@g7vkq@mastodon.radio avatar

g7vkq

@g7vkq@mastodon.radio

Full time husband & dad, chess parent, IT professional, all-round technogeek & amateur radio enthusiast (G7VKQ). LIDS G-QRP 13104. ❤️ all things Hallyu

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M0CUV, to random
@M0CUV@mastodon.radio avatar

This “DJROLL” USB solar power bank is nice (pity I missed that it doesn’t have USB C PD output). The light at the front is very powerful - and it has an “SOS” mode too… except it actually flashes “SG” in Morse :)

g7vkq,
@g7vkq@mastodon.radio avatar

@M0CUV I had a look earlier…and it really did look like a great toy!

M0CUV, to hamradio
@M0CUV@mastodon.radio avatar

Does anyone have a recommendation for a USB to 9V DC converter? USB A, micro B or C (not PD, which would handle this already) to typical barrel connector? I have a USB power bank that I’d like to power low-ish current 9V equipment with. Have looked on Amazon, but not overly inspired by what’s there.

g7vkq,
@g7vkq@mastodon.radio avatar

@M0CUV M0KVI successfully uses MyVolts Ripcords with his Mountain Topper rig on SOTA activations https://myvolts.co.uk/page.php?xPage=MV_Ripcord&jssCart=bf77d2ef696d68f4fad567127513761b For something cheaper how about https://thepihut.com/products/usb-to-2-1mm-dc-booster-cable-9v Musicians seem fond of powering fx pedals from these booster cables…so just watch the barrels are wired correctly for your needs…as fx pedals seem to use centre -ve often

g7vkq,
@g7vkq@mastodon.radio avatar

@M0CUV 😂These days you kinda assume PD USB-C is supported! Yes - the MyVolts cables do look a step up on others…but they are more expensive. Hopefully they should also be relatively RF noise free too (give we know they have been successfully used to power a rig for activations)

g7vkq,
@g7vkq@mastodon.radio avatar

@M0CUV you and I clearly have the same goal here - ultralight solarpunk datamodes station would be perfect! I’ve been trying to source some 60W military solar mats from the US…but the maker refuses to send them to the UK. I’ll have to ask him again…

g7vkq,
@g7vkq@mastodon.radio avatar

@M0CUV ooo…thank you. I’ll take a look👍 The sort of thing I was looking at were https://www.powerfilmsolar.com/products/foldable-solar-panels/60-watt-foldable-solar-panel - but at a reasonable price

g7vkq, to random
@g7vkq@mastodon.radio avatar

I hear a new iOS app for FT8 (&FT4) is going to appear soon - called iFTx. Not sure how it will connect to rigs…but apparently it will be available soon… Author is called Christoph Nadig. The screenshots look like it will be an FT8CN alternative for iOS

g7vkq,
@g7vkq@mastodon.radio avatar

@hb3xew https://www.facebook.com/groups/500973133298752/permalink/6101076763288333/?mibextid=rS40aB7S9Ucbxw6v the latest message was two weeks ago offering the chance to sign beta testers up @M0CUV

g7vkq, to random
@g7vkq@mastodon.radio avatar

Ooow…new radio day😊. Yu BG2FX has sent me one of his lovely little FX4CR rigs. It comes in a nice protective case, along with a small instruction pamphlet, custom mic, fused power cable and phono/usb adapter

FX4CR protective enclosure to show contents of transceiver, microphone, fused power cable, spare fuses and USB cable (3.5mm phono to USB-A)

g7vkq,
@g7vkq@mastodon.radio avatar

@g7kse haven’t had a chance to play yet - but watching other’s reviews and reading the specs, it looks a cracker! The size, solid build quality, wireless Bluetooth datamodes ability, 20W power output in certain modes & the panadapter made it irresistible to me!

g7vkq,
@g7vkq@mastodon.radio avatar

@g7kse There are very limited options for me to operate from home, so having a portable capability really opens up the usability for me. It’s really a one man company, but Yu has been very responsive with software updates and fixes, and has open sourced his software. He also responds quickly to any enquiry. Whilst he doesn’t have the support capability of bigger companies, I’d actually prefer to fund him and watch his products and ideas flourish

g7vkq,
@g7vkq@mastodon.radio avatar

@M0CUV @g7kse managed to do a firmware update, and I’m getting used to the controls. I’ve paired it (via Bluetooth) with the FT8CN app on my Android tablet, and transmitting into a dummy load. Although you can run FT8CN at 20W, Yu recommends keeping the power to around 5W due to the duty cycle.

M0CUV, to hamradio
@M0CUV@mastodon.radio avatar

Not bad progress on the QDX build today. Capacitors, inductors, diodes and final transistors installed. (With sockets since I’ll almost certainly end up blowing them!) Next: The output transformer. But that’s a task for another day. Eyesight is still capable of through-hole construction!

g7vkq,
@g7vkq@mastodon.radio avatar

@M0CUV My weird twisted sister winding for T1…and a mock up of how I created the right winding (leave a bit more of a loop than my demo shows). I almost bought some extra reels of coloured wire from wires.co.uk to help identify the right windings

T1 transformer for a HB QDX transceiver

M0CUV, to hamradio
@M0CUV@mastodon.radio avatar

After dismay at not finding any viable way to send serial data from iOS over USB, I was thinking I'd either have to investigate a Bluetooth converter that might allow this, or buy an Android device (not altogether horrendous, even given I'm a happy Apple user).
However!
After re-watching Hans Summer's video about the design and facilities of the QDX, I see that it has VOX, which is usually disabled, in favour of CAT.

1/2

g7vkq,
@g7vkq@mastodon.radio avatar

@M0CUV Far from wanting to dissuade you as I think the goal is very laudable, the pragmatic path of least resistance is a dedicated Android device to work with FT8CN. Yes VOX might work. With an iPad Pro, there’s a solution with the Pi driving the QDX & the iPad being the terminal to the Pi…however that’s a more complex (& expensive) solution. A £170 throw-in-the-bag tablet dedicated to FT8CN was by far the simplest answer for me…after I recovered from the realisation I owned an Android device😆

g7vkq,
@g7vkq@mastodon.radio avatar

@M0CUV it’s so frustrating that the iOS ecosystem is locked down so much in this case. Kudos to the FT8CN developer however - he really has created a compelling solution that justified spending money and heading down the Android path. Hopefully my FX4CR will appear in June - and then that eliminates even the usb cable between the tablet and the rig, as I can switch to both audio streams and CAT control over Bluetooth for the highest speed, lowest drag solution going

M0CUV, to hamradio
@M0CUV@mastodon.radio avatar

Does anyone know of a UK-available multicore / rosin flux leader solder for ? The good old stuff, not this hard-to-use lead free type? RS list some but I couldn’t find any in stock.

g7vkq,
@g7vkq@mastodon.radio avatar

@M0CUV if you are looking for Multicore branded solder, Henkel sold their solder business to Harimatic. https://www.harima.co.jp/en/products/electronics/multicore/ You can order Harimatic products from Digikey

g7vkq,
@g7vkq@mastodon.radio avatar

@M0CUV this is the last solder reel I purchased. Seems to be OK, and Mouser were happy to ship to the UK https://mou.sr/42Nj5tv

g7vkq,
@g7vkq@mastodon.radio avatar

@M0CUV oh gosh yes! Suitable for both SMD and through-hole work. It’s a thin wire (0.8mm) but that’s shouldn’t be a problem - you can just feed a little more into the joint. I found it was good value for half a pound of solder

g7vkq,
@g7vkq@mastodon.radio avatar

@M0CUV it’s what I used for my QDX!

g7vkq,
@g7vkq@mastodon.radio avatar

@M0CUV You can use thinner wires with Powerpoles (assuming you don’t want to draw 45A) - just double the wire at the end that gets Power-poled (…if there is such a verb). It was a hint I saw on the Powerwerx site

M0CUV, to hamradio
@M0CUV@mastodon.radio avatar

This weekend’s data mode station setup is too big. It’s portable, but too big. Am looking at the QCX transceiver, a small ATU, and a slightly smaller design for my modular T2LT vertical dipole system. Raspberry Pi can replace the Windows laptop I hope.

g7vkq,
@g7vkq@mastodon.radio avatar

@croyle @VA2XJM @M0CUV ‘portable’ 😆. I’m working on as close as I can find to a high speed, low drag setup. Yes - the tuner issue isn’t at all obvious at first. Sverre has some suggestions https://la3za.blogspot.com/2023/04/3-tips-for-not-blowing-finals-of-qdx.html

g7vkq,
@g7vkq@mastodon.radio avatar

@VA2XJM @croyle @M0CUV the source code for FT8CN is publicly available as a starting point! I should note that the Oukitel doesn’t need a OTG cable either … it seems to support full USB-C functionality

g7vkq,
@g7vkq@mastodon.radio avatar

@VA2XJM @M0CUV @croyle this is where I bought mine last week https://kunkune.co.uk/shop/power-converter-modules/zk-4kx-dc-buck-boost-converter-cc-cv-0-5-30v-4a-adjustable-regulated-power-supply/

g7vkq,
@g7vkq@mastodon.radio avatar

@VA2XJM @croyle @M0CUV the Oukitel seems to vary in price on Amazon from £199 to £169 (the price a few days ago). I bought at the lower price and had to wait a few weeks for it to go through one of it’s price drop cycles. That app on the iOS App Store only handles audio though - so needs holding up to a loudspeaker or mic (but I could be wrong about that)

g7vkq,
@g7vkq@mastodon.radio avatar

@croyle @M0CUV @VA2XJM i definitely have used external sound cards with iPads before via the OTG route. I might try some tests with my Digirig and iPad Pro. That has USB-C connections end to end…so maybe that might be a viable route🤷‍♂️ . This note on the Digirig forum is frustratingly vague though… so I suspect no one has got it working properly https://forum.digirig.net/t/digirig-with-ft8-decoder-app-and-ios/55

g7vkq,
@g7vkq@mastodon.radio avatar

@M0CUV @VA2XJM @croyle https://digirig.net/setting-audio-levels-for-digital-modes/

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