New tool + Receiver Mixer Stage completed

Here's an updated shot of the circuit board showing the receiver mixer stage work (middle left).

Circuit board is held by my new PanaVise 333 (thanks, Hon!).  What a huge improvement over the wimpy Radio Shack third hand tool! Soldering and inspection work is pleasure now instead of being tedious and frustrating.

Now I can leave the circuit board in the PanaVise for soldering and inspection since the PanaVise allows 360 degree rotation, simplifying inspection and trimming. It also saves a lot of time and effort.

Using the PanaVise avoids damaging circuit board edges since the circuit board is gently held in place along grooves in the holding arms. 

In contrast, the teeth on the Radio Shack third hand tool alligator clips damaged the circuit board surface. 

Plus, once components are installed along the edge of the circuit board, there is little to no room for attaching the third hand clips. Not a good situation.

Lastly, the base of the Radio Shack tool is simply too light and shallow to provide sufficient counter-balance and weight while performing soldering and inspection operations. The PanaVise is one of the best tools I own for electronic kit building! Well worth its $65 price tag on Amazon.

Next up: Installation of the 4-pole crystal filter along with the 11 MHz IF Amp.

After that, it's on to the BFO and audio amp sections of the kit.

Transmit mixer and 7 MHz filter circuit

Transmit mixer and 7 MHz filter circuit components successfully
installed and tested. Located on left side of circuit board. Only
had one problem in this section. After a bit of trouble-shooting
I discovered I had installed a wrong capacitor. Removed it,
installed the right one and all worked well.

Next up: The receiver section. No testing after this section,
so installation must be perfect.

VFO construction

I've finally resumed construction on my TenTec 1340 QRP kit.  The photos here show completed work on the VFO section.

Once again I am indebted to K7QO for his very valuable step by step photo guide to building this rig. I referred to his guide numerous times to verify correct component placement and selection when the supplied documentation fell a bit short.

Photo below shows the setup for VFO testing. After creating and then fixing an inadvertent solder bridge in the late stages of this section I was a little worried I might have more repair work on my hands. But after I hooked the PC board and the ICOM to my power supply, powered up, tuned the ICOM to 4 Mhz, and tuned the VFO a bit I heard the sweet sound of success! A clear tone from 1340 right where it should it have been.

Next, I need to adjust the toroid coil to set the frequency range.

Ten-Tec 1340: Phase 1 construction

I completed phase of the the 7 construction phases for the Ten-Tec 1340. It took several hours. Fortunately my soldering technique was fine. Finished work shows shiny solder and good wicking. I must say the kit documentation continues to be problematic as it sometimes fails to provide good direction in terms of component installation.

I was really glad to have the "third hand" tool as it made soldering significantly easier, not to mention that having a good magnifier makes soldering and checking my work much easier.

Won't be able to move on to phase 2 until I have the power supply and DMM. In the meantime, I'm reading sections of the ARRL handbook on antennas, propagation and transmission lines. Great stuff!

First impressions on the Ten-Tec 1340

The kit arrived in perfect shape. I spent last evening (4 Dec 9) reviewing the documentation. Although I'm confident I'll be able to build this kit I have to say that the documentation, graphics and other supplemental information is disappointing. There are errors and misspellings throughout the manual and often the graphics are so muddy that it can be difficult to make out part numbers. Even the inserts that claim to be corrections to the existing manual have errors. So, it's a bit difficult to have confidence in what Ten-Tec says.

All that aside, I read through the entire manual, made notes and highlighted potential problem areas or sections of the kit building process that require a bit more care.

I realize I really can't build this kit without a real power supply (as opposed to the motorcycle battery I currently use to power the Icom). So, last night I ordered a Jetstream JTPS28 13.8 V power supply from Universal Radio in Ohio.

I'm guessing it will take a week or so to get here.

In the meantime I still need to possibly obtain a DMM. I do have an analog meter but am not sure it will suffice.

I plan to take some time to prepare my work area, get parts sorted out and labeled as needed and make sure I have everything I need to get started. I plan to take the month of December to build the radio, so, no hurry.

I'm really looking forward to this and can't wait to take it out for a spin early next year.

Now that I've seen what Ten-Tec provides in a kit I a bit more basis for comparison for the next kit.

Ten-Tec 1340 kit arrived

The kit arrived on 2 December 2009 along with a free copy of the 2009 ARRL Handbook. I'm hoping to get started this weekend. Still need a DMM but will probably pick one up in the next few weeks.

After building a Heathkit HW-9 many years ago I'm aware of the need to go slow and get it right the first time. I was fortunate to have had a ham friend (now SK) back then who was able to trouble-shoot my finished HW-9 to get it working. I had soldered some components without observing correct polarity and had several solder bridges as well.

This time my plan is to take my time and use K7QO's assembly guide along the way too supplement Ten-Tec's construction manual.

On another note, I had my first opportunity to participate as an FCC Volunteer Examiner on Tuesday evening at the University of Idaho. There were 7 folks taking exams (1 for upgrade and 6 for first-time Technician licenses). All passed, including a couple in their 60's! They had all completed a study course with Harvey Howard, N7SIF from the Palouse Hills Amateur Radio Club in Moscow, ID.

3-element 2 meter quad takes shape

A view of the partially assembled 2 meter quad. Construction is all hardwood which presented advantages and disadvantages. Advantages: light weight, inexpensive, easy to cut and drill.

Disadvantages: tendency to warp, need to weather-proof for outside use.

In future, I think I would opt for all-PVC construction.

Wood was purchased at a local hardware store for about USD $15.

This view shows detail of method used to join the end of the 12-gage stranded wire used for the elements. This is a simple male-female connector crimped on to the ends of the wire. It slides together and apart. One alternative: use crimp-on closed loops that can be joined with a soldered-on jumper, allowing for easier length adjustments.

This view shows the nearly-completed 3-element quad on the floor of my "shack." Look closely to see how the twist and bend of the boom has caused the elements to be out of alignment. Not sure yet how this will impact antenna performance.

This view shows how the elements are wired. Instructions called for making slits in the ends of the spreaders, adjusting the depth of the slit to accommodate the wire. I chose to drill a series of 3 holes instead.

Here is a view detailing how the spreaders mount through the boom. I drilled half-inch holes, slipped the dowels through, centered them, then used small wood screws to affix the spreaders to the boom to limit slipping. Note how the mounting holes for the spreaders are drilled on either side of the line which represents the center of the wire for that element. I chose to use screws instead of glue so I could take the antenna apart as necessary.

Next steps: attach mast and feedline, and devise a method to mount the antenna on my porch that will raise it above the roof line.

My next antenna project

A 2 meter 3 element direct coax-fed quad. Here are all the
pieces...now to build it.

Ten-Tec 1340

I've decided to build a Ten-Tec 1340 QRP xcvr. Looks like a great kit that should be a good way for me to get back into kit building at a level where I can brush up my skills and challenge myself as well. Kit costs about $12o USD plus, Ten-Tec includes a free 2009 ARRL handbook, which I need anyway so that just sweetened the deal for me.

I chose the 1340 because 40m is such a reliable band for propagation even during the current sunspot minimum.

Ten-Tec's site has an amazing, free 330-page PDF provided by Chuck Adams, K7QO. Chuck's manual takes builders step-by-step through the process with excellent photos and insights to help you avoid making rookie mistakes along the way. Thanks, Chuck!

Not sure when UPS ground shipping will get the kit from Tennessee to Idaho but I'm hoping it will be no more than a few weeks.

Till then, Im studying K7QO's manual.

40m opening today

1130Z: No 20m propagation this morning but there was light DX activity on 40m. Heard JA8BM and K2IX (NC).

Motorcycle battery is really inadequate for my station operation. Run time is just a couple hours, much less if transmitting, even at QRP. Time to upgrade to a power supply and keep a deep cycle battery for emergency.

Excellent 20m propagation today

Just a few days ago a new sunspot was announced and it already appears to be making its presence felt on 20m. Today from 2200-2300Z I heard strong CW signals from the following stations from my QTH in Moscow, ID:

• JH9FNB (Ishiwaka, Japan)
• JH8SLS (Sapporo, Japan)
• RW0CR (Khabarousk, Russia)
• K9KA (Tennessee)
• K2VV (Missouri)
• K3ZM (Virginia)

The antenna was a simple wire dipole lying mostly on the floor (not stretched straight) of my 2nd storey attic with the RG8X feedline center point at about 25 feet.

By 2300Z the band dropped out. Later, at about 0300Z November 1, propagation remained poor.

I plan to try again Nov 1 around 1200Z.

Going stealth

Decided to move antennas (well, at least HF antennas) up into the attic. Climbed up there this past weekend and started installing the thinwall 15m dipole as an inverted vee.

When I was outside on the porch testing the dipole install, my new neighbor was outside and thought I was about to install a privacy curtain between our houses! I guess he thought the dipole was the curtain mounting hardware. I assured him it was nothing like that, just an amateur radio antenna. He thought it was pretty cool.

So, the two legs are now mounted to the rafters. I've ordered some coax and a low-power balun. Once those arrive I'll be back on the air. There is room for other antennas, but it's tricky moving around since there are no floor boards.

If nothing else, the antenna is mounted 10 feet higher. Can't wait to see if this improves things.

Thinwall conduit dipole installation

Here's a view of my Lew McCoy 15m dipole installed just beneath the
overhang of the 2nd storey porch.

Still need to add strain relief for the PVC stand-offs.

Then it's time to connect the current balun and RG-8X feedline.

Then off to the aether!

15m antenna project

I've been looking for a suitable low-band antenna to mount outdoors in
limited space I decided to construct a modified version of Lew
McCoy's "one-element" 15m dipole. His antenna is intended to be
rotated, but I'm not quite ready for that yet.

So in the meantime I'm building a fixed version that will mount near
the roof-line of my second-storey porch.

This is a very low-cost project which will end up costing under $20
(not including a balun and RG-8X feedline).

The photo shows the main components:
- Thin-wall electrical conduit
- #12 solid copper wire
- 3/4 inch dia. PVC "T" connectors

The primary advantage with this antenna: its low profile. But I'm
adding a significant modification because I need to make the design
even more low-profile by making it possible to reduce the length of
each leg by half so it becomes almost invisible from the street.

The idea is to be able to remove 5' of each leg when not using the
antenna (for me that means daytime).

I'll add photos once I get it mounted. Still need coax and not sure if
I'll build or buy the balun.

New antenna material

Stopped in at Lowe's in Spokane on Sunday and picked up 4, 10 ft lengths of thin-wall electrical conduit for constructing new antennas. So cheap! I plan to make a 20m resonant dipole and a 2m beam or dipole. Need a few more tools to make it possible, like a vise to flatten the ends of the conduit so I can drill holes to connect the coax.

May need to add a small inductor to cancel capacitance created by connecting the feed-line to the conduit.

I may be able to mount these outdoors on the second floor porch. That would be a welcome change from the current indoor antennas. More later.

My old keys

This is the first key I ever used when I was first licensed in 1969 as WN2MFW in New York. My Dad had this key from when he was a radioman in the US Coast Guard during WWII. Although the plastic housing on the back of the unit is cracked, the rest of the key is built like a tank and still has a great feel.

I removed the large knob mounted on top of the large disk. I still have this key at my operating position, ready for straight key nights.

The second key I owned was a Vibroplex, a real pleasure to use and, sad to say, after all these years I lost track of it somewhere along the way in all the moves we did from NY to FL to CT to MI to CT to MA and finally to ID.

Nice to stroll down memory lane occasionally.

20m: poor propagation

Got on 20m tonight for the first time with my newly-cut 20m resonant
antenna at around 0500Z.

Effectively zero propagation. Also scanned 30 and 17m but nothing
there as well.

I need to see what propagation is like on 20 during early AM hours
too. Might give it a shot tomorrow.

The move to 20 meters

After a day spent fine-tuning my 40m indoor dipole (plus an aborted attempt to mount it outside near the house) I got the SWR down to about 1.5/1, but realized that with the added length to improve SWR the antenna is just too unwieldy for indoor installation. I even tried running the extended length out the windows! That's when I knew I had taken it as far as I could. Time to step back and reconsider.

So, I went ahead and cut a quarter-wave 20m dipole (a bit over 16 feet long in total). SWR was perfect and mounting it up near the ceiling was simple. No bending!

Got on the IC 706-MKII running QRP at about 0200Z and immediately heard (but did not work) stations in Alaska, Texas and Indiana under clear, mild wx conditions. The antenna (14-gage insulated, stranded copper) is oriented roughly broadside to SW - NE.

I'm looking forward to operating later tonight to see if I can actually work some stations, especially now that there is actually some sunspot activity.

2009 Spokane Hamfest

Although I've been continuously licensed since 1969 the Spokane Hamfest was my first.

It seemed like a pretty modest affair, but I thoroughly enjoyed it because it got me back in touch with my early roots in amateur radio. I attended several sessions.

The first was by K7MM, Dan Ransom: QRP Contesting University.

There were about 20 folks in the session. I was impressed with the strong interest in QRP operating. Dan did a fine job touching on many of the finer points of QRP contesting, from multiple perspectives including propagation, equipment, antennas, logging software, and operating.

He really made a strong case for why QRP can be so much fun and a good challenge. As he repeated throughout the session, "Remember, you are LOUD." And he had us all repeating that throughout the session. I have to admit, it's a great way to think about yourself as a QRP station. Ultimately, as Dan said, it gets down to understanding the interplay of propagation, skilled listening, using good antennas and expert operating technique.

I was intrigued by Dan's description of what he called a "bobtail" antenna, basically a longwire with quarter wavelength "tails" dropping down at quarter wavelength intervals. The "tails" give the longwire gain off its end by acting as directors. Can't wait to set one up!

All in all a very lively and information session. Thanks, Dan!

Next session was "When Giants Walked the Bands", a fascinating presentation by LaMar Ray, WA7LT. The presentation was an amazing collection of photographs from the 1950s to the mid 1980s showing the growth and development of multi-multi (multi-operators / multiu-transmitters) contesting in the US. It was fabulous to see shots of vintage gear, and ham shacks. But the real stars of the show were the unbelievable antennas and towers these fellows built. Have to be seen to be believed. Great stuff!

As for the hamfest itself, here's a look at the main floor with all the tables set up:

At one of the tables a guy a a complete HW-9 set: transceiver, antenna tuner, and

power supply. The HW-9 was the my first kit and I still regret that I lost track of

my rig over the years. But, great memories seeing this equipment.

Follow-on to 2005 paper on sunspots, solar wind and Propagation

New research finds that the number of sunspots provides an incomplete measure of changes in the Sun's impact on Earth over the course of the 11-year solar cycle. The study, led by scientists at the High Altitude Observatory of the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) and the University of Michigan, finds that Earth was bombarded last year with high levels of solar energy at a time when the Sun was in an unusually quiet phase and sunspots had virtually disappeared.

Scientists previously thought that the streams largely disappeared as the solar cycle approached minimum. But when the study team compared measurements within the current solar minimum interval, taken in 2008, with measurements of the last solar minimum in 1996, they found that Earth in 2008 was continuing to resonate with the effects of the streams. Although the current solar minimum has fewer sunspots than any minimum in 75 years, the Sun's effect on Earth's outer radiation belt, as measured by electron fluxes, was more than three times greater last year than in 1996.

When the solar cycle was at a minimum level in 1996, the Sun sprayed Earth with relatively few, weak high-speed streams containing turbulent magnetic fields (left). In contrast, the Sun bombarded Earth with stronger and longer-lasting streams last year (right) even though the solar cycle was again at a minimum level. The streams affected Earth's outer radiation belt, posing a threat to earth-orbiting satellites, and triggered space weather disturbances, lighting up auroras in the sky at higher latitudes. (Illustration by Janet Kozyra with images from NASA, courtesy Journal of Geophysical Research - Space Physics.)

Original article