New Blog Home

To reflect my new call sign (K7JTO), I have moved my radio blog to http://k7jto.blogspot.com. All future posts will take place there - please update and follow me there!

Check out my YouTube Account

I’ve set up a YouTube account where I’ll be posting video recordings of radio-related activities. As I learn more about HF radio and about QRP operation, I’ll post what I’ve learned.

http://www.youtube.com/user/KF7DVJ

Also, I’ve posted my first video on YouTube – it’s about my ultra-mobile bicycle emergency communications rig. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VKfxzOKIMaY

Ultra Mobile

Today was Centerville’s Independence Day parade, and I was able to be net control for the parade. Lots of fun! This article is more about my mobile emcomm unit than about the parade, though.

Wanting to test out my emergency communications, I chose to do the parade using my FT-817 QRP (low-power) radio. The 817 is essentially a hand-held radio in a larger box—it’s an all-band radio (HF, VHF, UHF) with a max output power of 5 watts in any mode.

Yaesu FT-817

I’ve had my 817 for about two months now and have really enjoyed using it, although I’ve had less than exceptional success using the HF bands for voice (I have succeeded to have digital conversations using PSK-31 and my laptop, though). It’s all about the antenna and the timing—more on that in another article.

My 817 has a couple of modifications, including:

• One Big Punch speech compressor, to increase readability on voice/SSB transmissions.
•   2700 mAH battery for much longer battery life (factory default is a paltry 1800 mAH)
• One Fast Charger reduces charging time from 18 hours to just over 2 hours.

The battery has been helpful. In fact, today I did an entire parade (7:00 AM till 10:15 AM) on my 2700 mAH battery. Didn’t even have to connect!

Portable Antenna

My stated goal was to perform net control duties using a low-power VHF rig. I also wanted to test my field setup, which includes a home-brew J-pole antenna for 2 m made of simple, cheap ladder line. It worked stupendously!

My antenna is about 57” long, made of ladder-line. I connect to it with a 6’ piece of coax with alligator clips. I’ve stripped away a fair amount of the insulation, giving plenty of room for tuning this antenna. It’s ultra-light, and it’s--surprisingly enough--a gain antenna! With a simple male-to-male coax adapter, I connected a 10’ coax line to the short line coming off the antenna. The antenna is slightly directional, but for the most part works efficiently in 360 degrees. It worked amazingly well for the parade; never an issue and the 817’s SWR meter never registered! I did decide to hook the hot portion of the coax line to the shortest section of the antenna; don’t know if it made a measurable difference or not.

My antenna mast was a simple 10’ piece of 3/4” PVC pipe. The only modification I’d like to do here is cut it into sections to fit into my bike trailer or my go kit.

Go-Kit

I have wrapped up construction on my go-kit (see my blog posting on the kit), and it’s really ready for use. I’m playing with what I keep in the kit, but today I had:

• FT-817
• Ladder-line J-pole
• 6’ coax with alligator clips
• 10’ coax
• Various wire antennas
• LED flashlight
• 12v AA/AAA battery charger
• Various wires and plugs
• Manuals
• Two sealed lead acid batteries
• Papers

The beauty of this go-kit is how well it fits into my bike trailer. Which puts the ‘ultra’ in ultra-mobile!

Set Up

I was the first person around, so for a while I was just sitting on the stairs with my radio on my go-kit lid. Finally the announcer arrived and soon we were ready to go. Pretty easy – you can see the power cable coming up between my 817 and my HT. Note that it’s not plugged into anything. I did the entire parade w/o additional power. Although each one of my solar-charged SLAs will run the 817 for 24+ hours (with two in my go-kit and the ability to add two more, that means I can operate up to 4 days without a power source).

Getting Around

In the event of a disaster, I don’t know if my vehicles will be available or not. But we own around 10 bikes, and a little “Bob Yak” bike trailer as well. So for the parade (not wanting to mess with parking), I loaded up the bike trailer and headed down!

 

Like I said, I’m planning to cut the antenna down to fit in the trailer or in the go-kit itself, but haven’t done it yet.

So there you go – a parade in a box. Just add some marching bands, a whole smattering of politicians, and a lot of sun!

PSK-31

So about 2 months ago I got to visit my buddy WB6YOK and watch him operate PSK-31. This is a really cool digital mode – while we were operating, we watched two guys in Cuba and Panama chat.

Over the weekend, I got to operate K7P, the special event station for the 150th anniversary of the Pony Express. I did a lot of PSK-31 then. And surprise – my SignaLink USB sound card arrived today and I’m on the air as myself finally! Hooked it up and made 10 contacts this evening—including Australia (near Melbourne).

Lots to learn, but I’m still just having a blast!

BTW: kept chasing FK8GX around – he’s transmitting from New Caledonia, a Pacific Island between Australia and Fiji. I heard him loud and clear, but he never could hear me. My cheap dipole just isn’t putting out the signal like I need it to.

Action-Packer Go Box

One of my favorite organizing tools is Rubbermaid’s Action Packer. They make these things in several sizes (from 80 gallons to 8 gallons), they’re just about bulletproof, and they pack a zillion items. So when it came time to build a go-box, there really was no option – it’s the Action Packer or nothing! (Well, I have debated using something metal, to protect from an EMP, but I haven’t found anything that’ll work for that—yet).

What’s a go box? It’s a box or container you can grab and just run with. It’s great for field day or for the special events station we’ll be manning in June (for the Pony Express 150th anniversary). It contains essentially everything you need to operate in the field. Most go-boxes include radios, antennas, wires, batteries, and even food. I like to keep my food separate; it allows for a slightly smaller go-box.

My goals for building a go-box were:

• Store both my Yaesu FT-100 and my Yaesu FT-817 radios, in an upper shelf.
• Carry at least two lead-acid batteries below.
• Be completely wired – I should be able to open the top, plug in a radio and an antenna, and just GO.
• Be wired with ARES/RACES standard Anderson Powerpoles.
• Include an external connection so I can input power at any time, easily.
• Have room to store antennas, cables, a quick repair kit, etc.
• Include luxuries such as a flashlight and more.

Given that I want it to be easily portable AND I want it to hold a limited amount of gear, I opted for the smallest Action Packer, which is 8 gallons in size. Great choice!

Here are some photos of what I’ve got so far:

Batteries in the bottom, and the hole in the side for external power tap.	Close-up of the hole – I added a small rubber gasket for waterproofing. I also drilled the hole on a down-ward facing slope, to keep out water.
As you can see, the power out will have Anderson Powerpoles on it. That way I can plug into just about anyone’s system.	These are the lead acid batteries at the bottom. I have 1) power in, 2) lead acid batter, 3) second lead acid battery, and 4) power up to the top. Wanting to save a boatload of cash, I built my own power distribution unit (power distribution block) out of Anderson Powerpoles – I’ll write a quick blog on that. I also made room in the power block to plug in two additional batteries (I’ve got 4, after all), just in case.
Some things are just too easy… This is an Energizer brand battery charger. It just happens to take… 12v to charge batteries! You never know when you need a AA or AAA battery!	The comforts of home! I made 1) alligator clamp connector for auto batteries, 2) ring connectors for power supplies, 3) ring connectors with small alligator clamps, 4) 12v battery charger with the power supply cord modified, 4) Anderson-equipped power supply for my FT-817 (which happens to use the same tip as some old PockePC power supplies—and is the same tip the VX-7R uses). There’s a sample power distribution block. Oh and that’s the COOLEST flashlight I’ve ever seen – it’s LED powered. They sell them at NAPA for about 8 bucks—they have a hook and a magnet on the back of them.

There’s still some work left to do—I would like a shelf at the bottom to cover up the power supply. I’m worried a wrench or something will fall in between the batteries and cause a short. I need a shelf on the top on which I can put the radios (padded for transport, of course). I hope to wrap all that up shortly, and I’ll add final photos when I do.

Quick note on batteries – I left my QRP (low-power) Yaesu FT-817 running the other day. I went a full 24 hours on one lead acid battery. Twenty-four hours! And that included a couple hours of heavy HF transmission at full power (5 watts). Can you imagine what 4 batteries will do, if I shut the thing off now and again? It measures in weeks…

Ultimate Backpacking Yagi

If you’ve read my blog, you know I got started in amateur radio because I was looking for a reliable emergency communications solution for the backcountry. I found it, but in 2009 while taking my Scouts on a 50-miler, I knew next to nothing about radio. I wasn’t all that successful with my transmission. Part of the issue was that I didn’t know enough about programming the radio nor about VHR radio to set things up correctly. I had all the wrong data – wrong offset, wrong tone for opening repeaters, etc. But there is more – I had equipment problems. And now I know several reasons why!

• Yaesu VX-7R: my first challenge (not problem—challenge) is that my Yaesu VX-7R is a 5-watt hand-held unit (in ham radio vernacular, it’s called an “HT” or handie-talkie). 5 watts isn’t all that much power, you know? A decent 5-watt HT with a good antenna will transmit about 30 miles line-of-sight. I was never much more than 30 miles from any repeater, but there were trees all over the place. Nice things about the Yaesu? On standby, this puppy can remain on for a good two days. It’s a tough little unit, and the LCD has just enough info to keep you going, without getting too cluttered. What are you going to do with an awesome 5-watt handheld? Since they don’t make many handhelds with a higher wattage, especially with all these features, I’m sure not going to throw it out!
• Whip Antenna: I own a Diamond SRH-999 antenna. This is an awesome quad-band antenna which will transmit and receive on 50, 144, 220, and 445 (6m, 2m, 1.25m, and 70cm). The problem is that a whip antenna transmits in a big circle—the transmit power is spread out 360 degrees!
• No Gain: the other problem with a whip is that there’s essentially no gain. The radio pumps out 5 watts, and that’s what’s transmitted out of the antenna.

So is there an answer to this problem? I’ve got a great little radio. I have learned so much more about VHF radio, repeaters, and programming my radio that I have all the repeater settings correctly dialed in now. But how do I get around the transmission limitations of a 5-watt HT with a whip antenna? Simple: the two-meter Yagi.

Directional Antenna: the Yagi

Welcome to the world of amateur radio antennas! As I’ve studied about radio, I have learned that it’s pretty incredible what you can do with a low-power radio. As a matter of fact, there’s an entire dark art in ham radio called “QRP” or low-power radio. Most QRPers use 5-watt CW (continuous wave, or Morse code) radios. Some of them are as small as an Altoids tin (I’ll be building one of those – it’s my reward for earning General class). If you can transmit cross-county on a fraction of a watt, with a 9volt batter, you ought to be able to transmit 30, 50 or even 60 miles with a 5-watt HT! It all comes down to having the right antenna. And the right antenna will accomplish two things: first, it will focus all your power into a narrow beam; second, it will actually increase your transmission power.

The antenna that accomplishes this? Simple – the Yagi or beam antenna. Remember the old TV antennas? Those are Yagi antennas!

But I’m not looking for just any antenna. I’m looking for a Yagi I can take backpacking.

• 2-meter backpacking Yagi: Now, I thought I had the perfect antenna when I found the 2-meter backpacking Yagi plans presented at my local club. This has it all! It’s light (PVC and aluminum rod), it’s small (stuffs down into the PVC) and it’s convenient. Unfortunately, it calls for some pretty advanced stuff—ever try to by Delrin rod? Great stuff, but it’s not necessarily sold at your local Ace Hardware. I never really got started on this antenna, simply because I don’t know where to by aluminum rod, Delrin rod, etc.
• Simple 2-meter backpacking J-match Yagi: so imagine my excitement when I found plans for a 2-meter J-match Yagi antenna. Not only is it easier to build, it’s made out of parts you can buy easily (aluminum grounding rod, apparently available at Radio Shack, and a few alligator clips).
• Ultimate 2-meter backpacking Yagi: I had my heart set on building the J-match yagi, until I found the ultimate 2-meter backpacking yagi (see pages 5-6). Not only is this puppy light, it’s ultra-light and it’s ultra-compact! Check out in this youtube video how easy it is to build!

So tomorrow I have a slowish day and I plan on buying the parts for the J-Match 2m Yagi and building it. I’m going to keep an eye out for an arrow or even a broken fishing pole out of which I can build the KD5IVP antenna though. THAT’s going to be the bomb for backcountry communications!

General Class!

Wow, I’m really falling behind! It’s been 8 months since earning my Technician class. In those months, I’ve built myself out quite the set-up. My Yaesu VX-7R has served me well, and I’ve added a Yaesu FT-100 to my collection. The joy about the FT-100 is that it’s a mobile HF radio – it goes great in my car, and it does all bands (160m to 70cm). In my most recent article, I mentioned I made my first HF contact (on 10 meters, with a guy near Sacramento, CA).

Well, this week I reached a long-time goal: I earned my general class license! I am now licensed to operate on all amateur radio bands! Pretty exciting, frankly.

So the day after I earned my tech, I hopped onto the 160, 80, 40 and 20 meter bands to make my first General contact. And sure enough – next thing I knew, I was chatting with Hector, XE2GAG, in Ensenada, Mexico (about an hour south of San Diego).

Just goes to show you, you can do just about anything you set your mind to. Eight months ago, I had only heard about amateur radio once (when I was living in Virginia, my buddy Fred told me we’d be able to chat together, even though he lived in Washington at the time). Now I’m learning about HF and the big wavelength bands.