Hi Vince,
I bet with the key up is still goes to zero accurately. SWR is a RATIO so about half of whatever maximum deflection shows is still 3:1. And less is still less.
73,
Bill KU8H
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On 09/10/2018 02:59 PM, Vince Vielhaber wrote: Right, well this firebird isn't even usable as an swr meter unless you
put about a kilowatt into it. In the FWD, the meter won't go full scale
below about 14 MHz.
Vince.
On 09/10/2018 07:41 AM, iz oos wrote:
I have a cheap CB swr meter (just swr not power meter) and a crossneedle
ham-meter. In the instruction sheet they say it is usable between
1.8-30! They are liers!!!! It works from 1.8 to 50Mhz (yes up to the
6meters band) !!! Very similar reading to the ham meter!!! What a
shame... They don't even know what they sell... hihi... hi
Il 10/set/2018 07:40, "Vince Vielhaber" <vev@...
<mailto:vev@...>> ha scritto:
SWR and Wattmeters made for CB are often worthless in the ham bands,
unless you're only using 10M. I picked up a Firebird SWR/Wattmeter
a while back that was supposed to be good for 1.8-30 MHz. HAR!
That thing won't even read accurately (or even semi-accurately) at
21 MHz and gets progressively worse the lower you go. It barely
responds with almost 1KW going into it at 3.9MHz. Needless to say
it's going back on ebay. It is fairly accurate on 10 meters, so it
probably is on 11 too.
Vince.
On 09/09/2018 03:13 PM, Gordon Gibby wrote:
The only cb ones I have tried on 2 m are the long parallel rod
pick up type, they were quite in accurate
For VHF/UHF I use ham products made for the purpose
Cheers
Gordon kx4z
On Sep 9, 2018, at 13:59, Bill Cromwell
<wrcromwell@... <mailto:wrcromwell@...>> wrote:
Hi,
It might start to be a little shaky on the two meter band.
And maybe will work there too.
73,
Bill KU8H
On 09/09/2018 05:37 AM, gonewiththeego@...
<mailto:gonewiththeego@...> wrote:
I was thinking about an Albrecht SWR 20 which I can see
that is used
only for CB. Do you think it should work for 20/40m
band ?
--
bark less - wag more
--
Michigan VHF Corp.
--
bark less - wag more
|
Hello Glen,
I was addressing Nick but I¡¯d happy to have one of your boards in which to experiment. If you would like, send me your PayPal account address via my bob.ripley@... email address and I will send payment.
Thank you.
Ripley KD8UYQ The words are mine but this iPad does what it will with them.
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On Sep 10, 2018, at 6:35 PM, Glenn < glennp@...> wrote: Ripley, not sure who you addressed the post to, but I have 3 x hand made pcb's available for postage cost only. ($4.00 sent as paypal gift) I added the coupling cap, they are drilled and clear coated. As per previous pic of mine they are 0.685" x 0.42". Not thru' hole plated of course. Glenn vk3pe <45MHz_filter_add.JPG> On Mon, Sep 10, 2018 at 09:39 PM, Ripley wrote:
Are those little boards available to purchase now?KD8UYQ
The words are mine but this iPad does what it will with them.
rev.01
<VK4PP 45Mhz Filt rev.01.PNG>
73
|
Ripley, not sure who you addressed the post to, but I have 3 x hand made pcb's available for postage cost only. ($4.00 sent as paypal gift) I added the coupling cap, they are drilled and clear coated. As per previous pic of mine they are 0.685" x 0.42". Not thru' hole plated of course. Glenn vk3pe 
On Mon, Sep 10, 2018 at 09:39 PM, Ripley wrote:
Are those little boards available to purchase now?KD8UYQ
The words are mine but this iPad does what it will with them.
rev.01
<VK4PP 45Mhz Filt rev.01.PNG>
73
|
Was that directed to me? Without a quote it's hard to tell.
Vince - K8ZW.
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On 09/10/2018 08:55 AM, Tom, wb6b wrote: Is it still an available meter? Is there an eBay/Amazon listing. If you
have tested it against a known good SWR meter, I'd like to get one, if
it is still at a good price.
Tom, wb6b
--
Michigan VHF Corp.
|
Hi Raymond,
The best starting point probably would be to check the voltage on pin 2 (Blue wire) from the Raduino board to the key jack and make sure it goes to 5V when the key is open, to 0V when the key is closed.?
You could trace that back to the pin A6 (marked pin 10 on the schematic) on the Nano board and check the voltages there. Some recent post have had issues with solder connections, such as bridges. I the case I remember seeing the issue was with the rotary encoder not working, but it points to some issues are cropping up with the boards.
Also check the ground and Vcc voltages to the Raduino to make sure the power supply are proper.
Tom, wb6b
?
|
Another uBitX V3 For Sale, with Extras
I also have an unbuilt V3 uBitX kit for sale. I have too many projects going on so I've decided to pass it along. It's still in the original bubble wrap in the original plastic box except that I did open up the Raduino module and loaded the KD8CEC version 1.08 firmware into it and plugged it into my other uBitX to be sure it works (it does). I can load another firmware release into it if you'd prefer.
It's a late V3, I got it about a week before the V4 started shipping, so it has the socketed audio amp chip.
And to sweeten the deal a little, I'll include:
- the parts to do the V4 pop fix (2n7000, cap, resistor, etc)
- an ND6T/K5BCQ AGC kit (uses surface mount parts)
- knobs to fit the volume control pot and the encoder shafts
- a small PCB to mount the three small phone jacks (makes wiring them a lot easier)
All for $125 (Paypal only, please), shipped USPS priority mail to US address only. Email me for Paypal info.
73... Mark AA7TA
|
Hi Tom.........The only res. fitted is the 4K7 pull?up, 5V to the key jack....I'm baffled 73
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One possibility is the software may be thinking you are using a paddle. Did you wire up the key with one of the resistors in series or without a resistor? When using a paddle the factory firmware uses resistor values to determine if you are hitting the
dot or dash paddle. A straight key should have no resistor.?
Tom, wb6b
|
fascinating. Never saw that FIREBIRD brand swr meter before, but sure enough, you can find it on facebook and yes, they are apparently meant for far more power than a CB radio can produce. Allison found a really net section of the antenna free pdf and there really are some gems in there!!! I would caution that with a really short antenna (the quintessential example is a small loop) the losses in the matching system can be much larger than expected (by the unwary) because the radiation resistance may be so small that OHMIC losses are now quite consequential in the matching network/feedline etc. With an antenna of more than say 1/3 wavelngth I think there really isn't much of an issue with reasonable sized conductors etc. But then of course, I'm sure someone can find an exeption to that!! I have a good friend, experienced ham, and he found his "loop" to be about 10dB worse than a full size dipole and some published work has corroborated that. How does this relate to the uBitx? The losses in some antenna designs can be even larger than the dB difference between a 100 watt rig and the uBitx....putting you REALLY in a QRP situation. I'm really excited by the work Warren and others are doing with the filters. Great work! Cheers! Gordon ________________________________________ From: [email protected] < [email protected]> on behalf of Vince Vielhaber <vev@...> Sent: Monday, September 10, 2018 2:59 PM To: [email protected]Subject: Re: [BITX20] uBitx Antenna #ubitx-help Right, well this firebird isn't even usable as an swr meter unless you put about a kilowatt into it. In the FWD, the meter won't go full scale below about 14 MHz. Vince. On 09/10/2018 07:41 AM, iz oos wrote: I have a cheap CB swr meter (just swr not power meter) and a crossneedle
ham-meter. In the instruction sheet they say it is usable between
1.8-30! They are liers!!!! It works from 1.8 to 50Mhz (yes up to the
6meters band) !!! Very similar reading to the ham meter!!! What a
shame... They don't even know what they sell... hihi... hi
Il 10/set/2018 07:40, "Vince Vielhaber" <vev@...
<mailto:vev@...>> ha scritto:
SWR and Wattmeters made for CB are often worthless in the ham bands,
unless you're only using 10M. I picked up a Firebird SWR/Wattmeter
a while back that was supposed to be good for 1.8-30 MHz. HAR!
That thing won't even read accurately (or even semi-accurately) at
21 MHz and gets progressively worse the lower you go. It barely
responds with almost 1KW going into it at 3.9MHz. Needless to say
it's going back on ebay. It is fairly accurate on 10 meters, so it
probably is on 11 too.
Vince.
On 09/09/2018 03:13 PM, Gordon Gibby wrote:
The only cb ones I have tried on 2 m are the long parallel rod
pick up type, they were quite in accurate
For VHF/UHF I use ham products made for the purpose
Cheers
Gordon kx4z
On Sep 9, 2018, at 13:59, Bill Cromwell
<wrcromwell@... <mailto:wrcromwell@...>> wrote:
Hi,
It might start to be a little shaky on the two meter band.
And maybe will work there too.
73,
Bill KU8H
On 09/09/2018 05:37 AM, gonewiththeego@...
<mailto:gonewiththeego@...> wrote:
I was thinking about an Albrecht SWR 20 which I can see
that is used
only for CB. Do you think it should work for 20/40m band ?
--
bark less - wag more
--
Michigan VHF Corp.
-- Michigan VHF Corp.
|
Right, well this firebird isn't even usable as an swr meter unless you put about a kilowatt into it. In the FWD, the meter won't go full scale below about 14 MHz.
Vince.
toggle quoted message
Show quoted text
On 09/10/2018 07:41 AM, iz oos wrote: I have a cheap CB swr meter (just swr not power meter) and a crossneedle
ham-meter. In the instruction sheet they say it is usable between
1.8-30! They are liers!!!! It works from 1.8 to 50Mhz (yes up to the
6meters band) !!! Very similar reading to the ham meter!!! What a
shame... They don't even know what they sell... hihi... hi
Il 10/set/2018 07:40, "Vince Vielhaber" <vev@...
<mailto:vev@...>> ha scritto:
SWR and Wattmeters made for CB are often worthless in the ham bands,
unless you're only using 10M. I picked up a Firebird SWR/Wattmeter
a while back that was supposed to be good for 1.8-30 MHz. HAR!
That thing won't even read accurately (or even semi-accurately) at
21 MHz and gets progressively worse the lower you go. It barely
responds with almost 1KW going into it at 3.9MHz. Needless to say
it's going back on ebay. It is fairly accurate on 10 meters, so it
probably is on 11 too.
Vince.
On 09/09/2018 03:13 PM, Gordon Gibby wrote:
The only cb ones I have tried on 2 m are the long parallel rod
pick up type, they were quite in accurate
For VHF/UHF I use ham products made for the purpose
Cheers
Gordon kx4z
On Sep 9, 2018, at 13:59, Bill Cromwell
<wrcromwell@... <mailto:wrcromwell@...>> wrote:
Hi,
It might start to be a little shaky on the two meter band.
And maybe will work there too.
73,
Bill KU8H
On 09/09/2018 05:37 AM, gonewiththeego@...
<mailto:gonewiththeego@...> wrote:
I was thinking about an Albrecht SWR 20 which I can see
that is used
only for CB. Do you think it should work for 20/40m band ?
--
bark less - wag more
--
Michigan VHF Corp.
--
Michigan VHF Corp.
|
Hi, gone with the go¡ª
Almost anything works receiving. More power to you for learning how to get a transmitting antenna going
As you gain skills, you¡¯ll eventually want to deal with the harmonics or spurs with the transceiver, and it isn¡¯t that terribly difficult and a great learning chance
All things in good time
Gordon kx4z
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Show quoted text
On Sep 10, 2018, at 14:05, Bill Cromwell <wrcromwell@...> wrote:
Hi Tom,
Building one is so easy that even *I* can do it.
73,
Bill KU8H
On 09/10/2018 01:55 PM, Tom, wb6b wrote:
I have an auto tuner, but what happens in the auto tuner stays in the
auto tuner. So having another SWR bridge (as well as a extra manual
tuner) would be nice.
I would have thought that CB SWR/Power meters do not have as critical
selection requirement for core material and other design parameters, for
the toroid transformer type, so might have a limited frequency range.
But, it sounds like in many cases they use a proven design and don't
bother to make it cheaper by a few pennies by selecting worst core
materials and such. That is encouraging for the possibility of buying a
low cost spare SWR meter. I plan to head to one of the ham flea markets
and try my luck at getting something, but the closest one is a long
drive. Amazon, UPS and the post office are good things here.
True, it is not hard to build one either.
Tom, wb6b
_._,_._,_ --
bark less - wag more
|
Hi Tom,
Building one is so easy that even *I* can do it.
73,
Bill KU8H
toggle quoted message
Show quoted text
On 09/10/2018 01:55 PM, Tom, wb6b wrote: I have an auto tuner, but what happens in the auto tuner stays in the
auto tuner. So having another SWR bridge (as well as a extra manual
tuner) would be nice.
I would have thought that CB SWR/Power meters do not have as critical
selection requirement for core material and other design parameters, for
the toroid transformer type, so might have a limited frequency range.
But, it sounds like in many cases they use a proven design and don't
bother to make it cheaper by a few pennies by selecting worst core
materials and such. That is encouraging for the possibility of buying a
low cost spare SWR meter. I plan to head to one of the ham flea markets
and try my luck at getting something, but the closest one is a long
drive. Amazon, UPS and the post office are good things here.
True, it is not hard to build one either.
Tom, wb6b
_._,_._,_
--
bark less - wag more
|
Brand New.? -- it's a second one I never built.? ?$120 shipped Priority Mail to US only.
Paypal only.? Email me for Paypal address.
73, Gerry W1VE
|
It might be more productive if general discussion about antennas were to migrate
Arv _._
On Mon, Sep 10, 2018 at 11:20 AM, <gonewiththeego@...> wrote: I'm just amazed of how much priceless information I got in such a short time. Thank you for all users that had answered my questions and gave me even more than that: good advices for the future. Speaking about modifications for the uBitx, I'm not prepared for this task and I'm sure I will leave it as it is. I'll stay for reception mode until I find an SWR-meter and build a dipole. I believe a "random" lenght wire will suffice for just reception. So, thank you very much again and I'm sure we will read us soon because I still have tons of questions but ... one step at the time. THANK YOU!?
|
I have an auto tuner, but what happens in the auto tuner stays in the auto tuner. So having another SWR bridge (as well as a extra manual tuner) would be nice.
I would have thought that CB SWR/Power meters do not have as critical selection requirement for core material and other design parameters, for the toroid transformer type, so might have a limited frequency range. But, it sounds like in many cases they use a proven design and don't bother to make it cheaper by a few pennies by selecting worst core materials and such. That is encouraging for the possibility of buying a low cost spare SWR meter. I plan to head to one of the ham flea markets and try my luck at getting something, but the closest one is a long drive. Amazon, UPS and the post office are good things here.?
True, it is not hard to build one either.?
Tom, wb6b
|
Re: Have to adjust master calibration on power up - does not save
I think that your uBitx thinks you are not calibrated. There is a function of the software which is entered when you have the encoder switch depressed during power up. Did you install capacitors on your encoder lines for de-bouncing? If yes thry to remove the one on the switch line and see if it helps. -- Ion
VA3NOI
|
Lowering the price to $95 shipped (in continental US)
On Thu, Sep 6, 2018 at 7:36 AM, Walter Keen <walter@...> wrote: unassembled ubitx v3 kit with factory socketed tda2822 (non WX branded) with all the components it originally came with.
opened container to inspect components and haven't gotten to building it, too many repair projects, and starting to think my bitx40 would make a better hiking/backpacking radio due to multiband antenna complications, so this has to go to help fund other projects
$115?shipped, USPS flat rate in the Coninental US.? won't ship internationally, sorry? PayPal only
Walter at
|
I'm just amazed of how much priceless information I got in such a short time. Thank you for all users that had answered my questions and gave me even more than that: good advices for the future. Speaking about modifications for the uBitx, I'm not prepared for this task and I'm sure I will leave it as it is. I'll stay for reception mode until I find an SWR-meter and build a dipole. I believe a "random" lenght wire will suffice for just reception. So, thank you very much again and I'm sure we will read us soon because I still have tons of questions but ... one step at the time. THANK YOU!?
|
I've solved it!
I set the calibration sound first, tuning for a near 1khz sound compared with that from my phone, then tuning the BFO to get the best match between the 1khz signal generated on my phone with the sound received. I also found that I could set the BFO frequency twice, in effect! The first time it was too high, near 12MHz, then as I tuned the BFO down the audio signal fell in frequency. I continued to tune down and the audio returned and I was able to set and match the tones. I checked my LSB/USB settings with 14074Mhz and found they were the right way around too.
I also found the radio needed rebooting after setting the calibration and BFO.
Graham
|
Magnetic loop.
http://www.aa5tb.com/loop.html
|
|
|
Ripley
Gerry Hull
Ion Petroianu, VA3NOI
YO8UFO
Ken K4KCL