Relearning CW

So, after 20 some odd years as a ham, I figured I should try actually using CW.  Really, the code itch started after using digital modes for so long...  I figured it would be a similiar style QSO but using my brain instead of the computer to decode.  This seemed like it would have the advantage since I can often identify the mode (psk, rtty, etc) but the computer has issues trying to decode.  With CW this wouldn't be an issue since it would be strong enough to understand.  Turns out, code is a whole different beast!

Once upon a time I learned CW at 5wpm then promptly never used it.  Turns out, this would be a bad thing.  While I was able to quickly get back to the 5wpm range, going faster is surprisingly tough.  I've been using the G4FON and Morse Machine on the computer, and IZ2UUF software on my phone.  This allowed me to practice at 20-25wpm character speed.  After a couple months of trying I can usually decode 75-90% of a QSO at 10-13wpm.  Since practicing I've also joined SKCC since they seem to go out of their way to help newbies.  Eventually I'll have to take the leap and find someone to try a QSO with... I honestly think I could do it, I'm just too nervous at the moment.

To encourage me though I decided to supplement my old cheap straight key with the following piece of amazing modern hardware.  Below is my shiny Begali Simplex paddle in palladium with blue finger pieces.  They also sent Red and and the stock black finger pieces for when I want a change.  I have to admit, dealing with Bruna was a pleasure and the craftsmanship on this key is amazing.  And this is their most basic paddle.  The quality is amazing for just a bit more than a basic Bencher costs, I can't imagine how nice the higher end models are.  I've been practicing with this using a Picokeyer Plus keyer I built the other day.  At this point sending at 13wpm is doable, and receiving at 10-13wpm is doable..... it might be about that time to go on the air.

And forgive the coils of cables... my shack has been a bit messy lately as the current setup isn't final.
Click on each pic to see them in their full size glory.

The Twins

We were clearing out the brewing closet today, and while moving stuff to the crawlspace I stumbled over my old twins.  The receiver has a couple scratches on the top from where a speaker used to sit, but they are otherwise in visually pristine condition.  I'll have to check them out and see if they still work, they've been packed up for many years now.  I'd love to have get these two running again!

Building the 4SQRP SS-40 Receiver Kit

So, after over 20 years as a ham, it was finally time to build a radio.  After searching for a kit that looked challenging, but still buildable for a beginner, I settled on the SS-40 superhet receiver from the Four State QRP Group.  This little receiver has about 150 parts including 1 surface mount piece, 2 toroid coils, and 1 transformer to wind.  After placing my order on Sunday, I received it on Wednesday, just in time for a 4 day weekend I had scheduled trying to use the last of my carryover PTO from 2012.  When I pulled it out of its envelope, here is what I saw:

The board seems to be really high quality.  While I don't have much experience (built a couple electronics kit in highschool/college, but that was quite awhile ago), the boards markings were easy to read, and the traces are inside the board so no chance of accidentally lifting a trace.  After taking in the sight of what will eventually be a radio, it was time to start inventorying the parts.  After getting everything checked off I was missing one resistor, luckily I did have a spare in my parts drawer so that wasn't an issue.

The directions did not come with the kit, but were online.  After printing them off it was time to get started.  Everything was pretty straight forward and easy to follow.  The build was done in sections.  Below is a picture after adding the controls, the power supply, and audio amp stages.  It only took 2 of my days off to finish building.  I only ran into a couple issues.  I grabbed one wrong resistor, after realizing my mistake I had to desolder and replace it with the correct one.  After that I checked any resistor I wasn't sure about with a DMM just to be safe.  The other issue was due to my inexperience with coils.  When I put on the transformer I hadn't removed enough enamel from the wires.  It was surprisingly hard to remove that piece and I ended up scorching the board a little bit trying to remove it, but in the end it was fixable.  After that there were no issues building the kit.

Finally, everything was built and it was time to test.  It turned out I didn't have any plugs that would fit the power jack so I ended up using alligator clips to hook it to my power supply.  Once I flipped the switch it came to life with signals everywhere.  It really is extremely low noise and sensitive.  At one point I just had a 3ft coax connected and it was able to receive a couple stations with that.  When hooked up to the s9v it is almost wall to wall signals.  It does cross the digital part of 40m also so I recognize the sound of psk31, and even once heard an olivia signal, though I had to tune back and forth since it was wider than the passband of the filter.

Here is what it sounds like when finished.  Sorry for the bad sound, you can hear the lens moving as it focuses on this camera.  I may try to redo the video when I get a chance.

So there you go.  My first attempt at a kit went extremely well and it was an absolute blast to build and now use.  I now have the bug and have ordered a keyer kit.  Now I'm trying to decide if I should get their matching transmitter or go for a transceiver kit.  Since their transmitter is only $32 I'll probably go that route first and have a whole 40m station for a bit over $100.  After that I'm eyeing either the OHR or the Ten Tec 20m or 15m transceiver kits. 

If you haven't ever built a radio, I highly recommend checking out an inexpensive kit like this one.  Building the kit is fun, its a total rush when you first power it up and hear this radio you built pulling in signals, plus you get a decent piece of gear.

Until next time...  73 de N0QBX sk

SDR - The cheap and fun way!

   So this months QST magazine had an article about using a USB TV tuner dongle as a cheap SDR receiver capable of receiving ~60Mhz - 2.2Ghz (you can buy/build a converter to cover HF).  I picked up this [amazon.com] tuner and followed the instructions in QST including using the automatic configuration script.  It was amazingly easy to setup and worked first try.  In the picture above it is receiving an AM aircraft signal at 133.75mhz.  I did notice the accuracy isn't always perfect, it took me a second to find a local 440mhz repeater since it was a bit off.  Also, I've noticed a couple of times that when I turned it off and come back later the frequency I was listening to had shifted slightly.  But, with how cheap it is I really can't complain.
   There are a few programs out there that work with these devices.  SDR#, above, is probably one of the easiest.  Most programs support AM, NFM, WFM, DSB, SSB, and CW with a few also supporting things like DRM.  It is possible to listen to digital voice like p25 however that takes a lot more work and you need a pretty fast computer to keep up (as I understand it, I haven't figured that part out yet).  I have also tried moving this to my linux laptop.  After fighting with the RTL-SDR driver (the compile scripts refused to find libusb even though it was right where it was looking....) it did eventually install everything including the SDRSharp windows binaries which do run under mono since they are in C#, though I had to grab the source and compile myself as the precompiled binaries would just crash right away.  It turns out a core duo running it under mono just didn't have the power, I would get 1-2 sec of audio followed by a few seconds of silence as it worked on the next bit. 
   One interesting thing a lot of people seem to be doing is monitoring airplanes ADS-B signals up on 1090mhz.  There the planes ID themselves and provide a position which can then be mapped real time on your computer.  It's like having an air traffic control terminal in your home.  That might be next on my list, I got the receiver/decoder working I just need to find some software to try since the popular programs are payware and I'm more just doing it for the neat factor at this point.
   Anyway, until next time..  73 de N0QBX sk