K40 keyer and CW Reader

This was a fun kit and a fairly easy build.



The K40 connects to a PS2 keyboard and converts your typing into morse code.
I finished this a couple weeks ago and as I was testing it out - it worked fine reading cw solid copy as long as conditions were not too bad, then, I accidentally dragged the FT817 off the table onto the floor. It landed on the volume control knob and snapped it off. So, I was off the air for a while waiting on the replacement pot. Not as easy to replace as the dial encoder, but doable with my barbarian skills.
Anyway, someone posted that the the K7QO's Code Course mp3 files would play on the cw reader. I have this course on my Palm TX, so I plugged it in and it played flawlessly, got the feeling K1EL maybe used these files as test bed for the board. This is great addition to the already good morse practice built into.
Now to get it on the air.
I hope my next post is first CW contact - my code is ok, just dragging my feet I think.
.-.-.-
Still having fun with psk-31, even though the band conditions have been poor, I still have made a few contacts with 5wts and the G5RV thrown up in a tree, also have the buddipole set up, neither antenna in great position.
QRP is like fly fishing while most are fishing with dynamite :)

stay tuned

de N8MAC

More Kits...?

Well, I finished the BLT tuner and will have to see if it works here in the next day or two,


not a lot of operating.. on PSK last night and hooked up with another NUE PSK operator in NY. The T1 is working great, highly recommend that kit.

The next kit is going to be the K-40 keyboard keyer and cw reader, saw a good recommendation on this kit and I feel like it will smooth the transition to CW, I will post some pictures of the kit as I build it.

I still need to start on the Antenna Analyzer kit, probably a winter project. Also thinking of maybe a PFR_3 instead of a K1 for a trail rig. I eventually want the K1, but I may hold off and tray the pfr3 first. Pretty good user group on Yahoo.

stay tuned

de N8Mac
.-.-.-

DX!!

OK, I was not ready for the thrill of a foreign contact, had not really thought much about it. But tonight I had two short Venezuela contacts PSK31 5 watts, G5RV antenna up abt 20 ft. WOOT

Cleaning off the work bench.

A project I had tucked away was a VE3DNL marker generator kit. I put this together yesterday in about one hour.


I also put together a Rainbow AC Line Voltage monitor kit.


I mounted this into a radio shack project box. There is room to spare, so I will probably add a headset amp or desk microphone switch later.



Then I started constructing a Norcal BLT tuner kit that I also had sitting around the bench.


This is Pittsburgh style (as apposed to Manhattan or islander similar styles) construction with the solder pads carved into the copper clad board.

Next will be a Arizona ScQRPion Paddle Kit that I have had sitting in a parts bin for some time.

The last remaining project will be the AMQRP 908 antenna analyzer kit I ordered when they first came out several years ago. Like I said I needed to clean out the workbench. The smaller projects will hopefully prepare me for the 908 - a lot of SMT components on that one. Once that is done, perhaps I will tackle an Elecraft K1....
- - - - - -
Finished troubleshooting the T-1 antenna tuner today.

I hooked it up to a G5RV and watched it tuneup on five different bands. Not sure what was the problem or whether I was not holding my mouth right, but it really works well. Really excited to have that done and working FB. The FT -817 cable for the T-1 is really sweet.

Made one contact today with a gentleman just down the road. We figured it had to be less than a quarter mile this on 20 m PSK 31. This was on the Yaesu FT -817 on the G5RV antenna. QRP is tough with the current conditions.

Stay tuned….

De N8MAC

FT-817 Dial Encoder

I bent the shaft on the rotary dial soon after I got the radio (long story).


It did not work right after that, I was fine tuning with the mike buttons instead of the encoder.

So I ordered a replacement from Yaesu USA and received it back within a few days.
The FT-817 comes apart fairly easily, anyone who has looked into adding the Collins filters has been there. The front panel comes off by moving four tabs.



The encoder unplugs and the nut on the shaft is all that holds it in place.



Quick, easy repair, FB!!

Success!!

Friday, my psk31 modem from AMQRP club -NUE-PSK showed up.



It hooked up fine as instructed and I set it up, read the mail a bit and was able to make 5 contacts on 40 meters. This is a fun little machine and keeps with the QRP profile and weighs little.

I used the T-1 auto tuner with a G5RV antenna up 30 sloping to 20 feet (tree to a painter's pole) in the back yard.


The T1 seems to work, but I need to verify one last QC check.

Stay tuned .-.-.-

Update

Well, the Tenna Dipper is finished, but not working just right. I suspect some trashed parts, I will trouble shoot that one later.
.-.-.-
I am done with the T1 as far as construction goes with a replacement smt capacitor installed. I am in the troubleshooting mode now. At first it would not power on, I tweaked some solder joints and now it comes on and starts properly. It failed the power measure test, the info function works, so I will finish tracing that down hopefully tomorrow.
.-.-.-
I seem to have hit a wall with morse code again. I plan to switch to on air copying and practice sending to got over this plateau.
.-.-.-
NUE-PSK31
this is the next toy to add to the shack
in keeping with portable battery operation
stay tuned...

de N8MAC

N8MAC/AE

Woot!
Passed the Extra element four test yesterday. I took several practice tests prior to, but the actual seemed tougher for some reason, not as many formulas though. Missed 6 questions.

What better way to brush up on theory than to upgrade? Mainly those gaps in available frequencies not available to General class in HF bugged me....

BTW I used Ham TestOnline to cram for this in a compressed time frame. I little pricey, but it provides focus study and testing that works for me. Also the Extra exam just changed last month, and I had an older study guide, so wanted to make sure I was up to date.

'-'-'-

Not much operating lately other that 2 meters.

Still waiting on a part for the T1, must have gotten lost in the mail.
I finished the tenna dipper, but no audio from the little pezio speaker, the led lights fine. More troubleshooting, or maybe start over, I may have cooked it.

Still working on code. I seemed to have hit a plateau. I need to work on sending more, I can copy about 12 - 15 wpm. Not having a permanent shack or antenna up, I miss out on just listening to actual qso's at night etc.

FT-817 Tenna Dipper Elecraft T1 and morse code

FT-817
I broke down and ordered a Yaesu FT-817.
I have started learning the menus and had it on 2 meter FM through the included rubber duck antenna. Dug out an 0ld pac-12 antenna for 20 meters and listened for a bit til the internal rechargeable pack died.

Next time I will dig out the buddy pole antenna when I have some time. I want to have an antenna tuner or analyzer before I get much further see below

I have a W4RT 2700 mAH replacement battery pack that I will be putting in soon. Now what to do with the OEM unit....?

So the FT-817 is a bit of cart before the horse as I promised myself I would get my morse code up to speed before getting or building another radio. But I had the money....

Tenna dipper.
I have had a Tenna dipper kit in the work bench projects drawer for some time, this will pair with the pac-12 antenna and the SW-20+ as the light weight CW rig. It has been several years since I built the 20+ or the other kits, so I needed a project to hone my soldering skills on before I tackle the Elecraft T1 tuner kit to pair with the FT-817.
I almost immediately screwed up and soldered the wrong 14 pin IC onto the printed circuit board. So I got lots of practice desoldering too!! :) The chip was destroyed, the 25 cent replacement was quickly ordered and showed up yesterday from Thailand. so that project is in the works.

Elecraft T1

Well, I started the T1 project and screwed that up too (it was a bad week) The T1 has surface mount component capacitors that I forgot about, as I was clipping leads and checking for solder bridges etc, I draged across one and killed it. Email to Elecraft has a replacement on the way (great customer service). So that project is on hold.
Conclusion, my eyesight aint what it use to be, so I have a visor magnifier on order to go with the magnifier desk lamp that I am already using.
I think I was fighting murphy and working tired, but hey, I am having fun and that is what it is all about.

Morse Code
Hot topic in the Ham community, you either love it or don't. Learning Morse Code or CW as it is commonly referred to (continuous wave transmission) is like learning another language. You can not just poke it with a stick as I have and expect to get to an operational speed for QRP.

Getting up to five words per minute fifteen years ago to pass the novice or code plus Tech license I got back then was pretty easy looking back, but the several attempts that I have made since have gotten me to maybe 10 wpm and as I have mentioned this hobby has ebbed and flowed like the tide, so I really did not commit the time needed to 'get er done'. Insert any lame excuse that sounds better HERE.

Many years ago I read the code learning philosophy of Chuck Adams K7QO and downloaded his code lessons Chuck has it right, you have to put in the time. I did not complete the course at the time and later on tried to use several different computer based tools out there. For me, these did not work,for one thing, computers can be distracting, it is too easy to go surf the web etc instead of working on code. Going back to the basics and using Chuck's pdf books and mp3 recording and doing some code every day, I am making progress.

The problem for me with some of the programs is that they try to invoke memory aid and menomics to help you recall the character from the sound heard. For me this adds a decode step between hearing the letter in CW decoding it to the memory aid or seeing a picture that represents the letter and then writing the letter down. Learning a language is an audio exercise, adding the visual or menomic decode is just another step that was slowing me down. Now it is in the ear and out the pen to paper in one step and even better, I am (finally) able to 'head copy' a bit more. So it won't be long.
I also starting to practice sending. I have a set of palm paddles and a built into the requisite altoids tin.



Next week I will be away at Scout Camp, no radio, but I will have my Palm TX with my K7QO code course and a set of ear buds.

Stay tuned...de N8Mac

QRZ???

I have held an amateur radio license for ~ 15 years, I started out with Technician plus (5wpm code test) and when that was about to expire, I opted to upgrade to a General ticket rather than just renew. BUT, I really have not done anything with it. Oh sure, I got on the 2meter repeaters on a HT and actually ran packet on it for a time. Every few years, I get the itch to get back into the hobby and maybe get on the air on HF. I never yearned to get a large full powered rig, rather I love the small low power (QRP) radios. I remember as a kid seeing small one tube rigs in magazines and thinking that was cool. The Heathkit kits, really appealed to me back in the day. For some reason, instead of a radio, the Heathkit kit, I ordered was a computer - an H8.... so computers may have been the substitute hobby

Now a lot of Hams will say that starting out with low power and simple minimal antennas is not the way to go, but again, for what ever reason, I am not attracted to full size/power radios.


Anyway a few years ago, during an itch, I finally built a radio a Small Wonders Labs SW20+, a great kit and fun! I really love building kits, I ended up building a watt meter and frequency counter from Oak Hills Research and some of the kits offered by Amqrp and other qrp clubs, so I have the start of my low power shack. Unfortunately, I did not get my CW (morse code) (the 20+ is cw only no voice)skills up to speed and eventually Ham ended up on hold for a while.

Well, the kids are older and I got the bug again, so this blog will track my progress on getting HF portable/ QRP.

See HFPack for the type of operation I am working towards. Especially some of the utube videos. This ties in with my love of outdoors, camping and hiking.
Stay tuned...... de N8Mac