HamGeek usDX 40/20/15 meter QRP radio

 Because I bought one so you do or don't have to.

Yet ANOTHER Way to Convert from CB to 10 (CB to CW Part V)

Yep, another way. Just found it out today.

If you want a 10 meter radio that's channelized or if you don't want to try your hand at computer science, try this modification instead! The cost: Well below $10 or even $5. The candidate: A Midland 13-866 (or the 853 if it gets fixed).

CB to CW Part 4: Wireless UI

Let me ask you something...

What is the number one thing that you have with you at all times? A pencil? Earphones? How about your cellphone?

In today's post, I'm going to be simplifying my CW CB radio to take away the OLED and rotary encoder to provide you with an easier user interface accessible via a web browser. After this, you should have a roughly-speaking software defined radio!

CB to CW Part 3: The Final Installation

 I graduated college!!! Now what am I going to do?

I DID IT!!!

 I FINALLY DID IT!!! After 6 years of off and on practice, I now can say that CW is my new favorite mode.

CB to CW PART 2

 In a previous post, I briefly discussed a way to convert an AM-only crystal-controlled CB radio into a 10 meter QRP CW rig with some additional features. Now that I've discussed the theory, I've written this post to track my progress and give you some information should you want to do the same.

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? You can see the idea here from the RU-QRP group:

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. 

Pixie Sixtie (Part III): Harmonic Suppression

 Today I'll discuss a filter that is imperative to have so I can use the Pixie on the air. I'll cover two types - a low-pass and a band-pass, and explain why you may want them on your project.

Pixie Sixite (Part II): The Passive Audio Filter

Today I want to discuss an imperative add-on for the Pixie Sixtie I'm building. This should also apply to any other Pixie kit or similar QRP kit with poor front-end filtering and a wide passband.

NightFire Electronics

A few days ago, I thought that I'd make another purchase off of AliExpress again. I went to the store and picked up a prepaid Visa card since that's what I used last time, only to discover that it was only valid in the US. Dang. Well there went $50...

Along Came Etsy

Now I know what you're thinking...why would you ever shop on Etsy, Owen? What do they have on there that's even remotely close to ham radio? 

Well they have a lot actually. Hams are making things from antennas, LED signs, kits, apparel...the list goes on! What a great way to let the ham community shop for items while giving back to their fellow hams and their families! I might start making antennas and selling them on Etsy, actually.

Since I couldn't buy a Pixie kit on AliExpress due to my dilemma, I decided to go find another Pixie kit. I couldn't use eBay because they don't accept prepaid cards and Amazon just wouldn't recognize my card period. So I got to looking at other sites and Etsy came to mind. Sure enough, one supplier - NightFire Electronics - was one of the first seller choices. And right there it was - a 40 meter Pixie kit waiting for me to put it together. So I ordered that along with an audio Morse Code practice oscillator as another building activity.

The Waiting Game and Thoughts

I placed my order on October 26th and according to USPS, my package should arrive on October 29th - that's a pretty quick turnaround considering that NightFire Electronics is in Florida, which is continuing to clean up after Helene and Milton.

Despite this, my package arrived in a cute cube of a box. Nothing too grand, but sometimes the best things in life come in small packages. I went ahead and unboxed my pack of goodies and sure enough, the two kits I had ordered were provided as promised and promoted. 

The Pixie

To my surprise, the Pixie isn't that much bigger than the generic ones you get off of eBay. The PCB is a bit thicker and seems a bit more robust too. 

This one still uses varactor tuning but I have learned a lot about varactor tuning in the past few days. Basically, when a diode is placed backwards (cathode side towards the voltage source, anode to ground or negative source) it exhibits a phenomenon known as junction capacitance. As the voltage is increased or decreased, the capacitance varies. There are specific diodes that serve as varactors such as the MV209 used in the MFJ Cub, but common 1N400x series will work just fine if used as fine tuning, such as RIT. The Pixies use these diodes for varactor RIT tuning, which provides a small variable capacitance and receive offset of between 700 and 900Hz - perfect for copying CW! If you really wanted to, you could substitute an actual varactor in place of this to have a wider tuning window. You'd just have to adjust for offset every time you keyed up.

I purchased the Pixie kit with a base frequency of 7.030MHz. Now, I could keep buying up crystals and swapping them out to change frequencies, or I could use a variable capacitor to shift the frequency by about a kilohertz or so. Your mileage may vary, especially if you're using an HC49/U (tall-cased, more pull) versus an HC49/S (short-cased, small pull). Also, don't permanently solder in the crystal. You can use pin headers to easily change out crystals or VXO modules.

The Pixie did not come with any output jacks. Rather it was provided with four 2-pin screw terminal. This shouldn't be a problem and the input/output jacks should be relatively easy to come by. I already have tons of BNC panel mounts, a panel mount DC barrel jack, and several 3.5mm jacks.

This Pixie has an additional capacitor in parallel with the low pass filter inductor. You can add a value of 130pF to further attenuate spurious emissions, although the schematic says that this component isn't used. I find it to be absolutely necessary, as I have been thoroughly analyzing the ineffective output of the Pixie's filter. This capacitor helps significantly reduce the second harmonic to a dip, which thereby reduces the third, fourth, etc. by more than -25dB or so from the fundamental. It works because it is resonant on or near the second harmonic, which is 14MHz.

Code Practice Oscillator

While I liked my Arduino Nano CPO, it just wasn't small enough to tote around. I ended up purchasing another oscillator kit based on a twin-T oscillator configuration. This is fed into an LM386 to amplify the output, which is a sine wave at around 700Hz.

Depending upon the kit you have, you can change a resistor in one of the T-networks to change the tone. So if you're not comfortable with 700Hz you can experiment with resistor values to see what you like. As an added bonus, I'm thinking of adding on an Arduino to the key input to generate random words and phrases. A digital pin fed to an optocoupler and fed into the keying input should do the trick just fine.

Conclusions

Simply put, I will most definitely be buying more things from NightFire. I feel that they are reasonably priced and are dedicated to making electronic kits accessible for all. One kit that looks cool and is easy to assemble is their ghost detector. Whether or not it works...well, that's for you to decide. In practicality, it is an overly-amplified LED detector that picks up electromagnetic changes nearby. 

That's not the only things NightFire offers. They offer everything from amplifiers, Arduino kits, capacitor/resistor kits, and so much more! So if you're looking for some fun kits to build either to pass the time or practice your soldering skills, look no further than NightFire Electronics!

A Fun CB and/or 10M Project

 Back at it again with CB radio...but this time, with a twist.

The PeaNOT: A 74HC04-based QRP Transmitter

As a computer scientist, we deal with several ICs that serve many purposes. Some are microcontrollers. Some are logic gates. Some are just...rather interesting. There's one IC in particular that has its uses as a minimalist oscillator or transmitter with at least 6 components: the 74HC04, the legendary CMOS inverter.

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.

The Ten Minute Transmitter

 Decades ago, a ham by the name of Steve, G4RAW, conceptualized a CW transmitter in a magazine article capable of putting out up to 1 watt of RF power over the air. It was so barebones that even the newly-licensed amateur, with little to no experience, could throw it together, tune it up, and possibly make a QSO in a matter of minutes. No, not hours - minutes. 10 minutes to be exact. This rig is called the Ten Minute Transmitter.

The Many Wonders of QRP Circuits

 If you're like me, you like to build things and experiment with them - you constantly ask yourself, "how does this work?" QRP operation has brought me to that question many times, and today, I want to discuss a few QRP designs I happened to stumble upon. I'm sure you've also seen these circuits across the web. Today, I'd like to showcase some simple transceivers that you can build in a very short amount of time for almost nothing!

Arduino Morse Code Practice Oscillator: Practice with Computers and Morse Code

Hi fellow hams and electronics gurus!

I hope that you are doing well, and what a start to the fall it's been for me! The Bearcats were off to a rocky start in football but won in a shut-out this weekend and I'm close to leaving the university with Computer Science and Music degrees. I have also re-sparked my interest in IoT things like Arduino and the Raspberry Pi.

Lately, I haven't been on the radio as much as I'd like to be, but that's okay because I've been working on something that may prove to keep me as active in the hobby as I once was.

Yaesu FT-891: Best for the Budget?

Okay, so maybe my base rig needed an update too. I get it; there are not enough options for someone on a budget like me, and unfortunately, ham radio isn't a budget hobby. Don't get me wrong, I LOVE my TS-660, but there's just something about not having 80, 40, or 20m access that makes hams grumble when you're trying to set up a sked or a QSO. Building QRP equipment is great, but 9 times out of 10 you'll be limited to CW-only designs (in addition to Feld Hell, too!). Most hams don't do CW or even Feld Hell, so you're left calling CQ for ages if you use those modes.

In 2016, a miracle happened. Yaesu unveiled a new radio capable of producing 100W out on SSB, CW, and FM (and 40W on AM, if you care!). The best thing about this rig was its size - anyone could take it anywhere, no matter the circumstances, and even if you had a bare minimum wage-paying job, HF would be within reach. Thus, the FT-891 was born. Styled like its predecessors, the FT-817/818, it packed more punch than any mobile rig of the same size could. And if you're worried about being badged "Made in China," don't worry - it's actually made and imported from Japan, where electronics of quality are born.

I remember when I got licensed in 2018, just 2 years after the reveal. I can vaguely remember me trying to save money for a bigger and badder radio than any other ham out there. Unfortunately, it didn't happen, but I did get my TS-660 and prior to that, I was given a SK's Yaesu FT-2200, one of the best 2m radios I've owned. There is no comparison between it and the Baofeng. Period.

Background on the Purchase

For a little under $700, I went ahead and took the plunge and bought the FT-891. Before I bought it I read through the reviews and every website gave it 4.8/5 stars. The number one complaint (minimal complaint) was the controls - the radio has a lot of menus to go through but I don't think I'll find it a problem.

I ordered from Ham Radio Outlet again since I have had nothing but excellent service. The MSRP was $639.95 without tax - even with tax, it still didn't break the bank like I thought it would. The package arrived within two days, which is REALLY fast although it came from the HRO store in Milwaukee. 

Initial Thoughts and Unboxing!

I went ahead and unboxed the radio which I must say was packaged pretty well! In the box, I got the radio, the faceplate, the microphone, the power cables, and some hardware for mobile mounting. I did have to resurrect my Pyramid 30A PSU, which actually wasn't too bad for the little rig! The moment I turned it on, I noticed little to no switching noise - obviously this has a built-in PSU filter. 

I actually didn't mind having to step through the menus, and after enough practice, I think I know my way around this radio already! Unfortunately, I did run into some problems.

The FT-891 does not have a built-in sound processor like some of the higher-model radios, but it does have CAT control. I also realized that in order to use my LDG auto-tuner, I needed a special 3.5mm plug - oops. But in all reality, I don't mind. I still have my Easy Digi board and I can choose to control the rig via CAT or an RS232 breakout board. Looks like a custom interface is in the works for the future!

I tried using the SignaLink, but to my dismay, it only transmitted audio - it did not have any sound going to the computer. Yaesu did put a data interface on the back of the radio. It is a 6-pin, mini-DIN connector, like what you'd find on old computer mice or keyboards. If you have any old ones laying around, consider scrapping the cable - it should work! Below is the pinout:

Facing the back of the radio, the only pins we need to focus on are the DATA Out (Audio TO Radio), PTT (or if using the built-in CAT, ignore this!), DATA In (Audio FROM Radio), and GND (Ground). While I won't go into detail, KM4NMP has an excellent write-up on making your own interface, minus the PTT/CAT control. Just plug in the radio via the USB port in the back, configure your software, and go! Make sure to also adjust ALC levels so you're not overdriving the radio! 

Closing Thoughts and Recommendations

I absolutely love this radio and to be unbiased and honest, I have no critical complaints. I think that this radio would be an excellent starter radio. It can also be used as a base station or you can go portable, much like its predecessors, the 817, 818, 857, etc. With 100W of output, you are more than guaranteed to work the world wherever you are.

I would certainly recommend this radio to someone who's on a budget. It's a good radio whether you're new to the hobby or an operator who's seen some action. If QRP just isn't cutting it for you or you're constrained to only 2 or 3 bands, consider getting this radio. With some extra circuitry, this radio can run FT8, PSK31, Feld Hell, RTTY, etc. On the flip side, if you do enjoy QRPing, this radio can lower power levels down to 5 watts.

Conclusion and updates

For the record, I STILL cannot get RBN spots in the south despite putting out significantly more power. I'm trying to get to Alabama, but no cigar. I am clear from coast to coast, but it appears that no one down there reports me or can't hear me. It may be time for a new antenna setup, particularly one that points south. Better yet, I NEED MORE SPACE! Do you know how horrible it is to have your entire station antenna set up on less than a tenth of an acre, let alone indoors???

The weather up here in Maryville is starting to get warmer (hopefully it continues to!), and today the temp is about 52 degrees. I'm starting to get back into the swing of things at school and summer can't come soon enough! 

Once I get an extended break (in about 4 weeks or so), I plan on taking my radio out to the university and will hopefully make some contacts. Until then, I'm bound to the books for now...

My CW Journey So Far (and a bit of WSPR...)

We're Making Progress!

I have started making progress on at least one of my New Year's resolutions, and so far I must say I'm making great progress! Unfortunately, it's just trying to find the time with my busy schedule. 

As of right now, I can send A, B, C, D, E, I, K, M, N, O, P, Q, R, S, T, U, and X, all at or around 10 wpm. Not bad, not bad at all! I have come across times where I will get N (-.) and A (.-) switched around. I do know, however, that K (-.-) is the inverse of R (.-.), and I guess N would be the inverse of A. If you can think like this, then Morse will be a breeze for you.

Another thing that has helped me is learning dits and dahs. I know, you're going to sound stupid saying it, but it is worth it and it will help you! If you memorize the characters by sound (bee-beep) versus dit-dah (di-daht), it will be much harder for your to process a message.

How do I (you, the reader) get started, then?

A few posts back, I mentioned the website LCWO.net. It costs nothing to join and will teach you Morse via the Koch method. The key (no pun, hihi) is to practice as much as you can in a set time frame. You're not practicing for time's sake, you're practicing for accuracy's sake. For me, I take at least 30 minutes out of my day to practice a lesson or two. I practice each lesson 3 or 4 times for repetition and muscle memory. 

To practice sending, consider making a practice oscillator. You can use anything - a 555 chip works best for the heart of any practice oscillator. If you're not the DIY kind of person, MFJ sells an oscillator with an added bonus straight key! I have used one of these at Scout camp and I must say that they are good to work with.

The key that I'm using is a 3D-printed key that I found on Thingiverse. You can find it here. This works well, but what if I'm out and about? To solve that, I "remixed" a key to suit my needs. The knob is shaped like the old army keys but it is small enough to carry with you in your POTA, SOTA, or QRP bag. That link is here. If necessary, I'm sure one could even use this as their base station key if so desired.

When you think you're ready for an on-air QSO, send out a quick CQ call. Either one of two things will happen: You'll get an answer or you'll show up on the Reverse Beacon Network. The RBN is a great tool to show you where you're more than likely to get contacts. With my MFJ Cub, I was heard over 800 miles from my QTH, which is pretty impressive just for 1-ish watt of power. In comparison, my TS-660 could be heard as far away as Costa Rica and the Canary Islands!

My perception of CW has changed drastically since I first became a ham. I always thought that getting an SSB contact across the world was impressive, but sending a signal comprised of dots and dashes that can reach anywhere is even more impressive - just the fact of "talking" in a different "language" is wild enough. The pure fact that some of these CW radios that are on the air right now are homebrewed is even more bewildering! 

In conclusion, I think I'll be using CW later on in my ham radio career once I'm proficient at it. I'm sure I'll be able to complete my resolution by the end of the year at this rate. But now, as Monty Python puts it, it's time for something completely different...

WSPR

I'm sure you've used FT8 at some time in your life. Well, WSPR is no different! WSPR stands for Weak Signal Propagation Reporter and was developed by Joe Taylor, K1JT, the same fellow who developed FT8 and WSJT-X. Not sure where your signals could go? Try your hand at WSPR!

WSPR is comprised of a 50-bit messaging system. It includes your callsign, maidenhead locator, and the power output of your rig in dBm. For example, my WSPR stream would look like this: <KE0SBX EN20 40>. WSJT-X features a built-in version of WSPR and you can transmit worldwide at any part of the day. The farthest I was heard was in Austria, almost 5000 miles away! I ran WSPR on 15, 12, and 10 meters, all with success. 

WSPR tells us many things. It tells us possible paths where our signals could go, who can hear us, and how propagation is.

If you have an SSB rig, go ahead and give WSPR a try. Trust me, you'll be surprised with the results. Spots are posted to wsprnet.org and are updated constantly. Just type in your callsign in the search and watch how many people spot you. It truly is a great mode to use and it gives us hams a tool to use for propagation.

That's all for now, hope to hear you on the air! 73s!

The Cub Lives!!!!!! (For Real, This Time)

 Yep, you read it right, the transceiver that I gave up on months and months ago sprang to life. I had a feeling that it wasn't dead, my heart of hearts told me that. 

So, what happened, and what did I learn? Here's the important thing: There's more than one way to do something. Ben Franklin once said, "I didn't fail the test, I just found 100 ways of doing it wrong," and that's what I did. 

With the help of various QRZ.com members, namely KL7KN, I figured out that the receiver can be adjusted with the probing of U2's Pin 1. U2 is an SA602 and is the filter mixer. Probing Pin 1 bypasses the filter circuit, which in essence creates another antenna. The antenna will generate a buzzing or hissing noise. From here, tune L1 and L2 for maximum noise. If you can't hear any stations when you bypass the filter, you still have a problem, unfortunately (once again, thanks A LOT KL7KN!).

I can't tell you how much joy I felt when I began to hear stations when I connected an antenna. It really made me happy when I could hear the FT8 frequency, which means that my tuning was dead on where I wanted it. I could also hear CW stations with ease.

By now, many of you are wondering how well this stacks up to the Pixie. I will tell you that it blows it out of the water completely. The Cub has a crystal filter, an onboard audio amplifier, a great tuning range, and about 2W of output power that can be varied if you want to work QRPp. While the Cub sounds impressive, there are some drawbacks to it. It needs to warm up for a couple of minutes before you transmit so the frequency is rock solid. I also found the alignment to be a bit cumbersome, but that may be because I haven't built a kit like this before. While the audio is acceptable, I feel that it could be a bit louder, but it definitely beats the Pixie's quiet and wide-open receiver any day. For the completed project, I took some photos.

I set the Cub aside and waited to touch up the transmitter side of things until the next day. Turns out, the transmitter side of things was not as complicated as I had thought. In a matter of under 30 minutes, I had a fully-functional Cub, with 1.5 watts of output on 20m. 

In addition to this, I built my own 50 ohm dummy load with a wattmeter output. That can be found here: https://www.qsl.net/kc6wdk/QRP/wattmeter.htm. Here is what mine looks like. I do want to note that my copper chloride etchant, used with a nail polish resist, works very well.

To close, this has been an exciting and fun adventure. Now I'm off to build a dipole antenna and perfect my Morse Code! My next test with this is to see if I can show up on the Reverse Beacon Network, or RBN. 

If you also want to use the RBN, it's easy! Just send the following in Morse Code:

CQ RBN CQ RBN DE [callsign] [callsign] K

CQ TEST CQ TEST CQ TEST DE [callsign] [callsign] [callsign] K

The RBN looks for CQ calls, so even if you just send out CQ, there is a good chance that you'll show up on the RBN. There are thousands of operators listening on thousands of frequencies and reporting daily. If you know how to send CQ and your callsign in Morse, you'll have no problem showing up on the RBN. It is popular with QRPers in particular since QRP can be a little unpredictable as to where you will reach. Having your callsign show up on the RBN site can give you a generalization of where you can be heard and what you can work.

That's all for now from my shack. Hope you have a great New Year! Until next time...

EDIT 1/2/2023 - Just a few moments ago, I sent out a quick CQ call on the Cub using my EFHW. As soon as I finished sending my callsign, I got a report from the East coast at a distance of 963 miles, which equates to around 647 miles per watt! Not bad, especially for 1.5 watts and a crappy end-fed antenna. I'm off to build my dipole now and brush up on my Morse skills...

Updates on the Cub's Conditon/Hammo Can Completion

From the looks of it, the Cub is in stable condition, but unfortunately, I haven't tested it yet. 

Recently, I went back over my board and resoldered the bad pads. I also went ahead and rewound the toroids since I didn't scrape off the enamel properly. The board looks 10x better and now all that's left is to clean off the excess flux - and test to see if it works.

For anyone wondering how I solved my problem, I started a thread on QRZ.com with a little common sense to help. You can find the posting here. What started as a simple question about testing tools soon turned into a diagnosis forum (also, just build a proper dummy load/wattmeter!). Other hams began offering me helpful tips and possible problems, and the number one problem was my solder connections, followed by my toroids.

Fixing both, I opted to uninstall the BNC connector. I just didn't feel comfortable mounting it to the board, so I opted for the RCA jack. Amazon sells adapters so this won't be too much of an issue for me. 

In addition to fixing the board, my Hammo Can is fully complete! Running between 12.6 and 13.8V at 15Ah, I have calculated and estimated that it will run for about 3 hours continuous on transmit and about 13 or 14 hours on standby. This, of course, is if I use my TS-660. On my FT-2200, I expect that the battery life will be much shorter. I have an additional 3.1A coming off of a USB accessory plug, but this shouldn't be too much of an issue. It is a little heavy, but it weighs as much as if it were full of ammunition. Charging time is about 15 hours max, and the most I could get out was 13.8V on one charge - perfect for ham radio! The wiring harness isn't too bad - I solved the bunching-up issues with nothing but zip ties. With some help, the wires lay nicely in the case.

Believe it or not, there is still room for cables. There is even room for the charger which is not very large at all. Now I have a power supply I can use at home or in the field, and here's the best part - there is NO switching noise at all on the Kenwood! There's nothing but a beautiful and flat noise floor. Bye-bye, Lyle/Pyramid 30A power supply!

How much was it, you ask? I'm putting it around $50 or $60 - exactly how much I wanted to spend, and exactly how much anyone should spend on power. Here are the links to everything I got:

• Battery: Mighty Max 12V 15Ah
• Charger: 12V SLA Charger with Short-Circuit Protection
• USB Port: 3.1A USB Hub w/ Fuse
• Binding Posts: 10pcs 4mm Binding Post
• Switch: Heavy-Duty Rocker Switch, ON/OFF
• Ammo Box: Plastic Ammunition Box Waterproof
• Wire Connections: 79-Piece Assorted Kit Crimp Connectors
• Wire: 12AWG Red and Black

Here are some photos:

I used this power supply to talk to Italy, so I'd consider this a huge success! It's easy to build, so if you're going out to the field soon or helping with EMCOMMs, consider building one of these. For a bit more, you could put it all in a metal ammo can rather than plastic, but either will work just fine. I'd recommend recharging it after you come back from your adventure or connecting it to a float charger. This will give you a full battery for next time!