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zBit thoughts
3
I know the zBit hasn't been delivered yet. From what little firm information we have, it looks as if this radio would make an excellent unit as a tunable IF to work into a transverter for operation on frequencies above 30 Mhz. I won't be doing this with mine, but it's a thought. One thing I do want to do when I get mine is to install a couple of PDF files that I have prepared as databases for DX work. Those of us who work the satellites might want to install GPREDICT. This is a tracking program, and it is available for Linux. I don't know if it is available for the Pi, but it is for Intel/AMD CPUs. These thoughts might also be good for the sBit. Gerry Sherman Sent by the Windows 11 Thunderbird
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Hello, we don't even know when it will start shipping, and we all want to rewrite the design from scratch. I'm in, too. Do you think it would be possible to change the raspberry for another more powerful board? Would it be worth it? Could it be to play with Freedv with more guarantees of success? Would it be compatible with the PI pico's screen management? Would everything have to be recompiled or would it work directly on another arm chip? I've seen this board (RADXA) that offers more memory, and more processor speed, and also USB-c connectors.
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uBITX v6 Alignment Question
4
Now that the audio issue has been fixed, I proceeded with alignment of BFO and Frequency. For the most part, after viewing multiple videos, I did the alignment mostly by ear. It sounds good, and frequency appears to be spot on. On air reports are fine, both SSB and CW. However, if I am on the Noon-Time-Net (NTN) 7,284 LSB, I notice if I go to USB there is no change in the audio. Sounds just as clear as when in LSB. If I use CW to check into the NTN, dial set at 7,283.30, same thing. No change in the audio on either USB or LSB setting. Is that normal for this radio? No other radio I own acts like this, thus the question. Thanks, 73 Richard AG5M
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The sBitx disk image - too big for certain (theoretically) 32GB SD cards
8
I wanted to install the sBitx software to another SD card to have a backup. I downloaded it from https://drive.google.com/file/d/1T0cUdQjLZ-0lBFqwywaNBh3rToGb4UJ3/view?usp=drive_link (as described in https://www.sbitx.net/ ). However, an attempt to do on my laptop (in your case instead of mmcblk0 you may need to use sdX where X is another character): dd if=sBitx_3.21.img of=/dev/mmcblkp0 bs=4M resulted in interrupted writing due to lack of space on the SD card. So I had to reorganize the image. Please remember that the procedure describe below involves running potentially dangerous commands as root. Be sure, that you don't run them with incorrect device name. Otherwise, you may destroy the filesystem on your workstation or laptop. You do it on your own risk. I hope that I have not mistaken in the description below, but I don't give you any warranty. You must understand what are you doing. As root I have mounted the image: losetup -P -f ./sBitx_3.21.img I have checked which loop devices where assigned to it: losetup -a In my case it was: /dev/loop0: [64770]:61762171 (/home/wzab/sBitx/sBitx_3.21.img) I have verified that the partitions were detected: ls /dev/loop0* /dev/loop0 /dev/loop0p1 /dev/loop0p2 I have resized the the filesystem on the second partition of the image (in your case another loop device may be used, see results of the previous step): resize2fs /dev/loop0p2 20G resize2fs 1.47.2 (1-Jan-2025) Please run 'e2fsck -f /dev/loop0p2' first. The first attempt failed, so I ran the suggested command: e2fsck -f /dev/loop0p2 [...] rootfs: 269323/1933312 files (0.1% non-contiguous), 2387299/7725184 blocks An additional advantage was that I learned how big the filesystem is: 2387299 4KiB blocks (9778376704 bytes). After its successful completion I ran resize2fs again: resize2fs /dev/loop0p2 20G resize2fs 1.47.2 (1-Jan-2025) Resizing the filesystem on /dev/loop0p2 to 5242880 (4k) blocks. I checked the size of all partitions in my image: fdisk -l /dev/loop0 Disk /dev/loop0: 29.72 GiB, 31914983424 bytes, 62333952 sectors Units: sectors of 1 * 512 = 512 bytes Sector size (logical/physical): 512 bytes / 512 bytes I/O size (minimum/optimal): 512 bytes / 512 bytes Disklabel type: dos Disk identifier: 0xf8f9cbd4 Device Boot Start End Sectors Size Id Type /dev/loop0p1 8192 532479 524288 256M c W95 FAT32 (LBA) /dev/loop0p2 532480 62333951 61801472 29.5G 83 Linux So I need to add 256 MB for VFAT partition. To be safe, I resize the image to 21 GB: losetup -d loop0 truncate sBitx_3.21.img --size 21G fdisk sBitx_3.21.img In the fdisk I used p command to print the partitions: fdisk ./sBitx_3.21.img Welcome to fdisk (util-linux 2.40.4). Changes will remain in memory only, until you decide to write them. Be careful before using the write command. Command (m for help): p Disk ./sBitx_3.21.img: 21 GiB, 22548578304 bytes, 44040192 sectors Units: sectors of 1 * 512 = 512 bytes Sector size (logical/physical): 512 bytes / 512 bytes I/O size (minimum/optimal): 512 bytes / 512 bytes Disklabel type: dos Disk identifier: 0xf8f9cbd4 Device Boot Start End Sectors Size Id Type ./sBitx_3.21.img1 8192 532479 524288 256M c W95 FAT32 (LBA) ./sBitx_3.21.img2 532480 62333951 61801472 29.5G 83 Linux It is clear that the second partition spans outside the image (sector 61801472, while 44040192 sectors are available) I correct the partition table. I write somewhere the start sector of partition 2. Then I delete the 2nd partition by pressing "d" and "2" Command (m for help): d Partition number (1,2, default 2): 2 Partition 2 has been deleted. Then I recreate the second partition, by pressing "n", "p" and "2": Command (m for help): n Partition type p primary (1 primary, 0 extended, 3 free) e extended (container for logical partitions) Select (default p): p Partition number (2-4, default 2): 2 First sector (2048-44040191, default 2048): 532480 Last sector, +/-sectors or +/-size{K,M,G,T,P} (532480-44040191, default 44040191): Created a new partition 2 of type 'Linux' and of size 20.7 GiB. Partition #2 contains a ext4 signature. Do you want to remove the signature
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First efforts at mechanical mounting
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Compiling sBitx in 64 bit image
4
OK, Mr. clueless here. I tried the .\build sbitx On the new image with 64 bit operating system and it didn’t work. Something about missing make file. I know I could probably figure this out, but somebody probably knows the answer right off the bat. What do we have to do in order I’ll the new 64 bit version on the 64 bit image that was so kindly provide provided?? I must be missing something. Now that I have it running, and I have upgraded the hardware on my 2nd sBitx, I want to start tinkering with software things again!! (Full report on the hardware upgrade coming soon. It went way better than expected. I found easier ways to do things.) gordon kx4z
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Hi, Due to the problems with non-standard callsigns, I have decided to use wsjtx. I have updated sbitx with the `update` script. I start it via VNC. I installed tigervnc on my sBitx I log in to my sBitx via: `ssh pi@... -L5907:localhost:5907` In another console on PC I run: `vncviewer :7` Then in the vnc session in a terminal I run:`killall sbitx; cd ~/sbitx; sleep 1; ./sbitx` In another console I run `export DISPLAY=:7 ; wsjtx` The wsjtx is configured as described here: https://www.sbitx.net/index.php/using-third-party-softwaremodems/ I set Digital mode in the sbitx and FT8 in wsjtx. The result is that I can see the received FT8 messages, I can transmit, but the power is limited to 2W (as reported by sbitx). I can control the power with the slider in the wsjtx window. The power is proportional to the slider position, but the upper position gives 2W. When running only the original sbitx application, I can control power up to 20W and higher. What is the reason of that problem and how can I cure it? 73, Wojtek
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Trying to update firmware in ubitx6.1
6
#v6
i am trying to upload reedsbn firmware in my ubitx 6.1. i got below error messages in arduino ide. ''Arduino: 1.8.9 (Windows 10), Board: "Arduino Nano, ATmega328P (Old Bootloader)" Sketch uses 30558 bytes (99%) of program storage space. Maximum is 30720 bytes. Global variables use 815 bytes (39%) of dynamic memory, leaving 1233 bytes for local variables. Maximum is 2048 bytes. avrdude: stk500_recv(): programmer is not responding avrdude: stk500_getsync() attempt 1 of 10: not in sync: resp=0x94 avrdude: stk500_recv(): programmer is not responding avrdude: stk500_getsync() attempt 2 of 10: not in sync: resp=0x94 avrdude: stk500_recv(): programmer is not responding avrdude: stk500_getsync() attempt 3 of 10: not in sync: resp=0x94 avrdude: stk500_recv(): programmer is not responding avrdude: stk500_getsync() attempt 4 of 10: not in sync: resp=0x94 avrdude: stk500_recv(): programmer is not responding avrdude: stk500_getsync() attempt 5 of 10: not in sync: resp=0x94 avrdude: stk500_recv(): programmer is not responding avrdude: stk500_getsync() attempt 6 of 10: not in sync: resp=0x94 avrdude: stk500_recv(): programmer is not responding avrdude: stk500_getsync() attempt 7 of 10: not in sync: resp=0x94 avrdude: stk500_recv(): programmer is not responding avrdude: stk500_getsync() attempt 8 of 10: not in sync: resp=0x94 avrdude: stk500_recv(): programmer is not responding avrdude: stk500_getsync() attempt 9 of 10: not in sync: resp=0x94 avrdude: stk500_recv(): programmer is not responding avrdude: stk500_getsync() attempt 10 of 10: not in sync: resp=0x94 Problem uploading to board. See http://www.arduino.cc/en/Guide/Troubleshooting#upload for suggestions. This report would have more information with "Show verbose output during compilation" option enabled in File -> Preferences.''
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I appreciate everyone who were helping me troubleshoot my uBITX V6 with low audio before Christmas. I've since been gone spending time with the grand-kiddies. Now going to get back to this. I compiled all the previous dialog and suggestions into one WORD document attached. I'll be going back going over all that was suggested. Checking voltages, resistances, etc. I noticed in one suggestion - "Before you continue trying to align it, the first thing to do is to connect an external audio amplifier to TP20 and ground and see whether it makes a difference and continue using it to see whether the fault reappears. If it works and continues to work then the fault could be in the audio chain." This morning I put my external audio amplifier at TP20. Nothing, no audio from the external amp. And as I mentioned earlier, I do hear the sidetone in the speaker, and it is LOUD! Really loud, cannot use headphones on CW, hurt these old ears. Also this morning, I used the radio to check into the Noon-Time-Net with both CW and SSB. No problems, good reports. So we know TX is apparently working OK. Frequency is a bit off but I can get that later if and when the audio issue is solved. So, in light of not having any audio from TP20 into the external amp, does that tell you something on where to go next? I'm about to drag out the O'Scope, signal tracer, RF generator, blow up the schematic, do some serious studying. Got to clean off this workbench. Thank you all. Take care... 73, Richard AG5M
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Chirpy audio in ubitx6.1
5
#bfo
#ubitxv6
#v6
The attached is Rx audio of my ubitx v6.1. Audio is too chirpy and unpleasant to hear. But Tx audio is good as per other hams reports. I tried several bfo adjustments. Anyone help me to rectify the issue. Rx video clip - https://youtu.be/uBxOyW7ejEI
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uBITX v6 Low Audio - Back at it again - FIXED
2
Hello all, and thank you for helping me getting my uBITX V6 up and running again. I replaced C30 this morning and I now have audio. Next will be alignment, BFO, and the frequency display is off. So I'll tackle that soon and if I run into problems I'll start a new thread. Thanks again to all and Evan for sending me some new parts. You guys are the greatest. 73, Richard AG5M On Friday, February 28, 2025 at 02:53:06 PM PST, Richard AG5M via groups.io <ag5m@...> wrote: Unknown. I heated the end closer to the back of the PCB, and the cap fell right off the board, with a end still on the PCB. A check of the cap shows it is open, not surprising with the end missing. Anyway, I found a 0.1uF cap in the junk box, just a tad too big, Hi Hi, to put in on the board, but connecting it to the board gives me LOTS of audio again. When replaced with an appropriate cap I'll be back in business. Then to calibrate the BFO, frequency, etc. And have it on the air again. 73, Richard AG5M On Friday, February 28, 2025 at 02:25:59 PM PST, tomekdm sp7etd via groups.io <tomekdm@...> wrote: Interesting why it cracked/failed... due to mechanical stress, like bent of PCB... temperature shock... or was it already bad since new...
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Simple12m TRX QRPp DSB
I built a new trx ...12m DSB ft8. https://www.qsl.net/py2ohh/trx/12mft8trx/12mft8trx.html It is a simple TRX using one TA7358 and 7 x 2N2222 ... 800mW . 73 de py2ohh miguel
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Hello everyone, I realize I'm late to the topic, but after a course by the ARI Parma association on the uBITX V5, I wanted to try my hand at designing a single-sided PCB for the receiver part only using Kicad and TH components. I actually created two versions, the first educational, with well-spaced components and the second more compact and more suitable for being placed in a container. Both involve the use of Raduino and the low frequency part, separately. I also created the PCB for these two modules. I'll make them available in case anyone wants to create the RX part only and suggestions are welcome. Soon, I hope to be able to create the TX part too. Thank you and 73 de IU7SUX /g/BITX20/files/IU7SUX
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I have a new sBitxV3 board only. Everything is working except the Mic input. I started experimenting with some microphone I had and the recorded transmission has lots of noise and very low audio. I measure 2.1v on mic input tip. I think it should be 5v. Can anyone guide me as to what the issue may be and where I should look. Here are my measurements/ calculations.
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I've been using my sBitx v3 for one and a half months and am pretty happy with it. However, I noticed strange behavior. When I try to start QSO with a station that uses nonstandard callsign (e.g., longer than usual or prefixed or suffixed with something), its callsign is displayed as <...>. The same "<...>" is output to the log. This form seems to be used even in responses, so the recipient does not accept them, and the QSO gets broken. Up to now, I'm simply limiting my QSOs to the stations with standard callsigns. However, spring and summer approach, and I hope to use my site v3 in SOTA and POTA activities or use it during my holidays abroad. In those cases, my callsign will need to be suffixed (e.g., with "/P") or prefixed (e.g., with "OE/" when in ?sterreich). Is my sBitx v3 going to handle that situation properly, or I won't be able to make any QSO? How can I fix that issue? 73, Wojtek SP5DAA
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zbitz changes
17
Farhan might I ask whi the pico and not just add a pc8575 or pc8574 i2c gpio expander into the mix if you need more gpio. I think the z2w over pico w is alot better and mre power performance.
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I hate starting a new thread for this, however, I think it will be easier to contain Q&A, feedback, and update announcements in a single area.. History: When I first used my sBitx, I noticed it was missing some features that I was used to on my other transceivers, such as direct frequency entry, memory bank access, and remote rig control options for mode, bandwidth, AGC, etc. I quickly learned that the sBitx software doesn't fully support standard third-party, remote rig control applications. I searched for an existing app to add these features but found none available for the sBitx. This left me with limited options, such as developing web control interface or using telnet commands. As a result, I took on the project of developing my own application, sBITX Manager. I was pleased with how it turned out, and that inspired me to develop more apps. Along the way, I got a lot of helpful feedback from the sBitx community, and that led me to develop even more apps to make their experience better. But as the number of apps grew, so did the complexity – more things to install, more commands to remember, more repositories, and more things to keep updated. It was time to streamline and simplify the way that sBitx owners interact with my applications, so sBITX Toolbox was born. Here are some challenges that I sought out to conquer. Centralized Access: The toolbox will serve as a single point of entry for all the apps that have been developed. This means you won't have to search for individual apps, manually install, or manage multiple shortcuts. Everything will be readily accessible in one place. Ease of Use: Adding, removing, and launching applications will become more straightforward. The launcher will provide an intuitive interface where you can easily add, select, and use any of the apps without navigating through complex menus or file structures. Improved Organization: With a growing number of applications, it becomes essential to keep them well-organized. The launcher will offer features like improved touchscreen compatibility and possibly even customization, allowing you to manage the apps in a way that suits your needs. Seamless Updates and Maintenance: Integrating all apps into a single launcher will make it easier to roll out updates and maintenance patches. You will benefit from a more consistent and reliable experience. Feedback and Evolution: As with all my applications, community feedback will be beneficial in advancing the toolbox. Its design and functionality will evolve based on what I and the sBitx community find most helpful and efficient in managing and using the apps. All of my other repositories have been taken down to focus on sBITX Toolbox. This new repository contains an extensive user guide, release notes, and version validation. I've also included an uninstaller to remove the previous apps that I developed. The Windows version of sBITX Manager and sBITX Scanner are now contained here as well. Feel free to try it out and let me know what you think. https://github.com/drexjj/sBITX-toolbox - JJ
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zbitx update, shipping, pico, et al
16
Hello all, At the risk of sounding lame, here is why we haven't yet shipped last week. First, the radios are all tested and ready to ship. We ran into a problem with the Pico, Let me explain this. Get a coffee and sit down... BEFORE: The original zbitx had just a small crummy OLED display. The idea was that you read an IP address shown on the OLED display and type it into your phone/tab/pc and use it as a remote head from your favourite device. That continues to happen. However, if you have seen the pictures of the zbitx, we have also added a 3.5 inch TFT LCD display to the radio. This is a 480x320 TFT touch display. It is not as common as the 320x240 display that is used in uBitx, it is half the resolution of the standard sbitx v3.We insisted on this display as FT8 needs at least 10 lines of decodes to be useful. There was a shortage of these from January onwards, we started getting them only by February last week. These are apparently commonly used in ebikes and they got wiped out in the Christmas sales. THEN: The Raspberry Zero 2, that powers the zbitx (zero bitx because of the RPI zero in it), can't handle this display as the GPIO pins on it are all used up. Hence, the zbitx sports a new microcontroller, the Raspberry Pico W (with Wifi and Bluetooth on it!) that handles the front panel. This offloads the user interface to this microcontroller that handles the 3.5 inch TFT display. The two talk to each other over the I2C bus (Pi is the master, Pico is the slave). NOW: Future updates to the front panel (like moving the comms between the zbitx and the front-panel to bluetooth or even wifi to make it a remote head) will need a way to update the firmware to the Pico. It is usually done with an Arduino IDE running on a computer with micro USB cable from the PC to the Pico. That is the easy part. The hard part was that getting the Arduino going on a PC, installing the Pico package and then the TFT display libraries is like pulling teeth. There has to be a better way. We realized this last week when I shipped out the Pico firmware to our folks at HF Signals. If they(HF Signals) couldn't get the Arduino IDE setup on their PC within minutes, I was very skeptical and most users of zbitx would. SO, the Plan is ... First, we are shipping the micro USB cables with the radios that will allow the raspberry pi zero to move the latest firmware from zbitx's sbitx folder to the Pico. Second, we are getting a new update script that will copy the latest firmware over from the Pi to the Pico. That is taking this weekend. I took a break from writing it to post this email, I will work through this weekend and hopefully get it shipped to HF Signals in the next 24 hours. I hope this explains the further delay. Thanks for the understanding. We will of course keep the list updated with the progress. 73, f
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I was doing POTA yesterday with the V.5 shown in my avatar, when a caller asked me if I was [intentionally] running double sideband. He was really cool about it and volunteered to send a short video capture of my signal. I've included a still from that. I haven't adjusted anything for at least 2 years and it's spot on frequency, so I'm loathe to change anything too quickly. I also have forgotten or am unaware that any if the VFO or tuning parameters alter the transmit side of things. Again, it's been a while and I shall be re-reading the tuning methodology today. That said, i apparently misinterpreted or missed something before, unless it's a part failure. Would anyone whose good on the earlier models be able to suggest a good methodology for placing all of my RF energy into just one 3kc channel? I'm doing about 20 watts on 40m, so getting the full benefit - and not occupying more space than I need - would be an improvement. Tnx, K3RTA
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Is the anyone running a Xiegu XPA125B with there Sbitx v4.4 with Jeff's QRO board? If so can you give me the "run down" do's/don'ts? Drive power ect ect... The QRO board should be here today ?
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Image Name
Sat 8:39am
Sat 8:39am