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Celebrating 25 years of service – 1995-2020
Over 8,000 subscribers!
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Saturday, January 30, 2021

• I’m back
  It has been 15 days since my last post but my last post was about our cat Oliver and our best buddy who we said goodbye to. Some may think it strange but we have his ashes back home now in a cat urn. It’s only his ashes but to Julie a…

• Snow stopped Transmission.
  This Sunday morning we have had a good dumping of snow over the Midlands area.. Around 12:00 GMT as I write this, my VHF/UHF array of antennas strapped to the side of the house are well plastered with the white stuff. Outsid…

• AN/GRC-9 aka “Angry Nine”
  AN/GRC-9 – Long lived military commsMy lovely (and radioactive) RT/77-GRC/9I don’t recall where I first read about the Angry Nine, but it captured my imagination. I read everything I could find about them and decided it would be great fun t…

• LHS Episode #389: Jailbird Jamboree
  Welcome to Episode 389 of Linux in the Ham Shack. In this episode, the hosts discuss illegal activity on the air, the purpose of amateur radio, a remote head unit …

• Do you remember your first?
  I was doing some cleaning around the house the other day and came across a QSL card of the very first contact I made. It was June 6th, 1989 and I was pounding out CQ with my Bencher BY-1 Iambic paddle. I had a script all made up with a step…

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How to set up your own ham radio blog – Get started in less than 15 minutes

AmateurRadio.com
P.O. Box 45
Hampden ME 04444
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Newsletter #207

View in browser THE ‘OPTO’ IN OPTOELECTRONICS — PART 2 The basic nature and behavior of optical prisms and lenses. This second part of our mini-series on optoelectronics continues the ‘light-beam manipulators’ theme by describing the nature and behavior of optical prisms and lenses. Read It Now! MICROCONTROLLERS, SOFTWARE, AND YOU — PART 3 Last time, we ran Part 4 by mistake. This part will fill in the gaps. While getting the correct answer to a programming problem is crucial when designing a program, it should not be your only objective. You also want to write it with sufficient clarity that someone else can read your code and easily understand what the code does. Let’s take a look at an example program to show the square of a number. Read It Now! MEASURING THE AIR QUALITY INDEX Know if it’s safe to go outside. Add the ability to monitor the Air Quality Index onto the Graphing Weather Station, which is a feature-rich unit previously presented that includes outdoor and indoor temperature, outdoor and indoor humidity, wind speed, wind direction, rainfall, and barometric pressure. Upgrade Your Weather Station Now! SO, EXACTLY WHAT IS ELECTRONICS? Given the rapid evolution of the electronics field over the past few years, exactly how do you define electronics today? Does "electronics" have to include a soldering iron? Does programming DSP chips and other keyboard activity qualify? Where do you see electronics going in, say, 10 years? Read It Now! Nuts & Volts On CD-ROM RetroGame Altaids Computer Kit Solar Charge Controller You are receiving this email because you have been a subscriber to Nuts & Volts Magazine, or have requested to receive our email newsletters. You may unsubscribe, change your email address or content preferences at any time through the links provided below. Nuts & Volts Magazine | 2279 Eagle Glen Pkwy #112-481, Corona, CA 92883 951.371.8497 | editor | www.nutsvolts.com T & L Publications, Inc, 2279 Eagle Glen Pkwy #112-481, Corona, CA 92883, United States, 951 371-8497

Amateur Radio Weekly Newsletter

Ham radio news, commentary, giveaways, and more!
Celebrating 25 years of service – 1995-2020
Over 8,000 subscribers!
Unsubscribe

Saturday, January 23, 2021

• LHS Episode #385: The Weekender LXIII
  It’s time once again for The Weekender. This is our bi-weekly departure into the world of amateur radio contests, open source conventions, special events, listener challenges, hedonism and just plain …

• LHS Episode #386: SSDY
  Welcome to the 386th episode of Linux in the Ham Shack, our second episode of 2021. In this episode, the hosts discuss changes and additions to state QSO parties, the …

• AmateurLogic 152: Hands On Raspberry Pi 400
  AmateurLogic.TV Episode 152 is now available for download. This month we’ve got three great topics to start 2021 out right. George give his first impressions of the Raspberry Pi 400 Personal Computer Kit and it’s a keeper. Mike introduces the ADALM-PLUTO SDR & Satsagen Spectrum Analyzer software. Emile begins building the K5OZ Lightning Rig Saver. … Continue reading AmateurLogic 152: Hands On Raspberry Pi 400

• ICQ Podcast Episode 342 – Improving your Handy Talkie
  In this episode, Martin M1MRB is joined by Chris Howard (M0TCH), Martin Rothwell (M0SGL), Ed Durrant (DD5LP), Frank Howell (K4FMH) and Bill Barnes (WC3B) to discuss the latest Amateur / Ham Radio news. Colin M6BOY rounds up the news in brief and in thi…

• Radio Fun on Threemile Mountain (W0C/SP-107)
  Lately, for the ARRL January VHF contest, I try to find a SOTA summit to activate. Operating time is usually just a few hours, so it does not make for a big score. The main advantage is for VHF SOTA (Summits On The Air) because there is a lot more activity on 2m CW and … Continue reading Radio Fun on Threemile Mountain (W0C/SP-107) →

  The post Radio Fun on Threemile Mountain (W0C/SP-107) appeared first on The KØNR Radio Site.

  

• LHS Episode #387: Compiling Software Deep Dive
  Hello and welcome to the 387th episode of Linux in the Ham Shack. In this episode, the hosts discuss concepts related to building software from source code. Topics include proper …

• Hunting For NDBs In CLE 264
  YEK – 329 (courtesy ve3gop.com) It’s CLE time! ‘CLE’s are ‘Co-ordinated Listening Events, and NDB DXers around the world focus their listening time on one small slice of the NDB spectrum. This time…

• LHS Episode #388: The Weekender LXIV
  It’s time once again for The Weekender. This is our bi-weekly departure into the world of amateur radio contests, open source conventions, special events, listener challenges, hedonism and just plain …

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Matt W1MST
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How to set up your own ham radio blog – Get started in less than 15 minutes

AmateurRadio.com
P.O. Box 45
Hampden ME 04444
USA

Newsletter #206

View in browser THE ‘OPTO’ IN OPTOELECTRONICS — PART 1 This first of four episodes on optoelectronics deals with the basic nature and behavior of light, and with mirrors. Most electronics hobbyists have few problems understanding the purely electronic aspects of optoelectronics, but probably have very limited knowledge of its optical parts. This four-part series aims to remedy that situation by giving fairly concise descriptions of vital optoelectronics-related ‘opto’ subjects. Read It Now! The NEW PicoScope 4000A Series With 2-, 4- and 8-channel models available, the PicoScope 4000A Series boasts 12-bit hardware resolution (to 16 bits with Resolution Enhancement), 256 MS deep capture memory, 20 MHz bandwidth with 80 MS/s sampling speed, up to 70 dB SFDR and a built-in 14-bit triggerable signal generator and 80 MS/s AWG. Get More Details! Advertisement MICROCONTROLLERS, SOFTWARE, AND YOU — PART 4 Learn how to program microcontrollers. We ended our Part 3 article by giving you an assignment that emulates the card game, often called In Between (but better as known Acey Deucey). Recall that the objective of the game was to have the “dealer” turn two cards face up and then have the player bet that the next card would fall “in between” the two face-up cards. Let’s see how close your code came to mine. Read It Now! BUILD THE TOILET SENTINEL This circuit alerts you when the toilet flapper has not sealed properly. Ever have trouble with the flapper in your toilet not seating properly, allowing water to continually run? Well, consider that problem solved with this handy and inexpensive circuit called the Toilet Sentinel. It will alert you to this problem with a buzzer. Build It Now! SETTING UP A TEST BENCH What equipment do you really need for monitoring and testing all your projects? I can hardly imagine an electronics enthusiast without some sort of test bench. This can be as simple as a folding table and a couple of hand tools, along with a cheap DMM (Digital MultiMeter). Or, it can be as elaborate as a spare room just loaded with TE and a full complement of tools and accessories to go with it. Read It Now! Nuts & Volts On CD-ROM RetroGame Altaids Computer Kit Solar Charge Controller You are receiving this email because you have been a subscriber to Nuts & Volts Magazine, or have requested to receive our email newsletters. You may unsubscribe, change your email address or content preferences at any time through the links provided below. Nuts & Volts Magazine | 2279 Eagle Glen Pkwy #112-481, Corona, CA 92883 951.371.8497 | editor | www.nutsvolts.com T & L Publications, Inc, 2279 Eagle Glen Pkwy #112-481, Corona, CA 92883, United States, 951 371-8497

Amateur Radio Weekly Newsletter

Ham radio news, commentary, giveaways, and more!
Celebrating 25 years of service – 1995-2020
Over 8,000 subscribers!
Unsubscribe

Saturday, January 16, 2021

• Ham College 72
  Ham College episode 72 is now available for download. Extra Class Exam Questions – Part 10. E2D Operating methods: VHF and UHF digital modes and procedures, APRS, EME procedures, meteor scatter procedures. 1:00:28 Download YouTube

• Armbian Linux for Arm processors and Android TV Boxes.
  It’s always interesting when I write, to see what feedback or help is out there. I encourage you all to write in the comments below.The recent blog about Linux Mint 20.1 created a stir on amateurradio.com, where my scribbles are relayed over and duplic…

• Best VHF SOTA Antenna?
  Charlie/NJ7V and Gaston/KT1RUN did a comparison of VHF antennas during a SOTA activation. Specifically, they compared a rubber duck antenna, a J-pole antenna on a tall mast, and a 3-element Yagi antenna. Spoiler Alert: the rubber duck sucks (they all do) but the Yagi and J-pole performed about the same. Joyce/K0JJW and I use the … Continue reading Best VHF SOTA Antenna? →

  The post Best VHF SOTA Antenna? appeared first on The KØNR Radio Site.

  

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Matt W1MST
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editor
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How to set up your own ham radio blog – Get started in less than 15 minutes

AmateurRadio.com
P.O. Box 45
Hampden ME 04444
USA

Newsletter #205

View in browser FM RECEPTION WITH THE GNU RADIO COMPANION Have fun building FM broadcast band receivers using GRC and learning about SDR. The complexity and sophistication of the electronic hardware required to recover composite baseband signals in the FM band is beyond the capability of most experimenters. However, modern digital signal processing software, capable PCs, and inexpensive software defined radio (SDR) hardware can now be easily combined to receive the information in these broadcasts. Learn how to combine this hardware, software, and your PC to build SDRs to receive FM radio broadcasts and more. Read It Now! MICROCONTROLLERS, SOFTWARE, AND YOU — PART 2 Learn how to program microcontrollers. In the previous installment, we discussed the Five Program Steps and how we can use those five steps to organize our thoughts about writing programs. In this article, we’ll discuss the format that the Arduino Integrated Development Environment (IDE) requires for your program to execute in the IDE. We’ll then examine how the IDE allows us to easily organize a program using the Five Program Steps. Read It Now! SPEAKER PROTECTION AND MUTING WITH AN OPTICAL COUPLER Build this optically-coupled speaker protection circuit when using homebrew or vintage amplifiers. Vintage amplifiers may sound great, but in many cases they lack any form of output protection. In the event of a catastrophic output failure, some amps deliver the full power supply rail voltage to the speakers! This circuit not only protects your speakers from amp failure, but also eliminates the dreaded “turn on thump” some classic solid-state amplifiers exhibit. Build It Now! LEADED COMPONENTS: REPORTS OF THEIR DEATH HAVE BEEN GREATLY EXAGGERATED Leaded components are easy to work with, so don’t discount them just yet. If you’re just getting into electronics, don’t be dismayed — or distracted — by the world of SMT. A traditional perfboard, a good supply of leaded components, and a few schematics to work from will get you started. Read It Now! Altaids Computer Kit RetroGame Kit Solar Charge Controller Nuts & Volts On CD-ROM You are receiving this email because you have been a subscriber to Nuts & Volts Magazine, or have requested to receive our email newsletters. You may unsubscribe, change your email address or content preferences at any time through the links provided below. Nuts & Volts Magazine | 2279 Eagle Glen Pkwy #112-481, Corona, CA 92883 951.371.8497 | editor | www.nutsvolts.com T & L Publications, Inc, 2279 Eagle Glen Pkwy #112-481, Corona, CA 92883, United States, 951 371-8497

Amateur Radio Weekly Newsletter

Ham radio news, commentary, giveaways, and more!
Celebrating 25 years of service – 1995-2020
Over 8,000 subscribers!
Unsubscribe

Saturday, January 9, 2021

• AmateurLogic 151: Rockin’ 2020 New Year’s Eve
  In case you weren’t able to join us live on New Year’s Eve, you can watch it here. Lots of friends and fun moments. https://youtu.be/iQtY3bbbEyM?t=7983

• A Different Approach to a New Year: the Ham Systems Think!
  What is the most important aspect of life? Having fun! (Of course!). Perhaps it is unusual to wax philosophical in an amateur radio forum, but I am going out on a limb to share a perspective that hopefully is refreshingly new and full of life: Systems thinking — an amateur radio approach. What I’m sharing herein, I find very intense, invigorating, challenging, and motivational! The […]

• ICQ Podcast Episode 341 – Listener Q and A
  In this episode, Martin M1MRB is joined by Leslie Butterfield G0CIB, Dan Romanchik KB6NU, Edmund Spicer M0MNG and Ruth Willet KM4LAO to discuss the latest Amateur / Ham Radio news. Colin M6BOY rounds up the news in brief and in this episode’s features …

• The UK VAT grab that was impossible to enforce?
  Good news!! No VAT at all on imports under a certain value.Rules changed AGAIN a few days ago.New Notice 143:Section 2.3 https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/notice-143-a-guide-for-international-post-users/notice-143-a-guide-for-intern...

• VAT we are confused, but even they are confused?
  Even companies exporting to the UK are now caught up in the confusing VAT debacle ..The BBC are now picking up on the story: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-55530721Why wasn’t a transition period put in place for all this, allowing a smooth c…

• LCSC Electronics
  LCSC has been in my Far East component suppliers list for sometime now.. I was short of a few obscure components so I thought I would give them a whirl.Website was easy to use, ordering was very quick, straight forward and simple. A small handling…

• QSO Today Virtual Ham Expo some new tidbits………….
  More news on the upcoming QSO Today Virtual Ham Expo March 13-14 2021

• Recommended Colorado Hotspot Frequencies
  A big trend in ham radio activity is the use of internet-connected transceivers commonly referred to as hotspots. These devices often use one (or more) of the popular VHF/UHF digital formats (DMR, D-STAR, Fusion) but analog FM is also used. They allow a radio amateur to have a local RF connection into one of the extensive … Continue reading Recommended Colorado Hotspot Frequencies →

  The post Recommended Colorado Hotspot Frequencies appeared first on The KØNR Radio Site.

  

• VAT is the way we are going to collect it.
  Already there are moans from buyers, "they have charged me VAT!"ebay have now rolled into the mix now implementing the 1st January 21 VAT rules for UK buyers and EU. As I mentioned at the start of writing this thread, they will nail it at source …

• Starting the New Year with a new PC
  And so it begins At the end of 2020, I decided it was time to update my PC as it has never been done for over 10 years. The choice I had was to purchase a new PC or rebuild what I have, I decided to rebuild the existing PC I have. I choose this a…

• Linux Mint 20.1 Ulyssa Xfce released.
  Latest version of Linux Mint released https://blog.linuxmint.com/ I am hopeful there will be a version for Arm processors soon?

• North America Adventure Frequency: 146.58 MHz
  Recently, on the nasota group, there was a discussion about designating an alternative 2m FM frequency for Summits On The Air (SOTA) use (instead of 146.52 MHz). The main driver for this is that 146.52 MHz can get busy with other radio traffic and/or a busy SOTA activation can tie up the calling frequency for … Continue reading North America Adventure Frequency: 146.58 MHz →

  The post North America Adventure Frequency: 146.58 MHz appeared first on The KØNR Radio Site.

  

• Saying good-bye to my little buddy.
  Today we said good-bye to my best buddy of 15 years…..Oliver. Peace be with you, my little buddy you will be missed very much.

• Kiwi online SDR G4DYA
  The online G4DYA Kiwi SDR receiver is just 9 miles North of my QTH. Situated at Stone, Staffordshire. UK.It has an excellent range of Amateur bands, and even goes down to LF 136KHz and 472KHz, it also has some good decoders built in to play around with…

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Matt W1MST
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editor
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How to set up your own ham radio blog – Get started in less than 15 minutes

AmateurRadio.com
P.O. Box 45
Hampden ME 04444
USA

Newsletter #204

View in browser STATIC DISCHARGE HELPS "CURE" AUDIO AMPLIFIER This is the first time in 60 years that static electricity has ever HELPED with one of my projects. After trying different things to troubleshoot an intermittent problem with my MicroBITX kit (multi-band, software-defined ham radio transceiver), it turned out static discharge was the answer to my problems Read It Now! ARDUINO BASED DATA ACQUISITION If you enjoy data and acquiring and measuring it easily, then you’re going to love this method that utilizes Microsoft Excel and PLX-DAQ from Parallax with a low cost Arduino. I love data. Measuring things, plotting the results in a way to instantly visualize the behavior, and — most importantly — analyzing the results. This is especially exciting when I can collect the measurements by computer and utilize the power of easy-to-use yet powerful tools to perform the plotting and analysis. Read It Now! REBUILDING A TEKTRONIX THS7X0 PORTABLE OSCILLOSCOPE BATTERY PACK One of the best portable devices on the electronics bench over the last two decades is the Tektronix THS700 series. Here’s how I was able to replace the dead batteries in my oscilloscope at minimal expense. When batteries fail, they can be replaced or rebuilt, but it’s usually at considerable expense. Here’s one application with a Tektronix THS700 oscilloscope where a very expensive battery pack can be easily rebuilt at a fraction of the replacement cost, returning the device to useful portable service. Rebuild It Now! MICROCONTROLLERS, SOFTWARE, AND YOU There’s no excuse for not learning how to program microcontrollers. Most of us have invested some time in learning those things we want or need to do. Learning how to program is no different, and it can be an extremely satisfying endeavor. Seeing a device respond to code you wrote is, well, intoxicating in a good way. My goal is to create an interest in exploring microcontrollers and encourage you into investing $5 and some of your time into that exploration. I honestly think you’ll enjoy the journey. Read It Now! RetroGame Kit Continuity Tester Kit The ROBOEAR Nuts & Volts On CD-ROM You are receiving this email because you have been a subscriber to Nuts & Volts Magazine, or have requested to receive our email newsletters. You may unsubscribe, change your email address or content preferences at any time through the links provided below. Nuts & Volts Magazine | 2279 Eagle Glen Pkwy #112-481, Corona, CA 92883 951.371.8497 | editor | www.nutsvolts.com T & L Publications, Inc, 2279 Eagle Glen Pkwy #112-481, Corona, CA 92883, United States, 951 371-8497

Amateur Radio Weekly Newsletter

Ham radio news, commentary, giveaways, and more!
Celebrating 25 years of service – 1995-2020
Over 8,000 subscribers!
Unsubscribe

Saturday, January 2, 2021

• The Great British VAT grab.. 2021
  So we have all enjoyed the odd bargain direct from China, Tax free! But come the 1st January 2021 here in the UK things are about to change. A few people are thinking that small purchases won’t be affected. Sorry, they will. The £15 VAT-free limi…

• POTA: Arkansas River Headwaters State Park (K-1208)
  The Arkansas River Headwaters is a unique recreation area that follows the upper Arkansas River in Colorado, extending roughly from Leadville to Pueblo. POTA has it listed as the Arkansas River Headwaters State Park, but the Colorado Parks and Wildlife website shows it as the Arkansas Headwaters Recreation Area. This area is a bit unique, … Continue reading POTA: Arkansas River Headwaters State Park (K-1208) →

  The post POTA: Arkansas River Headwaters State Park (K-1208) appeared first on The KØNR Radio Site.

  

• Top Five K0NR Blog Posts for 2020
  Closing out 2020, here are the top five blog posts at k0nr.com during the year. Some people may see this as a lazy way of creating one more blog post for the year without much work. This is definitely true. I hope you enjoy it anyway. Leading the list is this blog post…a perennial favorite … Continue reading Top Five K0NR Blog Posts for 2020 →

  The post Top Five K0NR Blog Posts for 2020 appeared first on The KØNR Radio Site.

  

• 2020 in review
  Once again I am looking back over the year and as most of you will agree it sure has been a year of changes! I’m not going to get into any politics or pandemic stuff but I will say that COVID has really affected the ham radio world. The Amateur r…

• The Truth About Tiny SOTA Transceivers
  After seeing some videos about small HF transceivers for Summits On The Air (SOTA), I feel I need to set the record straight. The following video shows the World’s Smallest SOTA Transceiver in use. Of course, it uses the UHF spectrum because shorter wavelengths enable smaller ham radio stations. The radio shown in the video … Continue reading The Truth About Tiny SOTA Transceivers →

  The post The Truth About Tiny SOTA Transceivers appeared first on The KØNR Radio Site.

  

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Do you like to write? Please consider submitting an article.

Matt W1MST
Managing Editor
editor
Twitter / Facebook

How to set up your own ham radio blog – Get started in less than 15 minutes

AmateurRadio.com
P.O. Box 45
Hampden ME 04444
USA

Newsletter #203

View in browser POWER SOURCES: THE GOOD, THE BAD, AND THE UGLY With few exceptions, every electronics project needs a power source. It’s what makes the electrons go round and round. However, not all power sources are created equal. What you don’t know about your project’s power source could be a problem. Learn the most important features you should care about for four common power sources, how to measure them, and what to expect. Read It Now! PRACTICAL IDEAS FOR PORTABLE MAGNETIC LOOP ANTENNAS A simple setup for a magnetic loop antenna. Magnetic loop antennas are becoming popular today because they can be very efficient for their size, do not need radials (even though most designs are vertically polarized), have useful takeoff angles, and can be easily rotated to peak or null a signal. Here’s how I designed a convenient setup for myself. Read It Now! SINGLE CHIP, FOUR CHANNEL DATALOGGER A simple data logging circuit for many applications. This inexpensive data logger is suitable for just about any application where a small, cheap, low power circuit is needed to sample analog voltages, convert them to digital values, and store a modest amount of data in non-volatile memory. Build One Now! CHANGE THE WORLD Take your knowledge of electronics and change the world. I dare you! While there’s satisfaction from getting an LED to blink five times in a row in response to a button press, it isn’t going to change the world — that is, unless you set your goals higher. What I’m suggesting is that you take your knowledge of electronics — whatever your level of expertise — and focus it towards solving a meaningful problem. Change It Now! RetroGame Kit Continuity Tester Kit The ROBOEAR Nuts & Volts On CD-ROM You are receiving this email because you have been a subscriber to Nuts & Volts Magazine, or have requested to receive our email newsletters. You may unsubscribe, change your email address or content preferences at any time through the links provided below. Nuts & Volts Magazine | 2279 Eagle Glen Pkwy #112-481, Corona, CA 92883 951.371.8497 | editor | www.nutsvolts.com T & L Publications, Inc, 2279 Eagle Glen Pkwy #112-481, Corona, CA 92883, United States, 951 371-8497