APRS with JS8Call on 40M

 I had my first successful APRS position spot over HF on 40M using JS8Call.  Until this point I had only used APRSDroid with APRSIS.  I also had registered and sent successful text messages to SMSGTE through APRSDroid.  So I of course had to test this as well on JS8Call and while I couldn't get the message sent with 5w or 10w I was finally successful with 25w (possibly required as I was transmitting during the overpass of tropical depression Sally).  But in an emergency conditions are probably not going to be optimal.  The only thing left to test is SMS -> APRS where someone like my wife could reach me.

I now plan to order the Mobilinkd TNC and adapter cable for my Baofeng 5VR+ providing a VHF APRS mobile solution.  I of course would have the HF if out camping, etc.  The eventual plan for HF QRP is either a LAB599 TX-500 Discovery or the Xiegu 5105.  The biggest difference from my perspective between these two are the TX-500 is rugged/splash resistant as well as the waterfall display, while the 5105 has a builtin ATU.  Of course as long as I use a tuned antenna then I'm leaning towards the TX-500.

NanoVNA Web on Chrome

 Today I got my NanoVNA connected to my Ubuntu Linux Laptop and used NanoVNA Web to interact with the interface.  This is awesome and allows you to set the Nano VNA down and work with something larger.

Below are some screenshots of the NanoVNA plotting SWR/Resistance on my Slinktenna for bands 160m - 6m.  All bands are tune-able with my Yaesu FT-991 ATU as the highest SWR is 1:2.39, but I also run a MFG-939Y. 👌😁💪

Bands: 160m - 20m

Bands: 17m - 30m

Bands: 6m

 

Dipole Antenna with 1:1 Voltage Balun

So I wanted to create my first dipole antenna for HF reason communication. I bought a 1:1 Voltage Balun DIY lot from Amazon for $22 with prime.

I initially implemented it incorrectly as the first picture shows then corrected it in the second. In the end I was able to work 6-40m using my MFJ-939Y external tuner. 

Now the plan is to get it installed in the attic. Sometime this fall after the heat does down 😉. 

QSOs on 20/30/40m

I have been running a center-fed dipole antenna in my bonus room while I work on finishing my unfinished storage room for my ham shack and putting antennas in my attic.  With this temporary antenna setup I'm sticking to digital modes and <=10W of power.  20M meters was great on FT8 and I've extended my dipole for 40m and was able to still tune 20M and surprisingly 30M.  The room and space is not great so reception for 40M has not exceeded 700 miles.  While on 20M I have received as far as 4400 miles.  But the long term plan I hope is the Slinktenna  that I am waiting to be shipped.

With my new vanity call sign I'm starting today with WSPR transmissions on 40M and see how the dipole is doing.  I will catch a screen capture of my performance today from pskreporter and add to this post.

K4RUF Vanity Callsign

Just received confirmation from FCC that my vanity callsign was issued - K4RUF.  Now I've learned more patience as I try to update various entities as LoTW, QRZ, eQSL.  Hope to be on the air soon with the new callsign.

Digital Modes Are Alive

I recently got my HF radio off eBay and ending going with a Yaesu FT-991 (not the "a").  Cost was a factor and very good portability for a full 100W 6-160m rig.  So the first thing I did was string up a 10m dipole in my bonus room.  This was great and I could RX in 20/40/80m but little to no activity on 10m so therefore no TX :-(.

So I decided to double the length of the dipole to support 20m and go digital.  This made sense as I wanted to keep with 5-10W as the antenna was in the same room as I was.  Now here is where the decision to with the FT-991 came in real handy as it supported digital modes via its USB connection natively to your PC.

So got the dipole extended and installed WSJT-X on my Ubuntu laptop and tuned up to <1.1:1 SWR.  BTW the dipole has a 1:1 BALUN that I built from a kit on Amazon.  I started experimenting with FT8 initially and after watching some QSOs take place on 20m I decided to dive in and send out my first CQ @5W.  Whoa, I immediately got and response and watched as the software handled the rest with the designed automation to exchange SNR and GRID info.  And like that I had my first QSO and logged it to CQRLOG.  I later setup WSJT-X to log automatically to CQRLOG.

In a 3 day period I was able to perform 78 QSOs all to unique callsigns including some DXs to Canada, France, Cuba, Puerto Rico, Spain, Dominica, Mexico, Brazil and Venezuela.  The farthest QSO was Brazil @4160 mi or 6696 Km which sounds better!

My last highlight before signing off on the second day was I made a QSO and POTA spot for a ham in Washington state that was 2398 mi away.  This was a really great QSO that I also spotted on pota.us and confirmed with the same person on the facebook digital POTA group!  Nice!

First QSOs

Today was the first day I made contacts over the radio successfully.  I now know my previous failed attempts were a result of either a under-powered HT or the short in my mobile setup.  With short corrected I made my first contact headed to Jiffy Lube for an inspection on the 70cm (440Mhz) band.  We had a good chat and he turned out to be a string advocate for new HAMs and making sure they didn't abandon the hobby as a result of frustration.  He got my email from QRZ.com and sent some links about classes he teaches and a social media network project he is working on with a group that is designed to function purely over packet radio (no internet involved at all).

After the Jiffy Lube inspection and a chat with my wife I made contact with a fellow HAM on the 1.25m (220Mhz) band which the repeater was on an antenna just over 20 miles away from location (and I was driving further away).  This was a great test of the new Compactenna and 25W Radioddity QB25 quad-band radio I was using.  We maintained a conversation until I we descended down into a small valley and he reported my signal as too weak to continue.  I gave a 73 and called it a success.

Later during the night after listening to a couple of NETs (no I haven't participated in one yet) I was waiting for my daughter's youth group at our Church to let out and struck up a conversation with a gentleman on 2m (144Mhz) who had been a HAM for 50 years by his calculations.  We had a short conversation where he like all others congratulated me on becoming a HAM and hoped I enjoyed the hobby for years to come.

This wrapped up a good day with contacts on all three VHF/UHF bands and confirmation that the mobile setup was doing pretty good.

Compactenna Finally Working!

So as stated in my previous post I did configure a ground jumper from the NMO mount to the ground at the FireRing.  However in doing this I discovered I had a short when testing continuity on the setup.  Further testing  revealed a short inside the cabling conductor and the grounding sheath.  Luckily I had enough cable to simply cut it and this allowed me to switch from using the FireRing to a PL-259 connector on the end.  After continuity was successfully tested to have no shorts I was happy.  Below is the final outcome with a FireStik offset mounting plate I had previously.  Now I can simply get a NMO to 3/8-24 stud adapter like TRAMs 1295 when I need to switch to my CB radio.

Compactenna...Grounded?

Today didn't work out so well. I did receive my Compactenna Tri-Band (2m/1.25m/70cm) antenna for my vehicle. I was previously using a Tri-Band standard vertical whip, but it doesn't compare to the 7.5" Compactenna. However, I can receive all day long but after some testing it seems I'm unable to transmit. The most likely culprit is that my connection is comprised of the following:

• 1x Compactenna NMO mount (DXEngineering)
• 1x NMO to SO-239 adapter
• 1x PL-259 coupler
• 1x SO-239 to 3/8-24 stud mount
• 1x Firestik Fire-Ring. 

My understanding is that the NMO mount requires a ground and the Fire-Ring grounds out before the antenna (see "Fire-Ring to K-4 Stud Assembly below).  So I'm not clear if this can work. Is it possible that simply trying to extend ground from the NMO mount to the ground side of the Fire-Ring mount would solve the problem?  Guess we'll find out.  In case you're wondering why I'm keeping the Fire-Ring it's b/c I need the option to switch to my Midland CB and FireStik II 5/8λ antenna.

Day 1 of KO4BFT

So today is the day the FCC issued my call sign after passing my Technicians Exam on 11-JAN-2020.  As you can see from the title it is KO4BFT and I have yet to use it.  But I don't think that will take long.

This post is simply to mark the start of this adventure will detail radios, antenna and maybe even the creation of a HAM Shack.  Enjoy!