Circuit Diagram
Another classic from xkcd....
Fargo Hamfest 2010
Saturday 4/17 Ben and I attended the Fargo hamfest. This is our second year going up there and certainly not our last. For a small town they put on a great event. Lots of radio & electronics gear. I am very pleased with the deals and the amount of homebrew stuff that is available.
It is not a hamfest unless you have some vacuum tubes, crystals, and old soldering irons. :-)
OK... enough humor... there were some nice radios
At least 4 or 5 tables with transistors
We spent 90 minutes at the hamfest, walked around twice, and filled up
our backpack with stuff! $26 spent at three tables.
Table 1 - $1.00
2 small IF amps (looks like a school project or a test fixture)
2 RG-174-->BNC pigtails for projects
1 medium size bag of RG-174 cables (good lengths)
Table 2 - $5.00
1 Old desk mic (will probably use it for my Retro 75 AM project)
Table 3 $20.00
1 Hammarlund cap 25-150pF
37 - 1000pF caps
136 - 2N4250 PNP
Box of pilot lamps and LEDs
200 - 2n3391A NPN
16 - .1mF caps
84 - 1200pF caps
Bag of misc transistors
7 - 0.047uF caps
100 - 175pF caps
2 boxes of ceramic standoffs
15 - 2.47m resistors 1%
30 - 4uF caps
8 - 49.9k resistors 1%
1 box of SS standoffs
15 - 1uF caps
15 - .004uF caps
15 - 560k resistors 1%
30 - 2k resistors 1%
15 - 400m resistors 1%
15 - Raytheon 7319 PNP
45 - Motorola 049-001 7307N PNP
45 - Raytheon 7317
6 - Dickson D13013 transistors
2 - 15uH inductors
2 - 82uH inductors
2 - 100uH inductors
It will take me several evenings to get all of the parts sorted into the proper storage boxes. Tonight I took care of most of the transistors.
Ben and I had a good time on our trip, we enjoyed the hamfest, and we got a LOT of parts at a killer price.
Next weekend (4/24/2010) we are headed to Iowa to visit some extended family. While we are there will visit the Des Moines hamfest.
73 de NG0R
It is not a hamfest unless you have some vacuum tubes, crystals, and old soldering irons. :-)
OK... enough humor... there were some nice radios
At least 4 or 5 tables with transistors
We spent 90 minutes at the hamfest, walked around twice, and filled up
our backpack with stuff! $26 spent at three tables.
Table 1 - $1.00
2 small IF amps (looks like a school project or a test fixture)
2 RG-174-->BNC pigtails for projects
1 medium size bag of RG-174 cables (good lengths)
Table 2 - $5.00
1 Old desk mic (will probably use it for my Retro 75 AM project)
Table 3 $20.00
1 Hammarlund cap 25-150pF
37 - 1000pF caps
136 - 2N4250 PNP
Box of pilot lamps and LEDs
200 - 2n3391A NPN
16 - .1mF caps
84 - 1200pF caps
Bag of misc transistors
7 - 0.047uF caps
100 - 175pF caps
2 boxes of ceramic standoffs
15 - 2.47m resistors 1%
30 - 4uF caps
8 - 49.9k resistors 1%
1 box of SS standoffs
15 - 1uF caps
15 - .004uF caps
15 - 560k resistors 1%
30 - 2k resistors 1%
15 - 400m resistors 1%
15 - Raytheon 7319 PNP
45 - Motorola 049-001 7307N PNP
45 - Raytheon 7317
6 - Dickson D13013 transistors
2 - 15uH inductors
2 - 82uH inductors
2 - 100uH inductors
It will take me several evenings to get all of the parts sorted into the proper storage boxes. Tonight I took care of most of the transistors.
Ben and I had a good time on our trip, we enjoyed the hamfest, and we got a LOT of parts at a killer price.
Next weekend (4/24/2010) we are headed to Iowa to visit some extended family. While we are there will visit the Des Moines hamfest.
73 de NG0R
QRSS Oscillator for 30m
Tonight was a lot of fun. I finally got back to the work bench to run a couple of tests. I have a bunch of crystals for 10.140MHz but they seem really be 10.138MHz. This is NOT in the QRSS sub band and I figured that I could probably "pull" the crystal up to 10.140.100 sub band. --The real question is what size capacitor would it take.
I drew up a quick schematic (on paper) that looks something like the image above. I then pulled out a couple of variable capacitors. Initially I tried a 12-250pF and then moved to a 4pF-40pF. The magic seems to be about 15-18pF to it to the proper sub band for QRSS operation.
I was surprised at how stable it was. I had it running on workbench for about an hour and it only moved about 1 hertz across 10 minutes and no more than 2-3 hertz in an hour. That is pretty darn stable for a breadboard.
The image below shows the fundamental signal and the first five harmonics. It is pretty rich so I could easily pick out and tune any (or many others) with a tank circuit if needed.
10MHz x 10dB divisions
This is more than stable enough for QRSS operation. You would need to add a couple of simple gain stages with some small signal parts like a PN2222 or 2N3904 running in class A + a simple transistor final + a low pass filter. (All of these other stages are listed on this blog if you search around a bit through previous posts.)
Some notes about the variable capacitors:
12-250pF will cover 10,138,466 to 10,140,620 hertz
4-40pF will cover 10,139,228 to 10,142,495 hertz
I found that 15-18pf was needed to get into the QRSS sub band with my components.
Next Steps:
I drew up a quick schematic (on paper) that looks something like the image above. I then pulled out a couple of variable capacitors. Initially I tried a 12-250pF and then moved to a 4pF-40pF. The magic seems to be about 15-18pF to it to the proper sub band for QRSS operation.
I was surprised at how stable it was. I had it running on workbench for about an hour and it only moved about 1 hertz across 10 minutes and no more than 2-3 hertz in an hour. That is pretty darn stable for a breadboard.
The image below shows the fundamental signal and the first five harmonics. It is pretty rich so I could easily pick out and tune any (or many others) with a tank circuit if needed.
10MHz x 10dB divisions
This is more than stable enough for QRSS operation. You would need to add a couple of simple gain stages with some small signal parts like a PN2222 or 2N3904 running in class A + a simple transistor final + a low pass filter. (All of these other stages are listed on this blog if you search around a bit through previous posts.)
Some notes about the variable capacitors:
12-250pF will cover 10,138,466 to 10,140,620 hertz
4-40pF will cover 10,139,228 to 10,142,495 hertz
I found that 15-18pf was needed to get into the QRSS sub band with my components.
Next Steps:
- I need to test a couple of different ideas for what I am going to use for my "finals"
- Test how I want to "key" the whole transmit stage
- Layout a circuit board for a prototype
Skywarn 2010
Ben (N2BEN) and I attended the Skywarn class in Litchfield, MN today.
Above - KG0U explains updrafts and the rain-free-base.
Below - Ben (9) looks on as the lecture and slides continue
Below - Pretty nice attendance levels for a rural county.
Some quick notes on Skywarn Repeaters in Central Minnesota
(Stuff near our QTH is listed first, then places we visit & camp.)
Meeker County Repeater
Darwin: 146.865 (PL146.2)
McLeod County Repeater
Hutchinson: 147.375 (PL146.2)
Western Twin Cities Repeater
Maple Plain: 147.100 (PL144.8)
Minneapolis/St Paul Repeaters
Northern metro Primary : 146.850
Southern metro Primary : 147.210 (PL100)
Kandiyohi County Repeater
Willmar: 146.910
Stearns County
Avon 147.105 (PL85.4)
Redwood County
Redwood Falls: 146.865 (PL151.4)
Benton County
Foley: 147.075 (PL85.4)
Douglas County
Alexandria: 146.790
Hub (for rural county net control --> NWC)
Becker: 147.345 + offset (PL85.4)
A nice map from the NWS on Minnesota Skywarn Repeaters
http://www.crh.noaa.gov/images/mpx/skywarn_map.jpg
There are quite a few more Skywarn repeaters on the map that are not on my list. The map is pretty good.
73 de NG0R
Above - KG0U explains updrafts and the rain-free-base.
Below - Ben (9) looks on as the lecture and slides continue
Below - Pretty nice attendance levels for a rural county.
Some quick notes on Skywarn Repeaters in Central Minnesota
(Stuff near our QTH is listed first, then places we visit & camp.)
Meeker County Repeater
Darwin: 146.865 (PL146.2)
McLeod County Repeater
Hutchinson: 147.375 (PL146.2)
Western Twin Cities Repeater
Maple Plain: 147.100 (PL144.8)
Minneapolis/St Paul Repeaters
Northern metro Primary : 146.850
Southern metro Primary : 147.210 (PL100)
Kandiyohi County Repeater
Willmar: 146.910
Stearns County
Avon 147.105 (PL85.4)
Redwood County
Redwood Falls: 146.865 (PL151.4)
Benton County
Foley: 147.075 (PL85.4)
Douglas County
Alexandria: 146.790
Hub (for rural county net control --> NWC)
Becker: 147.345 + offset (PL85.4)
A nice map from the NWS on Minnesota Skywarn Repeaters
http://www.crh.noaa.gov/images/mpx/skywarn_map.jpg
There are quite a few more Skywarn repeaters on the map that are not on my list. The map is pretty good.
73 de NG0R
Olympus C-5060 Mode Control
I have an Olympus C-5060 camera. It is a neat little camera because it is a wide-angle unit and has a threaded lens for accepting filters. While it is not a digitial SLR it has many of the feature of my dSLR in smaller form factor. (There are times where I don't want the bulk of my dSLRs, or when a point & shoot is more appropriate, or when one of the kids wants to snap a couple of photos.)
I stopped using a couple of years ago because it started acting weird. Not all of the buttons would function properly. Recently I noticed that if I lifted up on the mode control a little bit it would act normal again.
---Hmmmm... time to Google a bit. As it turns out this is a semi well known problem.
Take a look at:
http://www.wrotniak.net/photo/c/c5060-dial.html
The mode control unit is replaceable at a repair shop or better yet you can do it yourself:
http://www.wrotniak.net/photo/c/_zip/c5060-dial-repair.pdf
I ended up ordering the part from a camera store in San Diego via eBay:
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=350238713705
The repair is not too hard. It took about 30 minutes and the instructions in the PDF were spot on. I am excited to be able to use this camera again. It does a pretty good job for a 5 megapixel camera. I have been using it for the pictures on the website recently when I need a shot from the camera stand.
I stopped using a couple of years ago because it started acting weird. Not all of the buttons would function properly. Recently I noticed that if I lifted up on the mode control a little bit it would act normal again.
---Hmmmm... time to Google a bit. As it turns out this is a semi well known problem.
Take a look at:
http://www.wrotniak.net/photo/c/c5060-dial.html
The mode control unit is replaceable at a repair shop or better yet you can do it yourself:
http://www.wrotniak.net/photo/c/_zip/c5060-dial-repair.pdf
I ended up ordering the part from a camera store in San Diego via eBay:
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=350238713705
The repair is not too hard. It took about 30 minutes and the instructions in the PDF were spot on. I am excited to be able to use this camera again. It does a pretty good job for a 5 megapixel camera. I have been using it for the pictures on the website recently when I need a shot from the camera stand.
AADE L/C Meter
Tonight I finished up the AADE L/C meter
Under the LCD there is a PIC, a couple of capacitors, and a crystal. The kit takes about an hour to assemble and is pretty simple.
Here is a picture of it on the work bench with measuring a simple open-air inductor.
(I should not be touching it during the measurement... but I needed to get it framed up for the photo.)
So far I am pretty happy with the kit. I have been pondering ordering it for a while but I had a hard time deciding to spend the $100 for it. (Don't ask why... $100 is not a big deal... but I was feeling cheap and thought that I could find something on eBay or at a hamfest for less.... I was wrong.)
http://www.aade.com/lcmeter.htm
73 de NG0R
Under the LCD there is a PIC, a couple of capacitors, and a crystal. The kit takes about an hour to assemble and is pretty simple.
Here is a picture of it on the work bench with measuring a simple open-air inductor.
(I should not be touching it during the measurement... but I needed to get it framed up for the photo.)
So far I am pretty happy with the kit. I have been pondering ordering it for a while but I had a hard time deciding to spend the $100 for it. (Don't ask why... $100 is not a big deal... but I was feeling cheap and thought that I could find something on eBay or at a hamfest for less.... I was wrong.)
http://www.aade.com/lcmeter.htm
73 de NG0R
Retro 75 (almost complete)
Wednesday night construction notes...
I finished up the basic construction. The next step is to figure what I need for finishing hardware and a box. Once I have those pieces I can put it in the case and do the tune-up and check out of the rig.
Click on the image if you would like to see a larger version.
73 de NG0R
I finished up the basic construction. The next step is to figure what I need for finishing hardware and a box. Once I have those pieces I can put it in the case and do the tune-up and check out of the rig.
Click on the image if you would like to see a larger version.
73 de NG0R
Moon Bounce Day
Mark K6HX is wickedly smart. He seems to write chunks of code for all kinds of things.
http://brainwagon.org/2010/03/25/moon-bounce-day-where-do-i-aim-the-antenna/
So there is a back story here.... The fine folks at the Arecibo Radio Observatory in Puerto Rico will be operating moon bounce on 432MHz soon. (I will post more details on this later in this LONG post.)
Mark asked the question that most people with "The Knack" would ask... where will the moon be in the sky from my QTH. Instead of just going to the internet to look up the data he wrote a program to figure it out. It turns out that it is moderately simple to get this work on your PC.
I am running Ubuntu so my instructions will describe how to do this on Linux.
#!/usr/bin/env python
#Script copied from K6HX
#http://brainwagon.org/2010/03/25/moon-bounce-day-where-do-i-aim-the-antenna/
import sys
import os
import optparse
import ephem
from math import degrees
from datetime import date, datetime
h = ephem.Observer()
m = ephem.Moon()
# K1JT mentioned these as likely times for moonbounce operations
# from the Arecibo Radio Observatory in Puerto Rico...
datetimes = [('2010/4/16 16:45', '2010/4/16 19:30'),
('2010/4/17 17:40', '2010/4/17 20:20'),
('2010/4/18 18:40', '2010/4/18 21:25')]
# I'm currently in grid EN25ue, which is centered here.
me = ephem.Observer()
me.lat, me.long = ('45.192990', '-94.310570')
moon = ephem.Moon()
print " MOON LOCATION ".center(55, "=")
print ("Observer at %.2f, %.2f" % (degrees(me.lat), degrees(me.long))).center(55, '-')
print
for sd, ed in datetimes:
sd = ephem.Date(sd)
ed = ephem.Date(ed)
me.date = sd
print "Time (UTC) Time (Local) Alt Az "
print "--------------------+---------------------+-----------+"
while me.date <= ed:
moon.compute(me)
print "%02d/%02d/%02d %02d:%02d:%02d |" % me.date.tuple(),
lt = ephem.localtime(me.date)
print "%02d/%02d/%02d %02d:%02d:%02d |" % (lt.year, lt.month, lt.day, lt.hour, lt.minute, lt.second),
print '%4.1f %5.1f|' % (degrees(moon.alt), degrees(moon.az))
me.date = ephem.Date(me.date + 5 * ephem.minute)
print "--------------------+---------------------+-----------+"
print
Here is the result:
==================== MOON LOCATION ====================
---------------Observer at 45.19, -94.31---------------
Time (UTC) Time (Local) Alt Az
--------------------+---------------------+-----------+
2010/04/16 16:44:59 | 2010/04/16 11:44:59 | 44.6 104.5|
2010/04/16 16:49:59 | 2010/04/16 11:49:59 | 45.4 105.6|
2010/04/16 16:54:59 | 2010/04/16 11:54:59 | 46.2 106.7|
2010/04/16 16:59:59 | 2010/04/16 11:59:59 | 47.1 107.8|
2010/04/16 17:04:59 | 2010/04/16 12:04:59 | 47.9 108.9|
2010/04/16 17:09:59 | 2010/04/16 12:09:59 | 48.7 110.1|
2010/04/16 17:14:59 | 2010/04/16 12:14:59 | 49.5 111.3|
2010/04/16 17:19:59 | 2010/04/16 12:19:59 | 50.3 112.5|
2010/04/16 17:24:59 | 2010/04/16 12:24:59 | 51.1 113.8|
2010/04/16 17:29:59 | 2010/04/16 12:29:59 | 51.9 115.1|
2010/04/16 17:34:59 | 2010/04/16 12:34:59 | 52.7 116.4|
2010/04/16 17:39:59 | 2010/04/16 12:39:59 | 53.4 117.8|
2010/04/16 17:44:59 | 2010/04/16 12:44:59 | 54.2 119.2|
2010/04/16 17:49:59 | 2010/04/16 12:49:59 | 55.0 120.7|
2010/04/16 17:54:59 | 2010/04/16 12:54:59 | 55.7 122.1|
2010/04/16 17:59:59 | 2010/04/16 12:59:59 | 56.4 123.7|
2010/04/16 18:04:59 | 2010/04/16 13:04:59 | 57.2 125.3|
2010/04/16 18:09:59 | 2010/04/16 13:09:59 | 57.9 126.9|
2010/04/16 18:14:59 | 2010/04/16 13:14:59 | 58.5 128.6|
2010/04/16 18:19:59 | 2010/04/16 13:19:59 | 59.2 130.4|
2010/04/16 18:24:59 | 2010/04/16 13:24:59 | 59.9 132.2|
2010/04/16 18:29:59 | 2010/04/16 13:29:59 | 60.5 134.1|
2010/04/16 18:34:59 | 2010/04/16 13:34:59 | 61.1 136.0|
2010/04/16 18:39:59 | 2010/04/16 13:39:59 | 61.7 138.0|
2010/04/16 18:44:59 | 2010/04/16 13:44:59 | 62.3 140.1|
2010/04/16 18:49:59 | 2010/04/16 13:49:59 | 62.8 142.2|
2010/04/16 18:54:59 | 2010/04/16 13:54:59 | 63.4 144.5|
2010/04/16 18:59:59 | 2010/04/16 13:59:59 | 63.9 146.7|
2010/04/16 19:04:59 | 2010/04/16 14:04:59 | 64.3 149.1|
2010/04/16 19:09:59 | 2010/04/16 14:09:59 | 64.8 151.5|
2010/04/16 19:14:59 | 2010/04/16 14:14:59 | 65.2 154.0|
2010/04/16 19:19:59 | 2010/04/16 14:19:59 | 65.5 156.6|
2010/04/16 19:24:59 | 2010/04/16 14:24:59 | 65.9 159.2|
2010/04/16 19:29:59 | 2010/04/16 14:29:59 | 66.2 161.9|
--------------------+---------------------+-----------+
Time (UTC) Time (Local) Alt Az
--------------------+---------------------+-----------+
2010/04/17 17:39:59 | 2010/04/17 12:39:59 | 46.0 102.1|
2010/04/17 17:44:59 | 2010/04/17 12:44:59 | 46.8 103.2|
2010/04/17 17:49:59 | 2010/04/17 12:49:59 | 47.7 104.2|
2010/04/17 17:54:59 | 2010/04/17 12:54:59 | 48.5 105.3|
2010/04/17 17:59:59 | 2010/04/17 12:59:59 | 49.3 106.5|
2010/04/17 18:04:59 | 2010/04/17 13:04:59 | 50.2 107.6|
2010/04/17 18:09:59 | 2010/04/17 13:09:59 | 51.0 108.8|
2010/04/17 18:14:59 | 2010/04/17 13:14:59 | 51.8 110.0|
2010/04/17 18:19:59 | 2010/04/17 13:19:59 | 52.6 111.2|
2010/04/17 18:24:59 | 2010/04/17 13:24:59 | 53.4 112.5|
2010/04/17 18:29:59 | 2010/04/17 13:29:59 | 54.2 113.8|
2010/04/17 18:34:59 | 2010/04/17 13:34:59 | 55.0 115.2|
2010/04/17 18:39:59 | 2010/04/17 13:39:59 | 55.8 116.6|
2010/04/17 18:44:59 | 2010/04/17 13:44:59 | 56.5 118.0|
2010/04/17 18:49:59 | 2010/04/17 13:49:59 | 57.3 119.5|
2010/04/17 18:54:59 | 2010/04/17 13:54:59 | 58.0 121.0|
2010/04/17 18:59:59 | 2010/04/17 13:59:59 | 58.8 122.6|
2010/04/17 19:04:59 | 2010/04/17 14:04:59 | 59.5 124.3|
2010/04/17 19:09:59 | 2010/04/17 14:09:59 | 60.2 126.0|
2010/04/17 19:14:59 | 2010/04/17 14:14:59 | 60.9 127.7|
2010/04/17 19:19:59 | 2010/04/17 14:19:59 | 61.6 129.5|
2010/04/17 19:24:59 | 2010/04/17 14:24:59 | 62.2 131.4|
2010/04/17 19:29:59 | 2010/04/17 14:29:59 | 62.9 133.4|
2010/04/17 19:34:59 | 2010/04/17 14:34:59 | 63.5 135.5|
2010/04/17 19:39:59 | 2010/04/17 14:39:59 | 64.1 137.6|
2010/04/17 19:44:59 | 2010/04/17 14:44:59 | 64.6 139.8|
2010/04/17 19:49:59 | 2010/04/17 14:49:59 | 65.2 142.1|
2010/04/17 19:54:59 | 2010/04/17 14:54:59 | 65.7 144.4|
2010/04/17 19:59:59 | 2010/04/17 14:59:59 | 66.2 146.9|
2010/04/17 20:04:59 | 2010/04/17 15:04:59 | 66.7 149.4|
2010/04/17 20:09:59 | 2010/04/17 15:09:59 | 67.1 152.0|
2010/04/17 20:14:59 | 2010/04/17 15:14:59 | 67.5 154.7|
2010/04/17 20:19:59 | 2010/04/17 15:19:59 | 67.8 157.5|
--------------------+---------------------+-----------+
Time (UTC) Time (Local) Alt Az
--------------------+---------------------+-----------+
2010/04/18 18:40:00 | 2010/04/18 13:40:00 | 46.9 101.8|
2010/04/18 18:45:00 | 2010/04/18 13:45:00 | 47.7 102.9|
2010/04/18 18:49:59 | 2010/04/18 13:49:59 | 48.5 104.0|
2010/04/18 18:54:59 | 2010/04/18 13:54:59 | 49.4 105.1|
2010/04/18 18:59:59 | 2010/04/18 13:59:59 | 50.2 106.2|
2010/04/18 19:04:59 | 2010/04/18 14:04:59 | 51.0 107.4|
2010/04/18 19:09:59 | 2010/04/18 14:09:59 | 51.8 108.6|
2010/04/18 19:14:59 | 2010/04/18 14:14:59 | 52.6 109.8|
2010/04/18 19:19:59 | 2010/04/18 14:19:59 | 53.5 111.0|
2010/04/18 19:24:59 | 2010/04/18 14:24:59 | 54.2 112.3|
2010/04/18 19:29:59 | 2010/04/18 14:29:59 | 55.0 113.6|
2010/04/18 19:34:59 | 2010/04/18 14:34:59 | 55.8 115.0|
2010/04/18 19:39:59 | 2010/04/18 14:39:59 | 56.6 116.4|
2010/04/18 19:44:59 | 2010/04/18 14:44:59 | 57.4 117.9|
2010/04/18 19:49:59 | 2010/04/18 14:49:59 | 58.1 119.4|
2010/04/18 19:54:59 | 2010/04/18 14:54:59 | 58.9 121.0|
2010/04/18 19:59:59 | 2010/04/18 14:59:59 | 59.6 122.6|
2010/04/18 20:04:59 | 2010/04/18 15:04:59 | 60.3 124.2|
2010/04/18 20:09:59 | 2010/04/18 15:09:59 | 61.0 126.0|
2010/04/18 20:14:59 | 2010/04/18 15:14:59 | 61.7 127.8|
2010/04/18 20:19:59 | 2010/04/18 15:19:59 | 62.4 129.7|
2010/04/18 20:24:59 | 2010/04/18 15:24:59 | 63.0 131.6|
2010/04/18 20:29:59 | 2010/04/18 15:29:59 | 63.6 133.6|
2010/04/18 20:34:59 | 2010/04/18 15:34:59 | 64.2 135.7|
2010/04/18 20:39:59 | 2010/04/18 15:39:59 | 64.8 137.9|
2010/04/18 20:44:59 | 2010/04/18 15:44:59 | 65.4 140.1|
2010/04/18 20:49:59 | 2010/04/18 15:49:59 | 65.9 142.5|
2010/04/18 20:54:59 | 2010/04/18 15:54:59 | 66.4 144.9|
2010/04/18 20:59:59 | 2010/04/18 15:59:59 | 66.9 147.4|
2010/04/18 21:04:59 | 2010/04/18 16:04:59 | 67.4 150.0|
2010/04/18 21:09:59 | 2010/04/18 16:09:59 | 67.8 152.7|
2010/04/18 21:14:59 | 2010/04/18 16:14:59 | 68.2 155.5|
2010/04/18 21:19:59 | 2010/04/18 16:19:59 | 68.5 158.3|
2010/04/18 21:24:59 | 2010/04/18 16:24:59 | 68.8 161.2|
--------------------+---------------------+-----------+
It took me longer to document this than it did to figure out how to install the python module and hack Mark's code. (Did I mention that he is wickedly smart?)
Ok... here is the rest of the back story:
Subject: KP4AO on 432 EME
Date: Sun, 04 Apr 2010 20:41:26 -0400
From: Joe Taylor
To: moon-net@list-serv.davidv.net, moon@moonbounce.info, Packrats List, wsjtgroup@yahoogroups.com
In less that two weeks the Arecibo Observatory Amateur Radio Club will again put the 1000-foot radio telescope on the air for 432 MHz EME.The scheduled times of operation are:
April 16: 1645 - 1930 UTC
April 17: 1740 - 2020 UTC
April 18: 1840 - 2125 UTC
Callsign: KP4AO
Tx Frequency: 432.045 MHz
Rx Frequency: 432.050 to 432.060+
Tx power: 400 W
Antenna gain: 60 dBi
System noise temp: 120 K (cold sky)
System noise temp: 330 K (when pointed at moon)
KP4AO can be heard with a small hand-held yagi pointed at the moon, and a good receiver. A 15 dBi antenna and 100 W will be enough to work us on CW.
Operators at KP4AO will do their best to work as many stations as possible. Each session will start with a brief announcement and CQ in SSB. SSB QSOs may continue for 30 minutes to an hour, if the QSO rate remains high. The mode will be shifted to CW as soon as it is judged that higher QSO rates would result.
We will listen for calls at frequencies 5-15 kHz higher than our own, and even higher if QRM warrants. Callers who s-p-r-e-a-d o-u-t are more likely to be copied.
If you've already worked us in any mode, please do not call again -- give others a chance.
If we call "CQ QRP", we will listen for stations running 100 W or less to a single yagi. Please do not answer such a CQ if you are running more power or have a larger antenna.
On April 18, if we reach a condition where most calling stations have been worked, and we judge that operating in the digital mode JT65B would produce a higher QSO rate, we will switch to JT65B.
Note that any of these planned operating strategies may be changed as circumstances dictate.
We are extremely fortunate to have been granted access to the world's largest radio telescope for this amateur radio good-will event. We look forward to working as many stations as possible in the alloted time!
-----------------------
Thanks to Jason NT7S for pointing me towards Mark's code.
http://brainwagon.org/2010/03/25/moon-bounce-day-where-do-i-aim-the-antenna/
So there is a back story here.... The fine folks at the Arecibo Radio Observatory in Puerto Rico will be operating moon bounce on 432MHz soon. (I will post more details on this later in this LONG post.)
Mark asked the question that most people with "The Knack" would ask... where will the moon be in the sky from my QTH. Instead of just going to the internet to look up the data he wrote a program to figure it out. It turns out that it is moderately simple to get this work on your PC.
I am running Ubuntu so my instructions will describe how to do this on Linux.
- Python is already installed by default.
- sudo apt-get install python-setuptools
- sudo easy_install pyephem
- then copy the code (below) into an editor
- change the latitude and longitude
- save it as: moon.py
- run it: python moon.py
#!/usr/bin/env python
#Script copied from K6HX
#http://brainwagon.org/2010/03/25/moon-bounce-day-where-do-i-aim-the-antenna/
import sys
import os
import optparse
import ephem
from math import degrees
from datetime import date, datetime
h = ephem.Observer()
m = ephem.Moon()
# K1JT mentioned these as likely times for moonbounce operations
# from the Arecibo Radio Observatory in Puerto Rico...
datetimes = [('2010/4/16 16:45', '2010/4/16 19:30'),
('2010/4/17 17:40', '2010/4/17 20:20'),
('2010/4/18 18:40', '2010/4/18 21:25')]
# I'm currently in grid EN25ue, which is centered here.
me = ephem.Observer()
me.lat, me.long = ('45.192990', '-94.310570')
moon = ephem.Moon()
print " MOON LOCATION ".center(55, "=")
print ("Observer at %.2f, %.2f" % (degrees(me.lat), degrees(me.long))).center(55, '-')
for sd, ed in datetimes:
sd = ephem.Date(sd)
ed = ephem.Date(ed)
me.date = sd
print "Time (UTC) Time (Local) Alt Az "
print "--------------------+---------------------+-----------+"
while me.date <= ed:
moon.compute(me)
print "%02d/%02d/%02d %02d:%02d:%02d |" % me.date.tuple(),
lt = ephem.localtime(me.date)
print "%02d/%02d/%02d %02d:%02d:%02d |" % (lt.year, lt.month, lt.day, lt.hour, lt.minute, lt.second),
print '%4.1f %5.1f|' % (degrees(moon.alt), degrees(moon.az))
me.date = ephem.Date(me.date + 5 * ephem.minute)
print "--------------------+---------------------+-----------+"
Here is the result:
==================== MOON LOCATION ====================
---------------Observer at 45.19, -94.31---------------
Time (UTC) Time (Local) Alt Az
--------------------+---------------------+-----------+
2010/04/16 16:44:59 | 2010/04/16 11:44:59 | 44.6 104.5|
2010/04/16 16:49:59 | 2010/04/16 11:49:59 | 45.4 105.6|
2010/04/16 16:54:59 | 2010/04/16 11:54:59 | 46.2 106.7|
2010/04/16 16:59:59 | 2010/04/16 11:59:59 | 47.1 107.8|
2010/04/16 17:04:59 | 2010/04/16 12:04:59 | 47.9 108.9|
2010/04/16 17:09:59 | 2010/04/16 12:09:59 | 48.7 110.1|
2010/04/16 17:14:59 | 2010/04/16 12:14:59 | 49.5 111.3|
2010/04/16 17:19:59 | 2010/04/16 12:19:59 | 50.3 112.5|
2010/04/16 17:24:59 | 2010/04/16 12:24:59 | 51.1 113.8|
2010/04/16 17:29:59 | 2010/04/16 12:29:59 | 51.9 115.1|
2010/04/16 17:34:59 | 2010/04/16 12:34:59 | 52.7 116.4|
2010/04/16 17:39:59 | 2010/04/16 12:39:59 | 53.4 117.8|
2010/04/16 17:44:59 | 2010/04/16 12:44:59 | 54.2 119.2|
2010/04/16 17:49:59 | 2010/04/16 12:49:59 | 55.0 120.7|
2010/04/16 17:54:59 | 2010/04/16 12:54:59 | 55.7 122.1|
2010/04/16 17:59:59 | 2010/04/16 12:59:59 | 56.4 123.7|
2010/04/16 18:04:59 | 2010/04/16 13:04:59 | 57.2 125.3|
2010/04/16 18:09:59 | 2010/04/16 13:09:59 | 57.9 126.9|
2010/04/16 18:14:59 | 2010/04/16 13:14:59 | 58.5 128.6|
2010/04/16 18:19:59 | 2010/04/16 13:19:59 | 59.2 130.4|
2010/04/16 18:24:59 | 2010/04/16 13:24:59 | 59.9 132.2|
2010/04/16 18:29:59 | 2010/04/16 13:29:59 | 60.5 134.1|
2010/04/16 18:34:59 | 2010/04/16 13:34:59 | 61.1 136.0|
2010/04/16 18:39:59 | 2010/04/16 13:39:59 | 61.7 138.0|
2010/04/16 18:44:59 | 2010/04/16 13:44:59 | 62.3 140.1|
2010/04/16 18:49:59 | 2010/04/16 13:49:59 | 62.8 142.2|
2010/04/16 18:54:59 | 2010/04/16 13:54:59 | 63.4 144.5|
2010/04/16 18:59:59 | 2010/04/16 13:59:59 | 63.9 146.7|
2010/04/16 19:04:59 | 2010/04/16 14:04:59 | 64.3 149.1|
2010/04/16 19:09:59 | 2010/04/16 14:09:59 | 64.8 151.5|
2010/04/16 19:14:59 | 2010/04/16 14:14:59 | 65.2 154.0|
2010/04/16 19:19:59 | 2010/04/16 14:19:59 | 65.5 156.6|
2010/04/16 19:24:59 | 2010/04/16 14:24:59 | 65.9 159.2|
2010/04/16 19:29:59 | 2010/04/16 14:29:59 | 66.2 161.9|
--------------------+---------------------+-----------+
Time (UTC) Time (Local) Alt Az
--------------------+---------------------+-----------+
2010/04/17 17:39:59 | 2010/04/17 12:39:59 | 46.0 102.1|
2010/04/17 17:44:59 | 2010/04/17 12:44:59 | 46.8 103.2|
2010/04/17 17:49:59 | 2010/04/17 12:49:59 | 47.7 104.2|
2010/04/17 17:54:59 | 2010/04/17 12:54:59 | 48.5 105.3|
2010/04/17 17:59:59 | 2010/04/17 12:59:59 | 49.3 106.5|
2010/04/17 18:04:59 | 2010/04/17 13:04:59 | 50.2 107.6|
2010/04/17 18:09:59 | 2010/04/17 13:09:59 | 51.0 108.8|
2010/04/17 18:14:59 | 2010/04/17 13:14:59 | 51.8 110.0|
2010/04/17 18:19:59 | 2010/04/17 13:19:59 | 52.6 111.2|
2010/04/17 18:24:59 | 2010/04/17 13:24:59 | 53.4 112.5|
2010/04/17 18:29:59 | 2010/04/17 13:29:59 | 54.2 113.8|
2010/04/17 18:34:59 | 2010/04/17 13:34:59 | 55.0 115.2|
2010/04/17 18:39:59 | 2010/04/17 13:39:59 | 55.8 116.6|
2010/04/17 18:44:59 | 2010/04/17 13:44:59 | 56.5 118.0|
2010/04/17 18:49:59 | 2010/04/17 13:49:59 | 57.3 119.5|
2010/04/17 18:54:59 | 2010/04/17 13:54:59 | 58.0 121.0|
2010/04/17 18:59:59 | 2010/04/17 13:59:59 | 58.8 122.6|
2010/04/17 19:04:59 | 2010/04/17 14:04:59 | 59.5 124.3|
2010/04/17 19:09:59 | 2010/04/17 14:09:59 | 60.2 126.0|
2010/04/17 19:14:59 | 2010/04/17 14:14:59 | 60.9 127.7|
2010/04/17 19:19:59 | 2010/04/17 14:19:59 | 61.6 129.5|
2010/04/17 19:24:59 | 2010/04/17 14:24:59 | 62.2 131.4|
2010/04/17 19:29:59 | 2010/04/17 14:29:59 | 62.9 133.4|
2010/04/17 19:34:59 | 2010/04/17 14:34:59 | 63.5 135.5|
2010/04/17 19:39:59 | 2010/04/17 14:39:59 | 64.1 137.6|
2010/04/17 19:44:59 | 2010/04/17 14:44:59 | 64.6 139.8|
2010/04/17 19:49:59 | 2010/04/17 14:49:59 | 65.2 142.1|
2010/04/17 19:54:59 | 2010/04/17 14:54:59 | 65.7 144.4|
2010/04/17 19:59:59 | 2010/04/17 14:59:59 | 66.2 146.9|
2010/04/17 20:04:59 | 2010/04/17 15:04:59 | 66.7 149.4|
2010/04/17 20:09:59 | 2010/04/17 15:09:59 | 67.1 152.0|
2010/04/17 20:14:59 | 2010/04/17 15:14:59 | 67.5 154.7|
2010/04/17 20:19:59 | 2010/04/17 15:19:59 | 67.8 157.5|
--------------------+---------------------+-----------+
Time (UTC) Time (Local) Alt Az
--------------------+---------------------+-----------+
2010/04/18 18:40:00 | 2010/04/18 13:40:00 | 46.9 101.8|
2010/04/18 18:45:00 | 2010/04/18 13:45:00 | 47.7 102.9|
2010/04/18 18:49:59 | 2010/04/18 13:49:59 | 48.5 104.0|
2010/04/18 18:54:59 | 2010/04/18 13:54:59 | 49.4 105.1|
2010/04/18 18:59:59 | 2010/04/18 13:59:59 | 50.2 106.2|
2010/04/18 19:04:59 | 2010/04/18 14:04:59 | 51.0 107.4|
2010/04/18 19:09:59 | 2010/04/18 14:09:59 | 51.8 108.6|
2010/04/18 19:14:59 | 2010/04/18 14:14:59 | 52.6 109.8|
2010/04/18 19:19:59 | 2010/04/18 14:19:59 | 53.5 111.0|
2010/04/18 19:24:59 | 2010/04/18 14:24:59 | 54.2 112.3|
2010/04/18 19:29:59 | 2010/04/18 14:29:59 | 55.0 113.6|
2010/04/18 19:34:59 | 2010/04/18 14:34:59 | 55.8 115.0|
2010/04/18 19:39:59 | 2010/04/18 14:39:59 | 56.6 116.4|
2010/04/18 19:44:59 | 2010/04/18 14:44:59 | 57.4 117.9|
2010/04/18 19:49:59 | 2010/04/18 14:49:59 | 58.1 119.4|
2010/04/18 19:54:59 | 2010/04/18 14:54:59 | 58.9 121.0|
2010/04/18 19:59:59 | 2010/04/18 14:59:59 | 59.6 122.6|
2010/04/18 20:04:59 | 2010/04/18 15:04:59 | 60.3 124.2|
2010/04/18 20:09:59 | 2010/04/18 15:09:59 | 61.0 126.0|
2010/04/18 20:14:59 | 2010/04/18 15:14:59 | 61.7 127.8|
2010/04/18 20:19:59 | 2010/04/18 15:19:59 | 62.4 129.7|
2010/04/18 20:24:59 | 2010/04/18 15:24:59 | 63.0 131.6|
2010/04/18 20:29:59 | 2010/04/18 15:29:59 | 63.6 133.6|
2010/04/18 20:34:59 | 2010/04/18 15:34:59 | 64.2 135.7|
2010/04/18 20:39:59 | 2010/04/18 15:39:59 | 64.8 137.9|
2010/04/18 20:44:59 | 2010/04/18 15:44:59 | 65.4 140.1|
2010/04/18 20:49:59 | 2010/04/18 15:49:59 | 65.9 142.5|
2010/04/18 20:54:59 | 2010/04/18 15:54:59 | 66.4 144.9|
2010/04/18 20:59:59 | 2010/04/18 15:59:59 | 66.9 147.4|
2010/04/18 21:04:59 | 2010/04/18 16:04:59 | 67.4 150.0|
2010/04/18 21:09:59 | 2010/04/18 16:09:59 | 67.8 152.7|
2010/04/18 21:14:59 | 2010/04/18 16:14:59 | 68.2 155.5|
2010/04/18 21:19:59 | 2010/04/18 16:19:59 | 68.5 158.3|
2010/04/18 21:24:59 | 2010/04/18 16:24:59 | 68.8 161.2|
--------------------+---------------------+-----------+
It took me longer to document this than it did to figure out how to install the python module and hack Mark's code. (Did I mention that he is wickedly smart?)
Ok... here is the rest of the back story:
Subject: KP4AO on 432 EME
Date: Sun, 04 Apr 2010 20:41:26 -0400
From: Joe Taylor
To: moon-net@list-serv.davidv.net, moon@moonbounce.info, Packrats List
In less that two weeks the Arecibo Observatory Amateur Radio Club will again put the 1000-foot radio telescope on the air for 432 MHz EME.The scheduled times of operation are:
April 16: 1645 - 1930 UTC
April 17: 1740 - 2020 UTC
April 18: 1840 - 2125 UTC
Callsign: KP4AO
Tx Frequency: 432.045 MHz
Rx Frequency: 432.050 to 432.060+
Tx power: 400 W
Antenna gain: 60 dBi
System noise temp: 120 K (cold sky)
System noise temp: 330 K (when pointed at moon)
KP4AO can be heard with a small hand-held yagi pointed at the moon, and a good receiver. A 15 dBi antenna and 100 W will be enough to work us on CW.
Operators at KP4AO will do their best to work as many stations as possible. Each session will start with a brief announcement and CQ in SSB. SSB QSOs may continue for 30 minutes to an hour, if the QSO rate remains high. The mode will be shifted to CW as soon as it is judged that higher QSO rates would result.
We will listen for calls at frequencies 5-15 kHz higher than our own, and even higher if QRM warrants. Callers who s-p-r-e-a-d o-u-t are more likely to be copied.
If you've already worked us in any mode, please do not call again -- give others a chance.
If we call "CQ QRP", we will listen for stations running 100 W or less to a single yagi. Please do not answer such a CQ if you are running more power or have a larger antenna.
On April 18, if we reach a condition where most calling stations have been worked, and we judge that operating in the digital mode JT65B would produce a higher QSO rate, we will switch to JT65B.
Note that any of these planned operating strategies may be changed as circumstances dictate.
We are extremely fortunate to have been granted access to the world's largest radio telescope for this amateur radio good-will event. We look forward to working as many stations as possible in the alloted time!
-----------------------
Thanks to Jason NT7S for pointing me towards Mark's code.
Retro 75
Here is the board after the Monday night construction session.....
I installed the diodes, IC sockets, toroids, and most of the transistors.
I only have a couple more parts install. I need to start thinking about how to mount this in a box and what parts I need for the controls.
73 de NG0R
I installed the diodes, IC sockets, toroids, and most of the transistors.
I only have a couple more parts install. I need to start thinking about how to mount this in a box and what parts I need for the controls.
73 de NG0R
Retro 75
Sunday night's bench time was spent on the resistors.....
As Cristy and the boys were watching the Lord of the Rings dvd in the family room I went to visit my workbench. I checked into the Meeker County radio club Net on 146.685mhz and then went over the the QRP/builder conference on EchoLink. (I was using the Qtel client on an Ubuntu laptop... rock solid!)
While waiting for my turn in the rotation on those nets I was working on putting the resistors on the board for the Retro 75. This generated a lot of conversation on EchoLink about Dave Benson's kits over at the Small Wonder Labs. It was pretty clear that Dave has a lot of fans in the builder community.
The picture shown above is after two sessions working on the kit. Yesterday Ben (9) and Joe (7) installed the capacitors and tonight I did the resistors solo. (I guess kids like movies more than kit building... what is up with that.)
The picture was taken on a new homebrew (DiY) copy stand for my digital camera. That was the project for this morning. I want to be able to do a better job documenting my kit and project work. About $30 in parts from the local hardware store and about 2 hours and the copy stand was in business.
73 de NG0R
As Cristy and the boys were watching the Lord of the Rings dvd in the family room I went to visit my workbench. I checked into the Meeker County radio club Net on 146.685mhz and then went over the the QRP/builder conference on EchoLink. (I was using the Qtel client on an Ubuntu laptop... rock solid!)
While waiting for my turn in the rotation on those nets I was working on putting the resistors on the board for the Retro 75. This generated a lot of conversation on EchoLink about Dave Benson's kits over at the Small Wonder Labs. It was pretty clear that Dave has a lot of fans in the builder community.
The picture shown above is after two sessions working on the kit. Yesterday Ben (9) and Joe (7) installed the capacitors and tonight I did the resistors solo. (I guess kids like movies more than kit building... what is up with that.)
The picture was taken on a new homebrew (DiY) copy stand for my digital camera. That was the project for this morning. I want to be able to do a better job documenting my kit and project work. About $30 in parts from the local hardware store and about 2 hours and the copy stand was in business.
73 de NG0R