- Built-it-yourself precision GPS instrument (1cm accuracy). [Patrick VE3WST 2009-12-09]
- Shows what stations are spotted on the air.
- Lists all ham contests each week
- A spotting network for testing your signal (cw)
- A ham search engine
- Propagation prediction software.
- CWGET Program for learning Morse code
- CWTYPE Program for learning Morse code
- 45 minute documentary on laying transatlantic cables
- Video about ham radio and the lead up to the Internet. I've found a nasty link on this web site by the way, and have complained to the owner.
- Hints about putting wires in trees
- All things 160 metres
- Antennas on a chip. Just the ticket for the Internet of Things [Steve VA3SRV]
- Repeater Database [Geoff VA3GS]
- Good site for those interested in DXing [Geoff VA3GS]
- Yet another antenna site [Geoff VA3GS]
- QRP [Geoff VA3GS]
- Analogue & Digital Radio Information & Courses [Don VE3IXJ]
- IEEE Article on the exploration of Pluto [Don VE3IXJ]
Showing posts with label CW. Show all posts
Showing posts with label CW. Show all posts
Sunday, 20 March 2016
Compendium of old links
My hobby: Reading old editions of the Splatter... However, I started this post some time ago intending to republish old links that are still interesting and that still work but couldn't find a whole lot (not that I have a complete collection of Splatters). So instead I'm publishing a lot of more recent links sent out on the Yahoo reflector. Apologies to those I neglected to credit.
Friday, 27 February 2015
Notes from the Shack - February 2015
The K1N Navassa DXpedition is now history. Several club members reported making contact with them, which considering the pileups and QRM, was an accomplishment. I had a pretty hard time myself as my antenna decided to succumb to the winter weather. It's still upright but the VSWR went through the roof.
I made a recording of my first contact of a total of three was on RTTY (the others were CW) because I thought it was interesting.
VE3NRT VE3NRT
1!
0NJT N59PCNCT KON VE"FRTP "&9&;3NRGCVAK
K1N 599 VE3NRT
VE3NRT TU K1N DN
Short and sweet. Based on VE"FRTP containing 4 letters of my call and "&9&;3NRGCVAK containing 3, I decided he was replying to me and acknowledged with a slightly exaggerated 599. His response actually was perfectly readable, as were most of his transmissions, but likely he was hit by QRM (probably "UP UP UP") when he came back to me.
A lot my RTTY DX is like that. You just have to read between the lines. From a technical standpoint, running multiple decoders is useful. The two most popular in the contesting world are MMTTY and 2Tone. Those, unlike DM780 (part of Ham Radio Deluxe), don't come with a waterfall but are more suited to working with narrow filters that make it easier to decode weak signals in the presence of strong stations nearby. Having two different decoders provides a second opinion on the contents of the message giving you a better chance of decoding it correctly. Operation with multiple decoders is supported by both the DXlab suite and the N1MM contest logger.
73,
Chris
I made a recording of my first contact of a total of three was on RTTY (the others were CW) because I thought it was interesting.
VE3NRT VE3NRT
1!
0NJT N59PCNCT KON VE"FRTP "&9&;3NRGCVAK
K1N 599 VE3NRT
VE3NRT TU K1N DN
Short and sweet. Based on VE"FRTP containing 4 letters of my call and "&9&;3NRGCVAK containing 3, I decided he was replying to me and acknowledged with a slightly exaggerated 599. His response actually was perfectly readable, as were most of his transmissions, but likely he was hit by QRM (probably "UP UP UP") when he came back to me.
A lot my RTTY DX is like that. You just have to read between the lines. From a technical standpoint, running multiple decoders is useful. The two most popular in the contesting world are MMTTY and 2Tone. Those, unlike DM780 (part of Ham Radio Deluxe), don't come with a waterfall but are more suited to working with narrow filters that make it easier to decode weak signals in the presence of strong stations nearby. Having two different decoders provides a second opinion on the contents of the message giving you a better chance of decoding it correctly. Operation with multiple decoders is supported by both the DXlab suite and the N1MM contest logger.
73,
Chris
Thursday, 1 January 2015
A Rare QSL Card
At least for me it was. It was a beautiful card from Tchad depicting a man leading a camel through the desert at sunset. without a cloud in sky. The card came recently from TT8/US3EZ and was for a CW QSO on 20m on July 17, 2013. I was pleased to receive it, but had no memory of having a contact with Tchad - although as it was 18 months old that's not so surprising.
So today I sat down to answer the most recent batch of cards and it was the last one in the pile. When I got to it I searched my log for the contact only to find it wasn't there. In fact, I had zero contacts in July 2013 because I hadn't got the antenna back up after Field Day (you might remember I was the recipient of the coffee pot award in 2013 for my antenna troubles). What's more is my calendar shows that I was at work at the time.
It's too bad. It can't be a logging error at my end so Sergey must have heard someone else's call sign. Maybe it was VE3NR who gets one of mine from time to time, or maybe one of the 3-letter calls in the NR group who got their licences about the same time as mine. It seems a shame to throw away such a nice card, especially for a country I don't have yet, but that's the way it goes. It's a shame that some other Canadian ham won't get their card.
So today I sat down to answer the most recent batch of cards and it was the last one in the pile. When I got to it I searched my log for the contact only to find it wasn't there. In fact, I had zero contacts in July 2013 because I hadn't got the antenna back up after Field Day (you might remember I was the recipient of the coffee pot award in 2013 for my antenna troubles). What's more is my calendar shows that I was at work at the time.
It's too bad. It can't be a logging error at my end so Sergey must have heard someone else's call sign. Maybe it was VE3NR who gets one of mine from time to time, or maybe one of the 3-letter calls in the NR group who got their licences about the same time as mine. It seems a shame to throw away such a nice card, especially for a country I don't have yet, but that's the way it goes. It's a shame that some other Canadian ham won't get their card.
Thursday, 6 February 2014
Notes from the Shack - February 2014
I was going to write about some complex logging software topics this month, which I'm sure everyone was looking forward to, but the arrival of a little device based on an Realtek RTL2832u chip changed my mind. I purchased the device from NooElec in the US for $17.95, plus $4 shipping (although I will confess to buying a bunch of accessories as well, more on that in another post), and it arrived at my office less than two weeks later. I have since seen similar units for less than $15 with free shipping to Canada. It looks like a large USB memory stick but has an antenna port on the side and comes with a small vertical antenna and a remote control.
The chip was designed for consumer use in Asia for receiving digital TV broadcasts on a computer supporting both demodulation and the USB interface. It is useless for that application in North America as we use different standards, but the same device works great as a simple Software Defined Radio receiver for approximately 25-1750 MHz.
Setup had a few tricks. I found the information I needed on the web which included using a non-standard USB device driver. The trick for that is to disconnect the computer from the Internet during installation so that the standard driver isn't automatically installed. If the standard driver is installed accidentally then it can be removed using the Windows control panel.
Just before I left work on January 29th, I downloaded everything I needed and on the train ride home everything was installed and working, including my long time favourite SDR program, HDSDR. On the way home I tuned in some mobile radio (couldn't tell who it was) and Pearson approach control. The next morning I was listening to local FM stations (the FM bandwidth is variable from 192KHz to 0), VE3YRC repeater and 2m, a local 6m repeater, and the Toronto Island Airport control tower. Not bad from the aisle seat of the GO train using a 4" long antenna and my shoulder as a ground plane.
If your transceiver has an IF output and upconverts to a high frequency IF (i.e. more than 25MHz) you can use the device plus software as a low cost panadapter. If, like mine, your transceiver has a lower IF frequency then there are inexpensive upconverting devices based on an open source hardware design available that will bring the IF frequency into an appropriate frequency range, as well as designs available for DIY on the web. The Ham-It-Up and the like can of course also serve as a standalone MF/HF receiver.
HDSDR went into a bit of frenzy when I accidentally tuned it out of the range of the RTL2832u (0 Hz, actually). I sent a report to the program's author, Mario, in Germany and within an hour or two he replied suggesting I install a different DLL to control the local oscillator frequency which fixed the problem. Other than that, there are no serious problems with the program or the device.
Steve VA3SRV has also been using something similar with the SDR# program. I noticed on the NooElec web site that a download package for SDR# and all the required drivers is available as a single ZIP file, which should make installation even easier.
From Steve's experience and observations of my own I wonder how many images I'm seeing. For $17.95 you're not getting a professional grade communications receiver and poor image rejection is a known "feature" of the device. A broadcast FM station was showing up quite strongly in the 10 metre band, for instance, and I see all kinds of signals in the 2m metre band, although those might explain why I see frequent desensing on my HF rig as they are very strong. In fact, this gadget may help me get to the bottom of the various RFI problems I see on HF.
This screen shot shows CHFI coming in a bit weakly.
HDSDR will display between 100Khz and 3MHz of spectrum centered around the frequency you choose. The entire 10m band can be viewed at once, for instance, or most of the 6 or 2 metre bands. It handles AM (including single sideband phase-locked to the AM carrier), FM, SSB and CW demodulation. With a virtual audio cable (or by feeding the demodulated audio output into another computer) it will drive all the various digital mode programs around, like MMTTY, FLDIGI, DM780 and FreeDV.
If you're looking for a way to tune in the 6 metre net, this little device will do just fine, attached to a suitable antenna for your QTH. It will also work with the 1.25m, 70cm, 33cm and 23cm bands, plus a whole lot more. If you want an way to try out SDR software without having to make a big investment it is also for you. Pretty good value for the cost of a couple of pints.
73,
Chris VE3NRT
The chip was designed for consumer use in Asia for receiving digital TV broadcasts on a computer supporting both demodulation and the USB interface. It is useless for that application in North America as we use different standards, but the same device works great as a simple Software Defined Radio receiver for approximately 25-1750 MHz.
Setup had a few tricks. I found the information I needed on the web which included using a non-standard USB device driver. The trick for that is to disconnect the computer from the Internet during installation so that the standard driver isn't automatically installed. If the standard driver is installed accidentally then it can be removed using the Windows control panel.
Just before I left work on January 29th, I downloaded everything I needed and on the train ride home everything was installed and working, including my long time favourite SDR program, HDSDR. On the way home I tuned in some mobile radio (couldn't tell who it was) and Pearson approach control. The next morning I was listening to local FM stations (the FM bandwidth is variable from 192KHz to 0), VE3YRC repeater and 2m, a local 6m repeater, and the Toronto Island Airport control tower. Not bad from the aisle seat of the GO train using a 4" long antenna and my shoulder as a ground plane.
If your transceiver has an IF output and upconverts to a high frequency IF (i.e. more than 25MHz) you can use the device plus software as a low cost panadapter. If, like mine, your transceiver has a lower IF frequency then there are inexpensive upconverting devices based on an open source hardware design available that will bring the IF frequency into an appropriate frequency range, as well as designs available for DIY on the web. The Ham-It-Up and the like can of course also serve as a standalone MF/HF receiver.
HDSDR went into a bit of frenzy when I accidentally tuned it out of the range of the RTL2832u (0 Hz, actually). I sent a report to the program's author, Mario, in Germany and within an hour or two he replied suggesting I install a different DLL to control the local oscillator frequency which fixed the problem. Other than that, there are no serious problems with the program or the device.
Steve VA3SRV has also been using something similar with the SDR# program. I noticed on the NooElec web site that a download package for SDR# and all the required drivers is available as a single ZIP file, which should make installation even easier.
From Steve's experience and observations of my own I wonder how many images I'm seeing. For $17.95 you're not getting a professional grade communications receiver and poor image rejection is a known "feature" of the device. A broadcast FM station was showing up quite strongly in the 10 metre band, for instance, and I see all kinds of signals in the 2m metre band, although those might explain why I see frequent desensing on my HF rig as they are very strong. In fact, this gadget may help me get to the bottom of the various RFI problems I see on HF.
This screen shot shows CHFI coming in a bit weakly.
HDSDR will display between 100Khz and 3MHz of spectrum centered around the frequency you choose. The entire 10m band can be viewed at once, for instance, or most of the 6 or 2 metre bands. It handles AM (including single sideband phase-locked to the AM carrier), FM, SSB and CW demodulation. With a virtual audio cable (or by feeding the demodulated audio output into another computer) it will drive all the various digital mode programs around, like MMTTY, FLDIGI, DM780 and FreeDV.
If you're looking for a way to tune in the 6 metre net, this little device will do just fine, attached to a suitable antenna for your QTH. It will also work with the 1.25m, 70cm, 33cm and 23cm bands, plus a whole lot more. If you want an way to try out SDR software without having to make a big investment it is also for you. Pretty good value for the cost of a couple of pints.
73,
Chris VE3NRT
Sunday, 26 January 2014
6 Metre Net - January 20th
For this week's net we had Charlie VE3SYK, Bob VE3WY, Brian VE3IBW and Chris VE3NRT. Everyone transmitting could hear everyone else this time. Steve, VE3EZ, also heard Chris but not the others (likely before Charlie checked in). Steve VA3SRV could see us on the SDR waterfall and reported by email that he could hear both the USB conversation and Nick on 50.140 FM. This may be an anomaly in Steve's SDR setup as we wouldn't expect to see an FM signal in that part of the band. It appeared to be a repeater input which makes the frequency even less likely. The strong FM is apparent in the image below, along with a much weaker and thinner looking upper sideband signal on 50.175.
Bob is 39km away from Chris which was the longest path of the night, and there are few obstructions between the two locations. Power at both ends was about 100W. Brian increased power from 10 to 50W which improved his signal, and Charlie complained of a higher noise due to a neighbour's activities. City dwellers would be ecstatic to have noise levels as low as Charlie's, mind you.
Frequencies on each radio varied somewhat although all were within about 200Hz, which is a mere 4 parts per million spread. Everyone reported having to tune above net controller Chris VE3NRT,
Paulo VE3RAO reported hearing voices buried in the noise from Richmond Hill, and Steve VE3EZ heard VE3NRT from Uxbridge. Like Steve, VA3SRV, neither had antennas that would allow them to transmit on 6m.
One topic of the night was to try out the FreeDV software for digital voice communications. As not everyone is going to have that set up we plan to test it on a different schedule sometime soon and perhaps put it in play a bit later. It would also be fun to try JT9 to see if the distances can be improved, and PSK, and RTTY, and perhaps some CW.
Six metres is a challenging band, which is why we're giving this net a try, to experiment and test 6m capabilities at our own stations. All amateurs are welcome to participate.
Bob is 39km away from Chris which was the longest path of the night, and there are few obstructions between the two locations. Power at both ends was about 100W. Brian increased power from 10 to 50W which improved his signal, and Charlie complained of a higher noise due to a neighbour's activities. City dwellers would be ecstatic to have noise levels as low as Charlie's, mind you.
Frequencies on each radio varied somewhat although all were within about 200Hz, which is a mere 4 parts per million spread. Everyone reported having to tune above net controller Chris VE3NRT,
Paulo VE3RAO reported hearing voices buried in the noise from Richmond Hill, and Steve VE3EZ heard VE3NRT from Uxbridge. Like Steve, VA3SRV, neither had antennas that would allow them to transmit on 6m.
One topic of the night was to try out the FreeDV software for digital voice communications. As not everyone is going to have that set up we plan to test it on a different schedule sometime soon and perhaps put it in play a bit later. It would also be fun to try JT9 to see if the distances can be improved, and PSK, and RTTY, and perhaps some CW.
Six metres is a challenging band, which is why we're giving this net a try, to experiment and test 6m capabilities at our own stations. All amateurs are welcome to participate.
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