Re: QLG1- how many devices will it drive
Hi Don
All QRP Labs kits only listen to the GPS, they do not talk back. You can put several in parallel. There isn't any official; "fan-out" number... it will depend on cable lengths and types to a great extent. I think within reason, multiple devices are fine. The input resistances are high. The speeds are slow (9600 baud serial). Theoretically the 1pps pulse should have sharp edges and long cables will deteriorate that - but all the kits have averaging built in to their GPS frequency discipline, so even this is not so much of an issue. I have had 5 connected here to my QLG1, without any noticeable degradation in performance.?
73 Hans G0UPL
On Sun, Jan 21, 2018 at 10:10 PM, kc1at via Groups.Io <kc1at@...> wrote: The GPS module works great on my Ultimate 3S....just got to get an antenna up.
Just ordered a VFO/SIGGEN and a triple GPS-disciplined programmable crystal which will need a GPS signal.
Question is how many devices can the QLG1 drive (whats the fan out number ) ????
73
don
?
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QLG1- how many devices will it drive
The GPS module works great on my Ultimate 3S....just got to get an antenna up.
Just ordered a VFO/SIGGEN and a triple GPS-disciplined programmable crystal which will need a GPS signal.
Question is how many devices can the QLG1 drive (whats the fan out number ) ????
73
don
?
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Re: QCX WSPR transmit - not clean output
On 22/01/2018 9:30 AM, Victor Nagoryanskii wrote:
... Applying
attenuator and reducing RF gain on the IC7300 I can get a signal
level as low as S5, but they are still there. So it's not a
overloading of receiver.
... but, Victor, it could possibly be the 'computer/soundcard' side
of the RX chain rather than your radio receiver.?
Looking at the lower 'Spectrum' graph of WSJT-X in the WSPR-1.png
indicates that something is well over driven in the soundcard or
software side of the system.? What does the WSJT-X signal 'level'
bar graph at the lower left of the WSJT-X screen indicate when the
QCX is transmitting?? It may even be in the USB codec sound output
of your IC-7300 if it has that feature and it is what you are
using.? How many live WSPR signals do you see from other stations
are S5 and pushing the WSJT-X 'Spectrum' graph over the top??? Try
using a temporary 'clip lead' antenna for testing purposes to get
the signal strength from the QCX down so the S-meter is not lifting
and the main WSPR signal is not over the top on the WSJT-X
'Spectrum' graph, and see what happens.
73, Bob? ZL1RS
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Re: QCX WSPR transmit - not clean output
Hi Hans,
Thanks for such detailed response!
Based on what's been said I can conclude that multiple spots does not correlate with spurious signals I see on local receiver.
I'm curious now to find out the nature of those spurs spaced 50 Hz. Powering up QCX with a battery didn't change the picture. Applying attenuator and reducing RF gain on the IC7300 I can get a signal level as low as S5, but they are still there. So it's not a overloading of receiver. I'll post update here if I find it out.?
Kind Regards,
Victor, PA8MM
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Re: QCX WSPR transmit - not clean output
In the case of "wspr reports.png" ... there are also a few WSPR
stations who have stated that they are running multiple receivers on
the same band with different antennas, VE6JY may be one of them.
73, Bob? ZL1RS
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Thanks Alan,
I understand now what is going on! I must have missed that part of the manual but that makes sense. I am currently testing the QCX on WSPR with the GPS and am getting a good number of spots.
On CW I will remove the GPS.
Patrick, M0AFZ
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Hi Patrick,
What mode are you in? as this sets how the QCX uses the keying
lines / GPS interface.
Does it permanent transmit like key down
in? the Alignment menu options that involve the GPS?
cut and pasted from what Han's has already said on the subject:-
?the QLG1 1pps and Serial data are
connected to the same microcontroller input pins as the key (dit
and dah inputs). There isn't any alternative but for the QCX to
interpret information on the key input as keying... it doesn't
know if there is a real key connected, or a GPS. If you set
parameter "6.1 Beacon" to ON then you enable the beacon.
Thereafter the QCX interprets everything on the dit/dah inputs
as GPS 1pps and Serial data. Even if you power up, if you have
"6.1 Beacon" ON then it will start up in beacon mode.
So basically, on those two inputs (dit and dah), the QCX will
interpret input signals as GPS only when it is in Beacon mode or
in the Alignment menu options that involve the GPS; otherwise
the inputs are interpreted as dit/dah paddle inputs.
One idea is to wire up a 3.5mm stereo plug so that you can
easily swap between a paddle and the GPS, when you want to use
the QCX as a CW transceiver, and when you want to use it as a
WSPR transmitter.
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I have just
completed my second QCX and have successfully installed it in the
QRP labs enclosure, following Greg's (W3NW) advice which is on the
QRP labs website. With a smaller R36 pot it all fits perfectly.
Everything tuned up well and the unit is working as it should on
20m. However, when adding the GPS - SKM52 module it goes into
permanent transmit like key down. My other QCX uses the same SKM52
and works without any problem. The GPS is correctly wired, and is
receiving satellites at good signal strength. I am at a loss as to
why this might be happening. Any advice or hints from this
knowledgeable? group?
Patrick M0AFZ
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Wsjtx on raspberry pi success
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Subject: Wsjtx v1.8.0 on raspberry pi version 1 model B success
I have finally coaxed my Raspi ver 1 model B to run wsjtx v1.8.0. In the end I used a combination of different solutions and a lot of patience!!!
Several important main tricks;
1) load the latest Raspbian onto a formatted blank sd card,
2) download the Raspbian .armf version from the k1jt web page, NOT the ¡®......trusty main¡¯ version found in the Raspi repository.
3) load the ¡®portaudio¡¯ files from the Raspi repository to get wsjtx to recognise the usb soundcard.
I VNC via WiFi into the ?Raspi to start wsjtx, then disconnect hdmi, keyboard, mouse leads and run from 7805 regulated psu to reduce rx noise from S9+++ to S4.
For bandhopping using my multi band U3S Rx, I fool wsjtx to hop in a 160m to 10m sequence by selecting ¡®Radio¡¯ mRsVNA, and fitting a prolific usb to ra232 adaptor lead with nothing connected at the rs232 end. The U3S Rx set to hop in the same sequence as wsjtx.
If I leave VNC connected, the Raspi crashes after a while, so I disconnect and leave the raspi to run alone and just VNC in when I want to see what is happening, or look on the wspr log website of course.
So many thanks to Mike and Jeff without whose help I would not have worked all this out.
73 Ken G4APB
Sent from my iPad
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Re: QCX WSPR transmit - not clean output
Hi Victor?
There are two different observations here. Most likely neither of them are actual problems.
1. You observed that some stations copy your transmission multiple times in the same transmission slot. In the example you provided, you show VE6JY receiving you three times. The frequencies are: 14.097063, 14.097070 and 14.097070 Note that two of these reports are the same frequency. The other is only 7Hz away.
Your subsequent experiment at home shows spurious signals in your receiver, spaced evenly every 50Hz. Therefore, this is NOT observing the same thing as the multiple reports by VE6JY.
I think that VE6JY's multiple copies may be ghosts generated by his own decoder. The popular K9AN decoder included in current WSPR software is quite "aggressive". It does multiple passes through the recorded signal. In the second pass it subtracts signals it decoded in the first pass, which allows it to sometimes receive other weaker signals that were received on a similar frequency and overlapping the first transmission. That's the only explanation I can think of for having two reports on the same frequency. Somehow the multiple passes of the decoder must have decoded you multiple times.?
I'm not sure what could explain the 7Hz shifted signal but one plausible explanation might be ionospheric Doppler shift. Signals can arrive by two paths and if one is reflected from an ionospheric layer whose height is rapidly changing, that gives rise to a Doppler shift. These things were more commonly seen in the days when we were pouring over QRSS screenshots rather than watching the WSPR log ;-)? ?Ionopheric effects like this can occur most likely at sunrise/sunset. I note that in your case at 1028Z sunrise would be occurring somewhere along the path between you and VE6JY.
So I think on the evidence you presented, these multiple reports are not likely to be actual transmitted signals from your QCX, which is probably correctly sending only one signal without close-in spurious outputs.
2. Your local copy shows multiple signals spaced 50Hz. These come somehow from the mains line frequency.?
In many cases this is just overload of your receiver, caused by the very strong local signal... it commonly causes these kind of 50Hz spurious signals. The cause can also be ground loops in the audio between your receiver and your transmitter. You can get 50Hz signals easily interfering with the RF in your antenna system too.
In some cases the 50Hz sidebands could actually be real, on your transmitted signal. If be very surprised if they were strong enough for VE6JY to copy, or any other station except one quite local to you. The 50Hz sidebands are likely to be inflicted by 50Hz ripple on your power supply. Using a better power supply filter will reduce them. You can try for example, adding a large electrolytic capacitor e.g. 2200uF, at the power supply to the kit.
73 Hans G0UPL? ?
On Jan 21, 2018 16:05, "Victor Nagoryanskii" < nagoryanskii@...> wrote: Bill, Alan,
Thanks for reply.
Indeed, I don't see double/triple spots from every reporter, just very few of them.
Also I'll try to use a battery pack instead of PSU? and see if spectrum change.
Cheers,
Victor, PA8MM
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Built the QCX and OLG1, under 8.13 GPS data would get A and then dashes, sometimes t and s, rarely for a moment f but never any 3D or 2D fix. At night, 3rd floor of a wood frame rural house, plasma tv and all the fluorescent and led lights off, regulated (not switching) power supply, robust shielded 8 foot four conductor cable, shield grounded just at the OCX end and with four hours to warm up stabilize and find satellites. Not sure it was right. Plus when I QCX 8.11 and 8.12 cal¡¯d the oscillators repeatedly the correction values did not seem consistent and seemed to jitter around quite a bit. Not what I would expect for calibration to within less than a hertz accuracy unless the crystals are jittering that much within seconds.?
So I built my Si5351a VFO/Signal Generator kit, and built the Si5351A Synthesizer Module with the TCXO Option. The reference frequency does not seem rock stable and I tried altering the ¡°Corr. threshold¡± but now each of the digits can only be set to zero or one, no way to get back to 050.
So I went back to the QCX, turned on Beacon and ran WSPR. It knew the time and seems it already knew my 4-character Maidenhead square. So it is working.
Why under QCX 8.13 GPS data does it not want to talk to me? And
with the VFO why can¡¯t I get back to 050 Corr. threshold?
Thanks much
jerry aa1of
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I do not have any help for you but my QCX has the exact same symptoms so please post the fix when you discover it.
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Re: another new QCX - no alignment freq shown?
#qcx
All good.
Glad it was something simple, but not logical.
best regards Alan
On 21/01/2018 17:19, dave dabay wrote:
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Just to close this out, I am all set¡the master reset allowed me
to start the alignment over and dead bands last afternoon left me
wondering.
20 meters was rather active this morning and I could
hear numerous stations and all is well.
thanks for the help, and a special thanks to Hans
for an awesome rig, and spectacular manual.
bests
On Jan 20, 2018, at 2:29 PM, dave dabay < kd3pc@...> wrote:
20
meters at 3.70
On Jan 20, 2018, at 2:26 PM, Alan de
G1FXB via Groups.Io < g1fxb@...>
wrote:
What band information did you
enter at FIRST POWER UP when it asked at
alignment section 3.70?
(I thought this pre-enters the
frequency dependant base settings in
subsequent steps? )
Alan
On 20/01/2018
20:11, dave dabay wrote:
Just finished the assembly and only
got to 8.1 and I don't see a Freq in the
display, it is all zeros.
What have I missed in the manual, or where
to start looking for the culprit.? The good
news it has not let the smoke out yet.
you can reach me at kd3pc AT or
here
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Re: QCX finished - problems with receiver alignment
Thanks to both Alans for responding to my previous post!
Yes, there was a typo in the first post. I corrected it later not understanding the consequences.
I have had the first QSO with my QCX while it was still sitting on the bench in a rats nest of cables and test leads.
Very pleased!
73 Heinz, OE5EEP
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Re: another new QCX - no alignment freq shown?
#qcx
Just to close this out, I am all set¡the master reset allowed me to start the alignment over and dead bands last afternoon left me wondering.
20 meters was rather active this morning and I could hear numerous stations and all is well.
thanks for the help, and a special thanks to Hans for an awesome rig, and spectacular manual.
bests
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On Jan 20, 2018, at 2:29 PM, dave dabay < kd3pc@...> wrote:
20 meters at 3.70
On Jan 20, 2018, at 2:26 PM, Alan de G1FXB via Groups.Io < g1fxb@...> wrote:
What band information did you enter at FIRST POWER UP when it
asked at alignment section 3.70?
(I thought this pre-enters the frequency dependant base settings
in subsequent steps? )
Alan
On 20/01/2018 20:11, dave dabay wrote:
Just finished the
assembly and only got to 8.1 and I don't see a Freq in the
display, it is all zeros.
What have I missed in the manual, or where to start looking for
the culprit.? The good news it has not let the smoke out yet.
you can reach me at kd3pc AT or here
|
Re: QCX finished - problems with receiver alignment
the rota just said Alan is covering today's 'customer support' shift,
?it didn't say which one.... ! I did not know what was wrong with the receiver but I just wanted to show I could spwell alignment. Alan G4ZFQ
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Re: QCX finished - problems with receiver alignment
and somebody needs to correct my many typo's and missing letters..... :-[
the rota just said Alan is covering today's 'customer support' shift,
?it didn't say which one.... !
regards....
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On 21/01/2018 16:24, Alan G4ZFQ wrote:
?Heinz
PS: Why did my previous post not appear as a follow-up to Alans earlier post in the same tread?
You changed the Topic by correcting a typo in the first Subject line.
73 Alan G4ZFQ
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Re: QCX finished - problems with receiver alignment
Heinz PS: Why did my previous post not appear as a follow-up to Alans earlier post in the same tread? You changed the Topic by correcting a typo in the first Subject line. 73 Alan G4ZFQ
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Re: QCX finished - problems with receiver alignment
EASY, when you know where to look !
congratulations another QCX hit's the bands.
Ignore my post just after this :-)
Best regards Alan
On 21/01/2018 16:01, OE5EEP wrote:
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Bingo! I got my
sidetone!
I checked the signal path from the microcontroler pin 15 via R59
3K3 to the wiper of trimmer Pot R27. I resoldered the joint of the
microcontroller pin and have my signal now crisp and clear in the
earphone! It was a perfect looking solder joint before. I do not
know what was bad with it.
I did the receiver adjustment, which seemed to work. I was
surprised that all three adjustments (R27, R24, R17) are quite
broad. Nevertheless, I found a maximum for I-Q balance R27
respectively minima for the later two and I am off to the band
now.?
73 Heinz
PS: Why did my previous post not appear as a follow-up to Alans
earlier post in the same tread??
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Re: QCX finished - problems with receiver alignment
Hello Heinz,
Oh well, it would have being an easy fix.....
Just to confirm, Factory reset, On first power up you correctly
answered the 'what band request, then alignment menu.
(I omitted to bring attention to the band request must be
answered correctly.)
To remind us all of your symptoms.
You have verified TX is correct, and another RX on identical
frequency gives 700Hz CW tone (or close to, as we have tot
attempted to fine tune the 27MHz Si5351 XTAL.)
This should prove CLK2 is present and a majority of the TX and
shared RF components are OK.
(CLK2 is also repurposed when the internal signal generator is
enabled to should also prove the inbuilt test generator is also
working correctly)
If you have access to an oscilloscope check CLK0 & CLK1 which
provide the QSD drive. A dual beam scope should show identical
signals with a 90 phase shift.
Or if you have an bench top frequency counter you can check for
the presence, but not the phase shift of the above.
The inbuilt frequency counter is limited to 8MHz max, so
depending on the band of your TRX may require a lot of tuning knob
spinning, to enable measurement. But is still a useful check if
you do not have another more suitable item.
regards Alan
On 21/01/2018 15:32, OE5EEP wrote:
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Hi Alan,
Thanks for your advice.
- I have used a different 13.8V fixed voltage power supply
instead of my benchtop variable voltage lab supply => no
change
- I did the factory reset => no change
You are right, missing signal from the internal test routine could
result in the symptoms I am seeing. I probably could adjust the
filter with the noise signal, but I fail on subsequent receiver
adjustments for lack of a detectable signal. I will try to feed a
signal from an external signal generator into the antenna jack and
see if I can then adjust the receiver.
73 Heinz?
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Re: QCX finished - problems with receiver alignment
Bingo! I got my sidetone!
I checked the signal path from the microcontroler pin 15 via R59 3K3 to the wiper of trimmer Pot R27. I resoldered the joint of the microcontroller pin and have my signal now crisp and clear in the earphone! It was a perfect looking solder joint before. I do not know what was bad with it.
I did the receiver adjustment, which seemed to work. I was surprised that all three adjustments (R27, R24, R17) are quite broad. Nevertheless, I found a maximum for I-Q balance R27 respectively minima for the later two and I am off to the band now.?
73 Heinz
PS: Why did my previous post not appear as a follow-up to Alans earlier post in the same tread??
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Alan de G1FXB