Ham Radio Workbench Podcast

Dr. Jack Mandelman K1VT joins us to talk about being a Ham and living in a neighborhood with an HOA that restricts antenna installations. We will talk about approaches and some equipment that one can use to be active on HF when living with such restrictions. We also touch on the role that transmitting and receiving magnetic loop antennas can play in getting you on the air from within an HOA restricted area.

Our Website - http://www.hamradioworkbench.com/

Follow us on Twitter - https://twitter.com/hamworkbench

Contact us for feedback and ideas - http://hamradioworkbench.com/contact

Connect with us on Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/groups/hamradioworkbench/

Save $100 on the Digilent Analog Discovery 2 Package by using code "HamRadioWorkbench2018" in your cart prior to checkout - https://store.digilentinc.com/ham-radio-workbench-bundle/

Field Radio Podcast Ammo Can Repeater Episode - https://fieldradiopodcast.org/FRP10.php

Changes to FRS and GMRS Regulations - http://www.arrl.org/news/fcc-personal-radio-service-revisions-will-affect-gmrs-frs-cb-other-part-95-devices

Light Saver Max Portable Solar Charger - https://www.powerfilmsolar.com/products/lightsaver/lightsaver-max-portable-solar-charger

QSO Today Interview - https://www.qsotoday.com/podcasts/k1vt

BlueDV AMBE Software - https://www.pa7lim.nl/ambepage/

NWDigital ThumbDV AMBE Dongle - http://nwdigitalradio.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/04/ThumbDV-A.pdf

DVMega DV Stock AMBE Dongle - http://www.dvmega.auria.nl/DVstick.html

AFEDRI SDR - http://www.afedri-sdr.com/

HDSDR SDR Software - http://www.hdsdr.de/

OTARD - https://www.fcc.gov/media/over-air-reception-devices-rule

Tarheel Antenna Mounts - https://www.tarheelantennas.com/mounts

Tarheel Antenna Ground Radial Kit - https://www.tarheelantennas.com/accessories

MFJ-2286 BigStick Telescoping Whip Antenna - http://www.mfjenterprises.com/Product.php?productid=MFJ-2286

MFJ-1886 Receiving Loop - https://www.mfjenterprises.com/Product.php?productid=MFJ-1886

LZ1AQ Receiving Loop Antenna Amplifier - https://active-antenna.eu/

LZ1AQ - http://www.lz1aq.signacor.com/

RCA Antenna Rotor for Loop Receiving Antennas - https://www.amazon.com/AUDIOVOX-Remote-Antenna-Rotator-VH226F/dp/B008468PWC/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1533953076&sr=8-4&keywords=antenna+rotor&dpID=41fgb5C1okL&preST=_SY300_QL70_&dpSrc=srch

RFForb - RemoteHams - http://remotehams.com/

MFJ Window Antenna Feedthrough - http://www.mfjenterprises.com/Categories.php?sub=1&ref=99

Get geared up for field operating and setting up your field workbench with John Jacobs W7DBO from the Field Radio Podcast. In segment 1, John outlines his method for organizing and planning your field radio adventures. In segment 2 we list essential tools, parts, and test gear you need for light weight trail ops and full scale Field Day deployments. We wrap up the show with an introduction to the Powerfilm Lightsaver MAX portable battery and solar panel.

Our Website - http://www.hamradioworkbench.com/

Follow us on Twitter - https://twitter.com/hamworkbench

Contact us for feedback and ideas - http://hamradioworkbench.com/contact

Connect with us on Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/groups/hamradioworkbench/

Save $100 on the Digilent Analog Discovery 2 Package by using code "HamRadioWorkbench2018" in your cart prior to checkout - https://store.digilentinc.com/ham-radio-workbench-bundle/

Segment 1 - Plan your Event

Mission First Gear Second

Identify what you want to accomplish and select gear to match

What is your goal?

• Day trip vs overnighter?
• Hotel vs camping vs backpacking?
• Travel focus or radio focus?

Field Expediency

Doing work in advance selecting gear to maximize time on air versus time setting up / breaking down

Field Tested Gear: Load out in living room, then load out in back yard, then load out in local park, then once gear is tested, attempt the big trip. Field test in your driveway or at the park first.

Personal prep / Safety First:

Personal Emergency Preparations, travel itinerary, weather observations, red flag warnings.

4 Goals:

• Get On The Air
• Stay On The Air
• Be An Effective Communicator
• Have Fun

Gear Must Be:

• Modular
• Tested
• Portable
• Understood

Field Radio Podcast

Comms To Go

Segment 2 - Field Workbench

Light weight radio events – SOTA, travel, casual operating, emergency prep

Have a common simplex frequency

Review the wilderness protocol

Simplex frequencies:

• 146.52 <-- primary
• 446.0
• 223.5
• 52.525
• 1294.5

Times to Monitor

• 07:00 - 07:05
• 10:00 - 10:05
• 13:00 - 13:05
• 16:00 - 16:05

EDC – Every Day Carry bag

• Leatherman / Gerber multi-tool
• Pocket knife
• Multi bit reversible screwdriver
• Flashlight
• Duct tape, electrical tape, gaffer's tape wrapped on a credit card
• 5v USB external battery and cell phone cable
• Radio, antenna, battery pack,
• Lighter
• Survival tin
• Cash
• Micro first aid kit
• Pen / pencil / notepad

Goals

• Minimalist set of gear – small, lightweight
• Easily carry in a backpack
• Fix common problems – fix connections, cut stuff / fix stuff

Tools

• Multi tool – Full size Leatherman or Squirt ES4
• Pocket knife – Swiss army, Victronix, Gerber, etc.

Parts

• Wago wire nuts
• 2' Solid wire
• Gaffers tape – small roll
• Fuses if your radio has fuses

Other stuff

• Head lamp
• Mini volt meter

TOP TAKE-AWAYS

• Practice setting up your gear and see what tools you use.
• Look at your gear and imagine what could break. Figure out what you need to fix it.
• Focus on the weakest items. Cables, connectors, batteries, wires, adapters.

Big radio events – Field Day, Contesting, Public service events

Goals

• If anything breaks you can fix it
• Balance between being well prepared and going light and easy.

Mechanical tools

• Screwdrivers, pliers, wire cutters, socket set, wrenches, hammer, pry bar
• Allen wrenchs, hex drivers, wire strippers, tape measure, box cutter,
• Xacto knife and spare blades, scissors,

TIP: Get a good cheap tool kit at Home Depot – HDX tool set $20.

TIP: Get a bunch of cheap tools at Harbor Freight for the club.

Electronic tools

• Power pole crimping tool
• Coax connector crimping tool with die for N, UHF and BNC connectors
• Lug crimp tool
• Butane soldering iron
• DC AA batt soldering iron
• Jet lighter
• Helping hands or small vice
• Head lamp and LED desk lamp

Consummables

• Electrical tape – Scotch 33
• Rescue tape
• Zip ties
• Shrink wrap
• Solder and solder wick
• Paracord

Parts

• Spare coax connectors
• Coax adapters
• Crimp lugs
• Fuses
• Various resistors, caps,
• Power Pole connectors
• Wago wire nuts
• Audio adapters – ¼ to 3.5mm
• Wire
• Various stranded and solid
• Buss wire (solid)
• Batteries – AA and AAA
• Various screws, nuts washers

Test equipment

• Antenna analyzer
• 12 VDC power monitor with power poles
• VOM – you are not making precise measurements – cheap is OK. You are mostly measuring voltages or resistance.
• TIP: Harbor freight $5 VOM. Get 2.
• Coax jumpers
• Aligator clip jumper wires

General TiPs

• Look at your radios. Assume any cable or connector can and will break.
• Have spares for all breakable components
• Organize your stuff in modules
• Mechanical tools and parts
• Electronic radio tools and parts
• Electronic test equipment

Cases

• DeWalt stackable drawers
• Heavy duty tool bags

PowerFilm Solar Lightsaver MAX

Portable battery and flexible solar panel

Battery: 18000mAh 66 Wh

LiPo batteries are 3.7v so the capacity is 4.8 Ah

Solar panel guess is about 10 watts

Input: USB-C (3A), 12V (2A)

Output: Dual USB-A (2.5A), 12V (5A peak)

Weight: 1.5 lbs Size: Rolled: 13.5" x 2.5" Unrolled: 34.5" x 13.5"

Solar Charge: 6-8 hours full sun

Wall Charge: 3-4 hours (12V) 6-7 hours (USB-C) 8-10 hours (USB)

Battery state indicator is a row of LEDs.

Built in flash light LED on the end

Cables Included:

USB-A to USB-C Cable

12V Input Charging Cable

12V Output Cable

Runs the KX2 fine. No charge controller noise detected on initial trial.

George KJ6VU takes us through a thorough deep dive of the design of the 4-Port Coax Relay Project. We talk about the five major sections of the project - RF circuit switching with relays, control via PIC Microcontroller, the power supply, the user interface, and serial communications. Each section provides a reference design that could be leveraged in other projects.

Pick up the 4-Port Coax Relay Project Partial Kit from our store - https://www.hamradioworkbench.com/store/p6/4-Port_Coax_Relay_Partial_Kit.html

Our Website - http://www.hamradioworkbench.com/

Follow us on Twitter - https://twitter.com/hamworkbench

Contact us for feedback and ideas - http://hamradioworkbench.com/contact

Connect with us on Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/groups/hamradioworkbench/

Save $100 on the Digilent Analog Discovery 2 Package by using code "HamRadioWorkbench2018" in your cart prior to checkout - https://store.digilentinc.com/ham-radio-workbench-bundle/

$130 Ham Radio Notebook? - Microcenter Winbook TW110 - http://www.microcenter.com/product/496689/TW110_116_Laptop_Computer_-_Black

Windows 10 64 bit Drivers for the Microcenter Winbook TW110 are from the Medion Akoya e222x series - https://www.medion.com/gb/service/_lightbox/treiber.php?msn=30023301&prod=MEDION%20AKOYA%20E2228T%20(MD%2061050)%20A-UK

Raspberry Pi B 3/3+ USB Boot Timeout 2 or 5 seconds - https://www.raspberrypi.org/forums/viewtopic.php?t=209416#p1313554

Microcenter Inland MLC SSDs - http://www.microcenter.com/search/search_results.aspx?Ntt=inland+ssd

Stuart KB1HQS Portable Gear Loadout YouTube Video Series - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y3PF-f4-AUo&list=PLP-XG_VNrkF5ra0ptG0DGtbcBp53sUOii

Portable Displays

• 13" 5V/USB FHD Display - https://www.amazon.com/Raspberry-1920X1080-Resolution-Portable-Speakers/dp/B0787RF8YB/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1531780288&sr=8-4&keywords=elecrow+display&dpID=61a49caCo-L&preST=_SY300_QL70_&dpSrc=srch
• 11" 12V FHD Display - https://www.amazon.com/Elecrow-1920X1080-Xbox360-Display-Raspberry/dp/B01NB17E0Z/ref=sr_1_6?ie=UTF8&qid=1531780288&sr=8-6&keywords=elecrow+display&dpID=51wXe7ZlNuL&preST=_SY300_QL70_&dpSrc=srch
• 10" 12V FHD Display - https://www.amazon.com/Elecrow-Raspberry-1920X1080p-Resolution-Speakers/dp/B076GZVCP2/ref=sr_1_7?ie=UTF8&qid=1531780288&sr=8-7&keywords=elecrow+display&dpID=51vX31Yt0SL&preST=_SY300_QL70_&dpSrc=srch
• 11" 5V/USB FHD Display - https://www.ebay.com/itm/11-6Inch-1920x1080-IPS-Portable-Monitor-For-Raspberry-PS3-PS4-XBOX-HDMI-Display/273163427331?hash=item3f99cf1e03%3Ag%3AeGIAAOSw-GBbQvrA&_sacat=0&_nkw=portable+hdmi+display&_from=R40&rt=nc&LH_TitleDesc=0%7C0
• Multiple Options in 10" and 11" 12V Displays - https://www.ebay.com/itm/10-1-11-6-LED-LCD-Monitor-Portable-HDMI-VGA-Display-Screen-For-Raspberry-Pi-PS4/273148282168?var=&hash=item3f98e80538

EEVBlog Debouncing Video - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nj-Q8FQxHhU&t=4s

Swordfish basic - http://www.sfcompiler.co.uk/swordfish/

George and Jeremy spend time talking about their 2018 ARRL Field Day Experiences. They discuss their general setups, what worked, what didn't, and what they would do differently in 2019.

Our Website - http://www.hamradioworkbench.com/

Follow us on Twitter - https://twitter.com/hamworkbench

Contact us for feedback and ideas - http://hamradioworkbench.com/contact

Connect with us on Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/groups/hamradioworkbench/

Save $100 on the Digilent Analog Discovery 2 Package by using code "HamRadioWorkbench2018" in your cart prior to checkout - https://store.digilentinc.com/ham-radio-workbench-bundle/

IKEA Office/Workshop Blog Post

• Bekant Desk - https://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/S19006323/
• Alex Add-On Unit - https://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/20260718/?query=ALEX+Add-on+unit

FD Logging Thought Exercise

• MQTT - https://www.hivemq.com/blog/mqtt-essentials-part-1-introducing-mqtt
• Eclipse Mosquitto - https://mosquitto.org/
• Kubernetes - https://kubernetes.io/
• Kubernetes on Raspbeery Pi - https://blog.sicara.com/build-own-cloud-kubernetes-raspberry-pi-9e5a98741b49
• More Kubernetes on Raspberry Pi - https://www.hanselman.com/blog/HowToBuildAKubernetesClusterWithARMRaspberryPiThenRunNETCoreOnOpenFaas.aspx

QUAD Net DMR/DSTAR Bridge - https://www.openquad.net/

Netgear Nighthawk MR1100 Mobile Hotspot - https://www.netgear.com/landings/nighthawk-mr1100-mobile-router/default.aspx

DVSwitch - https://dvswitch.groups.io/g/main/wiki/DMRlink

DVSwitch GitHub - https://github.com/N4IRS

MTR2000 Repeater Interface Board - https://www.motorolasolutions.com/en_us/products/two-way-radios/mototrbo/discontinued/mtr2000.html#tabproductinfo

Hakko FR300 Desoldering Tool - https://www.amazon.com/Hakko-FR300-05-P-Desoldering-Tool/dp/B00KWM69C4

Full QSK / Semi QSK - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/QSK_operation_(full_break-in)

Array Solutions Bandpass filters - https://www.arraysolutions.com/filters/bpf-hpf

Pignology HamLog - http://pignology.net/hamlog.html

Ohio Valley Experimenters Club KD8LBS - http://ovec.club/

Bay-Net Club - http://www.bay-net.org/

Elecraft AX-1 - https://va2ss.com/2017/10/19/elecraft-ax1-ultraportable-1720-meter-antenna-system/

SGC Tuners - http://www.sgcworld.com/

Minix PCs - https://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss_1?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=minix

#WBOTA

Walmart Parking Lots on the Air - http://wmplota.org/

Jason Chonko from Siglent America is joined by Nick KN6NK to give an in-depth intorudction to spectrum analyzers. We talk about the specs, features, and engineering that make up this handy piece of frequency-domain test equipment. We also explore several common spectrum analyzer uses such as filter and cavity tuning as well as radio purity evaluation.

Our Website - http://www.hamradioworkbench.com/

Follow us on Twitter - https://twitter.com/hamworkbench

Contact us for feedback and ideas - http://hamradioworkbench.com/contact

Connect with us on Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/groups/hamradioworkbench/

Save $100 on the Digilent Analog Discovery 2 Package by using code "HamRadioWorkbench2018" in your cart prior to checkout - https://store.digilentinc.com/ham-radio-workbench-bundle/

Siglent America - https://www.siglentamerica.com/

Siglent SSA3000X Series Spectrum Analyzers - https://www.siglentamerica.com/spectrum-analyzers/

EEVBlog Interview with Eric Qin Founder and CEO of Siglent - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v9M397sUkEA

Spectrum Analyzer Do's and Don'ts - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E6P-R0C9ro0

Sweeping an Antenna for Return Loss - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X50qybdiLuk

LXI Tools https://github.com/lxi-tools/lxi-tools

SSA3021X/SSA3032X reviews:

EEVBlog review https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gkLciTsjGZg teardown https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-8fr_otW0q4

Block diagram in teardown at 27:05 https://youtu.be/-8fr_otW0q4?t=27m5s

The Signal Path http://thesignalpath.com/blogs/2017/09/20/siglent-ssa3032x-9khz-3-2ghz-spectrum-analyzer-tg-review-teardown-experiment/

One final piece of content from the 2018 Hamvention. Every year, the QRP Amateur Radio Club International hosts a QRP conference called Four Days in May that proceeds Hamvention. The event is home to a large collection of amateurs passionate about low power operation and building their own radios. George attended the event on Thursday and was able to capture talks by Hans Summers G0UPL of QRP-Labs fame and Dr. Jack Purdum W8TEE, famous in the BITX40 community. Hans talks about the development of his smash hit new transceiver kit, the QCX and Jack talks to us about homebrewing. Special thanks to QRP ARCI President Preston Douglas WJ2V for allowing us to record these great talks.

If you would like more information about QRP ARCI or are interested in joining, please visit http://www.qrparci.org/

We have launched the all new http://www.HamRadioWorkbench.com/ ! This includes our new Online Store where you can order Ham Radio Workbench projects that are currently in production. You can also find documentation for previous projects, an archive of our podcast episodes, and a new Blog where George and Jeremy will post articles.

Our Website - http://www.hamradioworkbench.com/

Follow us on Twitter - https://twitter.com/hamworkbench

Contact us for feedback and ideas - http://hamradioworkbench.com/contact

Connect with us on Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/groups/hamradioworkbench/

Save $100 on the Digilent Analog Discovery 2 Package by using code "HamRadioWorkbench2018" in your cart prior to checkout - https://store.digilentinc.com/ham-radio-workbench-bundle/

Save 10% on a PowerFilm Solar 30 Watt foldable solar panel with Anderson Powerpole adapter cable - no code needed! https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0763QKSXY

The giveaway for a free 30 Watt PowerFilm Solar Panel may still be active! http://bit.ly/WorkbenchPodcast

Hans Summers G0UPL

• QRP-Labs - https://qrp-labs.com/
• Hans' personal site - http://hanssummers.com/
• Presentation and thoughts from FDIM - http://www.qrp-labs.com/dayton2018.html

Dr. Jack Purdum W8TEE

• Co-author "Arudino Projects for Amateur Radio" - https://www.amazon.com/Arduino-Projects-Amateur-Radio-Purdum-ebook/dp/B00O2A7I5O
• The JackAl board for the uBITX - https://ubitx.net/2018/05/21/jackal-is-here/
• Jack's presentation from FDIM - http://traffic.libsyn.com/workbench/W8TEE-FDIM-2018-Homebrewing-Radio-Gear.odp.pdf

Adafruit ADABox - https://www.adafruit.com/adabox/

ZUMSpot Digital Voice Radio Hotspot - https://www.hamradio.com/detail.cfm?pid=H0-015993

MMDVM Github - https://github.com/g4klx/MMDVM

Pi-Star - https://www.pistar.uk/

Leo Bodnar Mini GPSDO - http://www.leobodnar.com/shop/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=301

Time Nuts - http://www.leapsecond.com/time-nuts.htm

Uputronics Raspberry Pi uBLOX GPS Module - https://v3.airspy.us/product/upu-rpigps/

KF7IJZ's Overview of the new Hytera AR482G - the commercial gradio DMR Radio for Amateurs - https://youtu.be/igEXMLJ0QZY

Precision Frequency References with Dr. Frank M Howell K4FMH - https://www.hamradioworkbench.com/podcast/precision-frequency-references

Airspy R2 with 10MHz frequency Input - https://v3.airspy.us/product/a-airspy/

Airspy Groups.io - https://airspy.groups.io/g/main/topics

FlexRadio 6400 - http://www.flexradio.com/amateur-products/flex-6000-signature-series/flex-6400/

Our Interview coverage from the floor of the 2018 Hamvention hosted by the Dayton Amateur Radio Association.

00:02:29 - QRP Labs - Hans Summers G0UPL

00:26:07 - Siglent America - Jason Chonko

00:37:09 - Hytera America - Matt Lunati N7OEI

00:52:20 - Small Batch Assembly - Bob Coggeshall KW4WQ

01:14:48 - FlexRadio Systems - Mike Walker VA3MW

01:31:04 - Open Research Institute - Michelle Thompson W5NYV

1:37:17 - TAPR - Steve Bible N7HPR

1:45:33 - LOOP Antenna - Sergio I3VHF

1:50:44 - Rigol North America - Steve Huss KC7ZVM

This week George KJ6VU and Jeremy KF7IJZ are together in Xenia, OH for the 2018 Hamvention.  This episode celebrates the two year anniversary of the Workbench concept, and we are joined by our extended family for the occasion - Mark “Smitty Halibut” Smith KR6ZY, Kenneth Finnegan W6KWF, Gerald “Powerpole the World” Wilson KF5JNU, and Brittany Mrs. IJZ sit in for this roundtable.  We discuss Hamvention impressions, spending other people’s money, and (of course) DMR this week on the Ham Radio Workbench.

Eric Swartz WA6HHQ, co-founder of Elecraft, joins us to guide our understanding of RF receiver performance specifications.  Eric introduces us to common receiver specs such as Sensitivity, Noise Floor, Dynamic Range, Intermod Dynamic Range, Phase Noise, and RMDR.  He tells us what they mean in real-world receiver performance terms, how they are tested, and whether it’s better to have a higher or lower number in each one.  It’s also the final episode before the 2018 Hamvention and George and Jeremy share our plans for our Booth, special offers, and exclusives for show listeners who stop by booth 3104 in Xenia.

Show Topic Begins at 1:09:36

Our Website - http://www.hamradioworkbench.com/

Follow us on Twitter - https://twitter.com/hamworkbench

Contact us for feedback and ideas - http://hamradioworkbench.com/contact

Connect with us on Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/groups/hamradioworkbench/

Hamvention DMR Hotspot - 439.3125 TG 31075

George will be giving a forum presentation - Saturday, May 19 - 2:45 Room 3  - “Quick tips for setting up your workbench, HamRadio Workbench Build Projects”

Want to be on the show?  Come to the booth and tell us what’s on your workbench!

Project documentation will be indexed and available on this page - http://hamradioworkbench.com/ham-radio-workbench-project-board-index

PowerFilm Solar 30Watt Foldable Solar Panel giveaway - http://bit.ly/WorkbenchPodcast

We will announce the winners via our company Facebook page on or around June 1.

Save $100 on the Digilent Analog Discovery 2 Package by using code “HamRadioWorkbench2018” in your cart prior to checkout - https://store.digilentinc.com/ham-radio-workbench-bundle/

Visit Digilent at booth 3002

QRP ARCI - Four Days in May - http://www.qrparci.org/fdim

QRP Labs - https://www.qrp-labs.com/

Arduino Projects for Amateur Radio - https://www.amazon.com/Arduino-Projects-Amateur-Radio-Purdum/dp/0071834052

W6DQ QRZ Page - https://www.qrz.com/db/w6dq

Sam Zeloff - Garage Chip Fab

https://hackaday.com/2017/02/25/the-fab-lab-next-door-diy-semiconductors/

https://hackaday.com/2018/04/24/first-lithographically-produced-home-made-ic-announced/

https://hackaday.com/2018/05/03/more-details-on-that-first-home-made-lithographically-produced-ic/

Amp Hour Interview with Sam - https://theamphour.com/390-an-interview-with-sam-zeloof/

Sam Zeloff Youtube Channel - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC7E8-0Ou69hwScPW1_fQApA

Bletchley Park - https://bletchleypark.org.uk/

Update on George’s Projects on his blog - http://www.kj6vu.com/

Anker Powerline Cables - https://www.anker.com/products/110/Cables

USB In-Line Multimeter - https://www.amazon.com/Eversame-Multimeter-Chargers-Capacity-Banks-Black/dp/B01D9Y6ZFW/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1525531260&sr=8-3&keywords=usb+meter

Randy K7AGE YouTube channel - https://www.youtube.com/user/K7AGE

Eric 4ZIUG QSO Today Podcast - https://www.qsotoday.com/

Jeremy’s Workbench made from IKEA Algot Shelving - https://pbs.twimg.com/media/Db6TKjGUQAAfvQ8.jpg:large

IKEA Algot Shelving - https://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/categories/departments/bedroom/22798/

IKEA Bekant Desk - https://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/S09022804/#/S19022808

RF Receiver Specifications Guide from Eric Swartz WA6HHQ

Elecraft Mailing List - http://www.elecraft.com/elist.html

Sensitivity - How well can the receiver hear weak signals?

• Minimum Discernible Signals - noise is generated inside the radio from the amplifier stages and how much amplification is available in the receive chain to bring a signal above the radio’s internal noise floor
• As sensitivity increases, you can degrade dynamic range
• To measure, start by injecting weak signals until you observe the signal level out of the speaker roughly double in amplitude (3dB)
• Lower values are better (bigger negative number), allowing you to detect weaker signals
• Most HF radios are between -125 to -130 with -135 to -138 being on the higher side of performance

Noise Floor

• The internal noise figure generated by the radio with the antenna removed

Dynamic Range

• Strong Signal Handling - how does the radio perform when there are strong signals adjacent to where you are tuned?
• IMDR3 - Intermodulation Dynamic Range
• When multiple strong received signals overload the first receiving amplifier in your radio, the signals get clipped
• When the radio has a broad banded receiver, this clipping begins to act as a mixer and creates intermodulation showing up at different frequencies
• Additional unwanted signals are created in the receiver when multiple strong signals are present
• To measure, begin with two signals apart - the difference between the MDS/sensitivity and the level required to set the signal generator to to cover up the weak signal
• Higher values are better - 90dB range above noise floor is average, mid 90’s to 100 dB is on the higher side of performance

Blocking Dynamic Range

• A strong signal overloading your receiver thereby reducing the gain of the receiver.
• Receivers can have challenges when a strong signal is physically near the radio
• To measure, inject a signal until it causes receiver overall gain to drop one DB
• Higher values are better - typical better than 130dB of BDR, mid 130s to 140s is on the higher side of performance

Phase Noise

• An indication of the quality and “cleanliness” of local oscilator (VFO, or Crystal Master Oscillator)
• Denotes whether they introduce jitter or noise to the received signal
• Lower is better

Reciprocal Mixing Dynamic Range (RMDR)

• RMDR is tied to phase noise
• Impacted by how clean your oscillator is
• To measure, listen in 500hz bandwidth and measure how strong an injected signal has to be to raise the noise floor on the freq you are tuned to (1-3dB noise floor increase)
• This ratio is the RMDR
• Higher values are better - 110-115 dB
• As multiple signals get closer, the RMDR drops

Sherwood Engineering Receiver Comparison List - http://www.sherweng.com/table.html

Smitty KR6ZY joins as co-host this week as George is on vacation.  Smitty will be making a road trip to Xenia, OH to attend the 2018 Hamvention for the first time.  We talk about the preparations he’s undergoing to maximize his mobile Ham Radio experience as he drives cross country.  He talks to us about operating and charging a Bioenno Battery from his car as well as a speaker level audio mixer he’s designing to mix the audio of all of his radios.  Finally, we talk about Hamvention in general - including what to expect and what to look forward to. We look forward to seeing all of you at Hamvention in booth 3104 this year!

2018 Hamvention Discussion begins at 1:43:09

Our Website - http://www.hamradioworkbench.com/

Follow us on Twitter - https://twitter.com/hamworkbench

Contact us for feedback and ideas - http://hamradioworkbench.com/contact

Connect with us on Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/groups/hamradioworkbench/

Mark “Smitty Halibut” Smith - KR6ZY

Twitter - https://twitter.com/smittyhalibut

YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/user/SmittyHalibut

Save $100 on the Digilent Analog Discovery 2 Package by using code “HamRadioWorkbench2018” in your cart prior to checkout - https://store.digilentinc.com/ham-radio-workbench-bundle/

D-Star Amateur Radio Satellite - http://www.d-star.one/

German Orbital Twitter Feed - https://twitter.com/germanorbital

CubeSat - http://www.cubesat.org/

Our conversation on the Phase 4 B Ground Station - http://hamradioworkbench.com/hrwb040-amsat-phase-4b-ground-station-design

MMDVM-HS-HAT Raspberry Pi Zero Hat - https://github.com/mathisschmieder/MMDVM_HS_Hat

MMDVM-HS-Dual-HAT Raspberry Pi Duplex Hat - https://github.com/phl0/MMDVM_HS_Dual_Hat

Mathis Schmieder DB9MAT - https://twitter.com/DB9MAT

Florian Wolters DF2ET - https://twitter.com/flo_0_

Smitty’s Speaker Level Audio Mixer Design - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Su6cF3tQ1cM

RD DPH3205 buck boost digital control Power Supply LCD display voltage converter - https://www.ebay.com/itm/292040615803?ul_noapp=true

Case for DPH3205 - https://www.ebay.com/itm/132427419443?ul_noapp=true

PI Zero USB Hub - Zero 4U USB Hub for Raspberry Pi Zero - https://www.adafruit.com/product/3298

Shutdown Pi via GPIO - https://www.raspberrypi.org/magpi/off-switch-raspberry-pi/

Pimoroni On/Off SHIM - https://shop.pimoroni.com/products/onoff-shim

Raspberry Pi Voltage Regulator - power a pi from 5V-16V!  - https://shop.pimoroni.com/products/wide-input-shim

IKEA Algot Shelving - https://www.ikea.com/ca/en/catalog/categories/departments/bedroom/11751/

Online Design Tool to test for Fit and Finish - https://www.draw.io/

Hackaday - To Ferrule or not to Ferrule - https://hackaday.com/2018/04/12/to-ferrule-or-not-to-ferrule/

Ferrules - https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01LCG52C6/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o01_s01?ie=UTF8&psc=1

IWISS Hexagonal Ferrule / Radial Crimper - https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00H950AK4/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Hamvention 2018 - http://hamvention.org/

List of Indoor Vendor - https://info.pcboard.ca/hamvention/hamvention2018-indoor/

List of Outdoor Vendors - https://info.pcboard.ca/hamvention/hamvention2018-outdoor/

2018 Hamvention Forums - http://hamvention.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/2018-Forum-3-Day-Chart-v5.pdf