Ham Clock

The other day I came across an article about a Pi based Ham Clock. Given that I had a surplus 7 inch display in the junk box and a few Raspberry Pi SBCs, I thought I would give this project a go. 

There are a lot of configuration options, which took a little working out, but it came together well, and I am very pleased with the result. It has its own webserver so you can log into it from anywhere on the network, which is handy.

You can find the project at:-  www.clearskyinstitute.com/ham/HamClock/

 

Allstar Link 3

For a few years now, I have been running Allstar, and for the majority of that time I used the Hamvoip software.  Just recently I have switched back the Allstar Link software. The ASL3 software has undergone a major rebuild and so I thought it worth a try.  It also includes a revamped Allmon node monitoring web interface. Again this has also been extensively upgraded.

You can find more information here:-

https://allstarlink.github.io/

SSTV from the ISS

I'm currently in one of the desert communities of the Northern Territory, amongst people who have one of the oldest continuous cultures in the world. Yes, I am a foreigner on their land, but they have made me feel very welcome.  It is from here that I managed to receive a SSTV image from the ISS.  My trusty ID-51 did the job nicely.  

I found this very strange as the hi-tech space-age manned satellite beacon out its message across an ancient land, whilst I was there living amongst an ancient cultural group.  It can really do your head in as these two, seemingly incompatible, worlds collide (not literally).  What a great space to be in!

For a brief moment in time the closest Amateur Station to me was 400km straight-up. Fact Check, I found that VK6PCB was in Halls Creek (only about 300km away).

'Earth is the cradle of humanity, but one cannot live in a cradle forever.' 

(Konstantin Tsiolkovsky)

SSB and CESSB from a QMX+

 

What is CESSB, I hear you ask. Wiki has the simple answer. CESSB (controlled-envelope single-sideband) is a narrowband modulation method using a single sideband, whose peak envelope level is controlled so that the peak-to-average power ratio of CESSB is much reduced compared to standard SSB modulation and offers improved effective range over standard SSB modulation while simultaneously retaining backwards compatibility with standard SSB radios. 

See also David L. Hershberger, W9GR's paper here: - http://www.arrl.org/files/file/QEX_Next_Issue/2014/Nov-Dec_2014/Hershberger_QEX_11_14.pdf

Hans, from QRP Labs, is getting very close to releasing firmware that will add (CE)SSB to the QMX and the QMX+.  These are amazing QRP radios in a small form-factor, and getting better with each software release.

 

 

Learning CW in the 21st Century

As mentioned in a previous post, I'm wanting to get my CW up to a reasonable level, for actual on-air use. 

When I first went for my ‘Full Call’ in the late 80s, I was greatly indebted to Rod (VK6BRH) (now SK) who ran CW practice sessions on one of the local Perth repeaters.  Each week I would tune in and Rod would send CW at various speeds.  A group of us (with Limited Z or Novice Calls) would report in and share our progress (or lack thereof). But that was then, and this is now!

Today we have the interweb thingy and that has changed almost everything, including how to learn CW.  There are several Web based sites that seek to assist in receiving, and the one recommended to me is called ‘Morse Code World’’, its URL is simply: -  https://morsecode.world/ .

On this screen you can set the characters you wish to work on and some other settings. further down thee page you can set the character speed etc...

 

This site is great for practicing receiving, (as are a number of other tools and phone apps).  

To practice sending there wasn't much around, at least not until fairly recently.  On doing a web search a few weeks back I found two sites that are setup for two-way CW conversations over the net. The first is called VBand (Virtual CW Band) it can be found at https://hamradio.solutions/vband/. The second site is called Vail and is at https://vail.woozle.org/#. However, I'll just mention VBand for now.

VBand has a several channels on which you can conduct QSOs with other on over the net.  The Practice Channel does not TX over the net but only decodes locally.  You can however conduct a QSO with a bot.

You can turn the bot on in the settings tab, (where you can also set the speed and tone, etc). Then you simply call CQ or send something to activate it. QSOBot will respond and attempt to carry out a standard QSO.

It is at this point that you will be asking the question, ‘how do I connect my key or paddle to the computer’. Fair question.

Firstly, if you are using a smart phone, tablet or iPad you can enable the ‘Touch Pad’ option. (This option is available on both the VBand and Vail sites.) However, I would recommend using a real key or paddle and then interface these to the computer.

There are adapters that you can buy from eBay and several other online outlets, but I also found some code to make my own. All that is required is an Arduino or something similar.  I had an AtTiny85 in stock and with a bit of modification to the code, I had it up and running in no time.    The AtTiny85, once programmed, simply acts like an external keyboard, that sends a ‘[‘ for a Dit and a ‘]’ for a Dah.  The paddle (or key) can be connected directly to the board, with no other components required!

Well, that's a short introduction to my latest project and challenge.  Maybe we will see you on-air or maybe on the net.

73 de VK8MT

 

Links to Code

MorsePaddle2USB Arduino code for key or paddle interface
https://github.com/mgiugliano/MorsePaddle2USB
AtTinyKeyer Arduino code for key or paddle interface
https://github.com/batica81/AtTinyKeyer
 

Note: I mashed the two lots of code together to create my own.