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FYI.

Hi all,

I was successful in activating Mt Herman (W0C/FR-063) yesterday, although it turned into quite an unexpected adventure. You can read all about it here:?

73,

Mark

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Mark Ehr | K0EHR

VP, 285 Tech Connect Radio Club
Littleton, Colorado

k0ehr@...
Check out my ham radio blog:

Hey Corey (et al), good news — the sewer issue has been resolved thanks to a plumber that could come out on Sunday, so I’m good to do the hike tomorrow morning.?

@Corey, I emailed you my cell number; give me a ring to discuss if you’re still interested. I am planning on doing Mt Herman, leaving around 7am tomorrow.

73,

Mark?
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Mark Ehr | K0EHR

VP, 285 Tech Connect Radio Club
Littleton, Colorado

k0ehr@...
Check out my ham radio blog:

Thanks again to Corey, and Mark. It's all up and running now, after a few misadventures. The main thing was just getting the settings right in Remmina, the Linux RDP software I'm using. Rather than selecting what seemed like the proper protocols, I guess I should've just left a couple things at "auto". Serves me right, I guess, for trying to be too smart. The other part is some upgrades / changes to the SMB/NMB stuff, and I guess Samba hasn't kept up, or maybe Microsoft has kept things under wraps too much. Anyway, the Win box doesn't see the Linux box on the network at all, as a browseable node. This used to work. The solution is to manually add the network share, using the \\ip-address\share-name notation. Of course, this will break if my router assigns a different IP address at some point. I suppose I'll just make a couple MAC reservations in DD-WRT to avoid that. But having WINS working would be nice. I don't have the winbind service running on Linux, but I don't think that's the trouble, the NMB daemon should be handling that. It looks like winbind would let me see the Win box as a Samba target from Linux, but not the other way around. I might have to look into that more.

I should look at setting up a host aliases in the Windows hosts file, and on my Linux machine too, just to make things easier.

Hey Mark, you also have my sympathies, sewer lines are a bummer on so many levels, messy and expensive.

I will still go out and do an activation, maybe mountain bike portable VHF from North Table. Keep me in the loop for the next one, I want to pick your brain with a few questions I have and have yet to do a SOTA activation HF, would like to see your setup in action.

Corey - KC5YCO

On Sat, 17 Jun 2023 17:44:29 -0700
Mark Ehr | K0EHR wrote:

Hi all, ?FYI I’ve decided not to do the SOTA activation on Monday as a
number of things came up, including a backed up sewer line.

Oh... shoot! You have my sympathy on the sewer. I've had to deal with
that... in fact, not long ago at the building I live in ... for the whole
building. When the landlord is on vacation, I'm in charge, so guess when
the roots finally got bad enough.

--
Jed - KD0YMG -
"... we have done as much with wireless telegraphy as is likely
to be done."; Sir William Preece, 1891

Hi all, ?FYI I’ve decided not to do the SOTA activation on Monday as a number of things came up, including a backed up sewer line.

I’m going to reschedule for another date in the near future if you’re interested in joining.?

73,

Mark
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Mark Ehr | K0EHR

VP, 285 Tech Connect Radio Club
Littleton, Colorado

k0ehr@...
Check out my ham radio blog:

Up for adoption - four (4) HP 8557A (3) and HP 8558B (1) spectrum analyzers (photo attached). They are in varying stages of working/complete (except the 8558B which lacks a first converter module) and could make for interesting learning/project (with due attention to safety precautions working with electronics of the era.) Service/operating documentation readily available online. These can be delivered at no cost in Denver metro area, and are are offered without support/warranty. If you are interested (in all four as a group) please contact. 73 Dave WB0GAZ wb0gaz@...

Hi Corey,

That could probably work if we do a summit close to the front range. I’m thinking about doing Mt Herman which is easy to get to, right by Monument (about 45 mins from where I live, which is near Santa Fe and Mineral in Littleton).

I activated Herman a couple years ago and the hike took maybe an hour up and 30 mins down. So 2 hours driving, 1.5 hours hiking, an hour or so on the summit. Definitely do-able in 5 hours. Weather forecast looks gorgeous to boot. Probably plan on leaving around 7am or so, just in case there are afternoon t-storms.

If you’d like to chat OTP or OTA to discuss, email me your phone number or preferred repeater and time and I’ll be there!

73,

Mark?
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Mark Ehr | K0EHR

VP, 285 Tech Connect Radio Club
Littleton, Colorado

k0ehr@...
Check out my ham radio blog:

I am definitely interested, I will know for sure if I can by Saturday. I have your email and will keep you posted.
I am dog sitting and can only be out for about 5 hours. How long do you think we would be out?

Hi all,

I have next Monday, June 19th off (Juneteenth holiday) and, weather permitting, I'm planning on doing a SOTA activation somewhere within an hour or so of the front range. Nothing too crazy as this will be my first activation of the year, and there's likely still a fair amount of snow at the higher altitudes. You can browse the database of SOTA peaks here:??(note that a peak in the FR (Front Range) , PR (Park Range) or SR (South Park) sections are likely where I'll wind up going).

Anyone interested in joining me, let me know. All you need at a minimum would be a 2-meter HT, preferably with a directional or extended antenna, a good set of hiking boots and a set of hiking cleats like ?just in case we run into some ice or packed snow. If you have a portable HF rig, a simple wire antenna can work really well. If you have a rig but no antenna, I have extras I can loan out. Newbies are absolutely welcome.?

Here are a few potential options:

1. Mount Herman, 9062 feet, (just above Monument, CO - 4 points, pretty easy hike):?. This is the most "radio-active" summit in Colorado, with 474 activations to date!
2. Mestaa'hehe Mountain (f/k/a Squaw), 11499 feet - 6 points - (near Idaho Springs, up the Mt Evans road and a reasonable hike):?
3. Chief Mountain, 11709 feet (very near Mestaa'hehe) - 6 points -?
4. Genesee Mountain, 8284 feet (very easy hike just off of I-70 near, you guessed it, Genesee) - 2 points -?

Drop me a line (k0ehr@...) if you're interested in joining and/or have any questions about SOTA.

73,

Mark

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Mark Ehr | K0EHR

VP, 285 Tech Connect Radio Club
Littleton, Colorado

k0ehr@...
Check out my ham radio blog:

Corey, thanks for the Spartan suggestion. I'll check out Mike's review - I watch a lot of his stuff. I'm a little put off by their inclusion of at best 18ga wire with the "100A" unit, so I wonder what the terminals are capable of. At least the Powerwerx "small" unit comes with 12ga wire, and you don't have to wire up the shunt yourself. Still, I'll look at it.

Mark, I don't think the Miady batteries come with a solar charge controller. Jeremiah - N0KMO told me this as well, but there's nothing in the spec sheets indicating that such is the case. I'm sure it has a battery management board inside the case, but with a specified charge voltage of 14.6VDC, I wouldn't hook direct to a solar panel output. If your portable panel has regulated 14.4V out, that's cool. Yeah, I think it'd be very difficult to get a PWM unit to be radio quiet - just the nature of the beast. I suppose it's be possible to manage the pulse frequency to keep it away from the ham bands, but even there, a square wave, harmonically, is a combination of a bunch of sine waves of different frequencies, so, that's a tough job. With a good PWM controller, running off the "LOAD" terminals and not hooked to the battery, with good shielding and filtering, that's got a better chance.

I have the Powerwerx https://powerwerx.com/mppt-150w-solar-charge-controller charge controller. It's MPPT, so I'm expecting it to be quiet. Guess I'll find out. So, it doesn't have all the bells and whistles of a more expensive unit.

Hmm, looking again, I see I need to be careful when using that solar charge controller, and not plug it into the barrel jack, but rather into the 2nd Powerpole connector, since that barrel jack can't take 10A for sure. I sized that based on the AC LifePo4 charger I got for home charging.

Awesome projects guys. I'd like to build a similar one myself; i've got pretty much everything I need other than the nifty circuit breaker / display / etc.?

Speaking of solar charge controllers, I had a bad experience with one that I bought. It was a cheap PWM unit that cost around $25 on Amazon. While it worked fine, the amount of noise that it generated made it impossible to use my radio at the same time that it was running...even 20 feet away. I wound up selling it as I realized that since my LiFePo4 battery has a charge controller built in, it can take the output from my solar panel directly. My panel is a small 50-watt unit that folds up in a 10"x8"x2.5" pack and outputs 19/14.4 and 5 VDC.??

I also picked up an Anker "Powerhouse II" solar generator that has a 100Ah LiFePo4 battery built in. It outputs 12VDC, has several USB outputs (including USB-C), and also has a 300W 120VAC inverter. It can also take the 19VDC output from my solar panel directly. This is my go-to unit for field day.?

73,

Mark

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Mark Ehr | K0EHR

VP, 285 Tech Connect Radio Club
Littleton, Colorado

k0ehr@...
Check out my ham radio blog:

A solar charge controller may provide the info you are looking for, if not, these things provide a TON of info in battery boxes like the ones we have built. Watch K8MRD's YouTube video on all the things this meter can do and it's fairly cheap. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07FN3VXH4/?coliid=I92AEN13XPMMS&colid=2S8ZYONFHTX5W&psc=1&ref_=list_c_wl_lv_ov_lig_dp_it

Boy, did I mess up! It should've been obvious to me from seeing only 2 terminals on the V/A meter w/ USB port, that it couldn't be measuring the current draw for the whole system. I was just thinking about how convenient it'd be to have that 5V power source. And, I should've read the review too. Well, I suppose at some point I'll have to add the V/A/A-hr inline monitor. But that'll just have to wait. In the mean time, I'll measure and note the current draw on the FT-100D and find a max wattage I can use. Sheesh! Cumulative A-hr, is a better thing to know anyway. (Always look on the bright side of life!)

Sounds good. I'll take a look. Most of my monitors have VESA mounts as I recall. I'll give you a ring tomorrow to figure out when/where to meet up.

73,

Mark
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Mark Ehr | K0EHR

VP, 285 Tech Connect Radio Club
Littleton, Colorado

k0ehr@...
Check out my ham radio blog:

Thanks for the offer on the foam - I have a collection myself. :)

I got a grab bag of Wagos from Amazon; much better than buying 10-packs from Home Depot. I can drop the bag by some time, and if you're not there, just leave it on the porch. Maybe on my way back from Mark's. Take what you want, and I'll get it back from you some time.

I sure want a 3D printer. No place here where I can put one, without moving a bunch of stuff around. Another friend has a Prusa, so he'll print stuff for me, but I'd rather do it myself. Same friend has offered me the loan of a Matterhacker unit - his old one he's no longer using. Again, no spot for it here. Sigh!

I got the circuit breaker from Mouser.

The Powerwerx boxes use a 15A breaker / switch combo, which I have the PN for somewhere. I salvaged one out of a busted power strip, but decided that circular holes were going to be so much easier to make. Hmm, maybe it ain't the same switch. But I think in this case, AC vs. DC doesn't matter. Maybe the illuminated part matters though.

Nice job! I need to get some of those Wago lever nuts. I am building a very similar box, if I would have known I would showed you my progress when you were here. I was planning on using some inline fuses I already have, but that circuit breaker is pretty slick.

I am starting with a sealed lead acid 10A (it was free and works), but have plans to go to a Lifepo4 10A of the same dimensions if it works as I expect it will. I made sure my charge controller will work with a Lifepo4. I am using a HF ammo can and I think I got the same wimpy switches you did. I was shocked to see 10A rate switches with those pathetic little wires on them. I 3d printed the panel itself as well as the PowerPole panel mounts. I also 3d printed some LED sockets for area lighting and have a small inverter that I can plug into the PowerPole outlets if needed. I have a ton of foam of various thicknesses if you need some.

Took me long enough, but I'm finally (almost) finished with this battery box. It's a little simpler than the ones Powerwerx sells, but I wanted fewer features, and to wire it a little differently too.

Some things to keep in mind (which I have learned, and hope to not forget):

• Be aware of the thickness of the material. The switch I ordered was designed for a thin metal panel mount, and I didn't consider this, so had to do some creative plastic sculpting. Also, the 5.5mm power jack you see isn't fastened on, again, because the box wall is too thick.
• The Miady battery spec sheet identified a F2 Faston terminal. These are the ubiquitous 1/4" tabs you see on all manner of things, such as UPS batteries. The battery actually has F1 terminals, which are 3/16"
• The switch I ordered also has F1 terminals, and I admit I didn't even look at the specs, if there were any for that.
• The switch I ordered was billed as a 10A switch, but came with 18ga pigtails.
• I hadn't though much about this, especially considering what I see in vehicle wiring, but the current capacity of stranded wire is apparently lower than solid:

I still have a few things to finish.

• Some foam pieces or something to secure the battery physically
• Some way to secure the 5.5mm charging port - probably drill the hole larger, and make a metal plate to screw on for the jack to mount to

But, initial testing shows all good. Haven't yet put a load on it, or charged it with solar, but that's for another time. Need to run some things a bit to discharge the battery so I can test the solar. Also, you can't see it, but the V/A meter has a USB port, QC3.0 spec - it's fused at 3A. The whole box is protected by a 10A circuit breaker. The box itself is an Apache 1800 from Harbor Freight. I wish that size came in colors other than black.

The wire connectors you see are Wago levernuts. Nifty product.

On Sat, 10 Jun 2023 11:31:35 -0700
Mark Ehr | K0EHR wrote:

Hey Jed, I’ll go down into the dungeon and find a nice one for you. Would
you prefer a ~20 inch wide screen or a smaller, less wide model?

I’m out of pocket most of today but could meet up with you tomorrow. I’m
only about 10 minutes from you.

For my old eyeballs? Bigger is better! :) VESA mount is a "nice to
have" - I imagine all have that now anyway. Tomorrow is fine too. Thanks.

--
Jed - KD0YMG -
"... we have done as much with wireless telegraphy as is likely
to be done."; Sir William Preece, 1891