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Re: CLAREMORE, OK Hamfest this weekend and my BITX40
Jack Purdum
A lot of this discussion about this rig depends upon your point of view. Andrew has taken a wise approach, in that he knows up front what's involved with the rig. Agreed, many don't, but whose fault is that? My club is an FCC testing site and we give the exams before our meeting every month. Last month was typical, with 13 Tech exams and 2 General. Many are from the university's EE department and their objective is just "to get on the air". Most end up with a 2M HT because they are cheap. When I ran into one who let his license expire, I asked why. His response: "It's no different than my cell phone." Clearly, he never left 2M. The BITX40 provides an avenue to HF for anyone who is on a lawn-mower budget. The BITX40 is a vehicle that allows such people to experience HF at a reasonable cost. When I'm done modifying mine, I plan on suggesting it for a club build. Because we have new members who don't even own a soldering iron yet, many are afraid to tackle building anything. This is why I take the time to write assembly manuals for such projects (e.g., the Forty-9er rig, the antenna analyzer). I understand John Smith's frustration with the directions. I've also seen he follows what goes on here, so perhaps he could write a set of new instructions and post them here and give distribution rights to HF Signals. I think all of us would appreciate that and I think we'd see the volume of posts from new members fall dramatically if he does. Still, it's pretty hard to throw stones at the BITX40. It really does fulfill a hole in the market. It's a perfect solution to my club's Tech disappearance problem. I've been licensed since 1954 and I consider my BITX40 experience to be one of the best I've ever had. I've learned more electronics "stuff" in the past year than everything that came before. Yes, I've shot myself in the foot a few times, but the members of this group, either directly or indirectly, have helped my bind my wounds. It's one of the most useful groups I've ever belonged to. How many of us have our gun loaded, new metal shoes on, and can't wait for the microBITX to hit the market?? Jack, W8TEE From: Andrew Whaley <azwhaley@...> To: [email protected] Sent: Wednesday, April 5, 2017 10:36 AM Subject: Re: [BITX20] CLAREMORE, OK Hamfest this weekend and my BITX40 Just to balance. I'm a new ham, not even licensed yet but gathering my equipment slowly in readiness. I spent ages researching what to get after realising that 2m is pretty dead around here and HF is the way to go. There are actually very few options for a low-cost rig capable of CW (and SSB) which is tuneable i.e. not a single crystal like the various eBay QRP rigs.? So I came to BitX40 and ordered the board and the various other bits and pieces that I needed. Through my own impatience, I've had a rough time with it and had to replace one Arduino and wrestled with a diecast box that was really too small which caused its own problems.? I have to say, though, the basic design is brilliantly simple (and well documented and with open source software), Ashhar's service all the way from India has been exemplary and the encouragement and direct support I've had from other members of this community has been amazing. ? I still have a few issues to sort out on the CW side, but the basic SSB rig worked right out of the box. I had no issues with wiring up that weren't due to my own inexperience or hast.? It's a brilliant bit of kit - like a kind of Raspberry Pi for QRP. Can't wait to get on-air and speak to more of you there. |
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Re: CLAREMORE, OK Hamfest this weekend and my BITX40
Andrew Whaley
Just to balance. I'm a new ham, not even licensed yet but gathering my equipment slowly in readiness. I spent ages researching what to get after realising that 2m is pretty dead around here and HF is the way to go. There are actually very few options for a low-cost rig capable of CW (and SSB) which is tuneable i.e. not a single crystal like the various eBay QRP rigs.? So I came to BitX40 and ordered the board and the various other bits and pieces that I needed. Through my own impatience, I've had a rough time with it and had to replace one Arduino and wrestled with a diecast box that was really too small which caused its own problems.? I have to say, though, the basic design is brilliantly simple (and well documented and with open source software), Ashhar's service all the way from India has been exemplary and the encouragement and direct support I've had from other members of this community has been amazing. ? I still have a few issues to sort out on the CW side, but the basic SSB rig worked right out of the box. I had no issues with wiring up that weren't due to my own inexperience or hast.? It's a brilliant bit of kit - like a kind of Raspberry Pi for QRP. Can't wait to get on-air and speak to more of you there. |
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Re: You can't fix stupid (or hurry-up-itis)
Michael Davis
Ha ha. I thought I was the only one...but I didn't tell anyone until now. Yes intuitively the printing on the display misled us. Luckily I had room to flip it mechanically. I just changed to a blue display the other day. I like the color better but need to learn how to dim the backlight and change the contrast. I don't do any arduino changes so I'm wanting to do it the old fashioned way, resistors, pots, etc
Sent from Mike's iPad WA1MAD |
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Re: Quick turn around
¿ªÔÆÌåÓýRandy. ? Third from the Bottom. My call is KG7UMN and thank you for maintaining the List. ? Thanks John. ? ? From: [email protected] [mailto:[email protected]]
On Behalf Of Randy Hall
Sent: Wednesday, April 05, 2017 7:21 AM To: [email protected] Subject: Re: [BITX20] Quick turn around ? Hi ? Below is my updated delivery list. Thanks to all that have posted their information. ? We should start seeing the 4th batch of serial numbers soon. ? 73 ? Randy, K7AGE ?
? On Tue, Apr 4, 2017 at 10:19 PM, Sasi Nayar <sasinayar@...> wrote: Received?by BITX40 Ver2 today. Must add it was a quick turn around Ordered on 20 March Shipped on 22 March Received on 5 April (Adelaide, South Australia) Serian no. N3-771V 73 Sasi VK5SN ? ? |
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Re: I think this is absolutely amazing!
I also agree that this board is the coolest makers radio I have seen.
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This group is awesome and the price point allows for you have fun on a small budget and use up some of those parts in the box on the shelf. Learning RF is a lot of fun and this gives you the basic foundation with which to build your radio to whatever specification you want and to increase your skillset while doing it. I am a fairly new ham radio being licensed only around 2 years. I have two HF rigs a Kenwood TS-120 which got me on the air and a TS-480SAT that I moded as soon as a received it. I added a hookup on the IF and feed that to a sdrplay which I have configured as a pan adapter. I have it configured perfectly with Simon Brown's (G4ELI) sdr-radio application to give me a full band scope with point and click tuning to any signal on 40m or any other band. I received my BITX40 last night and had it soldered together and on the air in less than 2 hours just using the basic wiring pictorial and nothing else. I had already added an additional 40 meter antenna to my shack this last weekend in anticipation of its arrival. Having a band scope on my base station I can just tune right into the signals as they are laid out in front of me and I can just pick the strongest one on my 480 and then tune the BITX40 in accordingly. Mine was right on the money right out of the box. A quick TX test with attenuation on my TS-480 showed a solid well-formed output signal. Any other issues I will enjoy working through and share with the group. I just wanted to share my positive experience with everyone else. 73's and have a great week. John. KG7UMN -----Original Message-----
From: [email protected] [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of Raj vu2zap Sent: Wednesday, April 05, 2017 7:08 AM To: [email protected] Subject: Re: [BITX20] I think this is absolutely amazing! I absolutely agree with you! BITX40 got me out of the hermitage and I am having fun with the ready made boards. At 05/04/2017, you wrote: I think this is amazing, how many people are actually getting into the nuts and bolts of these dandy little radios. In these days of appliance operators, this I find a huge breath of fresh air! And I might add.... in some cases actually learning something, maybe new to them for the first time! |
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Re: Quick turn around
Ken Corrected, thanks Randy On Wed, Apr 5, 2017 at 7:23 AM, Ken <chase8043@...> wrote:
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Re: Quick turn around
Hi Randy At the top of your list V3ABN should be VA3ABN 73 Ken VA3ABN On Wed, Apr 5, 2017 at 10:20 AM, Randy Hall <listk7age@...> wrote:
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Re: Quick turn around
Hi Below is my updated delivery list. Thanks to all that have posted their information. We should start seeing the 4th batch of serial numbers soon. 73 Randy, K7AGE
On Tue, Apr 4, 2017 at 10:19 PM, Sasi Nayar <sasinayar@...> wrote:
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Re: CLAREMORE, OK Hamfest this weekend and my BITX40
It's facing you, the pic that I have has a central circle that tells me it is the shaft facing me.
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At 05/04/2017, you wrote:
#1.The tuning pot and volume is depicted in such a way that it could be facing you or you're looking at the back. |
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Re: I think this is absolutely amazing!
I absolutely agree with you!
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BITX40 got me out of the hermitage and I am having fun with the ready made boards. At 05/04/2017, you wrote:
I think this is amazing, how many people are actually getting into the nuts and bolts of these dandy little radios. In these days of appliance operators, this I find a huge breath of fresh air! And I might add.... in some cases actually learning something, maybe new to them for the first time! |
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Re: CLAREMORE, OK Hamfest this weekend and my BITX40
Lawrence Macionski
Thanks to all that commented. First- I DO NOT expect it to work like any commercial rig. I am shocked that someone would think I'm expecting more than it is. I've been a ham for 50 years, Home brewed from my 1st rig till today.? However, When I bought it,? I anticipated that I could have it "checked out"? then transferred to my case in a few hours. My point is clear- I was admonished in a reply "if you followed the guidelines about keeping the leads short, there would be no clicks. see the videos posted."? Guidelines? video's?Just where are they? At hfsigs.com? their "wireup.html" is ambigious- #1.The tuning pot and volume is depicted in such a way that it could be facing you or you're looking at the back. #2. The pictorial does not show the cap on the tuning control. Only lists in in a instruction step. #3. The calibration of the raduino is faulty because V1.01 does not store the new value. I see V1.02, V1.03, V1.04 mentioned at groups.io.. YET nowhere at hfsigs.com does it say-- hey! we approve using this sketch.. nowhere does it say, a unit manufactured today is identical to mine (same calibration problem) or has it been rectified, and IF SO- I'd like to update mine identically.? #4. Doesn't recommend a single "upgrade" such as fuses, reverse polarity protection, diodes on the relay coils, which sketch is approved standard. What about 2nd harmonic suppression? Frankly, because the the only source of daily information happens to be groups.io/BITX20.. it is a haven for 20 meter versions, 80 meter versions, various boards from various sources,? rotary dials , analog VFO's... I have a BITX40V3 with Raduino!!!? I am interested in "fine tuning" ONLY that, debugging ONLY that!... No where is there a single source for that..SPECIFIC "OFFICIAL" DOCUMENTATION IS LACKING. Just today I read Serial N3-771V was delivered.. Will he experience the same issues I have? I think so, but I don't know... So if I sell it off this weekend, I move on. We all know hams that had the same rig for 30 years and others that change rigs like you change you socks. I'm offering it to anyone that wants it Friday who is a the hamfest and eager to work through all issues I PERCEIVE as problems. Kind of like the high school kid that buys a car for $100 than needs weeks of work and parts... Just how much time and money do I want to put into it? Clearly it is minimalist, yet advance is some aspects. Kudo's? BUT- I have hours and hours reading, maybe 2 hours just putting it on a board and firing it up to receive and calibrate, and when I took it to the ham club meeting -- it was not calibrated.. I didn't know why. but reading the blog I found out, calibration is not stored and I powered it down to take to the meeting. So, I set it aside while additional parts ordered arrived. Yet I continued to read and plan. Till I reached this tipping point. Now I have second thoughts rightfully so. Maybe if it comes home with me, I 'll finish it If I sell maybe I may decide to buy one again in the future, maybe not. Don't have a crystal ball.? Larry W8LM |
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I think this is absolutely amazing!
I think this is amazing, how many people are actually getting into the nuts and bolts of these dandy little radios. ?In these days of appliance operators, this I find a huge breath of fresh air! ?And I might add.... in some cases actually learning something, maybe new to them for the first time! ? |
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Re: You can't fix stupid (or hurry-up-itis)
Just reposition the LCD with new holes.
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Fillup the old holes with some putty and everything is OK! Cheers Raj At 05/04/2017, you wrote:
I also put in the LCD upside down, misled by the printing on the PCB. Unfortunately I'd already cut the box and there was no way I could turn it around and still fit it in the same box. |
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Re: You can't fix stupid (or hurry-up-itis)
Andrew Whaley
I also put in the LCD upside down, misled by the printing on the PCB. Unfortunately I'd already cut the box and there was no way I could turn it around and still fit it in the same box.? I had two options; flip the box over and have an aesthetically displeasing appearance with all the controls and ports on the wrong side or ... rewrite the sketch to display everything upside down so thats its the right way around on my inverted LCD - so I took this option.? If anybody else is as big an idiot as me and needs an upside down sketch, it's here :- https://github.com/azw409/BitX40-RaduinoExtra |
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Re: 40 meters dead (again)
David A Rutledge
I had two QSOs last night with my newly constructed BitX40. One was 1860 miles (South Texas to Washington state)! Conditions weren't great but he could pull me out of the noise. My first Qs with this rig. I never thought he would come back to my call. I was using a 43' vertical in my back yard. Thanks Ashar?Farhan!? David AL5M |
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Re: PTT Trigger circuit
Simon Rumble
You have my attention! On Wed, 5 Apr 2017 at 17:45 Steve Greer <km4ous@...> wrote: I have got a circuit working and have worked 5 jt65 contacts without a hitch.? Will post details tomorrow. |
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Re: SD Card
Simon Rumble
The Raspberry Pi wouldn't be able to do any of the timing tasks fast enough I'd expect. And there's no reason you couldn't do the CAT via the Arduino. Digital modes though, you could package a R Pi in with the BitX I suppose? On Wed, 5 Apr 2017 at 09:34 Terry Bendell via Groups.Io <terry.bendell=[email protected]> wrote:
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Raj vu2zap