Re: Custom Graphics help for S-Meter
Still not totally satisfied (are we ever?), but I did do most of the coding with the idea that others could easily adopt it. It is all addition to the v1.27.7 BitX40 sketch by Allard Munter, PE1NWL, and pretty much takes all available resources. My quick attempt to comment out some code related to the touch-key option was not successful and caused some odd behaviors, so I put it all back in. Also, I want to see if I can calibrate the S-meter better than just "eyeballing" it. maybe then I'll post it, but certainly will help anyone trying to implement the same thing.
=Vic=
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Finally got around to working on the ubitx again.
I traced the logic for each of the three lines (TXA,TXB, and TXC) to ensure the logic was operating as it should. They were. I then traced through each of the relays and filters to see if and where the signal might be getting attenuated. KT1 looked somewhat strange on the scope when going into transmit - the signal started out strong but soon went very low. Hmmm.
I then went and re-heated the pins of each of the three relays (KT1, 2, and3). I also re-heated some of the leads on some of the components in the 4 filters that looked dull to me. I then went back and had another look at the bias to the 510's. Both were set to 100ma each. Here are the results:
Band ?? Current ?? Wattage
80 ? ? ? ?? 1.84A ? ?? 9W
60 ? ? ? ?? 1.46A ? ?? 6W
40 ? ? ? ?? 1.26A ? ?? 7.8W
30 ? ? ? ?? 1.26A ? ?? 4.2W
20 ? ? ? ?? 1.61A ? ?? 5.5W
17 ? ? ? ?? 1.25A ? ?? 3W
15 ? ? ? ?? 1.07A ? ?? 2W
12 ? ? ? ?? 1.3A ? ? ?? 2W
10 ? ? ? ?? 1.0A ? ? ?? 1.5W
Judging by others results, it doesn't look like I can get much more out of the rig as it stands without replacing finals, etc.
It looks like my rig is now "normal" for the ubitx.
That seem like a fair conclusion?
Thanks to all for the help, now to start playing with larger displays, new finals, new software, etc. It never ends!
73, Mike W1USN
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Re: KD8CEC firmware and tuning speed
#ubitx
Here's Don Cantrell's description of Shuttle Tuning, using the tuning pot on the Bitx40: And a quote:
Not having an encoder, I decided to use the original tuning pot in a ¡°shuttle¡± arrangement. (That was what we called the control on video editing boards back in the 1960's). Instead of?spinning?the knob, you?twist?it one way or the other. In the center position, it is idle: No tuning, the frequency is stable. Turn it clockwise slightly and the frequency starts to slowly increase. Counterclockwise, the frequency decreases. As you twist farther it tunes progressively faster. No buttons, no pressing. Tune any frequency in mere seconds and in single Hertz steps when you near your target.
The code in the uBitx as shipped has dynamic tuning, where spinning the encoder knob fast makes the step size bigger.
I prefer a quick button press to change the mode of the uBitx encoder between tuning and step size,
step size in factors of 10 from 1hz to 10mhz, tuning constrained to land at frequencies that are a multiple of the step size.
Lets me spin the knob as fast as I want?without sudden unexpected behavior.
Can set the step size to 1khz and only hit typical SSB operating frequencies.
Or 10khz and hit AM broadcast band frequencies.
Shortwave broadcast listeners might want to also have a 5khz step size in there somehow.?
Sudden unexpected behavior was also characteristic of the original Bitx40 code, in that I'd be turning the pot
toward the end of its linear tuning range and suddenly it would be galloping off in 10khz jumps.?
But a good solution if you insist on a linear tuning scheme at an extremely low price point.
Jerry, KE7ER
On Sat, Mar 24, 2018 at 12:56 pm, Arv Evans wrote:
I think the post was about a recent software upgrade, whether the new code retained
the dynamic tuning feature or if it had regressed to fixed-rate tuning.
Do you have a software example of your "shuttle tuning" system??
Arv? K7HKL
_._
. . .
?
On Sat, Mar 24, 2018 at 1:47 PM, Dexter N Muir <dexy@...> wrote:
I've mentioned this before: "shuttle tuning". There's a sketch way back in the dim dark past that dynamically changed the step size according to how fast the encoder was being spun. 1Hz/step slow to 100kHz? fast and pro rata ...? It may have been for the '40 and maybe only a demo for the encoder on Arduino (no real Bitx stuff).
Dex ZL2DEX
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Re: Micro bitx in the spectrum analyzer
#ubitx
Ashhar, I had 60db of external padding between the transmitter and the SA plus 30db padding in the SA itself. That should have been about 10 microwatts (10watt/1,000,000) of actual power feeding into the SA. Now I have to admit I haven't verified my pads for a long time but I don't think they are far enough off to make a huge difference since I was just looking for relative relationships. And I didn't see any harmonics that weren't at least 50db down from the fundamental. I have adjusted my drive level and bias to get as clean of a signal as possible. That's about 10 watts out on 3290kc. I haven't checked the other bands yet. I may diddle with the bias and drive some more to see if I can get more power while staying clean but I'm pretty happy with it as it stands. tim ab0wr On Sat, 24 Mar 2018 18:32:02 +0000 "Ashhar Farhan" <farhanbox@...> wrote: i hope you guys are using sufficient attenuation ahead of the spectrum
analyzer. typically, if you change the attenuation, the harmonica and
the fundamental should fall exactly the same dbs.
- f
On Sat, 24 Mar 2018, 23:55 Tim Gorman, <tgorman2@...> wrote:
Junior,
When doing a two-tone and single tone test I do not see these
harmonics.
Carrier suppression is not what I would like but no harmonics.
tim ab0wr
On Sat, 24 Mar 2018 09:50:30 -0700
J¨²nior PY2ADA via Groups.Io <aaj280174@...>
wrote:
Testing with the micro bitx in the spectrum analyzer, I found that
the harmonics reduction is very low. Has anyone else done this
measurement to compare? The photos are 3 per band (fundamental,
second harmonic and third harmonic). 73 de J¨²nior
PY2ADA
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Re: KD8CEC firmware and tuning speed
#ubitx
Mike
Because uBITX Encoder is very sensitive, I used the threshold method. It is not the same as the original firmware, although it gives a difference in the value when it is rotated slowly and when it is rotated rapidly.
Instead, as John and Vince said, I made the Tune Step changeable.
Press and hold the Function Key for more than 2 seconds to display the message. Then release the key.
You can select Tune Step by turning the dial.
If you are using uBITX Manager, you can also design your own Tune Step for yourself.
Thank you for using the uBITX Firmware CEC version.
Ian KD8CEC
I installed Ian's excellent uBitx firmware last night, version 1.04. I haven't played with the memory manager yet but I will today.
One feature that seems to be gone is what I call "ballistic" tuning. With the old firmware, when the encoder was turned rapidly, the frequency would move significantly. The new CEC firmware doesn't seem to do that anymore. Is it an option that can be turned on again or was that removed to add all the other excellent features currently in the firmware?
Best regards and 73
Mike M.
KU4QO
-- Best 73 KD8CEC / Ph.D ian lee kd8cec@...
(my blog)
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Re: KD8CEC firmware and tuning speed
#ubitx
Dex ZL2DEX
I think the post was about a recent software upgrade, whether the new code retained
the dynamic tuning feature or if it had regressed to fixed-rate tuning.
Do you have a software example of your "shuttle tuning" system??
Arv? K7HKL
_._
On Sat, Mar 24, 2018 at 1:47 PM, Dexter N Muir <dexy@...> wrote: I've mentioned this before: "shuttle tuning". There's a sketch way back in the dim dark past that dynamically changed the step size according to how fast the encoder was being spun. 1Hz/step slow to 100kHz? fast and pro rata ...? It may have been for the '40 and maybe only a demo for the encoder on Arduino (no real Bitx stuff).
Dex ZL2DEX
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Re: KD8CEC firmware and tuning speed
#ubitx
I've mentioned this before: "shuttle tuning". There's a sketch way back in the dim dark past that dynamically changed the step size according to how fast the encoder was being spun. 1Hz/step slow to 100kHz? fast and pro rata ...? It may have been for the '40 and maybe only a demo for the encoder on Arduino (no real Bitx stuff).
Dex ZL2DEX
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Mike
If an environment where have to continue using IF Shift,? I think it would be nice to adjust the BFO as you said.?Because IF-Shift is shift the BFO.
And I used Audio Spectrum for the first time on my cell phone and I was very satisfied.
I used Audio Spectrum for mobile phones when adjusting IF-Shift to remove background noise, which was very convenient.
Ian KD8CEC
You may just need to adjust the BFO. Out of the box mine was way off. Made everything sound tinny. If you use a program like spectrogram you can look at the audio output and see that it's shifted to? the right. Adjust the bfo and Center the passband between 300 and 2300 Hertz and you should be in the ballpark.
Mike M Ku4qo?
The other thing I've found is it makes listening a lot more pleasant. I shift mine about +700 hz and it really cuts the background hiss and improves the audio, on SSB. Is there a way to store that in Memory?? The CEC software upgrade is really nice.?
-- Best 73 KD8CEC / Ph.D ian lee kd8cec@...
(my blog)
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Dennis
Thanks for your feed back. I just released uBITX Firmware CEC Version 1.061, It also includes uBITX Manager 1.01. Starting with uBITX Manager 1.0, there is an option for setting IF Shift.
If you select 'Auto Save IF Shift Value', uBITX will be restored when you turn it on again.
Ian KD8CEC
The other thing I've found is it makes listening a lot more pleasant. I shift mine about +700 hz and it really cuts the background hiss and improves the audio, on SSB. Is there a way to store that in Memory?? The CEC software upgrade is really nice.?
-- Best 73 KD8CEC / Ph.D ian lee kd8cec@...
(my blog)
|
You may just need to adjust the BFO. Out of the box mine was way off. Made everything sound tinny. If you use a program like spectrogram you can look at the audio output and see that it's shifted to? the right. Adjust the bfo and Center the passband between 300 and 2300 Hertz and you should be in the ballpark.
Mike M Ku4qo?
The other thing I've found is it makes listening a lot more pleasant. I shift mine about +700 hz and it really cuts the background hiss and improves the audio, on SSB. Is there a way to store that in Memory?? The CEC software upgrade is really nice.?
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Re: two-tone test on ubitx
Henning, I re-spaced the turns and reran the spectrum analyzer for both two-tone and single tone. No discernible difference from before. So you are correct. I still plan on building a similar mixer to see what I can get. It might be a while but I'll let you know what I find. Will just have to live with it for now I guess. tim ab0wr On Wed, 21 Mar 2018 11:32:53 +0100 "Henning Weddig via Groups.Io" <hweddig@...> wrote: I am not sure if the equal spacing of the trifilar winding alone
guarantees a perfect carrier suppresison.
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Re: uBITX Firmware CEC Version 1.06 Release (Added WSPR)
#ubitx
Philip
Thank you for important feed back when WSPR Menu, Fixed a bug where the LPF does not change with the WSPR band.? (Changed version to 1.061)
If you have spare time, please test WSPR function
Ian KD8CEC
Hi Ian.
I am afraid that the LPF selection problem is back with V1.06.
Need to select the correct band before doing a WSPR beacon. The same as V1.05, before V1.051.
Philip G7JUR
-- Best 73 KD8CEC / Ph.D ian lee kd8cec@...
(my blog)
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Re: Micro bitx in the spectrum analyzer
#ubitx
i hope you guys are using sufficient attenuation ahead of the spectrum analyzer. typically, if you change the attenuation, the harmonica and the fundamental should fall exactly the same dbs. - f
On Sat, 24 Mar 2018, 23:55 Tim Gorman, < tgorman2@...> wrote: Junior,
When doing a two-tone and single tone test I do not see these
harmonics.
Carrier suppression is not what I would like but no harmonics.
tim ab0wr
On Sat, 24 Mar 2018 09:50:30 -0700
J¨²nior PY2ADA via Groups.Io <aaj280174=[email protected]> wrote:
> Testing with the micro bitx in the spectrum analyzer, I found that
> the harmonics reduction is very low. Has anyone else done this
> measurement to compare? The photos are 3 per band (fundamental,
> second harmonic and third harmonic). 73 de J¨²nior
> PY2ADA
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Re: Micro bitx in the spectrum analyzer
#ubitx
Junior, When doing a two-tone and single tone test I do not see these harmonics. Carrier suppression is not what I would like but no harmonics. tim ab0wr On Sat, 24 Mar 2018 09:50:30 -0700 J¨²nior PY2ADA via Groups.Io <aaj280174@...> wrote: Testing with the micro bitx in the spectrum analyzer, I found that
the harmonics reduction is very low. Has anyone else done this
measurement to compare? The photos are 3 per band (fundamental,
second harmonic and third harmonic). 73 de J¨²nior
PY2ADA
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uBitx Case and speaker for sale
I have decided to go in a different direction and use another type case to build my uBitx radio.
So I would like to sell a case along with an 8 ohm speaker and also a roll of Copper Foil.? The case was produced by Carl Beck.? The speaker is the one he suggested to use with the radio. All are new, never been used, as I have purchased them recently.
I paid approximately $65 for the items.? I will sell for $60 plus $10 for shipping within CONUS -- USPS Priority mail. Please pay by PayPal to rickocr2005 at yahoo.com.
Thanks and 73
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Thanks Mike.? Usually when I order something online (and I do that a LOT!), I get a notice
from the vendor that they have my order and, sometimes, give me an estimated date for shipment.
Just looking forward to getting this kit to play with.
Bruce, K4TQL
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SolderSmoke Podcast #203 is out
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Re: uBITX Firmware CEC Version 1.06 Release (Added WSPR)
#ubitx
Hi Ian.
I am afraid that the LPF selection problem is back with V1.06.
Need to select the correct band before doing a WSPR beacon. The same as V1.05, before V1.051.
Philip G7JUR
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Re: BITX QSO Afternoon/Evening, Sunday, March 25, 3PM & 7PM Local Time, 7277 kHz in North America, 7177 kHz elsewhere.
Should be interesting finding a free freq...let's give it a shot anyway.
73 Tom VE3THR
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Micro bitx in the spectrum analyzer
#ubitx
Testing with the micro bitx in the spectrum analyzer, I found that the harmonics reduction is very low. Has anyone else done this measurement to compare?
The photos are 3 per band (fundamental, second harmonic and third harmonic).
?
73 de J¨²nior
PY2ADA
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Vic WA4THR
J¨²nior PY2ADA
