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Definitely interesting. I don’t have one but I see possibilities. ?Keep us posted if you learn more.?

Looks pretty interesting…a Raspberry Pi “hat” that turns it into a full SDR (transmit and receive) for about $150 + cost of the Pi. Anyone out there have one?

73,

Mark
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Mark Ehr | K0EHR

President, 285 Tech Connect Radio Club
Littleton, Colorado

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

Very cool! So long as using one doesn't cause cancer or result in growing a third eye..... :-)
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Mark Ehr | K0EHR

President, 285 Tech Connect Radio Club
Littleton, Colorado

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

Not sure it's quite correct to call it a battery, but whatevs.

Chinese company Betavolt has an atomic energy battery for consumers with a touted 50-year lifespan. The Betavolt BV100 will be the first product to launch using the firm’s new atomic battery technology, constructed using a nickel-63 isotope and material.

Imagine, never having to charge your HT battery. Or how about QRP or Emcomm portable without solar panels.It'll be interesting to see some specs when available, especially in re. size and weight vs. capacity.

Holy smokes...what a mess! It's hard to figure out what Bylaw 46 means, much less what it refers to. Seems like the ARRL has way too many attorneys and has lost its way from a moral perspective. That the same issue I have with a lot of non-profit orgs; the lack of transparency makes it impossible for donors to know exactly where their money is going.?
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Mark Ehr | K0EHR

VP, 285 Tech Connect Radio Club
Littleton, Colorado

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

This just came across my QRZ news feed.

Some controversy has arisen of late concerning a motion made in the ARRL board for the adoption of rules collectively known as ByLaw 46. Non-profit corporations in many states operate under so-called "sunshine laws" that stipulate that official business must be conducted in public and that all corporation documents and proceedings are open for public scrutiny. Governments effectively subsidize non-profits through the exemption of taxes, which gives them an operating advantage over for-profit businesses in the same sector. The proceedings of a non-profit's governing board are therefore subject to public scrutiny since the public has a direct investment in the organization's status. The ARRL is a certified 501(c)(3) entity. However, The proposed ByLaw update appears to amount to a "Mushroom Law", i.e., people are left in the dark and fed manure.

More links in that thread (no login needed). I haven't read them yet, but I'll be looking.

Big news for digital ops on HF.

The Federal Communications Commission (FCC)??adopted last month that replace the symbol rate restrictions on the HF bands with a bandwidth limit of 2.8 kHz. The new rules go into effect January 8, 2024.

If you get ARRL news via feed or e-mail, you've seen the regular temporary lifting of the symbol rate limit for response to natural disasters, typically the hurricane watch net. This annual exercise has amply demonstrated that new digital modes can operate nicely on the amateur HF bands at much higher data rates. It's good to see the FCC finally acknowledge it as something other than an exception.

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Hello.? Interesting looking presentation.

Tony K0MCW

I just posted my first design at Thingiverse.

It seems to be public, though I had some issues with Thingiverse telling me it hadn't been published.

Thanks to Corey for printing the first iterations while I fine-tuned the size. I haven't tested it out in the field yet, so YMMV.

Oddly, it doesn't show up in Thingiverse in a search for "insulator". Kinda odd, that. Maybe it just isn't popular? :( (hahahh)

Thanks Jed, yeah I'm pretty sure my approach is not part of the NEC, nor is it to code, although that being said, it's working really well, particularly since I'm using a circuit that isn't used for anything else. And if we decide to move, it would take me about 15 minutes to remove my handiwork since the original wiring is still intact--i just tapped into the 240V line using a junction box and a short run of Romex. You do bring up a good point re: GFCI; I hadn't thought about that. It would be definitely weird if one side of the 240V line were tripped (although I don't think it would be an issue for me since I'm actually not using the 240V circuit, as my new amp runs just fine on 120V. I do think it's a really good idea to put GFCI into the shack, particularly since it's in the basement and could be prone to flooding. I'll have to check into that.?

Re: the antenna vs power, I agree with you--improving your antenna is the best first option, but having another S unit in power doesn't hurt either. As Dave Casler is fond of saying, "the best antenna is the one you have." :-) And while my 203' random wire is clearly not a Yagi on a 60' tower, it does pretty well....especially with 500 watts behind it.?

@Bill--thanks, I got your email. I have the 7300 TX delay set to the 30 ms, which is the maximum value, and it's working great with the Ameritron.?

73,

Mark

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Mark Ehr | K0EHR

VP, 285 Tech Connect Radio Club
Littleton, Colorado

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

Jed, you raised some good points. For my 240 V outlet I removed the thermostat used by my baseboard heater and simply replaced it with a 240V receptacle. I never used that heater anyway and it is easy to replace the thermostat when I move.

Mark, I sent you an email regarding your treatise. Let me know if you received it, I have thought of a few more comments to add. Also, I am planning to be at the luncheon.

As a follow up to Mark's treatise, I am considering dusting off my presentation on operating QRO and showing it at an upcoming meeting if there is enough interest.

Bill N0CU

That's cool. Although the std. adage among hams is that a better antenna is worth more than wattage, more wattage doesn't hurt either. Kudos for diving into new territory as well. Don't quote me, but I think that getting a couple 120V outlets that way isn't kosher with NEC. But I don't see any safety issues with it, other than the next home owner wouldn't be expecting it. I've certainly seen, and fixed, much worse. :) Hmmm, you didn't put in GFCI outlets or breakers, but I think if you did, there's a potential issue there with current balance on the 240V line. Now I think on it, if a 240V breaker tripped from a load on a 120V outlet, that'd be a surprise for someone too.

If you're curious, there's a ham electrician who sometimes shows up at the meetings. Two maybe? I don't know for sure whether both brothers are electricians.

Tube amps do pose some additional considerations. I remember when Bill - N0CU - talked to us about that. Things such as working CW, when the amp uses grid switch keying, where you need a key that'll handle the grid voltage.

I had the privilege of leading the resurrection of the 285 Tech Connect Radio Club (NA0TC)??this year, which was held on Saturday November 4th after a four-year hiatus. TechFest is a club tradition dating back to 2008, so it was awesome to get this time-honored event off the ground again.

?

For those of you that are unfamiliar with TechFest, it's a 6-hour event that features speakers on all sorts of amateur radio technical topics. This year's topics included 3D printing, selecting a new HF radio and the ARRS clean signal initiative, APRS, using ham radio at Starhaven observatory, and a primer on using the NanoVNA.

If you missed the event, have no fear--we recorded the whole day and the presentations and videos are freely available for viewing and sharing.?

You can find all of the content on the , and thanks to all of the presenters and volunteers that made this year's event a success!

Also don't forget our annual club luncheon coming up on Saturday December 2 (details on the club website) and our weekly 285 Tech Net, which is held Tuesdays at 7pm MT on the (145.145 Mhz (-) 107.2 Hz tone) and is open to all licensed amateur radio operators.?

73,

Mark K0EHR

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Mark Ehr | K0EHR

VP, 285 Tech Connect Radio Club
Littleton, Colorado

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

Hi all,

I just posted a lengthy blog about my experiences with operating QRO (high power) using linear amps. Over the past three months I've had the pleasure of playing with three different amps: an Ameritron ALS-600 solid-state unit, a vintage Yaesu FL-2100B tube-based unit, and a fairly new Ameritron AL-811H tube-based amp (the latter of which I won on auction a few weeks ago). This is part two of a set of blogs; the first set detailed my adventures in wiring my shack for 240VAC and playing with the ALS-600, and the second blog details the Yaesu FL-2100B and the process of winning the AL-811H on auction (and installing/tuning both).?

Here are the links:

Blog #1:?
Blog #2:?

Happy reading and let me know if I can answer any questions!

73,

Mark?
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Mark Ehr | K0EHR

VP, 285 Tech Connect Radio Club
Littleton, Colorado

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

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The brings ALE to your station (linux excepted, of course).

The ION2G software brings HF Automatic Link Establishment (ALE) MIL-STD-188-141B to your computer with a familiar and easy to use interface. ION2G helps you stay connected to the people you need to communicate with across thousands of miles without dependence on infrastructure. Using ALE and smart algorithms, ION2G automatically finds HF radio communications channels through the constantly changing ionosphere -- while avoiding busy HF frequencies and interference. ION2G takes the guesswork out of finding a frequency to use and will find usable radio channels that even experienced HF operators may miss.

I don't know anything about it, but it sounds useful.

All you QRP guys should enjoy this.


K8MRD teams up with a couple hams and BioEnno to do 1000W on POTA. "You're 20 over in Illinois."

On Tue, Sep 26, 2023 at 09:53 AM, Mark Ehr | K0EHR wrote:

"I think that antenna design and building is one of the most rewarding parts of our hobby. Nothing like making your own antenna and making QSOs with it!"

My mantra for years regarding HF ham communications-,

?If you have a radio with 100w ouput and you cannot get satisifed? - you need a better antenna.

bud
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bud N0IA

Sounds like you've got that antenna pretty well dialed in. That is a lot of linear space. Reminds me of a SOTA activation I did a couple of years ago up on Mt Evans, which is naturally a busy place, trying to deploy my end-fed random wire antenna. It was really difficult. My favorite antenna for limited space deployments is of course my Alexloop, but it requires considerably more weight and backpack space. The antenna itself is pretty light--finding a decent tripod under 5 pounds and <$200 is the challenge.

I really love my off center-fed dipole, which has an incredibly tiny Balun. The long end is 44 feet and the short end is 22 feet. When I deploy it, I attach the Balun to the top of my (6 meter) push-up pole, which shortens the actual run length of the long end to about 25 feet or so, and the short end has hardly any space requirements (maybe 10 feet). With a tuner, this antenna will work 40, 30, 20, 17, 15, 12, 10 and 6 meters. Total weight for the antenna is 7 ounces. I purchased my from Tim Ortiz (N9SAB) via eBay, but they?are easy to DIY as well; lots of plans out there on the interweb. Coupled with my Carbon6 pole, total weight is just over a pound. Add another pound for my tuner and 2.2 pounds for the IC-705--still a very manageable ~5 pound kit.?

And, for ultra portable work, I also have a 20M end-fed half-wave antenna, which I have coupled with an impossibly tiny 0.3 ounce Unun kit from K6ARK ($20). That antenna probably weighs 4 ounces and coupled with the Carbon6, still well under a pound. And no tuner required.?

I think that antenna design and building is one of the most rewarding parts of our hobby. Nothing like making your own antenna and making QSOs with it!

73,

Mark

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Mark Ehr | K0EHR

VP, 285 Tech Connect Radio Club
Littleton, Colorado

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