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Re: BITX20 Duh-oo
Bill,
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I completely disagree. Whatever signal is present at the antenna jack is what the meter shows. Raj At 29/10/2020, you wrote:
Hi Raj, |
IW4AJR Loris
HELLO TO ALL !
First of all, we all went a bit off topic!
The question was about how to somehow govern the BF level without becoming deaf to any strong signal interfering in the QSO!
The origin was a beautiful article by WB8YYY explaining why using an ALC in the ?BITX circuit is less expensive, more efficient and easier to plug into the transceiver than any of the various "AGCs" on the KIT market.
For the S-meter (which is just an extra candy when you work in the mountains) I am attaching a simple simple schematic with a NE604 (now available as SA604 for no more than 3/4 $ from both DIGIKEY and MOUSER) that I used ?in the ILER-40.
Speaking of DIY, have you tried to build a simple but efficient spectrum analyzer? ... years ago I tried my hand at a project that only reached 300MHZ, that's where I discovered how important it is to try to get a linear dB detector! also a series of two old QST articles covered the subject and the NE/SA604 chip was already the best in cost and benefit back then!
For the rest of the speeches it seems to me that lately the HAM spirit has somewhat decayed, but it is only a little over forty years that I have been desperately trying to do the OM trying to adapt and align myself to the teachings of W1AW ... unfortunately I have my limits and I hope to become a little better and also include the "new" HAMs ...
Hello everybody ! ... discussion over!
73 de IW4AJR Loris |
If you buy a bunch, one AD8307 is under $0.50 Not clear if those are factory seconds, clones, or got left over at the end of reels. But as of three years ago, those ebay AD8307's were deemed good enough: ? ? http://ka7exm.net/emrfd/Messages/thread_14309.htm It's a wonderful part, worth having $10 worth filed away if you build stuff. Not that I would bother with an AD8307 on a simple transceiver for an S-Meter. Even if properly calibrated from uV at the antenna port, it doesn't account for your antenna system or local geography, and so is not that meaningful for the station at the far end. May as well just pick a number somewhere between 9 and 1, 9 if it's the among the strongest signals, 1 if you can't hear it. Or if you want to promote good feelings, just give everybody you can copy a 9. There are plenty of other design issues to obsess with first. But an AD8307 as an RF probe can be extremely valuable. Buy an AD8307 module if you don't want to spend a day fiddling with tiny parts. Even the modules are well under $14, including shipping. Anyways, thanks for the pointer to Pete's 40m SSB transcever. Is there a complete schematic of it available somewhere? There's a bunch of links at the bottom of that webpage, but nothing complete and consistent. For example, these bidi amps are interesting, different from *Bitx* and W7ZOI designs: ? ?? and totally different than what's presented in this discussion: ? ?? No mention of prior art, or the pros and cons of his somewhat different implementation. Jerry, KE7ER On Thu, Oct 29, 2020 at 05:33 AM, Dean Souleles wrote:
Let's see - one AD8307 from DigiKey is $14 |
Re: BITX20 Duh-oo
Hi Raj,
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S9 = 50 uV across 50 ohms. In the wild we rarely (if ever) have 50 Ohms at the antenna terminals. So there goes the baby along with the bath water. I do not know how to have a QSO a while the radio is connected to a set of lab equipment in a lab. I have to operate in the 'wild'. 73, Bill KU8H bark less - wag more On 10/29/20 7:48 AM, Raj vu2zap wrote:
On S meter readings on 80's rigs: |
Re: BITX20 Duh-oo
Hi Bob,
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It's back to that volume control again. Earbuds allow me to run at a much lower volume. A strict interpretation of what you said about damage from using earbuds means that earbuds would damage our hearing even if they were never plugged in and merely in our ears. I will always challenge that. And my earbuds do not 'seal' my ear canal. They are not the expensive kind so maybe that explains the lack of a seal. On the other hand, my cans do seal my entire ear including my ear canal. Except for the cheapest ones I have. 73, Bill KU8H bark less - wag more On 10/29/20 7:10 AM, Bob Lunsford via groups.io wrote:
Bill, first of all, earbuds are a no-no. They damage the ears. Any device that is so perfect a seal to outside sounds damages the ears. First to go are the high frequencies thus the need for "old" hams to turn up the treble and turn down the bass. |
hello,
I will do some tests later this that: Noise reducteur and some AGC noise reducrer + Bargraph with leds? kit less 2 euros. See A.....o. lm 1894 pcb board less 11€? see E..y. if you what DIY with transistors for AGC see here: /g/BITX20/topic/4103085#8877 try to adapt that,?I think there have already been topics on this? lees 5€ orders placed cdt |
Jack, W8TEE
Dean: You're absolutely correct about the work done by Pete. Stick him in a jungle with a penknife and some matches and he'd come out a month later with a 1KW xcvr...he does amazing stuff. Also, if you want to see some absolutely beautiful Manhattan style construction, look at work by Dave Richards, AA7EE. This is a series of photos of one of his builds: There's a lot to be learned from both guys! Jack, W8TEE
On Thursday, October 29, 2020, 8:34:04 AM EDT, Dean Souleles <dsouleles@...> wrote:
On Thu, Oct 29, 2020 at 05:44 AM, IW4AJR Loris wrote: AD8307 Hi Loris -?
-- Jack, W8TEE |
Re: A strange thing about calibration!!
I was not talking about "calibrating" the V6, I call that something else. I was talking about "calibration" of the S-Meter/VU Meter at one point (volume level) and not assuming that it it correct for other volume levels. I used to have a job at a calibration unit for the government and one item I calibrated was an audiometer. I used the Technical Manual for this and it was to check it at different levels represented by numbers on the unit's meter. Modern technology has not changed so much but military nomenclature and standards do not without being intensely documented. Therefore, proceed. Bob ¡ª KK5R
On Thursday, October 29, 2020, 8:03:41 AM EDT, Gerard <kabupos@...> wrote:
Curt, I don¡¯t think you understood what I meant. Calibration is one thing, setting the BFO is another. what I mean, when you do.calibration, you look for the zero beat.Then you validate and have to reboot the Ubitx for this . And that¡¯s where it¡¯s weird, your BF signal is good to the ear, but in fact it is modulated at the frequency of 16.6 Khtz. (60 micro second of pulsation). You don¡¯t hear it, but that¡¯s the reality. You can try to calibrate in all directions, you¡¯ll always get that result. Plug an oscilloscope into the speaker and you¡¯ll see. BFO setting has nothing to do with this. Now, I have another question, does anyone know these settings and their implications. cdt |
On Thu, Oct 29, 2020 at 05:44 AM, IW4AJR Loris wrote:
AD8307 Hi Loris -?
|
Re: A strange thing about calibration!!
Curt,
I don¡¯t think you understood what I meant. Calibration is one thing, setting the BFO is another. what I mean, when you do.calibration, you look for the zero beat.Then you validate and have to reboot the Ubitx for this . And that¡¯s where it¡¯s weird, your BF signal is good to the ear, but in fact it is modulated at the frequency of 16.6 Khtz. (60 micro second of pulsation). You don¡¯t hear it, but that¡¯s the reality. You can try to calibrate in all directions, you¡¯ll always get that result. Plug an oscilloscope into the speaker and you¡¯ll see. BFO setting has nothing to do with this. Now, I have another question, does anyone know these settings and their implications. cdt |
Re: BITX20 Duh-oo
On S meter readings on 80's rigs:
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I would generalize from my years of fixing and aligning rigs that S9 = 50uV at the antenna. S8 = -6db of 50uV and S7 = -12db of 50 uV... below S7 the readings are approx. S9+20/40/60 are usually correct although some rigs were slightly different at +60. 50uV is my first check for S9, if not then a retune and alignment would follow. Raj At 29/10/2020, you wrote:
Hi Bob, |
Re: BITX20 Duh-oo
Bill, first of all, earbuds are a no-no. They damage the ears. Any device that is so perfect a seal to outside sounds damages the ears. First to go are the high frequencies thus the need for "old" hams to turn up the treble and turn down the bass. I use over-the-ear earphones. My favorite is one I got from Radio Shack about 1970. The earpads wore out and were replaced with foam rubber squares that I found that had a 3/4-in round hole in the center. Problem is it has a 1/4-in plug so use it on my FT-890 but use other of like manufacture for other radios. The RST for one person is not necessarily going to be the same number for another person since as taste is in a person's mouth, the hearing is in each individual's ears and is not normally a group thing. As different people see a diamond in different shades of color, different people hear a concert with varying shades of meaning. I go the contest route: If a guy has a good sounding, loud enough signal, he gets a 5X9 but if it's in the mud, it then gets a 5X5. Bob ¡ª KK5R
On Thursday, October 29, 2020, 6:52:14 AM EDT, Bill Cromwell <wrcromwell@...> wrote:
Hi Bob, The 'S' value in the RST does have some value but an estimate is good enough (and really all we can do). It is hard enough to pin down a number in a well equipped lab. A radio operating 'in the wild' (meaning outside of lab conditions) is just too uncertain. It is not a *hard* value. "Ten feet" is a good example of a hard value. There are no conditions where a ten foot pole can fit in a nine foot space. I have pulled the cans off or partially off my ears for the same reasons as you and those old people (whoever they are). How do you do that with "earbuds"? A two-diode limiter works with those too. Use the volume control to keep out of the distortion levels. That's why it is called a volume *control*. Or just let your ears bleed. It can literally happen. 73, Bill? KU8H bark less - wag more On 10/28/20 5:40 PM, Bob Lunsford via groups.io wrote: > Everything is relative. One's S-meter reading depends on the receiver > AND the antenna. One too many variables. A Volume Unit reading is based > on voltage across a standard resister value. The VU reading may be more > accurate but still has too many variables. > > Personally, I do not need an S-meter and unless someone asks me, I do > not give a Signal Strength report. It means little to me when we are > talking about readability. > > I can come up with a circuit that may warm someone's heart but my V6 > does not need an S-meter. HOWEVER, the same circuit can be an operator > for the AGC circuit. Old time operators used to pull the "cans" off the > ears and put them over the temple to either adjust the audio level or > keep excessive volume from waking them up. Been there, done that... > > Bob ¡ª KK5R |
Re: BITX20 Duh-oo
Hi Bob,
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The 'S' value in the RST does have some value but an estimate is good enough (and really all we can do). It is hard enough to pin down a number in a well equipped lab. A radio operating 'in the wild' (meaning outside of lab conditions) is just too uncertain. It is not a *hard* value. "Ten feet" is a good example of a hard value. There are no conditions where a ten foot pole can fit in a nine foot space. I have pulled the cans off or partially off my ears for the same reasons as you and those old people (whoever they are). How do you do that with "earbuds"? A two-diode limiter works with those too. Use the volume control to keep out of the distortion levels. That's why it is called a volume *control*. Or just let your ears bleed. It can literally happen. 73, Bill KU8H bark less - wag more On 10/28/20 5:40 PM, Bob Lunsford via groups.io wrote:
Everything is relative. One's S-meter reading depends on the receiver AND the antenna. One too many variables. A Volume Unit reading is based on voltage across a standard resister value. The VU reading may be more accurate but still has too many variables. |
Re: uBITX ... AGC or AVC?
I just did Ooz, some days my hands are not steady..
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Raj At 29/10/2020, you wrote: Not really sure I got it. If It works well, please share the added schematics also drawn with a pencil on paper. |
Re: uBITX ... AGC or AVC?
At 29/10/2020, you wrote: Please post the circuit diagram also with your suggestions, that will helpful to us. |
Re: uBITX ... AGC or AVC?
Not really sure I got it. If It works well, please share the added schematics also drawn with a pencil on paper. Il gio 29 ott 2020 10:53 AM IW4AJR Loris <lorisbollina@...> ha scritto: On Thu, Oct 29, 2020 at 07:30 AM, Raj vu2zap wrote: |
Re: uBITX ... AGC or AVC?
IW4AJR Loris
On Thu, Oct 29, 2020 at 07:30 AM, Raj vu2zap wrote:
Try something else.. WOW !!! I had never thought about it ! it's almost brilliant! with a little time, as soon as the job allows me, I could try!
Thanks Raj ... it's as simple as it is brilliant!
73 de IW4AJR Loris |
IW4AJR Loris
On Thu, Oct 29, 2020 at 03:33 AM, Dean Souleles wrote:
The LED solutions ... Hi Dean
all beautiful and interesting but, if your purpose is also partially commercial, you could save a lot of money on the circuit by using only one chip (eg AD8307 or NE604) taking the RF signal in Medium Frequency and obtaining a reading consistent with the ?V in the antenna! !!! look at my post for the old CA3089 (sadly now obsolete) ... replace it with an integrated in production and "that's all folks" ... it's easier than you think!
Let's stop being poor HAM ... electronics, telecommunications and practice can be learned, it is our ITU service, just is necessary a lot of patience, a lot of passion and a great desire to learn !!! we are OM, technicians and experimenters !!! not users of screwdrivers !!!!
The alternative is to lose our privileges and see disappear in the future in "Amateur Radio service"!
Greetings to all ... Loris IW4AJR |
Re: uBITX ... AGC or AVC?
Please post the circuit diagram also with your suggestions, that will helpful to us. VU2TDD , Biju On Thu, 29 Oct 2020, 12:00 Raj vu2zap, <rajendrakumargg@...> wrote:
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