Tuesday, August 18, 2020

goal for all hams in next 12 months - recruit/elmer 1 youth


I challenge each and every ham in the next 12 months to recruit/elmer 1 youth.

here are some suggestions to recruit 1 young person Male or Female:
In order to work with people you can get a local temple,church, hall to do this task

1. work with boy scouts
2. work with girl scouts
3. work with your local grade/junior/high school
4. work with a youth center
4. work with your local YMCA
5. put in paper about teaching some youths ( ages )21 and under
6. do an online recruitment to teach
7. talk to parents first
8. setup a station in a very public location (take note of interested young people)


if you have any other ideas/suggestions please add them here.. or send me email

ka1uln@arrl.net

Saturday, June 20, 2020

BUDDY-UP project by KA1ULN and YOU



who is your YL buddy? 

what projects have you worked on together?
which Contests have you worked together?

do you need a YL Buddy?


Buddy-up YL's
33
________________________________________
This BUDDY-UP project is created to spark more
YL's to push their PTT button, YL's work together,

and/or

to get more YL (Young Ladies) involved in Amateur radio. (again)

here is more about my BUDDY-UP project:
GOAL: is to become a better operator with the help of a YL BUDDY

When working contests your buddy can hear you and give you feedback on how she is heard
in the pile up (this might help when trying for a successful 59 QSO by the operating station)
Can help with things like mike gain and other details like this that you the operator
cannot hear. PLEASE comment below on who is your buddy
This works on all bands.

When you hear a YL on the air please give her priority!
check out YLRL.org

if you have more ideas on this YL BUDDY-UP project please send them to me

KA1ULN@ARRL.NET

Thanx so much and BUDDY-UP (with one or more YL BUDDIES.)

check this blog everyday for more updates.

ka1uln (reminder: LOG and CONFIRM all Your QSO's)
33

Thursday, April 30, 2020

Amateur Radio Digital Modes



So you are getting bored with CW, SSB and listening to people on the radio.

here is a Challenge: get into HF or UHF or VHF digital modes

PSK31, RTTY, JT65, FT8,  FT4 and many more (these are the more popular ones.)


here is a list of digital modes and what each mode sounds like.
SOUND SAMPLES OF DIGITAL MODES

all digital modes use USB (uppersideband even 160,60,80,40,30)

FLDIGI supports CW, FELD HELL, PSK31, olivia, rtty, sstv and lots more

WSJTX supports JT65, JT9, WSPR, FT8, FT4 and others


Dimension4 or NetTime  is what sync's your computer to everyone else on the frequency


***************************************************************
it is the easy thing you have done since you got your license
all you need is the following:

1. radio hf/uhf/vhf
2 computer if no soundcard then $3.00 usb thumbdrive soundcard works
3. antenna
4. FREE software: FLDIGI, WSJTX
5. FREE software: time sync,   dimension4 or  nettime
6. (sound card interface-TNC) this converts audio to digital and back digital to audio
soundcard interface/TNC = Rigblaster or Microham or Signalink or if already in newer SDR radios


***************************************************************
so download both pieces of software and check them out
and install them for your setup
even if you do not have all pieces stated above
just listen to 14.070 for  PSK31   or  14.074 for  FT8  and get a feel for what the software looks like
and what it is trying to do.



it just takes persistence!

make sure your ALC meter stays on 0 (if it is moving then there is something wrong!)

power out must be below 20 watts ( i use 5 watts most of the time)

a few handy websites:

http://hamspots.net/FT8/
http://hamspots.net/jt65/

www.pskreporter.info   shows digimode automatic propagaton reporter


if you use Ham Radio deluxe or DxLab it works with those also.

you are more than welcome to peruse everything and comment about all or any of the items.

5/7/20 List of ham radio software FREE https://nl9222.home.xs4all.nl/digisoft.htm


**********************************************************************
so download both pieces of software and check them out
and install them for your setup YOU MUST KNOW YOUR COM PORTS
even if you do not have all pieces stated above.

just listen to 14.070 or  14.074  and get a feel for what the software looks like
and what it is trying to do.

FLDIGI AND FLRIG www.w1hkj.com
**********************************************************************

ka1uln@arrl.net

73


when running amateur radio digital modes all computers must be synced together
in order to have a qso. these are the 2 most popular apps to do the job.


http://dimension-4.en.softonic.com/ dimension 4 
http://www.timesynctool.com/ timesync
http://www.maniaradio.it/en/bkttimesync.html mania timesync

73 ka1uln

**********************************************************************************
Want to learn  Digital mode  for  Amateur Radio?  FT8 or FT4

the best write up was done by the  author and  creator of the mode K1JT

it is  well written and  easy to follow:  make sure you know your COM PORTS.

link  FT8 and  FT4  by  K1JT  >>>  link for wsjtx FT8 and FT4
_________________________________________________________________________________

Want to to learn a Digital mode for AMATEUR RADIO? BPSK31

First of all what is PSK:
What is PSK?
– PSK is an acronym for Phase Shift Keying. Information is transmitted
through patterns of polarity-reversals (180 degree phase shifts), hence the
name.
– Narrow-band, low-power, soundcard-generated radioteletype mode for
keyboard chat.
– Three data rates, 31, 63 and 125 baud. Bandwidth increases with rate.
– PSK31 is the most commonly used, its data rate is close to the speed of the
average typist.
– PSK is resistant to interference but has no error control, so it's not suitable
for transfer of data files. © 2013 Eric Fowler / WV3E – All rights reserved.

HERE IS WHAT YOU NEED:

Fldigi is a computer program intended for Amateur Radio Digital Modes operation using a PC (Personal Computer). Fldigi operates (as does most similar software) in conjunction with a conventional HF SSB radio transceiver, and uses the PC sound card as the main means of input from the radio, and output to the radio. These are audio-frequency signals. The software also controls the radio by means of another connection, typically a serial port.

Fldigi is multi-mode, which means that it is able to operate many popular digital modes without switching programs, so you only have one program to learn. Fldigi includes all the popular modes, such as DominoEX, MFSK16, PSK31, and RTTY.

Unusually, Fldigi is available for multiple computer operating systems; FreeBSD™; Linux™, OS X™ and Windows™.
(taken from w1hjk.com)


how to recognize the bpsk31:

Recognising the different modes comes with experience. It is a matter of listening to the signal, and observing the appearance of the signal on the tuning display. You can also practise transmitting with the transceiver disconnected, listening to the sound of the signals coming from the computer. There is also (see later paragraph) an automatic tuning option which can recognise and tune in most modes for you.

The software provides a tuning display which shows the radio signals that are receivable within the transceiver passband. Using a point and click technique with the mouse, you can click on the centre of a signal to select it, and the software will tune it in for you. Some modes require more care than others, and of course you need to have the software set for the correct mode first — not always so easy!

The RSID (automatic mode detection and tuning) feature uses a special sequence of tones transmitted at the beginning of each transmission to identify and tune in the signals received. For this feature to work, not only do you need to enable the feature in the receiver, but in addition the stations you are wishing to tune in need to have this feature enabled on transmission. Other programs also offer this RSID feature as an option.


PSK31 Frequencies In MHz,

1.838
3.580
7.040 to 7.060 for region 1 and region 3, and 7.070 for region 2 *
10.140
14.070
18.100
21.080 (although most activity can be found 10 kHz lower)
24.920
28.120

psk link  of all the  psk frequencies >>psk frequencies

for more information on  psk31 check

http://nharc.org/links/OperatingPSK.pdf




************************************************************************
33/73




Antennas, Grounding, Counterpoise, etc HOW TO

This is where all information about Antennas, grounding, Counterpoises reside



this is what I refer to as the main section of the antenna.    check yours and reply here to let me know what state your coax is in?  it is wet, touching the trees, is it bent?   did you solder it perfect?

I always use the arrl antenna book when i am soldering coax.     check it out.

ps: check out   facebook.com/ylrl

33

got picture from http://www.jpole-antenna.com  thank you





this is a dipole I am planning on making.... (made it  and  it  worked  VERY GOOD) 1:1

Vertical Dipole for 15 Meters and would love to make one also for 10 meters.

feet = 468/28.390 = 16.50 feet 10 meters

feet = 468/21.325 = 22 feet 15 meters

I have 10 gauge shielded wire (good stuff) for verticals

ka1uln




here are the notes from the May 21 presentation

session May 21, 2015 echolink 8 pm Yl NFarl-r



Grounding (RODS and Ribbons)
May 21, 2015 YLRL echolink net

An effective ground system is necessary for every amateur station.
The mission of the ground system is twofold. FIRST, it reduces the possibility of electrical shocks if something in a piece of equipment should fail and the chassis or cabinet become “HOT.” If connected properly, three-wire electrical systems ground the chassis. A ground system to prevent shock hazard is generally referred to as “DC GROUND.”

The second job the ground system must perform is to provide a low-impedance path to ground for any stray RF current inside the station. Stray RF can cause equipment to malfunction and contributes to RFI problems. This low-impedance path is usually called “RF GROUND.”

The first step in building a ground system is to bound together the chassis of all equipment in your station. Ordinary hookup wire will do for a dc ground, but for a good RF ground you need a low-impedance conductor, COPPER STRAP sold as 'flashing copper,” is excellent for this application, it maybe hard to find. Braid for coaxial cable is popular choice; it is readily available, makes a low-impedance conductor, and is flexible. You see this on roofs in south and west.

Grounding straps can be run from equipment chassis to equipment chassis.1/2 copper water pipe runs entire length of operating bench. A thick braid from RG-8 cable runs from each piece of equipment to a clamp on the pipe.

After equipment is bonded to common ground bus the ground bus must be wired to a good earth ground. This run should be with heavy conductor (braid – I CALL RIBBON) should be short and direct as possible.

Drive one or more grounds rods into earth where conductor leaves the house. Ground rods-8 to 10 feet can be acquired from electrical supply house (home depot or lowe's or the like) steel with heavy copper plating.

Once rod is in ground clamp the conductor from the station ground bus to it with a clamp that can be tightened securely and will NOT RUST. Copper-plated clamps made specifically for this purpose can be found and electrical supply stores. If possible solder the connection.

ANOTHER popular station ground is the COLD (not hot) water pipe system in the building.
Length of of ground wire should be multiple of ¼ wave.

Ground noise:
Noise in ground systems can affect sensitive radio equipment. It is usually related to one of three problems:
1. Insufficient ground conductor wire
2. Loose ground connections or
3. Ground loops

liberal use lock washer and star washers is highly recommended
Ground noise can affect receive and transmitted signals

The antennas that we mount are affected by the presence of ground. At times, the ground is a reflector and at other times, it is an absorber.
The ground around the base of a quarter wave vertical antenna needs considerable help in the form of radials, if this type of antenna is to perform well.
When an antenna that is a near ground radiates, some of the energy will strike the ground and some of the energy will be reflected. The reflected energy will bounce back to the antenna and effect the pattern of current distribution in the radiator, and thus effect the pattern and the feedpoint impedance of the antenna.



After antennas, station grounding is probably the most discussed subject in amateur radio and it is also the one replete with the most misconceptions. The first thing to know is that there are three functions served by grounding in ham shacks: 1. Electrical Safety 2. Stray RF Suppression (or simply RF Grounding) 3. Lightning Protection. Each has it's own set of requirements, but not all station setups need every kind of ground. In fact, some setups don't use a ground at all! The articles on this page will help clear up some of the myths and mystery surrounding this popular topic.

Grounds fulfill three distinct functions. The best ground for one function isn't necessarily the best for another. The three are:
a. Safety ground. This protects you from a shock hazard if one of the mains or high voltage power supply wires contacts the chassis due to some kind of fault. The requirements for this ground are spelled out in your state's electrical code. I believe that most states adopt the National Electrical Code (NEC). The safety ground conductor in your wall sockets should be connected to ground according to this code, and your rig's chassis should be connected to the safety ground.

b. Lightning ground. The requirements for a ground for lightning protection are much more stringent than for a safety ground. The topic has been discussed in this group many times, and there are numerous resources available for learning how to make a ground system for lightning protection. (See the TIS Page on Lightning Protection)

c. RF ground. This is required only for certain types of antennas-- ones which require current flow to ground to complete the antenna circuit. An example is a quarter-wave vertical. One wire of the feedline connects to the base of the antenna, and the other connects to ground. The connection to ground has to have a low RF resistance, or you'll expend too much of your power heating the ground. A few radial wires will provide a moderately low loss connection. A ground rod will help a little, but the RF resistance will be high, resulting in quite a bit of loss. Chapter 8 of the ARRL Antenna Book shows the approximate trade between resistance and number of radials. If your antenna is much shorter than ¼ wavelength, you'll need many, many radials to get reasonable efficiency. If it's longer, you can get by with fewer. A ½ wavelength base-fed vertical needs only a very modest ground, and a ground rod is adequate. The requirements for various other end-fed antennas depend on their length. If you use a "complete" antenna like a dipole or a ground plane (that is, one that doesn't require your feedline to connect to ground), you don't need a RF ground, as long as you keep common-mode currents off your feedline. A "current" or "choke" balun is most commonly used for this.




Radials:

Counterpoises:


Rods:

Besides one lead from inside the shack, the others go to several other well spaced ground rods, a lead to the tower base (which has it's own ground system), and finally, the power company ground, which is only about a foot away.

73
K9WN Jake
picture is taken from k9wn


Youtube video showing how to drive a 10 foot ground rod into the ground with water.
link>

Ribbons:




Is Your Radio Equipment REALLY Grounded?

You may believe your radio equipment, antenna and tower are well-grounded. After all, you drove the ground rods into the earth yourself and connected the ground wire to the rods with heavy-duty clamps.

With an ohmmeter, I measured an open circuit from the ground wire to its grounding clamp! This was true for both the equipment ground outside my radio room and for the ground at the base of my beam antenna.

I do understand that contact points oxidize and their resistance increases. But the ohmmeter's needle didn't move even on the instrument's X 1000 range! I had no grounds that worked!

military handbook on grounding, bonding and shielding: A PDF download



any questions contact ag4yl or KA1ULN




















Grounding:

what kind of grounding do you have for your station?

Do you know what grounding is used for?

Please add your comments below about YOUR ground installation.


on May 21, at 8:00 EST come hear a understand Antennas part 3
GROUNDING: radials, counterpoises, rods and ribbons
FEATURING: ag4yl

Hope all of you can make it this week! We’ll be back on Echolink Node 560686 NF4GA-R repeater or locally on 145.47MHz PL100Hz (-) offset. It’s going to be a fun and exciting net! We are looking forward to everyone participating in the fun! Here’s how

thank you





here is some great information on dipoles thanx to KK4obi

Bent Dipoles link

there is more if you click on the link


This web site is devoted primarily as a resource for amateur radio operators
to see what happens if they bend a half-wave dipole.

The performance of a dipole is highest when it is not bent. When a half-wave or full-wave dipole is bent: the gain goes down; the resonant length gets shorter; the frequency goes higher; the impedance decreases. Only when the length is three or more half-wavelengths can bending increase gain as you transition into gull-wing, half-rhombic V and rhombic antennas.

To help understand what happens to a bent dipole, you will see graphs showing the changes in Gain, Resonant Length, SWR, etc. as well as polar charts of far field radiation patterns and 3D flyover views as a bend point is moved or angle of bend changes.

1. We start with bending the ends of an ordinary center-fed dipole limited by an attic, garden, wall, etc. or to reduce turning radius. We than look at bending a dipole in the middle... up and down, side to side... to form V or L-type configurations.
See illustrations of all eleven studies at: Center-fed Dipoles.

2. The second phase looks the same set of configurations but by feeding a dipole off-center, (OCF). This an outgrowth of antenna/coax matching because of the low impedance of dipoles in the V or L-form, not for multi-band application. However, as part of this, there is a study related to feed points up to the 6th harmonic.

3. The third phase deals with slow wave antennas for size reduction- primarily for cell phones, routers, printers, remote control, as well as radio frequency identification (RFID) for merchandise or toll/parking collection- but applied to amateur radio antennas. These studies include meander, zig-zag and catenary curve methods.

4. The information presented is derived from a mixture of practical antenna prototyping and wire antenna modeling used to find out what is going on and "what happens if...". The software used is 4NEC2, a Windows compatible program based on an NEC-2/ NEC-4 core (Numeric Electromagnetics Code). It is used to create, view and check antenna designs and generate displays of radiation patterns. Of particular importance for the studies reported here is its optimizer function which automatically adjusts antenna variables to find the best Gain, Resonance, Standing Wave Ratio (SWR), Efficiency, Front-to-Back ratio or combination thereof. Its sweep function then graphs Far Field Radiation Pattern and 3D view plus Reflection Coefficient, Reactance, Impedance and Phase over the range of frequencies of interest.





here is some more information on beverage antennas w8ji thanx

beverage antennas link


My History With Beverages

I originally began experimenting with long, low, wire antennas in the 1960's. Even though I had a working mostly homebrew station, I now realize I had only a small idea what I was doing, and almost no understanding of what made antennas work.

My entry into Ham radio was from modified broadcast radios, and the very active 160-meter mobile group in Toledo, Ohio. I always thought the longer the antenna, the better the "pickup". was fascinated by the distant AM broadcast, lower shortwave, and 160-meter signals heard with long antennas. My early antennas were nothing more than hundreds or thousands of feet of very thin magnet wire, strung over tree limbs and along telephone poles (which had steel climbing pegs), all through a typical crowded 1950's suburban neighborhood. Unfortunately my early experiments were hampered by lack of room. Thin magnet wire, unwound from early-radio speaker field magnets, strung in the middle of the night through a crowded suburban neighborhood across neighbor's small lots, doesn't stay up long.

In the early 1970's, I moved to a house with several acres of woods. The soil was a very wet, sandy, black loam. A neighbor just north of me, W8FPU (Parker) was actually working a couple of VK's on 160-meters, something very rare at the time. Using information from a series of engineering lectures by John "Jack" Kuecken (now SK) and correspondence with Stew W1BB, I installed my first "real" Beverage antenna. I was delighted to find a large improvement in weak-signal reception from very simple, inexpensive, easy-to-install wire antennas. Eventually, that system evolved from a few long single wires to a two-wire reversible system. The two-wire system used two Beverages, oriented 90 degrees from each other. This gave four direction coverage. That system, with the addition of an in-phase and out-of-phase combiner, evolved into a forced-null system using just two reversible antennas. This was before binocular cores were available, and ferrite beads were just appearing. At the early date, I used a series of 73-mix beads to make my transformers, even publishing a few articles in small newsletters.

I continued to improve or refine my Beverage antennas over the years. Virtually all of my Beverage antennas now are arrays of multiple Beverages, not just single wires. While my large circle arrays of verticals, or broadside endfire arrays of verticals, are about even with two long phased Beverages, the Beverage arrays are simpler systems. Arrays of broadside Beverages remain my primary DX receiving antennas for the lowest bands. There isn't any other receiving antenna that is as simple, as easy to construct and maintain, and as foolproof as a Beverage! The only significant Beverage disadvantage is the long physical length required, and maintenance of a very long antenna. If we want significant directivity, Beverages (like all long wire arrays) require a great deal of space .

Testing and Comparing Antennas

I work a little different than many or most people when experimenting, always A-B testing and comparing antennas over time. This is partly because a newer, bigger, or better looking antenna always feels better. Even before something is used, especially if the "something new" involved effort or expense, we can "like" it and become emotionally invested in it. We want something new to work better, so we look for everything "good".

I credit a 7th and 8th grade science teacher for educating students about this phenomena. Early in school, a science teacher at Olney middle school in Northwood, Ohio demonstrated how easily and often false conclusions are reached, based on feelings about results or past performance memory. One year of science with Mr. Kohler, when I was 12 or 13 years old, changed how I look at many things in life. Because of Mr. Kohler, I almost always retain a reference or control, try to use direct measurements of what I actually want to know, and use multiple methods when possible. Mr. Kohler demonstrated how easy it was to reach false conclusions, unless we use valid measurements.

Most antenna myths and misconceptions, many making it into print in articles, come from repeating feelings or unsubstantiated claims, or are based on improper measurements or models. I've seen comparisons years apart, going on memory of how signals were on some other antenna that was long gone!

I presently have a great deal of room, with wiring in place to install multiple antennas, and reasonably good test equipment. This allows installation of multiple antenna systems at the same time, which allows direct comparisons over time, as well as measurements. I constantly refine antenna systems by comparing systems against each other for extended periods of time, usually more than a year.

there are more pictures and documents please go to link above


***************************************************************************


I found a great video which guides you through making a 10 meter dipole.
it really is excellent... easy to understand. and easy to do..

here is the link to the video:how to build a 10 meter dipole


if you like it please let me know....
if you hate it and know of a better one please let me know via the comments
just below this post.

thank you so much





Tuesday, July 23, 2019

POTA - Parks On the Air (TIPS)

Parks On the Air www.parksontheair.com



here are some tips and docs to help with a POTA activation


1. please remember to bring your Amateur Radio ID or something like that
2. how to get started
3. World Wide Flora Fauna
4. KFF World Wide Flora Fauna
5. POTA LOG
6. earphones
7. handouts to public asking questions (YL's bring some YLRL information)

Monday, March 18, 2019

United States hams operating outside of US... what to do?

Operating Overseas Operating Overseas FAQ
1) Does the country you will be visiting participate in a multilateral reciprocal operating
authority--CEPT or IARP? If so, operate under CEPT or IARP.
2) If it does not, can I obtain a Reciprocal Operating Permit even if the country does not share a Reciprocal Operating Agreement (bilateral) with the US? Yes
3) Are you traveling to Canada? The US and Canada share an automatic reciprocal operating agreement. How can I operate outside the US?

You can find a complete listing of the requirement for a country or countries at Operating Information by Country. This includes most countries, including CEPT and IARP participating countries.

How can I operate when CEPT or IARP isn't possible?
Yes. It is possible to obtain a permit a permit for almost every country in the world. Although ARRL maintains paper files at HQ, the most up-to-date information on obtaining permission to operate in a country can be found online at the ARRL Web site or on the Web site of Veikko Komppa, OH2MCN. ARRL HQ and Veke, OH2MCN, work together to make sure that up-to-date information appears.

This can include information on the national Amateur Radio society, repeaters and local clubs. Information on travel warnings in a particular country can be obtained from the US Department of State with the primary purpose of alerting the public to adverse conditions in specific countries.


Are there guidelines for obtaining a permit? The most complete information appears on the ARRL Web page. If specific application information for a country on this page is unavailable or unclear, write a letter of request or send an e-mail to the countries telecommunications authority for a permit. Include information on the purpose of your trip, the dates and place(s) of your stay, your passport and the equipment you intend to use. Attach to it a photocopy of your amateur radio license issued by FCC. In some cases where Amateur Radio is not widespread, a letter attesting to your character signed by the chief of police (or equivalent) of your hometown might help if attached.

Submit your application as much in advance of your trip as possible. It may take 30 to 90 days or more to be processed. Do not forget to keep a photocopy of everything you send for future reference. This does not guarantee that you will get operating permission, but it is a start. In many cases, it is important to have contacts in a country and the IARU society of that country may be helpful. What are my privileges are in the country I will visit? When operating under CEPT or IARP, there are two classes: Class 1 licensees are those who have demonstrated proficiency in Morse code to the licensing agency. They may operate with the same privileges they are authorized in their home country provided that they do not exceed those privileges granted to the highest class license available in the country. Class 2 licensees have not demonstrated proficiency in Morse code to their national telecommunications agency and are limited to privileges above 50 MHz. If the country does not participate in CEPT or IARP, the privileges are whatever the telecommunications agency granting the reciprocal operating authority says that they are. If not specified, the ITU Regional provisions apply generally, but there may be exceptions. How can I operate my station in Canada? When a US amateur operates in Canada, simply bring your FCC license, proof of your US citizenship (a birth certificate or other proof) and identify as call / Canadian identifier, like N1KB/VE3. At least once during the communication, you must state your geographical location, like "30 km north of Toronto."

http://www.arrl.org/us-amateurs-operating-overseas


Friday, March 15, 2019

Ladder Line - LOW LOSS - LOW LOSS


this Information is specifically about ladder line.



here is an example of a dipole with ladder line


REMEMBER LADDER LINE HAS LOWER LOSS THAN COAX.


here is a typical dipole design

Spacing of the wires in ladder line (and their relative diameter) sets the impedance of the line.



advantages of ladder line
LOW LOSS, less expensive, easy to make, perfect for dipole or loop


disadvantages of ladder line
should not touch almost anything, (house, leaves, metal, trees, etc)


if you know of more tips to help other hams please forward your information to
KA1ULN@MAIL.COM

THANX SO MUCH

33/73

Featured Post

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

2024  Parks ON The Air   www.parksontheair.com ******************************************************************************           ...