terrell, N6LN
JerryP
