Re: Rugged Case Options?
#ubitx
You didn't read my later post on this - I was well aware of those
traces and I did put 2 layers of Kapton top and bottom right up to
the edge and another one wrapped around to help hold the 2 in
place while sliding the board in.? I also used my milling machine
to mill the side bulge (cover mounting screw channel) where the
board mounting holes are.? I then put in some female/female
standoffs (shimmed with thin flat washers to where they just
allowed the board to slide over them.? Once in place, the boards
are locked to the standoffs with 3 mm screws.? That way there
won't be any sliding of the board at all.
Jim - W0EB
On 1/18/2018 1:03 PM, at91r40008 wrote:
toggle quoted message
Show quoted text
In an earlier
posting I warned about two traces on the edge of the PCB. I use
the same box but anodized black?
and when you slide the PCB in the box you might create a short.
The trace on one side is ground but the trace
on the other side is live. (I don't remember which one is on the
top and which is on the bottom side). As there is
a solder mask you might not have a short at all time. I solved the
problem by covering the edge of the board on
this side with Kapton tape. Careful when you slide the board in
that you don't rip off the tape.
--
73, Yvon NU6I
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I have been using delays of 2 seconds between display updates. That is a nice compromise between update noise, on the rigs that experience noise, and utility. That period allows gathering the peaks for the two seconds which works well for me. I apply the same timing for monitoring SSB output power. 73, ND6T
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Re: Rugged Case Options?
#ubitx
In an earlier posting I warned about two traces on the edge of the PCB. I use the same box but anodized black?
and when you slide the PCB in the box you might create a short. The trace on one side is ground but the trace
on the other side is live. (I don't remember which one is on the top and which is on the bottom side). As there is
a solder mask you might not have a short at all time. I solved the problem by covering the edge of the board on
this side with Kapton tape. Careful when you slide the board in that you don't rip off the tape.
--
73, Yvon NU6I
|
Re: Help with troubleshooting Bitx40 - no transmit.
#bitx40help
Antennas, antennas, antennas for sure to improve QRP SSB success. The higher, longer, and more in the clear the better. If you can't put up a high antenna in your yard, consider some of the portable antenna options available (end fed half wave, monoband dipole, doublet and tuner, random wire and tuner) and take your BitX on the road. If your remote area contains trees, then you can often get an antenna up fairly high with a heave of a water bottle or tennis ball.
Don't worry too much about mountains because you can still make lots of contacts using the ionosphere, especially in the mornings and evenings. I like to visit before I operate to adjust my expectations. Another suggestion is to try to make contacts during times when there are lots of motivated stations on the air such as during contests like Field Day, Winter Field Day, and ARRL Sweepstakes, state QSO parties, special event stations, etc.
Fantastic work getting as far as you have with this project and keep up the good work and soon you'll be making more contacts than you know what to do with.
-Neil N0FN
On Thu, Jan 18, 2018 at 11:47 AM, lee hyde <masterleehyde64@...> wrote: keep trying and experiment with antennas
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Re: For anyone ordering in Canada, Import Taxes!
#ubitx
It's actual a fee DHL charges to "handle" the item through customs.
On Thu, Jan 18, 2018 at 12:50 PM, Ghericoan <boakawizkid@...> wrote: I didn't know this when I ordered and chose DHL, but I am also guilty of not having researched it first, so I got surprised when it arrived.
--
----------
N5WLF, Greggory (or my nickname, Ghericoan)
General Class, Digital Radio Hobbyist
|
|
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Re: For anyone ordering in Canada, Import Taxes!
#ubitx
No fees from DHL for my bitx40 or ubitx.
John?
On Jan 18, 2018 1:32 PM, "Art Howard" < k0kuk.vhf@...> wrote: I can only speak for?the one I received, and there was no additional fee or taxes. DHL just left it at the door.?
--
Karl Heinz - K5KHK
|
Re: For anyone ordering in Canada, Import Taxes!
#ubitx
I can only speak for?the one I received, and there was no additional fee or taxes. DHL just left it at the door.?
--
Karl Heinz - K5KHK
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Re: For anyone ordering in Canada, Import Taxes!
#ubitx
Anyone know if there's a fee for the radio Ship by DHL into the United States ?
On 18 Jan 2018 9:25 am, "Ghericoan" < boakawizkid@...> wrote: Just a heads up, I was dinged nearly $40 due to customs duties. For some reason the ubitx is getting marked as a "signal generator" and not as amateur radio gear when traveling through DHL.
A fellow redditor suggested that I post this here.
--
----------
N5WLF, Greggory (or my nickname, Ghericoan)
General Class, Digital Radio Hobbyist
|
Re: Frequency Increment thoughts...
Try these:-D
Steve kb1chu
On 01/18/2018 11:48 AM, Jack Purdum via
Groups.Io wrote:
toggle quoted message
Show quoted text
I like the
suction cup idea, as I want to be able to take this out in the
field...literally...and don't want the extra weight. Still,
trying to get suction on a rock might be tough...
Jack, W8TEE
From:
Craig Thibodeaux <km4yec@...>
To:
[email protected]
Sent:
Thursday, January 18, 2018 11:30 AM
Subject:
Re: [BITX20] Frequency Increment thoughts...
"?BITX
doesn't have enough mass to withstand the
press without holding the case."
When
I toured the Kirby vacuum plant in the early
eighties, I was made aware of a manufacturing
¡®trick¡¯ that has all but disappeared, that might
come in handy for some of us. ?That ¡®trick¡¯ was
to make items heavier than necessary to imply a
sense of worth was equivalent to weight. ?The
thinking was if two irons or two vacuums were
placed side by side and then lifted individually
by a homemaker (notice how politically correct I
can be), the homemaker would likely choose the
heavier of each as the higher quality. ?Of
course homemakers are better informed today, so
weight where not needed is eliminated.
Jack,?
Add
a lead bar, like used for melting to make
fishing sinkers to weight down that chassis
enough so you can push against the front panel.
?Just another choice. Or throw in a couple of
old transformers for fun and mass.
Or
put a suction cup on the bottom of the case¡...
Craig
KM4YEC
On Jan 18, 2018, at
10:43 AM, Jack Purdum via Groups.Io < jjpurdum@...>
wrote:
You
could place the switch further away from
the tuning knob. The problem with using
the encoder switch for something used
frequently is that the ?BITX doesn't have
enough mass to withstand the press without
holding the case. (I'm using a
light-weight case, but with rubber feet.)
That's why I'm putting the CW message
switches on the top of the case, since
pushing down on a NO switch causes no
problems.
I'll
play around with that and see how it
works...
Jack,
W8TEE
I
love your idea, Jack, only my
personal preferences are
slightly different.? If it were
me, I'd have the separate NO
switch be the Band switch and
use the encoder switch as the
tuning select
(fine/medium/coarse).?
My thought is that with my
clumsy fingers I might
accidentally activate the
encoder switch while tuning, and
switching the tuning rate when
that happens would be a lot less
annoying that switching bands.?
;-)
73,
Carl,? K0MWC
|
Updating a display is normally "noisy". I have a voltage display which, while important, doesn't change much very often, so in loop() I will have something like:
int oldVoltage, voltage;????????????????????????????? // These are globals and both set in setup()
void loop() {
?? // a bunch of code...
?? voltage = ReadVoltage();????????????????????????? // Does an analog read via a voltage divider and mapped
?? if ( abs(voltage - oldVoltage) / 100.0 > .2) {??? // check for a 2/10V drop... ??????? VoltageWarning(voltage); ??????? oldVoltage = voltage; ?? } }
This kind of code would check for a .2V change. I keep voltage as an int, and then scale it for display with one decimal place. This would avoid updating the screen 15,000 times a second, which will introduce flicker on the display. Also, the warning function only updates a field, not the entire display. The actual code will likely change when I'm done, but you get the idea...
Jack, W8TEE
?
From: Sean W7SKD <sean.jrdalys@...>
To: [email protected]
Sent: Thursday, January 18, 2018 12:08 PM
Subject: Re: [BITX20] S-Meter code help... #ubitx-help
Well...the issue is that the ubitx arduino program (and the bitx40 programs for that matter), were written with the expectation that you would only need to update the display if you changed frequency or went into the menus.? That made sense, because those programs only NEEDED to change what was displayed if there was a frequency change (or menu selection, as in the ubitx version).
Look in the 'loop' function in the ubitx code? - you might consider hacking in a function call to the display function you are using for your meter.? I haven't tried it, but it MAY increase noise as the display would then get updated constantly.? If that solves your problem, a more advanced approach would be to code in some logic that only updates the meter every fifth or tenth or twentieth (you get the idea) time through the loop, as it likely doesnt make sense to do it EVERY time through.
Hope this helps
Sean W7SKD
|
Re: For anyone ordering in Canada, Import Taxes!
#ubitx
I didn't know this when I ordered and chose DHL, but I am also guilty of not having researched it first, so I got surprised when it arrived.
--
----------
N5WLF, Greggory (or my nickname, Ghericoan)
General Class, Digital Radio Hobbyist
|
That would make sense, I am trying to crawl through the code, but this is my first attempt at working with something this involved. The display could do well enough only being updated at ten or so times a second.
--
----------
N5WLF, Greggory (or my nickname, Ghericoan)
General Class, Digital Radio Hobbyist
|
Re: Help with troubleshooting Bitx40 - no transmit.
#bitx40help
keep trying and experiment with antennas
On Jan 18, 2018 9:44 AM, "Neris Biciunas" < nbiciunas@...> wrote: Thanks for all of your help with my troubleshooting.??
I was able to to work through everything with the stock mic and PTT, then coordinate with a local ham to test on-air.? IT WORKS!
I have not been able to test my wireup of the third party mic/PTT that I was hoping to use, but at least now I know that the radio works.
Any tips for making QRP contacts?? I live in a remote area, and a substantial mountain lies between me and any population center of any size.? I can hear chatter from significant distances away, but no one seems to hear me.
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Re: Programming Raduino help
OK, commented out line 2334 and the first thing I noted was that when loaded and started it did NOT automatically start counting down to the lower limit as before. Further, tuning works perfectly well this way. I think you're on to something there!
=Vic=
|
Re: Help with troubleshooting Bitx40 - no transmit.
#bitx40help
Thanks for all of your help with my troubleshooting.??
I was able to to work through everything with the stock mic and PTT, then coordinate with a local ham to test on-air.? IT WORKS!
I have not been able to test my wireup of the third party mic/PTT that I was hoping to use, but at least now I know that the radio works.
Any tips for making QRP contacts?? I live in a remote area, and a substantial mountain lies between me and any population center of any size.? I can hear chatter from significant distances away, but no one seems to hear me.
|
Re: How to order Raduino board?
42, 32, and 6 Pins on
the Mega.? Lots and lots of soldering connectors and headers!
I/O, power, ground,
ect.
Mike, WA6ISP
On 1/17/2018 7:53 PM, Jack Purdum via
Groups.Io wrote:
100 I/O pins on the Mega Pro??
Jack, W8TEE
From:
Michael Hagen <motdog@...>
To:
[email protected]
Sent:
Wednesday, January 17, 2018 4:09 PM
Subject:
Re: [BITX20] How to order Raduino board?
I have the Better
RaduinoX PCB that lots on this list have
bought stuffed and bare.
It is much better.? I am
on the second batch of 50 PCBs.? So a lot have
been built.
The USB is better placed,
the Nano Plugs in.? The regulator has
capacitors, diode, and dropping resistor.
You can fit
a heat sink too.
The I2C is level shifted
properly to the SI5351 Clock Gererator.? Per
SI data sheet.
I have a bigger version
that uses a Mega Pro (256K and 100 I/O pins).
Bare boards are $10
including Shipping US and PayPal.
Mike,
WA6ISP
On
1/17/2018 12:51 PM, Vic WA4THR via Groups.Io
wrote:
Where
can I order a bare Raduino board for the BitX40? I
have the display that is fine, but I may have a
problem with the Raduino board itself and would
like to see if it is possible to replace it.
=Vic=
--
Mike Hagen, WA6ISP
10917 Bryant Street
Yucaipa, Ca. 92399
(909) 918-0058
PayPal ID "MotDog@..."
Mike@...
--
Mike Hagen, WA6ISP
10917 Bryant Street
Yucaipa, Ca. 92399
(909) 918-0058
PayPal ID "MotDog@..."
Mike@...
|
Re: Frequency Increment thoughts...
A little extra weight and some soft rubbery feet.
Vince.
toggle quoted message
Show quoted text
On 01/18/2018 11:48 AM, Jack Purdum via Groups.Io wrote: I like the suction cup idea, as I want to be able to take this out in
the field...literally...and don't want the extra weight. Still, trying
to get suction on a rock might be tough...
Jack, W8TEE
------------------------------------------------------------------------
*From:* Craig Thibodeaux <km4yec@...>
*To:* [email protected]
*Sent:* Thursday, January 18, 2018 11:30 AM
*Subject:* Re: [BITX20] Frequency Increment thoughts...
"?BITX doesn't have enough mass to withstand the press without holding
the case." When I toured the Kirby vacuum plant in the early eighties, I was made
aware of a manufacturing ¡®trick¡¯ that has all but disappeared, that
might come in handy for some of us. That ¡®trick¡¯ was to make items
heavier than necessary to imply a sense of worth was equivalent to
weight. The thinking was if two irons or two vacuums were placed side
by side and then lifted individually by a homemaker (notice how
politically correct I can be), the homemaker would likely choose the
heavier of each as the higher quality. Of course homemakers are better
informed today, so weight where not needed is eliminated.
Jack,
Add a lead bar, like used for melting to make fishing sinkers to weight
down that chassis enough so you can push against the front panel. Just
another choice. Or throw in a couple of old transformers for fun and mass.
Or put a suction cup on the bottom of the case¡...
Craig
KM4YEC
On Jan 18, 2018, at 10:43 AM, Jack Purdum via Groups.Io
<jjpurdum@... <mailto:jjpurdum@...>>
wrote:
You could place the switch further away from the tuning knob. The
problem with using the encoder switch for something used frequently is
that the ?BITX doesn't have enough mass to withstand the press without
holding the case. (I'm using a light-weight case, but with rubber
feet.) That's why I'm putting the CW message switches on the top of
the case, since pushing down on a NO switch causes no problems.
I'll play around with that and see how it works...
Jack, W8TEE
------------------------------------------------------------------------
*From:* RCBoatGuy via Groups.Io <ijnfan-HamRadio@...
<mailto:ijnfan-HamRadio@...>>
*To:* [email protected] <mailto:[email protected]>
*Sent:* Thursday, January 18, 2018 10:25 AM
*Subject:* Re: [BITX20] CW Key Switching Characteristics
I love your idea, Jack, only my personal preferences are slightly
different. If it were me, I'd have the separate NO switch be the Band
switch and use the encoder switch as the tuning select
(fine/medium/coarse).
My thought is that with my clumsy fingers I might accidentally
activate the encoder switch while tuning, and switching the tuning
rate when that happens would be a lot less annoying that switching
bands. ;-)
73,
Carl, K0MWC
--
Michigan VHF Corp.
|
BCI Filters (WAS: Rugged Case Options?)
This is a good, basic BCB filter design. I have one on my bench and I am building a second, higher power version. Parts are still easy to find and the toroids are not hard to wind. And if you aren't QRP, it is not hard to scale up to 100 Watts or so without spending a lot of money.? For that matter, you can scale it down and use if for an SDR receiver. If you do a search of the QST archives and a little web wandering, you will find three or four variants, along with good stuff about designing and using these kinds of filters. For those that really want to dig in, find a copy of Bowick's RF Circuit Design, which will teach you how to design filters like this from scratch.? 73 de bill
|
Winter Field Day is almost here!
I plan to op my Bitx40 and maybe my Yaesu ft-891 both low power may even do 100% battery op as well.
Hope to see some other bitx users out there.
?
See for more info.
?
73
? David
??? N8DAH
|
Jim Sheldon
Don, ND6T
Art Howard
Ghericoan
lee hyde
Vic WA4THR
bill
N8DAH