Hi Ernie,
I'm not sure what times Jim uses Opera, but I'm on 40-meters now, transmitting a beacon periodically.
From: Ernie Hollingsworth <kc4sit@...>
To: [email protected]
Sent: Friday, December 8, 2017 4:33 AM
Subject: Re: [QRPLabs] FT8 for U3?
Jim-
What nights and band/freq are you on ?Opera2? Would like to try to spot you. 73
Ernie KC4SIT Sent from my iPhone On Dec 7, 2017, at 10:12 PM, James Zelazny jr < wtfbsyt@...> wrote: Not sure what your saying.The quote was from my post saying ,why not have FT8 beacon for U3S?
JT9 has fewer spotters as does many other modes that came and gone...so yes,FT8 in the U3S is a good idea since there are more people listening there.
I run my U3S using Opera2 on 40m...not because it is a good idea but because the mode does not require a GPS for timing and the only mode for non GPS.
But there is only a handful of spotters using it.
FT8 shows lots of stations making it a bit more usable for QRP.
I personally think there are enough QSO modes available to now they are consuming the bandwidth with a splattering free for all mess.
QRP folks do not have a chance anymore below 1 watt...sad stuff.
Jim
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Jim-
What nights and band/freq are you on ?Opera2? Would like to try to spot you. 73
Ernie KC4SIT Sent from my iPhone
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On Dec 7, 2017, at 10:12 PM, James Zelazny jr < wtfbsyt@...> wrote: Not sure what your saying.The quote was from my post saying ,why not have FT8 beacon for U3S?
JT9 has fewer spotters as does many other modes that came and gone...so yes,FT8 in the U3S is a good idea since there are more people listening there.
I run my U3S using Opera2 on 40m...not because it is a good idea but because the mode does not require a GPS for timing and the only mode for non GPS.
But there is only a handful of spotters using it.
FT8 shows lots of stations making it a bit more usable for QRP.
I personally think there are enough QSO modes available to now they are consuming the bandwidth with a splattering free for all mess.
QRP folks do not have a chance anymore below 1 watt...sad stuff.
Jim
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Re: IC-10 shorted? And some success
Jan,
I know all about those very tiny lost tracks fiddling with T1. Glad you were able to repair!
Your earphone jack may be shorting to ground (Know issues). Try removing the electrolytic just before the socket and putting in circuit with an external socket. That should prove the fault. I also suspected IC10 but it was much simpler than that :)
73 de Eddie ZS6BNE
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Moving the CW filter center frequency
Hi all!
gentlemens, I want to change the center frequency of the CW filter.
I can not understand whether I need to change menu items 3.8; 4.8; 8.2; 8.3; 8.4??because by default they are made for a frequency of 700 Hz.
if i need to change, what values do i need to set menu items??for example, the filter frequency 500 Hz.
in the manual, nothing is said about this ...
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I don't know if this applies to any kits or just those from this company, but it wouldn't hurt to ask.
Jack, W8TEE
From: Ernie Hollingsworth <kc4sit@...>
To: [email protected]
Sent: Thursday, December 7, 2017 10:51 PM
Subject: [QRPLabs] Kit Building
Does anyone here who builds kits or know of anyone who does?
73 Ernie KC4SIT
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Does anyone here who builds kits or know of anyone who does?
73 Ernie KC4SIT
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Not sure what your saying.The quote was from my post saying ,why not have FT8 beacon for U3S?
JT9 has fewer spotters as does many other modes that came and gone...so yes,FT8 in the U3S is a good idea since there are more people listening there.
I run my U3S using Opera2 on 40m...not because it is a good idea but because the mode does not require a GPS for timing and the only mode for non GPS.
But there is only a handful of spotters using it.
FT8 shows lots of stations making it a bit more usable for QRP.
I personally think there are enough QSO modes available to now they are consuming the bandwidth with a splattering free for all mess.
QRP folks do not have a chance anymore below 1 watt...sad stuff.
Jim
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Hew VA7HU wrote... About 6 of us in the local club are building the 20M
version as a club project. Mine are for 80M and 40M, so I won't have a QCX there, but I could dial my "big rig" down to 5W. We might be a bit close for 20M though. Of course, that's assuming you can send slow enough for me! Just a suggestion... I found it tricky soldering the single pin headers in place. If I was doing it again, I would probably install them right at the beginning when they weren't surrounded by other parts. Sticking the pin in some dense foam might be a way of holding it upright while putting the PCB down over the pin to solder it. I put the male pin header on the LCD display instead of the female connector (a la BITX) so I soldered the female connector on the QCX board. The stand-offs are a bit long. You would think I would have learned from the first one, but if there's a third, I'll sand about 1 mm off the stand-offs before adding the LCD display. That way, the header can just be pushed flush down onto the LCD display for soldering. With the stand-offs a bit long, I ended up pushing the pins a bit further through the plastic part of the header, so the short pins made it only just to the top of the LCD circuit. I used the LCD circuit board to push the male pins down into the connector and then soldered them. Good luck with the club project! -- 73 Keith VE7GDH
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On Wed, Dec 6, 2017 at 11:55 am, James Zelazny jr wrote:
What good is running a QRP beacon if there are no receiving stations to spot it? All I have to do is look on PSKREPORTER and run through the modes to see who is actually there.So far,looking grim except for FT8.
Precisely my point! The more coverage you have, the more it represents the prevailing propagation.? Likewise the faster reporting.
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On Wed, Dec 6, 2017 at 06:02 am, Hans Summers wrote:
Just program a short beacon message, like JT9, JT65, etc. So a FT8 beacon.?I'm not sure how useful that is...
It's useful because there are vastly more people receiving/reporting the FT8 signals and therefore giving a more realistic picture of the prevailing propagation on PSKR and other sites.? Fast or not, if the beacon's signal's received, it's reported.? That's all that matters. You're learning nothing about that when only two people in North America are using some moribund mode...like JT9 has become and JT65 is very rapidly becoming.? Even WSPR use seems to be declining. The complaints I've read elsewhere about a FT8 U3S don't make any sense...especially when coming from these disruptive idiots using 1000W on a mode intended for QRPp in the first place.? There's no -- ZERO -- obligation for a QSO if CQ wasn't called in the first place, ever, in any mode by any means.? This is experimental use of a digital mode and there's nothing wrong with that.? If you use JT65 in beacon mode (which I do), I don't see the difference with FT8. FT8 for a U3S beacon makes absolutely perfect sense to me.? If I'm missing something here, please explain it to me.
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Thanks Daniel and John got it!
Terry? w6leo
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IC-10 shorted? And some success
Hello ALL?? ~ I've been debugging my # 899 = QCX-80M for the last couple of weeks (off and on) for
there is more to living than assembling a kit when you are 80?? HI
LOST some PCB tracess with reworking T1? ~ yes, it happens? ~ but repairs have been made
Success with TX = 3+ watts out now and the DECODE shows my keying (sounds nice in the KX3 also)
BUT ---- IC-10 voltages are 12.5 on pins 1,2,3 and 7 ~ pin-8 is at 13.27 ---- suspect it is SHORTED
so, no audio output and no adjustments possible on the receiver C1 & sideband suppression.
Now to find an replacement IC?? ~? SEASON's GREETINGS to you and yours? ~
Cheers, Jan K1ND
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QCX Functional Specification Update
Oh my!?
Soon the QCX will have more Functionality than the Swiss Army Knife.
... and to think it started as a compact CW transceiver.
I'm going to stay Tuned.
-Bob
KQ2Q
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Exact time is set via menu 6.9 ...
With an external receiver tune in WWV
Then goto menu 6.9 and preset next time in advance of WWV time
THEN sync to WWV via? QCX 'Exit' right push button, press and release as WWV top of the minute TONE beeps , press and release? twice.
The QCX beacon screen should appear showing beacon freq and next beacon time expressed in minutes based on menu 6.4 and 6.5
If no QRP Labs GPS receiver connected, menu 8.6 will need to be setup? THEN?? tweeked ocasonally in order for QCX? 'system timing' to keep in step with WWV.
72 73
John
N3AAZ
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Alan,
I though of taking a video and slowing it down but...that just takes time away from building more radios. :)
I'll check the synth on my home receiver tonight. So long as it works :)
Best, Chris.
On Thursday, December 7, 2017, 1:53:41 PM NST, Alan G4ZFQ <alan4alan@...> wrote:
> On power up, does the LED come on first then flash four times?
> Perhaps I'm just missing a flash.
>
Chris,
I've never really bothered, I had a counter on it and that confirmed it
worked.
But I've just tried counting, blowed if I see more than 3 but they are
just short flashes.
73 Alan G4ZFQ
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The way I wrapped T1 was somewhat different than the way Hans described in his documentation.? What I did was start with the large secondary and wrapped it.? After getting to the end of the large secondary I made a loop about 1 1/2" in length, folding the wire tight against itself.? From there I wrapped the 2 other secondaries and the primary leaving the longer legs between each winding group.? Next I stripped the ends of the large secondary using a fine grit sandpaper (about 320 grit).? Then where I had the longer?folded?loops I snipped them apart one at a time sanding the varnish off each leg.? Finally I started with the large secondary, carefully inserting each lead into its appropriate hole.? Using a pair of hemostats I snugged each wire.? Finally starting at the large secondary I soldered the long lead.? After it was tacked I grabbed the lead with the hemos and reheated the connecting making sure it pulled the core close to the board.? I worked my way around the board tugging and soldering each lead.? ? This process is much simpler to perform than to write about.? I don't think it took any more than about 5 minutes to install.? Before trimming the excess leads I double checked each winding to insure I had conductivity.?? 72; Kurt - W2MW
-------- Original Message --------
Subject: Re: [QRPLabs] QCX Manual
From: "Shirley Dulcey KE1L" < mark@...>
Date: Wed, December 06, 2017 1:56 pm
To: [email protected]
Most of the toroids are easy. The only challenging one is T1; it takes
a bit of work to get all the wires in the right holes.
On Wed, Dec 6, 2017 at 1:44 PM, Keith VE7GDH < ve7gdh@...> wrote:
> Vernon VE1VDM wrote...
>
>> My kit should be here in a day or two so will be
>> printing it off soon...
>
> I didn't print any of the manuals. I just opened them up
> on a tablet (iPad) and used it while working on the QCX etc.
> I'm about half way through the second one, but haven't wound
> the toroids for the first one yet. Procrastination? Fear?
> I'll decide tomorrow.
>
> --
> 73 Keith VE7GDH
>
>
>
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Just a silly aside. Aldis Lamp signalling ( morse by light flashing ) maximum
speed is supposedly a mere 14wpm. I'm not going to calculate the duration of a
dit at that speed, but the Progrock is certainly faster. Hense the ambiguity
between flashes observed at power-up. I think its three, but it could vary
depending on the software. Over to you, Hans.
<vbg>
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On 7 Dec 2017 at 17:23, Alan G4ZFQ wrote:
On power up, does the LED come on first then flash four times?
Perhaps I'm just missing a flash.
Chris,
I've never really bothered, I had a counter on it and that confirmed it
worked.
But I've just tried counting, blowed if I see more than 3 but they are
just short flashes.
73 Alan G4ZFQ
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Re: QCX Troubleshooting - Please can you help?
I've checked menu 4.9, it's set to 700hz as it should be. Now I'm thinking that the 20Mhz clock might be the problem - if there's no 20Mhz, perhaps that stops the sidetone from being generated? And also stops the optical encoder output from being sampled?
So I've put my scope X10 probe on pins 9 and 10 of the chip - no signal at all. No signal on the 20mhz crystal pins either. No DC either. The crystal is connected to the chip OK, no dry joints or cracked tracks.
So I've replaced the 20 Mhz crystal. No change. tested the old crystal, perfect.
Baffled again.
Please, can someone with a functioning QCX and a ' scope let me know, do you get a 20mhz signal on the chip? and what DC voltage?
As ever, any help gratefully appreciated.
Julian
G4ETS
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On power up, does the LED come on first then flash four times? Perhaps I'm just missing a flash.
Chris, I've never really bothered, I had a counter on it and that confirmed it worked. But I've just tried counting, blowed if I see more than 3 but they are just short flashes. 73 Alan G4ZFQ
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About 6 of us in the local club are building the 20M version as a club project. All the kits arrived last week and we are now getting organized (trying to get organized anyway) to start working on them. A couple of the gang are new to small parts kits so we are trying to do it as a group.
73 - Hew
VA7HU
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On 2017-12-06 9:46 PM, Keith VE7GDH wrote: Hew VA7HU wrote...
I got my kit last week? and just getting ready to start
assembling on the weekend. I have printed the whole manual. I still haven't wound any of the toroids yet, but I have the
80M version otherwise done and and I'm about 3/4 of the way
through the 40M version. Which band did you go for? As I
mentioned, I've just been viewing the manuals on an iPad.
I can zoom and you can put post-it notes on pages you
quickly want to get to!
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Jeff KP3FT
Eddie Leighton
jjpurdum
TrueBlue
Kurt Zimmerman
Mike