Thanks Bill for your reply, yes you were correct I should have fully scrutinised the manual. As my old boss used to say "if in doubt go back and read the instructions". Unforetunatley the rig no longer transmits so I am now trying to find some one locally to help me.
73 Roger G4CGU
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Re: QSX to be shown at FDIM this year?
If you haven't been to one of these conferences, put it on your Bucket List. With possibly one exception, all of the speakers are top-notch, and the list of speakers includes Hans. His talk last year was both entertaining and informative, and I'm sure it will be the same again this year. The only thing that could make it better is a QSX order form! There are plenty of other events that make it fun, too (e.g., Vendor night, show-n-tell, banquet), plus the Dayton Hamvention is about a half-hour away. FDIM is a "two-birds-with-one-stone" item on your Bucket List.
Jack, W8TEE
On Tuesday, April 9, 2019, 8:19:17 AM EDT, SkipF, NT1G <skip.flem@...> wrote:
On Tue, Apr 9, 2019, 6:07 AM John AE5X < ae5x@...> wrote: FDIM would be even better... ;-)
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John AE5X
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I've been doing that successfully for years. No need for even the heat-shrink. Works wonderfully. Here's
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Re: QSX to be shown at Friedrichshafen this year?
One can hope!!
Jack, W8TEE
On Tuesday, April 9, 2019, 6:07:51 AM EDT, John AE5X <ae5x@...> wrote:
FDIM would be even better... ;-)
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John AE5X
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Re: QSX to be shown at Friedrichshafen this year?
FDIM would be even better... ;-)
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John AE5X
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QSX to be shown at Friedrichshafen this year?
Anyone know if QSX might be ready by Friedrichshafen this June 21-23?
<URL:>
eagerly watching every day,
72/73 de Ken N9VV
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?°À³å(¥Ä)³å/?
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Another idea to try:? Invert your thinking.? The switch doesn't have to be the stationary part.? I attached one to the end of a short stick and put some heat shrink tubing around to guide the wire down the stick and make everything nice and neat.? Hold the thing in your hand and tap it on any convenient surface, even your knee!?? However this is for specific circumstances like you are on a tight budget, you are counting grams for a portable SOTA type gig etc.? For portable ops with higher speeds I really like my Porta Paddle made by American Morse Equipment especially for a rig with built in keyer.? It is still pretty light and when strapped to your thigh allows you to operate almost like at home.
On Mon, Apr 8, 2019 at 2:15 PM R. Tyson via Groups.Io <tysons2= [email protected]> wrote: I wanted a small lightweight key for portable use. Ended up using micro switches. These are fixed to a strip of plastic cut from one of those white chopping boards sold cheaply in supermarkets.
The key can be held in one hand and operated with one finger of the other hand. You can sit back comfortably and don't need a flat surface to put a conventional key on. I have had some very nice keys over the years but these are by far the easiest and most comfortable to use. It is easy to send good? morse with these cheap substitutes. Extending the lever part of the micro switch makes it a bit slower to send morse with. What's the normal procedure when conditions are not good ?? Slow down and send good, well spaced and easily read CW, that gives the other guy a sporting chance of copying you. I had a 14 minute CW rag chew recently and, despite poor conditions, the other guy copied everything I sent with my micro switch key. Why not use the one on the QCX board ?
Mine are in diecast aluminium cases so I needed off board keys.?
Here's a couple of photos, make your own variations
?Reg? ? ? G4NFR
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Hi Dennis,
I have seen them before, there are some ex-army keys that look quite similar.
I have had some good straight keys in the past including the Junker key - see photo below.
The little micro switch keys are so simple, so cheap and soooo easy to use. It is much easier to send good CW while sitting comfortably and not needing anything to put it on. One finger does all the work, or you could use a thumb for a change....
Reg? ? G4NFR
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Hi
Your little key is probably lighter than mine. If it works for you then great..
I found this a number of years ago, It was used by Indian rail way workers out on the line doing repairs.
They would climb a pole and hook up a pair of wires so they could telegraph the office. I did not get the sounder that would have been used with the key
Dennis
AG4TD
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I wanted a small lightweight key for portable use. Ended up using micro switches. These are fixed to a strip of plastic cut from one of those white chopping boards sold cheaply in supermarkets.
The key can be held in one hand and operated with one finger of the other hand. You can sit back comfortably and don't need a flat surface to put a conventional key on. I have had some very nice keys over the years but these are by far the easiest and most comfortable to use. It is easy to send good? morse with these cheap substitutes. Extending the lever part of the micro switch makes it a bit slower to send morse with. What's the normal procedure when conditions are not good ?? Slow down and send good, well spaced and easily read CW, that gives the other guy a sporting chance of copying you. I had a 14 minute CW rag chew recently and, despite poor conditions, the other guy copied everything I sent with my micro switch key. Why not use the one on the QCX board ?
Mine are in diecast aluminium cases so I needed off board keys.?
Here's a couple of photos, make your own variations
?Reg? ? ? G4NFR
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Jim, glad to here that You dropped a zero! Otherwise I would have to look for an alternative capacitor. But having a Q of 300 is OK for me, even if I loose some power in it.
73 Axel DF1ET
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Sorry Axel I guess I dropped a zero when I typed 30.? Still a capacitor in the hundreds range is terrible and a good capacitor should be 10 times that or more. The capacitor I use in my magloop has a Q factor of 5000 for example.? Many people use the poor plastic dielectric variables designed for tuning AM transistor radios of the '70s in antenna tuners and are happy making tons of QSO's.? Losing power in your tuner and transmission line does not mean you will not make contacts.? You will, and go ahead and get on the air with whatever you can manage.? As someone pointed out, even if you lost 50% of your transmitted power, your signal would be received 3db down from what it could be, and that is only half an S unit.? If you really get into QRPp and want to start working at 100mw or less, then you start to consider the crazy stuff like those precious milliwatts. Otherwise just go build something and have fun!
Joe ve3vxo
On Sun, Apr 7, 2019 at 12:47 AM, Joe Street wrote:
"polyvaricon" AM tuning capacitors (with a Q factor of about 30! according to W7ZOI's tests)
I worry about this, because using other tuning capacitors than these would be difficult ("big"). I did a search for W7ZOI's test and found this . According to page 19, he measured Q = 540 at 10 MHz and Q = 340 at 6.5 MHz. Can I relax or is a the value of 30 still right?
73 Axel DF1ET
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George, try the Elecraft W1 watt/SWR meter kit.? Very neat design and measures down to about a tenth of a watt.? Also provides a neat light show in operation.
Somewhat pricey but a very neat kit.? A see-through acrylic enclosure is available online.
73, Jim KM5M
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Re: QSX - antenna work in the rain
he he, guilty as charged.
But, the rain of the century here? finally stopped a week or so ago, so most signals from the GADS! are now somewhat dry.
Recent N4QA RBN spots, to the untrained eye, might seem to be from single- or multi-band radio(s) designed for those bands.
In reality, though, many were from the QCX-17, operating on the 17, 20 and 30m bands.
And, RBN doesn't show the WWV & WWVH etc sigs heard on the QCX-80, so I must report those here :0)
Good luck with your new killer antenna !
72 / 73,
Bill, N4QA
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Re: QSX - antenna work in the rain
Hi Bill,
You are right but I am not brave enough - or is that not foolish enough :)
I just went out in a misting rain and deployed 100 feet of green THHN up and over the top of the tree. I was suddenly inspired to go and get another 100 foot roll and deploy all that wire as a delta loop. I have some convenient places to anchor the lower corners. If that won't get out to somewhere I will be selling my radios and shopping for stamps or something. Or maybe get that 100 watt Kenwood down off the shelf <heaven help us>.
Speaking of storms and rain are you the guy that uses the GADS antenna? I am going to put you in my stalking machine, aka RBN.
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On 4/8/19 9:42 AM, n4qa at_hotmail.com wrote: Hi there, same name.
Fancy meeting you here.
Bill, shouldn't antenna erecting be done while stark naked in a roaring thunderstorm?
Better wait until after dark though!
72 / 73,
Bill, N4QA
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bark less - wag more
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Re: QSX - antenna work in the rain
Hi there, same name.
Fancy meeting you here.
Bill, shouldn't antenna erecting be done while stark naked in a roaring thunderstorm?
Better wait until after dark though!
72 / 73,
Bill, N4QA
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Re: QSX - antenna work in the rain
Hi,
I think putting up antennas under severe thunderstorms would give the best results. I am not brave enough (foolish enough?) to try that. It looks like it will rain in a little while. I am waiting for that and then I'll haul the antenna up <evil grin>.
By the way, I am waiting for an order from QRP Labs to be delivered and watching for the QSX so I can order one.
73,
Bill KU8H
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On 4/8/19 9:00 AM, Joe Street wrote: canadian wisdom says freezing rain is best.
On Mon, Apr 8, 2019 at 3:14 AM Ronan Cantwell <ronancantwell@... <mailto:ronancantwell@...>> wrote:
Ideally this work should be carried out later in the evening in
failing light to ensure maximum inverse-adverse law effects.
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bark less - wag more
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Re: QSX - antenna work in the rain
canadian wisdom says freezing rain is best.
Ideally this work should be carried out later in the evening in failing light to ensure maximum inverse-adverse law effects.
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An even simpler method for going "...where no man has gone before"...ok, few men...outside the design band of your QCX
Just read the QCX assembly manual, section 4.9 Frequency Presets.
The manual which I have is Rev 1.11, and it's on page 75.
Have fun !
72 / 73,
Bill, N4QA
ps
'Mr 72' is Oleg Borodin, RX3G ( formerly, RV3GM )
who says that 72 means "Wishing you good QRP:"
See:
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jjpurdum
Don, ND6T