Saturday, December 22, 2018

A battery box customized to my needs

by Alisha - AC1EW

I have a 100w Yaesu Ft-991a radio that I use at home and portable for Parks on the Air (https://parksontheair.com/) and for travel. To use this radio, I bought a Bioenno 30ah battery. This is a wonderful Lithium Ion battery, and I found that I can operate for hours at 100w without recharching. But it becomes somewhat of a mess to deal with the battery, cables, solar connectors, etc.

I've seen a variety of power boxes at hamfests, online and at the nearby Ham Radio Outlet store. But, except for an expensive custom box from Bioenno, none of them would hold the battery I have, and they lacked the features I wanted. Here was my wish list

  • Sized right to hold my battery
  • Anderson Powerpole connectors for the radio (I love these connectors).
  • USB ports for charging Iphone and other devices.
  • Cigarette lighter adapter for my laptop or other devices.
  • Anderson Powerpole connector for the AC adapter to charge the battery.
  • Internal Solar Charge controller to connect a solar panel to charge the battery.
Those were the must-haves. I wasn't concerned about having a power inverter to generate AC power. It seemed like an unnecessary drain on the battery and I couldn't think of anything that requires it. Besides, our pickup has an inverter, as will the trailer we plan to buy in the spring.
 
The solution gave me all that, plus a nice extra as a place to hold my 30w folding flexible solar panel .

Looks larger than it is, but it's the size of a small toolbox
When shopping at the local Harbor Freight store for hard cases to hold my radio and gear, I saw their ammo boxes. One was obviously too small for my battery. The other one initially seemed to be a bit large, but turned out to be perfect. Here's the box I purchased for $10. As you can see if you click on the link, It has a compartment in the lid for small items, as well as a tray that fits inside. The expensive part of this project (beside the battery and charge controller) were the panel mount connectors from powerwerx.com (the maker of the anderson powerpole connectors). But the quality is excellent. I didn't want to be cheap on this project since it serves as the power center for my portable radio activities. The following pictures show the exterior of the box
The switch on the side selects whether the ac charge adapter or a solar panel would be used to charge the battery. I didn't want both accidentally connected at the same time.

The power connections and a switch to cut of all power to devices. I marked the bottom pair of powerpole connectors (somewhat crudely) to indicate that the ac adapter is plugged in there.

The connector for a solar panel.
The view when opening the lid. Note that the solar panel fits perfectly just inside the lid. This wasn't planned, but a nice feature

I trimmed the tray that came with the box to have openings allowing for the size of the battery, and removing the handle that was in the way, while maintaining some utility for solar power connecting cables. The power meter allows you to see the amount of battery power that has been used (Amp and Watt Hours). With a Lithium Ion battery, the level can't be judged by the voltage output, since it remains constant until the battery is dead. As a result, an amp/watt meter is the best judge of remaining capacity.

Removing the lid, you see the battery on the right, solar charge controller on the left, and the wiring for the connectors. I used Anderson Powerpole connectors throughout the project. This gives a lot of flexibility to alter the configuration if needed, in the future.


This box may not be what you need, but the beauty of building your own is that it lets you configure it to meet your needs. This turned out to be a better solution for me than I expected. All my power needs (both discharging and charging) are included in the box, reducing the clutter of wires I need to have when operating portable. If I decide to change the configuration in the future, I can just buy a new $10 box, and set it up to meet my needs.

Now I can't wait until next summer to take this on our cross-country roadtrip.

Any questions can be directed to me at ac1ew.yl@gmail.com .

33, AC1EW - Alisha

Saturday, December 1, 2018

Field Day JUNE 28-29 2019





New to Field Day? START HERE!

Field Day is ham radio's open house. Every June, more than 40,000 hams throughout North America set up temporary transmitting stations in public places to demonstrate ham radio's science, skill and service to our communities and our nation. It combines public service, emergency preparedness, community outreach, and technical skills all in a single event. Field Day has been an annual event since 1933, and remains the most popular event in ham radio.

"What Is Field Day" (Printable PDF Flier)

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Wednesday, October 4, 2017

YOUTH ACTIVITIES for Ham radio (LIST)


Here is list of YOUTH ACTIVITIES for AMATEUR RADIO


1. Bring kids and wives to meeting when there is something to keep them interested
2. give your kids or friends a Morse code keyer (along with a list of cw code)
3. go talk to superintendent of school committee in your town (or a teacher)
4. plan your field day (with/at the local school)
5. approach the GIRL/BOY scouts they need a ham radio badge
6. setup a local Morse code class in your town
7. learn satellites kids seem to love making a contact with them
8. learn about STEM - Science, Technology, Engineering, Math - link Radio and STEM
9. talk to a teacher
10. talk to your local librarian to do a 1 or 2 hour presentation of ham radio or morse code (focus for kids)
11. w5mqc.com/michelle/Girl_Scouts.z​ip <<<<<<<<<< this is a ZIP file 12. approach the 4H club.... 13 >>>>>>>> www.HAMSCI.org <<<<<<< here is a ham related video for everyone to watch>>> http://www.wxyzdrones.com/videos​/it-challenges-your-mind-146



email me to add to this list KA1ULN@MAIL.COM







Thursday, October 20, 2016

Science, Technology, Engineering and Math: Education for Global Leadership >>> Amateur Radio YL's



“[Science]“[Science] is more than a school subject, or the periodic table, or the properties of waves. It is an approach to the world, a critical way to understand and explore and engage with the world, and then have the capacity to change that world..."

— President Barack Obama, March 23, 2015

The United States has developed as a global leader, in large part, through the genius and hard work of its scientists, engineers, and innovators. In a world that’s becoming increasingly complex, where success is driven not only by what you know, but by what you can do with what you know, it’s more important than ever for our youth to be equipped with the knowledge and skills to solve tough problems, gather and evaluate evidence, and make sense of information. These are the types of skills that students learn by studying science, technology, engineering, and math—subjects collectively known as STEM.

Yet today, few American students pursue expertise in STEM fields—and we have an inadequate pipeline of teachers skilled in those subjects. That’s why President Obama has set a priority of increasing the number of students and teachers who are proficient in these vital fields.

Projected Percentage Increases In STEM Jobs from 2010 to 2020: 14% for all occupations, 16% for Mathematics, 22% for Computer Systems Analysts, 32% for Systems Software Developers, 36% for Medical Scientists, 62% for Biomedical Engineers
The need

All young people should be prepared to think deeply and to think well so that they have the chance to become the innovators, educators, researchers, and leaders who can solve the most pressing challenges facing our nation and our world, both today and tomorrow. But, right now, not enough of our youth have access to quality STEM learning opportunities and too few students see these disciplines as springboards for their careers.expand/collapse

The goals

President Obama has articulated a clear priority for STEM education: within a decade, American students must "move from the middle to the top of the pack in science and math." The Obama Administration also is working toward the goal of fairness between places, where an equitable distribution of quality STEM learning opportunities and talented teachers can ensure that all students have the chance to study and be inspired by science, technology, engineering, and math—and have the chance to reach their full potential.expand/collapse

The plan

The Committee on STEM Education (CoSTEM), comprised of 13 agencies—including all of the mission-science agencies and the Department of Education—are facilitating a cohesive national strategy, with new and repurposed funds, to increase the impact of federal investments in five areas: 1.) improving STEM instruction in preschool through 12th grade; 2.) increasing and sustaining public and youth engagement with STEM; 3.) improving the STEM experience for undergraduate students; 4.) better serving groups historically underrepresented in STEM fields; and 5.) designing graduate education for tomorrow's STEM workforce.expand/collapse

Supporting Teachers and Students in STEM

At the Department of Education, we share the President’s commitment to supporting and improving STEM education. Ensuring that all students have access to high-quality learning opportunities in STEM subjects is a priority, demonstrated by the fact that dozens of federal programs have made teaching and learning in science, technology, engineering, and math a critical component of competitiveness for grant funding. Just this year, for the very first time, the Department announced that its Ready-to-Learn Television grant competition would include a priority to promote the development of television and digital media focused on science.

The Department’s Race to the Top-District program supports educators in providing students with more personalized learning—in which the pace of and approach to instruction are uniquely tailored to meet students’ individual needs and interests—often supported by innovative technologies. STEM teachers across the country also are receiving resources, support, training, and development through programs like Investing in Innovation (i3), the Teacher Incentive Fund, the Math and Science Partnerships program, Teachers for a Competitive Tomorrow, and the Teacher Quality Partnerships program.

Because we know that learning happens everywhere—both inside and outside of formal school settings—the Department’s 21st Century Community Learning Centers program is collaborating with NASA, the National Park Service, and the Institute of Museum and Library Services to bring high-quality STEM content and experiences to students from low-income, high-need schools. This initiative has made a commitment to Native-American students, providing about 350 young people at 11 sites across six states with out-of-school STEM courses focused on science and the environment.

And in higher education, the Hispanic-Serving Institutions-STEM program is helping to increase the number of Hispanic students attaining degrees in STEM subjects.

This sampling of programs represents some of the ways in which federal resources are helping to assist educators in implementing effective approaches for improving STEM teaching and learning; facilitating the dissemination and adoption of effective STEM instructional practices nationwide; and promoting STEM education experiences that prioritize hands-on learning to increase student engagement and achievement.




WOMEN and STEM>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>https://www.whitehouse.gov/administration/eop/ostp/women



Learn more

Five-Year Strategic Plan for STEM Education [PDF]
STEM Programs at ED
Green Strides Program
Women in STEM
2015 White House Science Fair
President Obama’s Remarks
Educate to Innovate
Civil Rights Data Collection
College- and Career-Ready/ STEM Access Snapshot [PDF]

Monday, October 17, 2016

wanna do some Ham Radio homebrewing.. check this out


here is a site with any homebrew project you could ever think of.

it is a great place for people to go through with GIRL or Boy scouts
or even a training class..

here is the home brew link


73 ka1uln

Tuesday, October 4, 2016

need a time sync tool (when running digital modes)?


here is the ultimate time sync tool when running digital modes:

see ya on FELD HELL 10.141 10.142

http://www.timesynctool.com/

Wednesday, September 21, 2016

Is your HF rig Calibrated?


I was curious to know if what I was seeing on my HF radio display was what I was hearing
or when someone gives me a frequency would my radio be spot on?

we here is the answer: YES of course it is has a superhet.
but the other way is TUNE TO WWV 15.000 OR 10.000

this told me my radio was spot on.


for more information about this please
HF calibration


thanx so Ria N2RJ for more information on this. She is full of ham radio information

33 KA1ULN

Saturday, September 17, 2016

Amateur Radio Q-Codes

here is an excellent list and explanation of Ham radio Q-CODES.


If I may ask if we (ham radio operators) could use these as much as possible.

link:--> http://www.qsl.net/w5www/qcode.html



here is a sample thanx for w5www

The Amateur Radio Q-Code Signal Question Answer, Advice or Order QRG Will you indicate my exact frequency in kilocycles?

Your frequency is ... kc.

QRH Does my frequency vary? Your frequency varies.

QRI How is the tone of my transmission? The tone of your transmission is ... 1. Good. 2. Variable. 3. Bad.

QRJ Are you receiving me badly? Are my signals weak? I cannot receive you. Your signals are too weak.

QRK What is the legibility of my signals (1 to 5)? The legibility of your signals is ... (1 to 5).

QRL * Are you busy? I am busy (or busy with....). Please do not interfere.

QRM * Are you being interfered with? I am being interfered with.

QRN * Are you troubled by static? I am troubled by static.

many many more please check out the link KA1ULN



here is another link for qcodes >>

(please confirm all qso's)


Thursday, August 11, 2016

ARRL The Doctor is In Podcast .. IS HERE


ARRL The Doctor is In Podcast

Welcome to the home of the bi-weekly ARRL The Doctor is In podcast -- a lively discussion of all things technical! The Doctor is none other than ARRL's Joel Hallas, W1ZRDoctor_is_In_Podcast_Icon_2.jpg, who has been answering questions about Amateur Radio in the Doctor Is In column in QST since 2006.

Hosted by ARRL Publications Manager Steve Ford, WB8IMY, ARRL The Doctor is In podcast is a twice-monthly, 20-minute podcast that answers YOUR questions about Amateur Radio's technical challenges.

You can subscribe to the podcast in Apple iTunes or on Stitcher.

Archived episodes will be available here.

Do you have a question for the Doctor? Click here to e-mail your question and we may answer it in a future podcast!




Download the arrl the doctor is in


taken from arrl.org

Featured Post

POTA: Sasquatch Stomp: 1900Z, Mar 29 to 0300Z, Mar 30 -- Feld Hell Sprint: 0000Z-2359Z, Mar 30

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