So many projects time to give a status update.

Ok so I have a bunch of radio projects that I am working on all at the same time. I have a tendency to bounce from one project to another without actually completing them.  This will most likely just be a rambling list of projects and status updates on them.

Antenna - My first project I started was to build myself a dipole antenna. All I have to do is solder the right length of cable for the frequency I want and I've got it going. I've already created a feed point connection. I'm not sure why I haven't just  got this out of the way.

Mesh Net - My second project is a Meshnet for field day. I'm specifically working on it being a portable type of setup. Tripod I have is an old art easel that I think will work perfectly. I just got some LMR400 for it,  db loss on it is going to be about 1 or 2db. However I want to make a bi-quad dish antenna, along with an omni directional.

Car Setup - I need to setup my car and wire all the cables in. I think I've got enough cable and sufficient access to some of the areas like under the seat to wire everything. I want to get some black flexible tube to hide the wires though as I most likely won't be able to run them behind the trim etc.

Backpack - I want to setup a backpack radio for my FT-897D. I just got an alice pack frame and the right kind of straps so everything works well in that regard. The metal part of the back still touches my back a bit however I suspect when I have weight on it I will not have a problem. I'm also looking at batteries to put on the pack, along with a place for a mesh node, an area to hold some logging tools (paper, pen, possibly raspberry pi/toughbook?) and also some pouches to hold on to some of my HTs.  The idea being for emergency use of course.

APRS - I use a program called Yet Another APRS Client as my primary aprs client on linux. It works really well and works well with my GPS unit. If anyone is interested please send me a message to say hello on APRS I'm on as KK4URZ-15.

Most of these I'm hoping to have finished by end of June for field day but we will see how that goes. The other thing on my plate is I'm also taking part in some of our club's events. We're currently teaching a Tech class to the local Civil Air Patrol and I'm going there for some practical experience. Tonight is our monthly club meeting and they will be doing a test session before hand so I will be going to that as I'm looking at becoming a volunteer examiner.

Picked up another set of Baofeng Radio's - Great for a new technician - Baofeng Warranty

I picked up another set of radios for my gear. I purchased my first radio back in June of last year and it is what got me started on my Amateur Radio adventure.

I purchased the UV-5R+ for about $40 on amazon. For the price and what you get it is outstanding little radio. The two new ones I got have the internally upgraded components but the same UV-5R Case. So I'm able to use the same batteries. However, they are the BF-F8

An Important note if you're going to buy these buy them directly from http://www.baofengradio.us or their Amazon store 

 There are a few reasons for this that I found out. They can not/will not honour the warranty service if there is an issue with one. I had a bad battery ship with mine when I bought it from amazon but it was not from their specific store.

Here's a basic run down on the updated version:

This Radio Has Been The First Uv-5R Radio To Get A Full Internal Upgrade. Like The Uv-82 It Has An Expanded Frequency Range And A Stronger Antenna. It Has A Vfo/Mr Button Found On The Uv-5R Series Not Found On The Uv-82 Series. The Bf-8+ Is The Successor To The Uv-5R Series. 2013 Latest Version. This radio can be programmed with or without a PC to also work on private repeater systems. It is a compact, economical HT that includes a special VHF receive band from 65 - 108 MHz which includes the regular FM broadcast band. Dual watch and dual reception is supported. You get up to 128 memories. Other features include: 25KHz/12.5KHz Switchable FM Radio (65.0MHz-108.0MHz) Large LCD Display Li-Ion Frequency Range: 65-108Mhz (FM Receive Only) 136-174Mhz And 400-520Mhz (TX/Rx)Channel Number: 128Channel Spacing: 2.5/6.25/10/12.5/20/25Khzfrequency Stability: +/-2.5Ppmantenna: High Gain Dual Band Antenna Antenna Impedance: 50 Operating Voltage: Dc 7.4Vmode Of Operation: Simple Or Semi-Duplex - See more at: http://baofengradio.us/baofeng-bff8-black.html#sthash.UyKdqcp7.dpuf - See more at: http://baofengradio.us/baofeng-bff8-black-183.html#sthash.awTdOfra.dpuf

And here's the note about the warranty:

We guarantee that your product will be 100% functional or we will issue you an immediate replacement. In addition, the product is covered by a 1 year manufacturer's warranty which will be honored by us through our office in Houston, TX. Our return policy is 30 days. All returns are subject to a 10% restocking fee and buyer pays return shipping. 

The BaofengRadio US warranty is only available to users who purchase directly from BaofengRadio US using our online checkout system. Protect yourself by purchasing only through the links on this page. - See more at: http://baofengradio.us/baofeng-bff8-black-183.html#sthash.awTdOfra.dpuf

So if you order directly from them you're getting warranty replacement, plus free shipping and no tax on items sold through their store.

Hope you found this post helpful.

Mesh Net for Emergency Communications (EmComm)

WB2IFS' Meshnode setup

So I've been looking into meshnet pretty heavily since I discovered it and got my Amateur Radio Operator license. My goal is to be able to set up a mesh network in my county and surrounding area so I've been looking at different software that would work well for file sharing, chat, and various other forms of communication.

There are various types of mesh networks out there but I'm specifically interested in Broadband-Hamnet to be able to set it up locally. With the right equipment I don't think that we would have any major issues in the area I live and getting 54gbps up to 10 miles away in the right conditions. The benefit of the mesh network is that each node can talk to each other node and it can self repair so to speak. The drawback is that it can be rather bandwidth intensive as each node on the network has to know about each other.

My goals are to be able to transfer, voice, video, files, over a mesh network using a raspberry pi(s) as the server on a self sustaining node. Ideally all of this would be decentralized and self replicating but I will have to worry about that at a later date.

Here's a brief run down of the hardware that I'm investigating.

• Linksys WRT54G routers
• Raspberry Pi
• Older Scrapheap cheap PC
• Cantenna
• Omni Directional/Colliner Antennas

Software that I'm investigating.

• GetSimpleCMS - For website to contain basic information on the other services, ability to give out generalized information on events or issues
• Openfire - Openfire is a XMPP/Jabber server software that can allow for voice, video, file transfer and text chat
• OwnCloud - For setting up drag and drop file sharing functionality.

My core goal with these is to make the setup a simplified as possible and hand out the information for my club members to be able to set up their own nodes or software. Making it as simple as possible and step by step which I will be posting here also.

Dirt Simple PSK

So I'm looking at PSK31 as a mode that I might want to start playing around with.

I found a link to this post about a Dirt Simple PSK31 sound card interface cable. However, the link was dead. I'm reposting the article I found on the wayback machine so that it can still be found online easier by other Ham Operators.

Also found a pretty cool website for the various sounds the different modes make. http://www.w1hkj.com/FldigiHelp-3.21/Modes/

Setting up an FT-897D for PSK31

Dirt Simple, Dirt Cheap

Digital Mode Interface

For the FT-817

Can it really be THIS simple?!?  Yes, I built a Digital

Interface for the FT-817 for almost no cost and

almost no effort!  As you can see from the photo,

the entire interface is built on the Xmit/Rcv switch.

I am using this with DigiPan II, but it should work

with virtually any soundcard software for PSK,

and for other digital modes also!



The Windows volume and recording levels are

used to set transmit and waterfall (receive) drive

levels, but a trimmer is also included to adjust the

transmit drive.  A standard Windows Mouse plug

fits the FT-817 data port, I used a cable cut from

an old mouse!   This interface does require you to

manually switch between transmit and receive,

but does not require ANY connection to the PC’s

USB or Serial Port!



Direct any questions to John,  N6HI.qrp@gmail.com