Radio W4KAZ Thanks for stopping by the virtual KazShack. Feel free to comment - I often approve them.
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By w4kaz, created on 2011.02.14 at 12:01:37 | last changed on 2011.10.20 at 08:49:15 | I see the solar flux ended the day Sunday over 100 for the first time since 2005.
Yet Sunday afternoon, 10m was still just as dead as a doorknob. Spent a few minutes several times hunting beacons, but only the local one here in FM05 was audible. Didn’t hear much on 15m either, but there were a few CW Q’s and some RTTY signals. One very faint SSB QSO.
Perhaps a few days of flux will help improve conditions. What with ARRL DX CW coming, that would be a welcome change.
But the whole extended propagation drought has me re-evaluating the 160m antenna versus the 10m/15m antenna. Its not necessarily an either/or, but the supports they occupy could probably be used for other things. Its probably a good time to re-evaluate the available support/actual usage trade-offs again. Most of the wires were hoisted based on what supports were unoccupied, rather than as a whole station best use plan. [ Plan? Plan?]
There’s a three week window here where the temperatures will be moderate and the leaves are not yet budding. Plan? None yet occurs.
The 10/15m loop is probably in a spot that might be better used for the 160m vertical. The 160m vertical is a bit on the long side, and the darn thing is working – kinda-sorta hate to “fix” something that works. But there’s also K2AV’s new idea for the radial/counterpoise to consider. Not sure what the real fun factor is in the situation. In the end, the real plan is to maximize the fun.
So, where’s the long-term fun gonna be? 40m and 80m? Never much cared for 20m……although it has its moments.
For the current moment, procrastination may cause the ideal antenna work window to come and go. The squirrels in the biological antenna support structures may get to enjoy spring unmolested.
By w4kaz, created on 2011.01.24 at 05:47:10 | last changed on 2011.01.23 at 14:47:27 | Blew off most of the recent fun contests. Just a few QSO’s in Stew Perry, fewer in NAQP CW, and zero interest in NAQP SSB. Atypical, but there it is.
During Stew Perry I operated long enough to observe the K9AY was having a good night. RX on the K9AY was much better than on the transmit antenna in a lot of cases, even though QRN was relatively low. I was able to copy several stations on the K9Ay that were below the noise on the TX inv-L antenna. The wx conditions had been very wet leading into that weekend, so I expect the ground conditions were better. The radial field for the K9AY got torn up during this seasons leaf harvest, so its mostly just a ground rod. That’s worth investigating more thoroughly and methodically.
Currently the normal shack-time has been squandered toying with the Linux file server. Been toying with some PHP/html curiosities, and getting a project gathering band data from the ARRL Sweep contest migrated to the server. Most recently been more compelled by curiosity into looking at the raw data now available from the reverse beacon network. The “reverse beacons network” is simply a site that has been set up[by PY1NB, F5VIH, and N4ZR, et. al.] to gather spots generated by various CW skimmers that have public access nodes.
Currently the network is fairly irregular, in that most of the skimmers seem to be part-time. But there are more of them active for more regular durations as time and interest marches forward. Interesting idea. The data available goes back to 2009, by the day. It occurs to me that the data might be useful as yardstick for measuring a station’s relative strength. A good way to compare stations in the only way that really counts – how well can they hear you.
The amount of data available is fairly large, even with a relatively small and irregular network of skimmers being aggregated. It seems like it might be interesting to peel off the data I feel is of interest, and see if anything interesting can be “squouze” from it. To that end, a whole new array of “how do I get ????” questions pop up. The spot analysis tool written by F5VIH is a great start, but maybe not exactly what I’d like to see. In the end, nothing may come of the recent curiosities other than a less than rigorous exercise of the gray matter.
Let the leaves blow where the wind takes them.
By w4kaz, created on 2010.12.04 at 09:50:45 | last changed on 2010.12.04 at 13:31:45 | While trying to hook up an el-cheapo home theatre sound system, I ran into something new[to me].
Just had never seen anything like it. An unknown connector for the FM antenna. It looks a little like a common RCA plug-but it is not. WTF!?!
It appears the FM antenna socket is a male “PAL” connector.. O’course, not having even the slightest idea what it was, a strong urge developed as I considered ripping apart the brand-new box and replacing the “funky unknown” connector with either an F, BNC, or RCA connector.
Not so fast soldering-iron-breath!
Sanity soon returned, and a few minutes spent on yahoo searching the information gold mine of the internet turned up a name, i.e., the PAL connector as well as several vendors eager to part with them for a few green-stamps. So, put away the screwdriver and soldering iron for now. Cha-ching. Connector in the mail.
Anyway, its always a jolt when you run across something “new” that has been in such widespread use. I suppose Europeans would have seen these more commonly than here in North America, but I’m still a bit surprised it took me 50 years to run across one personally.
The whole thing is only noteworthy because the FM antenna provided is a single wire cut the length of a quarter wave somewhere in the FM band. It works for strong local stations, but is basically a crappy enough antenna I’d like to replace it. Probably put a loop or folded dipole in the attic, since the house has a 300 ohm twinlead run already handily prewired, dating the abode as being from the pre CATV days. May as well use it.
The options right now for attic antenna include a folded dipole turnstile, a single loop, a pair of loops offset 90 degrees, or possibly a kludge of those choices. Maybe an MP3 player in random mode would be a better choice - local FM leaves much to be desired for personal tastes. But that would leave one less antenna project to toy with, and the antenna project is the ulterior motive.
By w4kaz, created on 2010.11.01 at 23:57:06 | last changed on 2010.11.01 at 23:57:06 | Just sayin’. Read and decide for yerself.
DMCA Copyright info.
By w4kaz, created on 2010.10.26 at 06:53:28 | last changed on 2010.10.26 at 08:00:40 | I tuned in late. But this weekend 10m began to show signs of possible life. Signals from EU in the morning. Signals from South america and the west coast US in the afternoon. Hopefully they were from actual openings rather than VHF type e-skip. That would sure be nice for the CQWW on the weekend. It seems like the current sunspot cycle will be lower - an opinion based on no actual facts other than the lackluster rise in solar activity. An opinion I’d just love to have prove incorrect.
Time to start paying more attention. Start checking the 10m beacons more regularly. Maybe even work a few stations. Is there room for a better 10m antenna in the wire farm?
By w4kaz, created on 2010.10.05 at 05:54:37 | last changed on 2010.10.05 at 08:28:53 | Spent some time over the last week re-conditioning an old Mosley TA-33 jr, courtesy of N4YDU. The date on the box is 1979. Gotta wonder if 30 year old aluminum is ready for metal fatigue, but its a novelty project. Some of the hardware was shot, so I decided to replace most of the u-bolts. Got a quote from Mosley on those parts, but since I needed some other hardware bits for other projects, I instead went with parts from DX Engineering. The u-bolts available from DX engineering were slightly shorter than the original parts, but seem to be a good fit. Spent some time cleaning everything up, and used a scotchbrite pad to remove some of the oxidation and crud around the joints and at the trap connections. Got all of the elements assembled on Friday evening without burning any of the chicken on the grill.
That project will likely languish after testing the elements for resonance. Might assemble the whole shebang for an on the ground SWR check, but it looks like some moderately serious tree trimming would be required before it could ever actually be put to use at the QTH. More likely to use it for Field Day. The TA-33jr is a versatile bit of kit. It is light weight for a three element yagi. If space or weight were a problem the driven element and reflector can be used to make a ta-32jr, the two element version. The driven element can also be used by itself as a stand alone dipole. Mosley also sells a set of traps for converting the low power version into the hybrid light weight/high power version.
Saturday morning was spent over at KZ1X tugging on ropes along with KA1ARB, with KZ1X and N1LN up the tower. Steve needed to debug a problem with his 20/15/10 yagi. We found that the coax run up the tower seemed to be the problem. After swapping that off to a different coax run, things looked better. Steve also hung a replacement 80m dipole for one that went down with a falling branch. Got a first look at the K3 panadapter while doing the in shack checks. A cool gizmo.Â
Lesson Re-Iterated: Do NOT trust readings from an MFJ antenna analyzer when the power supply is weak. A portable supply or external battery pack is worth using when that is practical. My own MFJ-259 has long had its internal battery pack removed in favor of an external pack. The pack is about 1″x3″x”slightly longer than the 259″.   It’s a cool little pack, that has a charger and two output jacks. It is taped to the back of the MFJ-259. With 10 rechargeable batteries it supplies about 13v when fully charged. It is slow to charge, but the cigarette lighter socket makes it versatile. Note: don’t have the matching solar cell, just the charger, ac supply, and car adapter.
Had a bit of R&R on Saturday unwisely spent watching the LSU-Tennessee game. Being an LSU football fan is an interesting experience - but not always pleasant. O’course, the Tennessee fans really got the short end of the stick, but their own teams last second decisions were just as squirrelly as those of “The Hat” and associates. I sure hope LSU gets their offense to pull together going into the tough part of their schedule against three current top-20 teams(Florida, Auburn, Alabama) in the next four weeks and end the season with another(Arkansas). Ouch. Tough schedule. Life in the SEC West.
Glad to see the Tigers defense is working well as a unit, but the talent on the offensive side is there too, just not clicking yet. After being beaten by Tennessee(and UNC and WV) right up to the brain death of coaching staffs on both teams on the last play of the game, they really need to find their best game quick. Otherwise the losses will accrue rapidly, despite excellent defensive play. I suppose Florida will be mad as hell after their spanking in Tuscaloosa.
Sunday R&R consisted of a hour or two in the shack. Turned on the radios and heard some of the California QSOP guys on 15m. I’ve sorely missed 15m these past few years, so it was a bit of fun to make a few Q’s on the band. Signal strengths ranged from S1 to a very loud S9+, and only one station was called without answer. That’s an improvement compared to 15m over the past two years. Not a lot of stations heard, but a few European QSO’s were also decent copy. 10m was still silent.
Requests for audio reports indicated the RFI issue introduced on SSB when setting up the sound card DVK into the SO2R set up is now fixed. [Yippeee!] Good audio reported by all. The issue with the RFI on the PTT line for the K2 is still a mystery, but ferrites on the mike and PTT lines going into the K2 were needed to resolve the problem.  Resolving that problem has me looking forward to the coming contest season, and hoping that the bands are better during 2010 Sweepstakes.
As fall rolls in it is time for some much delayed antenna maintenance on the 160m inverted L. It would be nice to get the 80m element added, and the radials need maintenance since the falling branches have taken out about half of them since last contest season. Gotta work that into the leaf raking schedule – the sooner the better.
By w4kaz, created on 2010.09.26 at 06:09:23 | last changed on 2010.09.26 at 14:21:35 | I’ve been running a bit of an informal experiment in house lighting for the past seven or eight years. Been using CFL’s since they first appeared in the local retail outlets. Hate to think about how expensive they were before they became Politically Correctified.
Some of the fixtures in the hacienda have sockets for two bulbs. I’ve gradually been removing the old bulbs and replacing them(simultaneously) with a mixed pair – a regular incandescent paired with a “name brand” compact fluorescent. Just wondering if the CFL longevity claims have any merit.
The sample size is pretty small, but the CFL performance has been a lot less than the hype. I had high hopes for one of the outdoor fixtures, but the outdoors CFL crapped out before the incandescent. The CFL crapped out first in one of the indoor fixtures too.
CFL Bad: The bad points
- Long life claims not meeting expectations
- Seem to be “bug magnets” when used alone, much more so than incandescents. Â The insects must love the color of the light, because the bulbs run a lot cooler than incandescents. Â This is a big problem outdoors. Â This is not as noticeable a problem when combined with an incandescent.
- Light color distasteful to certain humans. Â (can also a good point-very subjective)
CFL Good:
- The CFL bulbs use less energy. Â In hindsight, I’d like to test this claim too.
- Price per bulb dropped to more reasonable levels, but the shorter than hyped useful bulb-life offsets this benefit.
- Light color is improved by pairing with an incandescent of similar luminescence.  Combined, this makes for improved work area lighting.
I also had high hopes for the longevity claims – hopes were shattered by the reality. Don’t see any improvements in either longevity or the light color with newer bulbs. Wondering what the cause for the “early” failures might be. Is it:
- situational, something about the location?
- indoor vs outdoor(slightly better life indoors)?
- voltage spikes?
- current spikes?
Whatever the reason, the CFL’s are moving rapidly to the top of the “get rid of this crap” list. Several reasons, besides the shorter than advertised bulb life. Don’t much care for the light color when they are the only source.
The color can also be a positive side to the CFL’s – if you like it.  It seems worthwhile  to combine a CFL and an incandescent for workshop lighting, the two together are good.
Conclusion: In general, for my purposes, CFL’s suck. The CFL’s absolutely suck for outdoor usages. CFL’s really suck most in the winter outdoors. They seem to be good for about half there rated output once temps drop into the 50’s.
Time for the LED’s from Lighting Science Group. Â Getting close to pulling the trigger.
By w4kaz, created on 2010.09.24 at 08:49:18 | last changed on 2010.09.13 at 08:49:28 | Sometimes common sense is everything but common. Just never can find the right adapters when hooking everything back together.
Case in point: It is a lot easier to use 1/8th(3.5mm) stereo plugs, and use an adapter to go up in size to 1/4 inch.  Going from large to small just adds stress to the connections. The smaller size is also becoming the more commonly used jack on gear as the gear itself becomes smaller. Soldering the teensy connectors is more of a PITA, but such is life.
Just as soon chop all of the paddle and keyer plugs now – almost all of the shack radio gear has 1/8th jacks now. But the peripherals seem to all still have 1/4 plugs.
Another fun fact: It’s easier to use all stereo connectors than a mix of stereo and mono. A stereo plug can be wired tip and shell for mono usage, but a mono plug is worthless when you need stereo.  So to hell with mono 1/8th and 1/4 audio connectors. They are banished forevermore from the KazShack.
Soldering Tip: When soldering RCA, 1/8th or 1/4 plugs, it is worthwhile heat sinking the connector, especially with low-quality connectors. The easiest way is to just plug them into a jack. That seems to provide enough sinking, unless you really try to cook them. This seems to really be helpful with RCA connections, where the center pin will sometimes drift if the connector is overheated. Using an RCA barrel as heat sink allows a melted connection to re-solidify correctly aligned. Good to go, unless it shorted when overcooked.
By w4kaz, created on 2010.09.20 at 08:22:27 | last changed on 2010.09.22 at 07:01:24 | Put together a WinKeyer2 in a couple of hours two weeks before Field Day. This accessory was added as part of the plan to have the SO2R station capability operational with either USB or serial ports on the logging computer. I chose the version with a serial port, and plan to use it with a serial to USB conversion dongle. In essence, the shack will be forward or backward compatible with the computer hardware, allowing the SO2R to be feasible with whatever crappy piece of computer I have available at any given moment, from an old dos box to brand spanky new.
The keyer kit itself was built with only about 30 minutes of plugging and soldering. The kit was missing a couple of capacitors, but they are common values which I had in the parts box. It took another couple of hours to get the enclosure drilled and nibbled out – including a db9-sized hole in the wrong place. Oops. On hindsight, a simpler plastic enclosure would have been easier.
The finished product worked without any re-work. The WinKeyer2 is the newer release of the serial port version of the kit. I tested the kit out using a USB to serial converter and the “wktest” program available for download on the K1EL site. After a quick test and config with the wktest program, I brought up writelog and tested that. Flawless performance.
Hooking up the paddles was a bit less satisfying. I’m not terribly proficient using paddles and a keyer, and the WinKeyer2 seemed a bit temperamental with my shaky fist. Maybe after more practice it will become easier. But for now, the paddles will be routed through the logikeyer CMOS4, and the paddles will be combined with the computer generated CW from the WinKeyer via a “Y” connector going into the CW input.
I also have the same problem using an MFJ keyer I have on hand. I’m not sure why that is, but so far the Logikeyer and the keyer built into the K2 are the easiest to use of those available.
One quirk I found with the winkeyer(or my understanding thereof) was related to the pot setting for the keyer speed. Starting the programs(either logging program or “wktest”) while the speed pot was set to maximum caused a bit of confusion. To allow computer control of the speed setting, it seemed necessary to disable the speed pot via the software.
Part of the learning curve.
By w4kaz, created on 2010.07.14 at 07:05:56 | last changed on 2010.07.13 at 07:08:52 | Don’t know if its practical, but its a great experiment even if it only makes it to proof of concept. A project to create a mouseless mouse.
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