Wow guys only 7 left !
?
?took less then the last batch
?
?73
? David
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Re: BitX on Display at HamQuest in Lebanon TN
Thanks Ashhar!? That shadow box display helped to show that everything needed other than and enclosure and speaker was supplied.? Some people couldn't imagine that was all included for the price.? Now I get a two month rest before the maker faire presentation using the lessons I learned from this exhibit.
Dave, KI4PSR
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Re: W8TEE Software Release 1.05
First, I've had the same problem from a number of different suppliers. Two things: First, even though it's cracked, most of them will still work. On some of my cracked displays, you can't even tell it when they run. Second, write the seller IMMEDIATELY and tell them they arrived cracked and that you either want a refund or a replacement. My experience is that they will work quickly to fix the problem. If the display works, you can use that until the replacement arrives. (I always tell them I will return the old one at their expense once you have the replacement display. Usually, they just send a new one and don't worry about sending payment to mail the display back.)?
The dealer almost doesn't matter, PROVIDED it is an mcufriend display with a back that looks like this:
Note how all on the pins come out on the "long" edges of the board. Our PCB expects this kind of layout. Personally, I would use the "Ask the vendor" feature on eBay to inquire how they are packed, explaining that you've had to return displays that arrived cracked. Doing that seems to have the vendor package them in a box.
Jack, W8TEE
From: George Baumann <georgehbaumann@...>
To: [email protected]
Sent: Monday, July 31, 2017 3:28 PM
Subject: Re: [BITX20] W8TEE Software Release 1.05
On Sun, Jul 30, 2017 at 07:37 pm, Jack Purdum wrote:
Jack where do you get your mcufriend TFT displays?
I just received one from popmall on eBay and the glass is cracked. It was shipped in a little plastic bag with a couple layers of thin foam packing! ;-( George, ?n0ngq
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Re: W8TEE Software Release 1.05
All:
I switched the interrupt pins for the encoder because some Mega 2560 clones do not properly implement the INT05 interrupt vector. The new pins are defined with the following symbolic constants:
#define ENCODERPINA ? ? ? ? ?19 ? ? ? // Encoder pin A, interrupt 4 #define ENCODERPINB ? ? ? ? ?20 ? ? ? // Encoder pin B, interrupt 3 #define ENCODERSWITCH ? ? ? ?22 ? ? ? // Encoder switch pin
If your encoder worked fine under Rel 103, you could set the pins back to their original values. The switch pin also was changed. because of the move.
I don't know why the WPM field prompt would have moved. Look in the ShowWPM() function and dink around with the localY offset.
Jack, W8TEE
From: DH2LAB <dh2lab@...>
To: [email protected]
Sent: Monday, July 31, 2017 2:31 PM
Subject: Re: [BITX20] W8TEE Software Release 1.05
Hi, with the new version my rotary encoder+switch did not work and "WPM" did not fit right. (see photo) 73, Matt 
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Re: W8TEE Software Release 1.05
On Sun, Jul 30, 2017 at 07:37 pm, Jack Purdum wrote:
Jack where do you get your mcufriend TFT displays?
I just received one from popmall on eBay and the glass is cracked. It was shipped in a little plastic bag with a couple layers of thin foam packing! ;-( George, ?n0ngq
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Re: BITX QSO Night, Sunday, July 30, 7pm Local Time, 7277 kHz in North America, 7177 kHz elsewhere
N2CQR, KA4KXX,
I try to work one or two stations each Sunday night. Just to make sure my BitX40 is still working….
Last night was second Sunday in a row contact with N2CQR, this time heard him both amped and not. ?
QSO with KA4KXX, very interesting QRZ page….me being a new Ham…..I am going to have to work on mine.
W4OBY, I am guilty of finally getting him on the air on Sunday nights, he will be on that BitX40 really soon. ?
At the not too distant, WCARS hamfest the day before Sundays net, while sitting in his booth, I overheard him and another ham discussing which one had been licensed first….don’t recall which one, but both were before I was born (1955).
I am super excited about your QSO with Jim….our club has started a Builders Group, after I couldn’t get anyone to play with me (as readily as I wanted to play- which is all the time) so I pushed for and got it going. ?Jim is one of our Elmers. At our last builders group meeting Jim helped with the unboxing of two more BitX’s in the hands of new hams with nothing but questions.
This is such an exciting time….
Although I built a crystal radio in the sixties, and worked on a tube type radar in the 70’s….I just got my ham lic’s last oct….
So….things like soldersmoke, arduinos, 6L6’s, pixies, 49r’s, BitX’s, AD9850’s, TFT’s, B40’s, Ant Analyzers, oh my…..homebrewing….all exciting.
So, a while back, I came up with a building track of pixie to 49r to BitX40, with an arduino parallel track…..all of these things are getting hams to ask? what is behind the knob?
The one that is getting everyone involved? The BitX40…..of course I won’t tell them, until they are sitting down, that it has an arduino in it. ?And because of the BitX40…..Jim has all of the above, and the renewed sparkle in the eye interest in these new things…..still working on the smartphone with him, when I am not learning from him.
Just wanted to share….
The BitX40 has our club on fire….hard to keep track of how many have one…must be approaching 20.
So, keep these Sunday Nights going…..and listen for calls from East TN Lakeway Amateur Radio Club W2IQ WeCanHams ? Builders Group
Craig KM4YEC
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On Jul 31, 2017, at 4:33 AM, Bill Meara via Groups.Io < n2cqr@...> wrote:
Worked W4OBY (he was not on a BITX, but he HAS one in the works). ? Also worked KN4EAR and? KC8WBK. ?? Also talked to KI4PSR but he was not on his BITX (but he has 4!). ? 73? Bill N2CQR ?
Conditions are tough, they may improve later in the evening.
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I have 21 AGC boards, after learning from my last batch please E-mail me 1st with AGC in the subject before you send any money to make sure I still have them. The last batch sold out in under 2 hours.
?
Please e-mail me Direct @ dherron@...????
This is also the paypal that will be used.
NO UK/AU/EU shipping at this time
?
Price: At cost 1.30$ for the board 2.67$ shipping 3.97$ for one or 1.3 each with 2.67 Shipping if you want more than one.
?
All that said please when sending money to my paypal please add you address with name and call sign so I can keep track of who orders what.
?
They are 1st come 1st serve if you ask for one I will set it aside with your name on it and await payment. Again as with the last batch I am not a store so please have patience with me, I will ship in batches as they are ordered unless they are all gone in 2 hours in which case they will all be mailed within the next day or two.
?
All credit is to DuWayne and Allard.
?
73
?Happy building
?David
?? N8DAH
    
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Re: W8TEE Software Release 1.05
Hi, with the new version my rotary encoder+switch did not work and "WPM" did not fit right. (see photo) 73, Matt 
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Hi All,
?
I see some very interesting comments about the LM386 PTT Pops solution I suggested in february.
?My latest e-mail generated some confusion as I reported Pin 1 in place of Pin 7 to KC8WBK. Please let me explain why.
My original schematic suggestion taking to RX +12V via pin 7 was thought as simulating the increase in value of 1.35kohm resistor, between pin 8 and pin1 (gain), to reduce gain of the balance amplifier, due to the increase of current through it.
I generated another change schematic where pin 1 was taken to RX +12V, see drawing V2. Next day I was taken to hospital and stayed away from home, between hospital and rehab center for four months. I was convinced to have uploaded such mod and following my memory I commented this mod when I read KC8WBK complain note.
?I was not too shure the simulation of pins 8-1 resistor change would be enough and I addressed my solution to take pin 1 to +12V. This move will block any signal to reach the push-pull stage as + input from pin 3 would never be amplified. The only “puzzle” of this solution would be if the 1.23kohm resistor can dissipate circa 100mW due to a current expected of 8mA, as the PNP darlington transistors, associated to pin 2 - input connected to ground, have a voltage at the emitter of probably +1.4V. If someone will try and demostrate that is not a valid solution and blows the LM386 I will send him a couples as a replacement.... We are experimening .... hi.
?Best 73
?Gian
I7SWX
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Use the post, as someone said widely discussed previously, DHL just seem to be making money out of us.
Have a Bitx40 and Raduino ordered separately via the post, neither got extra payment requests.
Phil - G7BZD
On Mon, Jul 31, 2017 at 5:55 PM, Ian <ian@...> wrote: Hi Graham,
I got stung by DHL when I ordered an AirSpy SDR receiver shipped by them rather than China mail -? that added ?50 to the cost! My BITX arrived very quickly via India post and no claim for VAT or other charges. Very well packed in its own box for the board and components.
73,
Ian
G3TVU
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Re: BITX QSO Night, Sunday, July 30, 7pm Local Time, 7277 kHz in North America, 7177 kHz elsewhere
I heard Bill N2CQR and a couple others. I called CQ but got no responses (that I could hear).
John
KC9OJV
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If you are running Allard's latest code, frequency should be reasonably stable.
If it's not stable, you should probably address it rather than hide it.
Though once that's cleaned up, the additional measures I mentioned in my previous post are worth considering.
The unstable freq and the buzz are likely related.
Perhaps trash on the power into the raduino, trouble around the raduino regulator, or all them wire connections talking to each other.
If you have long antenna connection wires and/or long tuning pot wires, try shortening those and twisting up each cable so ground and signal are well coupled.
Maybe use coax.?
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On Mon, Jul 31, 2017 at 08:35 am, KC8WBK wrote:
The unstable frequency on transmit is a bigger problem so I will shift my attention to that.? Any ideas for what to try?
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Hi Graham,
I got stung by DHL when I ordered an AirSpy SDR receiver shipped by them rather than China mail -? that added ?50 to the cost! My BITX arrived very quickly via India post and no claim for VAT or other charges. Very well packed in its own box for the board and components.
73,
Ian
G3TVU
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I have the same bad experience with DHL here in Sweden.
I will never use term again.
With India post there was no problem, fast and no extras..
SM6ERS / Ingvar
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Add a cap to ground at the raduino end of the tuning pot wire if you have not already done so, same 0.1uF as the WireUp instructions say to put at the pot.
Allard has made a number of improvements to freq stability with his sketch, including oversampling of the pot and the flutter fix.
He also disables freq changes while transmitting.
Could go into Allard's settings menu and reduce the size of the pot tuning range, that would help reduce the tendancy to jump around.
Could adjust the sketch to disable any frequency changes (except rit) once you hit the ptt button, this ptt freq lock ?gets turned off when you try to move the tuning knob more than a khz or so.
Or could add a lock switch, adjust the code so when the sketch sees this switch on it ignores the tuning pot and leaves the operating freq where it's at.
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On Mon, Jul 31, 2017 at 08:35 am, KC8WBK wrote:
The unstable frequency on transmit is a bigger problem so I will shift my attention to that.? Any ideas for what to try?
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I added 0.1 uF caps between pin 7 and ground, +12 and ground and PTT and ground with no improvement to the buzz noise on tx.
I put resistors in line of the +12 to the mini board, and found that the mute did not function above 3.3k.? The mute did function at 390 ohm and there was a delay of a second or two before the buzz started.
So no real improvement yet.
I can fix the buzz problem with a relay, which may also fix the keyup pop after transmit.
The unstable frequency on transmit is a bigger problem so I will shift my attention to that.? Any ideas for what to try?
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just normal for DHL?
I will never use them again
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BITX40: SOTABEams DSP filter module for CW Operation
I just successfully integrated a SOTABEAMS Laserbeam DSP Audio filter module into my BITX40.?
http://www.sotabeams.co.uk/dual-bandwidth-filter-modules-ssb-cw/
I am using Raduino V 1.20.1 with the CW mods suggested by Allard in the accompanying documentation and up to now have been
using the same filter (the General Purpose Module with 2.4 Khz WIDE and 300 Hz NARROW passbands) externally mounted into a small
box. I decided that it worked well enough and is cheap enough ($US32) that it warranted installing one directly into the rig for convenience.
I inserted the filter into the circuit at label M2, by removing the wire on pin 1 of ?the VOLUME POT and connecting that to the DSP Filter input and then
connecting the?Filter output back to Pin 1 of Volume control. ?I did need to put a 0.1uF coupling capacitor in series with the output of the filter as I experienced
some weird interactions between the filter and the Volume control / LM386 operation (audio was cutting out with Volume control rotated past 11 o'clock).
The coupling capacitor in series fixed that. ?I also opted to provide ?Bypass switching for the filter via a DP3T switch, simply moving M2 between the input and output of the?filter while keeping the filter powered (not enough poles on my switch to also control the filter power). The filter only draws 30mA of current.
What I discovered ?with the filter bypassed?yet still powered, is that it was generating some hash on its power leads that was getting back into the BITX40 audio.
With the filter in-line it conveniently seems to?filter out its own hash ;-) ?I resolved this issue by using VK3YEs ?Digital VFO?power lead filter in series with the power leads going to the filter. It ?consisting of two 220 uF?electrolytic caps to ground with a 12 Ohm resistor connected in series between the + leads of the caps. ?
In the WIDE setting the filter does cleanup the SSB audio making it sound better, but where it really shines is for CW. ?
The 300 Hz passband is centered at 700Hz?so it is necessary to set the Raduino Sidetone frequency to be the same value (this also controls the TX offset).
Installing the optional ?signal LED gives you visual?indication that the CW signal you are tuned to is in the middle of the filter passband, making CW ?tuning very simple. ?The end result is a much more?pleasant experience for operating CW on the BITX40. ?
Also if you have any remnants of clicks from tuning etc, the filter does a great job of stripping those?out of the RX audio.?
This is by far he best audio filter I have encountered. It outperforms any analog audio filter I have ever used.?
The only minor issue that I still have is that the filter will sometimes overload on very strong signals. The filter input is internally protected from overload but it will
cause some audio distortion, it seems mostly on SSB. I am using the default gain setting on the filter (RB12 floating not grounded) and this works well.
At this point I am simply?using the switch to BYPASS the filter on exceptionally strong signals but I am thinking as a future enhancement perhaps a
properly adjusted audio-derived AGC circuit?inserted ahead of the DSP filter would resolve this and eliminate the need for bypassing.
Cheers?
Michael VE3WMB / VA2NB?
P.S. SotaBeams also makes a similar SSB-specific filter with WIDE=2.4 Khz and Narrow = 2.1 Khz and another version with a continuously variable
bandwidth and passband centre frequency, that is controlled via a rotary encoder.?This would be a little more versatile.?
P.P.S. The usual disclaimer .. I have no connection to SOTABEAMs, financial or otherwise, I am just a very satisfied customer.?
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Re: W8TEE Software Release 1.05
In the Files section of the group. I find the fastest way to locate a recent post is to click on the Uploaded column heading which sorts the posts. The first click starts with the oldest post, a second click reverse the list, showing the latest posts. My post is under "B40SoftwareRel0105.ino". The MorseCode.h header file is unchanged from the July 10 post.?
Jack, W8TEE
From: John P <j.m.price@...>
To: [email protected]
Sent: Monday, July 31, 2017 12:43 AM
Subject: Re: [BITX20] W8TEE Software Release 1.05
On Sun, Jul 30, 2017 at 07:37 pm, Jack Purdum wrote:
Please let me know if you find any bugs.
Didn't find any bugs! As a matter of fact, I'm not sure where to find the?software! ? -- John - WA2FZW
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You always have to pay royal mail money if you have duty to pay its old hat ?getting things from the USA I always get clobbered for duty no matter who I use to ship my goods?
hi
there have been various posts on this subject - the general opinion is DO NOT USE DHL
i received my bitx40 via india post and royal mail and did not pay vat but royal mail may have recently changed their policy cos my wife received a gift from daughter in new zealand and had to pay vat plus ?8 handling charge.
at least if you do have to pay vat to royal mail it will be less than dhl
terry gm4dso
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N8DAH
Craig Thibodeaux
DH2LAB
Giancarlo - I7SWX
