Ham Radio Projects

[Nemo1956]

Are there any ham radio guys on here that are into QRP?
Be nice to see some your projects.

 

[davenn]

haven't done HF QRP
Many of my activities on the microwave bands would be deemed QRP, all less than 5W most 3W and less
3.4GHz = 1W
5.6GHz = 1W
10GHz = 2.5W
24GHz = 1W

http://www.sydneystormcity.com/amateur_radio.htm

de
Dave, VK2TDN

 

[Nemo1956]

Hi Dave. Sounds like you have some nice high frequency stuff. The highest I have ever run was 10GHz from a sofan hear when I was playing around with microwave stuff years ago but now only on HF these days but using QRP from home brow or kit equipment.
73.
Paul

 

[davenn]

Hi Dave. Sounds like you have some nice high frequency stuff. The highest I have ever run was 10GHz from a sofan hear when I was playing around with microwave stuff years ago but now only on HF these days but using QRP from home brow or kit equipment.
73.
Paul

hey Paul

the Sofan's or is it Solfan ? cant remember haha, they were a really popular for WBFM voice. There were a number of Gunn Osc units like them available
out of the recycled motion detector market ... alarm companies were pulling them out and replacing them with PIR units ... much more reliable

I went into the narrow band operation using a transverter connected to a 144MHz all mode transceiver. Then the fun started on SSB etc

I still made use of a WBFM Gunn system for FM ATV and the Gunn transmitters really excelled for that use
http://www.sydneystormcity.com/atv.htm#10GHz Activities

I have had a Kenwood TS2000X since Jan 2012 and I have never used it on HF hahaha ... so, so bad !


Dave

 

[Nemo1956]

Hi Dave. Yes it was out of an old motion sensor. there was so many of them around 25 years ago but not sure these days. I was just playing around with it on my bench one day and notest that the meter was moving about some what but I could not see why that was. Then i looked out of the window to see the tress moving around. Yes I had discovered RADAR. It was good fun back then.
Now days I have to use kits as I live in Thailand and you can't get anything RF here so I have to look a round for things to make.

Not done any Microwave projects now for many years. Just can't get the parts over here in Thailand. Mind you it's very difficult to get any RF related parts here. Audio no problem at all. But RF no.
I put up a bamboo pole over the weekend and my inverted V antenna for 7mts but not tested it yet.

73

Paul

 

[JRUBIN]

I have a QRP project i'm currently doing right now as I make videos that document each step in the process, the first one incidentally is going out tomorrow.

 

[kellys_eye]

I've never seen the appeal of μwave comms - point-to-point, one-on-one, limited range (although I do appreciate the QRP aspect, getting the max from the min).

I've made a few HF QRP items over the last couple of years - when I re-validated my licence after some 30+ years out of the hobby - and continue to do so.

QRP is my 'thing' too - I was re-encouraged by Tim Howe's stand-alone SDR receiver which is a great little set:

http://www.themadhowes.org.uk/g0etp/sdr_rx/index.html

I'm still in the process of building an HF all-bands receiver based on the PFR-3B design and AD9851-based VFO. RF/construction work stops for the summer while I service and get on with out door building projects but I am ready to start again for the winter season.

This involves building the switched band filters for the PFR-3B experiment but requires a separate device to measure them which is Arduino-based.... and so it goes on!

My transmit side is being serviced by an old QST-magazine transistorised design CW set although I still fancy doing one with 'tubes'.

It's an endless but pleasurable task!

 

[davenn]

I've never seen the appeal of μwave comms - point-to-point, one-on-one, limited range

seriously ? you really shock me with that response
then you go and answer partly it

(although I do appreciate the QRP aspect, getting the max from the min).

tho the QRP is a small side line .... getting the max distances and performance out of gear is a major challenge
specially when it is for the most part line-of-sight. Some guys are running significant power on some of the uWave bands

The world record for 10GHz moonbounce was for some time held by a fellow uwaver that I bought some gear off years ago
he had a 20W TWT amplifier feeding a 3.2 metre dish. from south of Sydney Oz to the UK via the moon!!

.... and you say there is no appeal!!!!

One of the BIG things with the microwave bands is you have to make most of your own gear. You cannot just go down to the
local ham radio shop and buy some transceiver and be up on the air that day.

That is the MAJOR appeal to most of us guys operating on those bands. We are well versed in building our own transceivers.
some from scratch, some from kitset transverters, some from a mixture of complete scratch and adding repurposed bits of
commercial gear/modules etc off eBay and the likes

my 1.296GHz gear is a mix of home built and commercial Ham gear. Its the highest band that commercial ham gear goes to
my 2.4 GHz Amateur TV gear is repurposed commercial microwave linking equip
my 3.4, 5.8 and 10 GHz transverters were kits I imported from the USA .... they all transvert from my commercial 144MHz
(2m band) SSB transceiver.
my 24 GHz transverters I built from a mix of modules that I had to figure out how to interconnect
I had to learn how to do a bit of basic PIC programming so I could control the local oscillator module to operate on the freq
I wanted it to operate on. ..... http://www.sydneystormcity.com/24GHz.htm

building and aligning microwave gear is a serious challenge and requires significant good knowledge of RF at those frequencies
good test equip and the knowledge of how to use it

building HF gear is a walk in the park in comparison, you hardly have to worry about component lead lengths as none of them
are significant parts of a wave length on any of the bands

.... and you say there is no appeal!!!!

do you know what flaking refers to ? Have you ever flaked a microwave stripline ?

compared to HF bands .... any numbnutz ( no insult to the talented operators) person can go to the local ham radio shop, buy
a transceiver and antenna and be on the air in a couple of hours ..... ABSOLUTELY no challenge in that

BUT at least you are doing construction and that is the important part


Dave

 

[JRUBIN]

Hello

As I have posted the first in the series Ill just point you to my thread for your review. Not too much yet by way of content.

https://www.electronicspoint.com/threads/ham-radio-qrp-station-build-fldigi-to-ft817.286070/

 

[kellys_eye]

seriously ? you really shock me with that response

you ain't kidding! LOL

I'm all for the DIY aspect of ham radio - that's the only appeal for me - I've never owned a 'black box' rig of any shape or sort having always built from scratch. I did once purchase an FT200 but passed that on after only a few months as it was 'too easy'.... without even firing it up!

But maybe I'm not fully conversant with μwave stuff - don't you have to arrange to have someone at the other end BEFORE you transmit? Being almost point-to-point there seems little chance of simply CQ-ing and having someone [behind you] replying!! LOL

I certainly DO get the Moonbounce idea....

Sure I get the intricacies and the appeal of working out the impossibilities required to get on air and the QRP part meets with universal appeal regardless of what frequencies you choose. But I did say this was a personal opinion and since CW is my 'thang' and there is still a lot of it about on HF....

But I also know my limitations - both technically and mentally - the mental aspect of fiddling with semi-mechanical microstrip/tuned cavity type stuff doesn't hold much appeal. For now.

When I've fully explored and exploited my demands on HF I may consider moving up in frequency but where I live (surrounded by hills) it would mean a day trip to anywhere before even switching the stuff on.

Each to their own innit?

BTW - if you measure 'appeal' by the % of amateurs involved across the radio spectrum then μwave probably doesn't add up to a lot. It's still (in my experience) a niche area. But, then again, if you measure appeal by the % of job satisfaction (across design, build and use) then it probably equals that of any other frequency.