tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-89532361051958721682024-03-13T09:14:15.769-05:00K9KMS Amateur Radio & OverlandTalking with people around the world, from anywhere!Kenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13390076110974506966noreply@blogger.comBlogger42125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8953236105195872168.post-68294440815483086562023-11-25T15:03:00.002-06:002023-11-25T15:03:45.712-06:00ad-ven-ture<p> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXdl6bm1vcZrtXkEze0kNvQOaUfONrnFKD_svK9VsytfGGcH_9iIY8JercAfRq44cBKggJCFEUEFj1X0ZR-9sSvZAUL5IB3AcnRmYw71lFfkGLL3eU5sdVVTbsXPNIC8J08RoU614NwJ5i0MDmxdf-STW81Y9kpLm2GP4R8Etsza21pDk96ChhInh3xN4/s4032/PXL_20230913_223221238.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2268" data-original-width="4032" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXdl6bm1vcZrtXkEze0kNvQOaUfONrnFKD_svK9VsytfGGcH_9iIY8JercAfRq44cBKggJCFEUEFj1X0ZR-9sSvZAUL5IB3AcnRmYw71lFfkGLL3eU5sdVVTbsXPNIC8J08RoU614NwJ5i0MDmxdf-STW81Y9kpLm2GP4R8Etsza21pDk96ChhInh3xN4/w640-h360/PXL_20230913_223221238.jpg" width="640" /></a></p><p>The year 2023 has been full of changes, both big and small, and I can say without any reservation, life truly is an adventure. In early May, shortly after returning to Wisconsin from Arizona, I purchased an Airstream Flying Cloud 23FBT travel trailer to replace the tiny Flyer Chase. Obviously the Airstream will handle expeditions of longer duration more comfortably, like those I have been making to Arizona. The Flyer Chase will stick around at least until next summer as I contemplate it's future.</p><p>At the end of August, I sold the Wisconsin condominium and began living full-time in the Airstream. This is again another significant life change. Thinking back, only two years ago I sold our retirement home on Lake Michigan soon after Nancy passed away and bought the condo. And now the Airstream is my home. Wow, what a change!</p><p>As for amateur radio, the residence changes have greatly affected the ability and capacity to get on the air. For now, the home-made Yaesu/Raspberry Pi YSF repeater is off-line and will likely not be up for an extended period of time. The Alinco/Raspberry Pi APRS digipeater station is also down, and along with the Yaesu FT-991A, they too are in storage. The Barker & Williamson 90' folded dipole is rolled up and in storage, and the GAP Titan DX has found a new home.</p><p>Looking at these changes as an opportunity to try new things, I began considering what I could do to make the Airstream feel more like home as well as provide space for some of my interests. One of the first things I did was carefully remove the twin bed on the curb-side of the trailer and save all the parts in storage. In the resulting floor space, I added a nice pattern rug and a Stressless swivel reclining chair, minus the included footstool. This provides a clean and very comfortable area that reminds me of a small [very small] den-like space. <br /><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3vf4wy_xpoe8RjNGaFcCu-tPQmcJMrDvdfRXrR6d9Jr58IlSiguWfxJ8fI2Q7h1Fbozj5Q3YxpcfoPwFzl4gdRXhBU8BeV53TdaTjttT0GywZkjSY5eSB32F5tJR_X6nBST-CLqMQuEqsOqRahpaLUXEqmy01APsOgk9zM5K30_yRZM-WNHcoiOG6Cjs/s4032/PXL_20231123_173905885.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2268" data-original-width="4032" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3vf4wy_xpoe8RjNGaFcCu-tPQmcJMrDvdfRXrR6d9Jr58IlSiguWfxJ8fI2Q7h1Fbozj5Q3YxpcfoPwFzl4gdRXhBU8BeV53TdaTjttT0GywZkjSY5eSB32F5tJR_X6nBST-CLqMQuEqsOqRahpaLUXEqmy01APsOgk9zM5K30_yRZM-WNHcoiOG6Cjs/w640-h360/PXL_20231123_173905885.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><p>On the floor at the rear of this space, the tankless water heater will eventually be covered by a custom bookcase and space for a printer. At the front, a desktop will extend from the curb-side, over to and including the existing nightstand. Under the desktop will be hanging file folders and some other storage. The non-lifting portion of the top will allow space for the Yaesu FT-710 AEES and FTM-7250D transceivers, as well as a mini desktop computer and full-size monitor. Until then, the radios are located on Nancy's small table at the rear of this space.<br /><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZG4gdbKFAeg2Kr2sO-i6HgBL2ML0g6f2T09pP088bw9r-onQCm65N1ZX_MLotT0QHOFdrXWVS67XRrX-mt-6l-0njIQY97hkhNynaCOOcjoMeAxkVSqDSMs3n5OZnonLyUZKl_-w26sRm79944h4Nn45LkxjoIjBej5lQWWKd4nQqx11k7HAxbNN1waQ/s4032/PXL_20231123_165145940.PORTRAIT.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2268" data-original-width="4032" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZG4gdbKFAeg2Kr2sO-i6HgBL2ML0g6f2T09pP088bw9r-onQCm65N1ZX_MLotT0QHOFdrXWVS67XRrX-mt-6l-0njIQY97hkhNynaCOOcjoMeAxkVSqDSMs3n5OZnonLyUZKl_-w26sRm79944h4Nn45LkxjoIjBej5lQWWKd4nQqx11k7HAxbNN1waQ/w640-h360/PXL_20231123_165145940.PORTRAIT.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><p>After temporarily removing some cabinet bottoms and backs, I found a great way to run coax to the outside without risking water intrusion or changing the trailer's clean exterior appearance. Above the refrigerator, there is a large 5x20 inch screened and covered vent in the roof, and a perfect place to pass coax through. From this vent, I was able to run coax down behind the refrigerator and forward to the fresh water tank plumbing passage. From there, the coax runs under the floor, on top of the water tank to the plumbing passage at the water heater. The result is a clean, totally hidden coax run from the radios to the roof. Perfect.</p><p>For the HF radio, the Yaesu ATAS-120A antenna that was on the Flyer Chase setup is used. Mounting was done by using a right-angle stainless steel mirror-mount bracket attached to the curb-side of the AC chassis. The lower half of the chassis is a steel pan with vertical sides perfect for this. The antenna is in the clear as much it can be without any alterations to the trailer body or roof. After running some tests, the antenna shows a SWR of 1:1 on 10 meters, 2.2:1 on 20 meters, and 4.7:1 on 40 meters. With these results, staying on 20 or above is best. Good thing 10 meters is wide open for the next few years!</p><p>The VHF/UHF antenna is currently in "receive only" mode until I decide how to handle that.</p><p>For power, there's no worries while the trailer is plugged in. When running off-grid, power is supplied by 200Ah of batteries, 300 watts of roof-mounted solar, and a 35A charge controller. At some point, I may be doubling the batteries and solar collection, but for now, there is no pressing need.</p><p>May God bless you as you draw close to Him!</p>Kenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13390076110974506966noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8953236105195872168.post-2959188770021290672023-01-29T20:34:00.002-06:002023-01-29T20:34:43.417-06:00Jan 2023 Activities<p> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxYmWipqarWdBWq-K4QwZEh9WkzIZKA49X2vmat3YF73vGCglflrsWqTs0_j6KXqo8qjZ1pIAhVGERijh58bh7tfEAx9I-ubnx_l5yV3mR2ukf4DnJfdkW3mAKKNCxnkx23_ANn1ADFYWjxu-bCq_7yeNHAolmPcnJuDnNDnYfkQFC-9cPsdK3vsOy/s4032/PXL_20230104_000831864.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2268" data-original-width="4032" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxYmWipqarWdBWq-K4QwZEh9WkzIZKA49X2vmat3YF73vGCglflrsWqTs0_j6KXqo8qjZ1pIAhVGERijh58bh7tfEAx9I-ubnx_l5yV3mR2ukf4DnJfdkW3mAKKNCxnkx23_ANn1ADFYWjxu-bCq_7yeNHAolmPcnJuDnNDnYfkQFC-9cPsdK3vsOy/w640-h360/PXL_20230104_000831864.jpg" width="640" /></a><br /><br />January was a month of variety, with times of peace and quiet, sorting out life issues; finishing up the camper renovation, and finalizing a plans and installations for a proper "portable" station setup. With all of that came a good shakedown of what works, what doesn't work, what's needed, and what's not needed for overlanding and radio operations.<br /><br /></p><h4 style="text-align: left;">Amateur Radio<br /><br /></h4><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7PQwxohMfoPa1aPueveVW8vFEUlQT1wL-CyG-IDQZQ9QU49fmKyh7PXsebfJTaRW26uPhi1MGDJYEwDYw1dpq3cIu_4fRZ8qILegYgSP24CX3Hx3F9VlxLET9w3bUTIsFl2kAcZS9U1wWJoPNl_JZUas_xV7RlINpcyeh70RpA7UboJygigjBAx4N/s4032/PXL_20221227_003404545.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2268" data-original-width="4032" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7PQwxohMfoPa1aPueveVW8vFEUlQT1wL-CyG-IDQZQ9QU49fmKyh7PXsebfJTaRW26uPhi1MGDJYEwDYw1dpq3cIu_4fRZ8qILegYgSP24CX3Hx3F9VlxLET9w3bUTIsFl2kAcZS9U1wWJoPNl_JZUas_xV7RlINpcyeh70RpA7UboJygigjBAx4N/w640-h360/PXL_20221227_003404545.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><p>The solar power system was completed with the mounting of the two 100 watt solar panels to the roof of the camper. So far, everything is working quite well. Power seems to be abundant for my requirements with the 200 AHr lithium battery, having yet to drop below 13.2 volts after many hours of radio, lights, and refrigerator use. <br /><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5L_LiKkV_4Dqvm4Z2gH9FxAJ-oTQ1miRLDXw9bCq06mQLm-rPhZgvQjPmFkEyCT8rQpX6FbteQb8i71OSHWYEe8gqnUic1zDIVX1oX_e8h2EIm43OinmhBqsX2Fa6eO-Y1Ahze9NAZFTWQhaljAFbSUZ45S-TmuaShnicRYOVewSQYbEmvQqTTMEC/s4032/PXL_20230104_164204468.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2268" data-original-width="4032" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5L_LiKkV_4Dqvm4Z2gH9FxAJ-oTQ1miRLDXw9bCq06mQLm-rPhZgvQjPmFkEyCT8rQpX6FbteQb8i71OSHWYEe8gqnUic1zDIVX1oX_e8h2EIm43OinmhBqsX2Fa6eO-Y1Ahze9NAZFTWQhaljAFbSUZ45S-TmuaShnicRYOVewSQYbEmvQqTTMEC/w640-h360/PXL_20230104_164204468.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><p>The Yaesu FT-710 AESS with the ATAS-120A antenna has been a nice upgrade from the FT-991A, though I sure miss my Barker & Williamson BWD-90 folded dipole. On the next trip, it's coming along! Quite a few years ago I bought a Yaesu FC-40 long-wire tuner but have never put it into service, so I think I'll install it in the camper as yet another arrow in my quiver of HF antennas. </p><p>The FTM-7250 fits the need, though I think I would like to see a FTM-400 in the camper so I can run an APRS digipeater, as I do at home, without the need for yet another radio. </p><p>I haven't been spending a lot of time on the radio - mostly grayline times - but I've been able to make a few QSOs. My <a href="https://radiok9kms.blogspot.com/p/qrz-log.html" target="_blank">QRZ log</a> is up to date, but I didn't bring my Linux computer so the CQRlog software and LoTW logs are behind until later.<br /><br /></p><h4 style="text-align: left;">The Camper<br /><br /></h4><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyAQLRp0MtruEw_MqTHVIXLjFqxv_SohmTnQj8iOY8bD0va8uricsZaZUjFsOlD0ylO3rboC7dpOiUjsTN4dSHwRFUtujvWK1DDxXULZHal3-UNSP5QVD7XQ5NlKPpoMomtLR1G_YqdA5OrQodeNQpiX9IladCWQJTSBadKm4hLjx5xCrJTxHa3XaD/s4032/PXL_20230129_213606591.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2268" data-original-width="4032" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyAQLRp0MtruEw_MqTHVIXLjFqxv_SohmTnQj8iOY8bD0va8uricsZaZUjFsOlD0ylO3rboC7dpOiUjsTN4dSHwRFUtujvWK1DDxXULZHal3-UNSP5QVD7XQ5NlKPpoMomtLR1G_YqdA5OrQodeNQpiX9IladCWQJTSBadKm4hLjx5xCrJTxHa3XaD/w640-h360/PXL_20230129_213606591.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><p>I was finally able to run a propane line to the Propex heater. The issue was the gas connection on the heater is/was a 7mm female, and the kit only came with a 7mm to 1/4" copper line L-connection. I needed to run a feed line to the heater with a T-connector so I could also run propane to the stove just above the heater.</p><p>As I was talking with Roy, a fellow camper and former tool and die guy, he suggested tapping out the 7mm connector to a 1/4-18 NPT, as it is slightly larger than the 7mm, and there is plenty of metal on the female connector to make this change. After a trip to Harbor Freight, and a few minutes of elbow grease, I now have wonderful propane heat in the camper and a permanently connected stove! Thanks Roy!<br /><br /></p><p></p><h4 style="text-align: left;">Overland & Outdoors<br /></h4><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiL78Ap1tQgfGpfXnAlREhRDWYSR_Gjd72GUMkgqFfzF4pjOPo9kbeUKNHEZ4kNITcsIn4FxHHr0UnJv3VFKiC0wT7F9bVA6_cQE7ErxAhXfZOWctTIyxvGxU9_6StUEhRLej5S3_3xyFq8FnbNpMmoHO9M0_Tig-n9qJMGcdW8jYYIH2vlnQrbuSE7/s4032/PXL_20230122_235727904.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2268" data-original-width="4032" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiL78Ap1tQgfGpfXnAlREhRDWYSR_Gjd72GUMkgqFfzF4pjOPo9kbeUKNHEZ4kNITcsIn4FxHHr0UnJv3VFKiC0wT7F9bVA6_cQE7ErxAhXfZOWctTIyxvGxU9_6StUEhRLej5S3_3xyFq8FnbNpMmoHO9M0_Tig-n9qJMGcdW8jYYIH2vlnQrbuSE7/w640-h360/PXL_20230122_235727904.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><p>This month was filled with many hikes, bike rides, and miles of off-road exploring. For several of them, I recorded video and have published them on my <a href="https://www.youtube.com/@K9KMS" target="_blank">YouTube channel</a>. All but one were day trips, so I wouldn't say I got any real overlanding in. Plenty of off-road though.</p><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><p>Jan 1: Tucson to Globe, AZ</p><p>Jan 2 & 3: Ironwood Forest National Monument, BLM land</p><p>Jan 6: Cocoraque Archaeological District</p><p>Jan 7: Mt. Lemmon, Willow Canyon</p><p>Jan 8: Saguaro National Park, hike Wasson Peak</p><p>Jan 9: Tucson Mountain Park, bike trails</p><p>Jan 10: Ironwood Forest National Monument, climb Ragged Top mountain</p><p>Jan 12: Tucson Mountain Park, hike Brown mountain trail</p><p>Jan 14: Coronado National Forest, overland Granite Mountain and Cedar Flat via Box Canyon</p><p>Jan 19: Buenos Aires National Wildlife Refuge, overland "Square to Nowhere"</p><p>Jan 20: Tucson Mountain Park, hike Sarasota and Explorer trails</p><p>Jan 22-23: Ironwood Forest National Monument, camp and star gaze</p><p>Jan 25: Ajo, Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument, Mexico border, road and off-road trip</p></blockquote><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0 0 0 40px; padding: 0px;"><p style="text-align: left;">Jan 26: Nancy's Birthday, a day of thankful reminiscing of our years of marriage together </p></blockquote><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0 0 0 40px; padding: 0px;"><p style="text-align: left;">Jan 27: Connecting the Propex heater! </p></blockquote><p>The one overnight trip was to star gaze and photograph the Arizona night sky, but at that time I didn't have the Propex heater connected, so it was a cold night. I woke early to take photos, but since I was warm in my bed, I fell back asleep and missed the opening time of a cloudless night. Bummer. I did get up just after 2:00 AM and took some photos, but I missed the best opening between 12:00 and 2:00 AM. Note to self: set an alarm and place it far from me. Next time...<br /><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGj4SO_3nMozRMGnWYCjQ6ddIZed4dvVjhuOzqmgJPCgl4LIY9TjrnRLw8NVhaJ4nfCRwuLcNqBwHhwee5oGVQMKxbh7GuNl-bezchGsDC5e6tg9Qj6JOcMy4A_Nvre0hZ8jo0uylqTjuc7nltJJORJF2bXmqd-Mg8KcdS-cPJZStC8MVMmN08r6zN/s4032/PXL_20230123_012101960.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2268" data-original-width="4032" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGj4SO_3nMozRMGnWYCjQ6ddIZed4dvVjhuOzqmgJPCgl4LIY9TjrnRLw8NVhaJ4nfCRwuLcNqBwHhwee5oGVQMKxbh7GuNl-bezchGsDC5e6tg9Qj6JOcMy4A_Nvre0hZ8jo0uylqTjuc7nltJJORJF2bXmqd-Mg8KcdS-cPJZStC8MVMmN08r6zN/w640-h360/PXL_20230123_012101960.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHX_szAnvmCtSSrzR7tfWIrx8_2aaPVH62EbBaBBCuKxW_m3XyGeXdSCSGmOr3uSxfViqWCJWLAooQ8-FXCjmxDFJMOoAdCf_YdU9-P29X_zNf9g2fl4JZPokhFQCNFvHw3XSZrB9XpskLmupV90tjnLsmdunldR7p6ktNH1sBjoStjXqS_4a9crgH/s4032/PXL_20230123_012842578.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2268" data-original-width="4032" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHX_szAnvmCtSSrzR7tfWIrx8_2aaPVH62EbBaBBCuKxW_m3XyGeXdSCSGmOr3uSxfViqWCJWLAooQ8-FXCjmxDFJMOoAdCf_YdU9-P29X_zNf9g2fl4JZPokhFQCNFvHw3XSZrB9XpskLmupV90tjnLsmdunldR7p6ktNH1sBjoStjXqS_4a9crgH/w640-h360/PXL_20230123_012842578.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjge5g5CJTPjKeVzmVLCjQBs-fExYFLdOMWX98OgBpQdret3GX_Ju6zNXls7MPnURRQjfGDwu4kC8W3YSdKtb80HYurKKhu3Fi1VXXRkJ3SwB4OOXHaP5NPRd-zZRC4EQGB1qh_2W_lI7-p5kXfZDAPaQ75nb-4CH8_SDrgcrjv6LYDWGmgZ2pCQm5/s4032/PXL_20230123_092551761.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2268" data-original-width="4032" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjge5g5CJTPjKeVzmVLCjQBs-fExYFLdOMWX98OgBpQdret3GX_Ju6zNXls7MPnURRQjfGDwu4kC8W3YSdKtb80HYurKKhu3Fi1VXXRkJ3SwB4OOXHaP5NPRd-zZRC4EQGB1qh_2W_lI7-p5kXfZDAPaQ75nb-4CH8_SDrgcrjv6LYDWGmgZ2pCQm5/w640-h360/PXL_20230123_092551761.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; 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text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3tIWnYE9hOl6KQc2N7LDlGFOk2s0ts-jIL7zYsEb8dEXlV6DnatPvHkW1LZkgQSa4xgnxpKxcdxNrYCf7D1OYPsyy_gHTJroqPur9VBMebiJV2CcrFUPkvUXb5dnetEk_BKFwXmS9rD-uFrs8DVyDdrWOtfZd38PK7oiLvl3s8Q890Qey0aW9AJe3/s4032/PXL_20221229_225554581.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2268" data-original-width="4032" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3tIWnYE9hOl6KQc2N7LDlGFOk2s0ts-jIL7zYsEb8dEXlV6DnatPvHkW1LZkgQSa4xgnxpKxcdxNrYCf7D1OYPsyy_gHTJroqPur9VBMebiJV2CcrFUPkvUXb5dnetEk_BKFwXmS9rD-uFrs8DVyDdrWOtfZd38PK7oiLvl3s8Q890Qey0aW9AJe3/w640-h360/PXL_20221229_225554581.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><p><br /></p>Kenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13390076110974506966noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8953236105195872168.post-16188884999398347972022-12-31T10:34:00.001-06:002023-01-15T21:55:29.167-06:00Christmas in Tucson <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCYbufJmP2M5G7sg0er0hZjQbNJwbsyIJIsR--uHIZ8mFCH7_1zvyBveYm23x9q_Ob1IYk6ulO1SEM8PgdbInioRmBS7PDlstdADY8f8yok6h5yd9DuSv7k_Rr1L9ebR6H9PnlBsnxKDurOQsRdqWTxhhkSvriI8LbdAArnfXc-V7ebw5D6Znut0J5/s4032/PXL_20221225_165251277.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2268" data-original-width="4032" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCYbufJmP2M5G7sg0er0hZjQbNJwbsyIJIsR--uHIZ8mFCH7_1zvyBveYm23x9q_Ob1IYk6ulO1SEM8PgdbInioRmBS7PDlstdADY8f8yok6h5yd9DuSv7k_Rr1L9ebR6H9PnlBsnxKDurOQsRdqWTxhhkSvriI8LbdAArnfXc-V7ebw5D6Znut0J5/w640-h360/PXL_20221225_165251277.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Alder Picnic Area, Mt Lemmon</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div>The Wisconsin is weather making it too cold to work in the storage shed, Tucson seems to be the best place to finish it without freezing my fingers off. All packed up Tuesday morning, I had breakfast with my friend David J, then hit the road at 09:30, avoiding interstate highways as much as possible. </div><div><p>Wednesday, I had lunch and took a short nap at White Sands National Park in New Mexico, drove south to the Mexico border and Hwy 9 west to the Arizona state line. At 21:00 I arrived in Tucson and boon docked on BLM land. Thursday, I spent the day at one of my favorites, Gilbert Ray campground, then Friday morning, moved to the RV Park site where I'll likely be for the next three months.</p><p>This morning, Christmas Eve day, was a bit slow and emotional. As I watched the "clouds" go by, I set up the FT-710 and FTM-7250D radios in the camper and made my first QSO with N0A, the Christmas Train special event station operating out of Fort Worth, TX on 14.258 MHz. Nice, because I love trains, Christmas, and amateur radio!</p><p>Late this afternoon, I spoke with my oldest son on the phone. He and son number 3 are together making fireball meatballs and our family's traditional Christmas sticky roles. Since I am not there with them, I was given an assignment: build a snowman tomorrow, Christmas day, and post it on my photo album. I accept the challenge. I'll head over east of Tucson to Mt. Lemmon in the Santa Catalina Mountains. I'm sure they will have some snow. I will build an awesome snowman for the kids up there! And so I did!</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhx1q9QZo7k6JQuYtv7iMK4xOb-iAbrMwJ9fXEvlK5uBWPJhDHyGogQ8zdK4-3NSxSnth3lyWg7amImFahUvO7r3VYYJCV1yBJyHbSD_Hfc4tvCdpsm-H3VS-ujzGe4OHQOjxrnJAFcmmcjGyhYicqWwI2WwdPHQOPeL83zi2lUT-2Dh5g92lEb2GZa/s4032/PXL_20221221_185659772.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2268" data-original-width="4032" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhx1q9QZo7k6JQuYtv7iMK4xOb-iAbrMwJ9fXEvlK5uBWPJhDHyGogQ8zdK4-3NSxSnth3lyWg7amImFahUvO7r3VYYJCV1yBJyHbSD_Hfc4tvCdpsm-H3VS-ujzGe4OHQOjxrnJAFcmmcjGyhYicqWwI2WwdPHQOPeL83zi2lUT-2Dh5g92lEb2GZa/w640-h360/PXL_20221221_185659772.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Not snow, it's white sand. A perfect 68 degree weather at White Sands National Monument, New Mexico</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIZ9AORaL8Sqnl3JhcgHzyHlKo_0A84j2uJ7-oYydKK0iSNM2EGLmgEb_HqH3YmkdbEofB_Cx6ZIEVVYPCDZMIJc-jAzDtNsAM59QBwYev21xcI9AJG5LDCJfY0LsDXsKlYjAJLkv1z_pkijg8oA95BMsQCTfZpQNkuSWcliL0jRlTvGuZjykM-Nui/s4032/PXL_20221222_190449232.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2268" data-original-width="4032" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIZ9AORaL8Sqnl3JhcgHzyHlKo_0A84j2uJ7-oYydKK0iSNM2EGLmgEb_HqH3YmkdbEofB_Cx6ZIEVVYPCDZMIJc-jAzDtNsAM59QBwYev21xcI9AJG5LDCJfY0LsDXsKlYjAJLkv1z_pkijg8oA95BMsQCTfZpQNkuSWcliL0jRlTvGuZjykM-Nui/w640-h360/PXL_20221222_190449232.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Site C6 at one of my favorite campgrounds, Gilbert Ray, in Tucson Mountain Park</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWjuc0M1_UoSZv2ukF3rVMMjxUB_76C8e9s3k_9WqIIP4NpuPDGU6-IQnhZ8KzxY31aTBdU8F7jBls0D5W7vTTntd71hrNCkBWYP-ixWgjY0CPoWnyjR9Pxj5z_MzQX0gfgIaPPDnpAU5hOPSdFYN3YKXg9ops0mOAZdnSujQC0uwiIwuuUKGULp9z/s4032/PXL_20221224_175657331.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2268" data-original-width="4032" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWjuc0M1_UoSZv2ukF3rVMMjxUB_76C8e9s3k_9WqIIP4NpuPDGU6-IQnhZ8KzxY31aTBdU8F7jBls0D5W7vTTntd71hrNCkBWYP-ixWgjY0CPoWnyjR9Pxj5z_MzQX0gfgIaPPDnpAU5hOPSdFYN3YKXg9ops0mOAZdnSujQC0uwiIwuuUKGULp9z/w640-h360/PXL_20221224_175657331.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Trail setup of the HF and dual band radios in the newly renovated Intech Flyer Chase camper</td></tr></tbody></table><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEio2EQpToT-saTAfkpWgGNDA5vDmn5OEnikCXR9xyBGJBQ3t1iB4_GriTVjEEWxOAwmgQbnAkN32qi8QRtr5qVKCq8I9vUfiPohgB1iE6D0V8j1Zor33dToJeU2BsOiHHIu5W-Vw112mNUYeQMJLeop3BTg-uzUNJ3DLXliwGYEoyTNfTS1d73nUssL/s4032/PXL_20221225_181218269.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2268" data-original-width="4032" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEio2EQpToT-saTAfkpWgGNDA5vDmn5OEnikCXR9xyBGJBQ3t1iB4_GriTVjEEWxOAwmgQbnAkN32qi8QRtr5qVKCq8I9vUfiPohgB1iE6D0V8j1Zor33dToJeU2BsOiHHIu5W-Vw112mNUYeQMJLeop3BTg-uzUNJ3DLXliwGYEoyTNfTS1d73nUssL/w640-h360/PXL_20221225_181218269.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Marshall Gulch, Mt Lemmon</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhC_iJ0utm5lCiEGX4-dUlhUNHpWWQUcjCmcpe6bZ1FsjgMFIyD2VaSm3WoN8pvvu_xwVp3rbuBCDpTy94YU1ACt5-O_Ih2LkPhJ2Oyz2qFTJiRus0N-svi1VXDa2oWbj_ddfFJVNsMP90jX8qqgPzTTftWr7Kj-B1RT7buSqXUD4uN0c48dZcKtMk8/s4032/PXL_20221225_225453985.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2268" data-original-width="4032" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhC_iJ0utm5lCiEGX4-dUlhUNHpWWQUcjCmcpe6bZ1FsjgMFIyD2VaSm3WoN8pvvu_xwVp3rbuBCDpTy94YU1ACt5-O_Ih2LkPhJ2Oyz2qFTJiRus0N-svi1VXDa2oWbj_ddfFJVNsMP90jX8qqgPzTTftWr7Kj-B1RT7buSqXUD4uN0c48dZcKtMk8/w640-h360/PXL_20221225_225453985.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Redington Pass overlooking Tucson</td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div>Kenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13390076110974506966noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8953236105195872168.post-68151725839198173642022-11-01T20:08:00.019-05:002023-01-04T11:22:59.691-06:00Camper Remodel<div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhicouvWZzTZXbM2UqzqwyyFT-G7ORM3BzIyip_dWIYUXSJIKebAudGd_yI6hfE5d3w_m39moiZW3Z6LqZIFbU92NqECFlvsHmeY1ewEOwGfOIQQicxdny9f8cxU9MzJOeDTvD4wG1QSM1Yi31CR8KNBzYkwTZu17IJ4zGndHcGO-HymQ6XliDX4zO8/s4032/PXL_20221123_231320933.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2268" data-original-width="4032" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhicouvWZzTZXbM2UqzqwyyFT-G7ORM3BzIyip_dWIYUXSJIKebAudGd_yI6hfE5d3w_m39moiZW3Z6LqZIFbU92NqECFlvsHmeY1ewEOwGfOIQQicxdny9f8cxU9MzJOeDTvD4wG1QSM1Yi31CR8KNBzYkwTZu17IJ4zGndHcGO-HymQ6XliDX4zO8/w640-h360/PXL_20221123_231320933.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Almost finished with the remodel, soon it will be time to stuff the mattress in and head to the southwest!</td></tr></tbody></table><p>2022 was filled with many new adventures while camping, hiking, biking, kayaking, making new friends and visiting old friends. Travelling with the truck and camper all around Wisconsin, western Michigan, eastern Minnesota, Colorado, New Mexico, Arizona, and Utah provided plenty of time and experience to discover some flaws with the camper setup and find remedies to some of those issues. In late summer, in between trips, the planning and remodel began. Once complete, a final shake-down will be done before hitting the roads and trails again!<br /><br /></p><h4 style="text-align: left;">The Cabin</h4><p>The first remodel of the front cabinets has been removed. The twin mattress was moved forward and placed up on a 1.5 inch raised deck to force tempered air under the bed and prevent issues during cold weather camping. A full rear divider wall was installed to establish a rear-access kitchen and separated location for the new Propex furnace and battery/charging unit. A small shelf table is positioned under the passenger side window between the rear wall and the side door.<br /></p><p><br /></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaDQ7IqWYjXr-obMR2h-tcvM6blyajgw4P8874llNg4ObQUzSaCGwFoEVw9erRgjntxFtjVvT8TVvoG9msbkO6Tj5_ldwp2ogHdiFKg-dMqXq9X0nOFDWRtsE3x_mo3NqvpnooCPeV-0uAi3hFUc5rFKrG9_Ou0wMsHwviZupZhAl1MFcY_gNziauR/s4032/PXL_20221123_231409576.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2268" data-original-width="4032" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaDQ7IqWYjXr-obMR2h-tcvM6blyajgw4P8874llNg4ObQUzSaCGwFoEVw9erRgjntxFtjVvT8TVvoG9msbkO6Tj5_ldwp2ogHdiFKg-dMqXq9X0nOFDWRtsE3x_mo3NqvpnooCPeV-0uAi3hFUc5rFKrG9_Ou0wMsHwviZupZhAl1MFcY_gNziauR/w640-h360/PXL_20221123_231409576.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Propex thermostat, 120v outlet with USB charger, Renogy battery monitor and remote 2000 watt inverter switch are on the back wall. </td></tr></tbody></table><p>A new electrical system was installed consisting of a 200Ah LiFePO4 lithium battery, 40 amp LiFePO4 smart-charger, a 12 fuse 12 volt panel, 2000 watt inverter, 30 amp 120 volt breaker panel, and 300 watt roof-mounted solar panels with expansion for 300 watts of remote panels. The battery and charger are now in the rear of the trailer because the tongue box where they were located conflicts with the truck's bumper mounted spare tire during truck/trailer articulation. New interior lights, exterior LED rock lights, and a 4" axle lift for the camper are under way.</p><p>For amateur radio items, I'm unsure exactly how and where the Yeasu FT-710 and connected computer will be mounted, but the monitor, keyboard and mouse will most likely be at the side table. The FT-710 can be remote-operated using the CQRlog software, however, the Yaesu FTM-7250 dual band will need to be within reach for use.<br /><br /></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTBY1ARIl0yRpzBuOXLplMkIc68UsXhjd9xPnv1MSwLE3_CF2i6eSjZYdhnLpSHzoQEfSS2MTy3BXdC_9aBNlyB_jWiDIJ-Mi9zZyeHaqHTM5oZEns4fP4CxhmfXjjSKUAjQIq7KjVglASru6Bzxd-YL03cHaT4HviYB2RRdc_ihCCpKphzCWsgOBu/s4032/PXL_20221125_210034316.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2268" data-original-width="4032" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTBY1ARIl0yRpzBuOXLplMkIc68UsXhjd9xPnv1MSwLE3_CF2i6eSjZYdhnLpSHzoQEfSS2MTy3BXdC_9aBNlyB_jWiDIJ-Mi9zZyeHaqHTM5oZEns4fP4CxhmfXjjSKUAjQIq7KjVglASru6Bzxd-YL03cHaT4HviYB2RRdc_ihCCpKphzCWsgOBu/w640-h360/PXL_20221125_210034316.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A cold air return routes air under the bed panel to prevent cold weather camping issues under the mattress. <br />On the wall are three switches for interior and exterior lighting, and a 120v outlet.</td></tr></tbody></table><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivzt6dojxqZMKO20co1cRzMhmTTtPtMENQ62aW0P-nYCYiNz-xWTQtg4YJ4bpKz3CA4e4_mdyc8LxOW4K8REZM2hX-2F-cXPYTxr57mc_rymBdJgwfhQhSJtjjXXst5BqtdI1cCjj9rSn_WI98BV7kD-FWwZH6VMcQYMdwIG2yAkfAJDAZJIsq9tjs/s4032/PXL_20221125_211900126.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2268" data-original-width="4032" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivzt6dojxqZMKO20co1cRzMhmTTtPtMENQ62aW0P-nYCYiNz-xWTQtg4YJ4bpKz3CA4e4_mdyc8LxOW4K8REZM2hX-2F-cXPYTxr57mc_rymBdJgwfhQhSJtjjXXst5BqtdI1cCjj9rSn_WI98BV7kD-FWwZH6VMcQYMdwIG2yAkfAJDAZJIsq9tjs/w640-h360/PXL_20221125_211900126.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">With the large tongue box removed, there may be room to mount two Scepter water cans flat against the front, and my fat bike above them!</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div><br /></div><h4 style="text-align: left;">The Kitchen</h4><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpz5P-i71m6BXK0Tc-mzdi8xVWcAvmmrvRFS65OXb5hIRk6E6vOlZu--j07rJo7K_sqKC3ZD3o6fuzfnXFAOBos8W27i5v8_0kZg_TwBdPoC1sCPNUF9y3KrDvjo4DOgLYxEvT0GLxmll2Kybb0FuPmko7ZCqakRROXs20ZRcTxFppE6lR5PVFIbfS/s4032/PXL_20220722_001915541.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2268" data-original-width="4032" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpz5P-i71m6BXK0Tc-mzdi8xVWcAvmmrvRFS65OXb5hIRk6E6vOlZu--j07rJo7K_sqKC3ZD3o6fuzfnXFAOBos8W27i5v8_0kZg_TwBdPoC1sCPNUF9y3KrDvjo4DOgLYxEvT0GLxmll2Kybb0FuPmko7ZCqakRROXs20ZRcTxFppE6lR5PVFIbfS/w640-h360/PXL_20220722_001915541.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Though not yet completed in this photo, this is the general layout of the kitchen. <br />The battery, inverter, and solar charge controller are mounted to the left of the refrigerator.</td></tr></tbody></table><p>The trailer's rear double doors now open to a dedicated kitchen area that includes a cook stove and a split refrigerator/freezer, both on locking slides so they are very accessible. The Propex heater is mounted on the floor to the right of the refrigerator. Above the heater is a removable shelf for added kitchen storage. To the left of the refrigerator is a 200Ah battery, 40A charging unit, a 2000 watt inverter, the solar charge controller, the main battery shut-off and fuse block. Above the refrigerator is a full width shelf that holds the cook stove and storage areas on both sides.<br /><br /></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1dpPLXqkTSYifNQsvssHjrKrWOiIVHwVeZyE22GV1yFnZPgUlHdVOo-89MHmEH6Az0ATZRjrQHYcygcPTQA-2kqTgrNZi8z1XGwiNFD0jOTRDhvjSnV18RyLilQzOMSdfirEBaYfTStvB9dhkLfjXG1GRcwkz3GoZqbi0FNK7Fmh0dgCTdpgsMJlA/s4032/PXL_20220822_133309211.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2268" data-original-width="4032" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1dpPLXqkTSYifNQsvssHjrKrWOiIVHwVeZyE22GV1yFnZPgUlHdVOo-89MHmEH6Az0ATZRjrQHYcygcPTQA-2kqTgrNZi8z1XGwiNFD0jOTRDhvjSnV18RyLilQzOMSdfirEBaYfTStvB9dhkLfjXG1GRcwkz3GoZqbi0FNK7Fmh0dgCTdpgsMJlA/w640-h360/PXL_20220822_133309211.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Yeah, I think this will work just fine for what I want to do!</td></tr></tbody></table><h4 style="text-align: left;">Update</h4><p>With most of the work done, the camper is now my home for the next several months. It's small, but it's very comfortable, but it suits my needs for a go-anywhere camper and radio shack. I'll mostly be in an RV park, but am planning several trips to do some POTA and SOTA stations, and do some remote boondocks camping.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7q24701Omzciodn4TrYqxgsICr1yDIYJD1XSdzJDQ3wCz2SqLl7s4XE23lhH0VrvjY4el7ulQgp_SsaOAviW_DB9WVMk-gKkPcqilq70pDmk2tLoe3z94wSDpDH3wK9vDY7XqHu6y36NaumS7Kc7GorvparXfVKjVhCWAgHVYpV09CyUrs1Gi9uCG/s4032/PXL_20230102_180917345.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2268" data-original-width="4032" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7q24701Omzciodn4TrYqxgsICr1yDIYJD1XSdzJDQ3wCz2SqLl7s4XE23lhH0VrvjY4el7ulQgp_SsaOAviW_DB9WVMk-gKkPcqilq70pDmk2tLoe3z94wSDpDH3wK9vDY7XqHu6y36NaumS7Kc7GorvparXfVKjVhCWAgHVYpV09CyUrs1Gi9uCG/w640-h360/PXL_20230102_180917345.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6UvA8Z92xHIPsIJaaiiEL4Avhmr6a8PAo7xU-bVFWu0GFXCPuFEj19bkVF36efs5zt743__B37QBJK5-SIvgz5N3dintMx67EztZRSpz-hqWFszix2ZZNYS5Ulh7hm3liU0a3VnWIBbH55U4_X2zwaw8AlXNaMCQegH1zY1OmCFwAvEVHgxVuApTP/s4032/PXL_20230102_180714460.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2268" data-original-width="4032" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6UvA8Z92xHIPsIJaaiiEL4Avhmr6a8PAo7xU-bVFWu0GFXCPuFEj19bkVF36efs5zt743__B37QBJK5-SIvgz5N3dintMx67EztZRSpz-hqWFszix2ZZNYS5Ulh7hm3liU0a3VnWIBbH55U4_X2zwaw8AlXNaMCQegH1zY1OmCFwAvEVHgxVuApTP/w640-h360/PXL_20230102_180714460.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxTuaduh8bNP5JmFQLygmZg0heXwcJYt0uQmC8509NHE0kMnw02_4g-TigXkg_Fcahk57-bO8VqXvBTir961FFAPTKPuPkxPpjkKNZdleWaS2kAldVdLFljsxYjL2nKdbfSFYIucfe8GDdSOl9koSBDiCY-cBBp5cOQm8BOlFQnnHUCYm1HLRLZY5M/s4032/PXL_20230102_180758014.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2268" data-original-width="4032" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxTuaduh8bNP5JmFQLygmZg0heXwcJYt0uQmC8509NHE0kMnw02_4g-TigXkg_Fcahk57-bO8VqXvBTir961FFAPTKPuPkxPpjkKNZdleWaS2kAldVdLFljsxYjL2nKdbfSFYIucfe8GDdSOl9koSBDiCY-cBBp5cOQm8BOlFQnnHUCYm1HLRLZY5M/w640-h360/PXL_20230102_180758014.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBGQrDJ2rcM4s_i1NYr9Cw4SzZHBe00KilPEhHBGTDFtVN_4lyOaePk26ULPsPqE4jcyx1HYwa1_YACdLEJ8Si1K150M4a6DozLzVjjt-TChhThmdTTN7BRQzj-xZ8Vyv6Ti-mEZgZ-q3-nAtSXxuql0Idl5NPH1q8tWWXY7C_1BK-DwneEqwI-y9e/s4032/PXL_20230104_164204468.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2268" data-original-width="4032" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBGQrDJ2rcM4s_i1NYr9Cw4SzZHBe00KilPEhHBGTDFtVN_4lyOaePk26ULPsPqE4jcyx1HYwa1_YACdLEJ8Si1K150M4a6DozLzVjjt-TChhThmdTTN7BRQzj-xZ8Vyv6Ti-mEZgZ-q3-nAtSXxuql0Idl5NPH1q8tWWXY7C_1BK-DwneEqwI-y9e/w640-h360/PXL_20230104_164204468.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><p><br /></p></div>Kenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13390076110974506966noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8953236105195872168.post-9343451142769085682022-03-22T08:36:00.005-05:002022-11-21T06:13:08.689-06:00Desert Experience<div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-mbsRScUOHT8/YjnMd9RKB9I/AAAAAAABIJU/O53aJuQK47wshm0MNy_jR_9hx2EVav9KQCNcBGAsYHQ/w640-h360/1647955061034915-0.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="640" /></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Desert Trails RV Park site 15, Tuscon Estates, Arizona</td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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</div></div>I haven't been able to do anything with ham radio since Nancy's illness. It's been about nine months since she passed away, so I am slowly moving forward with my life without her. I took off from the Wisconsin winter snow shoveling by staying at an RV park in the Tucson area for two months. I have a few more days here before I start heading home.<div><br /></div><div>Before I left home, I thought I would bring the FT-991A and accessories along, and I'm sure glad I did. I mounted the radio by it's mobile mounting bracket to the cabinet shelf I made. I placed a fused line directly from the battery to the RigRunner so I can have extra connections for the Garmin GPS and a few other things, and my Heil mic is on a short boom. So far it has worked out great! An upcoming test will be when I get back on the road with the trailer. I'm planning on leaving everything in place except for the antennas.</div><div><br /></div><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-eVVWnsBA-68/YjnPv2EvKXI/AAAAAAABIJ0/ZOJNJwC1Io4bNio-N6XnOnnPek0QvTN_wCNcBGAsYHQ/w640-h360/1647955901880836-0.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="640" /></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Yaesu FT-991A and FT3D in the camper</td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-eVVWnsBA-68/YjnPv2EvKXI/AAAAAAABIJ0/ZOJNJwC1Io4bNio-N6XnOnnPek0QvTN_wCNcBGAsYHQ/s1600/1647955901880836-0.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;">
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</div></div><div>For ease of operating, I purchased a Yaesu ATAS-120A screwdriver antenna for HF, and a separate 2m/440 antenna, both mounted to the rails on top of the all aluminum camper. I made some heavy braided ground bonds from the mounts to the aluminum skin roof. So far, so good, but I will likely make two custom mounts from aluminum and bolt them directly to the roof. The SWR suffers a little with the current setup, so I believe a closer bond to the counterpoise will likely fix that.</div><div><br /></div><div>With this setup I quickly made eight contacts, four of which are trans-equatorial on 10 meters. Pretty fun thing to do sitting in a tiny camper! I can hardly wait to do this in the middle of, well, anywhere!</div><div><br /></div><div>Next on the list is getting my Raspberry Pi computer in the camper so I can use my logbook and other ham software while away from home.</div><div><br /></div><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-8fIvRtxPO2M/YjnQ54Xnm6I/AAAAAAABIJ8/Oczc1clEuwUZSz73mlvtNCpedZnHK0tUACNcBGAsYHQ/w640-h360/1647956197719627-0.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="640" /></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">East of Gates Pass, Tucson</td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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</div><br /></div>Kenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13390076110974506966noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8953236105195872168.post-66660410264876471842021-01-06T07:24:00.007-06:002022-05-16T07:55:14.670-05:00GBM Brain Cancer<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-xHepiTcoOzA/YNnZEFyDl6I/AAAAAAAA9t8/kpUvHKMo17QYxKlUESM3JXDAnZUVeV_6wCLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/IMG_7377.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="480" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-xHepiTcoOzA/YNnZEFyDl6I/AAAAAAAA9t8/kpUvHKMo17QYxKlUESM3JXDAnZUVeV_6wCLcBGAsYHQ/w640-h480/IMG_7377.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ken, Nancy, Tim, Sarah</td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div>On November 25, 2020 my beautiful wife was diagnosed with a terminal grade 4 glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) brain tumor. Nancy had brain surgery on November 30 which allowed us almost seven more months together. We traveled out west a bit and prepared for what was to come. God blessed us with a time of new closeness and personal growth together unlike any we experienced in the previous 42 years. Two of our sons, Tim and Matt, were with me at her bedside when she passed away June 19 at 00:30. We all miss her dearly.</div><div><br /></div><div>You can read about our journey at <a href="https://savorthebittersweet.blogspot.com">savorthebittersweet.blogspot.com</a>.</div><div><br /></div><div><h4 style="text-align: left;">Obituary</h4><div><br /></div><div>Nancy Lou Severn, 58 of Oostburg, passed away early Saturday morning, June 19, 2021 at her home, surrounded by her family.</div><div><br /></div><div>Nancy was born to Glenn and Jean (Schnell) Steinbrecher on January 26, 1963. She graduated from Oshkosh West High School in 1981</div><div><br /></div><div>Nancy was united in marriage to Kenneth Severn on June 4, 1983 in Oshkosh.</div><div><br /></div><div>She was employed as a special education teachers’ aide at Plymouth and Cedar Grove-Belgium School districts.</div><div><br /></div><div>Nancy enjoyed the Lake Michigan beach, paddle boarding, hiking, biking, but most importantly, investing in people and relationships, and living out her faith in Christ Jesus.</div><div><br /></div><div>Nancy is survived by her husband of 38 years, Kenneth; children, Andrew, Timothy and Matthew (Malorie) Severn, and Sarah (Ross) Fale; grandchildren Desmond, August and Isla; parents, Glenn and Jean Steinbrecher; siblings, Deb, Susan, Brian, and Lauri; parents-in-law Doris and Robert Lowell; sister-in-law, Ruth; nieces, nephews, other relatives, and friends.</div><div><br /></div><div>She was preceded in death by her sister Judy in November, 2020; her sister in-law Susan, March 2020; and father in-law William Severn.</div><div><br /></div><div>Private family services will take place at a later date.</div></div><div><br /></div>Kenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13390076110974506966noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8953236105195872168.post-39643435128605359172020-11-17T19:00:00.004-06:002020-11-19T17:26:28.606-06:00Raspberry Pi 64 bit OS Boot from USB<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-eOx8GVpJGuI/X3HBQkSr2AI/AAAAAAAA0no/bUHUSUD38YA64TNkCDbv_Kv7IKPmlNK5gCPcBGAYYCw/w640-h360/IMG_20200927_171044638.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" /></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The X857 mSATA shield makes a nice, clean package for a USB boot Raspberry Pi 4 with SSD</td></tr></tbody></table><p style="text-align: left;">For some time now, I have been trying to get the Raspberry Pi 4 to boot from USB. A couple reason to make this change are, the integrity of SSD over the SD card is substantial, and of course the benefit of greater data transfer speeds. </p><p>As more Pi fans jump on this wagon, hardware is becoming available for this specific upgrade. One example of this is the Gookworm X857 mSATA shield for the Raspberry Pi 4. This fits directly under the Pi 4 and connects with one of the USB-3 ports. Under the shield, I mounted a 120 GB mSATA SSD. </p><p>To boot from USB on a Raspberry Pi 4 (4GB or 8GB), install the new Raspberry Pi 64 bit OS and the USB boot configuration will be exceptionally easy. Here are the simple steps to follow.</p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><ol style="text-align: left;"><li>Download, install, and update the Raspberry Pi 64 bit OS to a SD card</li><li>Copy the SD card to a SSD and connect the SSD to the Raspberry Pi 4 USB-3</li><li>Open<span> </span><i>Raspberry Pi Imager</i>, write <i>Raspberry Pi 4 EEPROM boot recovery</i><span> </span>to a clean SD card</li><li>Shut down, remove the OS SD card, insert the<span> </span><i>EEPROM boot recovery</i><span> </span>SD card</li><li>With the SSD connected to a USB 3, and the EEPROM SD card in, power up the Raspberry Pi</li><li>A constant, fast flashing green LED and green screens means it worked</li><li>Shut down, remove the SD card, and restart</li><li>Grin at your new USB boot Raspberry Pi 64 bit system</li></ol><div style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-e9DDC_gIsVQ/X3HKdJMLuWI/AAAAAAAA0nw/UG_JfPo07TQGV-LV4aPskNTpz_zL9MkOACLcBGAsYHQ/w640-h360/IMG_20200927_171158882.jpg" /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">The mSATA drive installed with the armor case bottom (upside down)</span></div><br />Kenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13390076110974506966noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8953236105195872168.post-8530526807729193802020-11-11T10:27:00.002-06:002020-11-12T15:47:15.374-06:00I'm Dreaming of a DX Station<div class="separator"><div style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><img border="0" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-UCSPIWe7Dq8/X6wPBt8CoZI/AAAAAAAA1CY/r9G1J09GYG4cFs4sFVlMUDX3sPH8-IwwACLcBGAsYHQ/w320-h313/Bing%2BCrosby%2BDX%2BStation.png" /></div></div><p><i>To the tune of White Christmas, by Bing Crosby</i></p><p><i>Lyrics by Ken K9KMS</i></p><div style="text-align: left;">I'm dreaming of a DX station<br /><div>Just like the one at HRO<br />Where the waterfall glistens<br />As my station listens<br />To hear grid squares from afar, afar</div><div><br />I'm dreaming of a DX station<br />With every contact card I write<br />May my mic be ready and tight<br />And my amplifier not throw smoke tonight</div><div><br />I'm dreaming of a DX station<br />Just like the one at HRO<br />Where the waterfall glistens<br />As my station listens<br />To hear grid squares from afar, afar</div><div><br />I'm dreaming of a DX station<br />With every contact card I write<br />May my mic be ready and tight<br />And my amplifier not throw smoke tonight</div><div><br /></div></div>Kenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13390076110974506966noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8953236105195872168.post-21104313760955914552020-11-06T20:36:00.011-06:002021-09-20T06:26:18.979-05:00Yaesu FP-1030A Power Supply Meter Lights<div style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-mB_l7HO71hA/X6YCQT545YI/AAAAAAAA0_E/MxrYaUIslZINANWMuMgslEIjvPbuf0v9gCLcBGAsYHQ/w640-h360/IMG_20201105_141503927.jpg" width="640" /></div><p>I'm not sure why it's made this way, but the Yaesu FP-1030A linear power supply has no light for either the volt or amp meter. If you're like me, you wish the meters had lights too. After all, what good is a meter if you can't read it? Well, adding LED lights to the meters is very easy to do, and here's how.</p><p>A short virtual drive over to <a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07W4H66LR/" target="_blank">amazon.com</a> and I landed on a 56 count box of 12 volt LED lights, in seven colors, for $7.09 with free Prime shipping. Not too shabby. I couple days later, the LEDs were here and ready to be installed.</p><div style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-PBCkPvF0Dv4/X6gujBlFuSI/AAAAAAAA0_s/RgoQBa74GTE82H4HQp1EUn75mO5s6PW2ACLcBGAsYHQ/s320/2020-11-08-113828_3840x1080_scrot.png" /></div><p>Fourteen number 1 Phillips screws later, I had the cover off and the front pulled slightly away to allow access to the three screws holding the dual meter in place. Loosen the two bottom screws with one turn, remove the top screw, and the meter pulls out easily. Between the red, orange, yellow, green, blue, warm white, and white color LEDs, I chose white so it matches the light in my new Diamond GZV4000 switching power supply.</p><p>With a 2-inch piece of electrical tape, I secured one LED to the bottom of each of the two meter housings, with the LED light placed directly under the clear, fluted portion of the meter cover. Then I took some clear silicone caulk and applied a small amount of silicone to the LED and the bottom of the meter cover, enough to provide a good "weld" to secure the LED and help distribute light from the LED to the cover flutes. This works very well, by the way.</p><p>With the wire leads coming straight backwards from the bottom of the meters, I fed the wires over and soldered them to the feed wires at the back of the 10 amp cigar socket. These terminals were the most accessible to solder without further dismantling. A brief test found everything working, so I replaced the cover and put the power supply back in service. Now the Yaesu FP-1030A looks as nice as it works!</p><h4 style="text-align: left;">Update - Sep 20, 2021</h4><p>Don't buy the LEDs I listed above, as mine have since gone completely dim. Now I'm looking for some better LEDs.</p><p><br /></p>Kenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13390076110974506966noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8953236105195872168.post-67789234156277535752020-10-21T18:47:00.005-05:002020-11-19T17:31:29.460-06:00Last Salute to the Samlex SEC 1223<p>Back in 2008, shortly before I got my Technician license, I bought some of the basic ham equipment in anticipation of getting on the air. One of the first things I got was a Samlex SEC 1223, a 23 amp power supply. Not too big, and not too small, with enough juice to power my Yaesu FT-857D without complaint. </p><p>Twelve years later, the Samlex continues to work well, in conjunction with a RIGrunner 4004U attached to the topside. In fact, this is what keeps the lights on for the homebrew 20 watt repeater and the 25 watt APRS digipeater iGate. For the sake of modernizing and staying better informed, a digital volt and amp meter is ready for installation into the center of the face. Or should I say, "was ready".</p><p>So the other day, right after I got the duplexer installed on the homebrew repeater, I turned everything on in preparation for testing. My buddy Stu KD9MNK, was standing by at his place ready to help with the testing and signal reports. We talked back and forth for maybe a minute and suddenly, POP! And just as suddenly, the repeater and APRS went dark as the smell of ozone crept into the air. A quick text to Stu, "I think I blew a fuse!" just to let him know I'm still alive.</p><p>With fast thinking, some fine-motor dexterity, and a couple of powerpole positions switched to another RIGrunner, I was back on the air, this time on the Yaesu FP-1030 linear power supply. "Cool!", I told Stu, "That was really loud for an internal fuse!" as we continued on with testing, thinking nothing more of it, except for the ozone in my nose.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-hvQ9Hb_R640/X5DAqjZH-pI/AAAAAAAA060/gbcTX_B_rPk5g5tM9SoPUJTrRRjsatGwACLcBGAsYHQ/w640-h360/IMG_20201012_095200746_BURST001.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" /></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A blackened PCB at the fuse clip<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><p>Later in the day, I removed the Samlex cover with the RIGrunner attached to it and noticed the 6.3 amp glass tube fuse next to the input power had popped, I mean really popped. A virtual trip to Amazon Prime and two days later, I had a small pack of fuses in my fist. Minutes later, the Samlex was ready to rock, so with the cover back on, I plugged in the power and flipped the switch. </p><p>Reminiscent of a California brown-out, the lights in the living room dimmed for a second. Then the switch light on the Samlex turned off without a sound and the living room lights returned. "Hmm", I thought, "That's weird." I pulled the power cord and re-removed the cover. Being a little annoyed over the whole thing, I just kind of tossed the cover upside down on my desk, having no regard for the RIGrunner on top. As I was about to go after the second burned fuse, for some reason I glanced over at the inside of the cover. "What is that?", I thought, as I noticed a small amount of white residue that, based on the printed pattern, was applied at pretty high-velocity. That's odd, a mark I never noticed before. </p><p>Looking at the location and pattern, I quickly examined the matching area components on the PCB, and there it was, the problem. And what a problem it was! Three capacitors in a row, all with their tops popped open and looking rather burnt, way across the PCB from the blown fuse. Wow! I guess that explains the loud POP! No wonder the fuses blew. While wondering what other parts have been compromised, I thought, "This is a good time for an upgrade". </p><p>After a semi-virtual, COVID-modified, trip to HRO, a new Diamond GZV4000, 40 amp, 100% continuous duty cycle power supply is powering the repeater and the APRS digipeater without even thinking of breathing hard. And the RIGrunner 4004U has no complaints either.</p><p>If we could have a moment of silence, please, as I offer one last salute to the Samlex SEC 1223 before it goes to the great recycle bin in the sky... or the recycle bin at the township. Thank you.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-9NmQzPsevKE/X5DFDtzFpLI/AAAAAAAA07Y/Dm2aLf0DTlgd4JV3PMPAtG-BH_q1BGCmwCLcBGAsYHQ/w640-h360/IMG_20201021_182334109.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" /></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ah, no. That part is not OK, and neither are the other two.</td></tr></tbody></table>Kenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13390076110974506966noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8953236105195872168.post-27986259180397867812020-10-12T06:47:00.012-05:002020-11-11T14:57:07.809-06:00HughesNet Satellite Internet Tests<div style="text-align: left;">I've never been a big fan of satellite ISPs, and the latency tests (last pics) show one of the reasons why. And the rest of this rant are some of the other reasons. </div><p style="text-align: left;">According to their website FAQ's page, the HughesNet geostationary satellite is 22,000 miles away. The stated max speed is 25 Mbps down and 3 Mbps up. Right.</p><div>So, if it takes 10 seconds to get 25 Mb of data (2.5 Mbps), but then 60 minutes to get a second 25 Mb of data (69.4 Kbps), the average speed should not be 1.375 Mbps (data/time)+(data/time) / 2 data sets. The average speed should be 0.135 Mbps, or 135 Kbps (total data / total time fetching that data).</div><div><br /></div><div>Remember this one from a couple weeks ago? Here's a screen shot while updating a Raspberry Pi. Note the speed. This was a 55 minute download of 84.8 MB, with about 40 minutes of this. Notice it's on the 4th attempt to get the data? Yes, 4th attempt.</div><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-jzkVhBdDzM4/X2088W6n9BI/AAAAAAAA0mQ/708EN-Q2XIEdWAAqqt5airbnsMKsWWv3wCPcBGAYYCw/w640-h360/IMG_20200924_193312882.jpg" /></div><p style="text-align: left;">Below is a HughesNet speed test. The actual time to complete the 2 MB download was 24 seconds, from the time the progress bar started, to finished. HughesNet states the speed is <b>1.41 Mbps</b>. Hmm. My math says 2 Mb / 24s = <b>0.083 Mbps</b>, or <b>83 Kbps</b>. What kind of math do they use? Do they subtract all latency time, buffering time, break time, lunch time, etc?</p><p style="text-align: left;">Funny. Even so, by their standards, the speed on this run is way into the "crappy speed" zone, even for their crappy 12 Mbps, top-o-the-dial bliss zone. Oh, notice the Ping Time. It didn't even register. Welcome to every evening at my house on satellite.</p><div style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Y_2wa7M7NOc/X4TpKFyTEWI/AAAAAAAA02g/dcwSf1etMOQTr20aaHaTcKISbW4_XT7kgCLcBGAsYHQ/w640-h498/Screenshot%2Bfrom%2B2020-10-12%2B18-35-52.png" /></div><p style="text-align: left;">These are some screen shots of the last 30 days using the Google Wifi app. Here again, calculations must be made only when the status is "active", as opposed to "waiting" or "buffering", or having a file restart 8 times because it thought the connection was completely lost (this happens frequently). These numbers? These are way off from reality. Again, even so, this is pathetic.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-CYTq0-ROfgQ/X4TVmZSIg1I/AAAAAAAA02A/qglRDMxeP0YijL55avVSTZcgWwSK7Y-KwCLcBGAsYHQ/w200-h400/Screenshot_20201012-164505.png" width="200" /> <img border="0" height="400" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-LU4uBZMPK4c/X4TV4PV3LII/AAAAAAAA02I/LRQ2WhbBBLAGn-2eX5LkAzUiN-_-9YWzACLcBGAsYHQ/w200-h400/Screenshot_20201012-164518.png" width="200" /> <img border="0" height="400" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-H-jYbtvenmo/X4TWe-rxWKI/AAAAAAAA02U/DPalqHRoCY0jcsbz-yvdoDrPs6eRKpVRgCLcBGAsYHQ/w200-h400/Screenshot_20201012-170914.png" width="200" /><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>More good news. We live 2.0 miles east of a brand new fiber optic cable, and 1/2 mile north of a high-speed cable, but the ISP won't bring service this way because they don't want to, unless all the neighbors pay $3,500 each to get it installed (even though they equip subdivisions for free, knowing they will soon have customers).</div><div><br /></div><div>AT&T has really old telephone lines in our area, and not enough nodes for us all to get a telephone line. They also offer DSL service, but unless one of the neighbors gives up their connection, no hard-line phone or DSL is possible. Who even thinks about being happy with DSL any more? Right?</div><div><br /></div><div>Okay, back to latency. Is almost 4,000 milliseconds too slow? Who'd of thought? It's slow enough. That, combined with the constant buffering means, "no VPN for you". No VPN, no WIRES-X, nothing that needs any sort of constant, or low latency connection. Nope.</div><div><br /></div><div>Even something as simple as Netflix must be set to the lowest quality video available, and still there's plenty of time to make the popcorn, while you "watch" the movie. Oh, and if it's Friday, Saturday, or Sunday night... Honey, where did you put the deck of cards? Wanna play 500 Rummy? We got time.</div><div><br /></div><div><b>ELON MUSK!!!! Where are you?!?! I hope you're reading this! Where's my STARLINK?!?!</b></div><div><br /></div><div>Okay, I'm done. Thanks for listening to my stupid rant. So, let's get on the radio! No LATENCY there!</div><p style="text-align: left;">Ha! ...just havin' fun!</p><div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-diPF7dV1CKU/X4RBTRtGijI/AAAAAAAA00I/ejzji3ynBMA6_KvIPpTNgc3pCOn0OCjAACLcBGAsYHQ/w640-h166/HughesNet%2BLatency%2B201012.png" /><img border="0" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-rmdyN-MaXEU/X4RBeC746RI/AAAAAAAA00M/fLd17m9RuicSjtgER7jL1_Po7wTEoKwawCLcBGAsYHQ/w640-h288/HughesNet%2BLatency%2B201012a.png" /><img border="0" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-7cXggLuprCw/X4RBr2I16tI/AAAAAAAA00U/u6VRi-GK9Yc9BsEGEMqkBk92gpyOZCbowCLcBGAsYHQ/w640-h282/HughesNet%2BLatency%2B201012b.png" /></div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://testmy.net/latency" target="_blank">https://testmy.net/latency</a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div>Kenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13390076110974506966noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8953236105195872168.post-5621613237771308432020-10-07T14:58:00.016-05:002022-11-16T07:51:11.539-06:00APRS Digipeater iGate<h4 style="text-align: left;">Alinco DR-135T, Argent Data Systems T3-135 TNC</h4><p style="text-align: left;">The APRS-SDR receive-only iGate project was fun to build, and great for seeing what's happening, real time, in the state. But one thing it doesn't do well is help non-iGate APRS users. This is where a simplex APRS iGate repeater can really help, by sending data as well as receive data. </p><p>The APRS iGate repeater requires two things. First, a transceiver to receive and repeat data to and from local stations via RF. The second is an APRS-IS internet gateway connection. With the iGate, local stations can also receive wide-area data originating from the APRS-IS gateway, data outside the reach of their RF radios.</p><p><br /></p><div style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-EId9nSPoDYQ/X34HX9BNN9I/AAAAAAAA0ug/N9vaf8MSfOcb2ftObIJuRlkdPGkwBDbaACPcBGAYYCw/w640-h308/ARPS-iGate-arm-off.JPG" /></div><p><br /></p><p>For example, take this poor guy who's arm fell off. They are out in the middle of nowhere, beyond the reach of getting help. But because his friend has an HT with APRS, and there is a nearby APRS iGate repeater, the ambulance guys can see right where they are, even though the stations are too far apart to receive each other's RF signals directly. Thanks to the simplex APRS iGate repeater, help is on the way. What a lucky break for this guy!</p><p><br /></p><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-EY-K4h7ChYI/X4Hpcw6PtmI/AAAAAAAA0zM/f4eiVGZ12Q4KKKTEgOtNJDneXPhiYVEWgCLcBGAsYHQ/s1080/Alinco%2BAPRS%2BDigi%2B201010.jpg"><img border="0" data-original-height="608" data-original-width="1080" height="360" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-EY-K4h7ChYI/X4Hpcw6PtmI/AAAAAAAA0zM/f4eiVGZ12Q4KKKTEgOtNJDneXPhiYVEWgCLcBGAsYHQ/w640-h360/Alinco%2BAPRS%2BDigi%2B201010.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><h4><span>Components</span></h4><p></p><ul><li>Alinco DR-135T 144 MHz transceiver</li><li>Argent Data Systems T3-135 internal TNC for the DR-135, 1200 bps AFSK</li><li>Raspberry Pi 4B 4GB</li><li>Armor case heat sink for the Pi</li><li>32 GB SD card</li><li>LMR-400 flex coax</li><li>Diamond X-50 antenna</li></ul><p></p><p><span></span></p><h4>Software</h4><p></p><ul><li>Raspberry Pi OS</li><li>Direwolf</li><li>Xastir mapping</li></ul><p></p><p>Busy downloading, configuring, doing other stuff... I'll get back soon.</p>Kenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13390076110974506966noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8953236105195872168.post-20892667894657246022020-10-04T10:10:00.010-05:002020-10-07T15:10:23.808-05:00Raspberry Pi Cooler<div><div style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-kamU5q6e_m8/XwTkJa8kJxI/AAAAAAAAz_M/XS2PxmLPdJc2juSssudc-3PBWH1hO1U-wCPcBGAYYCw/w640-h360/IMG_20200627_063222221.jpg" /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Ever since the Raspberry Pi 4 came out, there has been concern of the CPU and board overheating, and rightly so. After trying many cooling configurations, I finally landed on a cool answer to this hot problem, with great success.</div></div><p></p><p></p><p>The pictured heat sink armor case is the fan-less version by Geekworm. I believe it may be sold under several other names as well. There is a dual-fan version of this case, but based on personal experience, I would not recommend using it because the fans are junk and the fan wiring prohibits the use of hats on the GPIO pins.</p><p>This Argon Artik fan is a very quiet, programmable fan hat set on an extended GPIO so it clears the case nicely. In this configuration, the RPi 4 CPU temps have never gone above 43 degrees Celsius, and the fan speed has not yet run higher than 10%, or at least the 25% LED indicator. I haven't timed the fan cycle, but it's off far more than it's on, which should lead to a nice long fan life. Custom programming provides a scaled response to CPU temperature rise. I programmed this to:</p><p></p><ul><li>43 C, fan on 10%</li><li>45 C, fan on 25%</li><li>50 C, fan on 50%</li><li>55 C, fan on 75%</li><li>60 C, fan on 100%</li></ul><p></p><div style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="361" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-_y-U2mWWUN8/X11HXKurn-I/AAAAAAAA0g8/pcrmPNMkXPgAgWldGpj1F5adnzUyAPNvACLcBGAsYHQ/w640-h361/IMG_20200912_170541944.jpg" width="640" /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">As you can see from the photo, a second hat can be mounted nicely on top of the fan using a male/male pin set. Here, a ZUM Radio repeater controller is mounted on top, and the fan works flawlessly cooling the Pi as well as the repeater controller. An RTC or other less-than-full-size hat may be a little awkward, but for the big boards, it's a go.</div><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="608" data-original-width="1080" height="360" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-vjp-pb0pGJM/X10nuA-JQ4I/AAAAAAAA0gk/MR1H6H4bZOoutWCs4UrlVUFhZZH0KqYhwCPcBGAYYCw/w640-h360/IMG_20200912_144018149.jpg" width="640" /></span></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Raspberry Pi 3 model B+ with the same setup works fan-tastic<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><p>How much do I like this setup? I have the same thing on all of my RPi's, and I must say, this makes for one cool Raspberry Pi!</p><h4 style="text-align: left;">GOTA</h4><p><span style="font-size: xx-small;">updated: 10/05/2020</span></p>Kenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13390076110974506966noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8953236105195872168.post-69998550272302182912020-10-02T14:27:00.019-05:002020-10-27T06:10:37.523-05:00Buy Sell Trade<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><h4 style="text-align: left;">AnyTone Smart 10 meter radio</h4><br />This is a tiny transceiver I got for an experiment, but then lost interest. It is well known for modifying to get on 10 meters or "11 meters" CB by a simple solder bridge. I bought a tiny double side-by-side SPST switch to solder in and use like jumpers. I never did get it soldered in, but I have several of the tiny switches, if you are so inclined. <br /><br /><b style="color: #cc0000; text-align: left;">Buy or trade: $25</b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ok5uICjAaGg/X3-eBK-JlPI/AAAAAAAA0wA/tS_SFbh7lZsY8o_LHCnjHiJ2FZvP7zvUwCLcBGAsYHQ/s1080/IMG_20201008_145653565.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="608" data-original-width="1080" height="360" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ok5uICjAaGg/X3-eBK-JlPI/AAAAAAAA0wA/tS_SFbh7lZsY8o_LHCnjHiJ2FZvP7zvUwCLcBGAsYHQ/w640-h360/IMG_20201008_145653565.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><p style="text-align: left;"><br /></p><h4 style="text-align: left;">LDG analog meter for Yaesu FT-857D</h4><p style="text-align: left;">Works great, and like new condition. Switched backlight.</p><p style="text-align: left;"><b><span style="color: #cc0000;">Buy or trade: $10</span></b></p><p><b></b></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><img border="0" data-original-height="608" data-original-width="1080" height="360" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-8KoXm1GGPLI/X3-fePBOauI/AAAAAAAA0wM/Cc7cS9ZPmAsyZFFrAjuzQ7th4wTQNecKwCLcBGAsYHQ/w640-h360/IMG_20201008_150227538.jpg" width="640" /></b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><b><br /></b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><b><br /></b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><b><br /></b></div><p style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><b><br /></b></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><b><br /></b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><b><br /></b></div><p></p></div><p></p>Kenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13390076110974506966noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8953236105195872168.post-86744729717984233672020-09-30T20:18:00.015-05:002020-10-08T05:37:33.496-05:00APRS SDR iGate Update<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="599" data-original-width="1080" height="354" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-kuuAo3oNu-s/X3YPLfPa9oI/AAAAAAAA0pg/Vdcf9zSe1mQay7AMUS4bmmZX3b279newQCLcBGAsYHQ/w640-h354/APRS-FI-K9KMS-10-202009.png" width="640" /></span></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The distance from stations heard in Michigan seems to indicate some assisting propagation over Lake Michigan.<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><p>After four days of almost continuous operation, the APRS SDR receive-only iGate seems to be working well. I did two reboots to test the auto-connect between Direwolf and APRS-IS and it worked perfectly. The Xastir software was restarted manually and the configuration settings loaded and returned to my settings as expected. </p><p>Seeing that the data was feeding as it should, I closed the terminal window displaying the Direwolf journal, so now I'm just viewing the Xastir map. I have the map intensity is set to 70% so station activity stands out better. I may play around with this a bit, and I may look for a different map.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="653" data-original-width="1080" height="388" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-PZbuOHU_oWE/X3tTs67u3rI/AAAAAAAA0tM/q-HxJFQpgLAYAETINXVYlI_Mgqc968MAACPcBGAYYCw/w640-h388/XastirMap201005.png" width="640" /></div><div><br /></div>On the <a href="https://www.blogger.com/#">iGate Data</a> page, I have some performance statistics listed, but a picture is still worth a thousand words, and maybe three bar graphs. Here is a station heard radius provided by APRS Direct. The radius they are showing is about 18 miles. I agree with their assessment, as this is the area from which a majority of stations are heard by my station.<div> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="512" data-original-width="1080" height="304" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/--U2F192s7gI/X3UmZjfjZTI/AAAAAAAA0pI/gTmNsXrzps8XuZGvipv8HJL1iN_imGc4ACLcBGAsYHQ/w640-h304/APRS-Direct-K9KMS-10-radius.png" width="640" /></div><p>Here's a few stations that fall outside of the majority curve. The KD9JSX-14 mobile station was heard from a distance of 32 miles. The AB9HH-10 station in Milwaukee, at a distance of 42.7 miles, accounts for over 65% of all packets received. The KB9OIV-1 station comes in from 46.7 miles, and three Michigan stations are heard from 89.4 miles over Lake Michigan.</p><p><br /></p></div>Kenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13390076110974506966noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8953236105195872168.post-31284429397103137802020-09-22T10:59:00.031-05:002020-10-04T10:22:37.366-05:00Raspberry Pi APRS with SDR<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-3YNDExQM9Yo/X2oRZBvkgMI/AAAAAAAA0kc/MhR-pBvjAKkpVoybqnr8RcXjUbPbt3DFACLcBGAsYHQ/s1080/APRS-SDR-200922.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="675" data-original-width="1080" height="400" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-3YNDExQM9Yo/X2oRZBvkgMI/AAAAAAAA0kc/MhR-pBvjAKkpVoybqnr8RcXjUbPbt3DFACLcBGAsYHQ/w640-h400/APRS-SDR-200922.png" width="640" /></a></div><br /><p style="text-align: left;">For complete information on this project, <a href="https://radiok9kms.blogspot.com/p/aprs.html">see the APRS page</a>.</p><p style="text-align: left;">While experimenting with the Raspberry Pi 3B+ APRS receiver, the Pi is temporarily running Gqrx SDR software with an AFSK1200 decoder. </p><p style="text-align: left;">How does the RPi 3B+ handle the demand of processing with the SDR? The CPU is averaging a pretty busy 55% load. The Argon programmable fan is doing a good job keeping everything cool as it cycles on at 42C with 10% fan speed, and off at 38C. The fan cycle time is about 1:3 minutes on/off in a 69F degree environment. </p><p style="text-align: left;">In comparison, monitoring the CPU load on the K9KMS MMDVM repeater while it's in use (not idle), I found it to be less than a 2% load. This MMDVM repeater runs on a Raspberry Pi 4B, so it's not exactly an apples-to-apples comparison, but running the Gqrx software to get the APRS data is obviously much more demanding. This will likely result in a shorter life expectancy for the RPi using this approach, so scratch Gqrx off the list and find something to process data, not radio frequency.</p><p style="text-align: left;">On Sep 21, 2020 at 17:39 UTC, the decoder ran until 00:30 (6+ hours) and logged <b>1,029 hits</b>, an average of <b>171.5 hits per hour</b>. Not too bad considering the surrounding forest and lowland lakefront area.</p><p style="text-align: left;">Read about this project's exciting continuation on <a href="https://radiok9kms.blogspot.com/p/aprs.html">the APRS page</a>!</p><p style="text-align: left;"><br /></p><p></p>Kenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13390076110974506966noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8953236105195872168.post-53097639086740532682020-09-12T16:43:00.007-05:002020-11-11T14:58:53.669-06:00DMR Round 2<p> I listened all day to TAC310 and all I heard were mic clicks and almost no talking. Two new-to-DMR hams started talking, but their radios were so over-driven and had so much packet loss, they were hardly intelligible. Lower the mic gain, fellas. The couple of others I heard were "Testing 1, 2, 3...". I really am trying to give DMR a fair shake, but I need some air-time experience before I can develop any sort of opinion about the mode itself, not just the programming. That's just not happening. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-3PzIqZlxAWk/X11f5gYPPqI/AAAAAAAA0hk/4KQ99EKhhfIboylcT3WH_cVVBs4t3oFCQCLcBGAsYHQ/s652/Screenshot%2Bfrom%2B2020-09-12%2B18-46-59.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="459" data-original-width="652" height="439" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-3PzIqZlxAWk/X11f5gYPPqI/AAAAAAAA0hk/4KQ99EKhhfIboylcT3WH_cVVBs4t3oFCQCLcBGAsYHQ/w625-h439/Screenshot%2Bfrom%2B2020-09-12%2B18-46-59.png" width="625" /></a></div><p>"Stop listening and start talking!", you say? Yeah, no DMR repeaters near here, so it's all by hotspot. I tried talking the other day, but HughesNet satellite internet has so much latency (seconds, not milliseconds) and speed fluctuation (from 3Mb/s to 4,000 bits/s - really, no joke), that I can't do anything requiring a live, continuous connection, like a VPN or, say... radio transmissions on WIRES-X or hotspots. I'm serious! The other day it took 55 minutes to download a 73 MB file, and that's not uncommon! What's up with that? Sure makes me very thankful for real RF! Star Link! Where are you?!</p><p><b>Round 2.5</b>: This evening, Lon and Tom, both 2-land stations, were on TAC310 just t-t-t-t-t-t-talking away! Boy, it was g-g-g-grea-t-t-t-t-t-t-t to hear hams on DMR like I hear on America-a-a-aLink. Finally, there is hope. Maybe I can see some li-i-i-i-i-i-i-ght in this dark tunnel... ...rescued me from the thought of b-b-b-b-b-b-eing single-mode'd-d-d-d-d-d-d. Diversity, I say. Div-v-v-v-v-versity of digital modes l-l-l-l-l-leads to new front-t-t-t-tiers in the world of amateur radio. And that, m-m-m-m-m-my friends is....</p><p>...just havin' fun!</p><p><br /></p>Kenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13390076110974506966noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8953236105195872168.post-85642096535962353742020-09-08T12:30:00.006-05:002022-11-26T11:58:30.680-06:00Wire Antenna Suspension System<p>Back in October, 2019 I started planning a way to get the Barker & Williamson BWD-90 folded dipole up and running. Well, now it's up and here's how I did it.</p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Ss5HJeygA2g/X1eowDE_aII/AAAAAAAA0dM/MPryGxtA7JwdQRpBADz5DDYtwDlYdU6jwCLcBGAsYHQ/s1080/Suspended-dipole-antenna.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="411" data-original-width="1080" height="239" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Ss5HJeygA2g/X1eowDE_aII/AAAAAAAA0dM/MPryGxtA7JwdQRpBADz5DDYtwDlYdU6jwCLcBGAsYHQ/w625-h239/Suspended-dipole-antenna.png" width="625" /></a></div><h3 style="text-align: left;"><br /></h3><h3 style="text-align: left;">Materials</h3><p style="text-align: left;">350 feet of <a href="https://www.hamradio.com/detail.cfm?pid=H0-013980" target="_blank">good 3/16" cord</a></p><p style="text-align: left;">Three (3) stainless steel pulleys (only 2 if your tower standoff arm already has pulleys)</p><p style="text-align: left;">Three (3) weights of the same weight (I cut solid metal bars to 5 pounds each)</p><p style="text-align: left;"><br /></p><h3 style="text-align: left;">Tools</h3><p style="text-align: left;">A good throw line with launcher</p><p style="text-align: left;">A cutter for the cord</p><p style="text-align: left;">A lighter to melt the cord ends</p><p style="text-align: left;"><br /></p><h3 style="text-align: left;">How To</h3><p style="text-align: left;">With a throw line, pull the two pulley cords (the red lines in the drawing) up and over the two support branches. Temporarily, leave the end with the pulley within reach from the ground.</p><p style="text-align: left;">Attach a cord to each end of the dipole antenna. </p><p style="text-align: left;">Pass the antenna cords through the pulleys, leaving a generous length of cord on each end to accommodate for it's final horizontal length and vertical height. </p><p style="text-align: left;">Temporarily attach a weight to each of these antenna cord ends.</p><p style="text-align: left;">If you are using a center support cord, attach a cord to an insulated center part of the antenna. Take the other end and run it through the center pulley. Tie a knot so it can't fall out of the pulley.</p><p style="text-align: left;">Pull the pulley cords, lifting the pulleys to full height. Leave about 18 inches of cord between the pulley and the support branch. While lifting the pulleys, the antenna cords should be moving through the pulleys and start raising the antenna.</p><p style="text-align: left;">When the pulleys are up in final position, cut the pulley cords just above ground height. Tie a loop and attach the loop to the base of the tree with a screw eye.</p><p style="text-align: left;">Pull the center antenna cord up to bring the antenna center into final position. Just above ground level, cut the cord and attach a weight. Temporarily secure this line to the tower to maintain the center positioning.</p><p style="text-align: left;">Pull the end cords to bring the antenna ends into final position. Just above ground level, cut the cords and attach the weights. The weights must be free to move, unrestricted, up to the pulleys.</p><p style="text-align: left;">Remove the device temporarily securing the center cord and weight. All three weights should now be just above ground level and free to move up as needed.</p><p style="text-align: left;">From time to time you may need to lower the antenna, so keep a length of cord to attach on the pulley lines for lowering. </p><p style="text-align: left;">With this system, there is no extra cord laying on the ground to get caught in the lawn mower!</p><p style="text-align: left;">Enjoy your free-floating, suspended wire antenna without worry every time a storm blows!</p><p style="text-align: left;"><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-1gNglDTs2ag/Xz2QnSqXtnI/AAAAAAAA0Uw/LERnIFN8lMINgCgSS46Z4lRCaCOqeSKoACPcBGAYYCw/s1080/IMG_20200819_113835772.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="800" height="640" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-1gNglDTs2ag/Xz2QnSqXtnI/AAAAAAAA0Uw/LERnIFN8lMINgCgSS46Z4lRCaCOqeSKoACPcBGAYYCw/w474-h640/IMG_20200819_113835772.jpg" width="474" /></a></div><p style="text-align: left;"><br /></p>Kenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13390076110974506966noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8953236105195872168.post-3150922004869048672020-09-03T16:33:00.018-05:002020-11-19T17:33:54.304-06:00FT-7900R ZUM Repeater Build - Part 3<div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://radiok9kms.blogspot.com/2019/09/zum-repeater.html">Repeater Build Part 1</a> - <a href="https://radiok9kms.blogspot.com/2020/08/ft-7900-zum-radio-duplex-repeater.html">Repeater Build Part 2</a> - <a href="https://radiok9kms.blogspot.com/2020/09/ft-7900r-zum-repeater-build-part-3.html">Repeater Build Part 3</a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-2xFyDBq3mB4/X1F_0w3pLsI/AAAAAAAA0ZE/Q_e3iqvNpWw64Djl3qcXcl2WxJo6u-H5gCPcBGAYYCw/s1080/20200903_181150.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="824" data-original-width="1080" height="476" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-2xFyDBq3mB4/X1F_0w3pLsI/AAAAAAAA0ZE/Q_e3iqvNpWw64Djl3qcXcl2WxJo6u-H5gCPcBGAYYCw/w625-h476/20200903_181150.jpg" width="625" /></a></div><div><br /></div>Over the last two weeks, I have been experimenting with various settings on the FT-7900R ZUM Radio Pi-Star repeater. After going through frequency calibrations, TX delay and TX/RX offset settings, I'm still having an issue with one particular thing.<div><br /><h3 style="text-align: left;">The Problem</h3><div><br /></div>I have been unable to mitigate what seems to be a delay in the digital processing. This occurs after releasing the PTT of a transmitting radio. A short <1 second clip of the last transmission is heard coming back over the transmitting radio from the repeater. If you have ever heard a short-path long-path echo, you know what I'm trying to describe. It's more annoying than anything else, but something I'd rather not have happening, if at all possible.<br /><br />Having gone through everything I could think of with the Pi-Star software settings (a short list for me), I began looking at hardware. Everything appeared to be working as it should, but then I had a light-bulb moment: "Maybe it really is a signal processing-induced delay."<div><br /><div><h3 style="text-align: left;">Modification</h3><div><br /></div>The repeater is built around a Raspberry Pi 3 B+ that I once used as a desktop computer, even though it was pretty slow. When the Raspberry Pi 4 came out, I made the 3B to 4B change, and Wow! What a difference in performance! So if it made such a huge difference in a desktop environment, I wonder what it will do in a repeater controller environment. There's one way to find out.<br /><br />A few minutes later, I had the Rpi 3 B+ disconnected from the ZUM Radio controller and replaced with a Raspberry Pi 4 B 2GB fitted with a full heat sink case and Argon programmable fan. I swapped out the Raspberry Pi OS card with a back-up copy of the Pi-Star repeater image and in under five minutes, the repeater was up and running.</div><div><br /><h3 style="text-align: left;">Result</h3><div><br /></div>Almost any reasonable thing is worth trying when you are experimenting. For this repeater project, it has been a little of this. a little of that, old parts, spare parts, and a lot of fun. As for the Raspberry Pi 3 B+ to 4 B computer swap, I hear no perceptible difference with the original delay echo problem.<br /><br />Hey, if nothing else, it looks like the blinking LED on the USB/Serial converter for the Nextion display is blinking a little faster, but that could just be me. So for now, I'll leave it with the Rpi 4 B and monitor the CPU temperature and Argon fan activation cycle frequency for a while.</div><div><br /><h3 style="text-align: left;">New Hypothesis</h3><div><br /></div>Maybe the delay echo is caused by the collinear antenna setup feeding back, even running at very low power. I guess I'll find out when I get my frequency allocations from the Wisconsin Association of Repeaters and get a duplexer ordered, tuned, and installed.<div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://radiok9kms.blogspot.com/2019/09/zum-repeater.html">Repeater Build Part 1</a> - <a href="https://radiok9kms.blogspot.com/2020/08/ft-7900-zum-radio-duplex-repeater.html">Repeater Build Part 2</a> - <a href="https://radiok9kms.blogspot.com/2020/09/ft-7900r-zum-repeater-build-part-3.html">Repeater Build Part 3</a></div><br /></div></div></div></div>Kenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13390076110974506966noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8953236105195872168.post-26542931912535204432020-08-25T20:01:00.048-05:002020-11-11T14:56:33.305-06:00DMR Trials and Tribulations<p>First off I have to say, if I had started in amateur radio with DMR, I might be typing a blog right now for some other interesting hobby. From that, you can probably guess the last several days have been, oh, less than fun, more than troublesome, and filled with frustration over DMR.</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ufsJ0PrD-6k/X1N8LYpPz0I/AAAAAAAA0aQ/UkYF_UcAdzwUW16Xkm0nS6zn3tcxBbmuwCPcBGAYYCw/s320/Tytera%2BMD-390a.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="320" data-original-width="169" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ufsJ0PrD-6k/X1N8LYpPz0I/AAAAAAAA0aQ/UkYF_UcAdzwUW16Xkm0nS6zn3tcxBbmuwCPcBGAYYCw/s0/Tytera%2BMD-390a.jpg" /></a></div>It all started when I was downstairs looking through some boxes for coax ends. Buried in the bottom of a box, I found my virgin, never-QSO'ed, plastic bagged and ready to sell, new Tytera MD-390 DMR handheld radio. The castaway. And yet again, a reminder that gut feelings can be very meaningful and should not be ignored.<p></p><p></p><p>Forgetting the past, and ever-hopeful for a better today, I pulled the radio and it's paraphernalia from the box and brought it all upstairs to my desk. In hindsight, this was the first of several follies that day.</p><p>Carelessly ignoring the admonishments offered by my better conscience, I opened the plastic bags. Immediately, it seemed the radio was cooler looking, brighter, more awesome than the last time I remembered. It felt so good in my hands. Was I mistaken before? I thought I came to hate this radio. But now it seems so good, so right, so tech-savvy cool. </p><p>Yes, with all the enthusiasm that purportedly follows the DMR mode, I recklessly dove headlong into re-researching codeplugs and DMR repeaters in Wisconsin. </p><h3 style="text-align: left;">Self-Talk</h3><p><span><b>Day 1</b></span></p><p><span>Maybe I just didn't give DMR a fair shake the first time.</span></p><p><span>Oops, I forgot I deleted the Tytera CPS software from my Windows 10 laptop because it caused problems and crashes. Ah, but I'm sure there's been updates... </span></p><p>Google search. <span>Hey, there's a firmware update for my radio. I should probably do the update so I have the very latest technology for this awesome radio.</span><span> </span></p><p>Download firmware update. Downloading... still downloading... the CPS software. </p><p><span>Man, HughesNet is slow! Fifty five minutes to download a 73 megabyte file! ... </span><span>Finally!</span> </p><p>Install. <span>Okay. Hmm.</span> </p><p>Reinstall. Click, click, press and hold, power on. Update. <span>Finished, I think (in Chinese). Cool(?).</span> </p><p>Power on. <span>What?! White screen?! $#@%!</span></p><p>Google search: white screen md-390. <span>No. No. Ah, okay. </span></p><p>YouTube. Ten minutes later, the radio is in pieces. <span>Hmm. On the inside, this radio doesn't look exactly like the one in the video. Ah, bad advice. </span></p><p>Re-assemble. </p><p>Google search. <span>No... No... No... Yes. Download and revert to the old firmware. Success, if you can call it that.</span></p><p>Three hours later.<span> I'm right back where I started, but now I'm hangry. Time for a late lunch. </span></p><p><span>What a crappy day so far. You know, I think I've had enough DMR for today. I'm sure when I pick it up again tomorrow, everything will work out just fine. I mean, people on the internet are so excited about DMR, like it's the biggest thing in amateur radio since, since Al Gore invented the internet. Right?</span></p><p>There it is, sitting on my desk, staring at me, begging me to build codeplugs and get on the air! </p><p><span>Alright already! There's still time left in the day. </span></p><p>Google search: wisconsin dmr codeplugs. <span>No, wait. I can only use the TG's that are on the repeaters. </span></p><p>Google search: wisconsin dmr repeaters. <span>Hmm. Okay, that's not very many repeaters, and why are most of them around southern interstate roads? And why aren't the TG's listed? Oh well. I'll just pick one...</span></p><p>Google search: chicagoland dmr. <span>Okay. Here's a big list of the TG's and repeaters under ChicagoLand CC. </span></p><p><span>What, no downloads for the popular MD-380/390? </span></p><p><span>Oh well. I'll just build my own codeplugs from this giant spreadsheet they provide. </span></p><p><span>What, only in PDF format? Where's the CSV file? </span></p><p><span>Okay, I'm just going to make codeplugs for the closest four repeaters. </span></p><p><span>Okay, I'm just going to make codeplugs for the best sixteen TG's for the four closest repeaters. </span></p><p><span>Okay, I'm going to pick this up in the morning.</span></p><p><b>Day 2</b></p><p>Ah, fresh coffee in the morning, and there's that awesome DMR radio just waiting to get on the air! </p><p><span>Man, what's up with the CPS programming software? I can't read Chinese. Oh, that's better. Now go to import... </span></p><p><span>Where's the "import" button? No import button. You've got to be kidding me. </span></p><p><span>Wait, there's import... Import .txt file? But what text format? </span></p><p>Export useless file I saved from last year to see it in the .txt format. <span>You have to be kidding me!</span> </p><p>Two hours later. <span>There, I finally have a Contacts list to import. What crappy software. </span></p><p><span>How do you sort it alphabetically? Great, no way to sort Contacts, or anything! </span></p><p>Finishing up the codeplugs. <span>Oh wait, that's just one repeater... Ugh!</span></p><p><span>There must be a better way to do this! The internet said everyone and his brother has the TYT MD-380. The MD-390 is just an upgraded MD-380, so that's good, right? </span></p><p>Google search: rt systems md-380/390. <span>What, no software?! </span></p><p>Google search: chirp md-380/390. <span>Oh, of course, nothing. I guess I'm stuck with this Tytera CPS software that crashes more often than the test dummies at NHTSA!</span></p><p>End of day two, and I think I'm done. </p><p><span>I now have four (4) ChicagoLand repeaters, each programmed alike with the same sixteen (16) TG's. Let's see, that would be sixty four (64) codeplugs to get sixteen (16) TG's on four (4) of the many (lots of them) ChicagoLand repeaters. </span></p><p><span>Somehow I feel sort of disappointed after considering the cost/benefit analyses here. </span></p><p><span>Finally, it's time to make this awesome radio fly the airwaves!</span> </p><p>Click, click, twist. Power on. <span>I'm on the big X300 antenna on my 55 foot tower with 5 power-packed watts of pure DMR!</span> </p><p>Click the PTT and... ... ... burp! <span>What, no Milwaukee tower connection? I'll try Allenton. </span></p><p>Click... ... ... burp! <span>This is a bummer, for sure.</span></p><p><span>Okay, how about simplex? Yeah, that will work! Oh wait, do I need codeplugs for simplex?</span></p><p><b>Day 3</b></p><p>I'm heading to HRO with Stu for stuff. </p><p><span>Hey, I'll bring the DMR and see if I can connect to Milwaukee when I'm down there. Cool! </span></p><p>Power on, beep, on Milwaukee 'Wisconsin TG". Push PTT... dit, dit, dit. <span>Hey, I'm on! Way cool!</span> </p><p>Listening... nothing. <span>"This is K9KMS, first time on DMR, on the Wisconsin TG, Milwaukee repeater."</span></p><p>Nothing.<span> Hmm. "This is K9KMS, first time on DMR, on the Wisconsin TG, Milwaukee repeater."</span> </p><p>Nothing. <span>Now it somehow doesn't feel right to say, "first time on DMR" again.</span> </p><p>Still nothing heard. <span>I know, I'll try TAC310...</span> </p><p>Still nothing heard. <span>Okay, I'll go back to the Wisconsin TG.</span></p><p><span>Hey Stu, maybe I don't have this programmed right. It seems right. I mean, it beeps like the tower recognizes me, right? A fast dit, dit, dit? I'm on, right? </span></p><p><span>What's that, Stu?... DMR means Digital Mobile Radio. It's like... Oh, never mind. </span></p><p><span>Lets try Wisconsin TG again. "This is K9KMS, first time on DMR (not really any more), on the Wisconsin TG, Milwaukee repeater."</span> </p><p>Waiting, waiting... then, "Blah, blah, blah". <span>Cool!</span></p><p><span>"Station ending in blah, blah, blah, this is K9KMS, my first time on DMR and I'm checking to see if I programmed my radio correctly. How is my audio?"</span></p><p>Answer: "Well I'm talking to you, aren't I". <span>Okay, I can see this is going to go really well.</span> </p><p>Blah, blah, blah... blah, blah... (for five minutes...). <span>Does this repeater not time-out or something? </span></p><p><span>"Okay, well I'm destinated, so I have to go. Thanks for the QSO. K9KMS, 73".</span> "Blah, blah, blah, bye." </p><p><span>Well, that was interesting, eh? Somewhat disappointing, but interesting, eh Stu? </span></p><p><span>What's that, Stu? ... It's like C4FM but different, you know, with time slots, two of them, and these color codes, and talk groups, which are sort of like rooms, and you have to build lots of these things called codeplugs, one for each... Oh, never mind. </span></p><p><span>Where do you want to go for lunch? ... How about the Jewish deli? Sounds good. </span></p><p>Powering down...</p><p><br /></p>Kenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13390076110974506966noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8953236105195872168.post-13747784093755500562020-08-15T07:50:00.054-05:002020-10-02T14:48:39.789-05:00FT-7900R ZUM Repeater Build - Part 2<div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://radiok9kms.blogspot.com/2019/09/zum-repeater.html">Repeater Build Part 1</a> - <a href="https://radiok9kms.blogspot.com/2020/08/ft-7900-zum-radio-duplex-repeater.html">Repeater Build Part 2</a> - <a href="https://radiok9kms.blogspot.com/2020/09/ft-7900r-zum-repeater-build-part-3.html">Repeater Build Part 3</a></div><br />October of last year I set out to make a MMDVM repeater with my Yaesu FT-7800 and FT-7900 transceivers. At the time, the setup was in simplex mode as I researched duplexers for the two frequency, one antenna system. And there the project sat in the shack just taking up space and collecting dust. With my invested time accumulating and the research folder growing thicker, I found several characteristics about my repeater build that I decided to change.<div><br /><h3 style="text-align: left;">Enclosures and Heat</h3><br />In the former computer case with all the components situated side by side, the homebrew repeater occupied a large footprint in the shack. Taking a second look at this, with the transceivers being the same size and short in height, stacking them greatly reduces the required footprint.<br /><br />Since my components already have protective cases on them, placing everything into yet another case is unnecessary and only inhibits heat dissipation. In the stacked configuration with the receive radio on top, mounting them on a single Yaesu SMB-201 cooling fan will allow better open-air circulation as well as direct fan cooling to the bottom of the transmitting radio's heat sink.<div><br /><a href="https://www.blogger.com/#"><img border="0" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-xoUeZ8QBpVo/Xz2QCgTUl_I/AAAAAAAA0Uk/HsA8gNFxZcwP7Adw5eTnXY-D8J1ZrAbYQCLcBGAsYHQ/s640/IMG_20200819_113549447.jpg" /></a><br /><br /><h3 style="text-align: left;">Power</h3><div><br /></div>For now, I am keeping the repeater in the shack, so a second power supply is not needed. My Yaesu FP-1030A has more than enough capacity to run the repeater while also running my FT-991A, FTM-7250, and a few other accessories. If and when the time comes to move it out, I have a 23 amp power supply with an attached RIGrunner 4004U ready to go. This will not only power the two radios, but the RPi controller as well with it's two USB 5 volt ports. Handy dandy cotton candy!<br />Raspberry Pi Cooling<br /><br />The Raspberry Pi 3B+ and ZUM Radio GPIO hat setup I originally made was satisfactory, but a passive cooling setup would be better. To fix this, I put the RPi in an aluminum heat sink case, added a programmable Argon One Artik fan hat on an extended GPIO, and placed the ZUM Radio board on top of that. I placed the Pi setup on it's side (GPIO edge down) to allow better natural airflow up the warm faces. <br /><br />My three other Raspberry Pi 4B's require cooling so each have an Argon One fan, but in this 3B+ application it really isn't necessary, though it's a nice feature to have if things do get too warm. I programmed the fan to turn on at 42 degrees C at 10% speed. With this, the fan rarely activates, and then only briefly. The higher quality fan, reduced run time, and modified speed should greatly extend the life if this setup. After watching this setup for some time, I found the Pi temperature stays around 39 C with only passive cooling.<br /><br />Here, the MMDVM repeater RPi is on the left of my shack's four-Pi setup. All computers are on a LAN switch to help reduce RF exposure in the shack.</div><div><br /><a href="https://www.blogger.com/#"><img border="0" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-HvDuhjFGZEU/XzfP7PiLR_I/AAAAAAAA0Qo/W0Xlr3fhPKoc72i4sCVihPBtsa1_sn8_QCPcBGAYYCw/s640/IMG_20200812_113128897.jpg" /></a><br /><br /><h3 style="text-align: left;">Wiring Harness</h3><div><br /></div>One thing I don't like is having a harness that's too long or too short for whatever the project is, especially in the shack where extra wires can turn into interference-producing antennas. For this reason, I modified the harness and made two ends using two standard RJ45 jacks. The DIN cables were shortened to 16 inches and combined into a single RJ45. The repeater board connection was also joined to a single RJ45 jack. The two components now connect together with a standard computer network cable of whatever length is needed for the components' location. Perfect!</div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://www.blogger.com/#"><img border="0" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-JRHfGBfYiBA/XzfOG4lTOpI/AAAAAAAA0QI/BMIdcungTI4u8kn5_C44peYYI9uagn9vgCLcBGAsYHQ/w640-h360/IMG_20200814_151859172.jpg" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div><h3 style="text-align: left;">Antennas</h3><div><br /></div>The biggest change of plans may forgo the use of a duplexer and single antenna setup. Instead, I may go with a less expensive collinear setup using two Diamond X50 antennas mounted on separate tower standoff arms. I've been running a similar setup at 5 watts for a short time and found it works quite well. So far, I have one LMR400-fed antenna up and working on the tower arm.</div><div><br /><a href="https://www.blogger.com/#"><img border="0" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-1gNglDTs2ag/Xz2QnSqXtnI/AAAAAAAA0Uw/LERnIFN8lMINgCgSS46Z4lRCaCOqeSKoACPcBGAYYCw/w474-h640/IMG_20200819_113835772.jpg" /></a><br /><br />Considering my location in a tall forested lakefront area widely known as a difficult corridor for RF, and having a tower only 55 feet tall, there is no point in spending a lot of money on any setup here. Besides, this is for experimentation and just having fun with RF. That's a big part of what this is all about, right?<br /></div><div><br /></div><div><h3 style="text-align: left;">Nextion Screen</h3><div><br /></div><a href="https://www.blogger.com/#"><img border="0" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-qMzXrCrIprM/XzkmATaSAbI/AAAAAAAA0Rg/H9RB41gHc3QYTr5D6HNkEx-kMzaG2kc8ACPcBGAYYCw/s0/IMG_20200815_082659763.jpg" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>Having all this figured out left me with a little unused creativity, so I redesigned my Nextion screen appearance and layout. Thanks to WA6HXG for the original Nextion 3.2 HMI file, I just moved a few things around, changed the fonts and background images, and called it a day. The colors in this photo are off, but you get the idea. Still on the to-do list are: (1) purchase and install the X50 antennas, and (2) receive frequency allocation from Wisconsin Association of Repeaters.</div><div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://radiok9kms.blogspot.com/2019/09/zum-repeater.html">Repeater Build Part 1</a> - <a href="https://radiok9kms.blogspot.com/2020/08/ft-7900-zum-radio-duplex-repeater.html">Repeater Build Part 2</a> - <a href="https://radiok9kms.blogspot.com/2020/09/ft-7900r-zum-repeater-build-part-3.html">Repeater Build Part 3</a></div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div></div>Kenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13390076110974506966noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8953236105195872168.post-75254709055055640122020-07-07T15:40:00.013-05:002020-09-30T16:30:10.798-05:00Updated Shack - Episode II<div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://radiok9kms.blogspot.com/2020/05/updated-shack.html">Episode I</a> - <a href="https://radiok9kms.blogspot.com/2020/07/updated-shack-episode-ii.html">Episode II</a></div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-cVSDI8NJYFE/XwTjlZ9ux5I/AAAAAAAAz-4/Qm1eEmCwJFkQNIqCViPJMMsXotFyiAsoACPcBGAYYCw/s800/20200707_155501.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="469" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-cVSDI8NJYFE/XwTjlZ9ux5I/AAAAAAAAz-4/Qm1eEmCwJFkQNIqCViPJMMsXotFyiAsoACPcBGAYYCw/w625-h469/20200707_155501.jpg" width="625" /></a></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div><div>I thought I was done making changes and additions to the shack, but I guess not. Just as summer arrives, so too, some new things have arrived at the shack.</div><div><br /></div><div>The first addition to the shack is a Heil PR781 mic mounted on a PL2T boom, with a Pro 7 PTT hand button. The CC-1-YM wire harness connects everything to my Yaesu FT-991A. Using the equalizer settings suggested by Bob Heil, the audio reports are very favorable to this setup. Thanks Bob!</div><div><br /></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Yy5jLTrwoSA/XwTYtbp-LVI/AAAAAAAAz98/QR5f2w9tojEyIg19SM8H8a97FoZjghL3gCK4BGAsYHg/s907/IMG_20200611_180005825_HDR.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="907" data-original-width="800" height="625" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Yy5jLTrwoSA/XwTYtbp-LVI/AAAAAAAAz98/QR5f2w9tojEyIg19SM8H8a97FoZjghL3gCK4BGAsYHg/w551-h625/IMG_20200611_180005825_HDR.jpg" width="551" /></a></div><div><br /></div>The second addition is KF7P combo antenna tower standoff arm which now suspends the center of my trusty old Barker & Williamson BWD-90 folded dipole antenna in a flat-top configuration at 40 feet. The antenna's heading is 140-320 degrees. So far, signal reports have been very good, but no DX attempts as of yet. Field Day, 13 Colonies and other special events, and POTA stations have been my focus for most of June. The 10 meter openings afforded fantastic QSO's all over the USA. A review of my log should help map out what the antenna is doing in it's current configuration and location.</div><div><br /></div><div>The third addition is an MFJ-4712RC remote antenna switch between the BWD-90 folded dipole and the GAP Titan DX. It is interesting switching back and forth between each antenna and hearing their different characteristics. The folded dipole is far quieter and much better at pulling out even the quietest of signals. Love that Barker and Williamson BWD-90!</div></div><div><br /></div><div>The Raspberry Pi computers also got an update. The 8G and 4G RPi's now sport an Argon Artik fan hat on top of a Geekworm heat sink armor case. Talk about nice! The fan hats are programmable for temperature and fan speed settings in custom configurations. I set mine to run 10% at 43 C, 25% at 47 C, 50% at 50, 75% at 53 C, and 100% at 56 C. With the huge Geekworm heat sink, the fan hat runs maybe every five minutes for a short time, even with the RTL-SDR dongle running the CPU with a constant 20-30% load. And with temps never getting above 43 C and the large fan running at only 10% every time it turns on, they are extremely quiet. No more worrying about heat on a Raspberry Pi 4!</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-kamU5q6e_m8/XwTkJa8kJxI/AAAAAAAAz_E/AtQEqN7q2jshHe0NJ9CSa6yksLr6RleGACK4BGAsYHg/s800/IMG_20200627_063222221.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="450" data-original-width="800" height="351" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-kamU5q6e_m8/XwTkJa8kJxI/AAAAAAAAz_E/AtQEqN7q2jshHe0NJ9CSa6yksLr6RleGACK4BGAsYHg/w625-h351/IMG_20200627_063222221.jpg" width="625" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>The latest addition is the software package <b>Barrier</b> from the Raspberry Pi OS repositories. Super simple to set up and run, this package allows me to run my two (or more) desktop Raspberry Pi computers from one keyboard and mouse setup. Simply slide the mouse cursor to the edge of the screen, and it seamlessly goes to the other computer and screen. My small desk space just got a lot bigger with only one keyboard and mouse on it! Amazing! Open a terminal and run <font color="#f57c00" face="courier" size="2" style="background-color: #eeeeee;"><b>sudo apt install barrier</b></font> on each computer. Select one as a server and the rest as terminals. Details <a href="https://www.raspberrypi.org/blog/share-your-keyboard-and-mouse-between-computers-with-barrier/" target="_blank">here</a>.</div><div><br /></div><div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://radiok9kms.blogspot.com/2020/05/updated-shack.html" style="font-weight: 400;">Episode I</a><span style="font-weight: 400;"> - </span><a href="https://radiok9kms.blogspot.com/2020/07/updated-shack-episode-ii.html" style="font-weight: 400;">Episode II</a></div></div><div><br /></div>Kenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13390076110974506966noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8953236105195872168.post-33226601691765020092020-05-10T12:37:00.011-05:002020-10-08T19:37:24.899-05:00Updated Shack - Episode I<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://radiok9kms.blogspot.com/2020/05/updated-shack.html">Episode I</a> - <a href="https://radiok9kms.blogspot.com/2020/07/updated-shack-episode-ii.html">Episode II</a> </div> <br /> <a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-e0AO8KXLJb0/XriSsmU0CqI/AAAAAAAAzrw/y9hOtYqS3f8iEeabHPHcRCBVdCPE16tfwCPcBGAYYCw/s640/20200510_183844A.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="640" height="469" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-e0AO8KXLJb0/XriSsmU0CqI/AAAAAAAAzrw/y9hOtYqS3f8iEeabHPHcRCBVdCPE16tfwCPcBGAYYCw/w625-h469/20200510_183844A.jpg" width="625" /></a><br /> <br /> The planet earth has seasons, and that's a good thing because who can take twelve months of winter? I go through seasons too, probably just like you. Sometimes I get kind of bored with things and just need a change. Other times, after using something for a while, I get to a certain level of frustration that I ask myself, "Why do I put up with this?". Then the creative juices begin to flow and my tiny Shack gets an update!<br /> <br /> I decided to take my credenza and add a small shelf to the front to hold a keyboard or two. Then I added a small back-angled shelf on top to hold the radios and allow small storage under the radios. Lastly, I added a back panel to mount two monitors, an antenna selector switch (behind the right monitor), and a RigRunner 4007U (below the monitors). The HP VH240a HDMI monitors with built-in speakers are mounted with Mount-It! MI-2829 tilt-swivel brackets. Two large pass-through holes at the base of the back panel put all wiring behind the credenza for a nice, clean install. A small shelf up top is home for the HTs, the ZUMspot and some other small things. <br /> <br /> The shack is now run entirely on a Raspberry Pi 4B 4GB with the latest Raspberry Pi OS. The Debian Ham radio bundle which includes CQRLOG, JS8Call, WSJT-X, FreeDV, and a few other helpful programs, drive my USB connected Yaesu FT-991A. A Rowetel SM1000 sits to the right of the FT-991A. Also pictured is a Yaesu FTM-7250DR, and my old FT-7800R which will be trading places with my less-old FT-7900R, now used for local repeaters and simplex in my workshop. <br /> <br /> Right now, I am quite content with this setup. But yes, I still have to get the old Barker & Williamson BWD-90 folded dipole up for HF. I like the GAP Titan DX, but verticals are so noisy compared to the folded dipole. And then I should probably do this, and maybe do that, or maybe just... be content! <br /> <br /> So now I can enjoy Ham radio again at my tiny new shack. And then the next season will come. Change can be good, and God is always good!<div><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://radiok9kms.blogspot.com/2020/05/updated-shack.html">Episode I</a> - <a href="https://radiok9kms.blogspot.com/2020/07/updated-shack-episode-ii.html">Episode II</a></div><div><br /></div>Kenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13390076110974506966noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8953236105195872168.post-41875667228646754472019-10-14T08:30:00.012-05:002020-11-19T17:34:35.307-06:00FT-7900R ZUM Repeater Build - Part 1<div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://radiok9kms.blogspot.com/2019/09/zum-repeater.html">Repeater Build Part 1</a> - <a href="https://radiok9kms.blogspot.com/2020/08/ft-7900-zum-radio-duplex-repeater.html">Repeater Build Part 2</a> - <a href="https://radiok9kms.blogspot.com/2020/09/ft-7900r-zum-repeater-build-part-3.html">Repeater Build Part 3</a></div><br /><a href="https://www.blogger.com/#"><img border="0" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-kt8XroOxU4k/XYE-1v52iFI/AAAAAAAAy_M/wtNeNvArGnsu4q4Eg5ZYKs_8TrlHRzifQCLcBGAsYHQ/s640/IMG_20190917_145907149.jpg" /></a> <div>Here is a project involving a ZUM Radio duplex MMDVM and a Raspberry Pi 3 B+ combined with my trusty old Yaesu FT-7900 and FT-7800 radios, and a couple of mini-DIN cables. Together, a trial version of small digital all-mode repeater capable of full duplex D*Star, DMR, NXDN, P25, POCSAG, and Yaesu System Fusion should be the result. If this works out as expected, I will likely be seeking out an old GE Master II, or any other robust analog repeater, to handle whatever mode is selected.</div><div> <br /><h3 style="text-align: left;">Pins and Colors</h3><br /> So it's been a little while, and I finally figured it all out. Part of the problem I found was the Yaesu CT-39A mini-DIN wire color was incorrect for the pin location. So lets forget about colors and talk straight up pin number to pin number. Conduct a simple ohms test on your mini-DIN cable pins to determine what color goes to what pin (my Electronics-101 oversight...)<br /> <br /> As stated on page 10 of the Yaesu FT-7900R user manual, the pins are identified by both number and function. Using this, combined with the pin information from the ZUM Radio, I found the following connections to work properly using one FT-7900R as a simplex digital mode repeater.<br /> <br /><a href="https://www.blogger.com/#"><img border="0" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-P7rag_ycgrk/XanTvnL6tOI/AAAAAAAAzHk/ptaVQmp2HSMRON32N4EqWYbfo2EXlYfoACLcBGAsYHQ/s640/ZUM%2Brepeater%2Bpinout.png" /></a> <br /><br /></div><div>Note: Two wires on the CT-39A mini-DIN are not used: Yellow (RX1200), and second Black (shield ground). <br /><br /> The pins - looking at the back of the FT-7900R - are identified in the following locations. The locator tab will be at the bottom center.<br /> <br /> <a href="https://www.blogger.com/#"><img border="0" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-X_gci8U_QGM/XZp4TgGSUwI/AAAAAAAAzDE/fRG9rEJ8U8ABKHf8a8DKD0CJsK3SJesBACLcBGAsYHQ/s320/FT-7900%2Bminidin.png" /></a> </div><div><br /></div><div>Pin 1: top left - PKD (DATA IN)<br /> Pin 2: top right - GND<br /> Pin 3: middle left - PTT<br /> Pin 4: middle right - RX9600<br /> Pin 5: bottom left - RX1200<br /> Pin 6: bottom right - PKS (SQL)<br /> <br /> <br /> Keep in mind, this will transmit when anyone keys up on the WIRES-X, YSF, or FSC rooms you are connected to. Be sure to keep the power as low as possible for your needs, and share the air.<br /> <br /> Now to get a repeater frequency allocation from the Wisconsin Association of Repeaters and get this working as a duplex repeater!<br /><br /><h3 style="text-align: left;">Pi Cooler</h3><br /> The Raspberry Pi ZUM repeater board gets a new case and a custom fan install to keep things nice and cool. This is a HiFiBerry box, which is tall enough to have a GPIO hat and a fan inside. I cut a 1.125" in the top and mounted a Pi fan inside, blowing directly down on the ZUM Radio hat and Raspberry Pi. Temps stay under 40 degrees C.<br /><br /> <a href="https://www.blogger.com/#"><img border="0" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-GdShnGJUuTc/XaHLCbc6N8I/AAAAAAAAzEs/FuchPrCRp0kAF_qG2ay3wsTDp9hE7ll8gCLcBGAsYHQ/s640/IMG_20191005_145333703.jpg" /></a> <br /> <br /><h3 style="text-align: left;">Repeater Case</h3><br /> There it was, down in the basement. A lonely old Windows computer that has seen it's better days. Perfect! I gutted all the hardware out, saved everything that was still good, and prepared the case to be converted into my new ZUM repeater box.<br /> <br /> <a href="https://www.blogger.com/#"><img border="0" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-KUcIqM0d2Rk/XaHNwv2mBxI/AAAAAAAAzFE/lIvKUmyv5hoQbDuDqg4iB8cvg4YFTfsVQCLcBGAsYHQ/s640/IMG_20191009_090109351.jpg" /></a> <br /><br /></div><div> I was able to rewire the existing power supply to reduce the number of wires clumped together for the previous occupant of this case. Now I have 17 amps of 12 volts, 18 amps of 5 volts, and 11 amps of 3.3 volts available, all regulated and fan-cooled. This works out perfect for all my needs.<br /> <br /> Getting everything positioned in the case is pretty easy, so long as the fans have coordinated air movement over the radios and through the case.<br /> <br /> <a href="https://www.blogger.com/#"><img border="0" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-6D4j0hyCp-g/XaHM2_eOKwI/AAAAAAAAzE4/8oi2uurh04oiy5QHdKr0Fm7sdsGxGCgCQCLcBGAsYHQ/s640/IMG_20191010_202250359.jpg" /></a> <br /><br /></div><div> I'll need to fabricate a new front face plate to incorporate the two radio faces, a Nextion touch screen, the voltage and temp monitor, and the power switches. The Raspberry can be controlled via SSH, but a re-program of the Nextion screen can provide the shutdown capabilities I am looking for. It should work well and look pretty nice when it's all done.<br /> <br /> <a href="https://www.blogger.com/#"><img border="0" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-U49ZJuRAvZE/XaHRTek-vgI/AAAAAAAAzFQ/frWGcTWQSsEqmrIGaaW8bjoicZyRTEPnACLcBGAsYHQ/s640/IMG_20191010_202234864.jpg" /></a> <br /> <br /><h3 style="text-align: left;">Propagation Estimation</h3><br /> I found a tool online to help estimate propagation from the repeater's site at <a href="https://www.blogger.com/#">Radio Mobile Online</a>. The parameters I used for the estimate are a 6 db vertical antenna at 55 feet on 146 MHz. This, of course, only gives a general idea of coverage. The actual specs will be used as soon as I get the frequency allocation from the <a href="https://www.blogger.com/#">Wisconsin Association of Repeaters</a>.<br /> <br /> This map is at 5 watts output. Since the goal is to serve the surrounding communities, I would like to keep the repeater at 5 watts to prolong the life of the FT-7900R driving the repeater, but a real-world test today around the area had the 5 watts barely making 5 miles; at 6 miles there was almost no squelch break on the Yaesu FTM-400XDR in the car. I was always told to expect one mile per watt on the ground, so I'm not really surprised. My Diamond X300 antenna, at 55 feet, is basically on the ground, here in the woods.<br /> <br /> <a href="https://www.blogger.com/#"><img border="0" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-lY-9vVSyPKE/XaR2HJpDwsI/AAAAAAAAzGc/ubxFtAmO8rQLXHAuFhgZbf1cgYTD4akKQCEwYBhgL/s640/K9KMS-R1%2Bat%2B5%2Bwatts.png" /></a> <br /> <br /> For comparison, I can hit the WE9COM repeater in Plymouth from my QTH using my FT-70D and FT-2D on 5 watts. The RFinder app lists this repeater as 14.1 miles from my QTH. This is 2.82 miles per watt. Here is an example of antenna height making all the difference.<br /> <br /> Below is a map I made with a 5 mile, 10 mile, and 15 mile radius. If one watt per mile on the ground holds true, this map should be better aligned with real-world expectations and performance.<br /> <br /> <a href="https://www.blogger.com/#"><img border="0" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-dno_MPu3Anw/XaUW74kCe0I/AAAAAAAAzG0/p3Dqj_ozYSQ_FwRXRUzwlXARBOVd_xZKQCLcBGAsYHQ/s640/K9KMS-R1%2Breal%2Bworld%2B5-10-15%2Bmiles.png" /></a> <br /><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://radiok9kms.blogspot.com/2019/09/zum-repeater.html">Repeater Build Part 1</a> - <a href="https://radiok9kms.blogspot.com/2020/08/ft-7900-zum-radio-duplex-repeater.html">Repeater Build Part 2</a> - <a href="https://radiok9kms.blogspot.com/2020/09/ft-7900r-zum-repeater-build-part-3.html">Repeater Build Part 3</a></div><br /><br /></div>Kenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13390076110974506966noreply@blogger.com0Oostburg, WI 53070, USA43.622774799999988 -87.79453230000001443.599787299999988 -87.834872800000014 43.645762299999987 -87.754191800000015tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8953236105195872168.post-585222902006703662019-10-13T08:07:00.001-05:002020-09-30T14:05:33.992-05:00Memory LaneYesterday, I was searching the internet for electronics kits when I discovered Heathkit is in business again, not like they used to be, but there they are. Wow, the memories that brought back. My first shortwave receiver, listening to the radio with my dad when I was only in the single digits. Then I was trying to recall the model of the radios we had. Well, here they are.<br />
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When I was just a little guy, dad had this big gray radio with pull-out drawers in front, a big silver tuning dial, and a big matching speaker. Ends up that radio was a National HRO-60. This is exactly like I remember. The box-jointed wooden crate, the four A, B, C, and D tuning coils. The awesome silver dial that brought the world to my ears, and my imagination. That dimly lit meter glowing with the hope of hearing yet another new friend somewhere out there in this vast world of radio!<br />
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I remember tuning the big dial, swapping the tuning coils out, and staring at that big speaker listening to the whole world pass by right in front of me. And somehow, this was all made possible by a thin strand of wire strung out the window to a tree in the yard. Wow. The glorious triumph of those warm, glowing tubes eagerly seeking out the tiniest of signals! I wonder where that radio is now...<br />
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When I hit the double digits, dad bought me a radio of my own. For many years, I lost interest in radio out of frustration of not knowing Morse code. I understood it, but just couldn't seem to develop the ear for it, especially mid-message. My radio was the Heathkit GC-1A Mohican, just like this one. This radio sat in my room all the way through high school. Every once in a while I would spin the dials, but somehow never regained interest in it.<br />
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In the mid 1970's, the big thing was CB radio. In 7th grade, I had a Realistic CB radio, a crystal police scanner, and later, a Midland CB radio. My next door neighbor Billy and I would talk back and forth on the CB all the time and listen to the incredible "skip" at night, hearing guys seemingly from all over the country. Ah, the good old days. How time flies...<br />
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<br />Kenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13390076110974506966noreply@blogger.com0