A 1980s Rarity: Montgomery Ward's GEN856A VHF/UHF scanner

I remember one time when I was young where we had to take shelter during a tornado warning. As a Midwesterner, you get used to stuff like this. When we were huddled in the basement waiting for the storm to pass, I remember my dad having a black box in his hand, with a grey top and two antennas sticking out from it. It looked like an old walkie-talkie, but in fact, this box would end up changing my life forever.

Creating an RoIP Node for My Community

 One of the things I thought about when I became a ham was the other hams in my community. I got licensed with about a dozen other people who all have at least their Technician's license, and many of them live in the same community as me. I have always wanted to do a project for the ham community around here, and I believe I might have a solution.

My HUGE Pixie Project

 After the failure of the Paraset Pixie, I decided to give up for a bit on any Pixie-related projects. I was frustrated, and rightfully so. I more than likely got a dud but for as cheap as they run, there's not much of a loss there.

However, one does have to appreciate the simplicity of the Pixie circuit. You can spend hours and hours on research, but it all boils down to a simple direct conversion receiver paired with a simple CW transmitter. The work is placed on the final amplifier transistor, as this functions as the power amplifier in transmit, and acts as the mixer on receive. Clever, isn't it?

Unfortunately, the Pixie is an abhorrent choice of QRP radio to use. It's crystal controlled, meaning that it lacks frequency agility. The choice of direct conversion on receive leaves the pass band wide open as a barn door, meaning that QSOs will be several kilohertz above and below your spot frequency. The variable potentiometer only helps up to a point. However, this doesn't mean that it is automatically destined for the trash bin. 

Motorola SM50 for Ham VoIP

Along with my Maxon SM4450, I was given a Motorola SM50 GMRS radio. I actually thought that it didn't work at first until I realized that the power leads were installed backwards on the SAE pigtail! I can confirm that it now works and puts out RF quite well. 

Well, after lots and lots of trial and error (and with the confidence I gained through rebanding and reprogramming the 4450!), I got my Motorola SM50 UHF radio realigned on 440MHz! After modifying the .MDF file for the RSS software, I was able to program it to 440MHz to 480MHz. Of course, I won't need all this bandwidth as I'm only allocated to the lower 10MHz!

I programmed this radio using a CP2102 connected to the radio, and I used DOSBox to emulate DOS. It is recommended to use an actual DOS computer, but I found this method to work best for me, despite it having lots of hiccups along the way. I did find a workaround for it though!

Putikeeg Key Review - Your first CW key

 When I first got in to ham radio, I never thought too much about CW. At the time, I was glad that the requirement for copying Morse was tossed out. As I've gotten older and more seasoned in the hobby, I've come to appreciate CW and it's beginning to become one of my favorite modes.

Hams who are serious CW enthusiasts will spend hundreds, and sometimes thousands, on refined Morse Code keys. As someone who is more of a rudimentary kind of person, I prefer simplicity - the less adjustments needed, the better. Over the years I've 3D printed a key and crafted one from a clothespin. Both worked, but lacked the charm of a key like a J-38 or an old mini Soviet key.

In recent years, cheap yet promising keys hit the market from a manufacturer by the name of Putikeeg. These keys were described as being crafted from 6061 aluminum and came in straight key and paddle configurations. While I really wanted a paddle, I had some money set aside for a CW straight key. So, I took the plunge and ordered one from Amazon.

And, here is my review.

UHF APRS: I think I may have a solution!

 Hello there, just a short tidbit I wanted to share.

A Month with the QYT KT-8900

 Well it's officially been a month or two since I first received the QYT KT-8900. As promised, I would like to do a one-month check-in on this rig!

IT'S HERE! IT'S HERE! A weather update, that is...

 Ever since I was little, weather has fascinated me, between snowstorms and tornadoes. I've had my fair share, and with the recent 3-day outbreak in Iowa, Nebraska, Kansas, and Missouri, that fascination has reignited in my soul. In fact, one of the reasons I became a ham was to help out if the weather ever took a turn for the worse.