Re: Looking for Completely Functional Dual-Band 20/(17/15/10/6) Meter QRP Rig with SSB/PSK
#bitx20help
Lawrence:
I agree that the FT-817 is a nice rig, especially for its designed purpose. It wouldn't have survived as long as it has if it didn't. I'm just saying that, if Yaesu wanted to make a splash, they could have done more for the 818 than what appears to be the case. Also, for the OP, neither the 817 or 818 would be an option...perhaps not even used...because of budget restrictions. I don't do enough m/ or p/ operating to justify it. However, throw a $100 price tag on a viable rig like the ?BITX and I'm there in a heartbeat. Also, I think it would be good for any new ham to get a "semi-kit" as a first rig. It gives you a little more knowledge about your rig and that's almost always a good thing. All I'm saying about the 818 is that I don't see much that makes me prefer it over something else in the same functionality/price range.
Jack, W8TEE
From: Lawrence Macionski via Groups.Io <am_fm_radio@...>
To: [email protected]
Sent: Sunday, February 25, 2018 10:51 AM
Subject: Re: [BITX20] Looking for Completely Functional Dual-Band 20/(17/15/10/6) Meter QRP Rig with SSB/PSK #bitx20help
Jack,
I am in agreement with you regarding the FT-818. Granted for a newly licensed-upgraded ham, it is a "shack-in-a-box" I however will forever covet my FT-817.? I received it as a Christmas present from a dear lady friend. They came out better than 12 years ago as I left New England then. First thing I did was install the Collins mechanical CW filter. I know they are no longer made. I have been through 3 battery packs. Fist was NiCad, 2nd & 3rd, were NiMH. (last was last month) Which required setting the charger max time and doing it twice to compensate for increased battery capacity. I'll speculate the FT-818 will probably use Li-ion and have even a more robust charging system. The 6 versus 5 watt output? clearly is only something you can measure, not ever hear on the air. Clearly Yaesu has found they continue to have a market for them and parts availability will always evolve as time goes on. To the newbies-? FT-818 radio series has stood the test of time and? has quite a following. As the Heart of a ham station, it is formidable. Yet at the same time expect to also expend additional funds for a power supply, tuner (manual or automatic) antennas, and a computer for? not only digital modes but furthering your self education in Amateur Radio.? Given that, a ham on a Budget, and really we all are, uBITX, a inexpensive HT, plus a Raspberry pi can emulate most functions of FT-818 station at a much lower financial cost; but higher learning- self education investment.
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Re: Looking for Completely Functional Dual-Band 20/(17/15/10/6) Meter QRP Rig with SSB/PSK
#bitx20help
A dipole (or Inverted Vee) antenna is typically cut for a single band, the impedance of such an antenna
is close enough to 50 ohms that no tuner is required.
Google "trap dipole" to see how to make it multiband, with no tuner required.
Maybe find a local ham to help verify the antenna is tuned properly using an SWR meter before using it.
A long piece of wire (such as the tuned dipole) up as high as possible is the ideal,
a mobile whip can get out but is much less efficient for use on 40 meters.
I think the EFHW-4010 here is ideal for portable operations, more easily set up in the field than a dipole
and requires no tuner when used across multiple bands.? .? ??? ?The EFHW-8010 is also a possibility,?is twice as long but includes 80 meters tuned for the CW section,
probably best to use a tuner if out in the SSB section of 80 meters.
The two products are identical except for the length of the wire.? So could get the EFHW-4010
and clip in some extra wire when wishing to get on 80 meters, and could tune that extra hunk
of wire for either the CW or SSB sections of 80 meters.? (If the extra wire is tuned for the
SSB section, then the upper bands will no longer be properly tuned.)
?
Jerry
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On Sun, Feb 25, 2018 at 02:52 am, Mark wrote:
Do you know if I would only need a tuner if I had dual/multi-band rig? If I only have a 40m rig, then no tuner necessary?
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Re: Looking for Completely Functional Dual-Band 20/(17/15/10/6) Meter QRP Rig with SSB/PSK
#bitx20help
Jack,
I am in agreement with you regarding the FT-818. Granted for a newly licensed-upgraded ham, it is a "shack-in-a-box" I however will forever covet my FT-817.? I received it as a Christmas present from a dear lady friend. They came out better than 12 years ago as I left New England then. First thing I did was install the Collins mechanical CW filter. I know they are no longer made. I have been through 3 battery packs. Fist was NiCad, 2nd & 3rd, were NiMH. (last was last month) Which required setting the charger max time and doing it twice to compensate for increased battery capacity. I'll speculate the FT-818 will probably use Li-ion and have even a more robust charging system. The 6 versus 5 watt output? clearly is only something you can measure, not ever hear on the air. Clearly Yaesu has found they continue to have a market for them and parts availability will always evolve as time goes on. To the newbies-? FT-818 radio series has stood the test of time and? has quite a following. As the Heart of a ham station, it is formidable. Yet at the same time expect to also expend additional funds for a power supply, tuner (manual or automatic) antennas, and a computer for? not only digital modes but furthering your self education in Amateur Radio.? Given that, a ham on a Budget, and really we all are, uBITX, a inexpensive HT, plus a Raspberry pi can emulate most functions of FT-818 station at a much lower financial cost; but higher learning- self education investment.
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Re: Schematic Drawing Software
Re: Kicad
Does it have Sparkfun and Adafruit libraries, or can they be imported? Those companies make a lot of small gadgets that can be used as parts of larger projects, if a 'footprint' can be made?
On Sun, Feb 25, 2018 at 9:51 AM, w7hd.rh <w7hd.rh@...> wrote: Kicad is also directly supported in Linux Mint and can be installed from the Synaptic Package Manager.? It even has templates for the Arduino Nano!
Ron W7HD
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Re: Raduino Replacemnt, COMING SOON!
The caps in the si5351 clock lines are definitely required.
If soldering the adafruit board in permanently, could use small through-hole caps instead of header pins.
If socketing the adafruit board, then cut traces from the adafruit socket to the right angle uBitx header
on this new board and insert the caps there.
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Show quoted text
On Sun, Feb 25, 2018 at 07:28 am, LKNDAVE wrote:
i noticed this board and the original raduino are different in the fact that the .1uf cap on the 3 clock lines are missing. the adafruit brreakout does not have them.
just an observation
dave
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Re: Schematic Drawing Software
Kicad is indeed being actively developed, getting better all the time ? ?? /g/BITX20/message/39469A release candidate for Kicad version 5.0 should be out "soon", I'd guess a day or two. Once available that is probably the version you want to be using. This may resolve Farhan's issues with the "unfortunate library system". From one of the most recent posts to?? ?? ? "5.0 branch is here! This means 5.0 rc1 will be available soon (just has to be built and packaged)"Jerry, KE7ER
On Sun, Feb 25, 2018 at 06:35 am, Ashhar Farhan wrote:
i used it for a bit and then i switched to kicad and never looked back. upverter worked well for me. but i couldnt get a footprint for si570 into it. i find kicad much easier to work with unless i am wrestling with their unfortunate library system.?
?
it takes an hour to learn kicad, my suggestion would be to get it over and done with. firstly, it is powerful enough to design some of the most complex systems (CERN's Large Hardon Collider for instance). second, it is not? cripple-ware, you get the full version for free. Last, it will keep getting better all the time. it is open sourced.
?
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Re: Raduino Replacemnt, COMING SOON!
i noticed this board and the original raduino are different in the fact that the .1uf cap on the 3 clock lines are missing. the adafruit brreakout does not have them.
just an observation
dave
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Re: Looking for Completely Functional Dual-Band 20/(17/15/10/6) Meter QRP Rig with SSB/PSK
#bitx20help
Mark,
?No worries I go on the trail a lot too I understand.
--
David
?N8DAH
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Re: Schematic Drawing Software
Kicad is also directly supported in Linux Mint and can be installed from the Synaptic Package Manager.? It even has templates for the Arduino Nano!
Ron W7HD
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Re: Schematic Drawing Software
craig,?
i used it for a bit and then i switched to kicad and never looked back. upverter worked well for me. but i couldnt get a footprint for si570 into it. i find kicad much easier to work with unless i am wrestling with their unfortunate library system.?
it takes an hour to learn kicad, my suggestion would be to get it over and done with. firstly, it is powerful enough to design some of the most complex systems (CERN's Large Hardon Collider for instance). second, it is not? cripple-ware, you get the full version for free. Last, it will keep getting better all the time. it is open sourced.
- f
On Sun, Feb 25, 2018 at 11:22 AM, Craig Thibodeaux <km4yec@...> wrote: Mr. Farhan,?
Do you use upverter? Do you mind sharing, for how long? To what extent?
I looked at their model, it seems to be free for some level of service then inside app charges for more? But, I had to dig to find that.
How viable to do what....and to what level??
It sounds like a interesting concept, but to use something like this it is useful to know what the limits are for free, before investing time in something to almost achieve and then ?run into a money wall.
I ?did not register, yet, but probably will when rested and look at it again tomorrow.
Craig
KM4YEC
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Re: Looking for Completely Functional Dual-Band 20/(17/15/10/6) Meter QRP Rig with SSB/PSK
#bitx20help
For about 20 dollars, you could buy a VOM, a screw driver, a soldering iron. Add that to the $109 for the ubitx, and you will still have a cheap rig that you could assemble on a weekend.?
On Sun, Feb 25, 2018 at 4:33 PM, Mark via Groups.Io <mboston72@...> wrote: Hi David,
Again, I apologize for not properly explaining myself. I'm highly mobile, so I would need something ultra-portable. I do not have a fixed location. And the rig that I was focused on before I posted yesterday, doesn't seem to exist (or at least in my price-range). Maybe I should devote some time to learn CW (per Jerry's suggestion) that would accommodate my lifestyle.
Thanks,
Mark
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Re: #ubitx Calibration resolution
#ubitx
I think the USB IF shift has a bug as the carrier frequency moves by twice as much as the IF shift. It must be a subtraction instead of an addition or vice versa.
I really like what Ian has done with that software.
73, John (VK2ETA)
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Is the new case the Universal Case II?
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Re: Looking for Completely Functional Dual-Band 20/(17/15/10/6) Meter QRP Rig with SSB/PSK
#bitx20help
Hi David,
Again, I apologize for not properly explaining myself. I'm highly mobile, so I would need something ultra-portable. I do not have a fixed location. And the rig that I was focused on before I posted yesterday, doesn't seem to exist (or at least in my price-range). Maybe I should devote some time to learn CW (per Jerry's suggestion) that would accommodate my lifestyle.
Thanks,
Mark
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Re: Looking for Completely Functional Dual-Band 20/(17/15/10/6) Meter QRP Rig with SSB/PSK
#bitx20help
Hi Mark
Try looking at the NorCal website. Amongst other things is the multi-band Norcal Doublet antenna that can be made quite cheaply. It does require a Z-match tuner, which can be bought as a kit or pre-built.
You could also try a mobile-whip for single band operation, another cheap option for which height will help. I have worked VK from G land on 20m CW with 5W from the top of a block of flats using a mobile whip (under very good conditions but it shows what can be done!) and many have great success with SSB.
Above all, join a club and maybe get started learning CW!
73 Chris
G3SQU
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Re: Looking for Completely Functional Dual-Band 20/(17/15/10/6) Meter QRP Rig with SSB/PSK
#bitx20help
Hi Dexter,
Appreciate the response.
Do you know if I would only need a tuner if I had dual/multi-band rig? If I only have a 40m rig, then no tuner necessary?
Mark
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Re: Looking for Completely Functional Dual-Band 20/(17/15/10/6) Meter QRP Rig with SSB/PSK
#bitx20help
Hi Patrick,
Yes, I agree. I quickly put myself through a course on this while studying for the exam. It was a brief introduction to the major topics that I could observe. This included YouTube videos & web sites. I planned on going back over it, for a more thorough understanding of each subject, starting with the most important ones first. It appears that would include antennas. David Casler (KE?OG), has some excellent info on this.
Thanks, Mark
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Re: Looking for Completely Functional Dual-Band 20/(17/15/10/6) Meter QRP Rig with SSB/PSK
#bitx20help
Jerry Thanks for the suggestions.
An antenna for 40m will do better if higher than 20', but 20' could be a good start. Antennas can be made of most anything from 28 gauge magnet wire to discarded house wiring to galvanized steel electric fence wire, perhaps held up with nylon string.
I'm reading over your message. I will be adding it to the antenna section of my expanding HAM text file. I think you have a point too, about my expectations. I was looking for a rig as small as possible, with at least two bands that is SSB & PSK capable. This doesn't seem to be realistic for my price-range. I have considered learning CW. I did some research on it to find that it might take a month or more to get somewhat proficient. I should learn that, at least enough to be able to fumble my way through getting a message across. That would open up even more options. There are multi-band Mountain Toppers available & the Pixie that are back-packable. Making my own radio & learning CW are excellent investments. The 40m has less congestion than the 20, & I can access it with a more compact antenna than I thought.
40m is generally an easier band to operate on anyways as it tends to be less competitive than 20m.
I did not find that information on the webpages I've read on frequency band characteristics. Regardless of the rig I choose, now, I know that it has to include the 40m if multiband, or only the 40 if mono. ? Jerry, I'm grateful for you spending the time to provide these suggestions. Mark
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#ubitx Calibration resolution
#ubitx
Hi Joel
Thanks for the link. All is working well except that I still have different soundresults with the if-shift in lsb and usb mode.
73, Gerald - HB9CEY
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Re: Schematic Drawing Software
Mr. Farhan,?
Do you use upverter? Do you mind sharing, for how long? To what extent?
I looked at their model, it seems to be free for some level of service then inside app charges for more? But, I had to dig to find that.
How viable to do what....and to what level??
It sounds like a interesting concept, but to use something like this it is useful to know what the limits are for free, before investing time in something to almost achieve and then ?run into a money wall.
I ?did not register, yet, but probably will when rested and look at it again tomorrow.
Craig
KM4YEC
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N8DAH
Mark K0ABD
Craig Thibodeaux