Ho Lee Chit

[NQ6U]

I'm currently copying this guy on FT8:


Mikalai Makeichyk, D2UY
0111 Cabinda
Angola

From the Left coast

Using a 5' alligator jumper wire as an antenna

On a $69 radio (http://qrp-labs.com/qdx) that’s the size of a pack of unfiltered Camels, which I built from a kit.

Fucking fabulous. I'd almost forgotten how much fun ham radio can be.

After six and a half years, K6BSO is back on the air, baby! (Well, almost. I can't transmit until I get a better antenna set-up, but that's coming)

[KG4CGC]

Nice!

[WZ7U]

My interest has ebbs and flows too. Nice to see you enjoying again.

I can imagine that you could easily set up a bad ass system on the salt water. Kewl.

[PA5COR]

Radio is fun, keep up the good work :mrgreen:

[N8YX]

I had similar fun many years ago with a junker HW-8 which I got from a friend/fellow ham. Bad transistor in the front end. I added an S meter, variable bandwidth audio filter and RIT to the thing. For a period in the mid to late 80s it was my ONLY ham rig and I made a bunch of contacts with it.

[K4PIH]

Yeah I go through phases. A few years hot and heavy hammin, then a year or two break, then back at it.

[NQ6U]

My absence from ham radio wasn't entirely by choice. I was pretty much forced to take a hiatus when I was given an unacceptable ultimatum by my ex-wife back in ’16 and I ended up buying a sailboat and living aboard. Sailing pretty much occupied all my free time since then and I still spend a lot of time on the water but lately my interest in ham radio has come sneaking back.

The thing that got me to finally make the jump was a review of the QRP Labs CDX in a recent QST magazine that my cross-dock neighbor Ed, AI6MH, gave me. $69 for a radio that doesn't take up much space (always at a premium on a boat) or use much power (only 30A of AC shore power available for the entire boat) and with only 5W RF out, I don't have to worry about irradiating my neighbors or causing interference with their electronics.

I ordered some toroid cores to make a balun for an end-fed wire today and Ella has already helped me figure out how we can run a counterpoise from the chain locker to the lazarette. I'll be back on the air soon.

[N8YX]

I just looked at those kits.

Interesting because the 6-band version includes 11M...

[NQ6U]

I just looked at those kits.

Fun to build. Easy, too, as long as you don't mind winding toroid inductors.There are eight of them, including tapped and bifilar ones. All through-hole components, the SMT stuff comes pre-soldered.


Interesting because the 6-band version includes 11M...

Yeah, I noticed that and thought it was weird, but I guess it's a ham band some places.

[N8YX]

Fun to build. Easy, too, as long as you don't mind winding toroid inductors.There are eight of them, including tapped and bifilar ones. All through-hole components, the SMT stuff comes pre-soldered.

Yeah, I noticed that (11M) and thought it was weird, but I guess it's a ham band some places.

Go to pskreporter.info and select the "11M" band from the pull-down..."Show received from all". You'll find EU and APAC stations using RS8CALL and another mode that's prohibited for U.S. amateurs. It's their Class D service. Not an amateur band.

Both of those kits together plus a QRP auto-tuner and laptop would make for a very cool portable/FD setup. On of my area buddies does FT8 POTA every day at lunch and this transceiver would be ideal for that purpose.

Side note: Another RAY-152 just got posted on the auction site. If it had the RS-232 board I'd probably jump on the rig.

[NQ6U]

Those are seriously good professional quality radios, made by JRC.

[N8YX]

Those are seriously good professional quality radios, made by JRC.

I already have one, plus a bunch of the random-wire tuners. It was used as a bench mule for a S/W development place (as I understand...) so this unit had every accessory installed with the exception of the 1KHz RTTY filter. Just so happens I had one laying around.

Pop the case and look inside along with a JST-135 for comparison purposes. The only differences: Many -135 options (BWC, auto-notch, ECSS to name a few) aren't present in the -152, nor are they supported. The rig's Loop1 Unit came standard with an OCXO (optional for JRC's consumer products line) and the front panel along with the Control/Display Unit is different. Function keys instead of knobs.

JRC offered a transceive package (CFQ-3003) for connecting an NRD-525 to a JST-135. There's an RS-232 Sync cable, Antenna cable and a control cable which allows the transceiver to mute the receiver on transmit. I was going to use the -152's RS-232 board to facilitate full (tracking) transceive with a -135/-525 pair but on second thought I think I'm going to dedicate the -152 to FT8 and digi-modes usage. flrig/fldigi already offer native support and I'm pretty sure wsjt-x does as well. If not I'll fork the source and write a protocol driver for it.

The control cable which came in the -3003 kit doesn't offer much in the way of extra connectivity to the outside world for either the transceiver or receiver so before I packed my lab/shack up for the move last year I built a couple variants. One has an interconnect for a Kantronics KAM. The other is more genericized but permits connection to an external TU and other station peripherals. That one I'm planning to use with the -152 as it'll interface directly with a Signalink. There's an NRD-525 w/ EdVis PLAM board and optional filters specifically tailored for SWBC reception that I'm planning to pair with the Raytheon and connect via this cable. Marine radios typically get a thumbs-down for the audio quality of their onboard speakers but the -152's is actually pretty decent. So much so that I'm going to route the companion -525's audio to it via that custom cable. I can tune around HF with it and let the computer control the -152, and a Mute key on the front silences the transceiver if desired.

Back to the QDX: Are you planning on using an external antenna tuner with it - and if so, what?

[NQ6U]

I already have one, plus a bunch of the random-wire tuners. It was used as a bench mule for a S/W development place (as I understand...) so this unit had every accessory installed with the exception of the 1KHz RTTY filter. Just so happens I had one laying around.

Well, yeah, I mean, who doesn’t have a 1KHz RTTY filter laying around the shack, right?


Back to the QDX: Are you planning on using an external antenna tuner with it - and if so, what?

I am planning on an external tuner but I haven’t decided on which one yet. I enjoyed building the QDX so much that I’d like to build another kit but so far I haven seen one that really tickles my fancy. They are simple enough to design and build from scratch but I don’t much enjoy gathering parts from all over the globe via mail and the San Diego HRO closed last month.

I have a NOS Icom AH-4 automatic tuner up in my storage locker but there’s no way to interface it to the QDX as far as I can figure, at least not without some fancy intermediary circuitry (see above, re: gathering parts).

[N8YX]

Well, yeah, I mean, who doesn’t have a 1KHz RTTY filter laying around the shack, right?
I bought out Rob Sherwood's 525/535 inventory. Many, many things came along with that haul. If Islanders need a part or board for one of those rigs I may have it.



I have a NOS Icom AH-4 automatic tuner up in my storage locker but there’s no way to interface it to the QDX as far as I can figure, at least not without some fancy intermediary circuitry (see above, re: gathering parts).
You are correct. In addition to the Tune command, the AH- series random wire tuners use a serial data interface between rig and tuner to set the band/memories. As do their JRC equivalents.

One that doesn't is an SGC Smartuner. Just apply RF and it figures out the rest. Might sell/swap your AH-4 for the SGC version.

[N8YX]

I'd also have a look at a Z-100+, Z-817 or similar.

[NQ6U]

Finished construction on my awesome contest station today. Note how the power supply and SWR meter dwarf the actual radio.

https://i.imgur.com/wlzz2Dw.png

[N8YX]

Your location on the water will probably make that station the equivalent of a 100w landlubber outfit. Be interesting to see what you snag with it.

[NQ6U]

FT8 is a pretty effective mode. Here's a list of countries I heard on the 7300 yesterday using an indoor antenna made up of about 8' of AWG 22 magnet wire connected to my radio with a 2' banana plug test lead:

https://i.imgur.com/7MzmFsg.png

[KG4CGC]

Impresionante.

[WZ7U]

Latitude is everything

[NQ6U]

Latitude is everything

I posted that mainly to point out the efficiency of the FT8 mode. My station, if you can even call it that at this point, is about as minimalist as you can get.

[WZ7U]

Oh, I know.
FT8 is amazing, someday I will partake. But latitude is the great (in)equalizer. You should have no problem getting the log filled.

FFS, you have the fabled unicorn station on salt water!

Enjoy