Now that I have found N1MM Contest Logger software (fantastic), I have to turn to getting the right equipment in place to use its capability for contests. The main event for my local Ham Club (FARA) is the Virginia QSO Party (VAQP). It happens the third week of March, so we just completed the 2011... Continue Reading →
Arduino for Ham Radio
As one that likes to work with small, inexpensive computers, I found the Arduino Board to be a great platform for experimentation. It provides a basic computer platform with USB interface, digital I/O pins, and a complete "C-like" programming language. There are Arduino boards available for as little as $30. One of the big sellers... Continue Reading →
NUE-PSK Modem – First Breath
Well I finally got a chance to try the modem. Fired it up and it works fine - on Receive. Very nice and easy to use. The spectral display shows you where all the signals are and adjusting the volume for good copy was very easy. Unfortunately I have a problem on transmit. The CONFIG... Continue Reading →
Realtek 8187b USB/WiFi in LINUX
Well I have been trying to get a WiFi card working with Fedora LINUX, and not having much luck. I tried a Netgear card and a Belkin card. Neither worked because I could not find a LINUX driver. There is a package called NDISWRAPPER that allows you to use WINDOWS XP drivers under LINUX. That... Continue Reading →
Antenna Tuner is Too Smart
Automatic antenna tuners are great. Just tune your radio to the frequency you want, flick the TUNE switch, and you quickly get an optimum match between your rig and the antenna. Well, not always. I have an ICOM IC-7000 with an LDG AT-7000 antenna tuner. This is a great little tuner, but it sure tricked... Continue Reading →
Mounting passive SMT components
Just getting around to continuing assembly of NUE-PSK modem. Latest work included soldering SMT diodes (very small), electrolytic caps, and chip capacitors. These are all 2-lead packages. I found that the easiest way to mount all of these components was to do the following: 1.Put a drop of solder flux on each pad for the... Continue Reading →
PSK Modem Assembly Update
Well I got most of the ICs onto the board. THe first three are fine-pitch (0.5 mm between pads). They were difficult to hand solder. The best approach seems to be the "drag solder" method, where you pull some excess solder across a whole row of pads, then use solder wick to remove any shorts.... Continue Reading →
Surface Mount Assembly
I now have most of the parts for the NUE PSK modem, so it is time to setup for assembly. This uses SMT parts, so it will require some careful soldering. Instead of starting with the ICs (one-of-a-kind and many leads), I am trying the caps first. Starting witht the 1206 size caps, which are... Continue Reading →
Passing of L.B. Cebik
I just heard that L.B. Cebik has died. The amateur community has lost a real antenna expert and a prolific writer. I never knew L.B. but have spent many hours on his website reading his articles, and using his antenna models. He recently published an interesting article about a short-boom yagi for 6 meters. I... Continue Reading →
Half Square Array
I've been looking for some new wire antennas to try. The Half Square (HS) looks interesting. It is two 1/4 wave vertical elements, with a 1/2 wave horizontal element connecting them. The ARRL Antenna Book has a writeup that looks interesting. I really need something cut for 20 meters and this might be worth trying.... Continue Reading →
Kg3v Ham Radio Blog 