Last month, I looked at the Baojie BJ-218, and in October I looked at the Leixen VV-898S "man-pack" rig. Both of them are somewhat interesting additions to the 25W "mid-power" offerings of Chinese manufacturers, and both of them hinted at 1.25M operation. A bit more information is available now.
The Leixen VV-898E is a 25W dual-band mobile available for about $90, without the portable "man-pack" capability. It seems to be identical to the VV-898 that I reviewed previously (and which I use in my car), only you can now get a 25W radio for what the 10W model used to cost. The receiver is very sensitive, and the filtering on the front-end is marginal. No 1.25M capability, however. I believe that this could be a nice first rig for home use, with enough power to work simplex, if intermod isn't an issue for the location. I also think that it could be a cheap solution for APRS, since the pinout for the mic jack is available.
The "man-pack" version is the VV-898S. This is more interesting. For about $250, you get a 25W dual-band transceiver (with 1.25M RX). A 25A rechargeable battery is included inside of a housing that slides over the radio, and a front-panel SO-239 would allow you to use something like the Nagoya NL-R2 whip for portable operation. Pictures show that there's a charging jack, a headphone jack, a power switch, and a fan switch on the exterior case. An AC charger is included, though a programming cable is separate. There are a few ventilation holes in the case, a small fan is included to help keep the radio cool at high power.
A 10W version is available for $170.
Leixen is no longer including a shoulder bag with the radio, which is disappointing. Still, the "man-pack" rig is intriguing. It's a self-contained portable transceiver that would seem to be very nice for field work. Connect it to a roll-up J-pole and you've got a portable station with enough power for simplex. A tape-measure Yagi or tripod-mounted beam expands the possibilities. The VV-898 is Part 90 certified, and the VFO can be disabled through the programming software. This means that non-hams can operate on marine VHF or GMRS with proper programming, or the rig could be a nice base radio on a camping trip with a suspended antenna. A little creativity could allow it to be a field APRS beacon, too.
The Baojie BJ-218 continues to be mysterious, though in a mostly disappointing way. At about $95, it's a 25W "mini" rig. Emails from a Baojie rep previously promised 1.25M operation, but none of the current models include this. The company website has no information whatsoever on the rig. Instead, the focus seems to be on the BJ-9900 -- a full-powered, dual-band mobile (with air band RX), detachable face rig priced at $340. Cross-band repeat capability, decent receiver specs, and possible packet operation make it mildly intriguing.
Right now, I'm waiting to see what will happen with these two rigs. They're both basically still in development, but that usually means that they will get lamer and cheaper rather than adding new features.
Showing posts with label portable operation. Show all posts
Showing posts with label portable operation. Show all posts
Saturday, 30 January 2016
Monday, 26 October 2015
New Leixen 25W manpack rig
I came across the new "man-pack" rig on AliExpress. It looks as if Leixen (pronounced "ee-sheng", believe or not) took their VV-898 and made it 25W instead of 10W. They then put it into some kind of case, added a 12A battery (with charger included), and a "radiator fan" (a heat-sink, maybe?). The case has what I strongly suspect is a SO-239 antenna jack on the front. The whole thing costs $219 and weighs less than four pounds.
(EDIT: There is also a 10W version of the man-pack available for $179)
The VV-898S shown on the AliExpress site is not nearly the same radio shown as a VV-898S on the Leixen site. The rig shown on AliExpress is sold by Eileen Lin, who I have dealt with previously. She does work for Leixen. The 25W radio without the "man-pack" case is sold by Eileen for $129, which is roughly what the 10W version sells for. Other than one version claiming 25W RF out and the other claiming 10W, there are no differences in the specs.
With various knock-offs of the KYT 8900 25W mini transceiver selling fairly well, it's possible that Leixen felt compelled to produce a 25W model of their own. Making it function as a portable is a novel idea. When I first got the (10W) Leixen VV-898, I immediately saw its potential for portable use as it draws less than 2A when transmitting. That was before the flood of 10W HTs came out, however.
My big concern about this "man-pack" rig is ventilation. The 10W version never really got very hot, but it wasn't inside of a metal box, either. I don't see much in the way of ventilation holes in the case shown in the photo on the site, but there's only one angle shown. The various iterations of the KYT 8900 all get hot at 25W, and they aren't enclosed.
You also have to consider that 25W into a duck at ground level isn't going to get you noticeably better performance than 10W would, even on VHF.
Last, I have to concede that the VV-898 is a somewhat flawed radio that's unsuitable for some situations. It has a very sensitive receiver, but that receiver has only marginal front-end filtering. If you are operating in an area with a lot of intermod, the VV-898 would be a poor choice. Where I live, that isn't a serious issue, but it might be for you.
I could see this rig as being nice for camping or hiking, and used with a roll-up J-pole. Four pounds is a bit too much weight for back-packing or portaging, though. Away from intermod, the sensitive receiver would really shine. This would quite probably also make it good for listening to satellites, though the lack of full-duplex capability would make it a less-than-ideal option for transmitting. Running 25W into a hand-held beam, even on VHF, is a bad idea. On UHF, it's a painfully bad idea. Mounted on a tripod and aimed carefully, though, success on FM simplex would be possible with a beam. A portable APRS station is another possibility. And, you could always make a three-element tape-measure Yagi that would be very portable.
Anyway, it's an interesting product. I wonder what market Leixen intended it for. Their other radios seem to have been made to be used as cheap taxi rigs.
(EDIT: There is also a 10W version of the man-pack available for $179)
The VV-898S shown on the AliExpress site is not nearly the same radio shown as a VV-898S on the Leixen site. The rig shown on AliExpress is sold by Eileen Lin, who I have dealt with previously. She does work for Leixen. The 25W radio without the "man-pack" case is sold by Eileen for $129, which is roughly what the 10W version sells for. Other than one version claiming 25W RF out and the other claiming 10W, there are no differences in the specs.
With various knock-offs of the KYT 8900 25W mini transceiver selling fairly well, it's possible that Leixen felt compelled to produce a 25W model of their own. Making it function as a portable is a novel idea. When I first got the (10W) Leixen VV-898, I immediately saw its potential for portable use as it draws less than 2A when transmitting. That was before the flood of 10W HTs came out, however.
My big concern about this "man-pack" rig is ventilation. The 10W version never really got very hot, but it wasn't inside of a metal box, either. I don't see much in the way of ventilation holes in the case shown in the photo on the site, but there's only one angle shown. The various iterations of the KYT 8900 all get hot at 25W, and they aren't enclosed.
You also have to consider that 25W into a duck at ground level isn't going to get you noticeably better performance than 10W would, even on VHF.
Last, I have to concede that the VV-898 is a somewhat flawed radio that's unsuitable for some situations. It has a very sensitive receiver, but that receiver has only marginal front-end filtering. If you are operating in an area with a lot of intermod, the VV-898 would be a poor choice. Where I live, that isn't a serious issue, but it might be for you.
I could see this rig as being nice for camping or hiking, and used with a roll-up J-pole. Four pounds is a bit too much weight for back-packing or portaging, though. Away from intermod, the sensitive receiver would really shine. This would quite probably also make it good for listening to satellites, though the lack of full-duplex capability would make it a less-than-ideal option for transmitting. Running 25W into a hand-held beam, even on VHF, is a bad idea. On UHF, it's a painfully bad idea. Mounted on a tripod and aimed carefully, though, success on FM simplex would be possible with a beam. A portable APRS station is another possibility. And, you could always make a three-element tape-measure Yagi that would be very portable.
Anyway, it's an interesting product. I wonder what market Leixen intended it for. Their other radios seem to have been made to be used as cheap taxi rigs.
Sunday, 14 June 2015
Loose Notes 6/14/15
Another quick run-down of the previous week's radio developments:
- I guess that there was some kind of MS 150-type event over the weekend, as there was a lot of APRS traffic indicating that. The Hinckley K0YTH-10 digipeater got a work-out, and a lot of traffic bounced off from that machine to the N9XH-4 (Balsam Lake, WI) digipeater, to the northern metro digipeaters (e.g. N0HOY-14 and K0LAV-8). The network of RX-only I-gates did a great job handling the extra load.
- Another new digipeater has sprung up in Brooklyn Park. KC0KEP is located near the Crystal Airport, and the new digipeater has handled a lot of packets for the recent weekend event from Forest Lake and even further north. I'd rather see such a nice receiving setup acting as a gateway instead of a digipeater, but we need something in the NW metro. Hopefully, this new addition will stick around.
- My new 15M dipole (with balun) has arrived in time for Field Day. Barry from Hy Power Antennas was as good as his word, and I'm ready to wade back into HF waters -- if only for a day. I'll be setting up in St. Louis Park with KE0NA (Dave) for QRP operation on 15M and 10M using voice and CW. Look for us on APRS to find out the band/mode we're working at the moment. I expect to have my 5W HT running into my three-element Yagi, and that should reach the local packet infrastructure just fine.
- On Saturday (6/13), I was surprised to hear KE0NA on the local C4FM 442.925+ (114.8 PL) repeater. I was even more surprised when he told me that he was operating mobile on the 223.900- (100.0 PL) repeater. Obviously, the WIRES-X link to the 1.25M repeater has been restored by N0BVE (Don) over the course of the past week. The audio was strongly "digitised", and I scarcely recognised Dave's voice, but he was completely readable. The EchoLink node for the 224.660- (100.0 PL) has been down for a few weeks now, so the .925 is the best way to operate on 1.25M if you don't have a radio for the band.
- Speaking of the 442.925, I had a chat there this week with KA8JRJ (Fred). He was operating on WIRES-X from Michigan through a hub in Texas. Per Fred, the WIRES-X room in Beaumont, TX connects several repeaters across the country and even into England. The local 442.925 machine is one of those repeaters linked to the Texas hub, so it's a good place to hang out for some out-of-state conversation.
- I had my first 2M SSB contact this week! I was immensely surprised to hear KA0RYT (Ron) come back to me on CW, and he then suggested moving to SSB. I first heard someone on CW while casually listening on 144.200 with a vertical whip, so I put up my VHF Yagi hastily. It was set horizontally, and pointed east. This greatly improved the signal, and I was able to tune in precisely and get the callsign. The tone of the CW signal was a bit raspy, but I could copy it. After making contact, I learned that he was in Milaca (to the north-west), and I turned my beam towards Ron for even more improvement in the signal. At a distance of 50 miles, this was my furthest two-metre simplex contact yet.
- I put some LMR-240 coax on my Sirio GP-430 UHF ground-plane antenna this week, replacing the RG-8X that I've been using. This is the antenna that looks like a beer can with three radials sticking out. I've had the mount for about two months now, and I've been using it on UHF FM to get into the local amateur repeaters, as well as the local GMRS repeaters. It's very wide-band and shows flat SWR on all of the 440-MHz frequencies and even up into the 467 MHz GMRS repeater input frequencies. I've been relying on it heavily to reach the 442.425+ DMR repeater, as well. The radials provide a rock-solid signal that my other whips don't give me, and I no longer have to swap antennae to work GMRS. The upgrade to LMR 240 coaxial cable has given me (much) less noise from neighbours' electronics, and boosted reception by about one S-unit.
- One of the first repeaters that I tried with the new coax was the 444.050+ (114.8 PL) in St. Paul. It's always been a challenging UHF repeater for me to reach. I got in well at 10W, and caught up with N0GOI (Terry). He's taking a well-deserved break from developing his various repeaters, but he still has plans to link the VHF 145.170- (100.0 PL) to the UHF 444.050 machine. Ultimately, he wants to create a cross-band linked network that would incorporate the NE Minneapolis 444.575+, the Hugo 443.050+, and the Foreston VHF and UHF repeaters into the previously-mentioned cross-band pair. It's an ambitious vision, but one that would create activity on currently-unused repeaters and expand coverage dramatically.
Sunday, 7 June 2015
Loose Notes 6/7/15
Yet another quick run-down on what's happened over the past week:
- The UHF 444.950+ (114.8 PL) repeater in White Bear Lake has experienced...something. I used to be able to reach this machine from my car, and even with an HT/stock duck indoors. This week, though, it takes a much better signal to even "ker-chunk" it. Even 5W with my exterior whip antenna is just ignored by the receiver. My 10W mobile has about 50/50 odds of "ker-chunking" the repeater now, when it used to be completely reliable driving around Plymouth. It still seems be transmitting fine, as I get S9 here when I use sufficient power. The VHF .390 is working great, as always.
- The VHF repeater in Becker -- 147.345+ (85.4 PL) -- is also apparently down. This is a 600-foot powerhouse repeater that I've had QSOs on with under 10W, and now 50W into a beam results in only silence.
- The VHF SNP HandiHam repeater on 145.230- (114.8 PL) is also performing much worse over the past week. Usually it came in here at least S6 with the exterior whip, but now it's barely above the noise floor at S3.
- The MGRC's feeble 443.700+ repeater seems to be off-air. Since it usually only came in at S2 from eight miles away, it's hard to tell. It was never listed on RepeaterBook, so there's nothing to update.
- Unknown to the parties involved, N0BVE (Don) has pulled the WIRES-X link between two other repeaters and his 444.925+ C4FM repeater: the 1.25M 223.900- (100.0 PL) and the UHF 442.175+ (100.0 PL) machines. WIRES-X is still working on the .925, as I just had a conversation with KG7NKG (David) in Idaho on the C4FM hybrid machine yesterday. The two de-linked repeaters still remain linked to each other, however.
- I finally got the EchoLink node on the 145.370- (107.2 PL) repeater to work. K0MSP-L (node 9975) has never worked for me, but yesterday I switched from "Relay" to "Direct" mode and I was allowed in. Currently, it's connected to a conference server in Ireland, though there's no traffic on the repeater, and nobody else is allowed in. Weird...
- Speaking of EchoLink, KC0VRV (Matt) has set up a simplex node on UHF 446.025 in Hugo. Range is estimated at 5 to 8 miles.
- Meanwhile, the TCFMC's putative node (mentioned on their site) has been continuously down for at least 18 months, and only working for about two weeks over the past two years. Is it really a node if it's never logged in?
- There's a new APRS gateway in Ramsey. KE0BRY-10 has been in operation a few days, and is providing coverage on Hwy. 10 between Anoka and Elk River. it's also gating digipeated packets well into the metro. On the other hand, the KG9B gateway in Hudson has gone dark, and the AE0RF-10 RX-only gateway in St. Paul has switched to an experimental mobile gateway mode that may not be working as intended.
- Previously, I mentioned running in to the 147.360+ (136.5 PL) repeater in Hampton during a road trip. K0JTA (Mike) felt confident that I could reach this repeater from my home in Plymouth during our conversation, so this past week I tried to do just that. I put my flimsy 2M Yagi on the tripod and aimed it, as best I could, toward Hampton. To my great surprise, I not only "ker-chunked" the Hampton repeater, but I carried on an extended QSO with Mike. I started out at 25W, and worked down to only 5W. I was still readable at 5W, though 15W worked better. The machine itself came back at S6. Even if you don't have a good enough antenna or enough power to work the .360, it has EchoLink (K0JTA-R).
- I usually watch the 2M propagation maps daily, and last week had some very good conditions. It's not uncommon for the W0YC-5 gateway to reach Duluth, and for the N0AGI gateway to reach Mason City, IA! These maps work on the APRS signals received, and packet generally doesn't go as far as voice, so the actual conditions are probably better than what's shown. And, APRS is FM, so SSB will generally work farther, as it's a "weak signal" mode. Still, I've had no luck with my 2M beam running horizontally on 144.200 SSB or CW.
- Yesterday (6/6) KE0NA and I had a chat on the local DMR repeater -- 442.425+ -- and we both noticed that the interference from the .850's remote receive site had decreased significantly. Not sure what was done, if anything, but I was able to get in to the repeater using an indoor whip from Plymouth while there was activity on the 145.850 machine. Dave noticed no packet loss, and we didn't get the "deny" tone indicating that the DMR receiver was swamped by the TX of the remote receive site.
- Also regarding DMR, KE0NA (Dave) now has fully-licensed Motorola programming software and working code-plugs. So, if you've hesitated about picking up a Motorola HT because you couldn't get it programmed, that's no longer an issue. There are also code-plugs available for the Connect Systems CS-700 DMR HT. They will soon be available on twintrbo.com, or you can just email me for the CS700 version. A code-plug is just a programming file that you load on to the radio. With DMR, programming is a lot harder than it is with an analogue FM radio, so it's nice to have something ready-made that is known to work.
- With Field Day coming up, I've ordered a 15M dipole to set up in my brother's back yard. Look for me on 15M CW, because I'm a Tech. I'll be running QRP, and not contesting. I have options for 6M and 10M, too, so a "sked" can be set up if you want to experiment.
- N0BZZ (Randy) has informed me that LSAC is in danger of losing several of their sites, including the once-popular Isanti 443.325+ site. Per Randy, Verizon has been selling off towers to raise money, and these towers are used for several LSAC repeaters. The new owners (ATC) seem to be disinclined to allow other equipment on their new acquisitions. While this was supposed to be the time of year to rebuild the network, instead everything is up in the air. The Isanti site is the crucial link between the northern MN network and the metro area. This is potentially disastrous news for the future of linked networks in the state.
Saturday, 18 October 2014
Ham radio on the ice
One of the things that I really enjoyed in the few months after I got my licence was portable operation. You can generally set up antennae in parks (though I've run into some law-enforcement personnel who would disagree), but that gets more uncomfortable here in MN during the winter. For those living in antenna-restricted situations, this is the best opportunity to work HF or set up more-conspicuous antennae.
One of my solutions was operating out on the lake in winter.
Once the lakes freeze over, you have a big expanse of unobstructed flat terrain available that no HOA has a claim to. Inside of Minneapolis proper, you can't set up a permanent (overnight) fish-house, but you can use a portable (tent-like) option and a heater. Assuming that can auger a hole in the ice, a pole can be frozen in to the ice, along with a ground (the lake) connected to your radio. You can string up a dipole about as far as you want, though height is the real limitation. Otherwise outside of the city limits, you can attach a mast to a sturdier fish-house. Maybe you could use a tree on shore for an end-fed sloper, or set up a ground-plane antenna. If the ice is thick enough, your vehicle could be your 'fish-house' and you could set up a lot of different HF situations using vehicle DC power and the support of the vehicle for antennae. Cars aren't allowed on the urban lakes, of course, but the suburbs are a different story.
For satellite work, too, lakes offer big areas with much less obstruction on the horizons. While they aren't generally high ground, lakes offer space free of metallic objects and structures that affect SWR, and they offer an ideal RF ground.
As a Minnesotan, it's always fascinated me how frozen lakes are kind of free temporary property. You can go out on any public lake and set up a house rent-free and tax-free. Of course, you need to get (and post) a licence for anything set up overnight. This is just to tie someone's name to the fish-house, in case somebody set up a meth lab inside or something. But otherwise, you can spend as much time in that structure as you want, as long as the ice can support it. That's obviously why they aren't allowed in the city proper. People would be living in them. Not living large, but living rent-free.
But the lake offers space to run dipoles or set up tall masts. As long as you have power -- from a generator, battery, or vehicle -- you can set up in the middle of nowhere away from QRM or go over to Medicine Lake in Plymouth (as I did) and set up an NVIS antenna for 40M CW. With a heater in a portable shelter, you can sit around in a sweatshirt, comfortable and dry -- while a snowstorm rages around you -- and "play radio" in the solitude and quiet of a winter evening. The best part is that you can set up in a shallow area away from other people fishing and not bother them.
You aren't required to fish while in a fish-house, but it would be a good idea to have a fishing licence to avoid conflict with any authorities you may encounter. They may be sceptical that you're out on Mille Lacs looking for DX and not muskies.
Keep the ice in mind if you have limits to your antenna situation.
One of my solutions was operating out on the lake in winter.
Once the lakes freeze over, you have a big expanse of unobstructed flat terrain available that no HOA has a claim to. Inside of Minneapolis proper, you can't set up a permanent (overnight) fish-house, but you can use a portable (tent-like) option and a heater. Assuming that can auger a hole in the ice, a pole can be frozen in to the ice, along with a ground (the lake) connected to your radio. You can string up a dipole about as far as you want, though height is the real limitation. Otherwise outside of the city limits, you can attach a mast to a sturdier fish-house. Maybe you could use a tree on shore for an end-fed sloper, or set up a ground-plane antenna. If the ice is thick enough, your vehicle could be your 'fish-house' and you could set up a lot of different HF situations using vehicle DC power and the support of the vehicle for antennae. Cars aren't allowed on the urban lakes, of course, but the suburbs are a different story.
For satellite work, too, lakes offer big areas with much less obstruction on the horizons. While they aren't generally high ground, lakes offer space free of metallic objects and structures that affect SWR, and they offer an ideal RF ground.
As a Minnesotan, it's always fascinated me how frozen lakes are kind of free temporary property. You can go out on any public lake and set up a house rent-free and tax-free. Of course, you need to get (and post) a licence for anything set up overnight. This is just to tie someone's name to the fish-house, in case somebody set up a meth lab inside or something. But otherwise, you can spend as much time in that structure as you want, as long as the ice can support it. That's obviously why they aren't allowed in the city proper. People would be living in them. Not living large, but living rent-free.
But the lake offers space to run dipoles or set up tall masts. As long as you have power -- from a generator, battery, or vehicle -- you can set up in the middle of nowhere away from QRM or go over to Medicine Lake in Plymouth (as I did) and set up an NVIS antenna for 40M CW. With a heater in a portable shelter, you can sit around in a sweatshirt, comfortable and dry -- while a snowstorm rages around you -- and "play radio" in the solitude and quiet of a winter evening. The best part is that you can set up in a shallow area away from other people fishing and not bother them.
You aren't required to fish while in a fish-house, but it would be a good idea to have a fishing licence to avoid conflict with any authorities you may encounter. They may be sceptical that you're out on Mille Lacs looking for DX and not muskies.
Keep the ice in mind if you have limits to your antenna situation.
Saturday, 7 June 2014
June AITP should be fun
The June Aerials In The Park (AITP) event is coming up next Saturday (6/14). Hopefully, the weather will be co-operative. The location is Long Lake Regional Park in New Brighton, about one mile north of I-694.
Last month, I had a complicated array of equipment and a fair amount of it was untested ahead of time. This month, I'm keeping things simple: a dual-band vertical, VHF vertical, and a UHF Yagi that can be either polarisation. Nothing for 1.25M or 10M, and everything will be tested ahead of time for functionality.
Like last time, I will be using a schedule so that people that are not present at the event can participate.
12:30 - 12:45 PM: two-metre FM on 145.290- (114.8 PL)
12:45 - 1:00 PM: two-metre vertical SSB on 144.230
1:00 - 1:15 PM: two metre vertical CW on 144.07 (500 Hz)
1:15 - 1:45 PM: two metre vertical FM simplex on 146.520 and 146.445
2:00 - 2:15 PM: UHF FM on 444.425+ (114.8 PL)
2:20 - 2:45 PM: UHF vertical FM simplex on 446.000
2:45 - 3:00 PM: UHF vertical SSB on 432.200
In case of rain, the CW slot will be suspended. Everything else can be done from inside of my vehicle.
The UHF FM simplex and SSB will be done with a UHF Yagi, facing generally southward. If you'll be in some other direction and want to attempt a contact, let me know ahead of time and I'll point the beam your way. I will make a few passes in other directions listening and calling, but if I know that someone in, say, St. Paul is making an effort I'll concentrate more time in that direction. Either leave a comment, email me, or talk to me on the air. My email address is on the right inside the "profile" section.
While the main event is actually at the Pavilion, I will be right at the gate of the Park. Stop by and chat, throw out your sign on my FT-897D, or chuckle at my setup. KD0KJI (Al) will be there for a while working HF, if that's more where your interest lies. I'll have an HT tuned to 145.290 all of the time I'm there, except for the slot where I'm scheduled to be on 145.290, so you can always reach me if you want to set up something "on the fly" or chat with me for some other reason.
In the future, I hope to have some of my General Class friends there doing some PSK31. Maybe we'll try that on 2M along with the HF. Some six-metre SSB could happen. Why not UHF CW? It's all part of the adventure. I'm also hoping that somebody can bring a VHF Yagi at some point in the future that can be oriented horizontally, and I can do some 'real' two-metre weak signal work.
AITP is a great event, even if you're just a spectator. If you have a free hour or so on Saturday, drive over and check out something interesting.
K0LAV (Paul) is also planning on appearing with his fancy communications trailer and a 25-foot tower. Bring a camera.
Last month, I had a complicated array of equipment and a fair amount of it was untested ahead of time. This month, I'm keeping things simple: a dual-band vertical, VHF vertical, and a UHF Yagi that can be either polarisation. Nothing for 1.25M or 10M, and everything will be tested ahead of time for functionality.
Like last time, I will be using a schedule so that people that are not present at the event can participate.
12:30 - 12:45 PM: two-metre FM on 145.290- (114.8 PL)
12:45 - 1:00 PM: two-metre vertical SSB on 144.230
1:00 - 1:15 PM: two metre vertical CW on 144.07 (500 Hz)
1:15 - 1:45 PM: two metre vertical FM simplex on 146.520 and 146.445
2:00 - 2:15 PM: UHF FM on 444.425+ (114.8 PL)
2:20 - 2:45 PM: UHF vertical FM simplex on 446.000
2:45 - 3:00 PM: UHF vertical SSB on 432.200
In case of rain, the CW slot will be suspended. Everything else can be done from inside of my vehicle.
The UHF FM simplex and SSB will be done with a UHF Yagi, facing generally southward. If you'll be in some other direction and want to attempt a contact, let me know ahead of time and I'll point the beam your way. I will make a few passes in other directions listening and calling, but if I know that someone in, say, St. Paul is making an effort I'll concentrate more time in that direction. Either leave a comment, email me, or talk to me on the air. My email address is on the right inside the "profile" section.
While the main event is actually at the Pavilion, I will be right at the gate of the Park. Stop by and chat, throw out your sign on my FT-897D, or chuckle at my setup. KD0KJI (Al) will be there for a while working HF, if that's more where your interest lies. I'll have an HT tuned to 145.290 all of the time I'm there, except for the slot where I'm scheduled to be on 145.290, so you can always reach me if you want to set up something "on the fly" or chat with me for some other reason.
In the future, I hope to have some of my General Class friends there doing some PSK31. Maybe we'll try that on 2M along with the HF. Some six-metre SSB could happen. Why not UHF CW? It's all part of the adventure. I'm also hoping that somebody can bring a VHF Yagi at some point in the future that can be oriented horizontally, and I can do some 'real' two-metre weak signal work.
AITP is a great event, even if you're just a spectator. If you have a free hour or so on Saturday, drive over and check out something interesting.
K0LAV (Paul) is also planning on appearing with his fancy communications trailer and a 25-foot tower. Bring a camera.
Tuesday, 29 April 2014
May AITP: do a "sked"
I've been thinking more about the upcoming (5/10) Aerials In The Park (AITP) event at Long Lake Regional Park in New Brighton. While I'm kind of limited as to what I can (and want to) do on HF, there are some interesting things that I can do with 2M, 1.25M, and 70cm as a portable station, and these things could increase public involvement with the event -- even if they aren't there.
What I'm contemplating is a "sked", with particular time slots dedicated to certain bands and/or modes, so that you are could reasonably expect to have a contact if you decide that you want to play along at home.
Maybe you can't make it in person to the event on May 10. You could still be a part of it by experimenting with some different things and seeing how well they work. For example, I'll have my 5W tri-band TH-F6A with a 1.25M Yagi. It's great for FM simplex. Maybe you want to try out your HT for 222 MHz. It would be nice if you knew that someone was going to be on 223.500 from a particular location at a certain time, wouldn't it? You could try it out, on the air, with some guy at a park in New Brighton on the afternoon of May 10.
I'll have my FT-897D on the internal batteries, so I can do AM/FM/CW/SSB on HF to 70cm -- in theory. I don't have any HF antennae (beyond a 10M "hamstick" dipole), and I'm limited to around 15W power. But I do have antennae for 2M, 1.25M (222 MHz), and 70cm (440 MHz), in terms of beams and omnidirectional types. I could do weird stuff like UHF CW or two-metre AM, or just more conventional VHF SSB and FM simplex. While the FT-897D doesn't include 220 MHz, I do have the (aforementioned) tri-band HT for FM on that band, and it can RX in SSB/CW on 1.25M.
I intend to be there for about three hours, and I'll have a VHF/UHF Yagi, a UHF 1/4-wave ground-plane, a VHF 1/4-wave ground-plane, a tri-band "gain" whip, and a 1.25M Yagi. That's a lot of antennae already, so I'm going to pass on the ten-metre stuff. Maybe I'll bring a six-metre roll-up J-pole, because it's easy to pack.
I'm also going to be doing some more serious propagation reports on FM repeaters. I'll be monitoring my transmissions to determine if I actually get in to the repeater, not just "ker-chunk" it. The results will be published here, and also on RepeaterBook. At last month's event, I was working more on a "proof of concept" angle for the entire tripod/mount feasibility. I'm also going to add a ground rod to drain static charges off the antenna.
If you have any suggestions for modes/bands that you'd like to try out, just leave a comment or email me. Also, feel free to stop by and play with the radio, if you do decide to come to the park. I'll be by the gate, so it'll be easy to find me. And I'll be monitoring 444.425 during the event if you'd like to co-ordinate something over the air.
Even if you don't make it to Aerials In The Park on 5/10, think about setting up something portable that afternoon. Maybe a tripod in your yard with a whip or a two-metre roll-up J-pole hanging from a tree limb. Maybe some hand-held log periodic for UHF satellite links. We're not talking Field Day here, but it might be a chance to set all of that stuff up once this Spring and make sure that it's all working like you think it is. And, as long as it's set up, why not have a QSO with someone else doing "portable ops": me. Actually, the event is planned as monthly, so you'll have other chances in the future, but I'm one of the few people there doing any FM at all, and the only one that did anything above ten metres last month.
KD0KJI (Al) was one of the founders of last years' event, and he explained to me that AITP was intended as kind of a ham radio outreach effort. Ordinary, non-hams would see the aerials and inquire about amateur radio, and see it actually working right there in front of them. Although...last month's event didn't feature a lot of wire dipoles. Instead, there were a lot of "portable ops" antennae, but every month is different, right?
What I'm contemplating is a "sked", with particular time slots dedicated to certain bands and/or modes, so that you are could reasonably expect to have a contact if you decide that you want to play along at home.
Maybe you can't make it in person to the event on May 10. You could still be a part of it by experimenting with some different things and seeing how well they work. For example, I'll have my 5W tri-band TH-F6A with a 1.25M Yagi. It's great for FM simplex. Maybe you want to try out your HT for 222 MHz. It would be nice if you knew that someone was going to be on 223.500 from a particular location at a certain time, wouldn't it? You could try it out, on the air, with some guy at a park in New Brighton on the afternoon of May 10.
I'll have my FT-897D on the internal batteries, so I can do AM/FM/CW/SSB on HF to 70cm -- in theory. I don't have any HF antennae (beyond a 10M "hamstick" dipole), and I'm limited to around 15W power. But I do have antennae for 2M, 1.25M (222 MHz), and 70cm (440 MHz), in terms of beams and omnidirectional types. I could do weird stuff like UHF CW or two-metre AM, or just more conventional VHF SSB and FM simplex. While the FT-897D doesn't include 220 MHz, I do have the (aforementioned) tri-band HT for FM on that band, and it can RX in SSB/CW on 1.25M.
I intend to be there for about three hours, and I'll have a VHF/UHF Yagi, a UHF 1/4-wave ground-plane, a VHF 1/4-wave ground-plane, a tri-band "gain" whip, and a 1.25M Yagi. That's a lot of antennae already, so I'm going to pass on the ten-metre stuff. Maybe I'll bring a six-metre roll-up J-pole, because it's easy to pack.
I'm also going to be doing some more serious propagation reports on FM repeaters. I'll be monitoring my transmissions to determine if I actually get in to the repeater, not just "ker-chunk" it. The results will be published here, and also on RepeaterBook. At last month's event, I was working more on a "proof of concept" angle for the entire tripod/mount feasibility. I'm also going to add a ground rod to drain static charges off the antenna.
If you have any suggestions for modes/bands that you'd like to try out, just leave a comment or email me. Also, feel free to stop by and play with the radio, if you do decide to come to the park. I'll be by the gate, so it'll be easy to find me. And I'll be monitoring 444.425 during the event if you'd like to co-ordinate something over the air.
Even if you don't make it to Aerials In The Park on 5/10, think about setting up something portable that afternoon. Maybe a tripod in your yard with a whip or a two-metre roll-up J-pole hanging from a tree limb. Maybe some hand-held log periodic for UHF satellite links. We're not talking Field Day here, but it might be a chance to set all of that stuff up once this Spring and make sure that it's all working like you think it is. And, as long as it's set up, why not have a QSO with someone else doing "portable ops": me. Actually, the event is planned as monthly, so you'll have other chances in the future, but I'm one of the few people there doing any FM at all, and the only one that did anything above ten metres last month.
KD0KJI (Al) was one of the founders of last years' event, and he explained to me that AITP was intended as kind of a ham radio outreach effort. Ordinary, non-hams would see the aerials and inquire about amateur radio, and see it actually working right there in front of them. Although...last month's event didn't feature a lot of wire dipoles. Instead, there were a lot of "portable ops" antennae, but every month is different, right?
Friday, 25 April 2014
Aerials in the Park 5/10 pre-event thoughts
Last month was the first Aerials in the Park event this year. Though I arrived late and set up by the gate of Long Lake Regional Park, Brandon (callsign forgotten) turned up and lent a hand as I set up. Soon afterwards, N0YNT (Matt) and N0TYE (Paul) joined me. It was a bit blustery and chilly by 4 PM, so we broke it up.
I used a 13-foot tripod and attached an NMO ground-plane kit to the mast with hose clamps. Then, I could use any NMO-mount mobile antenna for FM work. My Yaesu FT-897 had the internal NiMH battery packs (FNB-78), so I was limited to 20W (10W on UHF). That pretty much left me with FM repeaters to work with, as I had no directional antenna for simplex. It interesting how many distant repeaters I could hit from that location.
For the next event (5/10), I've been contemplating using a DMount and two ten-metre ham-sticks for some SSB/CW, as there wouldn't be any concerns of interfering with neighbours' electronics at the park. 20W on CW isn't bad, although nobody will QSO with me at 6 or 7 wpm. Essentially, I'd just be doing it for "show". And, as long I'd just be screwing around, why couldn't I do two-metre CW? I could string up a 1/4-wave dipole for two metres on that tripod, and draw a big crowd of arrogant 'superiors' telling me that I'm doing it wrong.
It also occurs to me that I could take advantage of the event for a little FM experimentation. If I'm at a known location, at a known time, other hams could use their superior power or antennae to reach me on FM simplex. With my limited power and my Technician licence, there's not much that I can do there that a dozen other people will be doing a dozen times better. I have a 1.25M Yagi, but I don't have the portable power to run my TYT TH-9000. Maybe I could use my 5W HT and try some 1.25M FM simplex. There are enough people in the metro with 1.25M FM HTs or mobiles that it might be interesting for everyone involved to put those to the test in a scheduled situation.
Spring is the time for hams to repair or upgrade their antennae, so why not have some crazy dude like me out in a park giving signal reports? It beats being ignored by CW snobs on HF as I pound away on a straight key for an hour or two.
As long as CW operators ignore the letters "QRS", I will continue to ignore their dead language.
Maybe there's some kind of "joint effort" possible with another ham in terms of gear to make this a better situation. Either way, I should be looking at some kind of schedule so that people will know which band I'll be on at which time.
I used a 13-foot tripod and attached an NMO ground-plane kit to the mast with hose clamps. Then, I could use any NMO-mount mobile antenna for FM work. My Yaesu FT-897 had the internal NiMH battery packs (FNB-78), so I was limited to 20W (10W on UHF). That pretty much left me with FM repeaters to work with, as I had no directional antenna for simplex. It interesting how many distant repeaters I could hit from that location.
For the next event (5/10), I've been contemplating using a DMount and two ten-metre ham-sticks for some SSB/CW, as there wouldn't be any concerns of interfering with neighbours' electronics at the park. 20W on CW isn't bad, although nobody will QSO with me at 6 or 7 wpm. Essentially, I'd just be doing it for "show". And, as long I'd just be screwing around, why couldn't I do two-metre CW? I could string up a 1/4-wave dipole for two metres on that tripod, and draw a big crowd of arrogant 'superiors' telling me that I'm doing it wrong.
It also occurs to me that I could take advantage of the event for a little FM experimentation. If I'm at a known location, at a known time, other hams could use their superior power or antennae to reach me on FM simplex. With my limited power and my Technician licence, there's not much that I can do there that a dozen other people will be doing a dozen times better. I have a 1.25M Yagi, but I don't have the portable power to run my TYT TH-9000. Maybe I could use my 5W HT and try some 1.25M FM simplex. There are enough people in the metro with 1.25M FM HTs or mobiles that it might be interesting for everyone involved to put those to the test in a scheduled situation.
Spring is the time for hams to repair or upgrade their antennae, so why not have some crazy dude like me out in a park giving signal reports? It beats being ignored by CW snobs on HF as I pound away on a straight key for an hour or two.
As long as CW operators ignore the letters "QRS", I will continue to ignore their dead language.
Maybe there's some kind of "joint effort" possible with another ham in terms of gear to make this a better situation. Either way, I should be looking at some kind of schedule so that people will know which band I'll be on at which time.