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Re: Grabber set-up 7mhz
"skipratpack"
Dick
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Thanks for the info I am in a position in 2 weeks time to really get stuck in and have go with the PI as a grabber. Andy 2E0CLY --- In QRPLabs@..., "ferrymanr" <g4bbh@...> wrote:
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Ultimate QRSS kit Built but not working ish...
"skipratpack"
Hi
I have finished my Ultimate QRSS kit and it kind of works.. The display works fine I can set my call etc. But when the unit's switched on I get a lovely 7mz CW for 30sec or so and it dies away and I am left with a horrid buzzing sound while tuned to 7mhz with a receiver. I am presuming it's the PA q1. I guess I can remove the PA Q1 and check the Osc with the scope to see if it keeps going or dies away as well? I was running via a 7805 reg for the PA and pic supply. I switched to 6v for both and still got the same result. Any thoughts gratefully received. Andy 2E0CLY |
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Re: GPS recommendations
"Philip"
Pictures of my test rig in Photos under G4JVF album
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Philip G4JVF --- In QRPLabs@..., "Philip" <pcteee@...> wrote:
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Re: GPS recommendations
"Philip"
Tested my module yesterday for a few hours on 30 and it worked fine,
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FSKCW GPS locked. One of these :- Settings match the QRSS kit's default GPS values.. Has an SMA connector for an external GPS antenna.. It's 3.3volts so needs a regulator on the kit's 5volt line. 22 pin socket is a tad small but hookup wire can be pushed into the pin holes. Pretty sensitive, works indoors and fairly quick to lock in.. Philip G4JVF --- In QRPLabs@..., "Stephen" <squirrox@...> wrote:
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Re: GPS recommendations
Stephen Farthing
Hi Arv,
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Thanks for the post. Very useful contribution.? We have discussed deriving the 1pps by taking the time from the arrival of NMEA sentences from the GPS, which in some cases is done every second. But at the moment it is only a thought.?
73s Steve On 30 July 2012 22:49, Arv Evans <arvid.evans@...> wrote:
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Please Mr Coe, I cannot attend sports day for the next two weeks. My mum says too much advertising is bad for me ;-) |
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Re: GPS recommendations
Arv Evans
开云体育HelloIn addition to GPS, there are several other ways to obtain a 1 PPS clock signal. ??? ??? ??? ??? ??? ??? ??? ??? I am not totally sure of this, but if your GPS receiver just puts out the textual NMEA sentences, you might try adding a missing-pulse detector circuit with timing to emit a pulse at the start of each data stanza.? On at least some GPS receivers this start of stanza may occur at precise 1 second intervals.? Of course if you configure too much data output for a stanza to complete in less than 1 second, this idea will not work. ??? ??? You also may have Differential GPS beacons located in your area.? These broadcast GPS correction data in the 285 to 325 KHz frequency range.? Their transmitter clocks are usually GPS locked for frequency stability.? ??? ??? Rubidium signal source modules show up frequently on Ebay.? These are surplus and salvage from older cell phone sites.? Most will output a 10.0 MHz signal which could be divided down to 1-PPS.? See Ebay item 270467211671 for a presently available example. Arv K7HKL _._ On 07/30/2012 02:03 PM, Stephen wrote:
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GPS recommendations
"Stephen"
Guys,
FWIW I used an EM-406A for testing the GPS functionality. See for details. They are widely available from Sparkfun and their distributors. In the UK they are stocked by Proto-pic . You will need 1 k ohm pull up resistors between the TX and Vcc and the PPS and Vcc. Regards Steve G0XAR |
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Re: Experiments on PA voltage, Output Power of Ultimate QRSS Beacon for WSPR
"TONY_VOLPE"
My pleasure Philip,
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Well done on getting the GPS sorted. I will be doing something of the sort, just to make sure the timing stays dead on. I spent some time trying to work out how to make use of a four year old Bluetooth GPS receiver that I have lying around, but I don't think I can work it out. I am sure that somewhere in among the bluetooth chips and all the surface mount stuff on the little board, there will be a 1pps output, but I can't find it with my multimeter. Of course all technical documents relating to the chipset have vanished from the web as it is obsolete. Looks like I will by having to buy a new one like the rest of you. 73s de G0BZB op Tony --- In QRPLabs@..., "Philip" <pcteee@...> wrote:
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Re: Experiments on PA voltage, Output Power of Ultimate QRSS Beacon for WSPR
"Philip"
Excellent write up and information Tony..
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Thank you I've been testing mine on FSK QRSS today with a GPS module fitted.. Everything working fine.. Just got to sort the continuous carrier problem before I go on the other modes.... Philip G4JVF --- In QRPLabs@..., "TONY_VOLPE" <tony.volpe.1951@...> wrote:
gldi56x4 |
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Re: Problems with Ulimate QRSS kit
"woodiescbj"
Hi Toni,
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Thanks for your reply, yes I have checked every thing twice and three times, it now seems there is a software issue on the programmed chip, a solution has been posted (not by Steve or Hans) which involves cutting the track at pin 14 and reconnecting the track then to pin 16, I will have to think about this. Vy 73 de Colin DD5CF / G1ZOS --- In QRPLabs@..., HG4FC, Tóni <hg4fc@...> wrote:
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Re: Problems with Ulimate QRSS kit
HG4FC, Tóni
开云体育Hi Colin, If you manage to find out what caused the error, you can publish your hile they learn.
? From: QRPLabs@... [mailto:QRPLabs@...] On Behalf Of woodiescbj
Sent: 2012. July 30. 13:18 To: QRPLabs@... Subject: [QRPLabs] Problems with Ulimate QRSS kit ? ? Having just read Tony's post "Experiments on PA voltage, Output Power of Ultimate QRSS Beacon" and although I have only the one transistor supplied with the kit I have connected the PA bridge as in 5.2 connection for basic operation. |
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Problems with Ulimate QRSS kit
"woodiescbj"
Having just read Tony's post "Experiments on PA voltage, Output Power of Ultimate QRSS Beacon" and although I have only the one transistor supplied with the kit I have connected the PA bridge as in 5.2 connection for basic operation.
As in my previous post connected the kit to 4 accu type batteries at 4.8 volts I now have a constant 4.58 volts instead of constant 78 mV on the DMM meter with the RF probe, the transistor is getting hot but still no drop in voltage after the WSPR transmission is finished, I cannot work out what I have done wrong. Anyone any ideas. Many thanks for the replys. 73 de Colin |
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Still having problems with my Ultimate QRSS kit
"woodiescbj"
Hi, I am still not able to stop the kit transmitting a constant carrier, I have it connected to a SWR/PWR meter and dummy load and have checked the voltage with an RF probe:
Turn on: 83 mV eventually drops down to 78 mV after a couple of seconds Transmitting on WSPR 78 mV (please see my group photos) End of transmission 78 mV Changing modes 78 mV My DMM was set at 200 mV is quite old and has never been calibrated. the RF probe is some thing I have put together using a AO91 Ger diode. It is getting to be a bit frustrating as every one else seems to have got the kit up and running on WSPR with no problems. I would be grateful for any assistance. Vy 73 de Colin DD5CF / G1ZOS |
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Experiments on PA voltage, Output Power of Ultimate QRSS Beacon for WSPR
"TONY_VOLPE"
With 5 volts supplied to the sections of the unit containing IC1 and IC2 and the PA, The power output of the Ultimate QRSS beacon was as described at about 180 milliwatts with the 2N7000 output transistor. A second transistor was added as described in the instructions provided by Stephen and Hans.? 9.2volts was then applied to the PA and led to a significant increase in power, but the transistors became far too hot. The unit was in ?WSPR mode with a frame value of 02. This meant that it had a ten second rest in every two minutes and then fired up again. Within a few frames the overheated fets began to malfunction and the output fell off, a nasty rough tone being evident on a monitoring RX. A heat sink made from a metal clip was ?fitted on both output transistors and the unit operated properly at 9.2v. There were more spots reported at this PA voltage. As per the suggestions of an alternative FET the BS170, was ?substituted. The ?BS170 put out more power, managing 430 milliwatts RMS as measured with a home brew RF robe and multimeter. These FETS also ran cooler.? After an hour or so working normally at 9.2v, the voltage to the PA was switched to 12.5 volts. The rectified output voltage across a 47 ohm 1 watt resistor now measured 5.7 v on the RF probe. This ?means the output power ?was 663 milliwatts. However, as the heat sinked fets heated up, instability set in, alongside a falling off in power. It was concluded that the unit will not operate with a frame of 02 at this power output.. PA voltage was reduced to 9.2 volts and it operated well in continuous WSPR mode with a frame setting of 02. ?This would not be an acceptable way to operate WSPR, but continuous operation at QRSS would be acceptable. So operation at about 430 milliwatts (9.2 volts on the PA) will be satisfactory with two BS170 in the PA. Please note: The BS170 has a different pinout and the transistor must be placed on the board so that it seems reversed in relation to the screen printed image of the transistor.? While WSPR operated well at the rather anti-social rate of 02, when the frame rate was cut to 04 or less, there was unacceptable drift on the signal at all PA voltages greater than 6.5 volts. This would not apply to QRSS operated more or less continually, but with WSPR frame rates other than 02, lead to excessive drift. Further attention to cooling might negate this effect, but this operator has concluded that for WSPR, 200 milliwatts (PA 6.2volts) is most effective. Oscillator frequency mods (C4 & C5). The 22pf values of C4 & C5 are ideal for QRSS operation vis a vis output frequency, but place WSPR signals at the very bottom of the WSPR band even with the trimmer set at minimum. Changing the value of these capacitors to 18pf ?placed the output signal right in the middle of the WSPR band. WSPR operators may perhaps wish to make this small modification to ensure that they are placed in a more ideal position in the band. The following image shows WSPR spots for the modified unit running at 200 milliwatts on 28th July 2012. The antenna used was a full wave horizontal loop for 40 meters at 25 feet above ground and connected via a z match ATU. ? |
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Re: Message Error
Stephen Farthing
Hi Kevin,
Glad the callsign fix worked. The best way to check the output is to connect the output of the beacon to a 50 ohm dummy load. If you don't have one of these handy you can make one by connecting 2 100 Ohm resistors in parallel and connect one end to the output of the beacon and the other end to earth. Then take your RX and put some wire in the antenna socket. and run the wire near to the dummy load. Put the RX in USB mode, select a wide filter (2.4 KHz) and tune it to 10.139,000. You should hear the xtal oscillator of the beacon as a continuous tone at 1 KHz. Even if the beacon is not transmitting the tone will be there. This is because the microprocessor is being clocked by the crystal. If the beacon is on, and you can see the display, the oscillator is working. You should be able to see this signal on Argo. Here are some instructions on how to set Argo up :- When the beacon is transmitting you should see a trace of the signal on Argo's display. Quite what you see depends on the mode you have chosen the beacon to transmit. there are plenty of examples of traces in the manual. Hope this helps, Steve -- Please Mr Coe, I cannot attend sports day for the next two weeks. My mum says too much advertising is bad for me ;-) |
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Re: Message Error
Kevin Gilot
Hi Steve and all, Yep, in my Haste to get the kit going I did not see the line in Sect 6.3 Callsign about the length needed. I passed over it. It can be tough to have a shortened callsign sometimes ;) Got the message error fixed. Now I am trying to check the output. But I don't see anything on my FT-897/PC through Argo software. The freq on the crystal is 10.140 and that is where I have the receiver. I am outputting? to my dipole and listening on my beam. ?I am not sure quite where to look on the Argo screen for correct frequency. This is all new to me so Please bear with me. Thanks, Kevin NZ1I |
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Re: CW Modes Pin 14 swapped with Pin 16
jon joyce
I thought that you might be interested in my motivations for buying this kit. Crystalled up with a 10MHz crystal and a gps 1pps signal might result in a very relaible 10MHz sourse for locking microwave oscillators. I also hope to have some qrss fun along the way. Now here's a challenge... three years ago G4FEV and myself completed a contact on 40meters with 50 microwatts, equivalent to about 10 million miles per watt.....could be fun? |
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Re: GPS
"Philip"
Scrub that...
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I hadn't left it running for long enough... It's now locked and updated the locator to the correct one for my QTH... Great stuff! Going to treat it to a powered GPS antenna which can be sited away from all the clutter on my bench.. Philip G4JVF --- In QRPLabs@..., "Philip" <pcteee@...> wrote:
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Re: GPS
"Philip"
Got one of the modules I linked to..
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Fitted a 3.3V regultor to supply it from the QRSS kit 5V line.. The GPS settings on the kit are correct by default for this GPS module according to the data sheets.. Sort of works in that it's picking up the time via GPS and there seems to be a 1 PPS on my scope from the relevant pin.. Only thing it isn't doing is resetting the locator from it's default setting.... Not got an external aerial for it yet so might be poor GPS signal or me doing something wrong.. Anyhoo, I know nothing about GPS stuff to be honest but I'm assuming if the time auto sets then something must be working... All good fun :) Philip G4JVF --- In QRPLabs@..., "Philip" <pcteee@...> wrote:
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Re: WSPR on 20 metres with Ultimate Beacon?
Stephen Farthing
Tony,
Glad you are enjoying the kit. And your feedback has been invaluable. I have spent most of the weekend testing the GPS interface with a couple of GPS receivers. We hope to be posting details shortly on the website shortly. Hans has an RX design in the pipeline. But no release date yet. The amount of time we have both put into the kits so far has been incredible. So glad I don't do this for a living. Regards, Steve -- Please Mr Coe, I cannot attend sports day for the next two weeks. My mum says too much advertising is bad for me ;-) |
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