MAY 1994 ISSUF. #404
USA $2.95 CAN $195
A WGI Publication International Edition
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CIRCLE \m ON AEADEf) SEftVlCE CARD
THE TEAM
PUBLISHER/EDITOR Wayne G^een W2NSD/1
ASSOCIATE PUBLiSHEFVEOITOR
David CassidyNiGPH
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SENIOR/TECHNICAL EDrTOR Charles Wamngton WAI R2W
EDrrORlAL ASSOCIATES Sye Jewell Joyce Sawtelle
CONTHIBtlTINQ EDITORS
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Dan Harper
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"l^ Amateur
Radio Today
May 1994 Issue #404
TABLE OF CONTENTS
FEATURES
10 HJ-PER Audio Filter
This project provides Hlgh-PERformance CW filtering..... KC3ZQ
16 Speech Compression
Make a monster mike! ..* . » „ „. „.,..KB1 UM
22 Fast Charger
Recharge NiCd and NiMH batteries in as little as 30 minutes.
.._.KN6PK
► •*!■■ ■*■¥»• •■¥ * ^ * * » ^ ■
30 The Radar Gun Reality
Ham scientist testifies on electro- magnetic radiation.
,..,...,.K6UI
58 improved QRP Keying Circuit A slick fix for your little CW rig„..KD1JV
REVIEWS
40 The ICOM [C-2IA Micro HI
Meet the ever- shrinking MX
■ » I V ■ 4 'I I
.KB1UM
57 The Power Station
A multi-function, portable, recharge- able power source. „„ WA1RZW
44 The ICOM IC-737 HP All-Band Transceiver
A first-class rig, with all the right features.
DEPARTMENTS
80 Above and Beyond 89 Ad Index 84 Ask Kaboom 78 ATV
99 Barter 'n" Buy 66 Carr's Comer 98 Deafer Directory 17 Feedback Index 47 Ham Help
73 Hams with Class 60 Hamsats
70 Homing In
6 Letters
4 t^ever Say Die 184 New Products 77 Packet & Computers 98 Propagation
74 QRP 8 ORX
65 RTTY Loop 86 73 International 94 Special Events 47 Updates
What can spoH your day faster than a speeding ticket? Turn to page 30 and find out.
FKKI)IIACK,„ FEEDBACKl
i(\ like bfing (hsne— ri^ihl Ikhc in our offices] How? J us I (;ike ad van last; of Our FEKDRACK carid on pajic 17. You'll notice a leedbii^k nuiiiher yiihe beginning o( c;kch uriicle Lind £!€lumn. We"cl ilk* you to nne wh;ii you read so t!iiil wc can prill r whui types uf ihin^s you tiLe btfsi. And then we will draw onf Feedbijck Ciird each month tnr a free suhscriplion to ?^.
On the coven Senior Editor Chartie Warrington WA 1RZW aemonsfrates how dose we sonietimes are to eiectfomagn^tlc radiation. Turn to page 30 to learn more. (Photo by David Cassidy N f GPH.)
Edttorial Offices
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phone: 603-924-0053
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Manuscripis Corinbutiofis in the iorm o! manuscripts wHti df^wln^ and/or photographs are wefcwrre and will be cons^d^red for possiblf? pufrlicat*on, We can assume no respoosibitFty for loss or damage to any material. Please enclose a stamped, s^lf- addressed enwck>p<j with each submission, PaymenT lor the use of any unsolidl- ed maieoal wM be made upon publK^\«on A pf^fnium will be paid for accepted artictes ttia! have been subrnttted ^ecttWTicaay (CofnpuSewe ppn 70310.7^5 or WCi Mail -WGCPUB^ or GEnie address -MAGT^^ or on disk as an IBiyhcomparibte ASC« file Yqu can also comaci us at the 73 BBS at (603) 924-9343, 30O— £400 baud. B iiata bits, no parity, one stop bit. All conlribulions ^ouid be ejected to ttw 73 eddonal offices. "How to Wr^e for 75" gurdettnes are avajlable ypon request^ US CJ|J*ens must irtchJde their Social Securny number wrth submitted manuscri|Jt^.
73 Amateur Radio Tod^y [ISSN \ 052-2522) i% piMtshed monO% by Wayne Green Inc.. 70 Route 202 North, Peiertxiroogh NH 03458. Entire contenrs ri993 by Waiyr^ Green Inc No part of this pubfcation may be rtpfo- ckiced wfthout written pernnsson of ttw puWtsher For Subsrnption Services, write to 73 AniBtevr Radio Tod^y P.O Boic 7695. Riverton NJ 08077-7693, Of call 1 ©00-2©& 03flfl The subsoi^ion rate is. wie year S24.97. two years S39.97; C^fiada: S34 21 (or one ye^f. SS? 75 for two years, inctudpng posta^ and 7^b GST. Fore^grv postaoe: SI 9-00 surface or $42 00 atfniaii additional pei year. AU foreign ofdeis m^isi be accompanped by pay- mern in US funds Second class postage paid at PWUbOfougri. NH. a^d at additional majlirig offices, Canadian second dtass /naft r^istraifon »t 70101. Canadian GST registratton #125393314. Mcrofym Edition — University hfernfifrn. Ann Artjor Ml 48 1 06 POSTMASTER Send address changes tt> 73 Amateur Rsdio Today. P.O. Box 7S93. Rivefton NJ 08077-7693,
Contract: Since you l^e 73 enough lo nead this squinty type, you are hereby oniered to t&H youf Mends. The nxjre readers we have, the more gfedt articles we can bring yoy!
73 Amateur Radio Today* May, 1994 3
Number 1 on your Feedback card
Ni
EVER SAY DIE
Wayne Green W2NSD/1
Wayne at Dayton • . , Not!
The Hamvention chairman helped me make my d3ci£(on ... to not at- tend Dayton this year. I gather that Kenwood Of someone more important wanted my trnditlonal Saturday after^ noon speaking slot, so they offered me Sunday morning. That's a fine spot, except that my experience has been that at that time I tend to out- number the audience. The few hams who haven't already started on their drive home are either at chunch or are busy frying for one fast two-dollar dis- count an a new fig from desperate dealers, \Vs really lonely on Sunday at Dayton.
There s always a bright side to ttllnQS. In this case this will give me time to atterxl (and address) a Learn- ing Technologies conference at New Brunswick Community College, which ts the same weekend. They're woiktr^g on distance learning projects* which I happen to think are the key to getting both the Canadian and American edu- cational systems off the destructive track they've been on. It's easier to provide a whole new teaching system than to change the present one. And, obviously, the financial rewards are aU most beyond calculation. There is a built-up need for quality education that will take years to satisfy.
Distance learning? That's via sateJ- lite* TV. cable, or videotape. And it can be made fairty interactive. We have over 250 million people in America Who rieed to leam ihings whk:h could be taught via videotapes. With some small language modifications these will also be good saleable products in Europe for another 400 or so million customers. In the long run this will be an Inexpensive way to provide a su- perb educational product
A course that will be used by mil- lions of people can cost millions to make and be a bargain. This means nve'll eventually be seeing educational videos which feature lop performance lalem, lots of graphics, and are fun to use. ^ybe even exciting. Heckp they might even be rr>ore entertaining than some of the siupkJ sitcoms we have been wasting our Mves seeing. Will Hiey be able lo compete with basket- ball games? ProbatjJy not
I'll be son^ to miss saying heilo to ifiy thousands of friends at Daytoa I
always enjoy that. And while the 7S booth didn't pay for rtself in sales. I did enjoy the oppOftuniiy it provided for readers to lind me and tell me how they don't always agree with my edito- rials. To which I should not just nod, but should ten 'em that if they don*t agree with me, then they should do their homework and then they proba- bly will, I don't shoot from the hip when Tm writing my editorials, I do my homework before I wrjte.
I'll miss those big Hamventlon bar- becue sandwiches too. Mmm. iheyVe good! What I won't miss for a minute are the crowds which make it almost Impossible to get arour^d the narrow atsfes. And I won't miss having to stand in line for 10 minutes to say hel- lo to someone in a booth. Or having to park a mile from the arena and walk thmugh the mi^d to get ihem . . , and baclt. Or what seems like the In- evitable rain, which further packs 'em into the inside exhibits.
On the bright side^ IVe been stew- ing (and writing) about how hamtests haven't changed hardly at all since I attended my first in 1938. Well I've got what seems to me like a great so- lution on how to change hamfests so they'll be more fun and help attract new hams. If anyone cares much HI expEain what 1 have in mind. I think well be able to double or quadruple attendance, and at least triple ihe ex- hibitors. But hey. If I can think of something like that, why can't you? Give H a try and see what you can come up with.
Hamfests should be growing in popularity, not dying off. I've beer dis- appointed to see one hamfest after another become unprofitable for us to have a booth, and then eventualiy blow away. I hear the Miami hamfest is a shadow of its old self, but then there hasn't been an original idea there within my memory. The failure of the recent CO Magazine commercial hamfest senes tells us it's time for a change. We should have big hamfests every year or two in our mapr cities. I believe we can. but only if we re-in- vent them.
Update
Now I see that TNT Js going to broadcast a film on Amelia Earhart. Well, they havenl contacted me, and
as far as I know, Tm probably the only person alive who really knows the in- skle story of her las! trip. Frankly. I'm disappointed In you. I've wrftten atDout this and you haven't passed the word. So I watched Ihe recent TV program about Amelia btunder around, arxj dit- to the author of the recent Earhart book. Tsk. Ves. she was a spy for Ihe Navy, and I knew it before she made her trip.
Things have been moving fast In the cold fusion department. The Uni- versity of Siena. Italy, recently demon- strated a nickel-hydrogen system which generated lots of power and kept on doing it for weeks after all in- pot was removed. It didn't stop by tt- setf, they had to stop it This is partic- ularly interesting in that the reaction has been at reiativety htgh tempera- tures (around SOC^F), so it's a more efficient system. The estimates I've seen are on Ihe order of 300 kilowatts from three grams of nickel The uni- versity has not been forthcoming on their system for initiating the reaction, but from the pictures my editor took it doesn't look very complicated. This Is obviously not a chemical reaction,
Cold fusion presents a wonderful opportunity for experimenters. First, it ctoesn't cost a bundle to experiment in the field. Second, it doesn't take a Ph.D. in chemistry or physics, or any- thing else, for that matter. This is a whote new neld and there are no ex- perts yel. You could be one, if you wanted. Third, all of the research in this field so fas has been empirical, which means everyone involved is try- ing this and that, and seeing what works and what doesn't.
Pons and Fleischmann got started with this because they'd run across an anomaly that seemed worth checking out when palladium and deuterium were puUn a lithium bath. It was much the same with an outfit in Georgia that has been manufacturing steam heat- ing systems that use a new approach to water compression to heal the wa* ter. Then their customers started re- maridng on how efficient their systems were, so they tesled one and found it was more than 100% efficient. Hey, what's going on here?
What fields have you become an expert in? For that matter, what have you done with your life that has con-
tributed even a little bit to the ad- vancement of our society? One of the things that really disappointed me when I started going to the reunions of my okj submarine buddies from WWII was that few of them had ever done anything of any significance since our time on the submarine. Indeed, that was the most important thing many of them had ever don*.
It just isn't thai difficult to become an expert in some field* In almost any field. When the microoomputef came along in 1975 I decided Td have to learn how these darned things work. I went out and bought a stack of books on computer theory and started read- ing. When I fourxl them difficutt to un* derstand (they were terribie . . . col- lege texts)^. that gave me Ihe idea to start Byte. I knew there woyld be thousands of people in the same fix.
No one knows yet bow cold fusion actually works. SO anyone new to the field is starling out fresh. Actually, a newcomer has an advantage. One of the things that has hurt cold fusion has been the know-nothing scientists who. because they don't have an ex- planation for what's happening, have been refusing to believe tt. Their posi- tion Is that every one of the research labs that has claimed positive results has made serious errors. It can't hap- pen. II hasn'i happened. Everyone is mistaken. One scientist and one joor- mfist have staked their reputations on this with books they've putMished.
Amateurs have a great advantage in fliat they aren't limited by wtiat they know, only by what tfiey don'l know.
So the next time you start reading about digital voice, digital data com- pression, video compression, or a crypto algorithm, don't blonk out your eyes like that stupid old orphan and her even older dog, put on your pio- neer hat and head for the hills of teaming. How's that lor some creative diches? Blonk that me taphori
Custom Call signs
As Vve mentioned In a past editori- al Tm enthusiastic about custom call* signs. I thought this was a fine way for the FCC to make some money to off- set what we're costing them. So Vm delighted they're now thinking in terms of making 'em available. They're great for club stations, for special events, and for serious ego cases. Like me.
Yes. of course I have a special call in mind. While on the one hand I'll hate to lose my old W2NSD call after all these years, on the other it would be nice to have a reaify distinctive call.
When I moved to New Hampshire from New York In 1962 I asked the FCC if I could gel W1NSD, which had been unoccupied for several years. When 1 moved to North Carolina in 1948 to take an announcing job at WEEB in Southern Pines, the manag- er said I would also have to have a broadcast engineer's license. So i look the train to Washington that nighl and took the license test the next morning. And passed- While 3 was
ContifiuBd on page 90
4 73 Amateur Radio Today* May, 1994
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CfnCLE.54 ON READER SERVICE QIKtiD
Lehers
Number 2 on your Feedback caftf
Ward Stewart VE3FGS, Lakeland FL Wayne, j've been reading your ranlings in the December 1993 issue of 73. I have a couple of very quick reports tor you.
( bought an Altnco DJ580 HT I be- lieve that it represents the best value around, and has the usual overabun- dance of bells and whistles. The re- ceiver audio is reaHy good and is suf- ficieni to drive a commercial niobile speaker. Cutting a jumper gives DC lo daylight frequency coverage. Se- lecUvily Is as good as can he expect- ed wilh that kind of barxtwidth.
My principal gripe is the smaJIness of the push-buttons and the readout. The manufacturers seem to forget that most of the hams with the bread lo buy this type of equipment have reached the age where bigger is bet- ter. Perhaps Tm off base on this one.
The company has an excellent atti- tude with regard to customer service. They're at ways willing to listen.
So, yc)u think you're abnormal. When did you reach that conclusion? You make it sound like a burden . . . H's not, ar>d you know it* You can say and do alt kinds of wetrd things and get away with iL U*s wonderful to be thought of as abnormal, it^s like a li- cense to be free! The downside is Ihal you're seldom taken seriously, with the resulting faislralion of know- ing that your views are valid, but lack vaNdaiaon by the mob. Console your- self with the knowledge that you at least have a puEplU
P.S. Anyone with a llmtted budget who l9 considering buying a VHF mo- bile rJg should consider this: Spend five or to bucks on a good (i.e. Mo- torola or GE) mobile speaker, and buy an HT instead of a mobile 200 mW of audio into a good speaker Is more than enough for most applica- tions, plus you have the versatilrty of a mobile plus an HI. Two watts RF output is Quite adequate for most re- peaters, as you know. Need better coverage? Put your money into a gain antenna.
Dave Buren N2QE, Hancock NH Wayne, I find the issues discussed in the February 1994 'NSD'' column im- mensefy more interesting than the usual warmed-over ham radio techie topics. I picked up R. Becker's Cross Currents and it is truly fascinating. I especially appreciate your interesting reading references.
Count my vote to prtni the schematk^s for the mk^oamp genera* tor and magnetic pulse r. Tliis is excit- ing stuff • . , sure beats ""ARRL Hap- penings,'
Dennis Washer N4EXB/5V7WD, Jacksonville FL Wayne, in following your comments and other articles
From The Ham shack
dealing wfth the effects of EM fiefds, 1 have found it interesting thai the medical community is just now start- ing to wake up to the vei^ real effects of this menace.
I have had ih& privilege of being reared In Western Africa (Miger). Hav- ing been bom there and having spent 18 of my chifdhood years in colonial Africa, I can rarefy recall having Africans at the dispensary/hospital with any form of cancer. Seme of this may be attnbuted to a better present- day knowledge of what canoer looks like, but part of this bw inddence Is also due to a better diet (wttness the low incidence of heart problems}. More importantly, I believe that the lack of electricity of any form (and its associated power lines, transmitters, etc.) has played a vital role in this. The '70s and 'BOs brought modern- ization (rlghtfulfy needed), bu\ with It came the generators, transmitters and power lines into even the hum- blest of mud huts. Is it coincidence that the incidence of cancers of all types has gone up?
I believe that future research will prove lh& damage brought about by electricity. But we cannol turn the dock backward and keep everyone in the "savage" years, and so our task as amateurs is to help protect that newly-emerging modern society by continuing our research into ways to safeguard against EM fields. We can- not just roll over ar;d play dead and admit defeat: we must continue to be on the cutting edgel
Thanks, Wayne, for continuing to challenge us with your good maga- zine.
Camilo Carrau HI3CAZ, Puerto Plata, Dominican Republic I have followed your extraordmary journey through this puzzling and yet wonder- M world ol ours and sincerely* Mr. Green, let me use this opportunity to congratulaie you, thanking God to have at least one Wayne Green in- carnate!
I own and direct a small three- year-old television station on the north coast of the Dominican Repub- lic: UHF21 Puerto Plata Television, li- censed HICC. In our recent visit to our capital Santo Domingo, my brother and I purchased the February issue of 73 Amateor Radio Today My brother, a physician and director of a njral hospital in our province, and I couk]n1 wait to return home to write you. Uncle Wayne, we need the dr- cuit diagrams of a// the units you have written about, both the anti-HIV and the 01 her for the cure of daig addic- tion, Tfius, 1 have decided lo use the most expeditious and the Third World's safest way to contact you: the fax.
Please regard this letter as the an- swer not of a ttvousand but of millions of souls dwelling amidst ignorance and oblivion on this beautiful island Shared with a nation bearing one of the worfd's highest indexes of AIDS: Haiti.
Rod Hogg KOEQH, Scott City KS Uncle Wayne, there have been many times I have been in agreement with your editorials, and quite a few times I've wanted to bang the table and strongly disagree, but that's his- tory now. As of now. in reading Ihe ''Never Say Die'' column in the March issue, I have been taken in by your comments on the lighf topic.
Interestingly or not, and you may t>e aware of it, in the Febnjary/March issue of Modem Malurity there is an article in the 'Medicine' column on tne use of light therapy for jet lag. etc., maladies by Stephen Rae, You rnay r»ol be a member of the AARP (knowing how young you act) and thus you may want lo locate a copy and add it to your info file,
As I read your column. I thought of my personal experiences with light. In particular sunlight, and the therapeu- tic effect It has on me. I recalled a meeting of a Kiwanis club I used to belong to. We had a member, a Dr. Goodwin, who was an optometrist who presented In our monthly pro- gram schedule an interesting motion picture (not a vkJeo. but a mov^) on the studies nrmde with Icgtit. I think it was the work done by John Oil. It dealt with slow-motion photography and his experiments with various lighting. Then Dr Goodwjn branched off on this with his wort? with light and learning disorders, in particular with the use of corrective lenses, etc.
What I wonder is, are the bad guys, ones with dark glasses all the time, lust bad and getting "badder" because they never get any sunlight on the retina? Seems like all the tioods of the wortd are afraid of sun- light. Hmmm . . ,
Best 75s. I will Uxik for more "in- spirational and moving' words of wit and wisdom.
Rod^Thanks for thB fax. Yep. I get Modern Maturity. Yep, t re^d the article,
You'ii want lo read the Liberman book on iight. too. Dr. Wm. Campbeft Douglass also has a book, Into The Light, it's $27 ppd. from Second Opinion, Bojf 467939, Atienta SA 30346. Youli want to read the Ott book. Health and Light, too. Excel- lenL Cheers . . . Wayne
Lyman H. Wotfto U MLZJ, Boise
ID Wayne. I have been reading your journal for a number of years now and have tried to at least skim your *Never Say Die* editoriats. in the last few monlfis it seems that you have fi- nafly moved from rehashing the same old ham radio issues to some new and exciting areas.
Last month I purchased the book Cross Currents and dug out my very
old copy of 7?je Secret Life of Plants. For the past 24 years my career has been in the application of business and technology in the world of medicine. Dr. Becker's book has re- newed my interest in neuroanatomy and in the effects of both electricaf and magnetic fields on the human body. Thank you for bringing this book to my attention.
As a clinical engineer 1 have long known the effects of light on the hu- man body. I have always found that the natural sunlight coming in the window of my office/ham shack is im- portant in starting my morning. Like- wise. I do not use sunglasses unless I am flying or exposed to highly re- flecttve light when skiing or sailrng. Keep up ttie good worlc in helping our amateur population understand the effects of bfoad spectrum light
Finally, 1 am most interested In learning more about your research in- to cold fusion. I plan to pick up the book Fire From ice this week. Hope- fully we will hear more from you re- garding this exciting new field.
Like you I am getting rather upset with the "pleasure seeking" attitude of the American public. The advances in Information and knowledge do not seem lo be improving the govern- ment. or the direction in which It is going. The increase in crime, the generally poor quality of our school systems, and the continued growth of the welfare state is becoming more and more o^ a concern. Your edrtorv als are refreshing in these areas. Keep up the good wo rid
Janide Devfln N50QV, Newafia
OK Wayne, while reading your edito- rial in the March 1994 issue I ran across one section, with the heading "Politics," that I had to comment on.
Trying to gel people to do anything about the way things are going in our government Is next to impossible, t sit there at work and listen to everyone complain about everything from taxes lo crime. Try telling ihem to write or organize and try to do something about it and all you hear is ""Well, it won't do any good * or "I don't have timq/ Sq I tried running off some let* ters on my computer thinking mayl>e they'd at least mail Ihem to their rep- re sentatives^ but that didn't work ei- ther I guess they don't want to spend the 29- cent postage.
I joined the United We Stand group righl at first. I mailed in my dues, got two petitions to sign and last month I got my renewal notice telling me how much good they were doing, Needless to say, I've still got my dues.
Anyway, I just wanted to say I definitely agree with your slate- men!. "When we refuse to try and do something to soJve our problems then we are condoning them.' I don't know what the solution Is but thm people had better start doing some- thing besides complaan or the country of our grandchildren will not be any- thing like what it has been to our parents.
6 73 Amateur Radio Today *U^y,^ 994
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Number 3 on your Feedback card
AMSAT 3-P Video
The Radio Amateur Satellite Corporation (AMSAT) has launched a publicity effort to ensure adequate funding for completing ham radio's newest, largest, most complex, and most expensive satellite ever. The nonprofit group recently enlisted the heJp of retired Senator Barry Gofdwater K7UGA (see photo below) In producing an AMSAT 3-D informa- tional video.
The one quarter scale 3-D model seen in the photo was handmade by Stan Wood WA4NFY and appears [n the video presenta- tion. The production is narrated by former NBC Science Correspondent Roy Neal.
The new Phase 3-D video may be bor- rowed at no charge by sending a seif-ad- dressed 7-1/4" x 11" bubble^cushioned mail- er and $2.90 US postage to AMSAT-NA, PO Box 27, Washington, DC 20044. it may be just the thing to liven up your next club meet- ing. Borrowers are encouraged to make their own copies of this video to help promote the project, which is due to be launched in 1996. TNX Keith Baker KB1SF, V.R for Strategic Pianning, AMSAT.
Keep Off My Machine
The FCC has issued a letter of interpreta- tion that validates the authority of repeater system licensees to ban duly licensed radio amateurs from operating over their open re- peaters. The letter comes in response to a request for ciarification sought by Attorney Sidney Radus N60MS of Orange, California. Radus is representing the Claremont Ama- teur Repeater Association (CLARA) in its fight to regain control over the way its cfub repeater systems are used and by whom.
The Commission's Personal Radio Branch Chief John B, Johnston W3BE clarified Section 97, 205(e), which states " . . . Limiting the use of a repeater to only certain user stations is permissi- ble." Johnston wrote, "The rule section applies whether a repeater is co- ordinated as an 'open' or 'closed' repeater Further, the rule applies without regard as to whether a repeater is coordinated at all. Rule 97,205(e), with- out qualification, permits the individual responsible for proper operation of a repeater to limit the use of a repeater to certain user stations."
A man described as a "disgruntled former member" of the CLARA ham radio club was ordered by a civil court to stay off that orga- nization's repeaters or face incarceration. The three-year restraining order is said to be an unprecedented action. TNX Westtirrk Re- port, No. 6$7, February 28, 1994,
Getting Warmer
Superconductor research at computer gi- ant IBM has reached a new temperature milestone. But, scientists are stall a long way from creating room temperature supercon- ductors.
Superconductors may someday revolu- tionize electronics and electrical power dis- tribution systems. The goal Is to create prac- tical "perfect" conductors — materials having no resistance. Experimental prototypes have only worked in extremely cold environments until now.
Officiafs at JBM say they have created the first thin films of the mercury-barium-calci- um-copper-oKide high temperature super- conductor (HTS) that have zero resistance. Previous HTS demonstrations have needed bulk material or used thtn films but exhibited some resistance. TNX Electronic Engineer- ing Times, issue 788, Marcii 14, 1994,
Space is Limited
At one time or another, you probably have been advised to "Buy land, 'cause they ain't makin' any more.'' Well that same wisdom applies to radio spectrum and hams are lucky to have such a big chunk.
That notion was a key part of the remarks delivered by FCC Private Radio Bureau
Chief Ftafph Haller N4RH at the recent Tropi- cal Hamboree in Miami. Haller said, "You are fortunate that there are many advances in technology that have helped to improve spectrum efficiency or else we might literally be out of spectrum today," HaNer said the new Special Mobile Radio (SMR) band will be up to 40 times as efficient as today's ana- log FM technology. TNX Westfink Report, No. 667, February 28, 1994,
A Nlckei for Your Thoughts
Reading minds via computer remains firmly in the realm of science fiction, but it may not seem so far-fetched anymore. Sev- eral years of improving athletes' perfor- mance using neurofeedback techniques has given Richard Patton special insight into brain- wave pattenn analysis using desktop computers. Patton's new company, Ad- vanced Neurotechnologies Inc, (ANI), is leveraging that expertise in a radically new approach to neurofeedback training.
By combining Motorola 56000-based DSP hardware with special DOS-based BrainLInk software designed to capture and analyze electro-encephalogram (EEG) patterns, ANi has created a breakthrough brain wave-to- computer interface. The possible implica- tions of this new technology are profound.
With BrainLink software, users can gener- ate alpha, theta, and 40 Hz arousal states to initiate commands in much the same man- ner as they would use a speech-recognition system to input voice commands. Thus, you may soon be able to operate a wfd© variety of efectronfcally controlled devices by merely
using your head. TNX Elec- tronic Engineering Times, issue 786 1 February 28, 1994.
TNX
Senator Barry Goldwat^r K7UGA (Retired, R-Anzona) looking over WA4NFTs model of the AMSAT Phase 3-D project at his Saottsdale ham shack. (AMSAT-NA photo by Keith Baker KB1SE)
. , , to all our contribu- tors! You can reach us by phone at (603) 924-0058, or by mail at 73 Magazine, 70 Route 202 North, Peter- borough, NH 03458. Or you can reach us on Com- puServe ppn 70310,775 ©compusen/e.com; or at the 73 BBS at (603) 924- 9343 {300-2400 bps), 8 da- ta bits, no parity, one-stop bit. News Items that don't make it into 73 are often put in our other monthly publication, Radio Fun, You can also send news items by FAX at (603) 924-9327,
8 73 Amateur Radio Today * May, 1 994
With Packet Transmission
Satisfy your need for speed with the new PK-96 9600 baud packet eontroller from AEA.
This high-performance machine comes standard with 1200 baud AFSK tone signaling, as well ixs 9600 baud K9NG and G3RUH compatible direcf frequency modu- lation. Tlie PK-96 makes an excellent terrestrial or satellite data controller. It can be used for high-speed data Unks to eliminate bottlenecks and in- crease svstem capacity.
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Number 4 ofi yoyr Feedback card
HI-PER Audio Filter
This project provides Hlgti-PERformance CW filtering.
I've been watching with interest the prolifera- tion of new audio filters utilizing Digiial Sig- nal Processing which have appeared lately on the ham radio market. Even though Vm all in fa- vor of progress, I would really prefer lo see products that the average ham could build for himself if he had ihc parts, or troubleshoos and fix if he had to. DSP can, without a doubt, pro- vide some incredible improvements in perfor- mance of audio filters. However, not loo many home-brewers have DSP chips laying about in their junk boxes^ whereas a lot of us might have an LM324 or two. I contend there is still a lot of life left in the simple, lowly op amp!
I set out to design an active CW filter thai would knock the socks off of any previously- published active filter design: one that could give a DSP design a run for its money: one ihat Joe Ham could build in a weekend and would cost less than anew set of finals for an FT-lOl.
Why mess with another active CW Filter pro- ject? Well, the subject of CW filters is one in which the final page has yet to be wtitten. Better CW fiiliering is one thing most hams wish for For estample, one of the more popular ham pro- jects to come along in recent years has been the direcl-conver^ion QRP rig. These rigs have the advantage of being simple, inexpensive, and easy to build. However, the direct conversion re- ceiver cannot distinguish between upper and lower sidebands, so QRM can be a problem. The addition of good, sharp CW bandpass filtering lo the direct-conversion receiver goes a long way to improving the usability of the rig, making it more practical for use in high-QRM situations.
Many commercial rigs suflfer from poor CW filler designs which are either too broad or suf- fer from excessive ringing. A good audio CW filler would be useful in these cases, as well Many of the early SSB rigs had only a single- siddiand IF filter, and no CW^ filtering. Finding a crystal CW filter for these antiques is by now nearly impossible. One example would be my old Heathki! HW-lOO, whose lack of a CW filter further motivated me to design my ow^n!
by David Gripe KC3ZQ
Most active CW filter designs published so far have been really simple, utilizing one or two op-amp sections. If the bandwidth of these filters is made as narrow as that of a good C W crystal filter, they suffer from ringing, which lends to smear the transitions between the CW pulses and the spaces separating them, affecting the in- telligibility of the CW characters. In order to achieve the maximum performance from the re- ceiver, we must design a filter wtiich has both a narrow bandwidth and minimal ringing.
In setting out to design the best active CW fil- ter, I had to first discover the charaaeri^ics that made a good bandpass filter. While researching the subject of bandpass filters for CW reception, I discovered that there was far more to filter de- sign than just throwing R*s, C's and op amps at the problem. Apparently, the ringing one experi- ences in a poorly-designed CW filter comes from the phase response the filter possesses, rather than its amplitude response. Within the passband of the filter, the filter's phase shift ver- sus frequency must possess a constant slope for Ihe filter not to ring. The all-impOftaAt slope of phase shift versus frequency is referred to as "group delay," A filler designer concerned only with designing a CW filter with a nairow ampli- tude response is likely to miss the requirement of constant group delay, ending up with a filter design that rings like a church belL However, I found that a family of bandpass filters possess- ing the required flat group delay had been dis- covered by BlinchikolT [ I ], These filters are op- timized to possess minimal overshoot and ring- ing, and are ideal for this application.
Even wiih fiat group delay, a minimum filter bandwidth is required for intelligibility of the code characters. Even though the inlbrmaiion contained in 2(^word-per-minute CW is concen- u^ted mainly in a 25 Hertz bandwidth, without the addilion of frequencies coniaincd funher away from the carrier, the CW signal sounds mushy and the characters are hard to distinguish. But as one widens the CW filter to improve sig- nal intelligibility, we increase its suscepiibility to
interference from close-by QRM. For this de- sign, I chose a 200 Hi bandwidth as a compro- mise.
Figure 1 shows the filter topology and values of a passive version of this filter, 200 Hz wide, centered at 700 Hz. I have modified Blinchikoff's original design, adding a notch to the response at about 1600 Hz to sharpen the high-side QRM rejection of Ihe filter, while leav* ing the filler's group delay essentially un- touched.
Figure 2 shows the schematic of an active inn- plementation of this filler. It uses its op amps in a configuration known as a "Generalized Iminit- tance Converter*' [2], (GIC). which allows the creation of active networks which simulate in- ductors, capacitors* etc. Unlike other active filter topologies, such as the Sallen-Key, with the GIC it is easy to make the conversion between a pas- sive and active filter design. The schematic may seem complicated, but with careful layout and construction the circuit may be fabricated onto a few square inches of PC board which can be mounted inside most rigs, or outboarded in a separate box. The design here uses 12 op amps, which are contained in three 14-pin 1C5> Despite the number of ICs, it wonl blow the power bud- get of most QRPers, as the filter circuit con- sumes only about 10 milliamps. Although de- signed to run from 12 volts, the filter circuit will also work well from a 9 volt battery. The circuit does not require a split supply; the circuit con- taining op amps U Id and U3b provides a bias voltage in the middle of the supply voltage.
The filter circuit uses \% tolerance resistors, as well as 0,022 jiF capacitors, which must be fairiy closefy matched; 5% or better tolerance is preferred. These pans are available through sources such as Digi-Key or Mouser. The circuit can be assembled on a Radio Shack solder-pad perf board #276- 168 A or, better yeL on the cus* torn PC board shown in Figure 3.
1 have included a filter bypass relay Kl, which can be used to switch out the CW filter when the operator wishes lo return to SSB opera-
.ie9H
Audio In
Audio Out
Figure I. A higihperfontuince passive Jtlten The center frequency is 700 Hz; -3 dB bandwidth is 200 Hz> Notke there are no standard values liere, 1 0 73 Amateur Radio Today * May, 1 994
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Operate 10 bands - 75/80. 40, 30, 20, 17, 15, 12, 10, 6 and 2 Meters -^ with this MFJ-1798 vertical antenna and get full size performance with no ground or radials!
Full size performance gives you high efficiency for more power radiated. The result? Stronger signals and nrore Q-5 QSOs.
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MFJ's unique Elevated Top Feetf elevates the feedpoint all the way to the top of the antenna. It puts the maximum radiation point high up in the clear where it does the most good - your signal gets out even if you're ground mounted.
It's easy to tune because adjusting one band has minimum effect on the resonant frequency of other bands,
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Separate PuU Siz^ Radiators
Separate fkU sizfi quarter wave ladiators are used on 20J 7, 15, 12, 10 and 2 Meters, On 6 Meters, the 17 Meter radiator becomes a 3/4 wave radiator.
The active radiator works as a stub to decouple everything beyond it. In phase antenna current flows
MFJ Super Hi-Q Loop
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MFJ -1782 , $269,95. Same as MFJ-1786 but remote control has only fast/slow tune buttons.
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MFJ- 1792 features nfuU size quarter wave radiator for 40 Meters - - that's a full 33 feet of mthlcss radiating power
End loading — ihe most efficient form of loading ~ is used for 80 Meters. It's accomplished by a virtu- ally lossless 4V2 fool capacitance hat and a bigh-Q coil wound with Teflon* wire on a low-loss fiberglass form.
The entire length radiates power
High strength 606 1 -T6 aluminum tubingH* super strong solid fit>erglass insulator. Frequency Adaptive L-Network", heavy duty swing mount. Handles 1500 watts PER Requires guying and radials, counterpoises or ground screen-
in all parallel radiators.
This forms a very large equivalent radiator and gives you incredible bandwidths.
These radiator stubs provide automatic band switching - there is absolutely no loss due to loading coils or traps.
End Loading
On 30, 40, 75/80 Meters, end loading - the most efficient form of loading - gives you highly efficient performance, exceUeni bandwidth, low an^le radiation and automatic bandswitching*
MFJ*s unique Frequency Adaptive L-Net\vork^ provides automatic impedance matching for lowest SWR on these low bands,
Ibning 10 your favorite part of these hiinds is snnple and is done at the bottom of the antenna*
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You don't need a ground or radials because an effective counterpoise that's 12 feet across gives you excellent ground isolation.
You can mount it from ground level to roof top and get awesome performance.
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The feedline is decoupled and isolated from the antenna with MFJ's exclusive AirCore"^ high power current balun. ll's wound with Teflon* coax and can*t saturate, no matter how high your power.
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It*S only 1 2 feet high and has a tiny 24 inch footprint? Mount it anywhere from grounJ level to lower top - on apartment, condos, small lots, even motor homes. Perfect for vacations, field day. DX-pedition. camping.
Efficient end loading, no Tossy traps. Entire length is always radiat- ing. Full size halfwave on 2 and 6 Meters. High power air-wound choke balun ehminates feedline radiation. Adjusting one
MFJ-i793, $179.95. Same as MFJ- 1 792 but band has minimum effect on other bands.
includes)!/// size 20 Meier quarter wave radiator.
Box Fan Portable Loop
No, it's not a fan mFJ-1780 « its a high efh- S229^^ ciency portable loop ™"^ anterma that's about the same size and shape as a 2x2 foot box fan, corriplete with carrying handle. _
Carry it like a suitcase, tuck it in a of your car or check it as baggage on a plane.
When you get there, set it on a table or desk and enjoy ragchewing or DXing.
AD welded construction, covers 14-30 MH2 continuously including WARC bands, handles 150 watts. Remote control has fast/slow tune buttons. Separate control cable not needed.
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HI-PER Audio Filter Conwmedfmm page W
Figure 2. The active version qfihe high^performante audio filter
12 73 Amateur Radio Today • May, 1 994
Continued on page 14
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The outstanding abilities of the DR-600T set it apart from .^very other radio. Features like Wide Frequency Coverage, Excellent Intermod Rejection, Direct Frequency Entry from the microphone, Three Output Power Selections, Autopatch Memories, and 6 Scanning Modes make the DR-600T the radio of choice for demanding users. The Remote Mount Head allows for custom installation in most any vehicle, and also helps to deter theft.
This road-ready rig can also be remote controlled by any radio
that transmits DTMF tones* This remarkable feature allows the DR-600T to act as a full-featured Cross-Band Repeater. For added control, a security code can be pmgrammctt that will allow control only by the control operator (you).
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The DJ GIT 2m HI frotn ALINCO scores another "First" for Amateur Radio technology. Our new
"Chamiel Scope" feature opens new doors for Ham operators* Now it is possible to visually monitor up to 7 memory chatinels at once with just a glance at the display.
Also, the Channel Scope feature can be used to shov\ band activity in the frequency domain, much like a Digital Spectmm Analyser. Hunting for band activity just got easier.
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HI-PER Audio Filter Comimteii /mm page f2
AUDIO
RLTER
KC32Q
INPUT
-OH]- ^tiiE>
Figure 3. A drilted and etched FC board is ayaiiabiefwrn FAR Circuits, I8N640 Field Court, Dundee IL 60118 for $4 JO plus $L50 S<S^H per order
lion. To activate the CW filien a switch or relay contact within the rig must pull one terminal of the bjpass relay to ground, opening the relay contacts. Those wishing lo omii this feature, and operate the fiUer conlinuously may simply delete Kl and the diodes associated with it, Dl and D2.
Electrically, the filter should be mounted be- tween the Rrst and second audio stages in your rig. Use shielded wire to connect to the filter to help reduce RFl effa:ts.
In operation, the perfomuince of the filter is, in short, breathtaking. This is not your garden variety active filter here! In a noisy, interference- fiilt^ band, when the filler is switched in. every- thing but ihc desired signal falls away After I in- stalled this filler in my HW-lOO, I would have been hard pressed to distinguish between its per- formance and that of any of the best crystal CW fillers in any other rig I have used The \Bck of ringing in this filter made it better than quite a few other fillers, crvstal or otherwise, that 1 have used. This filter should give the same kind of performance to your direct-conversion rig* too.
1 hope you enjoy Ihis project, and find as much pleasure in its use as I did in its design* See you on the bands.
References;
1. Blinchikoff, H. and Zvenev, A., Filtering in the Time and Frequency Domains, 1976. John Wiley and Sons. pp. 199-204.
2. Downs, Rick, ''Vintage Filler Scheme Yields Low Distortion in New Audio Designs," EDN, November 7 J 991. pp. 267-272,
|
Parla Ust |
|
|
R1,25 |
100 ohm |
|
R2'4,ia24 |
1 meg |
|
RS |
1.47k, 1% |
|
m |
232otim. 1% |
|
R7 |
1.43k, 1% |
|
Be.0.t3,l4. |
|
|
17,16,21^ |
10.0k, 1% |
|
RIO |
11.0k, 1% 1 |
|
R11 |
6.65k, 1% |
|
R12 |
3,83k, 1% |
|
R15 |
38 .3K 1% |
|
R16 |
26.7k, 1% |
|
R20 |
3.74k, 1% |
|
R23 |
8,66k. 1% 1 |
|
CI .3.14.16 |
lOOjiFetectfolytic |
|
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10 pF |
|
C4-1 0.12,1 3 |
0-022 iiF 5% |
|
C11 .15,17 |
0.047 |iF 5% |
|
U1-3 |
LJM324 or eqtiivalent quad op amp |
|
D1^ |
lN40Gt orequivaleni |
|
Kl |
12 volt SPOT relay, RS# 275-241 |
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1 4 73 Amateur Radio Today * May, 1 994
A NEW CONCEPT IN HF TRANSCEIVER DESIGN
FROM A NEW COMPANY
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pgtcomm
■■■ m^ la »^ *
1 •» »-^
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Patent Pending
Patcomm Corporation " introduces the PC- 1610" a full featured HF trans- ceiver with built-in keyboard interface. Plug a stan- dard IBM XT* compatible keyboard into a PG-1610 and instantly enjoy keyboard CW, RTTY (BAUDOT and ASCII) data communications. Incoming morse & RTTY data is decoded and displayed on the built- in LCD display. The PC-1 61 0 offers the following features:
■ Built-in )CT keyboard interface (keyboard optional)
■ 1 60- 1 0M ham band coverage
■ USB/LSB/CW/FSK modes
■ 75W output power
■ Built in digital power/SWR meter
■ DDS VFO with 1 Hz step size
■ Selectable variable speed/fixed 10Hz step VFO tuning
■ Built-in 24hr clock
■ 90 tunable memories
■ 1 scratchpad memoo/
■ 9 (256 character) keyboard data buffers
■ Built-in 5-75 wpm IAMBIC keyer
■ Built-in 2.4KHZ, 1 .8KHz. 500Hz, 200 Hz & RTTY filters
■ Notch filter
■ Select 1 of 3 antennas from front panel
Specifications am subject lo change without no3ce. • IBM )CT is a registered trademark of the ©M Corporation.
Basic display lets you know exactly where you are.
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Number 5 on your Feedback card
Speech Compression
Make a monster mike!
by Michael Jay Geier KB1UM
If you operate on a crowded band like 20 meters, you know ihai sometimes being
heard can get tough. You hear the other sta- tion pretty well, but the QRM wipes you out on his end. Or. perhaps* you're on 10 meters and ihe QSB and generally poor conditions make it hard for anyone lo hear your signal You*ve got a good antenna and as much power as you can mui^Lcr^ so what can you do about it? Who ya gonna call? Why, Speech Busters, of course 1
I'm referring to speech processing, one of the most valuable signal improvements you can make to an HF transmitter. It's valuable because the sounds made by the human voice have a particular characteristic that makes them hard to send over noisy chan- nels.
Voice signals encompass a fairly large dy- namic range. The loud sounds are really much louder than ihe soft ones, and there are far more soft ones than loud ones. As a ic* sulL the m^erage level is way below the peak level. Thafs no problem in a nice, quiet room. And. in facc-to-face contact, lip movement. Facial expression and other visu- al cues help us fill in the blanks when sounds get lost in busy environments. On a noisy radio channel though, the result is a m^s. Without the other cues, we lose some sounds, making words harder lo understand- In other words, our inteiligibiUty suffers. Compounding ihe problem is the fact thai, because the peak voice level determines the transmitter's peak power output, the average power output is fairly low; we're wasting a lot of our transmitter's capability. We need more *lalk power/* Enter the speech proces- sor.
The function of the speech processor is to equalize the volume levels between the nor- mally softer and louder sounds. Yes, it's a kind of distortion, but ii*s one that helps make the words more intelligible, even if the resulting voice quality is not as natural- sounding. The process is fairly simple: You raise the level high enough that peaks are clipped off and softer sounds are closer to the level of the now-clipped peaks. Then. you filter out all the ugly distortion you just created with the clipping by passing the sig- nal through a narrow-bandwidth filten Voila, processed speech.
You really can do it that way» but it sure is hard to do at the audio level Why? Because
1 6 73 Amateur Radio Today * May. 1 994
making a steep filter that will remove all the clipping mess but pass the desired audio fre- quencies is rather hard at such low frequen- cies. But, why not bump it alt up to RF and do it there, using common crystal or ceramic fillers for the cleanup gig? That's exactly what happens in an RF speech processor.
Most of today's HF rigs have RF speech processors built right in. No doubt about it, RF processing is the best kind, especially since you never need to convert the result back to audio with an internal processor All you have to do is feed the processed RF through the sideband filter and then into the rest of the transmitter's stages. What could be easier?
If, however, you have an older rig» or you have one of the less expensive modem rigs, like my Yaesu FT-747GX, you may not have a speech processor. And, you may spend a lot of lime rationalizing why you hear others so much better than they hear you* h there a way out?
You beicha! At one time^ outboard RF speech processors were available, and they worked fairiy well A good example of such a product was the Daiwa RF-440. Of course, the RF processing method is fairly complex, so these boxes weren'^t cheap. And, since there was no access to the radio's transmit IF stages, it was necessary to reconvert the pro- cessed signal back lo audio in order to get it into the rig. Bui it worked, and it sure beat having no processor.
Nowadays, with most rigs having Iheir own processors, outboard units are not very common; there just isnU enough market for ihenL But speech processing doesn't have to be done at RF. It can also be done right at the audio level As I mentioned before, the clipping process creates problems that are hard to resolve at audio frequencies. Lucki- ly, there's another kind of processing that doesn*t involve clipping at all and it lends itself well to simple audio circuits* It's called compression.
Squeeze Play
The object of the game is to reduce the dynamic range of the voice signal right? Doesn't that sound similar to the function of a receiver's AGC circuit? AGC adjusts the receiver's gain to reduce the apparent dy- namic range of incoming signals. Sounds like the same idea, right?
k hi And. it*s not. AGC stands for Auto- matic Gain Control and that's what it does; It controls the gain of the receiver to keep signal levels as constant as possible. Such a technique might be called 'Volume level- ing." The big difference between volume leveling and speech compression is the speed at which ii occurs.
Similarly* if you've ever tried to compen- sate for lack of a speech processor by delib- erately overdriving your mike gain and rely- ing on the transmitter's ALC to compress the signal for you, you know it doesn*t work. On the air. you sound about the same as if you backed the gain down, at least until the point at which your rig begins to distort and splat- ter. Why doesn't ii work? For the same rea- son a receivcr*s AGO doesn't compress speech: The ALC just isn*i fast enough*
If you look at a voice signal on an oscillo- scope, you'll see that the various sounds in a spoken word occur rather quickly. The time difference between the peaks and softer lev- els can be as little as 100 milliseconds. Syl- lables go by at maybe 300 milliseconds. AGC and ALC circuits, though, operate at speeds of perhaps one or two seconds. To be more accurate, 1 should say they decay at that rate; most attack very fast. In other words, they clamp the gain down very quick- ty« but it takes quite a bit of time for them to open back up.
Why doesn't AGC work faster? Well, if your receiver has a control that lets you set the AGC to "fast," you Ml find out! Try it and you'll sec that people's voices do sound compressed* but all the background noise, static and QRM also "pump" up and down^ making it hard to listen to. It'll give you a headache real fast. That*s why the process must be done at the trans mitten As for trans- mitter ALC, it could be made to be faster, and it would indeed act as a speech compres- sor But, there's a big drawback which pre- vents rig makers from doing it that way: It takes a finite amount of time for the circuit to act^ resulting tn some overshoot (delay in clamping) on voice peaks. It isn't practical to filter out the resulting distortion and splatter in a 100-watt signal because such narrow niters must be made from crystals or ceram- ics, and they can only handle small amounts of power. So, ALC-bascd compression gen- erally is out of the question, I believe, how-
Contimied an page IS
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Speech Compression
Contmued from page 16
even ihai Droke used lo have a rig with fast ALC for speech processing use. Also, there's a new linear amplifier which does it, 100, So, I guess it can be done, but it isn^t cominoTi,
So. we're back lo compressing the audio before it goes into the transmitter There have been many circuit designs pubhshed, and various commercial products, which do the job. Tve tried building a few compres- sors* and I've played with a few commercial boxes, and even bought one, but none of them really made much difference on the air. In fact, it was always hard for the receiving station to tell whether I had the darned thing on or ofn Why?
It's the same old problem: The things op- erate too slowly. They make lovely volume levclcrs, but rhey don't actually compress speech at the syllabic rate* which we need if we're going to increase our talk power. Here's what happens when you use most au- dio compressors: The first loud sound in a sentence clamps the gain down, where it .^tays pretty much permanently, because, by the time it starts to open back up, other loud sounds have clamped it down again. The softer syllables in between the loud ones never get cranked up. so there's no increase in talk power For a compressor to increase talk power, ir must have rime constants which are as fast or faster than the syikibic reue of speech. That way, it can open Ihe gain back up for the softer syllables, ihus makins their levels closer to those of the
now-clamped peaks. That's real speech compression, and it does indeed up your talk powerl On a scope, the output of the rig looks similar to what you get with an RF processor
The Monster Compressor 85
I recently purchased a Kenwood MC-85 desk microphone. This lovely unit has a con- denser mike, switch-selectable outputs for three rigs, and a built-in volume-leveling compressor. Almost all of Kenwood's newer HF radios have internal RF speech proces- sors, so the volurtie leveling approach is a nice complement to what's inside most of the rigs to which this mike is likely lo be connected. (A syllabic-rate compressor feed- ing a speech processor would be extreme overkill.) But I got my MC-85 for use with my processor-less *747GX, so I decided to try and modify the mike's compressor into a true syllabic-raie speech compressor The mod works like gangbusters.
Charge II
Imagine, if you will, an amplifier whose output signals are inverted and then fed back to a terminal which controls the amplifier's gain. As the output signal rises, the gain is pulled down. And, as the output falls, the gain is increased. Sounds like a compressor* right? WelL all except for one thing: If the control terminal is moved up and down as fast as the waveform coming from the amp's output, the result will be that the output sig- nal completely disappears! It makes sense: each swing of the output cancels itself out The way around this is to slow ihe loop
down. As long as the loop cannot alter the amp's gain anywhere nearly as fast as the output signal swings, it won't wipe itself out. To that end, there's always a capacitor
in the loop. Together with a resistor or two, that capacitor fonns a time constant, pre- venting the loop from being too fast. The primary modification to the MC-85*s
circuit involves changing the time constant in the feedback loop, making it just fast enough to catch spoken syllables. A few oth- er changes also are necessary because of pe- ripheral consequences of the change in the loop.
How It Works
Take a look at Figure 1. iCl is the ampli- fier. The input is through pin 2, and possibly a!so pin 6. It isn't clear from the schematic, but it also doesn't matter for our purposes. What does matter is that the output is from pin 8, and the loop starts at the junction of CI 1 and CI 2, The output signal is fed through R13 to the base of Q2, which in- verts it. CI 3, at the transistor's collector, re- moves the DC component^ leaving an AC signal which can be rectified by D4 and D5, The rectified signal charges C14, which is the magic capacitor that sets the time con- stant. It is imponani to recognize that, be- cause of D4, the capacitor cannot discharge back into the transistor That feature lets the processor's attack and decay times, which are determined by the capacitor's charge and discharge rates, be determined separate from each other. As originally designed, the attack is quick because R17, between the transistor and the capacitor^ is small, permitiing a
.047
C4
^ \ Normal
C5
,018 t
HH
Low Cut
A
From Mic Element
Figure L The Monster CampresserSS. Schematic shows modification to Kenwood's MC-85 Desk Microphone. 1 8 73 Amateur Radio Today • May, 1 994
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comparatively large current to flow. (We're still lalking about maybe 0.3 milliamps here!) But the cap can only discharge through two places; the amp chip's gain con- trol terminal itself (pin 4), and the R18/D3 combination. The amp chip has ver>' high in- put impedance, so ii can be disregarded. But, take a look at R18. which allows the cap lo discharge to ground through D3. Thai resis- tor is 3,3 megohms, which ain't small change eitherl The result is thai the cap dis- charges quite slowly, accounting for the compressor's slow decay time.
That decay time is precisely what we want to speed up. So. it would seem logical that we could simply reduce the value of Rig. It should work. but« when I tried il^ the results were poor. In order to get it fast enough, the value had to be so low thai it di- vided the voltage down to less than what the chip could sense. So, I decided to reduce the size of the cap. After some experimentation, I wound up with a 0.1 fiF cap in parallel with a l-meg resistor; that combination yielded a lime constant that sounded about right; syllables were getting boosted, but distortion was acceptably low.
Distortion?
Remember what I said before about the output's disappearing if we allow the loop to be too fast? WelK think of the loop as a low- pass filter* which really is just what it is. If we don'l slow it down enough, low audio frequencies will get through and begin JO cancel their counterpans in the output, and that means distortion. Ii gets worse: In this design, Q2 is not operated as a linear ampli- fier, it is biased to be a pulse amplifier, and it produces pulses which correspond lo the peaks tn the amp's output signal. Residual pulses being fed back to the amp cause terri- ble di.stortion, so they must be kept veiy low. That requirement rcsulicd in my having to choose the time constant very carefully. Too fast and it sounded awful Too slow and it didn't accomplish anything!
UhOh
After I found the right time constant, I discovered ihat the overall gain of the circuit had gone way up. Apparemly, the DC path of the 1 meg resistor increased the chip's gain. Not having a diagram of the interior of the chip. I can't tell you why. With the gain so high, turning the compression control up past 6 or so caused ihe entire circuit to go in- to oscillation! The solution was easy, though. Resistors Y and Z tailor the input
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gain such that the circuit remains stable. Even with them in place, the compression control doesn't need to be turned up past about 3.
One Last Detail
Male voices con lain most of their energy at fairly low frequencies. Also» the gain of the circuit goes up somewhat as the input frequency goes down, exacerbating the problem. The resuh was that, with the NOR- MAL/LOW CUT switch (S2) in the NOR- MAL position, it still was possible for some instability and oscillation to occur. I noticed that the audio was a little bassy anyway, so I changed C4 from 1 jiF to 0.22 jiF to provide additional low-frequency rolloff. Finally, ev- erything worked great, and the audio sound* ed excellent- Let's I>9 It
Unscrew the bottom of the housing and then unscrew the sides. With the mike facing down (the foil side of the board facing you) and the output cord (or cords) facing away, the SIP (single inline package) ICI is near the bottom left edge. You'll have to turn the board over to see it, of course. The clipped comer or engraved dot of the chip denotes pin 1 , Depending on your dexterity, you may need to unscrew the PC board frame from the rest of the housing, but it is possible to do the mod without doing that. Either way, find C14, a small electroljtic, which is con- nected between the IC's pin 4 and ground, and remove it. Install in its place a 0,1 p^F cap in parallel with a 1 meg resistor. I put mine on the foil side of the board, simply because it was easier to install. Functionally, it doesn't maUer,
Now, look over toward the bottom right and find the compression control *s connec- tions. When connecting the Ik and 10k re- sistors, use the ground foil on the left, not the one on the right; the one on the left is closer to the amp circuitry and less likely to intioduce ground loop or RF feedback prob- lems* Solder the resistors in place on the foil side- Finally, you must remove C4, which is another electrolytic. It is located just under the cover, on the component side of the board, which is part of the bunon assembly. The cap is right on the edge of the assembly^ and I was able to remove it with tweezers after desoidering the leads with removal wick. If you can't get the cap out that way, you will have to unscrew the button housing. Be careful not to lose anything! Once the
cap is out, replace the assembly if you had to remove it* Now, solder a 0-22 |iF cap in its place, but on the foil side of the board. Most likely, a cap of thai value will be too big to fit under the button housing anyway.
Finished
Thai's it! Close it ail back up again and you should be in business. Turn the mike on, select COMP IN and speak about a foot away from it. The level meter should look a lot more energetic than it used to! I find that a compression control level of about 3 works fine. Any more than that and it sounds over- compressed.
The Caveat
Be warned: This thing wilt run your rig a lot harder than it nm without it! Your finals will heat up much faster. On my FT-747, the fan never used to come on during voice operation, but it sure does now. That extra heal, of course, means increased average transmit output leveU which means extra talk power!
On the Air
Although the NORMAL position works fine, I find that with LOW CUT on there^s more punch. As for the compressor, on-air reports indicate that the difference between turning it on and leaving it off is tike night and day. And Fve gotten several unsolicited comments on how great the mike sounds. Enjoy your Monster Compressor 851
RS, — Recently, I began to have RF feedback trouble with my modified MC'85. 1 traced it to a poor connection between the gooseneck and its base, which results in reduced shield- ing of the mike cartiHdge. It probably was always like that, but adding strong compres- sion made il appear much worse. If you run into this, check the resistance between the setscrcw on the mike element housing and the frame holding the PC board inside the unit. If its more than about O.t ohm, you've found the culprit, (Mine was about 10 ohms!) Unfortunately, the metals used at the critical junction won't lake solder, I fixed mine with two small hose clamps and a piece of ground braid, after first sanding the connection points. It worics, but il aim pretty. For nicer looks, you could drill a small hole in the base and insen a set screw for a sood connection, just as long as you*re careful not to go through the gooseneck and damage tjie cable. My mike works great now,
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20 73 Amateur Radio Today* May, 1994
ORDER NOW 1-800 4 HOBBY KITS I Q"" amplified
» 2 Meters •233 MHz
• 440 MHz
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FX-50 fcJt (S Meters! ,„
FX-223k(r(l 1/4 Meters), CFX maEchlng ca&e ser...,
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Ramsey breaks Ihe price banier ort FM rigs! Tfie FX is ideaJ for shack. portable or nxibite. The wfde frequency cov&rage and pfogrammabte repeatfiT spirts n^kes the FX me perfect ng ?Dr Amateur. CAP &- MARS applications Packei&ere rea% appreoaie Ihe dc^ic^i&d packet poit. TRUE-FM" signaJ and skno^i instant T/R ^wftEfufiQ. Kgh siMSd packet? ...Wo probfem. Twelve dmde programmed' channels. 5W RF autpul. sensitive duat ci^nver^icn receiver ard pr&vers EASY assembly, Why pay more fDf a used fofeign ri^ whon you can have ono AJi/IERtCAN MADE (by you) ^ot Jess. Comes compleie less case and speaker mike. Order our rna:cti:rtg case and hnob set for thai prt» IoqIl
_..S149-95 FX146 ktt {2 Meters) „™ .^ 5149.95
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Here's a area! booster for «ny 2 meter or 220 MHz h^nd-held urtit. Th&se power boosters oeivef ov& 30 wans uf output ariowmg you to rut tie repeals hM qiieting w*T4le the lo* noise prenamp remarttabiy impro'wes reception. Rajtisey ElectoniE:s has sold Eftousands at 2 meter amp kits, but now we offer oQitiplefely wired and lested 2 meler, a? well as 220 MHz units. Both have ell the features of the high-priced baasters aE a fraclion of the cost. PA'10 2 MTR POWER BOOSTER (10 X pawer gain)
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QRP TRANSMITTERS/HAM RECEIVERS
20, 30. 40, 80M CW TRANSMtTTERS
Joift the fufi on ORP! Tiiog sands of these mmi-rtgs have been; sold and tons ot DX contacts have t>een made. Imagine working Eastern Europe with a $30 transmitter— that's ham radio al Its best' Thesa CW rigs are ideal maEc^ id the receivers at nght TTiey have two- posilion variable crystal control (one popuia^ QRF XTAL induded), ona watt output and buittHfi antenna switch. Huns on 12V0C. Add our matching case and knob set for a handsome (inished look Your choice of bands
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20. 30. 40. SOIil All Mode RECEIVERS
^iW yottf ffwn mifri bam staiwn Sen- Mtve aflhtxxte AM. CW. SS8 recewerS ^se direct conversion assign with NEGOa. C as fea(ured In OSrand ARRL hGndbookSi. Very Sdnsilivo varactor Euned over eniire band. Plenty of r-peafcer voJume, Rtrrts on 9V batlety. Very £ASV to build, lois of lun and educatKjnaf— ideal fof begj^wier or old pfo. U^M 30-pd9e manual. Add the oasa set tor wel'6ned pi ofesskmal toot
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Miniature SPEAKER-MIKE
Fits Icom, Yaesu. Alinco. ftamsey and Radio St^ack f^^! LookifiQ fcw a handy little $peaiter-mike to c 0 m p I i m e n I your FX trans- ceiver or other J COM $ty[e haodtetafkie'' The Ramsey SM-1 speaker-mike ts a beauty irs onty i 1,2" wida by 2 M2 inches high and has a handy chp pn the t}ack so you can easily clip It to your lapeJ o( shift Jts smalt micrnal speaker isnl gomg 10 broak «ny eardrums but is very clear and rias ptviy of pop lo be heaid wt%n worn. Ihtxt'i eifin » jKliiv i)« mite so wfvsn ymj \^ t irt. you $ti haw the ijse o* the speaker jack Imm your radio. Fits all Radio Shack, ICOM, Yaesu, Allnco and Ramsey ngs,
SM'1 Mini-Speaker mike. Fu[ty assembled S24.9S
T
FOXHUNT HEADQUARTERS
Locate Tifdden or unknown liansmriters test. The Foxhound dreaion linder connects to the ar^ienna and speaker jack on any radio receiver, AM or FM from 1 MHz lo 1 GHz. The antenna (a pair of dipofe letescopic whps) \s- rotated unJil the Mitl meter shows a minijmijm A pair of LEDs indcate lo torn Left or Right The FoKhound is ideaJ lo use wth a wstlae-tajjue if y^ wish tP Ifansmi^, go attend, a buitt-in T/H svttch sgnaes aw ^rmsmMt4 RF and switches iself uui of cmil whle ypu taFk. Jt ctoc^n t get any easjer than thsf W« providi!- all parts except for a lew feet C7f T/2 inch PVC pipe avialable at any handwar e store for a doltar or two. Add our rnaiching case set for a complete finished unit. Bd Ehe one wiEh the answers, win thosa Iransmiliar hunts and track down I hose lamrftera. you'll do it alt i^itii yoyr Foschound.
Add some fun lo your dub events bf havmg a !iansintt(K hunt! FbiJiuntng is a craze sweeping the na^oo bii many dubs are missing out on ttie action because they tack ttte expertise or tint to de^etop their omm fe^itfit traftsm^er We set or>e ot o^ most dffvioas and vteaky engrngen lo iie Eask ol (tes^nng an easv to t^uiid and use. ^et higr^ry capabto FoKhiini transmitter. A snazzy micfoprocessor contmler has both preset and progfamrnaljle transm^sion characteristics allowing ynu to easily sot the difficulty level trom 't>eginnef^ to Hmovv^it-air'' The SlyFox. FHT-t, is crystal controltcd in tha 2 meter bar^d {crysi^l tor 14^.&3 inchjc^) wjih a power output ol 5 watt^ that is adjusitibtG by the o^ntroller.The ei^nsmitter is programnx^d to ^0 i/i CW or add our voice cot ion It you realty wart lo aggravMe Itie tioops - 'Ha ha/ you can't lind rncr Join the fun. get nd of those sttiiy old meetings mid pienics. have a ftvtfiunir DF-} Foihound direction finder lot,,.. ,559-95 COF Mathing case set tor OF 1 ...S12.aS
FHT 1 S!yFo» Foxhunt tnmsrndter krt S129.9S FHlO-i Voce ID Option..... .$29.95
CFHT Heavy duty rnetal maEciisng case set for FH T-l ™mm S29.95
PACKET RADIO
Two rmt versions are avajSabte br the Commodore 64 (P-saAJ or the BW PC {P IBM). Easy as- sem^ NO TUSVMGT. kictudesFREE ifek softwafe. PC Saaid and Fu& Oncumentalion Kt farm P-64A....._„„ S59 95 P-ieM„„_ SSS.&S CASE CPK ...... — S12-9S
CW KEYER
SHORTWAVE RECEIVER
Fantastic receiver that captures ttie wortd With p^ a 12* arienna* Cart recctve any 2 MHz portion Irom 4*1 1 I^Hz. True supeftiet, has smooth varactor tuning. AGC, RF gain conirol, ptenty of Speaker volume and runs on a 9V battery. Fascmatirig Soout, school or club project. provides hours of fun lor even the most serious DXcf, For the car, cofisider our shortwave converter. Two switchable bands (in 3-2$ MHz fange), eai^ 1 MHz wide — tunable ori your car radig drat. Add some Interest to your drive hom^l
Shortwave rooeiver kit. SRI ........ SlS.tS
Shortwave ton ve ner kit . SCI , . , , S27.95 Matchng case set tor SRt.CSFl S12.9S »tf1a!ching case «i for SCI. CSC ...512-^
Send perfect CW, lii^icroprocassor keyer leatures 4 program nrtebte memories ot up to 26 words each. Iambic keying, dot-dash n^emory, variabi«^ speed Irom 3-60 WPM. adjustable sidetone, keying to any ng and fgiHy RFI p<Dof EAROM memorv keeps messages t^ lo 100 years ■ yai'W go sietn be'ore the key^ indudes btiil4n tdudi padlcftes or u%^ your owTL Easy ass^mb^y and matching case set available tor a nice station look.
C W- 70O Micro k eye r kft . , . . SG^M MK Matchirig sise set ...... S1 2.9S
GW-700WT Assembled CW-700and case , S&9.95
ACTIVE ANTENNA
Cramped for space? Get 4 on g wire performance with thts deskioo anienrta. Prope^fy designed unn has dual HF and VHF drcuilry and built-in whip antenna, as weCl as external janA, RF ^ir cantrqi and 9V operation makes unit Ideal for SWLs, traveling hams or scarcer butts ^adTO need Honor reception. The matching case and kr^ob set gives the unit a hundred dollar tookf AA-7KH ^ S24 95 Matching case HJmot>sei. CAA $12.95
AIRCRAFT RECErVER
Hear eKCttfng aircraft commuiiicallons— pick up planes up 10 too rruies away^ ^ece^ves 110-136 MHz AM air band, smooth varactor tund^ supatvet wrth AGC. ceramic tjiie/. adjustable squelcti. eKcelcnt smdHity and lots of speaker votume. Ftuns on 9V battery. Gfeat for aff ^lows or just hanging around the alrporiF New 30-page manuat details pilot taJk, too. Add case set tor "pro" look.
........S24.95
..., 51295
STEREO FM TRANSMITTER
Run your own Stereo FM fad»o station! Transmits a stabl« sigrtai tn me 88-108 MHz FM broadcast band up to 1 mile Detailed manual provides helpful inb on FCC regs. antenna ideas and range 1q eMpect Lalest design leatures at^ustable line level inputs, pre-emphasis and crystal controlled subcartier. Connects to any CD or laps player, mike mixer or radio. IncEudes free lunmg tool too! For a pro look add o<jr matching case set with on-board whip anterina FMOOA Sterol transm^er krt .534.95 CFM Case.wtitpanl set .512.95
SPEECH
SCRAMBLER
Desaamble mos* scramble systems heard on your Scanner radio or set up your own scambled communication system over tlie phone or radio. Latest 3rd generation IC is u&ad tor fantastic audio quality ■ equivalcni to ovef 30 opamps and mixers' Crystal controtied lor erystaJ dear sound wit^i a budt-in 2 watt aixijo anp tpr direct racto hook-up. For scran^ie systems, &act^ user has a ynA Jor faji dOplex operBtion. Communicale in prrvacy %ri1h the SS'70. Add our case set for a fme professional finish. SS 70 Sc ram bter/di? scramble rkH .539.95
CSSD matching case set.. .....512.95
SS'70V^ Assembled
SS-70 and case set ..... ^ — .S59-95
--■i + -r + -l«B<fa4Ba-B-B + -'-ih*+-llta i-e tt 4 ## * ■ I ll-il-k^r'
AR-1 kit
Matching case set. CAR
'■ + #-4-k«-li4 P 1 + -H*
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MICRO-MIKE
World s smaltesl FM wireless mike, Smaller than a $ugur cyj^e - ir^ctudina CflEicry and mike Two sets ol SmT :aii$ wppiftd 1 case >ou are clumsy! ~ etiWc audio pch-up (pm dmp at b k) and transmit range of 300 ft We inck/de ihe battery {watch style}, elecEret rnike and oven s luning tool! Be a James Bond and learn SMT too! FM'S JWicro mike kil.^..,^H^$1 9-95
CRYSTAL RADIO
RoUvB the radio past with a crystaE set like your grandfather built Uses genuine GaEena crystal arid catvit^er Severai dtltefent types ol radios are builL in;fuding standard AM broadcast *heftwave arwJ even WW It foxhoEe style. To compare modern semiconducior detectors, we include a diode for ctjmparison. Ho soidcnnQ required and we even give anEcnna ideas. Radio for tr$e, get it r^ow before Clinton taxes it* CS'I Crystal seiktl «*««« .>■,.■■„■ SIS.flS
2M POWER AMP
Easy to build power amp has 8 times power gain. 1W b. 8W out 2W iri. 16W o<;t. 5W is for 40 W out. Same amp a a feati^ed in marry ham maga^ne vtdes. Con^riete wrth ail parts, less case ancj T- R relay
PA'1 . 40W pwr amp kit.. 534.95
TR-t, RF sensed T-R retay kit ^.^.$11 .99
MORE
KITS
NEXT
MONTH'S
ISSUE
DR. NI-CAD CONDITIONER/FAST CHARGER
Quit spending big Ijucks lor replacement battery packs, re|uvenaEe and condition your batter jes tor peak caoacity. Advanced circuiEry has opiimilzed diisctiarga bdore charge to eliminate memory ettect and to condiUon oattenes I hat have been pooily ciared (or tn the past Ouiick cha^nge lapicty brings baOBfy to Mchaige m less ffwi an hour-ftst 1S mimites lor some types' And lop-crfT chii^e ni**e squeezes every last bt oC energy mio each celt for tfc atjsofejte mcjist capacity S^nch-rmdie regUlalor controls constsrt Cui«fd ctiarge whit t&t^ monitored by a negatrve delta-V system that OM off Ihe tasi charge at ttie ejtaci point o( M chargebaltenes are charged, noE cooked' Chafges NiCads or l4iMH packs Irom 2 to 10 ceRs (easify expanded) and current capacities up lo 10 Arnp-hours. Runs on 12 to 15 VDC Quirt cooking your batieries, buyiDj) new packs, waiting hours for recharge, gel a Or, Ni-Cad today! Avai'atJle in money saving kit loim of w^red and tested with case at a speoat price, Kit tuikler^: add our matching ca^e set tv a snazzy itfieit.
ON-1 Dr Ni-Cad condi>oner/fast diargertdl ,..,..... ..^..^ ^.. — ,*..,™*.Jtt*&5
C D N Matching case set ...i^.^ ,^**^t******m.kw^^mww**,'^,ri ■ . ■•.- ., ..SI 2^9$
MINI KITS
Ramsey carrres a complete tine of Sow cost easy to buitd. easy to use tunctionat kjts that can be used alone or as building blocks in larger more complex designs. Mini-kits include audio amps, tone decoders. VOX switches, timers audio alarms, noise-^nsi^ens and even Shocking kit^' CaH lor our free caiakig je'
DN-1WT Fully assembled Dr. Ni-Cad with case 589.95
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Fast Charger
Number 6 on your Feedback card
Recharge NiCd and NiMH batteries in as little as 30 minutes.
by Richard Togashi KN6PK
Why another NiCd battery recharging article? Well, Fast Charger will noL only rechai^e NiCds, it will fast charge them to the correct capacity in as litile as 30 min- utes. After fust charging, ihe circuit will then autoniatically switch to trickle charge. Any number of cells can be rechar;ged, up to a maximum of 16 cells. Programming jumpers allow different charging rates and different cell counts without any circuit modification. And with a single part replacement, the cir- cuit will charge the new Nickel Metal Hy- dride (NiMH) batteries.
NiCds are a proven technology in batter- ies, rclaliveiy inexpensive, available in ail popular sizes, easy to use and easy to abuse.
NiCds, when fully charged, cxhibil a de- crease in battery output voltage. Fast Charg* er detects this voltage change during fast charging to ensure the baieeries are at full charge capacity. After a full capacity charge, Fast Charger will revert to a trickle charge state, allowing the batteries to be at a full charge state indefinitely.
NiMH batteries are a little different; they are an emerging technology. They are simi- lar to NiCds, but they boast higher current densities than NiCds and there is none of the memory effect NiCds are prone lo, There are some drawbacks to the NiMH, since it is a new technology: They are in short supply, are available only in limited sizes, are more
expensive, self-discharge faster, and have approximately 80% of the recharging cycles found in NiCds. For hi eh curreni demand or cyclic applications, NiMHs may be a better choice than NiCds. NiMH batteries require a different recharging scheme. They exhibit a voltage plateau when they are fully recharged- By interchanging an inexpensive IC with a similar device, Fast Charger will be able to detect the NiMH recharging char- actenstics. This will also allow the NiMH batteries to be charged to the full capacity in a minimum amount of time.
Normal battery chargers charge the batter- ies at C/IO (where C = capacity) with a con- stant current for approximately 16 hours.
r
TOP VIEW
FAST CHARGER
INPUT VOLTAGE ro. 7V TO 20V
Q3
B*TT- 1
PRGMO JUMPER
+
BEF
V+
2
T
L
ci
m
200
B*TT- i REF i
PRGMl
JUMPER
v+
E
HDRl
T
B*TT- 1
PRGM2 JUMPER
v+
o 0"
HDH2
PRGM3 JUMPER
m
TT- 1
V+
1
J
■^^
-O Or
-© o-
HDR3
a
'-ED1(J) ON
®
RED
LED2f3E^
^^
f — *-^
FAST CHARGE
i§.
B
E
10
tLc4
Q2
LI
@D1
D2
iMSBia
®
BATTERY
UNDER
CHARGE
[]
+
v+
FSTCTB
THI
TEMP BATT-
VLIMIT
TLO
^ P6P1
PGM2 PGM3 ICl
REF GND
HAX713
ABA 1.0
R6B
1.0
Figure I. Schemaiicfor Ihe Fast Charger.
22 73 Amateur Radio Today • May. 1 994
&
CORPORATiaiM
9 Autry
Irvine. CA 92718
(714) 458-7277 • FAX (714) 458-0826
ASTRON POWER SUPPLIES
HEAVY DUTY • HIGH QUALITY • RUGGED * RELIABLE
MODEL VS-50M
SLSE
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• T>1R££ CONOLICTOfl POWER COflO ejccept for RS-3A
• 0«£ YEAR WARRANTY • MADE 11^ U.S A
PERFORMANCE SPECrFICATIONS
• INPUT VOLTAGE: 105-125 VAC
• OUTPUT VOLTAGE: 13.8 VDC t 0.05 voEts (Interfially Adjustable: 11-15 VDC)
• RIPPLE Less than 5mv peak to peak (full load & low line)
• All uoits available in 220 VAC input voltage (except for SL-11A)
• LOW PROFILE POWER SUPPLY
•irCDEL
SL-11A SL-11R SL'IIS SL-11R-RA
Colors Gray EllicJc
CHitimioin
Duty [Ampst
7 7 7 7
ICS* lAmps]
11
ti 11 11
Sin ONI Ii-w4
2% ^ Tk ^ 9V4 4^/4 ^7 >^ 9¥i
in
WL (Ibi
t2
12 12 13
\
RS^L SERIES
POWER SUPPLIES WITH BUILT IN CIGARETTE LIGHTER RECEPTACLE
Siie (IN)
3^A « 6^ « Vk
MODEL
RS'4L
CmtTnuBus DirEy (Amps)
3
ICS*
Iftnips]
4
RS-5L
3%*6^«7^A
SMppfnq WL libs.]
6 7
I
RM SERIES
IttJOEL RM-35M
19" RACK MOUNT POWER SUPPLIES
Contmuous MODEL RM-12A
RM-35A RM^SOA RM-&OA
Separate Volt and Amp Meters
RM-12M 9
RM-35M 25
RM-50M 37
RM-BOM 50
Duty lAmps] 9
25 37
m
IDS' [Ampsl
12 35 50 55
12
50
Size [IN]
Hx WxD
5Vix19xe%
5Vix19x12i/b
5V4x19x12y2 7x19x12y?
5Vi X 19 X a^A
SV^x 19x127?
5% X 19 X 12 V?
7x19x12%
Shipping WL (lbs!l
16
38
50
60
16 38 50 60
RS-A SERIES
MODEL RS-7A
MOBEL
RS-3A
RS-4A
RS-5A
RS-7A
RS-7B
RS-10A
RS^12A
RS'12B
RS^20A
RS-35A
RS-50A RS-70A
Cl^lOfl
Gray Iticl
* »
*
Ditf (Aaps)
2^
3
4
5
5
7.5
g
9
16 25
37
57
ICS'
[Alps]
3
4
5
7
7
10
12
12
20
35
SO 70
5izf irN]
H X Mf X Q
3x4\x5H
3% X 6^^ X 9
372 X evi X Vk
3% X 6Vs X 9 4X77? X 10% 4x7V? X Wk
4^^ X 8 X 9 4X77? X 10%
5 X 9 X 10V? 5 X 11 X 11
6 X 13^^ X 11
6 X 13 V* >^ 12"*
Slippiif
WL (l||,| 4
7 9 10 11 13 13 It 27
48
RS-M SERIES
MODEL RS-35M
VS-M AND VRM-M SERIES
MODEL VS-35M
NOBEL
Swrtctmble voU and Amp md?
RS-12M
Separate vott and Amp meters
RS-20M
RS-35M
RS-50M
RS-70IV1
tetjiitit
fatf (Aaps)
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@13.aVDC @10VDC @5VDC VS^tZM 9 S 2
VS20M 16 9 4
VS-35M 25 15 7
VS-SOm 37 22 10
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5 x 9 X 10^
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RS-S SERIES
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ClflCLE 16 ON READER SERV|C£ CARD
These chargers are simply tinregulaied con- stant curreoi supplies. On the other hand. Fast Charger is comrolled by the Maxium Products MAX? 1 2 or MAX713 inrcgrated circuits, allowing a fast high current charge without damage to the batteries. The MAX? 12 part is used to recharge NiMH batteries. The MAX? 13 is used to recharge NiCd batteries. The only difference between the pans is the way the part detects the end of a fast charge cycle. The MAX712 detects the end of a fast charge cycle when the bat- tery voltage plateaus; the MAX? 13 detects the end of a fast charge cycle when the bat- tery voltage starts to decline. When the MAX? (2/3 senses these output voltage be- haviors, it automatically switches to trickle charge. Trickle charge is also reached when the MAX? 12/3 determines that a maximum expected recharge time interval has elapsed.
Circuitry and Pin Programming
My prototype layout uses a hand-drawn PC board. The only critical signals are the capacitors connected to pin 11 of the MAX? 12/3 device. These connections should be as short as possible. The other critical path is the inductor diodes and tran- sistor, which constitutes a switching power supply. The traces to these devices should be as short as possible to reduce the stray in- ductance/resistance, which will degrade the efficiency of the switching power supply.
The MAX chip contains circuitry that does most of the work. A voltage regulator regulates the output voltage to recharge the batteries, a current-sensing amplifier senses the curreni through the battery and adjusts the output drive of the pass transistor lo con- trol the current into the battery. A tempera- ture sensor option is not utilised in this de- sign. An analog-to*digital circuit samples the battery voltage and determines the out- put voltage of the battery overtime. A timer circuit monitors the charge times and issues a time-out if the expected recharge time has been reached Finally, control logic monitors the four program pins of the device and con- trols timing internal to the device.
Figia^e 2. A driiied and etched PC hoard for ihe Fast Charger is available for $5 plus $1.50 S & Hper order fwm Far Cinniis, I8N640 Field Cow% Dundee, IL 60118.
The four program pins of the device set the battery cell count and the expected recharge time. Program pins PRGMO and PRGMl set !he cell count, the number of cells which the rccharaer is set to nschanze. The cell count is made by either counting the cells or dividing the expected output
voltage by 1 .2 volts. In my application with four cells. PRGMl and PRGMO are shorted to BATT- and V+ respectively. PRGM2 and PRGM3 program pins set the time-out peri- od for the expected recharge time. To deter- mine the expected recharge time, first pick the rechai^e rate for the circuit. In my de-
i.i
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Chargg l\nm iin mlnytes? |
Figure 3. Operating vhuracteristics when rechdf^ing a typical NiCd Figure 4. The same batiery pack subjected to Fast Cfiarge after lite battery\ pack has been fully charged. Note the quick switch la trickle charge.
24 73 Amateur Radio Today May, 1994
COMMUNICATIONS ELECTRONICS INC.
Emergency Operations Center
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on Uniden Bearcat® 8500XLT, 2500XLT, 890XLT, LRD9000W1 .
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Its easy 10 order frt>m CEl. Mall orders to- Coramtinica- iions Eleoronicslnc, Emergejicv Operations Center, P.O. Box 1«H5, .^nn Arbor, Michicaii ^S106 rs.A. Add S15.00 pcf faebo for U.P.S. ground sliippmg and handling in the ranii- netttaJ VISA unkss othcmise stated. Add S8 00 shipping for all accessories and publications. Add $S.OO shipping per antenna. For Canada, Puerto Rico, Hawaii, Alasfcia^ P.O. BoJt, or APO/FPO delivery, shipping charges are two times conil* nctitai U.S. rates- Michigan resident*! add state ^aJes lai. No COD'S. 10%suidiargc for net 10 billing to qualified accounts. All ^es are $lib}cct lo availabi]lt)\ acceptance and verifici' fiofli Pricef, Icfms and ^pedficaiforu; ars stihject to dan^ witiiout nocice We welcome your Discover, Visa. Atnffiwft Express or MajterCartL CaD l-SOO-USA SCAN lo order udl- free. Call 3 1 3-996^Sfi^ tf outside ihe US A FAX anyihne. dial 313-663-8888. For technical assrstance to solve your eommiinksttlc^ns prohleni, call the Coniniiiiikations Electronics (echnlcal !»upport liotHne for $2,00 per minute at 1-900-5 5 5 SCAJJ, Order yotir new electronic equipment from Communications Eiectronia Inc. tt>day.
^amtf Di«A4ai <jmMs mi (H bfn Mc II ill —i I of C^i^^eMuh EkHniHC] kc
For credit card orders call
ISOO^USASCAN
Canununicatioiis Electronics Inc. Emergency Operations Center
P.O. Bm 1045. Ann Aibor, Michigan 4S106-I045 U.SA For information call 3 1 3-9%-«8«8 or fAX 3 1 3-663 S88«
I
*
sign> the baltcrics 1 want lo recharge are AA 500 mA per hour eel Is, I sei Fast Charger to recharge the cells ai I limes the capacity, or IC Recharseable batteries are not 100^ c(* Ocieni when recharged, so the expected recharge lime is approximaicly 20% higher than the expected lime, hence for IC recharge rate, the expected recharge time is about one hour and 15 minutes. The closest lime intcr\'al available for a one hour and 15 minute time-out is 90 minutes, which is en- abled by shorting PRGM2 and PRGM3 to the REF voltage pin.
Table 1 defines ihe program pin program- ming 10 select the desired sellings for ihe number of cells and for the time period. The Charge Rate in C is the charge rate as set by R6. 1 use jumper blocks wiih shorting blocks (like the ones used in PCs to sei up the ex- pansion cards) to set ihe programming op- lions. DIP switches or jumpers can also be used, PRGM3 also sets the trickle charge current value. When PRGM3 is open, the trickle charge current is the fast charge rate divided by 3Z When PRGM3 is connected to REE the trickle charge current is the fast charge rate divided by 16. When PRGM3 is connected to BAIT-, the trickle charge cur- rent is the fast charge rate divided by 8. My application uses the PRCM3 pin lied to RER so my trickle charge raic ts 500 tnA di* vided by 1 6, or 3 1 m A.
Q1-Q3, LI, Dl and D2 form a DC- DC switching power supply which supplies a current source to the batteries with overvott* age piDteciion, Dl and D2 are Schottky Bar- rier Rectifiers which have low- forward volt- age drops and arc I'ast devices (low internal capacitance) to keep the DC-DC converter at peak efriciency, Ql and Q2 boost the drive 10 Q3, turning Q3 on hard and off hard. Q3 was chosen for the low drain to source resis- tance of 0.3 ohms, Wiih such a low drain to source resistance, no heat sink is required for Q3, tx* Power Dissipation ^ (drain cur- rent)- X (drain to source resistance J which is below 100 milliwatts. LI is charged by Q3. When Q3 turns on, current is stored in LI and discharges through D2 into the battery. When Q3 turns off* current will coniinuc to flow through LI from ihe current stored in LI and through Dl. LI must be both electri- cally large fo accommodate the large current flow and physically large to prevent satura- tion (saturation is when Lt*s core cannot hold any more magnetic flux* causing LI to look like a resistor with a resistance value of the inductor wire). For topology buffs, the topology used here is the Positive Buck Convener.
LED \ and LED2 are used for charging in- dicators. When power is applied to Fast Charger, LED I illuminates. When fast charging is active, both LED I and LED2 il- luminaie. When fasi charging is complete. LED2 extinguishes and LED! remains on.
Power to the Fast Charger requires a 1 voh input voliage over the highest battery voltage, with a minimum voltage of 7 volts and a maximum voliage of 20 volts. The maximum battery voltage is: (1.65 volls) x
PROM 1 and PRGM 2 Pin Connections to Deftnt Cell Count
PRGM 2 and PRGM 3 Connedions to Define Time-otJt lo TrickJe Charge and Associated C^a^& Rate
|
No. of Cetls |
PRGM1 Connexion |
PRGUO Connedion |
|
1 |
V+ |
V* |
|
2 |
open |
v+ |
|
3 |
REF |
V* |
|
4 |
BATT- |
V* |
|
5 |
V+ i |
o^n |
|
6 |
open |
open |
|
7 |
REF |
open |
|
8 |
BATT- |
open |
|
9 |
V+ |
REF |
|
10 |
open |
REF |
|
11 |
REF |
REF |
|
12 |
BATT^ |
REF |
|
13 |
v+ |
BATT" |
|
14 |
Open |
BATT- |
|
15 |
REF |
BATT- |
|
16 |
BATT- BATT- | |
|
Ttni€-oui fminules) |
CHa/ige Rate tnC |
PRGM3 Connedlon |
PRGM2 C€tnnedion |
|
22 : |
not used |
V* |
RHF j |
|
33 |
not used |
v+ |
8ATT- |
|
45 |
2,0C to 1 SO |
open |
R^F |
|
66 |
1.4Cto1JC |
open |
BATT- |
|
90 |
roctoo.ac |
REF |
1 REF |
|
132 |
0.7C to 0.5C |
REF |
BATT- |
|
180 |
0.4C |
8AIT- |
REF |
|
264 |
0.2&C |
BATT- |
BATT- |
T€ible L To control the charge rate, the current sensing resistor must be chosen- First pick the rate to recharge the batteries (benveen 0.25C and 2Cl The current sensing resistance value is: R6 = (0.25 volts) / [(fast charge rate) x (banery capacity}}, I require a rate of iC for my 500 mA/liour baiterres, so the resistor value is calculated as follows: R6 - (0.25 volts) / [(IC) X (0.5 A/hours)} = 0.5 ohms.
|
Parts List |
|||
|
Part |
Description |
DigMCeyi |
Price ($} |
|
CI |
Capacitor, 47 UP 25V |
P5696 |
0.24 |
|
C2 |
Capacitor, 33 pF |
P40ia |
0.06 |
|
C3 |
Capacitor lOOpF |
P4024 |
0.06 |
|
C4 |
Capacilor, 1 uF 25V |
pe74a |
0,53 |
|
D1.D2 |
Diode, 1NS818 |
1N5818 |
0.56 |
|
IC1 |
IC. MAX713 or MAX712 |
MAX713CPE |
|
|
MAX712CPE |
6.27 |
||
|
LI |
Inductor, 47 uH, 1 amp |
TK4355 |
2.63 |
|
LEDl |
Green LED |
P303 |
0.18 |
|
LED2 |
Red LEO |
P300 |
0.25 |
|
Ql |
Transistor. 2N2222A |
PN2222A |
0.19 |
|
02 |
Transistor. 2N2907A |
PN2907A |
0.19 |
|
Q3 |
Transistor. P enhancemeni PET, Rds = 0.3 ohms |
IBF9530 |
2.40 |
|
R1 |
Resistor, 200 1/4W |
200Q |
0.05 |
|
R2 |
Resistor 470 1/4W |
470Q |
0.05 |
|
R3 |
Resistor, 2K 1/4W |
2KQ |
0.05 |
|
R4 |
Resistor, 48.7k 1/4W 1% |
4a.7KX |
0.11 |
|
R5 |
Resistor, 1.5k IMW |
15KQ |
0.05 |
|
R6 |
Resistor, as required for IC |
1-OQ |
0.05 |
|
HDR0-HDa3 |
Header, 6-p n |
S2012-06-ND |
1.11 |
|
JMPR0-JMPR3 |
Jumper fof headers |
S9000-ND |
1.03 |
|
Socket |
Socket for 101 |
Fn33l6 |
0.83 |
(the number of cells). The mimmum current required is equal to the fasi chaise cuiTcnt, 1 built my Fast Charger to run off a car battery to recharge RC Slope Glider batteries. If home use is expected, then a wall- mount transformer with the appropriate DC output voltage and current is all that is needed- Operating the Fast Charger h simple. Plug or switch the desired program input pins to match the ceil count and the charging time requirement. Apply power to the Fast Charger circuit and install the batteries, Fasi charging will begin, and the batteries are charged to the peak capacity when ihe fast charging cycle is completed. The baiTeries
may be left attached to ihc Fasi Charger for the batieries to receive a trickle charge. Ai the end of the fast charge, the batteries may feel warm, but they should noi feel ex- cessively hot (greater than 120 degrees Fahrenheit). If the batteries become hot. then the fast charge current is loo excessive. In- creasing the value of R6 will alleviate the problem.
1 ran into the following problems: If Fa.sl Charger draws excessive current, check Ql and Q2, they may be swapped causing the excessive current draw; if Fast Charger will not go into irickle charge, verify C2 and C3 values.
26 73 Amateur Radio Today * May, 1 994
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Photo A. A drilled and eiched FC board for the Fast Charger is available from for $5 plus $1.50 5 & H per order from Far Circuits, ISN640 Field Cu Dmdee. it 60118.,
All the parts used on [his project are avail- able from Digi-Key Corporation, (800) 344- 4539.
Schematic
The schematic in Figure 1 shows the cir- cuitry. The left side of the schematic shows the programming devices. Shorting jumpers, headers with jumper shorting blocks or switches can substituted for these devices, R6 is shown as two resistors. This allows custom values of non-standard resistance by using readily available standard resistance values and placing them in parallel.
Figure 3 shows the operating characteris- tics when recharging a battery. A four-cell 500 mA hour NiCd pack was subjected to the Fast Charger. The chart shows the battery output voltage verses time. The start of the plot is power applied to the Fast Charger Battery voltage increases with charging and then peaks at about 60 minutes into the charge. The baiiery voltage peaks and then begins to fall Fast Charger detects the drop in battery voltage and shuts off the fast charge current and enters trickle charge at approximately 65 minutes into the charge.
Figure 4 shows the same battery pack subjected to Fast Charger after the pack has been fully charged. Again the chart shows battery voltage versus lime. Since the pack is fully charged, the battery voltage peaks quickly and then the output voltage begins to drop. After approximately five minutes and 30 seconds into the charge. Fast Charge detects the drop in battery output voltage and changes from fast charging to trickle charging.
I hope that Fast Charger recharges your batteries as easily, quickly and automatically as it does mine. Fast Charger allows conve- nient quick charging of vinually any battery pack on the market.
I would like to thank Jim Keller KD6JW0 for setting up and programming the HP Chart Recorder used for Figures 3 and 4, a_nd for building the first "production'' unit.
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The Radar Gun Reality
Ham scientist testifies on electromagnetic radiation.
Introduction by Wayne Green W2NSD/1
IVtyu \'e pmhabiy been reading the same tm- dta twiddle about the dcmgers of celhtlar tele* phones and radar guns / have. And by exten- siort, a danger from our HTs. You've been read- ing that there are amfliciin^ data on these dan- gers. You \'e been trading tripe.
We are most fommate to have Rosx Adey K6UI . . . one of ours ...asthe world expert in this controversial field. Ross has been re^ searching the effects of electrotttagnetic waves fwni DC up through the niicrmvaves. He's been doing this for years. On the off chance that you may be interested in reading one of his repiirts, I'm goittg to reprint his testimony to the Ad Hoc Subcommittee on Consuttier and Environ- mental Affairs of the United States Senate Cotnntiitee on Governmental Affairs, Senator Joseph Liebennan, Chairman. His testimony was given for a "Hearing on health risks posed by radar gutu: the extent of federal research and regulatory development of microwave esnisstons from hand-held radar guns. **
Got all that?
The testimony was given August 7. 1992. by W Ross Adey M.D., of the Pettis Memorial VA Medical Centen Lonm Litida, Califomia,
Mow, if you have some difficulty in reading this technical testimony, just itnagine how lit- tle our average senator got from if . . . if it was even tvad, which is unlikely. Few of our sena- tors have any technical background, so all this is gibberish to tnost of them.
If you ever get in touch with your senator you might ask him about the danger of radar guns and see what he says. It's good for a laugh anyway , . . Wayne]
1, Introduction
Mn Chairman, ihank you for ihis opportuni- ty 10 appear before the Commiuce. 1 am William Ross Adey, and my tcsumony is pre- sented as a private citizen. Since 1977. 1 have served as Associate Chief of Staff for Re- search and Development at the Pettis Memori- dI VA Medical Center at Loma Linda. Calitbr- nia. I am a Distinguished Professor of Medicine (Neurology) a[ the affiliated Loma Linda University School of Medicine. My ac- tivities liclevani to this hearing include found- ing membership in the Biomedical Commis- sion of the International Union of Radio Sci- cnces» with auihority in ih^ USA vested in the National Academy of Sciences; and as a con- sultant to ihe Wodd Healih Organisation in health problems of nonionizing eleciromagnet- ic radiation. I am an elected Fellow of the In- stitute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers. From 1957-1977, I was a faculty member al the UCLA School of Medicine and Director of ihc Space Biolog\ Laborator)' of the UCLA Brain Research Institute.
For the past 46 years, my research career has covered a broad spectrum in neurology and the brain sciences, in environmental
medicine, in biomedical and communication engineering, and in cell biology of molecular and atomic processes by which cells of brain and body tissues communicate with one another.
These latter processes have been the exclu- sive focus of our leam^s nssearch for almost 20 years. We have played a pioneering role in un- den>tanding how body cells "whisper" to one another: and in so doing, we have discovered some of ih^ keys to understanding how elec- tromagnetic fields, so weak that some scien- tists have regarded them as incapable of bio- logical effects, are detected by living tissues. We have studied some of the likely conse- quences for human health.
The problem of exposure of a restricted seg- ment of the population to radar guns is but an example of the enormous and ever-growing use of systems and devices in our society thai emit a vastly complex range of electromagnet- ic fields. The ubiquitous use of electricity makes it a factor of great and serious import in shaping the future of our society. For the indi- vidual* these same concerns are likely to touch all our lives in very personal ways.
2, Natural and man-made fields in qut elec- tromagnetic environment.
In any discussion of biological and biomedi- cal eflccts of electromagnetic fields, it is nec- essary to understand that these fields are oscil-
t
Police radar gutts are not always hand-held. Instead, many are mounted onto the dashboard, still m close proxitnity to the offlcen Photos by Charles Warrington WA IRZW: courtesy of Greenfield. NH, Police Department,
30 73 Atnat&ur Radio Today • May, 1994
fatmg^ meaning thai they aJie wa%'es that move through the universe, surging with a succes- sion of peaks and troughs past an observer. These natural waves cover a vast spectrum, or range of frequencies. Just as in the piano where there is a range of frequencies covering many octaves from the low notes to ihe high, so also this electromagnetic spectrum covers many octaves. They range from very short waves with high frequencies lo long waves at low fiequencies: but they all tnavel al the same speed. 186,000 miles (or 300,000 kilometers) per second.
Amongst the very long waves are those os- cillaiiag at the power lin^ frequency of 60 cy- cles per second, or 60 Hz. Tlieir peaks are 5 million meters, or about 3,000 miles apan As these waves become shorter, we enter the ra- dio spcctmm. where an AM broadcast station emitting waves at 1 million cycles/sec (10()0 kilohcriz [kHz] or 1.0 naegahcriz }MHz]) sends waves with a length of 300 meters. The microwave region of the spectrum begins by definition at a frequency of 300 million waves per second (300 MHz^ waves I meler long) and extends by definition lo 300 billion waves per second, or 300 gigahertz (GHz). Ai 300 GHz, the waves are only one twenty-Hfth of an inch, or 1.0 millimeter long. Police radar guns operating at 10 GHz (X-band) and 24 GHZ (K-band) have wavelengths of 30 mil- limelcrs and 13 millimelers respectively (L2 and 0,5 inches).
But this is by no means the limit of the elec* iromagneiic spectrum. It extends many oc- taves beyond the millimeter wave band, with ever shortening wavelengths and ever higher frequencies of oscillation. Millimeter waves are succeeded by the infrared spectrum, and this in mm by the spectrum of visible light* covering barely an octave as wavelengths shorten from red to blue. From the visible re- gion of the spectrum, there is a progression through the ultraviolet, to X-rays and ulttroalc- ly to the very shon cosmic rays from outer s^ee.
In a biological perspective, all life on earth has evolved in a sea of low-frequency electro- magnetic fields, generated in part from the sun and also from the huge energy of thunder- storm belts in the Amazon basin and in centtal Africa. In an historical perspective, this natu- ral electromagnetic environment has been vastly perturbed ,since the beginning of the 20ih century by an ever-itKrreasing ievei of ar- tificial electromagnetic fields.
These artificial fields now bathe us through- out our lives, in our homes, in the workplace, and in the environment. In two important ways, they differ fit>m the natural electromag- netic environment. Firstly* they are typically hundreds and in some cases millions of times stronger than the natural fields. Secondly, and most importantly in this hearing on possible health effects of weak microwave exposure, most eneigy of the naturai fields occurs at fre-
quencies below 100 cycles per second (100 Hz). That is, they surge back and forth less than 100 times per second as oscillating fields. Natural sources, such as the sun, produce pniy small amounts of high-frequency eneigy in the radio and microwave regions of the electro- magnetic spectrum.
In contrast, man-made devices aiKl systems now expose us ail lo an electromagnetic envi- ronment of almost unbelievable complexity from conception lo death. In addition to low- frequency fields associated with electric pow- er distribution systems and the devices and systems operating directly from the power sys- tem, most urban and suburban environments also involve exposures lo radio frequency and microwave fields, Obviousiy, the magnitude of these exposures depends on projtimity to the sources: whether, for example, near indus- Irial radio frequency heating systems for plas- tic molding and sealing plastic surfaces; or to radio, TV and microwave transmitters widely scattcned in most urban and suburban environ- ments; or in the use of hand-held portable transceivers placed close to the head of the us- er; or in microwave radar sources close to body parts, as with police radar guns placed in the groin in an operating condition,
3* The scope of federal research on im- erowave emisstons.
With such a vast range of frequencies in the electromagnetic spectrum, it is inevitable that
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73 Amateur Radio Today * May. 1 994 31
to date only scauered segments have been ex- plored for ihcir biological intcraciions. Bio- logical and biomedical research has been re- stricted by limitations on funding. This Kas come mainly from Federal agencies seeking early answers to specific problems in mission oriented research. National fashions in re- search have emei^cd in consequence. Thtis* public and congressional preoccupation over the past decade with possible hazards of 60 Hz electric power sources has made it essen- tially the sole facet of nonionizing electro- magnetic field research supported by federal civilian agencies.
Until recently, when the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences manifested a renewed interest^ Ihc US Etepartment of En- ergy has been the sole custodian of a Federal civilian research program in nonionizing radi- ation since 1986. At that lime, the US Envi- ronmental Protection Agency eliminated its active and highly negarded program.
Even with a strong focus on 60 Hz bioef- fecis, to the exclusion of other urgent prob- lems, a total DOE budget of less than %5 mil- lion has been seriously inadequate in the search for needed knowledge of the mecha- nisms undedying weak EM field imeracitons with living tissues. For more than ten years, there has been virtually no federal civilian funding or medical research on effects of m- dio frequency or microwave fields.
Within the Department of Defense, the US
Air Force has assumed the role of Lead Agen- cy in microwave research. US Air Force stud- ies deal exclusively with effects of high level exposures, with effects attributable to tissue heating. As a matter of policy, the Air Force denies existence of biological erfects at- tributable to Qihermal fields (Erwin, 1988), Nevertheless, evidence for aihermal bioeffecis is incontroveniblc for both low-frequency and radio frequency exposures, and tissue heating is not the basis of these interactions. AH expo- sures of law enforcement personnel to radar guns are athermal, so thai if there are biologi- cal consequences, models and mechanisms to explain these interactions cannot be based on heating models that arc the essence of ANSI/IEEE guidelines. 1 shall return to these issues in greater detail, including the regulato- ry aspects,
3a, Research on hiohgical and biomedical effects of microwave fields.
My principal purpose is to review ihe scope and content of research relevant to possible health hazards of microwave emissions from iratTic radar guns.
It is important ID first address the question of what our expectations might be from re* search on devices or systems \ ievsed as poten- tial environmental heakh hazards, It is the premise of protagonists of police radar guns that there is no signitlcant risk from these mi- crowave exposures. To the contrar>', their doc- ymentaiion nmy be generously inicrpreied as
only showing thaL at best, there is no proven hazard.
Although limited in scope by totally inade- quate funding from cither federal or other sources over the past decade, research in the USA and elsewhere on bioeffecls of athermal RF/microwave exposures has coniribuied strong indicators that the possibly hazardous nature of these exposures must be seriously considered.
Two major streams of new knowledge have emerged. On the one hand, epidemiofogy studies have addressed human diseases that now appear ever more closely related to envi- ronmcnml ckctromagnciic field exposure. On the other, laboratory studies in cells, tissues and animal models have disclosed m consid- erable detail many of {he fundamefiial mecha- nisms by which extremely weak electromag- netic fields interact with cells and tissues.
As I pointed out at a related hearing by the Subcommitiee on Natural Resources of the House Committee on Sciencct Space and Technology (7/25/90)* it is important to em- phasize that these studies at the cell and molecular level have built, and continue to build, a series of critically imponam bridges between laboratory science and human epi- demiology; so that it is no longer possible to say that mechanisms mediating interactions of electromagnetic fields with biomotecular sys- tems remain unknown with respect to poten- tial health problems.
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In many respects, scudles of mechanisms provide essential signposts and directives that will determine the very nature of further epi- demiology studies. For example, laboratory studies have revealed enhanced effects of chemical cancer promoters in joint actions with electromagnetic fields; thus, the epi- demiological hunt for the basis of increased cancer risk now invites detailed consideration of possible joint effects of environmental chemical pollutants and eleciromagnetic fields. For operators of police radar guns, for example, there is the question of long-term concurrent exposure to automobile exhaust fumes as a possible adjuvant factor
4. Health -related t^ffecls of nthemtal RF/microwave fields; laboratorj studies in cells and tissues.
ANSI/IEEE guidelines consider tissue heat- ing as the sole premise on which to base safe- ty standards, precluding from any considera- tion the very existence of athermal interac- tions. It is therefore imperative to identify by specific citations some of the findings in much weaker athermal exposures that may bear, directly or by extrapolation, on potential human health hazards.
The following account describes RF/mi- crowave field effects at athermal exposure levels, substantially below limits permitted under ANSl/lEEE guidelines, Virtually all have received some form of federal support.
Most laboratory tests with RF/microwave fields at frequencies below 1000 megahertz {1.0 gigahertz) have reported effects of low- frequency modulation, or periodic interrup- tion, of the high-frequency carrier wave. If a long-range radar u^nsmitter is used (not a po- lice radar gun), the signal is typically *'pulsed" at frequencies from 5 to lOW pulses per sec- ond; or the signal may be rhythmically modu- lated with a sine-wave signal, typically at fre- quencies below 100 Hz. At carrier wave fre- quencies below 1000 MHz, bioeffects have been reported with unmodulated carrier waves only with fields sufficiently intense to cause tissue heating.
4a, Summary of major effects of modulated RF/microwave fields.
A gamut of effects has been reported, most confirmed in independent studies in different laboratories. They relate to a hierarchy in the ordering of biological systems.
i) Modification of calcium binding at cell surfaces has been a pivotal observation, con- firmed in many studies (Bawin et aL, 1975; Biackman et al.. 1979, 1985; Dutta ct al., 1984; Lin-Liu and Adey, 1982). Calcium is the key messenger, carrying messages {from hormones, antibodies, neurotransmitters and chemical cancer promoters) from ceil surfaces to the interior Calcium also mediates signals between cells that preveni unregulated cell growth and tumor formation.
ii) Actions on cells of the immune system.
The body's immune system is the fortress built by nature against infection and the creeping claws of cancen Reduced immune competence is therefore followed by dire con- sequences for the individual, whether it re- sults from aging, from the ravages of infec- tions such as AIDS, or from environmental chemical pollution. Lymphocytes of the im- mune system can be ''targeted" against tumor cells, destroying them by breaking their cov- ering membranes.
A malignant tumor of the lymph glands of the groin (malignant lymphoma) has been re- ported in users of police radar guns. In studies with ceil cultures, athermal microwave fields (450 MHz, 1 .5 mW/cm^} with 60 Hz modula- tion reduced by about 20 percent the killing capacity (cytotoxicity) of lymphocytes target- ed against human lymphoma cells (Lyle et al.» 1983). Unmodulated 450 MHz fields had no effect. These fields also disrupted by up to 60 percent activity of enzymes that act as internal messengers inside lymphocytes, including messages regulating cell growth (Byus et aL, 1984).
iii) Modification of enzyme activity frgulat- ing cell growth. A series of studies in different laboratories have reported sensitivities to modulated RF/microwave field.s of growth- regulating enzymes located within widely dif- fering types of mammalian cells (Byus et aL, 1984, 1988; Kmuse et al. 1990). In confimna- tion of the athermal character of these inierac-
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tioas, Chcy have been shown to depend on ihe presence of low- frequency modulation* raiher than simply on field intensity: and more specifically, to retaie to a narrow band of modulation frequencies in a fashion described as ^ frequency window. These phenomena are quite inconsistent with ihermal models.
iv) DNA synthesis in cultured mammalian cells following exposure to increasing mi- crowave fields at constant temperature. Cul- tured human blood lymphocytes and human brain cells can be exF)Dscd to increasing levels of 245 MHz CW microw^aves. but mainiained at their nomial 37 degree Centigrade environ- ment. Under these conditions, they synthesize DNA with a sharp peak in the response in a narrow range of field intensities (Cleary et al., 1989). This is an Intensity window, also quite inconsistent with thermal models of intcrac- lion.
4b, Hie tmfllmeter wave region: b'weffects of fields similar to those in police radar guns.
Police radar guns operate with a continuous wave (CW) signal at either X-band (10 GHz) or K-band (24 GHz). Their frequencies are high enough to resonate directly with the vi- brations of biological molecules or portions of these molecules. These direct molecular inter- actions do not occur at lower frequencies.
Bio molecular and ceil research in this spec- tral region has been merger Studies in solu- tions of DNA and of growth effects in bacte- ria have yielded conflicting results thai may
relate to extreme technical difficulties not en- countered at lower frequencies. There are ma- jor pmbiems in the engineering of suitable ex- posure systems, in ensuring biocompatible ex- posure devices, and in evaluation of experi- mental data for physical and biological arti- facts.
4b. 1 . Cell growth responses to millimeter wave exposuriss. These studies may have spe- cial significance. They have opened new doors to understanding mechanisms that un- dedie bioeffects of extremely weak millimeter wave fields. The definitive findings are the product of a single team of highly competent German scientists, collaborating for the past 15 years wiltiin the framework of the presti- gious national Max Planck organization (Grundler el aL, 1977; Grundler and Kcil- mann, 1978).
Their work has examined effects of mil- limeter wave fields on growth of yeast cells, a cell type commonly used in biological and biomedical research concerned with cell growth and genetic mechanisms. We are con- cerned here with prvcess. with mechanisms at a level so fundamental in living systems thai they are found in most, if not all, cellular or- ganisms. By extrapolation, these studies raise questions about the possibility of comparable effects in human tissues exposed to fields of the type paxJuced by police radar guns. At the same time, it must be emphasized that only with much further research can we determine
the validity of this interpretation.
In the first studies by the German team, yeast cell cultures were irradiated with contin- uous wave millimeter fields at field intensities of a few milliwatts/cTn^. The growth rate was considerably enhanced or reduced depending on the field frequency around 42 GHz, with a succession of peaks and troughs at intervals of about 10 MHz. In agreement with our eariier analogy with a piano, the cells' growth re- sponse appeared finely tuned to the frequency of the applied field Careful temperature mon- itoring excluded a trivial thermal origin for this effect. Repetition of this experiment con- firmed that yeast culture growth is indeed af- fected by weak microwave mdiadon in a fre- quency-selective manner (Grundler et al„ 1983; Gmndlerand Keilmann, 1983).
These early experiments have been sub- stantially improved and extended (Grundler, 1990), Growth of single ye^st cells has been measured microscopically, and orientation of each cell controlled with respect to the im- posed field (Grundler and Kaiser, 1992J.
A notable finding in these recent studies is that the sharpness of the tuning increased as the intensity of the imposed fields decreased; but the tuning peak occurred at exactly the same frequency as the field intensity was pro- gressively reduced. Moreover clear responses occurred at incident field levels of 5 pico- watts/cm^, about one million times below field levels permitted under ANSI/IEEE
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guiddines for millimeter wave exposure*
What do these studies suggest about a threshold, or lower limit for sensitivities to these weak fields? Theoretical and experi- mental modeling has gone hand in hand with biological studies. New conclusions are strik- ing, even challenging, with respect to poien- tiat health hazards. Professor Friedemann Kaiser, a theoretical physicist with the Max Planck organization and a world authority on weak millimeter wave interactions (Kaiser, 19S3. 1 988)* concludes that in interactions between an impwDscd field and an oscillator within a ceiL *\ , . imposed fields can be ac- tive even at intensities near zero'* (Grundler and Kaiser. 1992), In other words, a lower limit or threshold would not exist
Research at the other extreme in the elec- tromagnetic spectrum with 50 and 60 Hz elec- tric power fields also support this concept. Theoretical and experimental studies at the University of Oxford by McLauchlan (1992) conclude that sensitivities in biomolecutar systems may exist even at the lowest icvets of magnetic energy input. Based on interactions between magnetic fields and chemical forms known as "free radicals" there can be **^an enormous effect of a small magnetic field on a chemical reaction, and the effect begins at the lowest applied field strength."
5. Physical and engineering aspects of oper- ator exposure to radar gun exposures*
If extremely weak miHImeter wave fields can interfere with mechanisms regulating cell growth, are radar gun operators exposed in ways that might pose risks?
5a. What fwld intensities exist at the aper- ture of radar guns?
Many thousands of measurements have been made by Fisher (1991) in the period 1 982- 1 99 L For X-band (10 GHz) models popular in the early 1980s, the average anten- na apenure power density was 3.36 mW/cm- for fixed-mount devices, and 2.66 mW/cm^ for hand-held devices. With later development of K-band (24 GHz) technology, the average aperture power density dropped to 0.93 mW/cm-^ for fixed-mounted systems and 0.69 mW/cm^ for hand-helds.
These incident field levels are approxi- mately one million times higher than incident ficltk changing growth of cells by direct ex- posuns,
5 b* Are there circutnsiances in which all or most of this energy would reach the surface of the body?
Fisher's (1991) extensive evaluation of mi- crowave exposures encountered by traffic radar operators states that with hand-held de- vices, '*when it is placed in the operator's lap, 100% of the aperture power density would be incident upon ponions of the radar operator's body that are in contact with the antenna's af)erturc. Radar operators who place the hand- held device in their laps or inadvertently point the antenna towards themselves will find themselves in the HPD (High Power-Density) region of the antenna, with exposure to more than L0% of the aperture power density,"
5c. Will most of this energy enter the body
or will it he reflected from the skin?
As discussed in the next Section, relatively little reflection of millimeter waves occurs at the body surface. Most field energy penetrates the body surface and is absorbed by body tis- sues,
5d. If the field enters the body, how deeply will it penetrate before dropping to levels less than those shoHn to alter cell growth?
Millimeter waves are rapidly attenuated as ihey penetrate the body surface. This rapid weakening of the field is due to energy ab- sorption by water molecules. In engineering terms, this attenuation is measured at 17-20 decibels/millimeter. In more familiar terms, as little as 1.0 percent of the field energy at the body surface will be found 1 .0 millimeter be- low the surface; and ai a depth of 3 millime- ters (one-eighth of an inch), the field intensity will be one-millionth of that at the surface.
How do these physical properties of the body determine the actual tissue field levels from operating radar guns in close contact with the body surface? It appears a reasonable conclusion that for antenna aperture densities of 1*3 milliw*atts/cm2 . fields at picowaU lev- els will be found at depths of 3 millimeters; and as noied above, there is evidence that mil- limeter wave fields at this intensity can modi- fy cell growth.
5e. Are organs such as the testis or lymph glands in the groin close enough to the body surface to be exposed to significant field lev- els?
1 now wear the hat of an m^omist with more than 30 years* experience in teaching and research in the anatomy of the human body in the Australian medical schools of the Universities of Adelaide and Melbourne, in the University of Oxford, and at the Universi- ty of California at Los Angeles.
As Gray s Anatomy points out, *The skin of the testis is extremely thin." It is devoid of fat, so that the scrotal contents may be tnmsillu- mined with a HashlighL In consequence, the testis itself has a very narrow separation from the skin surface, typically not exceeding 2 millimeters- Thus> picowatt level fields may be anticipated in the outer zones of the testis from incident fields on the skin surface in the low milliwan range.
A similar situation pertains for the lymph glands of the superficial inguinal group in the fold of the groin. Malignant lymphoma has been reported in lymph glands in this region in association with exposure to police radar guns. By reason of the arrangement of major ligaments and fascial sheets in this region, these lymph glands lie close to the overlying skin, with minimal amounts of fat separating them.
6. Epidetniolc^ of human microwave ex- posure.
For the millimeter wave spectrum, there have been no epidemiological studies. For other parts of the microwave spectrum, some findings in limited studies may be relevant by extrapolation to millimeter wave exposures*
Szmigiclski et al. (1988) examined cancer incidence amongst Polish career militarj' per-
sonnel. The major exposui^ was to radar mi- crowave fields, but exposures to 50 Hz power fields were also involved. Differences in can- cer rates between exposed and unexposed subjects were large, with rates generally six times higher in exposed than in unexposed subjects. Most malignancies were reported as lymphomas and leukemias.
Yugoslav microwave workers have shown abnormalities in blood lymphocyte chromo- somes (Garaj-Vrhovac ct al., 1990} in studies that compared these findings with similar, more severe changes in vinyl chloride work- ers* Exposures were of long duration (8 to 25 years, mean 15 years). Microwave power den- sities at the work sites were in the range 10 to 50 microwatts/cm^ , or approximately I per- cent of levels permitted under ANSI/IEEE guidelines. These same researchers produced similar chromosome abnormalities in mam- malian cell cultures exposed briefiy (15, 30 and 60 min) to a 7.7 GHz field at an intensity of only 05 mW/cm^ , or one-twentieth of lev- els permitted in the revised ANSl/lEEE guideline.
The long exposures experienced by these Yugoslav workers raises questions about pos- sible effects of cumulative dose, a factor also raised in case reports of police radar gun oper- ators. This problem was addressed directly in studies of brain tumor incidence in RF/mi- crowave workers by the National Cancer In- stitute (Thomas et al., 1987). Microwave workers were grouped by length of exposure in 5'year cohorts. No measurements of field exposures were available. Incidence of malig- nant brain tumors (astrocytomas) was pro- gressive with length of exposure. For those in excess of 20 yean, the risk was 10 times con- trol levels, if they were simultaneously ex- posed to microwaves and soldering fiimes, electronic solvents and a variety of other chemicals. All the excess risk was for those engaged in design, manufacture, repair and installation of electrical or electronic equip- ment, suggesting joint actions of chemical factors and RF/microwave fields, as already discussed.
7, Regulatory considerations; the ANSI/IEEE guidelLiie&
The results of much research presented here leave little doubt about the reality of athermal bioeffects of RF/microwave fields and their importance with respect to potential human health hazards. Nonetheless, this knowledge has yet to lake its place in any safety guidelines. Those private bodies pre- suming to advise govcmmenL industry and the general public have produced guidelines based solely on tissue healing thresholds.
In the absence of f^^leral regulations relat- ing lo any environmental electromagnetic field exposure, limits promulgated as "guide- lines" by the American National Standards In- stitute (ANSI) became the de facto standards for occupational and non-occupational expo- sure in 1982 (ANSI Standard C95J-1982, covering the spectrum from 300 kHz to 100 GHz). Subsequent revisions of the ANSI C95J-1982 Standard, now known as IEEE
36 73 Amateur Radio Today May, 1994
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C95.M 991, were undertaken inbehalf of AN- SI by Subcommittee 28 of Lhe IEEE Standards Coordinaling Commitlee CSCC28).
By uncompromising adherence to ihcrmal- izing levels of exposure (10 mW/cm^ ) at fre- quencies above ]3 GHz as the sole basis for human hcaUh concerns, the new ANSI/IEEE guidelines raise questions of objectivity in reviewing available evidence. Theie has been a willful refusal lo consider ibe significant volume of highiy credible scientific evidence on athermal elfects, dismissed by the co-chair of Subcommittee SCC28, Dr, Eleanor Adair (1990), as "today^s grab bag of contradic- tory or unreplicated evidence and miscel- laneous theory, falling far shon of credibil- ity;'
Woree, the ANSI/IEEE guidelines appear to have become a refiige for special inieiests for whom the very existence of health problems at aiherma! levels of exposure would have im- ponant consequences. For example, Fisher (1991) in his engineering review of mi- crowave exposure levels encountered by po- lice traffic radar operators concludes thai "with a high degree of certainty, microwave exposure levels encountered by these opera- tors is less than 1% of the maximum exposure level of 5 mW/cm^ established in ANSI stan- dard C95. 1-1982. Because of this (sic) stan- dards and the results of this experimental re- search, we are able to conclude with a high de- gree of certainty that there is no evidence to
support ihe allegation that police traffic radar operators are at risk due lo prolonged expo- sure to microwave emissions from their radar units,"
Thus are uninformed engineering opinions on some of the most complex of m^ical prob- lems foisted on an unsuspecting public.
8. Recommendations*
1. As an emergent general conclusion, it ap- pears that cognate Federal regulatory agencies should assume direct responsibility for devel- opment and implementation of urgently need- ed safety guidelines for RF/microwave expo- sures. This had been a long-standing require- ment, made more urgent if a national patch- work of separate state and local enactments is to be avoided- These tasks should not be left in the hands of pri\'a[e bodies, all too often sus- ceptible to pressures of special interest groups.
2. Future developments in safely guidelines should encompass the highly aiediblc body of information on athermal bioeffects* including effects of modulation patterns on RF/mi- crowave fields, and growing evidence on biomolccular inieraciions with millimeter wave fields.
3. There is an urgent need for a national civilian research program on medical effects of RF/microwave exposures. This program should encompass both epidemiological and laboratory studies, with special emphasis on industrial and military exposures. This re-
search initiative should recognize ihe impor- tance of cooperative international efforts, par- ticularly through mechanisms of the World Health Organization and related bodies, in- cluding the International Telecommunications Union and the International Union of Radio Sciences (URSI), Tt is pertinent that the Ger- man Government has recently developed a na- tional program of fundamental bioelectromag- neiic research through its prestigious Max Planck organization, with a strong focus on athermal millimeter wave interactions and ac- ceptance of the physical principles enunciated in this testimony as a point of departure.
A Summary by Wayne
/ hope Ross won*! be irritated that Vve edit- ed out two full pages of references.
In case the language of Ross* testimony be- fore the Senate was too obscure for you, what he said was thai yes, police radar guns can cause cancen And yes, ceifular telephones can cause cancen as can ham rigs, if you *re not carefuL This is the same stuffl*ve been telling you and has been resisted by some of our more obi use brethren.
It does appear that a 2m HT probably won 't cause much harm . . , unless you're running PL tones. Those are the real mischief makers.
The only standards we have have to do with power levels that cook our flesh. Research has now shown that power levels a million times weaker can harm us.
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73 Amateur Radio Today • May, 1 994 39
73 Review
Number 8 on your F«edbaclc card
by Michael Jay Geier KBIUM
The ICOM IC-2iA
Micro HT
ICOM America, Inc.
2360 116th Ave N.E.
Bdllevue WA 980Q4
Telephone: (206) 450-6088
Price Class: $380.
Meet the ever-shrinking HT,
Whafs that? You say you want a walkle small enough to drop into your pocket or purse without so much as a bulge? To- day's waJkies just aren't small enough to take with you wherever you go? Well, check out ICOM's new IC*2iA, There*s a whole new generation of ultra-small HTs comfng around, and ICOM has led the pack with this miniatiir- ized model. This tiny radio sports the emerg- ing new style of slide-in battery which fits into the bottom of the case, keeping the size of the fig to a minimum. Where's the radio? Tve seen microphones bigger than this thing. At only 2.2r x 3.6" x 1.2', this is as small as it gets! And even with the battery pack in- stalled, the whofe shebang weighs only a little over nine ounces. With rigs this size, there's just no excuse for leaving them home.
This radio repre- sents a new ap- proach to HT opera- tion. Rather than the usual array of but- tons, this one has only seven o! them to operate all the ad* vanced functions
we've come to ex-
peel in today *s
watkies. Plus, of course, the squelch, volume and rotary dial knobs are on top, just as with any HT That's iti No DTMF keypad. My first reaction was, ""Oh, no autopatch calls with this tNng." 1 was wrong — you can program in up to 16 autodial memories and send them whenev- er you like. So how do you control all thai stuff with only seven buttons? ICOM has devel- oped what they refer to as "artificial Intelfi- gence" modes. Essentially, they're menus which le! you set up all the parameters. The Al twist refers to your ability to fock yourself out of what you don't feet ready to use. In fact, there's one mo<le In which the various fea- tures begin to appear gradually as you accu- mulate hours using the radio. As a seasoned ham, [fs hard for me to judge the usefulness of such an approach, but, to a newcomer, it might be handy in avoiding contusion while learning graduaJly.
For such a tiny box, this radio does a lot. It transmits from 140- ISO MHz, and The wide-
bar>d receiver covers 130-174 MHz, taking in a fair amount of the public service band ac- tion. CTCSS encode/decode and DTMF pag* ing functions are built in. In the easy mode, you get only 10 memories, but there actually are 100 of them, and they appear when you switch to the full-featured setting. The trans- mitter puts out 1 watt with the supplied battery. (At 13.8 volts, you get 5 watts out.) A watt is plenty for local repeater use, and the lower power output greatly helps consen/e the bat- tery, but ifs less than most HTs put out. No current rating is printed on the battery pack, but in a separate list of available options I dis- covered that the 7.2 volt battery is rated at 400 mAh, Thafs about two*thlrds the current capacity of most HT packs but, then, this radio is only about one*haif to two-thirds the size of ^^^^^^^.^^^^^^^ the average HTI
Considering the size of the pack- age. 400 mAh is not at all bad If it's not enough for you, though, you can buy bigger packs which give you longer operat- ing time or higher
RF output power.
You also can get a holder for € AA cells, so you can be sure of having power at all times. Of course, any of these options will make the radio a bit longer, but It still will tte pretty darned small.
The LCD is quite large and the frequency is easy to read. Some of the icons are fairiy small, but the most important stuff, like the memory channel number, stands out welL The buttons themselves are made of rubber- ized material, and they feel good, with distinct tactile feedback when pressed. Above the PTT is the function button, which lets you use the other buttons for multiple operations. There's a two-color LED which turns green when the squelch is open and red when you're transmitting. On the right side is a aib- ber cover, under which are the mike, ear- phone and external power input jacks. Over- all, the rig seems especially weatherproof, except for where the battery enters.
The coaxial DC power input jack lets you run the rig on anything from 6 to 16 VDC,
"There's a whole new
generation of ultra-smalt
HTs coming around,
and ICOM has led the
pack with this miniaturized model. "
40 73 Amateur Radio Today May. 1994
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which means you can use ft on car power without a separate regulator But don't ttiink you're going to go down to Radio Shack and make up your own power cable, because (COM has used a modified version of the coaxial jack IVe never seen before. As far as 1 can tell, only their cord will fit. Also, unless you buy the quick^harger, you must charge the battery through this jack; there's no jack on the battery pack itself. Thts involves some inconvenience, as you can't use the rig while you're charging ^b battery, but it also has a point: The radio maintains the memories via an internal, rechargeable battery^ which also gets charged when you charge the main bat- tery. By the way. the backup battery will keep your data for about two months with no power applied, so it shouldn't be a problem un/ess you hardly ever use the rig.
The rubber duck antenna is one of the nicest IVe ever seen. Ifs not much longer than the radio itself, which is a welcome change from some of the small rigs which have huge antennas. Also, this one's both thin and extremely flexible above the bot- tom inch and a half or so. A cool quacker. Also included are a hand strap, belt hook and, of course, a waJf cube charger.
Getting Started
The IC-2IA jams virluaify all the goodies, such as CTCSS. DTMF squelch and such, in* to this little box. As initially configured, you're locked out of most of the good stuff. At first, all you get are 1 0 memories and one VFO frequency. Nothing else — not even repeater offsets! This is because the radio's default state is something called "easy mode." De* signed for rank beginners, easy mode just gtves you the bare minimum for simplex oper* ation. But» recognizing that nearly all VHP ham communications in the U.S. are via re- peaters, ICOM explains, toward the end of the short manual* how to get into the full-fea> tured mode long enough to pick an offset They also tell you how to set a CTCSS tone frequency. Other than that, you are referred to a separate set of Instructions cafled the Tech Talk." I found no such Tech Talk with the review rig, so I called ICOM. Apparently, some earfy units were shipped without It. re- qumng you to get it through your dealer. They assured me, though, that current units all have the Tech Talk included.
The Tech Talk manuals are simple, well- written and illustrated Instructions which show you how to use the various features available in the fulUfunction mode. Now you can get to the 100 memories, set scan limits, scan type, power*on and power-off timers (the radio has a built-in clock), program phone numbers and autopatch codes (which include the A, B, C and D codes) into the autodialer, set up frie DTMF code squelch options, change the bat- tery saver interval, skip and hide memories, you name it. There are even settings for LCD contrast and turning off the green "receive" LED to save power.
The Menu Interface
Cramming all this stuff onto seven buttons
was quite an achievement! The use of menus is a great help, and I suspect we'll see more walktes with this type of control Basically^ you hold the "S" button while turning the ro- tary dial knob and the radio steps through all the functions which are accessible with the menus. The sequences aren't hard to do. but keep the Tech Talk sheets handy until you memorize the most common sequences. Luckily, once you get everything into memory, it's a piece of cake to go to a memory Chan- nei and start talking.
The Modes
There are four modes;
1) Easy: You get 10 memories and a VFO frequency. Thaf s it. But. If youVe already set repeater offsets into those memories or the VFO from one of the advanced modes, they still work.
££
The lC'2iA Jams virtually all the goodies, such as
CTCSS, DTMF squelch
and such, Into this
little box. ''
2) "Growng-type" Al: At first, very few fea- tures appear. As you build up hours of use with the rig and perform the various opera- tions you are given, you get more features.
3) "Select-type" Al: You get to pick which features you want to appear and which you don't. The functions are ordered into seven groups, each starling with a letter In the word "special," The display shows the letters of the selected groups. This could be handy if, for example, you never use DTMF squelch and would like its menus to go away, uncluttering the operation of the rig somewhaL
4) *All-type" Al; This is the full-function mode, and most users will want to leave it this way.
On the Air
Uke most ICOM receivers, this one Is quite sensitive, even well outside the ham band. Selectivity is fairly good; you can teN when youVe 5 kHz off. (Some rigs are so wide you can't tell no matter how hard you try.) The case doesm get very warm when transmit- ting with the 7*2 volt battery but, then, it shouldn't with a 1 watt transmitter, StilL trans- mit efficiency must be fairly decent or you'd feel it after a minute or so of key-down time.
The receive audio is a little tinny^ but it's quite loud for such a small rig, in fact, ifs sig- nificantly louder than my normal-sized HT, which is great for using the rig In the car. You might actually be able to hear this one at highway speeds.
The transmit audio is a dffferent story. Ev- ery contact I made began with the other oper- ator's saying something like, ''Gee, your au- dio is pretty muffled. I can understand you, tHit ft ain't great* I listened to it through my other walkie, and they weren't kidding. A call
to ICOM confirmed that this model tends to be a bit bassy. Looking at the front panel. I could find no microphone hole! It turns out they use a channel in the plastic which picks up sound through the speaker holes and sends it to the mike. It seems to lose most of Itie higher frequencies.
Al ICOM's suggestion, I even opened my rig to make sure the channel wasn't blocked by a stray bit of glue, but it was clear. They told me that some owners have drilled a little hole over the mike, giving it direct sonic ac- cess and dramatically improving the audio. If you decide to do this, I suggest you open the rig and remove the mike first, so you don*t drill into it. You may not find it necessary, though. Even if you do sound a bit muffled, you certainly can be understood.
What 1 Uked
This thing is really small. With its nice, flexible antenna, it's easy to take it any- where» even when you might leave a big- ger radio home. Once all your data is pro- grammed in, selecting memories and using them is easy Setting a frequency into the VFO is fairly quick, too, despite the lack of direct keypad entry. The receive audio is nice and loud. Though not rich-sounding, ifs very intelligible. Even with no keypad, you can send autopatch numbers.
What I Didn^t Like
With something this new and different, it's reasonable to expect some bugs and prob- lems. Here's what I found:
Despite frie menu system, this radio rs a bit harder to program than some other HTs. Con- troiling all those features with so few buttons was bound to make things messy. Without the Targe Tech Talk sheets by your side, you are bound to forget how to operate the more advanced functions. A wallet-sized cheat sheet is provided, but it covers only a few easy-mode functions. A complete one for the ail-type Al mode would be vej^ welcome.
Unlike on most HTs, there is no automatic repeater of^et function. If you set a frequen- cy into the VFO which requires a different off- set direction than the previous one^ you*ll have to go to DUP mode to change the offset from <f to - or vice versa, or even to select simplex.
Finally, you can't use the radio while the battery is charging, even if you have another battery pack or an AA cell holder, because the standard charger connects through the rig. It isn't clear from the illustrations whether you can put the supplied battery into the quick-charger without the radio; the drawing shows it going in while attached. With the big- ger batteries, it appears you can, though.
Conclusion
The tC*2iA represents a bold move by ICOM to create a new generation of micro HTs. If you want a really small HT with all the features currently dreamed up, the lC'2iA just might fit your needs. You sure won't leave it home because ifs too big to carry aroundl
42 73 Amateur Radio Today • May, 1 994
See you in Daylon — Booth 340-342
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73 Amateur Radio Today • May. 1 994 43
73 Review
Number 10 on your Feedback card
by Arnie Johnson NIBAC
The ICOM IC-737 HF
All-Band Transceiver
A first-class rig, with all the right features.
ICOM America, Inc.
2380 116th Ave. N.E.
Bellevue WA 98004
Tetephone: (206) 450-6088
Price Class: $1 ,800
How many of you have ever wanted to up- grade your Hf equipment but became confused by all of the features different man- ufacturers offer? Size and stiape? Bells and whistles? Wilt it do this or that? Can I use it mobile? How forgiving is it to operate at a high SWR into the wet noodle antenna hang- ing out the window? And the final, ever-pre- sent question: How much?
Of course, there are many more questions we tend to ask when we are mortgaging the wife and kids to purchase that new HF rig and one of the biggest is: Is it worth it? Let's find out.
Any radio ! get my hands makes me to wonder at>out many things: the ability to use the radio as my base rig or take it mobile: whether or not there's a built-in antenna tuner: the ability to operate SSB, CW. AM, FW. and RTTY/AMTOR/packet; ease of oper- ation: number of memories; etc.
Thanks to being in the right place at the right time (in the 73 office when a big box from ICOM came in addressed to Associate Publisher David Cassidy N1GPH). I got a chance to use and review one of ICOM's latest and greatest pieces of HF equipment, the iC-737. 1 almost asked to borrow David's Outbacker mobile antenna to use it on the way home, but figured I might be press- ing my luck a bit too much (a bird in the hand is worth two in the bush, etc.). so I
had to wail until I got home.
My wife gave me that ""not another toy" look as 1 brought the box into the house, but seemed a bit happier when I told her that I hadn't bought it but was reviewing it for 73.
First Impressions
As I opened the box, I was pleased to see that ICOM packed the equipment as well as they did many years ago when 1 bought my last new radio. Enclosed was the radio (with carrying handle on the srde, just like my IC- 701), and inside another smaller box were the hand microphone, stereo plug (for GW operation), DC power cable, and two fuses {20 A for the power cable and 4 A for intemal drcuitiy in the PA), and *^es. Virginia. ICOM still fuses both the positive and negative pow- er leads."
One of the first things 1 do when J see a new radio is look at the labels on the front panel to see if I can figure them out without having to open the instruction manual {heav- en forbid). Of the 48 buttons and 11 knobs, I only had questions on the operation of five buttons. I don't think that's too bad for a new state-of-the-art radio.
It didn1 appear that those unknown buttons should stop me from firing up the tC-737, so I connected the hand mike, hooked the DC power cord to my 20A Astron, connected the DC cable to the back of the rig. and took my
triband beam antenna coax from its switch box and started to screw it on the back of the rig. That's where I ran into a little problem: The IC-737 has two coax connectors on the back. What's up. Doc? Well, the ANT 2 re- ceptacle had a plastic cover on it* so t hooked my beam up to ANT 1. That answered a question on one of unknown buttons on the front panel, a choice of Antenna 1 or 2, More on this later.
Power switch ON. No smoke, just normal sounds out of the speaker on the top of the radio. The frequency tuning knob in the front center had a nice free feel to it as 1 moved through the band. Volume control offered a nice range of audio and the outer knob squelch worked fine. Many operators have large fingers, but I think the size of the knobs will alk)w everyone to use them easily. The only two that might be a bit small are the RF PWR and COMP LEVEL, which don't get changed too much anyway — just set 'em and forget 'em at max smoke and mid-poini.
Testing
Because I had moved out of my beam an- tenna's 2:1 area I figured 1 would test the in- ternal antenna tuner's ability to bring my an- tenna back into range, i selected TUNER and was happy to see a small light in the button come on to show selection. I then touched
Continued on page 46
44 73 Amateur Radio Today * May, 1 994
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CIRCLE 149 ON READER SERVICE CARD
The ICOM IC-737
Continued from pag& 44
the TUNE button, noticed needle movement on the combination S/RF meter, and watched the indications show tuning. As advertised (I peeked in the book for the times)^ in less than seven seconds, probably more fike three sec- onds, it was tuned to 1:1. That's neat! I love ft! Certainly faster than my trusty faithful old companion three-knob Dentron Super Tuner.
I decided to see what the rest of the bands wouJd do. so I took a stab at UP and DOWN buttons to change bands. That worked also, but at 1 MHz steps, I also heard sorne whirring and figured that the automatic anten- na tuner was making corrections on the fly, at least to get close. This isn't so bad. I thought.
Next was the use of the number buttons on the pad, listed as 1 .8 (1 ), 3.5 (2). 7 (3), 10 (4), 14 {5), 18 (6). 21 (7), 24-5 (8), 28 (9), and 29 {0}. Each button pushed took me to a fre- quency in that band and the proper mode. This radio is a piece of cake to operatel
The next button 1 tried was the FREQ-INR I typed in the desired frequency on the nun> ber pad, pressed ENT, and there 1 was. This is too easy!
Since neither my IC-701 nor Atlas 21 OX have the WABC bands, I decided to hook up my 160m dipole to the ANT 2 connector and sea what was happening. When I tried to se- lect Antenna 2 on the front panel, nothing
happened. Finally, I had run into something that forced me to open the Instniction Manu- af. After looking at all the pages about anten* nas listed in the index and not finding what to do, i started looking page-by-page. I finally found something called "set mode operation" that allowed changes in programming to be made in 13 different items, and one of those was activating the antenna switch. It was very simple, even for me. You can choose OFF (switch not activated), ON (switch activated for manual use), and AUT (switch activated and the band memory memorizes the select- ed antenna). This is too easy; my kind of ra- dio! Of course. I selected AUTo,
As expected, once Antenna 2 was select- ed, the tuning worked great on all bands us- ing my 160m dipole. This took a iittie longer on 10m (my Dentron can't get It below 1.6:1). but did ffne.
Most of the other buttons were self-ex- planatory: POWER, TRANS, BK-IN, FULL, PREAMP, ATT, AGC, NB. COMP BIT, TX. NOTCH, SSB, CW/N. AM. FMfTONE, LOCK, A/B, A=B, SPLIT. Many of these buttons have littJe lights in them to show selection. The knobs were also self-explanatory: AF, SQL* MIC, KEY SPEED. RF PWR. COMP LEVEL, RIT/rx, NOTCH, M-CH, PBT
After attempting to memorize some fre- quencies into memories, I decided discretion was the better part of valor (I was beginning to took dumb, even to myself), so I looked in
the very informative Instruction Manual agairii and found that it's not really that hard (maybe Vm not so dumb after all). I just wasn1 push- ing the MW (Memory Write) long enough (orie second). It*s actually quite simple: 1 . Set the desired frequency and operating mode in the VFO mode; 2. Rotate M-CH (Memory Channel) to select the desired memory chan- nel to be programmed; 3. Push and hold MW for one second to program the displayed fre- quency and operating mode into the memory channel. To check the programmed contents, push VFO/MEMO to select the memory mode.
Channels 1-89 are regular memory chan- nels with one frequency and one mode In each channel; channels 90^99 are split mem- ory channels which allow independent trans- mit and receive frequencies and operating modes In each channel for split frequency op- eration (FM repeaters on 10m); and channels PI and P2 are scan edge memory channels which affow one frequency and one mode in each memory channel as scan edges for pro- grammed scan.
The IG-737 aJso allows for three different matfiods of frequency scanning: Programmed Scan repeatedly scans between two scan edge frequencies {PI and P2); Memory Scan repeatedly scans ALL programmed memory channels; and Selected Memory Scan repeatedly scans all SELECTED memory channels.
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Next two issues of PolyPtiaser's Striking News (newsletter) k. wilt cover proper shack
grounding and
protection
teclmiques.
to receive
your free
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(800)325-7170 ■ (702)782-2511 ■ FAX:{702) 782-4476 2225 Park Place ■ P.O. Box 9000 ■ Minden. NV 89423
46 73 Amateur Radio Today * May. 1 994
■{ AN&WIV li C-AP rtCHNOLOGV *TME AH-t\-4itf IV G4f tgcHT*QLGoy
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Updates
Number 1 1 on your Feedback card
T1» diallangftr DX-VIII
Hb Ub XSn ISA Tla IDffl bti Efii
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$259
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Using the World s Most Acctirate Frequency Standard
With regard to the above mentioned series which appeared in the Jartuary* Febmary, and March 1994 issues, pJease rwle the lolJowing:
1 . On ail cirojil boards, the transistor outtines inked on top of the boards for NPN transistors are not tor the 2N2222 types. The author suggests using either the 2N3904 or 2N4123 types. The 2N2^2s wiJI work if you bend the base lead back between the other leads so Ihey are rnourted correctly.
2. For the 1 MHz osciiJator (Part 3), it you have trouble getting enough output, add a 56k resistor from
the base of 08 to ^ volts. If the output is still inade- quate, reduce the AGC by adding a 100k resistor across C IT.
Getting Started With Satellite fmagery
In connection with the above mentioned article {March 1994. page 14), we listed a number of vendor addresses, Among these was the (former) ad- dress for Software Systems Consuiting, Please con- tact SSC at their current address: Software Systems Consulting, 615 S. El Camino Real San Clemenle, CA 92672,
Maat help
Number 12 on your Feedback card
We are hap0y to pnnnde Ham Heip IKstiig? frse on a sp&ce ave^abte basis. To make ouf job easier and to ensvte ihat your fisiwig £S correct, ptease fype or pnnt your wquest dearty. dotjbia spaced. £^ a Mf {3 h2~ x 11') sFieef of paper You may also vpioad a ftstng as E-matf to Sysop to the 73 88SJSgieciaJ Esf&m iSes&age Aiea * 1 7 (2400 baud. 3 data M&. no panfy. i siap M (603^ 924-B343h Pi&^se ffidCBte d nm for p«j6fetfbrt. Use 4pper^ and kmer-case letters tvtiere appwpriate. Also, print numbers cate- ffjfty — a f. for ej&mpie, can be mtSfBad as the ieiier$ Lori or even the niFmber 7. SpedTtsaMy menttcn that your messagB is lof the Ham Heip Cokjmo, Pfease rememb&r to adtriovvi&dg^ responses to your requ^tS- Tharik yov forypor cooperattpa.
WANTED; Donations, suggestions, new members. ATOM, Amateur Television of Manchester is a new group organizing to help educate, experiment, and in- crease local activity on ATV in New Hampshire and New England. ATOM, 175 Cfosbie SU Manchester NHQ3104.
WANTED: Manual (or copy} for ICOM IC*02AT 2 meter, I also need the operator's instruction manual (or copy) for YAESU FV 102DM VFO. and REALIS- TJC Comp-100P programmabte memoiy scanning re- ceiver I wiil pay for the manuai or copying fees Vin- csnf Lopez NF4MZ. 60 Moore St. Apt 5J, Brookiyn NY 11206.
I would like to get in touch with anyone who knows how to modify the UNIDEN HR2600 for QRP opera- tion, Jm N9KX3. 5748 N, Campbelt 43, Chicago it 60659.
I have liberated an HW-5400 transceiver from the clutches of a CBV who had "modified" the 10 meter band. I need the HEATH construction manual with schematics on this unit in order to return it to Amateur status. OriginaL zerox. etc., ok. I will pay your costs, or buy il you want to sell John A, Callahan KR5K, 340 E GaywOOd. Houston TX 77079. Tet, {773} 46 f- 6704.
Hi ^^IrWEt ri O AP tECHHOlOQ* » the an4«I» i& Cap TIChhOIOCt
QSO Tiitoi
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* Rum DO 1B\I coittpstLtbles or ^tadJ]tusllCS > Progrtjns arr available for Navicf, TcduiJciaik No-Code Techniciaii, CieocraL Adtufkced And Extra Amalmr dtss& exwns as wefl as Commemal Rgdimdrplione a)3d CaauncrdaJ Radar EndoocmcaL Each profrusi sold s^»ara(id}*
* Work with ibe entire qtiesikif) pool, or jrtiid V que&tJODS automaCicalJ^ i^rc ted by ihv pn^r^m frofn your weakest areas,
* Current Questian Pacts
■ includes futt screen graptiicii^ explan ill ions an uppruprlale questions and, on the IBM vemictn^ a pap-up ca]cutut<»r* ■liiDg-V muttiple study sessioiiN Jind jdlnws n'u^umlnjj nt a later time. Returns En riview mi vied questions if desired.
* Crtiiles randomly generated ^niple tests an-line or printed wiih j^pbtcs on E<!p!ian/]fiM ar Stacintosh pHnfer^
* Pubtic [>ofnaJ£i Morse code tutor b incJuded on request at no eiitrm ebar|>e.
you n«d ^ "'* ^'^ ^^^^ study wfter^
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CIRCLE 197 ON READER SERVICE CARD
73 Amateur Radio Today • May. 1 994 47
Actual Use
No review ts worth its salt if nothing is said about the ability of the transmitter and receiver to do their parts. I do not have any test equipment, so I will leave it up to ICOM to be honest in its representation as shown in the Specifications sidebar The proof is in the pudding, though, and the IC-737 talks with IQOM's usual fine audio quality, even under compression, and listens just fine. No surprises there. What I could hear, I could usually wofk, except in the pileups with the "Big Guns,'* The NOTCH and PBT {Pass Band Tuning) were certainly able to do their intended jobs.
Connectors
Another Important part of any radio Is its ability to support external devices, such as connecting to a linear amplifier, a TNC for data communications, etc. The JC-737's back panel is composed of the two antenna connectors, a ground bolt with a wing nut, a connector tor an external speaker, an elec^ ironic keyer switch that turns the Internal electronic keyer ON and OFF, a CW semi- break-in delay control, a CW key jack, two accessory sockets (7- and 8-pin), an ALC in- put jack, a send control jack (this goes to ground while transmitting to control external equipment, such as a linear amplifier), an AH-3 control socket (external antenna tuner), a DC power socket, and a Cl-V re- mote control jack (use with a persona! com- puter for remote operation of transceiver functions). Lots of support!
The Instruction Manual
And last, but certainly not least, the 60- page Instruction Manual. I must say thai it is written very well, in a manner that makes each page worth reading to discover the many other capabilities of the 10-737 not mentioned in this review. Also included are two large separate folded sheets of schematic diagrams. 11 might still lake a magnifying glass to check the components (at least with my eyes), but they are all there for tfiose who want to know what makes it tick or just can't keep Ihefr fingers off the in- ternal goodies.
Optional Features
Optional items available for the IC-737 in- clude CW narrow filters, 500 and 250 HzJ-B dB for both the 455 kHz (third IF) and the 9.0106 MHz {2nd IF); a UT-30 pro- grammable tone encoder unit; a CR-282 high-stabJIity crystal unit; and an MB-49 mo- biie mounting bracket; as weff as all the rest of the optional items such as power sup- plies, microphones, etc.
The worst part of this review was knowing that David remembered who he gave the IC-737 to, and that I'd have to give it back to him. If s difficult to give up a quaJity well- built radio like this, but if I do, maybe he will let me do another radio review in the future*
I only have one more thtng to say about the ICOM IC-737: "Try (t=you1l like it!" I didl
IC-737 Specifications
Frequency Range
Mode
Memory Channels Antenna Impedance Usabte Temperature Range
Frequency Stabttlty
Power Supply Requirement Current drain
Max audio output Dimensions
Weight
Transmitter
Output power
Spurious emissions Carrier suppression Unwanted sideband Microphone impedance
Receiver Receive system Sensitivity {Preamp ON) Less than 13.0 pV for 1 0 dB S/N
Less than 0.1 6 ^V for 1 0 dB S/N
Less than 2.0 (aV for tO dB S/N
Less than 0.5 |iV for 1 2 dB S/N Squelch sensitivity
Sensitivity
Receive Transmit
500 kHz-29.995 MHz 1 .800-1 .99900 MHz 3.500-4.000 MHz 7.000-7.300 MHz 10.100-10.150 MHz 14.000-14.350 MHz 18.068-18.168 MHz 21 .000-21 .450 MHz 24,890-24.990 MHz 28.000^29700 MHz
SSB, CW, AM. FM
tOI
50 ohm nominal
-lO'^C +60°C
+U^F -i-140'F
Less than ■I-/-200 Hz from 1 mfn. to 60 mln. after power
ON, After that, rate of stability change is less than
+A30 H2Air. at ^25 0: +77^F. Temperature fluctuations
(0*C to +50*0; +32"F to +122^F) less than +/- 350 Hz,
13.8VDC+/-15%<20A)
Transmit 20A
Receive squelched 1 .6A
2.1A
330(W) X 111(H) X 285{D) mm
13.0(W)x4,4(H)x 11.2(D) in
8.05 kg; 17.7 lb.
SSB,CW.FM
AM
Less than -50 dB
More than 40 dB
More than 50 dB
600 ohms
Triple-conversion superheterodyne 0,5-1.8 MHz AM
1 0 to 1 00 watts 10 to 40 watts
1,8-29.995 MHz SSB, CW
AM
FM (28-29,7 MHz)
SSB FM SSB. CW
Spurious and image rejection ratio
Audio output power
load
RIT/TX variable range
Antenna Tuner
Matching impedance range:
Mm, operating input power Waiting time for band changing Tuning time Tunrng accuracy Insertion loss (after tuning)
Less than 5.6 ^iV at threshold Less than 0.3 ^iV at threshold More than 2.1 kHz/-6 dB Less than 4.0 kHz/-60 dB
AM More than 6,0 kHz/-6 dB
Less than 20.0 kHz/-40 dB
FM More than 12.0 kH2^*6 dB
Less than 30.0 kH2/-50 dB More than 70 dB More than 2.6W with a 10% distortion and an 8 ohm
+/- 2.5 kHz max.
16.7-150 ohm unbalanced
{VSWR less than 3:1 )
8W
Less than 3 seconds
Less than 7 seconds
VSWR l.5:t or less
Less than 1 -0 dB
48 73 Amateur Radh Today May, 1994
45Sr
2 Day Delivery
'Up lo 12 tb& \n Contlfieflial USA
-800-426-2891
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|
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^^^^^ |
1^ 1 |
|
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|
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e it at Dayton ^
J^^
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Radio City, Inc.
T ▼
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And RAore Page 8
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369
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Authorized Factory Warranty Center W^ aH^f faclory Authorized warranty se^vi-C'e lor IcDm. Konwood and Ynoau. We s^uvkh s^meMiSB nnd inodeis, Our (customers may send any product requiiring WBw'\ce toun, artd we will handle It l<rr lh$^ Thii^ i« d Qn$<&lfif] i^t\ftce I^Bl ke-c^pi'ti cmr cusli^rriEiit^ t^vmg mari? furi ihan hf)t^«;l^ m thii; hnbby. ]f you rvi^a ca&tom catilt lor packQl and don'l iliavo Ume to maUB n J^ uEki cto ^ncr yoir C A P & M.A^ S rftod& dt« a^ available al e^asonotibe ral'^s to aulhanz&d iiamg only.
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Expires June 1994
Prtces Subject To Change Witiout l4o&8.
^^ Oetivery
'tip to 12 fk&, m Continental USA
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MM
O
ICOM
Explore.
Buy Now! FCC
This advanced tfansceivor features □OS, dual antenna pons cfyal VFO display, 101 memones, tnlefnal ajttenna tunef. b-uitl-in Keyer and 1 05 dS ^amc receive mn^. Join the OX scene with Ihe lalQst destgn
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1489
CetvVet
mfespart 15.121 wiH change availability of these products, I Effective April 1d94
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S489
k t 1 P I M
ine \€-728 is a full featured transceiver provicfiing pleasurable HF operatiofi with features sucti as passt^nd tuning and ipe^ch compression. Periect foi rrKJtsdE opGrolion ioo. Supplies LivnHed.
899
Get ahead with dual band superiority Even Ihough rl Is foadi&d with many attractive functions (or com pie to dual band capatillity, it is compact Like a moooHjjand tran!SC£fyef , ri f?ts anyv#Nif«, m any v«h>de. 36 mennories, DTMF microphone, and 3 powor levels. Supplies Limited.
499
WC-T55
Seeing is belmvingK so enjoy Ihfj view. The buflt- in videa dls^play Is your spectrum scope^ frequency readout, terminal monitor and cortiroi scfecn. Dual receive. 150 watt output. 99 memones and wide dynamic range add up to a perfomnance leader
5839
Here's 9 pounds ol tun
with a display thal's easy to Bee, a front panel that's easy Lo work wlth^ and pertormance to dpare. You get big rig specs in ar>"HF Iransceiver cJesjgned fof motide and pofiabi^ use. Ffiatures Indude a rKKse hidnker, pre-amp, 1 00 watts out. 32 memones and greai sonsitivity.
839
Bring the wodd to your car. Now you can enjoy a wider world ol bioadcasling- VHP air ifKl marine bands, AM. FM. WFM modes, emergency services and many more tn your ve^tde. Fuity covei^ all ttta stations wodti hearff^ in Ihe 500 kHz- 18 GHz range.
679
The tC'72S includes the excitii^g 50 MH£ band in
an HF all-band/alhmode trariacofver. Features include passband tuning, sipeech compressor, VOX and mote to increase your DX communication.
M 239*
The classic HF afl-band transceiver that you've been iooking lor .Jhe most cOittpact and advanced futl-festured radio with gerwral coverage on ftie mafkeL
1 049
Peri&rmance with easy-to- use feaJures With a lull- jeatured front panel and a large fluorescent dlBplay^ this radio was designed to be used? Wide dynamic range, fu^l duly cycle heal Sink. 99 mefnor^^. DOS and hjgh sf>eed antenna tuner witl expand your fun.
S2595
Tt>e beauty ot the all mo<ie IC-27SH Irom icom is tnal is gives you IJie best ot boih wofids- accessible rly to he lar-tlung reaches of ihe earth combined with tremendous slrtipficity. Al just the touch ofj a tew switches you can contact places m the wo^ld you've always dfeamed of Visiting.
lC-475H-70cm aU mode
IC-S7SH- 6m aJI mode
SI 389^
Continuous frequency coverage Irom 25 MHi through 2000 MHZ with all mode capability (W.F.M.opt ) This unit offers a dcclt. timer. 900 rnemones, scanimg and more than them's room 10 list
1389
Not fTospowtote FprTypognfftal Ent»s.
Empires June 1994
R
€
Prices Sub|«d To Change Without Motice.
♦
Used/Consignment Sales A : Uf«9 vqiiiiiRWH t»l«5lect ptiof lo sale and «« ptoiMt a W t^y i^ixf ■ammty. We pnTv^e no aisnaniycif XAtmrnttM o4 Dpef*t«n on Bquipmfil consignvd tsy our cmtfmnefs A la day wHifn pifirttopi fe pfpyidttf ot\ camtigwaeiHa
2663 County Road I, Mounds View, MN 55112 Metro: (612) 78&4475 * Natl Watts; 1^80(H26-2^1 • FAX (612) 786^13
CIRCLE 153 ON READER SERVICE CARD
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IC-281 IC-2700
VETV
TWs new lC-2ai mobife radio packs a triple: punch with lis many features. It hosts bonus band 440 MH? rfiCSivG and a 9600 baud data radio port all tor a prloe that's hard to boat.
379
IC-820H ▼ IC-2340H
* This d^vcce has not been approved IjyjtT^j FederaJ Gorr trriLinlcii* tfons Commj&slon^ This devbs te T>oi and may not be offemd tor sate or lease Of soJd or leased urtlfl the aoifDual o( ttie RX:eoblairwl
Here's ihfl H.F. fig you've been holding out for! It features a full lOO watts output frorn 160 moiofs, 100 wait [hrough 6 meters wilh a built in anianna tuner and__power supply, VOX. PBTRF Gain, 101 ni'GmoflGii and more provides you with (he latei^l I en lures and lun.
1869
Save
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^325
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A return to design (uri<lamenrBts has prmlucod somcthirkg truly uniqjUo In duah band FM trantsceivers. Even though 11 Is the smalJe&i in its class, it IS packed to the ►irni't with real u res to expand your fun oui-of-doors. on the road, or al hon^e.
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S789
This new satellfto Dual band all mode base, its designed to provide critical
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Wieat
This new a meter/ 4^ 0cm Dual biiind is ai^othor star in a new product line up lor Icom. iFeatures includo separate tuning, volume and sqtjolch controls tor each band, 100 rtsemones. high power out-put make Vrus competitively priced unit a re;at winner.
849
DTMF SfrE«El* MiC
319
P R
^479
TBA
5659®^
Aifthori£ed Factory Wafrairty C«mtf
We offw (*c*of¥ s^honred «ananiy usnrtee tar Icpm, Komvocdand Yi^su We i^j-jv^s dis n-^Ke$. and models. QW cuAicmers Tiiay send arty produel requiring sarvice tti us, and wm wIF fiiir>ald it lot fftmn. Titts Is a one-slop ^^mtnca ihai keeps our custofttets hcving mora ion Itian tiasslie m rfuft lujtitky ft you need a cusiom CHBb49 lor packet and don't iiave tarm lo maktt ft, lut ir* do UE tor ycMj. CJLF. & M A.ft S. modi arfi aSso avs^d^ ■! nM>D(WJ3ile ratas ta auihorized runii only.
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Ttie TS-79QA breaks new aroutndiri lerrrs^ oi features and perfor- mance. With t^ opiKma! 1 300 MHz itnit. it <jHer5 tii-band coverage Iw maximum vers.ati!Fty. Supporting it? dual- frequency recepve capability are sep^rale readotils and contfob loi maiei ar»d &ub bands, ©veri 1ijll-dyple>: cross- band operation is PQssibfe.
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r MDfl€
41 7"
This Slate of the £irl HT has numerous features- the abiilly 10 store both alphanumeric and ire<|uen<^ data m non-volatile memory. AM aircraft, alpha numeric message paaing_ fn addilkvi to D7S5 af¥J pager
functioris-plus switchable duaH>and feceive. As an added bonus the number of memory channels can be increased to 240 (option).
Kenwood's technology endows the TS-BSOS/AT wilh specs Ihat place ii at the top of amateur radio equipment Automaiic antenna tuner, lOOmemones. three scan modes, DDS. digital PLl system plus more.
1695
liTS-ea*
S309
A radio thai
star in virtu- ally any note wrth its l OOw imnsmissjcn capabitrlies on nine amateur tuancts plus 50 watts output Oft 6 metfifs. Comfiact, igHweigrit consmJcSon makes OiisHF uansc&p^er particularly siHtod lOf DX^ng i=lu99ed re<liabi^ is matcf>ed with leadirig edg^ electronics. Kenwood's AlP sysiem tor improved dynamic range, ODS for lirte tuninq and tt^e optional DSR-100^dl9^lal Signal processor. ^
A compact, tightwalght radio with 1 Dow transmission capabilities on aFI nine amateur bands i^uqged reliatJi^ity is malched wUh leading- WSm ^electronics, automatic anfenna tunef. AlF system, and ODS tor fine tuning.
s-i 2799
!irt-9a^
The TL 922A is an HF Linear amplirier designed to provkle maximumleaal power. By utilizing twoll> 500Z high performance transmitting tubes you'll fiave plenty of rescrrve power for mose DX and contest coniacis. Features include 2kw PEP output* 2 meiefs, variable ALC, delay cooling, class A8^ bias and a look 10 malcn tl^oso Kenwood products.
1\< ■'fleet entry-ievel HF trL-ihsi.iriver. All -mode nefformance is enhanced by numerous by numerous user-orientod feaiures such as 31 momories, a dual -mode rvoise t?lanker i^ith levef coniroL CW rull & seinl break' in, tiuilt-tn speech processor and it's iiehi enough for DXi>edi!iort& and mobile use. ^
899
i^amNi
Graphic
control of
your
amateur
radi-o
slation
wilh Ham
Windows.
The
LogWindmv
monitpfs
the OX cluster, stiows
your current ^ ar^f
pfovides current DXCC
and WA2 award sialus
The syssem also
interlaces to HamBasc
Spot, work and log new
count rios wdh thelatest
point-and-shoot
technology. HW-3P .a.
Swilt perlnjrmance and surgical precision are second nature to iho TS- 950SDX Quality engineering tjlends aesthetic simplieily of form with a wide range of advanced features- dual Irequency receive. 100 memones. DSP, MOS FET final section (a first for amateur transceivers) and much much rrxjre.
^391 r^
IfUtecs
n^
TU*7 $49.95
VS-1 567,95
YG-4SSCr*-t S7699S
YK.88C-1 S899S
YK-88CN'l{1sii=} m.^
YK^B8S-1 (1 S2 ¥} WJ5
vK^essN-i miss
YK^SSC-irandR S10995 YG^5501 (2 rxf IB S144 95 yG-456CN-1 (2 nd IRStSS 95 YK-45SC'1 $109.95
si 409^
$17299
M49
Not Responsible For Typographical Errors.
Empires June \994
♦
PncesSubreci Te Change Wiiiout NoiiosL
Used/Consignment Sales JUJ Usetf equipm«At te Meted prior Iti S!]l<« a*^ wd onavicie a 3Q day iatof warranty We prxywki no vtMiAntf or assurance O'f operatknn: on «qiiif]«H«it consigned by uur cuttonwrs A 15 <9ay rsiufn priwiidQB i> pfovfifed dn cQnfi^nfneftis.
7^2 County Road 1. Mounds View, MN S5112 Wm: (61 1) 78&4475 • N^l \^tt5: 1-dO(H2&2^ - FAX (612) T^^li
C4nCL£ 153 ON READER SERVICE CARD
Stofie Hours: M^, 10:00 ain < 8:00 pm. Sat 1 0KIO am - 5:00 pm Phone Hour^: lA-F^ 0:00 am ^ 8:00 pnv ^^ ^^'-^ ^ib - 5:00 pm
45 for
2 Day Delivery
1-800-426-2891
Fax (612) 786-6513
tip to 12 lb9. m Contki^ital USA
Can for Catalog Ask for Ext- 22
Phone Hours
1-800-426-^2891
M-F 8 am - 8 pm
Sat. 10 am-Spm
GST
WvivfCDid]
KENWOOD
ORDER EARLY
Specials
ARE LlMITEO
TO SUPPLIES ON HAND
See it at Dayton
T TM-255IP T TL-922A
TH-22HT TS-790A
^^m rfcA4 Ik
*30
Enjoy hJgh parformance CO mm unicaUons plus go- dr^vwhere convenience wiln Ih^ world's smallesl 1 00 w mobile HF transcejuer Ad modes and all banc^s eomploto this pdckage. bmiled supplies. ^
969
Attuned to the ta&i- moving world o\ mobllo eommunkritlons. Ihis ducii-band transceivor offers many leatures fndudurig a dolachable front panel in a compact design.
569
Kenwood provides a variety of devicds to add computer conlroi or allow some unrts to be worked remoiely. IF-2:kzC oonvefts pe^<50fiai computoF RS^?^ tevete. to levels used with Tr^nscoWeis sucfi as; TS'960 series, TS- 850 senes, TS-690 series. TS-790A sejies, TS-^M serloa and the R-5000-. ^
* "Riisjdavice has noi boenQpproii*edby the Federal Domrrunica- tiom CcifnmiK5»on. IHgilsviceienotand may nod be oUarsd im «afeicir base or sofci Of teased uvm (he appfCM!9l et &ie FCCBobtgpvd
^tlV:
Ttiis new 2 meler transceiver provides dual band receive and gives
Sou a data port that'a 960D aud ready. CTCSS encode, 41 memyrles are escpandable, cross band repoal, hmo out timer. Diss and much more,
•TM^IA 1.23HzTi7CcnRi 'FCC Apprevil pending
NewVHF/ UHF Iri- tsander wi^h third band optional, __
transcojvor has all the featyres and adv^intages of the TM-741 plus theae enha ncem ents-dir act frequency onlry. Iho unit can separate Inia Ihree pioces froqiiifes remote cable i<:it), CTCSK nncode Is built in, and it can be contfotled remotely with DTMF signals from any Iransceiv&r. Al&u available in a tri band rncdel {ttie TU'B42A).
More
5439
695
»109'
Authorized Factory Warranty Center W& of far fjiclorv authon/ed wjirranty &ervi>ce far loam. K-cnADod atwi Vaueu Wh h^ tvir.^ All makiiiii and rnodolA Out c^u-^tomary may se^nd any prodnJcl t^Qumng mrv\c^ to u$, and we wtK liand^e it tor Ibsm ThiB is a one-slop sen/fice i+ia1 keeps OHf cusiomors having more Sun than ha&sle m thiA hobby i1 ytju nood a custom cable for packel aiKJ don't hflvo Umo to nnai^e irt, IcH! uu do il tor yfiu C.A.P. & M A.R.S. mods are utijin nvaitablA ai raasonoble rales- lo authonzpd huma oniy
2663 Coynty Road I. Mourvds View. MN 55112 Metro; (612) 78&4475 ' Nafi Watts: ^-^gXM2^m^ • FAX (612) 7^^t3
Store Hours: M-f, 10:00 3m - 8:00 pm. Sat, 10:00 am - 5:00 pm Phone Hoors: W-F. 8:00 am ■ 8:00 pm. Sat 10:00 am - 5:00 pm
aRCL£1S3 ON READER SERVICE CARD
Not Responsibie For Typo^raptiical Errors.
♦
Expires Jun^ 19S4
Prices Sudfoct To CtvmgG WithOLTt Notice^
2 Day Delivery
njfi to 12 ttis. in Cov^Miental USA
800-426-2891
Fax (612) 786-6513
Call for Catalog Ask for Ext. 22
Phone Hours
1-800-426-2891
M-F 8 am - 8 pm
Sat. 10 am - 5 pm
CST
At home or . . . away Explore the World with the help of
Radio City, Inc.
[|rr^O
The new FT -990
combines Ihe basic technical r^^^luri^is of tfiai iop'OHhy-iino mode] with severai new advances ir both transmitter and receiver circuitry. Digital filter. 90 memones, wide dynamic range and mjch mor^l'
FT990iDC SI 739.95
Solid statt^ desit^n wfth a bul^t in antenna tuner mekea for a no Juss QSO iii tcujoh conditions is a full 1:^0 walls tn put on all bands wkth automatic or manual tuning lets you decide the best way to drive tnis cornpetltor.
Pod able
or mobKB, this 2 TTieter alt- mode trans- ceiver del (vers fun and function, The 2B wtiU linear Eimplifier clips on in ptacg o[ an optional baliery case Ip extend your operating horizon.
FT-eSORai
6m lj^SOTv«r MBM
R'TMRfll
70citiltBr^c«<ver S649.^
M 995
2029'
548
This new higti performartce table top reosiver provkl&s aatierat covef agf from 50 KHz - 30 MHz in all and FM ai an afforddb^ price. Features include 50 memones. noise blanker. lOMHif, lOOanctl KHz tuning steps, selectalslo attenuate, twin ciDct<5 and scan mode.
599
Nat Responsible For Typographical Errors
(I
R
h7^
Expiree June 1994
Ptkss Subieet Tt) Changs VWhwit Noiwa
♦
Used/Consignment Sales
Al|i U:i-:il iMj.iipment Ih teatBd pricH'ta sale and we-provido a 30 da^ labor warfarity. We provide na wdrruriiy'or ttKaurancB ol qpeiatton on flquipmert c^oniMgnid by om cusEOfner^. A IS day ft^lUfn prhfiicgv is providad an ccnstgRmenta'.
2063 County Road L, Mounds View, MN 55112 mm: {mi} 7864475 • Nan Watls: 1^800^26^2891 - FAX (612) 766^13
CtRCLE 153 ON READER SERVICE CARD
Store Hours: M-F, 10:00 am - 3:00 pm. Sat. 10:00 ain - 5:00 pni Ptione Htjurs: M^. 8:00 am - 8:00 pm. SaL. 10:00 am - 5:00 pm
$C45for
Zj 2 Day
^^ Delivery
*Up to 12 lb& in Continental USA
800-426-2891
Fax (61 2) 786-651 3
Cail for Catalog Ask for Ext. 22
Phone Hours
1-800-426-2891
M-F 8 am - 8 pm
Sat. 1 0 am - 5 pm
Ifit,
|
M^^ |
"1 |
|
Uc^ |
!j |
%4s:i
SaleJiFte find ail-mode 2m/70cm wDric gets exciting ^txu this fiMI- fcfature trafisceiver Unked tumng. tZ unfirvk mefnories. 1?>0 g**neral purpose memorres. and room for 2 optional modjie? Qlformg bflnd exlonsions tor 6m. 220MHz, Of 1,2 GH2 Operation
M 684
See it at Dayto
FT-d
FT-890/AT
Fr-736R
rr-2200
i
«Tt
kv^JWa'^LT-^k
Th© remavabletront panel \et& this dual bander fii any instailarion. If loatures 50w out on 2 meters 3o^ our on 70 centimeL«iSv 32 memories, CTCSS encode and PAGE mode.
This duai band mobile fealuros 100 momoiies, cfoss band repeat, llghtecl keypad, buih-m duplracei ancf a srAOll (eoipfini. Duai watdt capabiliilY rounds oul Itiis 50.'3S wall VHF/UHF iranscBtver, Packer ready.
Jfiis compact, lull-[eatured mobile corner with 49 memones, 10DTMF aulocial memories, A.fl.S., CTCSS encode, digital squelch an^ I'Thtsd keypad ar€ .i i idardt roaiures.
629*^
599
369
This fvoged mihtary- gracSe 2 meter mobite provides wido b^nd receive, 3 powor output levels, a lighted Keypad and ^€ memories. Join the fun ^
Fr-74W
Has the same t|reat features as the FT-2400 but is dosignad for the 440 band. S459.95
The newest member ol tho ffciaJband
/, This handneid spofts auto tone search, 82
memory channels, automalic pow^ oft, built- in VOX. dual in- band recerv^ feature, butlt-in cross band repoal function and much more.
343
Motors
G-10005DX
$499.95
Whothef you are instalTfrtg u, station forprofo^^lanal HF communications, a satellite ground station or inerofy a fofator-contfoUer cOmtMnatTon fof you. Designed to last a lifetime, all Yaesu rotors are housed in weatherproof m el ami no coaled die'Caaf aluminum and pemianerstiy Eubricated to Insure maiiritenance-free operation under aJI climate oiorKS&ort&
G-500A
$289.95
G-5400B
$499.95
This new VHF
handhctd
Uartsceiver
provides the
latest features-
auto lone
saarch.
automatic
battery savef,
autorriaijc power
off. 41
memones.
CTCSS encode/
decode ^ DTMF
paging, backljl
keypad and
display artd a choicfii of
two colors (blach or gray^.
FT-816 UHF versjoo
avarlabte.
Supplies Umited
on gray.
238'
Gray only
Aytl>orize<l Fsctttry Warranty Centef
Wa offer lactory auftwrizied wanranty attrvvos tctt kjoin, K«i^#Dcict ancf Yaesy. }fit txtrhc* an majhes. Mtrti mi^diiii Qw euttdmers mav send any prtKlucI iscpjiniig service id u&^ aid w*
mH handr«» It tor 'itwm This h ci one-sikip s-ervicN That heepii^ cm cuiitomcTS ittWWiS nwn hin Chan hassEe in Ihs Utobby l( yciu rm^a custom cab[& lor packnt And danl have tim^ to make M, let us Og i1 lyr you_ G.A.P. i| M.A.R.S. mods are B^BQ avaiuble at rafUpCHriblt ritoa to aiifthfirizad hame orilj^,
H(A Rssponrfjie For Typographical Errors
2663 Qoimty Ftoad L MQifncls View. MM 55112 mm: (612) 78&4475 • Natl Watts: 1^80Q^&-2B91 - FAX (812) 78^^6513
Stor^ Hiyars: W-F, 10:00 am - 8:00 pm, SaL, 10:00 am - 5:00 pm Phone Hours: M-F, 8:00 am - 8.^ pra Sat, 10:00 am -5:00 pm
QBCLE 153 ON READER SERVICE CARD
♦
Expires June 1994
Pnces
To atm^ VWiout Hc^Sce
^J 2 Day
^^ Delivery
*Up t£> 12 tbs. In Coftttnent«l USA
800-426-2891
Fax (612)786-6513
Call for Catalog Ask for Ext. 22
Phone Hours
1-800-426-2891
M-F 8 am - 6 pm
Sat. 10 am • 5 pm
CST
4CAi^rmDNK^,
|
■i |
|
|
' KAM Plus |
S309.95 |
|
• KPC-a |
Sl63.a& |
|
• KPC-3 |
siifl.as |
|
Hostitiastsf 11+ |
S6@,S5 |
|
PC Combo |
S49 9& |
PK-900
Ttiis nexl g&n^ralion o1 multi-modd controller is made in the USA «itti a front pariiel designed for you! En^io^ duat pen action for packer RTTY, FACTOR, CW, fax, and morel
475
You needn I be a ROCKET SCTENTIST to realize that VALUE, SERVICE & EXPERIENCE
(ire all to be found at Radio City, Inc.
^i^a
Comet
offers a
^on or
Single, dual, triple band anten- nas for your
Be 1 1 Ba5«, motifle or HT's, ttie&fi antennas otl^r a wid^j variety o^ gam, matctiing mounts and cab 1 9 assemblies T6 duple^ers are available wUh and "v^ithout leatis.
The OSCAR Link anisnna systerri i& today s most flex^b^'t system lor saielms Both 145 sai^d the 4;i> MHz anienna § nave polartty swilcbmg Tne Gniue syslem b^lacce^ on a 5' fiberglass boom. The latesl NBS design 435 MHz and loganthFnit:2 meter Ipactng make chfS the best OSCAfl ar^t&nna jflvaJabte today
^385
am
' , TGleK2T4Fli
Telejt 25 FU 'fi^
Escape I he
50 rtiile
boiitidary
*ffh tflkgtse
conipaciS
meier teams WhettierGod
square chasing. VHF
CQiTitesling or|Usl 2 meter
SSS rag chews There is so
rnijcli more to amateur radio
than |us4 2 meter refjeaicrs
Telei 2t FM
m(=
tonal Wi«e-i5t£able
j:**'
BS-taA RS?aA
RS^35A
ns-stkit
SLUA
12 amp, regidilad power supi%
20 amp, regulatBo powef supply 35 timp, fB^lated powsr ^pply 50 anp. r^egut^Qd poMf sifipty 20 «P^ M'^^ji^amp meler
It arr^. slim style
STggs
saeas
£149.35 S2199S
NS'6&0A
Cross reedle, 13-150 MHz SWR meter wittl rernote capability.
$ia5.9S NS-660PA $209.95
Ci^'-i dii
Cfoss needle SWR and
power metei 1 B-t50
DX lOD
Ou|ii«xer &0^239 in and two
PL2S9 out <::onnectoT only
tlX'lOM S37.9S
DX'iaiSl S37.g5
Cable 909 1 9095 4009 90B&
6214 5450 0612 3266
.^■^^
Cable & Connectors
RG8X9S%8h (minia)
RGe95*%sh foam
RGBAU 95=^^ &h pdly
RGS9e%sh {9913 eq I
RGSU, superflex
14 gauge Copperweld
450 ohm tvjinEead
ta/6 te/2 8 conductor wire
i& gauge>'6c caiMtuctoi rolof vhhb
Prices listed are nper foot' in 1 0Q foot of greater
quctntitjes
Not flespOfBtte for Tyixigraphical Errors.
EM
a
ExpEres June 1994
P»K8S Subfed To Chanp wmKUt NeNioaL
Used/Conslgnmenl 5«tes Ail Used 4K(UQ}nienf w lesfed pnor loMf" d^'c ^-^ irc^vii^ AJOdayidHor «a'idr')r Wci^fy* oe r^o, wjii'drtirc: ^^suranct oi ap^^^tionafiiei^uif:^ 1 ^ Hay return prrvtiagQ jg prc^M<Sed on consign m? m ^
:i ^ooiMg'^ed byotjf cui]onie>5 *
266a Coynty Road L Mounds View, MN 56112 Metro: (612) 78W47S • Natl WattS' l-80(M2fr2891 ' FAX (612) 7lfr^13
CIRCLE tS3 DM READER SERWlCg CARD
Store Hours: U-F. 10:00 am - @:00 pm. SaL, 10:00 am - 5:00 pm PhC¥^ Hours: M-F, 8:00 am - 8:00 pm^ Sat, 10 00 am ^ 500 pm
73 Review
Number 9 on your Feedback card
by Charles Warrington WAIRZW
The Ham Contact
RO. Box 3624, Dept. 73
Long Beach CA 90803
Telephone: (310) 433-5860; (800) 933-HAM4
Price Class: $49.95 (plus $8.50 shipping)
The Power Station
A multi-function, portable, rechargeable power source.
Mt
Jtrst think of all the devices you can run from your car's cigarette fighter outlet these days. There are NTs and HF rigs, CD players and spotlights, shavers and solder- ing irons, refrigerators and coffee pots — even power tools. Now, with cigarette smok- ing's fall from fashion, auto- makers will prob- ably soon begin calling these "accessory power outlets," or possibly replace the lighter itself with a simple protective cover. Instead of a smoldering butt symbol you might in- stead see a symbol for a battery or the word "ACCESSORY." What started out as a way to fight up your smokes has evolved into an all-purpose power source.
Too bad your car isn't all that handy at times, So, with a bevy of gadgets tethered to your dash, wouldn't it be nice if you coufd just yank that little outlet and take it with you when you need it? How about camping? Or fishing? Or just operating your HT at your home QTH at high power like a base station?
Well, wish no more, because the foll<s at The l-iam Contact are now importing and distributing the Power Station — ^a slick little rechargeable gelf cefl battery source that you can take with you anywhere. Let's take a look at what the Power Station has to offer.
Features
The heart of the Power Station is a 7.0 amp-hour rechargeable gell cell bat- tery. By means of comparison^ the NiCd bat- tery in your HT is probably rated at 400 or 600 mAh. Thus, you could muitiply the life of your HT battery by about 14 times, just to give you an idea. And, while nickel cadmium batteries suffer the dreaded memory effect, these gell cefis do not.
The unit is shipped compfete with a wall charger, and the CHARGE light blinks when the unit is fully charged. Also [ncluded is an 8-foot double-ended cigarette lighter cord. This allows you to recharge the Power Sta-
tion from your automobtte battery when you are on the road.
The output is switchable from 12 volts to 9 volts to 6 volts to 3 voits^ — four output levels to accommodate a wide variety of devices. The 3, 6, and 9 volt output \s at a 3.5 mm coaxiaf jack on the side of the unit; the 12 volt output is available at the female cigarette lighter socket and at the output studs under the back cover. You can draw current from any or alt at the same time.
mmsmmsi^mm^msssssm
The voltmeter on the front of the Power Station normally reads output voltage, but it can also read the condition of a car battery when the lighter plug-to-lighter plug cord is used.
A Good fdea
I felt some sense of comfort during the horrendous ice and snowstorms we suffered recently here in New England knowing that 1 had some method of dependable back-up communications. The Power Station was al- so mighty nice to have when the lights went
out, since 1 happen to own a 12 volt halogen spotlight and a 12 voft television set, and both are equipped with cigarette lighter plugs.
Another advantage to ownfng one of these units is realized when your car battery be- gins to give up. The Power Station can be helpful fn two ways: as a charger and as a booster.
In very cold weather, you can run jumper cabtes from the Power Station to your car battery and give it a quick charge before starting. Or, you can puM up to 1 00 amps from the Power Station for just a matter of sec- onds—long enough to jump start the old jalopy. While the 12 volt output cigarette lighter socket is fused at 10 amps, the 12 volt out- put at the studs under the rear cover is not fused — permitting short bursts of high current.
Conclusions
The Power Station would be a welcome addition to any ham shack. It is a quality product con- structed of heavy-duty ABS plastic and is UL approved. The unit can be recharged from a standard wall socket m about eight hours, or from your car's cigarette lighter socket in about three hours {with the engine running).
The Power Station Is truly portable at about 7.5 pounds and measuring approximately 7,5" x 2.5" X 8^ The charging circuit shuts off automatically to prevent overcharg- ing. The voltage-sensing circuitry protects the unit and extends its life. You can run all three outputs at the same time, at two differ- ent voftages> making this a versatile unit.
You will also enjoy the instruction manual. The translation from Chinese is often humor- ous. Still, the information Is easily under- stood. Add a multiple outlet adapter like Radio Shack's 270-1544 to the Power Sta- tion and go nuts! I wish they had these when we were kids. It sure would have livened up the old tree house. Q
73 Amateur Radio Today • May, 1994 57
Number 13 on yotir Feedback card
Improved QRP Keying Circuit
A slick fix for your little CW rig.
by Steven Weber KD1JV
If you We ever built a simple QRP transmit- ter» the keying circuit you used probably iooks something like the one shown in Fig- ure la. If you look at the wave shape of the RF output of your transmitter with a scope, you will see just slightly rounded edges on the signal as you key. Also, if you trigger your scope upon key closure, you will notice it takes a few milliseconds before you even gel an output. Why does this happen?
Referring back to Figure la, when you close the key, capacitor CI starts to dis- charge through resistor Rl. At some point enough charge is taken froni the capacitor and current starts Xo flow through the emitter of Q], starting to turn it on and supplying power to your amplifiers. The amount of time it takes for Ql to start to turn on after key closure is hard to say as the voltage across CI does not follow the normal RC discharge curve. It only has to discharge enough to start to turn on the transistor and then the gain of the transistor modifies the curve. An additional delay is caused by the fact that the RF amplifiers don't start to turn on until there is 2 to 3 volts across them. By the time you start to get any signal out of your transmitter, a significant amount of time has gone by since key closure and Ql is well on its way to being fully turned on.
When you release your key, CI charges very quickly through the emitter-base diode
junction of Ql. To slow down the turn off time a fairly large capacitor, C2, is added to the circuit. This gives the trailing edge of the keyed signal a shape closer to what you would expect to see. However, it takes a few milliseconds before C2 charges up enough to start to turn Ql off, again creating a delay. "So what?*' you might ask. Well, it*s not much of a problem with real low-power rigs, but when you get up to 5 or more watts of output power serious key clicks may be heard. If you try to round out the leading edge by increasing the value of CI there will be even more of a delay between key down and signal output. This can make for clipped dots when sending at faster code speeds, making for very difficult copy on the other end of the QSO,
A Better Idea
I developed the circuit shown in Figure lb to solve these problems for my 20 watt 40 meter transmitter.
Op amp U2b is a baste inverting amplifier with a gain of one. The capacitor C5 across the feedback resistor Rll makes it an inte- grator. The RC time constant of Rll and C5 determine the ramp time. The values shown will produce a 5 ms ramp. Use a good-quali- ty capacitor for C5, such as a mylar or polypropylene type. A power transistor is placed inside the feedback loop so that the
circuit can supply several hundred mil- li amperes of current. Control P2 sets the stand-by output voltage as seen at the emitter of Q2. U2a buffers the voltage from P2. This isolates the pot from the input of the integra- tor. With your key up, adjust the pot until you just start to see an output from your transmitter, then back off a little. Typically this will be between 2 and 4 volts. Your out- put signal will now have the proper 5 ms leading and falling edges and there will be no delay between key closure and the start of the output signal.
You must supply the op amp and collector of Q2 with at least 15 volts to produce a full 12 volts output on the emitter.
One-Chip CMOS Delayed T/R Control Circuit
In Figure lb, when the code key is closed, the output of CMOS NAND gate A goes high, charging cap C3 through DL The out- put of gate C then goes high, activating the T/R relay and the oscillator/mi xer/or VFO offset. One input to gate D is slightly de- layed to allow the relay and oscillator or VFO to settle before the initial keying of the amplifiers. When the key is released, the cap C3 starts to discharge through R2, PL If the key is not closed again before C3 discharges to 1/2 of Vcc, the T/R relay will open and switch you back to receive.
a)
Km-
05
Figure 2, Impwved QRP Keying Circuit PC board and parts placement diagram. 58 73 Amateur Radio Today • May, 1 994
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— W
R3 100K
12V
1H4143
100K
■wv
R2 47K
PI
DELAY
e
10
9
^ VFO SPOT OFF-SET
C3 CD401ia
^ 10uy25V
12V
]
Figure I. a) Typical QRP keying ciwuii; b) Improved QRP Keying Circuit with CMOS T/R keying control
R1.4,T2 R2
Bas.li
R5 R6,7 R9 RIO
PI P2
Ik1/4W 47!< 1/4W 100k
1Gk
47 ohm
10 ohm
100k or 500k trimpot
lOktfimpal
f CI
C2 03,4
C5 C6 C7 OS
D1,2 03,4,5
Parts List
0.01 |iF disk cap 0.001 pF disk 10 uF/25V electro 0.047 ^F poly-fiim type 1 uF/25V eJectro Skipped
100 ^F/^6V etedro 1N41 48 diode 1N4001 1 A diode
01 02
U1 U2
2N3904 HPH ■np4t-to-220NPN 4011 B CMOS NAND gales L^^58 dual Op amp
Drilled and etched PC boards are available for $4 plus $1.50 S & H per order from FAR Circufts, 18N649 Field Court, Dundee. IL 60118.
73 Amateur Radio Today May, 1994 59
Hams ATS
Nuinbar 14 on your Feedback ^d
Andy MacAflister WASZtB U714 Knights Way Drive Houston TX 77083
The Return of DOVE
Just over four years ago, on Jan- uary 21. 1990, tour small cube- shaped satellites were laynched from the Kourou. French Guyana, spaceport as secondary passengers on an Ariane rocket. They began a new era in amateur-radio satellite communications. Among Ihem vyas DOVE, the Digital Ort)iting Voice En- coder. It would soon become known asDOVE-OSCAR-17,
DOVE is small, measuring only 10 Inches on each side, and weigb- Ing just over 20 pounds. The satellite )s composed Df aluminum trays formed into a stack tied together with stainless-steel bolts and cov- ered with solar ceils for power. The tntemal Irays contain Ihe command receiver, flight computer, power module with batteries. S-band (2401 .220 MH2) transmitter, AX.2S packet TNC (terminal node con- troJlerJ, digttal-to-anatog converter system, voice synthesizer and the 2 meter FM transmitters.
A 25'Conductor ribbon cable njns between the modules carrying pow- er, digita) data> control signals and analog voltages from the various telerpetry sensors. Eacli nnodule has its awn AART (Addressable Asyn- chronous Recerver/Transmltter). The inter-module communication runs at ABQQ bps (bits per se^^oncf) and has been described as a six-inch-long IAN (LocaJ Area Network).
DOVE'S mission is 1o transmit voice messages for educational and
Amateur Radio Via Satellites
scientific purposes. The project was first proposed by Junior Torres de Castro PY2BJO. Junior is President of BRAMSAT (Sociedade Braslleira de Satelite Amador), the Brazilian counterpart ot AMSAT-NA (Tbe Ra* dio Amateur Satellite Corpo ration), and is also a member of the Board of Directors ot AMSAT-NA. Junior and BRAMSAT Sponsored the pro- gram and paid for the sate J lite which was built in Gotorado during the late 1980s. Junior was knighted by the president of Brazil for his contribu- tion to the welfare of Brazil ttirouih the DOVE protect
During early software develop* menl efforts after launch the 2 meter transmitter became stuck in the ON condition. Usually the transmitter cy- cles to allow time for uplink com- mands. With the transmitter on con- tinuously, DOVE s 2 meter command fsoeiver was severely desensitized. Thanks to the efforts of W5UN and his extremely high ERR (effective ra- diated power) moonbounce station, a reset signal was forced into the command receiver during a period when the satellite's transmitter pow- er was low due to low battery voit- age. DOVE had been saved from potential disaster The heavy cycling of Ihe batteries could have caused if reversible damage to the power system.
In 1991 and 1992 Students ai the Chaminade College Preparatory School used DOVE for classroom projects. DOVE was beginning to meet its potentiaC through education- al efforts. A number of curriculum packages were developed at the scbool to teach science principles.
Photo A. The DOVE-Oscsr-17 QSL frum PY2&JO and BRAMSAT
DOVE Talks
On May 24. 1^2. strange voice iigirmis could be heard on DOVE's 145.823 MHz FM downlink in be- tween the bursts of packet telemetry. Sounding like the Coiossus comput- er in the movie The Forbin Project,* the satellite was speaking a short sentence, "You are listening to Dove
mlcrosat," Command stations on the ground had sent code to the SG-02 voice synthesizer unit (now called the Arctic Technologies 263 A) to ac* tivate the voice output^ It worked, but after a few days ttie message be- came garbled. Since then the voice capability has been expanded, but the synthesiz:er does not represent the full voice capability of DOVE.
Photo B. Junior Torres de Castro PYBBJO was knighted by the President of Brazii for his contributions to the country regarding DOVE.
60 73 Amateur Radio Today * May, 1994
Photo C. The Microsat/DOVE simulator at WDOE requires several circuits and de- vices. (WD0E photo.)
Photo a Prototype DOVE voice and data modaie fs used as part of the Mh crosai/DQVE simulator. (WD0E photo.)
IhB unused digitaJ-to-analog con- verter systeni was designed to allow uploaded digitized voice to be sent with fideUly close to the original recording. Work continues to bring this function online but no guaran- tees or estimates are possible since this is a volunteer effort.
The Failures
Since launch there have been some hardware problems that have made life diificuSt for the recovery team and ground controllers. The locked -on transmitter event earlier in
DOVE'S life could have destroyed the batteries. It is uncertain if the satellite could survive a repeat of thaf incident. Elaborate soHware watchdog rimers have been imple* mented in the pfogramming; with hope, this will help to avoid a future occurrence.
The A ART communications Chip on the module tray containing the voice system is not operating cor- rectly. It can receive and act on in- structions sent to it, but cannot re- spond back through the satellite LAN. This has required that pro-
Photo E. Microsai software testing is c. at WD0E. (WD0E photo.)
g rammers not demand any digital re- sponse from the voice unit to ac- knowledge commands.
Carrier suppression of the S-tiand
on a microsat CPU board tike this one
2.4 (BHz transmitter failed complete- ly. This means that the transmitter's signal can be easily detected, but the data carried by the modulation is
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The SG2000 HF transcetvef ts lype accepted tm GommefGiai and marine servica m^e wrlh ff^adltional U-S. ocmm&rci^l raidio quality (and al cours-t il can be us€<! on the ham bands aJsa^ wiiue J he Japanfise radios have 2 ftnar tritiniSistors tnai 3lrain to put out 10Q watis on th« low bands and only 75-85 watis on ten metar^, ihe SGSOGO ^as 4 larg* iransisEons iiiat roaf along ai 150 watts on ALL THE BANDS INCLUDING 10 METERS! Some Of tho SQ2000 leatums are; 1) A c&nirol heatf remotabie (no special kit necessary) up lo 150' awa/ from the rtg, porfed lor automobiles and boots. Up to & heads can bo uEitli^od and used as Intorcoms also, 2) The lar^esl display 0( any HF Iranscelver. 3) 644 pre- programmed memories and IOC user programmat^ie niemoTies, 4} operabio trtwrt '30F {'A5C} to lasF 1+SSCj, You wani quality right? Here is what EVERY SG2D00 mi^t endure before tf>ov'fs sliipped fram tfie (actoryi VI Ttiey're tactofy aligned. 2.) BVEMy 332000 tt tcsycd down at luH power fCW ^ SO Walts) mio an open a'Ytenna ior about 10 uconds. tncn connected to a shonod eintennia and keyed down fof an addflfonal 1 0 seconds. 31 EVERY SO2O00 Is put kn the ~au^=IM-tir fack and keyvd do«m lor 24 hours non>$iop m fuE pc^et CW. Don1 wy mat wish the fofeign radioa. 4j every 5G£0G0 is Ihen r€-diecic8d lor aiignm^ii end put in the tohtuhe rac^T wtieee they ah9 k4yed 4n m^ oH every 1Q sa^onds f^ 24 htours. 5| the S(^2000 is P«rt re-ev^hjaled and ai control tunctions are verflted to ensva that Hie miCTOprooesSOr cs up )K> Sp«£- BCN AND ONLY TtlEN 15 THE S<52QOO ALLOWED TO LEAVE THE FACTORY.
Ttm bottom ine :» price, you knd« how ajqsensMi commaziai tqs are ncrmaliy, we are teiing me SG2QQ0 B€LOW OEALEH CC^T ai on*/ SI 3^00 each"* Thafs a 5400-00 sawmssi We gfomiee (fie besl prioj.
The 5G236 SMART-TUNf R is the t>e&E HF autoluner at any ofice. and :o promote a product thai Is made in tim USA, we re ofltftng ii ai Ihe guar^iteed best price of only £449 OOK WhV THE SG230? BECAUSE: When you tune an
anienna at its ba^e you aro resonating ihe antenna, insieao of iusi marctiing ihe coax Co the radto aa witi othor tuners such as tfie ATSO. fitc. The reSuLI YOUft SIGNAL GETS OUT MUCH BETTER, The Kenwood AtSQ; At450 and Other Similar tuners can only match 3:1 mlamalches {YES only 3:1) ao forget matching anylhinp but a fairly decern anienna. The SG2j30 can malch trom 0.5 Ohm to 10 kiiohm antennas (up Id a 200' 1 mfsmsldiJr so It can eas<ty match random wires. dipoles. rain-giJEi&rs^ shoppmg carls, etc. The result MORE POWER.
To ardej. send ctied^ w money order wirth 59,5*0 fop shpptng jibno wAh your sh(}p*ng addn&ss fsorfy no U.S. Post Oa^e Box^s. UPS *i nol dtWefl and Telephon* ntirrbei to:
prices
Serving The LORD Skice 1967
Joe Brancalo
THE HAM CONTACT
PO Box 3624. Dept 73 Long Beach, CA 9G803
CA ResdenlsAddS 1/4% SalHT&i Atgisl«3L HawaL AfKJCftnwisnReadffFte^EesKBendU 4^ Si ?.W for shippino
If you wisti more infOimiation ptease send a SASE to the abtTve address For COO Ofders, caP (atOH^-seeo. outside of CA Orders OnJy eai {dOQ)933-HAM4 and leavo a message.
CIRCLE 114 ON Rf AP€n SERVICE CARD
CIRCLE 334 ON READER SERVICE CARD
73 Amateur Radio Today May, 1994 61
difficult to detect. It is 20 cfB below the carrier An open capacitor may be the culprit, but there is no way to fix It Using the S*band receive sys- tem of Bill McCaa K0R2, in conjunc- tion witii DSP (digital signal process- ing) techniques, \he low moduiatlon ieveis have beon received well enough to decode some of the S- band packets.
The temperature sensor on bat- tery two is bad. This is more of an annoyance than a problem. It Ss only mentioned since someone monitor- ing the telemetry might get worried by the high values associated with this parameter.
DOVE Today
Extensive effort by the satetiite's designers, builders and the current team of ground controlters has been needed to circumvent DOVE's prob- lems. The resuil, four years after launch, is a functional satellite with a lot of potential . Key voiunteers in the recovery team include Haroid Price NK6K, Jim White WD0E, Bob DIers- ing N5AHD and Bill McCaa K0RZ. For day-to-day operation the lead command station is Richard Howie tt VK7ZSX, with help from Russ Piatt WJ9F. DOVE can be heard on 145.825 MHz FM sending standard
AX,25 packet at 1200 bps. The sig- nals are strong and can be heard on a handie-talkie. A typical home sta- tion set up for packet operation can easiiy detect and copy the mes- sages and telemetry sent by DOVE. The simplest approach to DOVE monitoring is to leave your packet station on 145.825 MHz and set your computer's communications pro- gram to a capture mode, Depending on your location there will be four to six passes above your horizon in a 24-hour period. After a day of moni- toring, check the capture file tor da- ta. It may took somethmg like that shown in Figure 1. Using information
from Rgures 2, 3, 4 and 5, this data can be deciphered.
A more sophisticated approach to telemetry capture is to use a com- puter with a satellite-tracking pro* gram to determine when the satellite is above the horizon, then tune for Doppler shift, use a beam antenna and collect the data on a PC with TLMDC-II, WhatS- Up by G3ZCZ, or another microsat telemetry program.
Several satellite-tracking pro- grams have been available as shareware and there are other good ones for sale. A source of commer- cial software is AMSAT at (301) 589- 6062. One of their simpler PC track-
DOVE-1 >BCRXMT-0 Sun Mar 05 05:51 :38 1 994
vmax=7G9l60 baltop=766771 temp=357713
DOVE-1>LSTAT-0 Sun Mar 06 05:51:39 1994
I P:0x3000 o:0 1:138S4 f: 13884, d:0 St:0
SWITCH'0>SWITCH-0 DM
DOVE-1>TIME'1 Sun Mar 06 05:52:01 1994
PHT: uptime is 11 9/1 1 :39:04. Time is Sun Mar 06 05:52:20 1 994
SWITCH-0>SWITCH-0 DM
DOVE-1>TLM-0 Sun Mar 06 05:52:05 1994
00:58 01 :58 02:85 03:30 04:57 05:58 06:60 07:54 08:6B 09:74 OA;AO
0B:E2 0C:E8 0D:D6 0E:00 0F:24 10:CD 11:A4 12:00 13:02 14:A8 15:95
16:96 17:92 18:94 19:94 1A:91 1B:8C 10:98 1D:91 1E:25 1F:5C 20:B2
DOVE-t>TLM-0 Sun Mar 06 05:52:06 1994
21 :9C 22:19 23:18 24:1 5 25:34 26:00 27:00 28:00 29:00 2A:00 2B:00
2C:00 2D:28 2E:00 2F:9F 30:CC 31:9E 32:00 33:00 34:C0 35:A4 36:AA
37:AS 38:B2
DOVE-1>STATUS-0 Sun Mar 06 05:52:06 1994
80 00 00 IE 41 18 CC 02 00 50 00 00 OA OF 3C 05 17 00 OF 04 01
DOVE-1>_STAI-0 Sun Mar 06 05:52:06 1994
1 P:Oj<3000 0:0 1:13884 f: 13884, d:0 st:0
SWlTCH^O>SWITCH-0 DM
DOVE-1>TIME-1 Sun Mar 06 05:52:31 1994
PHT uptime is 119/11:39:34. Time is Sun Mar 06 05:52:50 1994
SWITGH-0>SWITGH-0 DM
DOVE-1>TLM-0Sun Mar 06 05:52:35 1994
00:58 01 :58 02:85 03:30 04:58 05:58 06:6C 07:54 08:6C 09:72 0A:9F
OB:EOOC:E8 0D:D6 0E:00 0F:24 10:CC 11:A4 12:00 13:01 14:A8 15:96
16:8F 17:94 18:92 19:94 1A:92 1B:8C 10:98 1D:92 1E:24 1F:5O20:B0
DOVE-1>TLM-0Sun Mar 06 05:52:36 1994
21:9D 22; 19 23:18 24:14 25:34 26:00 27:00 28:01 29:00 2A:00 28:00
2C:00 2D:28 2E:00 2F:9E 30:CC 31:9E 32:01 33:00 34;C0 35:A4 36:AA
37:A9 38:B2
D0VE^1>STATUS 0 Sun Mar 06 05:52:36 1994
80 00 00 1E 41 18 CO 02 00 50 00 00 OA OF 30 05 17 00 OF 04 01
DOVE-1>BRAMST-0 Sun Mar 06 05:52:33 1994
3rd March 1994
DOVE reports have been received from: Will Marchant Richard Emerson
Steven Bible Dave Reeves
Gilbert Mackall Jim Lyons
Dorothy Baker Paul Wiliamson
These will change in 3 Days.
fvk7zbx]
FigLtre t Sample of recent DOVE packet telemetry.
EqiiatEons are in the form: Y = A*Nr + B*N + C where: N = Telemetry Count (00 - FF) A, B, G = Equation Coefficients Y - Result {in Specified Units)
HEX Description
0 Rx E/F Audio(W)
1 Rx E/F AiJdio(N)
2 Mixer Bias V:
3 Osc. Bisd V:
4 Rx A Audb (W):
5 RxAAudb{N):
6 RxADISC:
7 Rx A S meter:
8 Rx E/F DISC:
9 -Rx E/F S meter: A +5 Volt Bus:
B +5V Rx Current:
C +2.5V VREF:
D 8.5V BUS:
E IR Detector:
F LO Monitor I:
10 +10VBus:
11 GASFETBiasI:
12 Ground REF:
13 +Z Array V:
14 Rx Temp:
15 +X(RX}temp:
16 Bat1V:
17 Bat2V:
18 Bat 3 V:
19 Bat4V: 1A BatSV:
C B A
+0.000 +0.0346 0.000
+0.000 +0.0246 0.000
+0.000 •HJ.OIOH 0.000
+0.000 +0.0102 0,000
+0.000 +0.0246 0.000
+0,000 +0,0246 0.000
+10.427 -0.09274 0.000
+0.000 +1 ,000 0.000
+9.6234 -0.09911 0,000
+0.000 +1.000 0.000
+0.000 +0.0305 0.000
+0.000 +0.00010100 o.ooo
+0,000 +0.O1O8 0.000
+0.000 +0.0391 0,000
+0.000 +1 .000 0.000
+0.000 +0,000037 0.000
+0.C0O +0.05075 0.000
+0.000 +0.OOO026 O.OOO
+0.000 +0.0100 0.000
+0,000 +0.1023 0.000
+101.05 '0.6051 O.OOO
+101.05 -0.6051 0.000
+1 .7932 -0.0034O84 0.000
+1.797S -0.O035316 0.000
+1.8046 -0.0035723 0.000
+1 .7762 -0.0034590 0.000
+1.$410 -0.0038355 0.000
UnFts
V<P"P)
V(P-P)
Volts
Volts
V(p-p)
V(p-p)
kHz
Counts
kHz
Counts
Volts
Amps
Vo3ts
Volts
Counts
Amps
Volts
Amps
Volts
Volts
Deg. C
Deg. C
Volts
Volts
Volts
Volts
Volts
HEX Description C
IB BateV: +1.8381
1C Bat 7 V: +1 .8568
ID BataV: +1.7866
1E Array V; +7.205
1F +5VSus: +1.932
20 +8.5V Bus: +5.265
21 +10VBus: +7.469
22 OCR Set Point: -8.762
23 BCR Load Cur: -0.0871
24 +8,5V Bus Cur: -0.0092
25 +5V Bus Cur: +0.00502
26 -X Array Cur: -0.01075
27 +X Array Cur: -0 01349
28 -Y Array Cyr: -0.01 1 96 23 +Y Array Cur: -0.01141 2A -2 Array Cur: -0,01653 2B +Z Array Cur: -0.01137 2C Esct Power Cyr: *0,02000 20 BCR Input Cur: +0.05122 SB BCR Output Cur: -0-01724 2F Bat 1 Temp: +101.05 36 Bat 2 Temp: +101.05
31 Basepit Tern p: +101.05
32 FM TX#1 RF OUT: +0.0256
33 FM T:K#2 RF OUT: -0.0027
34 PSKTXHPATemp +101.05
35 +Y Array Temp +101 .05
36 RC PSK HPATemp +101.05
37 RC PSK BP Temp: +101.05
38 +Z Array Temp: +101.05 ^ S band TX Out: -0.0451 3A s band HPA Temp +101 .05
B
-0.0038450
-0. 0037757
'0.0034068
+O.O7200
+0.0312
+0.0173
+0.021765
+1.1590
+0.00698
+0.001899
+0.00431
+0.00215
+0.00270
+0.00239
+0.00228
+0-00245
+0.00226
+0.00250
+0,0031 7
+0,00345
'0.6051
-0.6051
-0.6051
-0.000884
+0.0O1257
-0.6051
-0.6051
-0.6051
-0.6051
-0.6061
+0.00403
-0.6051
A
0.000 0,000 0,000
0.000 0.000
o.ooo
0.000 0.000 0.000 0.000
o.ooo
0,000
0.000
0,000
0.000
0.000
0.000
0.000
0.000
0.000
0.000
0.000
0.000
+0.0000836
+0.0000730
0.000
0.000
0,000
0.000
0,000
0.000
0,000
Units
Voits
Vofts
Votts
Vofts
Volts
Volts
Voits
Counts
Amps
Amps
Amps
Amps
Amps
Amps
Amps
Amps
Amps
Amps
Amps
Amps
Deg, C
Deg. C
Deg. C
Watts
Watts
Deg. C
Deg-C
Deg. C
Deg. C
Deg. C
Watts
Deg.C
Figure 2. Ongmai DOVE telemetry decoding parameters. (N4HY)
62 73 Amateur Radio Today • May, 1 994
The LSTAT line is senl by the loader portion of PHT (the loader/command/telemetry task). Its purpose is to show the state of the loader process so that ff sometfiing goes wrong durtng upload, we can teli wt^t r^eds to be fSoue to continue the process.
The LSTAT line comes in two types, as shown betow.
I PiOjchhhh o:n l:nnnn f:nnnn, d:n st:n\
A: Oxhhhh. P:Oxhhhh, o:n i:nnnn finnnn, d:ri stn "r Means there is no soft- ware load in progress (inactive)
A: Means a software load is in progress (active), tihhh ^ the segment ad- dress of the program being loaded.
P: The segment of the ninning program (PHT). the initial load ol PHT is al-
ways at 0x3000. any other address here means PHT has been reloaded.
o: the number of times the HDLC otitpul queue was full when PHT tried to serxj a frame, this ts left over from debugging the only major bug found in the I/O drivers since launch, A bug oo^asionaiiy caused a 65535 byte frame to t>e sent, filling the output queue for nine minutes. Thfs should always be zero.
I: the largest free memory block, in decimal paragraphs, To find the number of free bytes in the largest block, muttiply this number by 16. This number shows the largest program that can be loaded at that time.
f: The total amount of free memory, in decimal paragraphs.
d: The dig] peat flag. 1 is dfgipeat on, 0 is diglpeat off.
St: The task number of the [ast task loaded.
Figure 3. LSTAT ftne decoding for DOVE. (NKSK)
Followng is a breakdown of information in the STATUS line presently trans- mitted by DOVE. This only applies to DOVE arKi the current on-board software* Counting frorn the left, the first pair of numbers being 0. Ali data Is in hex.
0 - Receiver status. Bits 0 - 3 = Rlter status of R)t A-D: 0 = 1200, 1 = 4800, Bits 4 - 7 = gain settings of IB sensor, ^jormal = 8 = log mode. Moonal for wtrole position ts 80 = IR in iog, fUlers fn 1200.
NOTE: receivers in DOVE are for commanding only.
1 - Unused 2 ' Unused
3 - BCR Set point, ts adjusted by fKHJsekeeping task software lo provide best power transfer from panels to regulators, f^onnally i E during eclipse arxl in tt^ eOs in the sun. Roughly con^espor>dsto telemetry channel 22h,
4 - Number of hours since last command. See 18.
5 - BCR status bits. Indicates status of various latches in the BCR used to gather telemetry.
6 - Transmitter power level. 0 to R Rrst number Is TXi. second is TX2. al- though they will normally be the same.
7 - Which transmitter Is in use. Bit 0 (LSB) is TXl , bit 1 is TX2. A hex 02 ind^ cates TX2 is in use* Ot wouki be TXl.
8 - Unused
9 - Status of switches in the voice/pa cket/s 43 and module (4). Will always be DO in this version.
10 - Unused
11 - Wt^en WOD is in use, shows the number of samples lakerVIS. This pro* vtdes a positive Indication a collection has started, how far it fias proceeded and when the sample bucket is full.
12 - Low end of nominal transmitter power range. See 13.
13 - High er^:* of nominal iTansmitter power range. The housekeepir*g soft- ware moves the transmitter power between these two number to control the charge/discharge of the batteries, and keep the transmitter power as high as possible,
14 - Time between executions of tfie power control software In secorxis.
15 - The transmitter power level that is set if the batteries get abnonnaJly dis- charged. Normally 5.
16 - Count of errors on the s/c Internal bus, ThJs will Increment on DOVE be- cause module 4 no longer consistently responds.
17 - Overflow from 16.
18 - Days till the command timer will expire. Defaults to 2 on software staiL Normally kept at R This is another of the software "watchdogs" that attempt to assure the 2m transmitter doesn't get stuck on forever, if the s/c does not hear a command in this number of days, it jumps to the ROM boot loader firmware which turns all transmitters off.
19 - The module number the errors in 16 came from.
20 - Intemal state related to transmitter tock-on avoidance. Nonnally 1.
RgufB 4, STATUS Hne decoding for DOVE. (WDOE)
(fig programs is currently being of- fered as a 'perit" for new members who join at the S30 yearty rate. They have other more sophisticated pro- grams with many different features. Any of them, including the "perk," are good for finding DOVE.
Tuning for Doppier shift is easy. Since the DOVE output is FM on 2 meters, tuning is not always neces- sary- The maximum Doppier shift on an overhead pass ts no more than +/- 3 kHz. At the beginning of a pass the signal will appear a few kHz high. At closest approach the signal will be on 145 825 Mi-12. and as the satellite heads away it will appear a few kHz low.
DOVE has two 2 meter transmit- ters. Transmitter two is more effi- cient and is usually on. It ajns RHCP (right-hand circular polarization) with the satoHite's antenna array white transmitter one creates an LHCP stgnai. A typical verticaily-poiarized home-station antenna does well with either transmitter, A small beam that can be rotated in both azimuth and elevation planes is desirable but not required.
For data capture and automatic decoding, AMSAT offers TLMOC-II at S2Q for members and S30 for non* merplje*^ at the number above or via maH at: AMSAT-NA, 850 Sfigo Ave. #600. Silver Spring, MD 20910. Re- ception reports can be sent to: Dr.
Junior Torres de Castro (PY2BJO), 119 MacaubaL Sao Paulo, BRAZIL 01254. South America, Special DOVE QSL cards will be sent to those submitting reception reports. Junior and BR AM SAT are parlicular- fy interested ^n hearing about equip- ment used and signal quaJity. While actual telemetry listings are not cur- rently needed, they would also like to hear of any educational ly- orienied activities using signals from DOVE,
DOVE s Future
Even if ihe voice system is never fully e:<ercised, many educational activities using DOVE are pOSSfble. Just a few of the studies conceivable include orbital mechanics, the speed of light and Doppier shift, thermal characteristics of Ihe satellite, solar panel operation, satellite alignment with Ihe earth's magnetic field, gravh ty and other general topics related to satellites and communications. If full voice operalfons become possible, many of the common telemetry out- puts could be spoken rather than sent In hex code.
To amateur-radio operators, DOVE represents a very easy way to get started with hamsats. Most amateurs f^ve some fonn of 2 me* ter equiprr^ent and can easily moni- tor DOVE*s signal. The packet stg- nals are easily captured by any
Folbwirvg are Ihe formulas for oak;ulatJng the output power of the fXDVE transmitters ffom the value in STATUS line. It's necessary to calculate the power because the transmitter is off when tfie telemetry is gathered.
Transmitter number 1 (r>oi in use at present) Output power = s= X .020460 + s X -,027435
Transmitter number 2 (presently in use) Output power = s^ X .022176 + s X -.051588
Where "s" Is one of the digits In STATUS line position 6 (counting from zero on {he left). These will gel you within a tenth of a wait or so at the high ef)d.
Figure 5. Ouput power ca^cutations tor DOVE.
packet system currently set up for terrestrial use. The 59 telemetry channels of data from this small cube in space offer information ot in- terest to those engaged in satellrte studies or just considering repeater telemetry systems or other remote- sensing experimenis using ham ra*
diO-
When OOVE was brought t>ack to 2 meter operation in November of last year, Junior PY2BJO offered his thanks to those involved in the satel- lite's recovery, *After a long time, DOVE is back again on 2m at 145.825 UHz. This project was cre- ated to provide an extremely simple way for those not familiar with satel- liie communications, especially those new to amateur radio, to take part in this exciting phase of our
hobby. DOVE is finally beginning to live up to its ohginal promise. After Its rebirth, we at BRAMSAT are re- ceiving many E-mail messages (PY2BJO@amsat.org) and letters. We are happy with this response, but we wilt be even happier when DOVE again becomes the popular satellite that we always knew it could be/
For further information on DOVE there are several publications cover- ing the topic and other related satel- lites. Afl the books are available from AMSAT and include Decoding Teierrtetry from the Amateur Satel* Iftes. The PACSAT Beginner's Guide, Proceedings of the AMSAT^ NA EtevenW Space Symposium f993 and The Sateline Experh menter's Handbook.
73 Amateur Radio Today May, 1 994 63
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Marc i Leavey, M.D., WA3AJR 6 Jenny Lsne BattimorB MD 2120B
Last month I printecf a few schemes used to mate ttie popular CP-1 mter- face, by AEA, with various computers. This month, with the help of F. A» BartJen W60WP of Paradtse, Califor- nia, let me share some more tntertac- rng data.
Bart retates familiarity with AEA, Kantronlcs, and MIcrotog programs from the CP-1 era. While ail three use the 5-conductor CP-l cable and con- nect to the C-S4 user port, each con- nects to different pins on that port. He Is not aware of any programs for the C-64 that access the game port. CP-1 cabfes that temiinate with a 9-pin Joy- stick plug were normally intended to run with the C-64's tiaby brother com- puter the VIC'20. WnUe the CP-1 is the same for either computer, the ca- ble used for the C-64 is the one that plugs into the user port. The pinoul data for the CP-1 is as follows;
Pin 1 — RTTY send^receive fine from computer
Pin 2— RTTY input from computer
Pin 3— CW input from computer
Pin A — Grour>d
Pin 5 — CP*1 demodulator out to computer
Fin 5 Is the left-hand pin, looking at the unit from the rear.
Bef erring to last month's diagrams,
Amateur Radio Teletype
these would appear to be connect for AEA software, such as AEA MBA- TOB. Other software schemes hook up to different user part pms. See Table 1 for a comparison of several software connections.
As you can see, the software deter- mines the use of each prn of the user port, so the connection to ihe CP-1 must be modiffed accordingly. Jf you are using some other form of software, with the data in the pinout chart you should be able to formulate a correct hookup if the software documentation does not give you ihe infomiation.
My thanks to Bart for supplying much of this information. I am sure that many others will find It of use.
More Mai)
Rick Newton KA3AUX of Pitts- burgh. Pennsylvania, tells us that when he finds commercial RTTV sta- tions on the air he Is unable to copy them« even tliough hie can tur>e m the signaJ. He wonders if they are using a speed thai his C-54 cannot copy, or a code other than Baudot
Weil, Rick, as mentioned several lirnes here in "RTTY Loop," commer- cial stations often nio at speeds and with codes that "standard' RTTY pro* gmms cannot handle. Several of the newer programs around are able to di- gest these codes, though: and certain- ly multimode controllers, like those
from AEA and KantronrcSt handfe them with ease.
To understand just what these sta- tions am sending, there may be no better source than the Klingenfuss books mentioned a few monltis back. Just in case a new subscriber doesn't have the information, write to Jorge Klingenfuss at Klingenfuss Publica- tions, Hagenloher Str. 14, D- 72070 Tuebingen, Germany, for into nna Hon on his eirtensive line of RTTY litera- ture. And if you mention that you saw it in 73 maga2ine s "RTTY Loop," well, t have no idea what that will do for you, but a wilt make me happyl
White we're abroad. l*d ilke to ac- knowledge a note received fram Jirka Hold OKiDR of the Czech Republic. He wrote that back when Czechoslo* vakia was still under Communist con- trot, 73 magazine was ^llegally smug- gled into the country for the benefit of that country's amateur radio opera- tors. He was one of the first OKs to work with a Creed teleprinter, and eventually buHt a home-brew video terminal. His TU was also built from di- agrams published in "RTTY Loop." many years ago. While the govern- ment Interfered with operations during the 1960s* he is back on the air, and looks forward to giving an OK contact to ttis friends on RTrTY in t^ie States. George, I wfsh you all the best for suc-
cess and continued solid operatfonsf
"RTTY Loop " Software
Many of you have sent in requests for the "RTTY Loop" Software col lec- tin. Therefore, it gives me great plea- sure to announce the fifth disk in the series. See Table 2 for programs con- tained on this disk, and brief descrip- tions.
As wfth Ihe other conections, Ofilc #5 just about fills a 3.5', 1.44 Mb disk. So, for any or all of the "f^TTY Loop" Software CoElection, Just send a blank disk (each coilection fits on a 1.44 Mb disk). S2 m US funds per disk, afid a self-addressed STAMPED mailer to return the package to you. Be sure to specify which disks you want, I am not ctairvoyanti If you would like just a list- ing of what's available, send me a self-addressed, stamped envelope and I'll send you a printed list. That liM is available on Email, as well. Now that America Online has an Internet gateway, you may reach me via Inter* net at MarcWA3AJR®aol,com, or on CompuServe at 75036.2501 ; or Amer- k:a Online at MarcWA3AJR. or Delphi at MarcWA3AJR.
I have some reviews in the works, and even a new online service, of interest to hams. Don't miss out, the next few months should be dooziesi
|
CP-1 Pin |
Kantronics HAMTEXT |
AEA MBA-TOH |
Mlcfolog Alrdisk |
|
1 |
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L |
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PacKetPeT Ute lor Windows Shareware versioa of commeroal padcage.
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Packy is a Windows program, designed for packet radio operation on
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l^Bt.
Table 2,
SCARED OF THE CODE?
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73 Amateur Radio Today* May, 1994 65
^^ numDer i« on yo
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Number 16 on your Feedback card
Joseph J. Can- K4tFV RO. Box 7099
Church VA 22041
A "Universal" VFO Project
Variable frequency oscillators (VFOs) can be used to controt the operating frequency of receivers or transmitters, or a@ a signal generator for testing radio and electror^lc cir- cuits, or for a targe number of other applications. Tiiis month's column is dedicated to a small VFO project, built on a printed clrcuH board, that can be incorporated fnlo any of sev- eraF different projects that you might design.
Ttie Circuit
Figure 1 shows tl^e basic circuit for the VFO, except for the tuning cir- cuits (wfiich are shown in Figure 2}, Transistor Q1 is a junction field-effect tfansislor (JFET) oscillator stage. Tlie device to use at Qi includes mpf- 102, 2N4416 and the replacement devices from the popular tines of "ser- vice" parts (e.g. EGG and NTE). The NTE-452 and ECG-452 can replace the 2N4416. while the NTE-312 or ECG-312 can replace MPF-102 de* vices. The ECG and NT£ devices can usually be bought through local electronic parts distributors who cater to the service and repair industry. Al- ternatively, NTE replacement semi- conductors can be ordered Irom
Ocean state Electronics [POB 1458. 6 Industrial Drive, Westerly Rl 02891: 1-800-865-6626 (orders); 1-401-596- 3080 (voice): 1-401-596-3590 (faxJI.
The oscillator is followed by a two- stage buffer amplifier consisting of Q2 and 03. Tlie selectiorts for 02 are the same as for the oscillator For 03, use a 2N2222 or some simifar NPN silicon device.
Two different o<8Ciifator configura- tions can be aoMimmodated by this design {i.e. both Clapp and Cotprtts oscillators can be built). Both oscilla- tors are the same from point ''A" In Figure 1 forward, and both depend on a <^pac^tor voltage divider feed- back network. The Clapp oscillator (Rgure 2a) is senes-tuned. while the Colpitts oscillator is parallel-tuned (Figure 2b).
The tuning circuits shown in Figure 2 consist of an inductor (L1 } and sev- eral capacitors. One of the capacitors is the main tuning capacitor (Ctun), and another Is a trimmer capacitor (Ct). Several fixed capacitors {Ca1- Ca3} can be used (optional} in order to craft an L-C tuned circuit with ex- actly the right capacitance and tuning range. It is not necessary to use any of these capacitors. You may also lump aJl of the fixed capacftance into a single capadtor. if desired.
The DC voltage supplied to the os- cillator transistor (01) is voltage-regu- lated. The voltage regulator can be
^ A
^Tun
H'
III
May Be Grouped
(s)
Tun
Ill
May 6e Grouped
W
\[
Figure 2. Tuning section of the VFO circuH: a) series-tuned Clapp; b) paratiel- tuned Cotpitts,
any 7eLxx series from 78L05 to 78L09. tf the 7SL05 is used, there may be some problems getting it to oscillate. I didn't experience any such problems in thts particular case, but in other cases the lower voltages pro- duced some problems. However drift is typically iower when the lower votl- ages are used.
The values for the components can be developed from guidelines given by Doug DeMaw in Soi/d-Staie De&tgn for the Radio Amateur (ARRL publication), p. 34, As starting points (some experimentation may be need- ed) he recommends that LI have a reactance of 140 ohms In the Colpitts case, and 260 ohms in the Clapp
O +12 VDC
D1 1N4148
O Out
Figure f , VFO drcuit less the tuned circuits.
66 73 Amateur Radio ToiSay • May. 1 994
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Flgur& 3. PC board foii pattern (1: 1).
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Figure 5. Paits placement mth wiring for Ciapp osaUator.
case. The total combination of all tun- ing capacitors should be about 200 ohms capact^ve reactance, total. Th^ feedback capacitors (CI and C2) should have a reactance of approxl- matety 50 to 100 ohms.
If you select the feedback capaci- tors (C1 and C2) incorrectly, then you may find either of two situations. First, the osciltation w\\\ abruptly cease at one or both ends of the tun- ing range. Second, the amplitude of the output signal drops to zero as the main tuning capacitor is luned to- wards the high end of the ran^. All oscillators vary amplitude somewhat as the cJrcuit is tuhe<i, but when C1 and C2 ape incorrect, the effect often drops rapidly as the main capacitor is tuned . , , reaching zero at some point.
There are two RF chokes used in this circuit (RFCI and RFC2), The values shown are nominal values for high frequency applications, but vari-
ation will generally not harm the cir- cuit's performance.
Rgure 3 shows the foi( paflem for the printed circuit board used with this pTDJect. You can make your own If you please, or order one for $14 ei- ther from me (ROB 1099^ Fads Church VA 22041) or from FAR Cir- cuits C1BN640 Field Ct>. Dundee IL 60118). The parts layout for the print* ©d circuit board is shown in Rgure 4 for point "A* to the output.
The printed circuit board is set up for certain standard component. For RFC1 and RFC2. select components with 0.2" (5 mm) spacing between pins, such as the Toko size SRB or 10RB coils. See the Digi-Key (ROB 677, Thief River Falls MN 56701* 0677: 1-800-344-4539) catalog for details on specific part numbers. Main tuning inductor LI rs selected from the Toko lOEZ. lOEZC, 10EH, 10PA, or tOK size slug-tuned coils (again, see the Oigl-Key catalog fof
part numbers fof desired induc- tances). The trimmer capacitor, Ct, should be a 10 mm top-adjust type, such as the Sprague*Goodman FILfi^TRiM series sofd by DigE-Key.
Configuring the printed circuit board for either the Ck)lpitts or the Clapp oscillator depends on how the tuning components are wired on the board. Figure 5 shows the wiring for a Ctapp (series- tuned) oscillator. The tuning capacitor the trimmer and the fixed capacitors, plus inductor L1, are placed the same in both configura- tions. However, three jumpers are used in Figure 5 to make this circuit a Ciapp oscillator.
Figure 6 shows the wiring for a Co^pitts oscillator. One of lh% jumpers from Figure 5 is repfaced with the DC blocking capacitor {Cc). The jumper fn>m the fixed capacitois 10 the main tuning capacitor rematns, arxf a new jumper Is added from the bottom of Lt to ground.
Figure 7 shows the wiring for ei- ther Ciapp or Colpitis cases where the tuning capacitor ts series^con- nected with a small-value fixed ca- pacitor. This configuration is often US&6 tor reducing the range of a varn able capacitor to something required for a particular application. The total capacitance at any setting of the main tuning capacitor is:
'total
+ C
tun
If you cton't want to use the slug- tuned coif, but rather a toroid cor© In- ductor or air core Inductorp then leave LI off the tioard. and use the holes for the leads from the substitute coils.
Conclusion
This circuit makes a reasonable choice for many different VFO applica- tions. It can be easily built, and is generally well behaved. Good luck.
73 Amateur Radio Today May, 1994
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Homing in
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Temblor Triggers a T-Hunt
Whether you want to ptay a musi- cal instrument or pass a QW test, there is no sut)stitute for diligent prac- tice. The tame goes for emergency preparedness. Both planning and sim- uiated exercises are important for rapid, effective respor^se.
After the January 17 earthquake in Soutliern California, ARES and RACES groups tinat had met regularly and held drillg with Iheir served agen- cies responded sooner and had greater overall success than groups thai did not emphasize preplanning and operator training.
It takes practice to become ski I ted In radio direction finding (RDF) too. Hidden Iransmltter hunts (called fox- hunts and T-hunlsjf are more than just fyn— they are practical lessons in sig- nal propagation, antenna theory, and navigation. They can prepare you for rapid RDF response in a disaster or other emergency.
Un-Jamming the Sheriff
JaMi Smith KK6CU Is a District Communications Officer for the Los Angeles Disaster Communications Service (DCS). Following the quake, he took chafge of the RACES room at the Sheriff's Communicalions Center (SCC} and the county's Emergency Operations Center (EOC) In East Los Angeles. Thirteen hours after arriving, JaMi was laktng a short break from his volunteer DCS duties when a county employee, also on break, men- tioned that a steady canter tiad ap* pea red on a county* wide law enforce* ment frequency.
KK6CU loves lo go T*hunting, es- pecially with his inotofized VHF quad and storage scope display unit (sea "Homing In' for October and Novem- ber 1992). Out he had traveled by nrm-
Radio Direction Finding
torcycie to the £OCt leaving his gear at home in Pasadena. Besides, the stuck transmitter was near 482 MHz, out of range for his UHF RDF quad. Rguring that he coutd hunt the carrier with a beam ar>d his extended- range handheld, he asked if a yagi for 4d2 MHz was available. The answer was r^egative.
Minutes later, JaMi was ap- proached by Sargeant Larry Bryant N6LYA, Officer in Charge ai County Incident Command, along with a sargeant from the Communications Section. They told him that the inter- ference was blocking a sheriff's ad* ministratlve repeater that was vital for radio assignment requests and earih- quaHe-reiated mutual aid communica- tions. Of 37 receiver sites in the coyn- ty, eight were picking up the signal. Vehicles and HOP gear were avail- able. Could he help?
JaMi and the communications sargeant surveyed the SCC equip* ment pool, finding three OAR Corpo- ration RDF display units, each with antenna sets. Two had built-in re- ceivers that did not cover 482 MHz. The last unit was a neariy-new OAR Model DF4003A, This model does r>ot include a receiver Further search yielded a Model 2002A multi*mode scanner made by ADR (not to b% con- fused wFth OAR),
The DF4003A {Photo A) has hra connectors for receiver IF. plus an au- dio connector The scanner has no IF output connector No equipment man- uals were handy, so JaMi decided to try hooking iusl the scanner audio to the RDF set. For this, he needed a ca- ble with an RCA plug on one end and a miniature phone plug on the other. He quickly made one by cannibalizing a set of headphones and soldering its cable to a spare cable with an RCA plug.
The sargeant offered a choice of vehtcles and an officer to drive. He and the radio technician strapped the
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Photo A. Government agencies am (he ma/n custom^fs for Watson'Wstt RDF equ^ment from OAB Corporation. This Mod&t DF4003A OiSfyiay unit works wttfi extemai peceivers and antenna sets covming 7 through 520 MHz,
70 73 Amateur Radio Today • May, 1 994
Photo 8. ft tooks tfke a complex Doppfm antenna, but the OAR Modei MA350ED fe actuaily two Watson-Watt arrays, a smatl one for UHF and a farger one for VHE
ModflliWA350ED RDF antenna (Photo 6) to the car top and put the rest of the gear inside. After a quick check of the setup using a hand-hekJ tianscelv- er, Ihey look off. JaMi rode with the driver in front the technician sat in the back.
The offending earner was not copy- able at the SCC, but signal levels into the receiver "voting" system led the county's technician to conclude that it was coming from the north end of the San Fernando Valley, perhaps from Sylmar (see Figure 1),
Radio Waves and PIng-Pong Balls
UHF signals rellect from neariy any hard surface or object bigger than a breadbox. They carom off mountains, hills, buildings, billboards, and cars. The bearir>g on an RDF display lefls the a nival direction of a signal, but In urban or hilly terrain this may not be the direction from which the signal originates.
When signals arrive at a receiver by both direct and reflected paths si- multaneously, the effect is called "mul- tlpath." In severe mullipath, an RDF
Figure 1. Staring from East Los Angetes (A), KK6CU went to the HoUywood hiits for a dear bearing (B), thm to the West Vattey Admtnistratrve Cotter (C), where the stuck tian^nittef was found.
bearing may change constantly, or be consistently wrong. From his T- hunt- ing experiences. KK6CU knew that the besi way to maximize ttie signal level and get an accurate beadng, with minimum multipath effect, is to bo as high and in the clear as possible. He decided to immediately go to tlie top of the hilte above Holtywood,
'On Mutholfand Drive,' he says, there's a great spot that overlooks the San Femando Valley. I've used it on T-hunts before. We headed up In- terstale 5, then west on Highway 134 to Highway 101. All we could get was an occasional blip of signal on the RDF set. We had just gotten off 101. going south on Laurel Canyon Boule- vard, when I got a sirong bearing to the west as we waited at the Tight.
•t suspected a reflection, and it went away as we went south. Bui as we gained elevation, the signal came up again, mostly bearing to the rrorth, because it's a boK canyon. The hills were to the east and west. Once we got up on Mulholland. there was a steady bearing and virtually Full- quieting signal. Before, we had gotten a lot of broadbartd noise, I couFd tell thai because I have learned from ex- pehence to check by tuning off fre- quency to see if I am hearing noise or signal.
l/Ve had no map and no compass, but I knew that the streets in the valley run north and south, so I looked down
there for reference. The strong bear- ing was about about 290 degrees true, pointing toward the extreme northwestern end of the valley The tech said he didn't believe it He still thought it was to tt>e north/
Back at Highway 101, the trio headed west at well above the speed limtt. "A couple of miles west, we start- ed getting signal again." JaMi went on. "Then the bearing started to change. I got a couple of strong due- north blips at the Van Nuys exit, but we still guessed we would have to go to the far end of the valley. By the time we got to Interstate 405, we were not getting good signal strength because we were below ground level. We de* dded to go north on the 405, and as we came up, I got good bearings east of us, swinging again. I told the driver to take the next ex\L He locked up the drakes, swerved over, ar>d we went east on Vk:tory Boulevard.'
JaMi and his companions were now onty six mites from the earth- quake epicenter. Power was out in most places, and a curfew was in ef- fect. Forlunaieiy. the drfver w^s an of^ ficer in uniform,
fyfulttpath makes UHF RDF in ur- ban areas tricky. Rows of buildings tend to "funnel" signals down the streets. The bearing may appear to be constantly in front (or behind^ and then change suddenly at an rniefsec- tion. "As WB approached Van Nuys
Photo C- The Northwest District Superior Court tKiikjing is famous for beiftg the site of the recent Menencfez murder trial ^ Now it has arjother distinction — the source of a signai that jammed sheriff's communications after the Norfhridge earthquake.
Boulevard, the beaiing tended toward south,' KK6CU continued. "Now the signal was full quieting and I could hear the DF lone plainly in the receiv- er audio.
1 had the driver pull oul into the ir*- tera action very stowly. There was a lot of muEtipath and the display swung around quite a bit. \ told him to contin- ue east, and at the nexl street we went out in the middle again. It looked to be to the south, so we turned south for three blocks and found ourselves
inside a large complex of government tiuildings. including two courthouses and the Los Angeles Police headquar- ters for the San Femando Valley/
They headed for the police moWte command ranter, where JaMi got out and checked by the vehicles with his dual-band hand-held. No stuck mikes there. Back In the sheriff's car I hey dfove around the complex. Signal was weak everywhere estcept on the south side of the Superior Court building. They parked again and walked all
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73 Amateur Radio Today* May, 1994 71
around, seeing no one but noting boarded -up doo^ and othdr signs of daffiage.
After walking back next door to ttie police station, they introduced them- selves and KK6CU checked for signal inside itie bLriiding. Meanwhile* the technician found out that a sheriff's ra- dio set had been installed in the Supa- nor Court building a year ago. Back they went to that courthouse (Photo C) to peer into the windows again.
Tinaily, we saw somebody inside," says KK6CU. "It was a plainclothes deputy assigned to guard the building. He let LfS in and we asked direcilons to the communications room. There we found that the ceilings were wel and there was water all over the fkx>r from leaking pipes. There was an o*d desk with stacks of paper around the edges of the desktop, which was sag- ging in middle. Water was a hatf inch deep in center and an old desk mike sat \n the mkidle 01 the pcK>l, wtth the push-button switch submerged. I care- fully pulled It oul, shook it dry, and the carrier disappeared!
"We were still in a penod of strong aftershocks, so we decided to get out of there right away. To be safe, we uri* plugged it and a few other pieces of equipment that were saturated. I dis- assembied the DF gear and we head- ed back to the SCC/
The submerged mike was connect- ed to a 100 -watt tmnsmitter. So why
was the signal so weak until the T- hunters were within a mile of the courthouse? It turned out that this ra- dio Is osed mainfy for communications within the building on simplex frequen- cies. The transmitter drives a long run of special leaky* coax that goes up the south side of the £>unding to a dummy load. Enough signal escapes from the coa)« to reach the officer's transceivers inside for simplex worit. The signal c^n al^> be hear^ by the sensitive sheriff's repeater network when the transceiver ts switched to the administrative frequency, which the marshal had apparently done at the end oi the last work shift before the quake.
Despite unfamiliar aquipmen! arxj a weak signal KK6CU and his helpers found the problem and fixed il In less than an hour Without JaMf's under- standing of RDF principles and his practical foxhunting experience, ii would have taken much longer.
fntroduclng the Wat son -Watt
OAR (which stands ibr Ocean Ap- plied Research) is a welkknown name among commercral and government users of RDF equipment. T-huntIng hams seldom buy OAR gear, due to its cost Sticker price Of the DF4003A plus a basic antenna system covering 2 meters (MA350} is $11,700.
Why so much? After all, you can buy an excellent commercial Ooppler
RDF unit with digital readout and 2 meter mobile antenna set far about $850. You can buikJ the popular and effective Roanoke Doppler from scratch for much less. The reason for the price difference is that OAR units do not employ the Doppler principie. even though they have tour vertical whips and put a tone In the receiver audio, just like a Doppler set does,
OAR sets use the Watson-Watt RDF scheme, which is derived from the Ad cock, one of the earliest RDF antennas. Whereas a Doppler rapidly selects one of the tour (or more) ¥rtiips at a time in sequence to gh^ an electronic rotation to the array, a Wat- son-Watt uses the four antennas as two orthogonal pairs, combining sig* nals from thein in three distinct modes. Processing these modes pro- duces a vector on the cathode-fay tube display. The vector position teJts direction of the incoming signal. Vec- tor length indicates signal strength and quality, helping the operator de- tect ar^ combat the effects of muiti- path.
One reason for the high cost of OAR gear is its special three-channel processing, which makes on© receiver do the work ol three. Some OAR mod- els include a built-in receiver, whi^e others work with an external receiver or scanner. Unlike the Doppler, which uses ordinary narrowband FM re- ceivers, the Watson -Watt signal pro-
cessor requires AM detection. Direct connection of the processor to the receiver IF stage allows normal use ot the receiver for monitoring in any mode. If the receiver does not have an IF tap. the OAR DF4003A can be hooked to receiver audio oulpyt, tjul the set must be kept In the AM mode.
There is no RF switching in thd Watson- Watt antenna array, which can result in better system sensitivity than Doppler installations. OAR sets include a tracK-and-hold feature for capturing very short sigrial bursts, and integration of bearings over itme to average out mulilpath effects while in motion. Doppler sets are usually fimrt' ed to tracking carrier-type signals such as FM and CW, whereas the Wat son -Watt method tracks all these plus SSQ and pulsed noise sources.
For More fnlormation . , .
OAR'S manufacturing facflitles are fn San Diego, California, but the pri- mary sales offica is on the East Coast OAR Corporation. 2165 Druid Park Drive, Baltimore MD 21211; (410) 462-1700.
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72 73 AmatQur Radio Today* May, 1994
Hams with class
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Carole Perry WB2MGP
Medi^ Mentors. //?c;
P.O. Box 131646
Staterr Island NY 103130006
Self-Esteem: The Key to Success in School and in
Life
With parent-teacher conferences scheduled to take place at my school this month, I thought about all the things I wanted to convey to the par- ents of my new sixth-, seventh-, and tighth-grade ham radio students, I made a package of brochures of in- expensive rigs and radio accessories that I could show them. Besides shanng indh^iduaJ students' progress with each parent. I planned to give my usual "propaganda" speech for ham radio. This was quite ambitious for what was supposed to t>e a two- minute conference wrth a parent.
I tfioughi bacH to how much the children in my classes have changed over the last 10 years. As the largest intermediate school in Slaten Island. New York, we have seen a huge change in the population of our stu- dents. We presently have over 80 dif- ferent languages and dialects repre- sented: creating a need for a fulf-time ESL (English as a Second Lan- guage) teacher. Many of our students come from low socio-economic back- grounds, bringing with them a whole different set of problems which could Interfere with tfre leamlng process.
The problems facing teachers in inner-city schools today are varied and complex. They cannot be ig- nored for they will surely not go away by themselves. The one common thread that seems to run true year af- ter year of dealing with this difficult age group is that they all respond to respect and genuine caring. I tiled my radio brochures away and dug out some articles I had saved to read that were published by The National PTA. t found the one I wanted, and proceeded to run off 100 copies of it. I plan to share it w)th my colleagues and to distribute It to the parents who come to see me to discuss their child's progress.
Without helping children to devel- op self-esteem, we will inevftably fail
at whatever other good things we try to leach them. As a parent and as a teacher I encourage you to incluefe the following in your repertoire of im- portant things to teach your children, along with rules of radio procedure and Ohm's Law, etc.
Studies have shown that helping diildren develop good self-esteem ts probably the most important thing parents and teachers can do for their children. Critical decisions, such as whether or not to use drugs, or to stay in school or drop out. are affect- ed by their sense of seff-worth — their self-esteem,
15 Ways to Help Children Like Themselves
1. Reward children. Give praise, recognition, a special privilege, or in- creased responsibility for a Job well done. Emphasize Ihe good things they do, not the bad.
2. Take their ideas, emotions, and feelings seriously,
3. Define limits and rules clearly.
and enforce them. Be consistent.
4. Be a good role model. Let them see fhat you. too, can make mistakes and can learn from them.
5. Teach children how to deal with time and money.
6. Have reasonable expectations tor your children and your students. Help them set reaifsiic goals so they can experience success,
7. Help children develop tolerance toward those with different values and backgrounds. Point out other people's strengths.
8. Give children lesponsibility. They will feel usefuf and vafued.
9. Be reasonable. Give support when children need it.
10. Show them that what they do is important to you. Talk with them at>out their activities and interests. In the case of radio students, ask them to tell you what they enjoy most about the hobby.
11. Express your values. Descfite experiences that determined your values, and the reasons behind your beliefs.
12. Spend time together. Share fa- vorite activities. Ham radio is great forthfs.
13. Dfscuss problems without placing blame or commenting on the
child's character. It children know there Is a problem but don't feel at- lacked they are more likely to look for a sotuUon,
14. Use phrases that build sell- esteem, such as. "That was an excel- lent idea/ Avoid phrases that destroy seff-esteem, like "How many times have I told you?*
ts. Show how much you care about them. Tell them you think they are terrific, Use body language, smiles, and words that make children feel good to let them know that you are interested in them as people and that you have something really special to share with them, f^any youngsters have told me that they originally got their radio licenses be- cause they wanted to make me proud ot them.
As responsible adults working with children, we owe it to them, and to each other, to make evefy child feel special and worthy so that tney can become happy, productive members of society.
Be sure lo stop by at the Dayton Hamvention Youth Forum on Satur- day. April 3Dth, to lend your support to all the youngsters who will be speaking there. We've got a terrific group of children lined up.
Photo A. tiam radio provides a great opportunity to share interesis and activities.
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73 Amateur Radio Today May. 1994 73
Number 19 on your Feedback card
MiChaefBryve WB&VGE 2225 Mayffower NW Massiffon OH 44646
Have you been looking for a good analog meter lor a project? Have you found out how much ihey cost? One would think, with the entire world go- ing digitai. analog meters would be really, realty cheap. The exact oppo- site has occurred Instead. Now, a quaiily analog meter cosis more than th© prolect yotiVe trying to construe! . Vou can stilt find plenty of surplus anafog meters laying around howev- er, provided you donl mind the face printed with some strange Industrial scale.
Entering the Digital Worid
This Is a case of "if you canl beat 'em, join em" as digital panel mod- ules are now available at a very rea* sonable price, I've have been work- ing with two different models fronrj two different supplfers.
They're both low power 3-1/2 digit LCD digital panef meters. Their baste Input requirement ts 200 mV DC. Other input ranges are also possible, by special order. The first module we'll [ook at is the D1 International DPM5035L The second module is by Moduteo.
Specifications
The DPM5035L is built around a Maxim MAX131CPL anakjg-to-d*gltal converter chip. Along with some sup- port parts, the Maxim chip does all the work. The LCD Is an easy-to- read 0.5" high and shows 3-t/2 dig- its. Automatic zero and a polarity in- dicator are part of the DPM5035L. You can select your own decimal point position. A "t" displayed on the left-most side of the DPM5035L is the over- range Ind teat Jon. The con-
Low Power Operation
version rate is about three times per second.
The DPM5035L has a basic DC Input of 200 mV. The input Is differen- tiaL Input impedance is over ii megohms. You can operate the OPM5035L on a single 9 volt battery. Any power supply trom 5 to 9 volts will work just fine ^ The low battery in* dication comes on at approximately 4.8 volts. Acconding to Itie factory, a fresh g volt baltery should operate the DPM5035L for over one year, tf you want, or if you just don't need the LCD display, you can also order the DPM5035L in an LED-readout ver- sion. Its number is DPM5135, This LED version requires 5 volts at less than 130 m A. This would be an ideal 0PM for a power supply. Both the DPM5035L and the DPM5135 are available from 01 Intemalional Inc. 95 East Main Street, Huntington NY 11743; (516) 673-6866. The price for the OPM5035L Is about $30, plus shipping.
The Modutec digitai panel meter is so very close to these specrficatkins I won't repeat them. The Modutec DPM I used is the BL100101, You can get this meter from Digi-Key for S33- While it has the same LCD. 0.5*, and displays 3-1/2 digits, the Modutec DPM is much smaller than the DPM5035L, In fact, you can place the Modutec DPM inside the D1 International DPM.
Dttf erenc«s Between the Two
Both of these DPMs are very much alike electrically: the main dif- ference Is in their physical layout. The DPM5035L is the larger of the two and requires much more panel area than the Modutec DPM. This may be of concern if youYe wonder- ing about using one of these DPMs
CK20VDCin +
1 MEG
Hf REF
To DPM Inputs
- <r
LoREr
^^r7
OK to use remove B.2K and use 10K trimmer instead of 5K trimmer
Adjust the trimmer to calibrate the DPM
R3 mutti-tum trimmer
Photo A. The D1 Digital Panef Modufe mounted m a cas&. The Modutec meter is in the for&ground with its connectOK A WO amp 100 mV shunt is also shown.
Photo B. The Modutec Digital Panel Module is tiny.
F^ure t. Input circuitry to property scale the ratio of signal to input for the DPM.
in your next QRP project. Although larger, the DPM 503 5L is much easier to install. The DPM5035L snaps into the panel cutout. No other hardware Is required. This bezel allows for some "operator en-or' when cutting out the paneL The Modutec DPM. on the other hand, requires a very clean-fitting cutout. There is no bezel to hide your mistakes. The Modutec meter also requires you to add a mounting dip and ptastic nuts. It*s no biggie, but you have to realty take your time to do the in staff atron prop- erly with the Modutec DPM. The Modutec meter also requires a con- nection kit. This kit is a header on 0.100 centers. The input to the Mod- utec meter fs very sensitive to static discharges and you are warned not to solder directly to the DPM pins. Use the connection Jot to avoid prob- lems.
Making Them Work
A very popular use of the DPM is to measure voltage from a power supply or a battery. The first step you need to do is scale the Input so the DPM knows what to do with it, With an input Of only 200 nnV» It t)ecomes quite dear you must keep the proper ratio of signal to input. Take a look al Figure 1. You'li notice that the two re- sistors scale the input from our pow- er supply down to a value the DPM needs We have scaled the 200 mV input to 20 volts input. In case you don't have 1% resistors on hand, I added the 10k trimmer to fine-tune tfie voltage divider. An e.2k and a 5k
trimnier provide an easier adjusting of the DPM.
By changing the values in the volt- age divider, while keeping the ratio the same* yoo can scale the input to lust atM>ut any value you require. The only precaution would hG to increase the number ot resistors in series when measuring very high voltages. This would prevent flash over of a single resistor. Of course, you ORPers don't need to worry about measuring kV m our amplifiers — unless you happen to smoke cigars!
Trouble with the Input
If you took dose at Figure 1 . you'll see there is a second power supply running the DPM. That's because you can t have the Lo REF tied to ground- This causes the A-to-D con- verter chip inside the DPM to t^e- come confused and display a false reading. There is only one way around this problem. You must have a separate power source to operate the DPM. Luckily for us. we have three choices. The first Is to use a 9 vott battery, it's simple, cheap, and sure is easy. The second is to oper- ate the DPM from a separate power source such as a wall wart power supply. Or. we can use a DC-to-DC converter.
You can buy commercial DC-to^ DC converters just about anywhere. But, fKJid onto your hats, they're not cheap! The one D1 International sells to operate their DPM runs atioul $20. It generates a +g volt supply which is totally isolated. I've seen DC>tc-DC
74 73 Amateur Radio Today • May, 1 994
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oscflator
control
1N914
Irtpirls to unused gates connected to ground
10 0 Volt
:470
10 transtormer 42TL002
7.5 volt
-► + 7,5
^ . to DPM
converters listed in surplus catalogs. One had a converter that would fill the requirements for under two bucks ^ Et fs important wher^ shopping for a converter to get one that sup- plies an isolated +9 (or +5) volts. Some voltage converters generate a different vo?tage than the supply. This is rtot what you want for the DPM.
You can roil your own DC*to-DC converter without too much Iroubl©- In fact, all you need is just a spoonful of paita. Figure 2 shows the DC-to-DC converter I built up using some junk box parts. The output from the oscil- lator is coupled to a small trans- former. The output is then rectified, filtered and regulated to 7.5 volts with a zener diode and a resistor A sec- ond zener diode is also across tho output of the converter. This diode acts as a safety valve in case the 7.5 volt zener opens up. If that happens, fie 10 volt zener will short the output together, protecting the DPM from overvoltage. In my DC*to*OG convert- er there is very little current devel- oped. Although Tve never measured It, I would guess the total amount of currerit generated would be less than 10 mA.
Just about any type of oscfiiator can be used in this circuit. I've used a single gate of an LM324, a 555 timer. a 4049, and at least several others, too. in fact nothing is really crtt»cat. The driver transformer is available Ifom Mouser Electronics*
Notice hK>w the output ts separated from the supply ground. This gives us the required isoiation. The O.t jiF ca-
Figure 2. DC to DC con\^en&r for the DPM.
pacltor from the output to system ground was required to keep a nasty spike from confusing the DPM,
I built this converter q»n a hunk of perf board There ts rto PC board lay- out for it. Since the converter u$es an oscillator, it may be possible to hear this oscillator in your receiver. Some careful shielding of the converter will keep all the noise inside and out of the receiver.
If you suffer from inductorphopia, you might be able to come up with a suitable DC-to-DC converter without the transformer Perhaps some types of capacitance-coupled diodes may work.
Measuring Current with the DPM
There is or>e more task the DPM is capable of doing: h has the ability to measure current* All you need is a shunt in the negative lead and you're ready to go. If you use a calibrated shunt the display will t>e accurate; 11 you use a homemade shunt you'll need to calibrate the meter.
A laser trimmer 100 mV shunt is what \ use. This shunt wf]l drop one millivolt for every amp of current. So, at 100 amps, we have 1 00 mV across the shunt. If this is applied to the DPM. the display will be 100. You can select the display decimal point by using a switch. At 10 amps, the dis- play would read 010 and so on. It is Important that the shunt be in the negative lead. And again, ihe DPM must be running on either a battery or the OC-to-DC converter described above. I have a source of taser trim-
mer 100 mV shunts. They're not cheap, about $35 each, but if you're inte rested < drop nrbe a note.
Depending on the amount of cur* rent you want to measure, you can build your own shunt A six-inch piece of solid #14 copper wire wound on an AA baitery wortts great. Use the bat- tery as a form only; remove ft tsefore you use the shunt. You have to cali- brate this shunt with a I00k-t0'470k trimmer as shown in the schematic. Either value win work. To calibrate the shunt, first connect a load of several amps in series with a source of power and the shunt. A headlight makes a cheap and dirty load. Now install your own current meter, say your multime- ter, in series, too. Turn on the suppfy artd note the current on your muttime- ter. Adjust the trtmmer so the DPM displays Ihe same value. Place a drop of paint or nail polish on the
trimmer to prevent its movement and youVe all done. By using a shunt and the 0PM, you have a great way to measure a large amount of current safely. A multi-pole switch would be ideaJ for a combination voltage and cijrrent display.
Other Uses
Although the DPM is really at home with current and voltage, it can be made to do other tasks. If you want to display frequency, for exam- ple, all you have to do Is add a fre- quency to voltage chip and display the results on the DPM. Measuring SWR or RF power would be easier yet. Two of the DPMs, one to mea- sure forward power and a second to measure reflected power, would be easy to build. In fact, the Kanga pow- er bhdge would be a good test bed for a project like this. Right now, I'm working on my own version of a field- strength meter using Ihe DPM from 01 International Should t>e an inter- esting project to build.
Field Day
Next month is Field Day, a tradi- tional outing for QRP stations. How about getting those Field Day photos together and sending some in? Other OPBers would like to see what the guy's station looks tike after the smoke clears.
While life may be too short for OR P. intense levels of RF and those cigars will do you In quickert
Power supply
stium
100Kor470K
negative lead
positive lead
Ainpmeia mine
Figure 3. Using a power suppty to calibrate the DPM to reatf current.
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76 73 Amateur Radio Today • May, 1 994
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Packet & computers
Jeffrey Sloman N7EWO P.O. Box 636 Fmnktin tN 4SJ31
Getting Started In TCP/IP, Part 7
From Here to There — Routing and TCP/IP
This month's installation of our TCP/IP series will concentrate on routing, the specification of the path that traffic should take between sta- tions.
If I want to conned to your station, but cannot hear i1 directty. I am not out of luck. The TCP/IP protocol offers ihe ability to create 'routing tabfes* which specify how traffic addressed to a par- ticutar station should be directed, TCP/fP uses what is called "static roulingr that is, it depends upon the tables you create to find the intended station for a given address.
ARP
ARP means Address Resolution Protocol, and this is the TCP/IP ser- vice that lets JNOS figure out what you mean wfien you save NlEWO.AMPR.ORG. Let^s follow a hypotiietical connection by you to my station. Well use tfie ttylink (chat) pro- gram so we can talK^ The first Step is for you to type the pfoper commanci at the prompt:
59672 net>tty NlBWO
This tells JNOS to make a telnet connection to port 87 of my station — which is the ttylink service. The first thing your station does Is make an ARP request on the air If we switch to
the monftOT screen (by pressing F9) we see;
A3C25t (your call J ->OST
AR?: len 30 hwtype A2.25 prot
IP op REQUEST sender lE^addr 44 . (your IP addxesa) hwaddr (your call) target IP«ddr 44*48.70.32 hvaddr
Your station ts asking the worid. "What is the hardware address of AA.A8JQ227' What is a hardware ad-
using NOS over an Ethernet network irtstead ot AX. 25. the hardware ad- dress that would be sought l>y the ARP fK^uest is Ihe MAG (Medfa Ac- cess Control) address. This is an eight-byte address tfiat is unique to an Ethernet NIC (fvfetwork Interface Card), just as 'mycair is unique to an AX^5 station.
Lef s assume that my station can hear your station directly. I hear your ARP request and reply (again in the monitor screen):
AX25: KIEWO -> {your c«lll> UI pids'ARP len 30 hwtype AX.2S prot Xf op REPLY !r iPaddr 44.43.70,22 NIEWQ
target Ifaddr (your IP address } fawajddr (your call)
ARP
This month's installation of our TCP/IP series will concentrate on routing, the specification of the path that traffic should take between stations/'
dress? TCP/IP is network layer proto- col and in the ham radio world it runs over an AX. 25 (plain old packet) Itnk. We use the AX.25 link to create the connection between stations— we use TCP/IP to manage and control data between stations. So, the hardware address is whatever ''mycair is set to for a TCP/IP station. The purpose of the ARP request is to find out what that call IS, so oommunicatk>n can take place. TCP/IP is a "datagram' proto- col. This is in contrast to a "Virtual cir- cutr protocol such as AX,25. In other words, data transfer via TCP/IP on ham radio fs accomplished with AX .25 UI (Unnumbered Information) frames— in plain language, the sta- tions never connect in the AX. 25 sense.
By way of example, if we were
As you can see^ my station sent a REPLY to yours Indicating that my hardware address is N1EW0. It could have been NIEWO^l or some other SSIO (Secondary Station IDentrfier. the '1 part). Or, what if I coukJnl hear your station — is all tost?
No. there are at ^east a couple of ways around that. First, I could fix thtngs from my end by arranging a ^gateway" and having it "publish* itseff as the hardware address to reach me. To make this work takes two steps. Rrst I must use the ARP command {at the gateway station) to pubJish itself as the hardware address for my sta- tion:
arp publish 44.48.70.22 ax25 (gateway hwaddr) (interface)
where:
44.48,709.22 iS my address
ax25 is the hardware type
(gateway hwaddr) is Ihe caJI of the
gateirtray
(interface) is the name of ttie interface
on the gateway that will publish this
address.
Now an ARP request for my fiard- ware address will be answered by this gateway station. Trouble Is. if I do nothing else this doesn't let us oom- municate. f need to tell the gateway where to send the traffic that it gets for me. l do this with the ROUTE com- mand:
route add 44.4S.70.22 (interface)
Now traffic sent to thts station will be sent out the interface specified.
Alternatively, you can set it up from your side. This works by manually adding my statkxi to your ARP list
arp add 44.4B.70.22 ax25 NIEWO (Interface)
which puts a pennanent entry in the ARP table for me. The second step fn this process is to add an AX.25 route to my hardware address using the ax25 command;
axSS route add NiEWO (tnltriace) (digrs . , . )
This puts an enlry into the AX. 25 routing table (or my hardware address, letting you connect. The ARP entry means that yoii don't have to send out a request — which I could not hear. You can see that TCP/IP routing is "sialic' — you set it up and then must change it man- ually, tf you can hear the stations di- rectlyp it Is dynamic (you ask^ it tells, your tables are built), but not other- wise.
fvlex! month we'll look more at routing. 73 deNIEWO.
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Atv
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Ham Television
Bill Brown WB8ELK c/o 73 Magazine 70 Route 202 North Petertxfrough NH 03458
ATV Birthday Party
Kim Cohan KD6TLB wanted his 30th birthday party to be unusual and unique. Srnoe he is a pilot and also loves ATV, he decided to combine these interests and throw a truly amazing aerial celebration that the lo- cals would keep talking about
After a lot of ooordlnatjng with the FAA and local airport oflicfals he was able to arrange to have four skydiving instructors from the i-lolli$tar airport parachute from an atliluda of 11,000 feel to land right in his back yanj (for- tunately he lives right next to the Carmel VaiJey Airport). To make this
Photo A. Skydiver Jess Rodriguez demonstrates his unique helmet camera system compfete with ATV tr&ns^ mitier. An 8mm camcorder and a 35mm fttm camera is mounted to his heirrmt m art aluminum brackeL TTie ATV tfansmitter ts strapped to tvs wsfst inside of ttfe knapsack Bnd tfie ATV antenna can be seen attached to his shoe.
a truly memorable experierice^ he en- listed the aid of some of the members of the Naval Postgraduate School ARC in Monterey to work out a way of televising Ihe jump live via ATV.
Skydiving tV
Doug McKinney KG3RL designed a small knapsack l watt ATV trans- mitter that strapped around the waist of the skydwer. The transmitter con- sisted of a Kreepfe-Peepie transmit- ter (RC* Electronics), an audio ID that sent out a CW message over the ATV audio subcarrier and an eight- cell AA alkaline battery pack mounted in a Sturdy metal enclosure (Bud CiJ- 247 or Hammond 15900). Doyg (ourd that by using an alkaline AA pack he could keep everything lightweight and compact and still op- erate the system for around four hours. One unique feature that Doug designed Into his ATV box was a latching ON/OFF toggle switch. Once turned on, you need to lilt up the toggle and physi- cally slide it over to allow it to snap off. It is virtuaJly impos- sible to accidentally brush against this switch and move it* Anyone building up a portable ATV sys- tem may want to incorporate this switch into their de- sign. It is available from Digi-Key (part number CKN1015- ND) and is made by C&K Company (called the K-tock- ing lever).
Finding a good place to attach the antenna to the sky- diver presented an interesting problem for Doug, He tried taping a 440 MHz rubber duck anten- na to the skydiver's shoe but found that this caused prob- lems due to detun- ing. To solve this problem, Doug formed a 2"-thick urethane spacer out of "Great StufT spray foam (found at most hardware stores). He mount- ed the mbbter duck
on top of the foam and carved out the bottom of the toam so that it rested on top Of the skydiver's shoe. RG-5$ coax was run from the transmitter down to the antenna underneath the skydiver's flight suit (ifs important to keep cables from tangling up with the Other skydivers in the plane prior to jumping). This arrangement allowed the skydlver complete freedom of movement without the danger of trip- ping over cables or the antenna dur- ing landing.
The Sky cam Helmet
It turned out thai Jess Rodriguez, tfie skydivar chosen to carry Ihe ATV system, had already developed hts own system for videotaping his flights (see Photo A). He had an 8mm cam- corder strapped the top of his helmet and a mechanical sight that he could place in front of one of his eyes. All he had to do was to line up the sight with whatever scene he wanted to videotape (important for filming for- mation skydiving). Interfacing the camcorder to the waist- mount ATV transmitter simply involved running a smalt cable behind the helmet and under his Jacket.
Taking e Fall
To receive the signal, Mike Marchi- ni WA6E0C, Pat Carter KA61RS. Steve Bible N6HPR and Don Nichols KB6BZL set up a ground station un- der a tent on the edge of the Canne] Valley airport. Mike and Pat also recorded the flight on their VCR. We all crowded out onto the airport and could Just make out a tiny speck mopv- ing across the sky. Using a six-ele- ment beam we started to receive an excellent ATV picture showing the in- side of the jump plane as it circled overhead at 11.000 feet. Soon we could see several small dots as the skydivers jumped out of the plane. Everyone crowded around the TV set. and all were amazed to see a beautiful image of the skydivers link- ing hands and free-falling in fonna* tkm. The helmet camera provided a very stable image that gave us ihe i I* lusion that we were up there free- falfing with them. One by one they opened their steerable parafoKs and treated us all with an aerial tour of the Carmet Valley as they gently de- scended towards the airport. As the skydivers landed in front of us, each shouted out '"Happy Birthday" to Kim, folded up the chute, and joined the pany.
The Ultimate Birthday Balloon
As if skydiving ATV wasn't enough, we launched an ATV balfoon (with color camera) about an hour af- ter the skydiving adventure. This package contained a lightweight color TV camera {Howard Associates, Thousand Oaks, CA)^ a 5 watt ATV transmitter on 434 MHz (micro-ATV transmitter with a RC* Electronics PA-5 power bik*) and a GPS system on 2 meter packet built by Doug McKinney K03RL. We launched this
Photo &. The birthday guy. Km Cohan KD6JtB, iooks on as Jess Rodnguez and his Skydi\i^ Cam prepare to iand at the party.
package Just a couple of hours before sunsei and treated the party-goers with an aerial view of the mountains as the balloon drifted up into the stratosphere. The chase crew was deployed near the impact zone (about SO miles southeast of the par- ty) but darkness and the remote land- ing site prevented a recovery that night. Thanks to Kim's eagle eyes, he spotted the payload a few days later while flying over a ranch in the foothills east of King City in his Cess- na 150. After fending our way past a few herds of cattle we were able to recover everything in good shape.
The party continued on with even more unique events such as a MIDI CKXicert that invotved a pianist In Ohio (Eugene Beer) playing Kim's synthe- sizer in California via a telephone modem and a paper glider contest (dropped from a tethered balloon). Kim's party was truly a multimedia af* fair and sparked an interest in ham radio with several of the guests. WeVe all looking forward to next year's event — I guess it'li have to be a virtual reality ATV party to top this one!
78 73 Amateur Radio Today • May, 1 994
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73 Amateur Radio Today May, 1994 79
Number 22 on your Feedback card
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Above & beyond
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Cdfistructing Hamtronics Modules: Conversion of 28 MHz HF to 2 Meters SSB
Last month in this column I cov- ered a basic concept; one method of converting an SSB HF rig using a VHF transverler, adapting an HF ng to 2 meter SSB operation. I detailed the HF modifications to my test de- vice, an Atfas B-100 SSB HF rig. I used this rig because it was available to me for a modest cost. The basic point is that any inexpensive HF rig you locate is usable if it can cover the desired frequency range, in Ihis case 10 meters (28 MHz). 10 meters is just a piatform for generating and receiv- ing SSB in this particular application. Any similar rig will work as it has all the basic circuitry to accomplish this goal. Whatever type of HF rig you base your design around you should be able to find a bargain in the used equipment or swap meet arena. Ob- taining a used HF rig for thfs project and converting it makes good sense from both a lime-saving and mone- tary point of view, in contrast to home construction of an SSB system for this use.
Using a Hamtronics Kit
As I stated last month, 1 selected the Atlas-R-100 receiver as the basis tor my 23 MHz SSB portion because its circuitry is constructed to work In transmit or receive functions simply using a single PC board design. See the April 'Above and Beyond" column for details. This month I want to cover the construction and interfacing of the Hamtronics transmit and receive
modules to convert a 28 MHz SSB transceiver to 2 meters. Initially I was going to design a set of modules for this purpose but when I read the Hamtronics advertisement for their modules and looked at the cost, I could see this was a better deal than trying to re-invent the wheel. Besides, it's more fun to put a kit together than to engineer one.
Let me give you a few excerpts from tlie Hamtronics construction de- tails that come packed with their equipment to give you an example of how easy they have made interfacing their kits. This excerpt is only a por- tion Of the tntormation supplied and deals with the attenuator needed for the transmit side of the circuit. See Table 1 for resistor selection values to construct a suitable attenuator.
There are many ways to come up with 1 milliwatt of drive at 10 meters, tt is not possible to cover every ex- ample for each type of exciter, but the general information provided should be adaptable for your particular situa- tion. The primary things to remember: First, be very careful to start on the conservative side when experiment' ing to find the best value to use. If you apply a massive amount of power to your converter you may end up with smoke signals instead of SSB signals. Second, do not reduce the audio gain of the exciter to keep out- put drive low, except for fine adjust- ment. Design your attenuator to use the full range of the exciter Then you won't d/a^lthe transceiver accidental- ly with high power when the converter is In operation. Third h be prepared to experiment to find the ideal attenua- tor for your situation.
For low- power radios (less than 5 watts) ^ you can simply build a sym- metrical pi -attenuator to reduce drive for the converter. Mechanically, the
Photo A. Hamtronics receive converter CA-1 44-23.
attenuator is made of composition re- sistors of appropriate rating (be con- servative) soldered to a vector board or terminal strip. Keep connections short and install any convenient length of coax cabie and connections to complete the job. See Table 1 for attenuator values. It is sufficient to find resistance values close to the values given — it is not necessary to be exacts Make sure the resistors can handle the power level safely espe- cially the shunt resistor on the exciter side of the circuit, which dissipates most of the power
The above description was part of the 11 pages of detailed instnjctions from Hamtronics to make the kit con- struction successful. They went Into great detail, giving construction tips and line-up and testing procedures that were easy to follow for the most Intimidated kit buElder I am not saying a third-grader could construct these kits, but with limited kit building expe- rience you can feel comfortable putting them together. In retrospecti the onfy trouble I had in constructing the transmitter portion of the kit was trying to figure out where to use the solid #22 ga. wire. (It was used to hold shield sections in place.) f^fly problem was that I missed the in- struction on that item in my quick scan of Hamtronics material. Jf I had read the material more slowly I would not have missed that instruction.
The remainder of the construction was very straightforward and easy to
Fiioto B. Hamtfonics transmit converter XV2.
follow, The only tools needed for the kit's construction were a wire cutter, long-nosed pliers, X-Acto knife^ sol- der and soldering iron. The X-Acto knife was needed to remove the enamel on the wire used tor the coti forms prior to soldering. The wire supplied was easy-strip and could be soldered^ but I prefer to scrape my coil wire to dean copper. An alternate procedure for fine wire is to have a small capful of rubbing alcohol, dip the wire end into the alcohol and then with a match bum the tip of the wire. After a few seconds quickly dip the hot wire end into the alcohol. The enamel will crack off as the hot wire end is immersed into the cold alcohol. (Keep the fiame away from the aico- hoi.) For safety, use only a small cap- ful of alcohol. That is all that is need- ed anyway. [Manufacturer's Note: New fiits being shipped a$ of this month have mofded coils, so winding on coil forms is no longer necessary. On the few alr*wound coils which stUI require the huifder to strip off insula- tion, be sure to pretin tfie coil leads after the coils are wound but before they are installed on the board. Thus, the heat is transferred to th^ wire and not sunk to the foil on th& board.]
All component parts for the kit were packed in a box with the PC board and instructions for that particu- lar kit. All the components needed were sealed in a plastic bag. I sug- gest you obtain a small tray or box lid to place the components into before you open the bag so you don't drop something and lose it. I used a small photo tray about 4" by 6', Placing all components in the tray allowed the organization of resistors Into a low-to- high- value assortment, allowing me to place and select them quickly during the construction of the kit. I used a section of cardboard and inserted the resistors into the corrugated end of the cardboard. If you have any trouble reading the color code you had better use a meter, just to be safe, (I know lit the color code, and assume you do also, but poor eyesight in low-light conditions predicates use of a VOM to confirm just what I think tt Is. This step avoids problems and Is a good confir- mation step).
Looking at the schematic and con- firming component part locations on the PC board is quite easy after a few components have been placed on the
SO 73 AmBt0ur Radio Today • May, 1 994
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NI^F55g |
2JS |
ZSAl(n2 |
%M |
TA7ZD5AP 2.25 |
5728 RFP |
49.9S |
|
MHFIIO |
»00 |
MRF5a5 |
1J6 |
2$B754 |
ZM |
TA7222AP 2.20 |
5728Cftrofl |
CALL |
|
MflF141 |
84 50 |
MRF529 |
T.ft |
2SC730 |
1.25 |
HP=Te^Bd MiteheJ Pr |
697 |
169S |
|
MRF14tG |
172.70 |
HtBF630 |
G.sa |
2SC741 |
S.90 |
OUTPUT MODULES |
610 |
83.511 |
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MflFISO |
63-75 |
MRF64t |
19.95 |
2SC1307 |
CALL |
SAU4 $49J0 |
8nA |
15,95 |
|
MRF1S1 |
79.90 |
MRF644 |
Z3.D0 |
2SC1419 |
3.95 |
&AV6 39.95 |
SUA RUSS. |
17.95 |
|
MRFiSIG |
1&8.50 |
MRF646 |
24. 7S |
2SC1729 |
17.95 |
SAV7 39.95 |
SIIARCA |
CALL |
|
MRF174 |
Gi.90 |
MRF54a |
29.95 |
2SC1S45 |
6.65 |
SAV17 ^70 |
813 RFP |
37.56 |
|
MRF3Q7 |
295 |
MRFfi^O |
30.00 |
2SC194£.A |
13.96 |
SAV24 7880 |
833A. 8a3C |
09.96 |
|
MRf224 |
11.75 |
MRF€32 |
IZ.iS 1 |
2SC1347 |
6-75 |
M5771M 3995 |
61468 |
15.93 |
|
MRFZ37 |
5.40 |
MRFfiSa |
17 JS |
fSClKS |
9.00 |
MS7714 54.50 |
6146B'MP |
36,95 |
|
MRF23« |
15.95 |
MflFB4€ |
3G.9g |
2SC1969 |
2.G& |
M577l9tt 5495 |
7199 |
83 95 |
|
MRFZ39 |
1G.35 |
MRF347 |
33.70 |
2SC1370 |
2.45 |
M5772e 6795 |
6560A MOTD |
124.95 |
|
MRF24a. A |
1GJ0 |
MRF901 |
t.50 |
2SC197I |
5.15 |
M57727 69.95 |
6580AS |
CALL |
|
MRF?45 |
32.00 |
MRF^G |
4.75 |
2SC2D29 |
3.50 |
[VI577Z9 7995 |
8S73 El |
373.95 |
|
MRF247 |
26.95 |
MRFig46 |
16.00 |
2&C2075 |
2.43 |
M57732L 32.95 |
8675 Et |
CAU |
|
MRF262 |
1275 |
MRFig46A |
16.110 |
2SC2094 |
16.ie |
M57735 fiidS |
3-4002 B |
CAU |
|
WRF264 |
1345 |
MRF2«28 |
1D.D0 |
2SC20g7-MP 1 |
or it JO |
1157737 mm |
3-SODZ PLTnl* |
90.00 |
|
MRF1I39 |
4G75 |
SRFZUTZ |
13.75 |
ZSC2166C |
175 |
M57739C ^.35 |
3'50flC PisT^A* |
105.00 |
|
WRF31? |
S7.70 |
SRF3749 |
CALL |
2SC2221 |
6.25 |
M57741 L.M,H 57.70 |
4'40I»CEI |
159,95 |
|
mfzzi |
62.00 |
$RF700D |
CALL |
2SC2237 |
9.31 |
M57762 79.95 |
4't0Q0A£l |
CALL |
|
MRF329 |
G9.ao |
TIP in slock |
CALL |
2SC2289 |
11.95 |
M577BSM 52.95 |
4PR1000Ae |
CALL |
|
MRF34D |
9.50 |
2N3D55 |
1.45 |
2SC2230 |
14.95 |
IVI577B7 59.9S |
3CX400A7 El |
CAU |
|
WRF421 |
22 95 |
2N3G53 |
2.85 |
2SC2290'MP |
35.95 |
, M57791 64 95 |
3CX40aU7 El |
CALL |
|
MRF422 |
38.00 |
2N3771 |
3J5 |
2SC2312C |
496 |
M57792 SBSD |
3CKSD0A7 El |
CAU |
|
WRF422 ilP |
9&M |
ZU^t^B |
1JS |
2SC2509MPIEH37 70 |
M57796liA 34 95 |
3CXl2flOA7/D7EI^._ |
||
|
IIRF427-MP |
40.01 |
ZN4427 |
1J0 |
2SC263J) |
24.55 |
M67705M 47 90 |
UM.L |
|
|
MRF429 |
44.36 |
?N5t(»9 |
1,75 |
2SC264^ |
21.90 |
M67715 5995 |
3CX1500A7 El |
590,30 |
|
MRF433MP |
32,00 |
2K5179 |
125 |
2SC27fl2 |
34.75 |
M677Z8 12d 3D |
3C)(3QO0A7 Et |
CALL |
|
MRF454 |
13.50 |
2N5589 |
19,96 |
2SC2783 |
54.BS |
M67742 109.85 |
4CX250B SPECIAL 09.95 |
|
|
MRF4M |
13.^ |
2N559II |
16.95 |
2SC2879 |
1E.S5 |
M6774SH,L 39 90 |
4CX360A,FEb'5VTCALL |
|
|
MRF4SS |
1095 |
2N5591 |
19.00 |
2SC2fl79-MP |
42 95 |
mil^m 44.40 |
4CK15D0BEI |
CALL |
|
MRF45U |
11.95 |
2^45643 |
iroo |
2SC2904 |
34.^ |
PFD011 CALL |
4CX$l}[]0AEIi1th9Saa |
|
|
MRF45e |
1715 |
2N5944 |
14J0 |
2SC29M |
41.40 |
MKW SERJES CALL |
4CX1SOO(1A7 |
1395,00 |
|
1WRF475 |
S25 |
2N5945 |
14.8B |
ZSC31t1 |
895 |
rCOM SC SERIES CALL |
5CXt500e El |
CAU |
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«RF477 |
11.95 |
2N5946 |
15.00 |
3SK12tr |
3.55 |
OVet 15,000 Rf |
W| h|Hi| tai^B iflmttgncs |
|
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»flRF4S&Ky| |
CALL |
2Meoso |
14.35 |
3SK174 |
4.23 |
MQWL£$ IN ^rOClL |
DlfnEFPMACttiAn Ztli |
|
|
MRF40E |
14.95 |
2NG081 |
1435 |
3N211 |
S.3& |
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73 Amateur Radio Todays May, 1994 81
K-174
RF Amp
NEC GaAsFet
FET
Mi^er J308
RF
2B MHz To SSB IF
3SK174
144 H^Hz
145 MHz
146 MHz
3S.667 39333 xtal
Osc 2N3563
Mutt 2N3963
Figure t Biock diagram Hamt funics CA- 7 44-28 receive converter
board A suggesllor^ for consffuciloft Is to place some of the shields for Ih6 coils (without the coils) to give you a starting point until a few parts have been mounted, it helps to visiialize the layout of Components by separat- ing portions of rhe circuitry. After a few pans are permanenlly mounted and soldered, remove them until later when the coifs are positioned on the board.
After all the resistors were mount- ed I sorted the capacitors and used the same procedure as wtth the resis- tors. The coffs tor the receiver were all pre-wound and color-coded for easy Installation. In the transmitter kit
the 1/8' coil forms needed to be wound with the turns specified The enameled wire for ttiis was supplied in the kit, The remaining coifs are air- wound wJth the #22 gauge enamel wire on a 1/8" mandrel for a form. Any l/S" fomi will do here ■ The X-Ac- 10 knife was used to remove the enamel from the wke to bare the cop- per to aid In good soldering of con- rectJons.
The Hamtronies transmitter kit pro- vkjes 2 watis of power output in the stock kit as constructed. This is far more power than is needed for up- oonversion in a microwave portion o( the cor^verter. I have tried several
methods of power reductior to limit power to acceptable levels near the +10 dBm range (10 to 25 mW Max. of power at 2 meters). One method is to remove the final transistor and couple through this empty stage. Another method is to remove the +DC voltage to the collector of the final and use the remaining power that couples through Ihe disabled final. In thts method the iransistor is still connect- ed to the driver and provides a good match to its dmuitry. The open collec- tor wEth the tuned circuit and collector de-coupling still in place will reduce gain to acceptable levels for convert^ er use.
For the Hamtronics converter th(s proved to be the best mettKXJ and the simplest to serve the microwave cor>- verter with low drive. In any case, you could elect to incorporate a switching drcuil in the microwave Iranscetver to have a 20 or so dB attenuator in the transmit path arvd switch it out for re- ceive. This would reduce the z watts output to converter levels of +10 dBm. Ne}ft monih j will cover a circuit that has this protection feature using a MMIC amplifier and relay-actuated attenuator. This unit serves as a pro- tection device for the microwave cir- cuitry to prevent accidentally keying a Iransmitter into a receive microwave
2K35S3
Amp
2N4427 Driver
BFO-42 Final
144 MHz BPF
28 MHz Input
2N54ea
rA
Balanced Mixer
nw Out
2 Watts PEP
2N54a$
TF Freq XtaT Freq
144 - 146 MHz 38.667 MHz
145 - 147 MHz 39.000 MHz
Buffer
2N3S63
Trlplof 2N3563
Xtal Osc 2N3563
Local Osc Inject
Xtal
Figure 2. Bkxk (ftagr^m of the Hamtronics XV2 transmit converter.
Hamtronics
CA-144'28
Atlas 28 MHz SSB Radio Power Amp Circuitry Removed For Low Power Output
SPOT Relay #1
il«e
28 MH:^ SSB HF Radio
PTT
2 Meter Rec Conv
Ant
SPOT Refay i2
In/Out
« 28 MHz
Hamtronics XV-2 — ^ — 1
Xmt
2 Meter Xmt Conv
i:;
2 V
R ^ 1N4001
Rectifier
Diode
Relays Are Radio Shack #275-248 or Similar 12V Types
Figure 3. System interconnection diagram. HFto2 meters.
miner. It's a simple protectfon circuit In the transmit path lies the attenua- tor to reduce the lull power of the 2 watt power level to atx>ut 10 mW out +10 dBm for Insertion Inlo the mi- crowave mixer,
There is an SPOT switch in the At- las R-100 antenna cincuil allowing the 28 MHz transceiver to be switched from the receive converter to the transmitter converter. This need not be a coaxlat relay — a small open frame or dip-type relay is suitable* The power level, it similar to my corv version, Is quite low and any similar type relay will work we!i. This relay is actuated off the R-100 keying line part of ttie original circuitry. Select a hrgh resistance relay, like the Radfo Shack mini retay part #275-248 ($2,99) or anything similar, for low- current operation, This particular re- lay has a 320 otim coil and draws 3B mA when operated from 12 volts, I would prefer a little higher coil resis- tance but Ihis one will do. See Figure 3 for the system diagram showing the entire inter-connections from lh« 28 MHz HF SSB dhver to both receive and transmit 2 meter converters. As I mentioned, next month I wfll cover the construction of 3 simple switching Circuit for the 2 meter portion of tire drojit.
2 Meter Receive Converter
The construction of the 2 meter re- ceive converter is qurte straightfor- ward. II was assembled in a similar manner to the transmitting oonverter; thai is; resistors first, capacitors sec- ond, coils, then so fid -state devices. In this kit all the coils were pre-manufac- tured on their particular forms and color-coded as to where the coifs were to be positioned. This made construction very easy and fast. Again the instruction sheets for as- sembly were well-documented, with enough information to keep you out ol trouble and to answer most ques- tions about const nict ion and testing.
The only difficulty I had was Ihe adjustment of the coils' ferite slugs. The coils in the kit had square adjust- ment holes and i did not have such a tool in my tuning tool assortment. Hamtronics makes such a tool avail- able but 1 did not know I needed one for the job. Their tool part number •'A2e" is 0060" square. Not having one, I took an old hexagonal tooi that was quite worn and fashioned a 0.060"-square shaft on the erti of the soft plastic tod. I filed the part square and kept reducing the dimensions un- tli it fit into the slug easily For easy insertion. I fashioned the tip of this homemade 0.060*-square tool soma- what smaller than required. Be care- ful as the ferite rnaterial is quite brittle and wiii not take to force of any kind. If your tooi can be inserted into the cofB three-eighths of an inch or more that's fine, as the force will be dis- tributed about the slot and not just at the top. rf you Just insert the tuning tool fnto the lop portion of the core and try to adjust the core posJtion, the
82 73 Amateur Radio Today* May, 1994
possibility fs very high that the core will shatter. You need a tool that will have a good bite and spread the torque about the core slot instead of just at a pan of the core rrtaterial.
The safest thing to do would be to order the A28 (aluminum and brass) tuning tooi when you buy your first Ham Iron scs kit. This rnakes sense be- cause otherwise you risk fracturing the slugs, which are made of com- pressed powdered iron. At the same time^ you could order a metal lipped variabJe capacitor screwdriver tool» if you don I already have one.
The remain ing alignment and ad- fustmenl of the receiver and transmit- ter was qurte uneventful, I guess the troubleshooting was made easy be- cause of the many components that needed to be placed on the PC boards with care and confirmation, eliminating mistakes. Gremlins can creep in but ! am sure you will have as easy a task as I did. With sianclard construction methods and aJI th« Ttne maieriat Hamtronics provided witti their krt, they made the job easy. See Frgure 3 far I he interconnections needed to provide I he switching nee* essary for the implantation of Single- switch PTT operation on 2 meters with these modules. By I he way, you can place the bare bones version of these modules without the microwave equlpmen! attached tor 2 meter SSB operation.
f^ext month I plan to cover the IF switch circuit particulars that will be adaptable to any system for VHP switching. The beauty of this circuit Is that it incorporates a protection circuit for the microwave converter that pre* vents a high level of RF from taking a
dlirect path to the microwave mixer. This can be an embarrassing if not expensive lesson in why we prevent high power from reaching a prized and expensive microwave mixer.
In the switching circuitry for the 28 UHz to 2 meter conversion (Figure 3) use small relays, aval fable from Ra- dio Shack. Remember For good sig- nal isolation, use two relays to pre- vent the relays from lalkJng to each other.* The levels used in this switch- ing path are low, as we doni use the full power of the 28 MHz SSB system (limited to about +10 dBm). Addition- aliy. the Hamtronics transmit convert- er is afso limited to low power by dis- abling the final 2 watt transistor stage to provide again k)w-levet RF for mi- crowave mixing. At this point keep the modifications simple as you might want to return this equipment to nor- maJ 2 meter use.
The final Analyste
Was the Hamtronics Idl cost effec- tive and did it provide a good t^se on wtiFCh 10 constaict a VHP ptatform for converting HF rig to 2 meters? You beV. My onfy Shoughfcs on improvement wouid be to have a single PC board with the low-power rec/xmt dncuitry for conversion to 2 meters done *n such a way thai its main use woufd be for mi- crowavers' appficatjons. Well, there I go again dmaming of the perfect appli- cation for my small problem. If we had it our way every time we wouldn't have any fun on the worlcbench. Besides, the modular design allows the most flexibility, such as for cross band OSCAR operation. I have to thank Hamtronics for providing their modules for our evaluation in this application,
|
Pad Value (dB) |
Shunt R (otims) |
Series R (ohms) |
Good for power level: |
|
3 |
aoo |
IS |
2mW |
|
6 |
160 |
40 |
4mW |
|
10 |
100 |
72 |
10 mW |
|
14 |
75 |
120 |
25 mW |
|
20 |
6t |
250 |
100 mW |
|
30 |
53 |
790 |
1 watt |
|
40 |
51 |
2500 |
10 watt |
Tat^e h Attenuator values for pad construction, Oto40 {fB, for use tn FigurB 3,
and to stale that they pe^ormed very well. The kits and PC tx>ard were easy to follow and in operation peHonned flawlessly. I highly recommend thes€ Hamtronics kits for your SSB HF con- version considemtion.
Mailbox
Greg N8RXB wntes: *1 am trying to find a simpEe circuit for use as a 10 GHz detector to sftow the presence of a signal. A power indicator would be an added plus* Well, Greg, a sin- gle diode in a waveguide is the sim- plesi drcufi that can be constructed. Obtain a short piece of waveguide for the frequency of interest. In ttijs case a piece of r t>y 1/2'" guide about r to 2" tong will work welL A microwave- type diode is needed and anything similar to a 1N23 will work well. This diode is packaged mudi fike a 22 cal* iber bullet. The brass bottom case is made tor grounding in waveguide and the top is the worthing contact of the diode. Some diodes are made in such a way that they can be puiled out of the bottom brass case and reversed in polarity. For our application either way will work weiJ — you Just have to change the indicator polarity to suit the diode polarity.
I just got a thank you reply back from Greg in the mai and he informs me Itiat my suggestions work very well. He found an old security alarm circuit with a diode attached and re- ports ttiat tlie CJrouft is doing the job nicely.
Dean Lucas NSVMD questions the antenna notse bridge {73 magazine. February 1 9S4). Dean does not krww about the RSGB Handbook and is kxjking for information. Well Dean, I will send you a copy of the Circuit from tfie RSGB Handbook. The book is available from the ARRL library and costs about $30. It is published by the RSGB. i.e. Radio Society of Great Britain, Cranbom Road, Potters Bar. Herlordshire England EN6-3JW. The book is a collection of articles covering almost every aspect of VHf and UJ-IF communications. It is slant- ed towards material found in the UK but as a sourcebook and idea book It is quite good in describing operations and methods. The author is G, R. Jessop G6JR
WeJI, that's it for this month. As al- ways I will be gEad to answer ques- tions concerning this and related top- ics. Please send an SASE for a prompt response. Chuck WB6IGR
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Michaet J. Geier KBfUM C^O 73 Mag^zme 70 Route 202 North Peterborough NH 03458
Failure Modes
A long time ago, I wrote a column called "The Way It Goes." in which I <Jescril>ed the typical failures found in various kjnds of parts, along with the reiattve frequency of failures, arranged by type of <xnTiponent. Let's taNe an- other look a^ that, this time cor«:efttrat- ing on failures in semtconduclors, wAUk^ are by far the most oomnx>n. A£- so, let's took at how a failed active compon^i affects the parts armjnd It Just why do things stop working?
ReliablUty
If youVe old enough to remember tubes, you probably recall pulling the tubes from your malfunctioning TV (or watching your dad do Jt) and taking t?iem ciown to the local convenience store. There, you popped them Into a socket on a giant tester and cfiecked the tiit»5' emissions. Usually, one was quile low, and a nevv S3 tube was pur- chased. You got home, put them all back in and, wow, the set worked again.
Imagine domg that today! Widespread use o( the transistor swept the old fubes and that big tester into oblivion, where liiey belonged, Whefi solid-state circuits came along, we
Your Tech Answer Man
W8fe promised they wouki be mgged, reliable and pretty much permanent. Were the manufacturers lying? Kind of. See. the transistor had the potential to be all those things, but getting It to ac- tually live up to its promises was. and stin is. something else.
AtRf^t
The earliest transistors were made of gennanium. This materlaj is a good semiconductor. In fact, it exhibits less voltage drop m the *'on' state trmn does the silicon we use today. Unfortunately,
The tubes wore out because they had to operate at high tenpeiatures in order to work. For a tube, heat is a necessary element. Also, because of the heat and the aniottnt of power be- ing dissipated, other components, such as resistors and capacitors, got fried too. (More on that later.) For a transis- tor, though, heat is no more than an unfortunate byproduct, because the electronic energy travels through solid matter (hence the "solid-state* moniker), so it doesn*t need to be heat- ed up to get i1 to fly through space. Bui, transistors do get wanm. Sometimes, they get downright hoi, especially if they have to handle lots of current.
• «
CMOS is perhaps one of the most reliable technoiogies we have and,
without it, most of the iittie, battery-operated toys we enjoy so much, such as pocltet TVs and mini CD ptayers, couidn't exist "
it had other problems, the worst of whktfi was its physically fragile nature. Even a little heat, or a good bump, could fracture a stiver of germanium, causing these parts to be very failure- prone. The average tube could easily outcast the average gemrtanium transis- tor. Today, germanium is used only in special cases which require the smaller voltage drop. You can stiil buy germa-
AtkJ. as with any frattdrial, high temper- atures can break down molecular bonds and destroy the device. But what about small-sigiial parts which don't generate significant heat? Why do they tjreak down?
Zap
One of the biggest causes of com- ponent failure is static discharge. A
good zap wilf destroy Just about any- thing, because the rampaging elec- trons actually bum a hole between lay- ers of the semconductor allowing sig- nal electrons to go where they don't belong. And. it's a cascading effect: once the damage starts, the applied powef continues it until a toial short oc- curs. And, although you'd think it would be an instantaneous process, as the old song goes, "it ain't necessarily so." Transistors and iCs designed for very small signals and/or low-power operation tend to have extremely thin boundaries between layers; thafs a big part of the reason small voitages cari traverse them and operate these de- vk:es, ft is, however, also a recipe for disaster. Even a smali static discharge can punch a nice hole in such Utin lay- ers. But, Ff it's a sman hole, the device may continue to work! Over time, itrough, the ho*e wili get bigger until the device finafly faHs. It can take months. CMOS chips have built-in protection diodes to help prevent static damage, but rt can stiil happen, especially when the parts are tying around loose. MOS- FET transistors, which use essentially the same construction, also are vulner- able, It's not uncommon for a CMOS part which has been damaged by static discharge to work fine tor quite awhile and then sudd en Fy short out, so long after the damaging event you can't even remember it happened. IVe seen RAM chips do that. Nonetheless, be- cause of its ultra-low'power. cool pper- airon. CMOS is perhaps one of the most reliable technologies we have and. without it, most of the litde, bat- tery-operated toys we enjoy so much, such as pocket TVs and mini CD play- ers. coufdn't exist.
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Made That Way
Th&re's another cause of semicon- ductor failure, and you can t do any- thing about it. Like anything els&, the structures Inside transistors and iCs aren't perfect: they often have extreme- ly small buishles and holes in them. We're talking sub-microscopic here; it takes a scanning electron microscope to see them. Over a period of months, or even years, electron flow through hotes can cause enough damage to begin a short. Also, believe 3t or not, imperfections can nan-ow a conductor's effective area enough that it presents enough resistance to generate a srnal] amount o\ heat. It aini much but, at this size scale. It doesr\'t take much! Mlao- scopic aluminum a>ndue1or lines can actually mefL Big chip makers employ chemists whose sole |ob it Is to study these molecular phenomena and try to devise ways to prevent their formation. And. as the lines get snrtalPer and small- er, the problem gets worse. If we're ev- er going to have reliable, affordabJe ifiulli- megabit RAM Chips, this issue will have to be resolved. As It stands rww. manufacturing processes are a tot bet- ter than they were just a few years ago. That's a btg reason why chip densities have risen so much, bringing us 486 micfos and such,
Th« Bumpy Road
Can semiconductors actually break, in the phy^icai sense? As I mentioned
before, gernrianium was prone to doing tfiat. SJIicof) is a great deal sturdier but yes. it can happen. I've seen transis- tors fracture, especiafly if they were hot when the shock occurred. I've never seen an IC do iL though, but I suppose if cotJkJ. Crystals, which aren*t semi- conductors, of course, but are made out of quartz, which is quite fragile when sliced thin, are the worst offend- ers. If yoM drop your rig onto a hard ^rface and any of its crystat oscillators stop working, suspect the crystal right from the start. I can't count the number of t>ad crystals Tve run into, and many of them cfied from physical shock.
Can't Touch This
Yqy don't need the high voltage of a ^tic discharge to damage a semicon- ductor. Son^etimes^ even just a few volts wili do, particularly with MOS- FETs. An^. tielieve it or not, just touch- ing a lead can occask^naUy do the dirty deed, thanks to induced voltages and v/eaK un noticeable static build-up on your body. That's why people who work with CMC^ and MOSf ET parts a great deal wear those grounded wrist straps. If you dont have one, it's a good Idea to touch something grounded, like youf scope ground, after you sii down and tjefore you stk;k a finger on the circuit board.
The Domino Effect
In the tube days, enough power was
being dissipated, and enough heat be- ing generated, to dan^ge resistors, ca- pacitors and colls even when there wasn't ar\ything wrong with the circuit! But with solid-stale circuits, that's rarely the case. Sure, there are some power-handling drcucts which can heat up and cause those old-fashioned trou* bias. Power supply regulators and power amplifiers come to mind. But in nrtost circuits, signals are small, and the amount ol power be^ng dissipated Es so tiny that there just isn't the poten- tial to make much heat
But. when a semiconductor dies, it often can do some damage to other parts. The usual cause is a shorted transistor or diode's pulling too much current through ar>olher cofriponent. h^dng it up to the point of destruction. Typicaity, the victim is a resistor of low value. Obviously, you can't pull a great deal of cun'ent through a lOk ohm re- sistor njnning off a l2'Volt suppV< rio matter what you do; even if you put the resistor direct fy between the two sup- ply rails, you'd only have 1.2 mA flow- ing, for a total power dissipation of 14.4 mflfiwahs. Most resistors are rated for at least 250 mW, so there's no prob- lem. But, if the resistor is only, say. 10 ohms, now you're talking trouble, be- cause enough cun'ent can flow to heat and crack the resistor Consequently, emitter resistors in power amps are ripe tor damage wher> the finals short out. Very often, they'll have smaJl
cracks which make them open or inier- mtttenL Coils also can be blown that way, because they usually have low DC resistance. But^ the healing effects which used to ruin capacitors In the tube days afe all but gone: unless a cap is nearly touching a big power transistor, chances are if1f be unaffect- ed by a blowout.
I hope youVe enjoyed this little me- ander through the world of dying semi- conductors. As the years go dy. the pans gel more and more reliabfe, but they still go and probably always will Oh wefl, at least they don't have fila- ments to bum ouL Now. Jet's bok at a letter:
Dear Kaboom,
My Ramsey 2 meter kit radio picks up a lot of iniermod. Granted, I live near some big commercial VHF tow* ers, so f can*! really fault Ihe rig. Still, Vd kwe lo t>e al^le to actually use it! Is there anything I can do lo reduce the mess?
Slfined, 6am Door Open
Dear Bam Door,
The Ramsey kit performs about as well as nxjst radios, but the company makes a special fitter just for problem areas like yours. Give them a call and they'll tell you a if about it
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73 Amateur Radio Today * May, 1 994 85
73
Number 24 on your Feedback card Project Manager TELECOM 95. BotJi
a Af v^H^mMfl m ^M^%WkM M M ^^^ ^^ IntemationaJ Telecommunication
JrlVff Evm Af#l I f vfv/lL Union. Place de Nations. CH'l2tl
— - - - - Geneve 20. Switzerland.
A^rF^e Johnson NWAC 43 Did Homestead Hwy. N, Swanzey NH 03431
Notes from FN42
A$ I am writing this coiumn (M^rdh 3), we have just finishBd receiving six inches of ttie white Huffy stuff that falls from the Sky, and Vm not talking about Cottonwood tree cotton, and we are ex- pecting another 2*-3' duhng the night. This malies storm #75 to come tiirough New England this winter season. We am fast approaching the recx)fd for the most snowfall t really don't care to break the record. I 'm running out of ^pace to plow the snow to.
Okina wa 's Hamba ssa dor Da vid Cowhig is moving to Taiwan in August. I'm sure that Okinawa will miss him, but he has promised to continue his report- ing from Taiwan. David also sent some beautiful pictures of the islands arourTd Okinawa and a very pretty QSL I am submitting the QSL for print because of the very vivki cofors of the fish and the blue water / tiope that the QSL wilt be printed in color. |Ed. Note: Sorry Ami^!J David also adds that Okinawa has 300 of the known 600 species of coral afKf some of the finest coral reefs in the worid*
Time for the news of th^ world— 4m/e NWAC.
Roundup
Ecuador Another "Program Notes" from HCJB, Voice of the Andes, reports ttiat their 1 994 OSL series features the people of EcuackDr in bright oo^or Send in a complete reception report to aug- menr your QSL collection.
Also. DO Wednesdays. "Ham Radio Today": Get witn other amateur radio fans and host John Beck for a hall hour of featureSn tips, newSn and helps for your hobby. Atrs to the Americas a! 0100. 0330 and 0530 UTC: to the South Pacific at 0800 and 1030 UTC. and to Europe at 0800 and 1930 UTC.
Pakistan Received in tfje mail from th0 Pakistan Amateur Radio Society. Reported in the January t994 "PARS News Letter" were the following items: From January to December 1993, at least 20 new amateur Ibenses were is- sued by the PTC wireless Board Istam- abad. great progress for 1993; the PARS QSL Bureau is working very well, havirig cleared all the incoming and outgoing QSL cards on December 31: Wahid Public School Islamatiad is the first school in Pakistan Hcensecf for an amateur mdio station, AP5WPS> to promote the amateur radio hobby to the school's senior students; and evening classes for radio hams. Navy and Merchant Ships were started at Wahid Public School on 1 November.
For further information about PARS or to receive the "PARS r^ews Letter,* write or call: Pakistan Amateur Radio Society, Zom 21 PO Box 1450, tstam-
abad, Pakistan 44000 Region 3; Tel. 252853. pile "News Letter^ was six pages long and was very informative^ with operating practices and proce- dures for radio hams. Ham Maitbag, and rarSo tips. — Amie}
Switzerland From the ITU Press Notes: Just in case you missecf it. the following countries have received membership since January 1: Czech Republic (Jan 1), Georgta (Jan ?). Slo- vakia (Feb 23), Kazakhstan (Feb 23), Micronesia (Mar 18). The Former Yu- goslav Reputslic of Macedonia [May 4), Turkmenistan (May 7), Eritrea (Aug 6), and Andon-a (Nov 12),
The TELECOM 95 FORUM, to be held in Ger^eva in conjunction with the TELECOM 95 exhibition from 3 to 11 October 1995, has been drasticaliy re- thought in light of the changes \t\ the
ISRAEL
Ron Gang 4X1t\AK Kibbutz Urim D. Negev 85530
4X1 KT Memorial Packet HF-VHF Gateway Station Up and Working Corrirvne Yehudah 4X6VT reports that she has got the 4X1 KT memorial pack- et gateway up and working on the air at Kiryal Yam, a northern suburb of Haifa. Using the late T^vi Pomer 4X1 KTs gear donated by his family, the station is already relaying the traffic between the Haifa 4X4HF BSS and abroad.
When 4X1 RU stepped down at the end of December, 4X1 KT completely took over the Israeli internationaf for- warding. Corrinne reports that this has been an amazing learning exfsenence, and in one day she managed to pass 1 .5 megabytes of traffic with a Greek station. Help has been offered also
By establishing a truly open door policy, the FORUM is a unique opportunity to bring all these interest groups together. "
policy, economic, regulatory, financial, devefopment and investments aspects of telecommunications ttial are now in- timatety entwined with technology, in- novative in concept, form and sub- stance, the FORUM will consist ot two summits, one on strategies and one on technology.
The Forum aims to open up a true dialogue with all relevant companies and organ izabons affected by the cur- rent information lechnoiogy revolution. "^By establishing a truly open door poli- cy, the FORUM is a unique opportunity to bring all these interest groups to- gether." says Pekka Tarjanne, Secre- tary-General of the ITU, "It wifl alloM the telecommunications industry to ex- plain what it has io offer, and itie users' community to articulate its require- ments."
The theme of the Technology Sum- mit, ^'Convergence of technotogies, ser- vices and applications,* will expire in three {^raliel conference traci^ the fot- towing issues: communications ser- vices for the individual, communica- tions services for business. ^r\6 nation- al, regional, and global issues.
The Call for Papers for the Summit encourages submissions from all in- dustries involved in or affected by the new telecommunicafions environment and from governments of all countries, be Ihey developing or developed. The deadline for the receipt of abstracts is August 15. 1994.
For further press information contact Francine Lambert, Chief Press and Public Information: for information on submitting abstracts contact Lill Rison,
from Germany and Italy for relaying traffic and bulletins as far as the tow sunspots wilt permit. 4X1 GP. 4X1 RU. and 4X4XM. to mention a few. have been most helpful getting Corrtnne go* ing t>oth with the hardware and soft- ware.
Corrinne, who for the past few years has been managing the outgoing lARC OSL bureau, observes thai both the bureau and the gateway are like a kitchen sink: f^ matter how many dish- es you wash, there are always more waiting!
The (unction ttiat 4X1 RU sefved as a BBS for the Tet*Aviv ar>d Central area node (HRZ) has been taken over by the new 4Z4AAA BBS and TLV node run by Yaacov 4Z5AY. There were about three days of silence m the area at the tjeginning of the year until Yaa- cov and his crew got everything up and running, otherwise the transition was completefy snx»oth. Now the bulletins from all over the world are daily filling our monitor screens, and we are strJl blessed with a beautifully functioning packet system.
Many thanks to Jim 4X1 RU for all his years o! service as BBS SysOp and VHF'HF gateway station. Jim is still ac- tive on packet, but now as a private station. ar>d is providir>g the 4XNet sys- tem with Iresh AM SAT bulletins, a ser- vice much appreciated.
More Pirates Bite the Ouslf After itm all thought that the Mmistry of Conv munications was impotent and the lARO had won a court precedent that it could have tf>e police arrest pirates and wiDf ui interfece^ artd take tftem to trial.
the Ministry's Monitoring Unit has caught a few bootieggers. Although the information that has reached us is sketchy, apparently one of the offend- ers was In Kibbutz Hamad iya. using the club callsign of a neighboring kibbutz.
Another of>e was in the l-taifa area. A tot of amateur equipment was confis- cated. He is now trying, in a crash course, to acQu^re the required profi* ciency to pass ttie next Radio Annateur Examinations, and has offered all the seized equipment as a gift to the lARCl
Another twOt reportedly in Herzllya. were using unlicensed amateur gear and were jarrwnjng wirele^- telephones.
4265TA Celebrates Tel-Aviv*s 85th Birthday From January 1 through Aprit 30. 4Z65TA, a special station com- memofating the 85th anniversary of the founding of the city of Tel -Aviv, will be on the air All modes {and we mean all— CW, SSB. SSTV, packet, AMTOR, FACTOR , and RTTY} will l^e operated on ail the bands, and possibly via satel- lite as welt.
Shbmo Musali 4X6LM, Ifie Ifianagef of the statkn, promises a special QSL lor every contact made. ar>d says that a diploma will be availabEe. The condi- tions necessary for winning the award will be published as soon as known; in the meantime, make it a New Year's Resolution to get on the air and work the station on as many modes and bands as you can!
OKINAWA
Das/id Cowhig 7J6CBQ/WAILBP
AmCon Naha
fBU PSC 556, Box &40
FPO AP 96372-0840
Summer '93 brought I he Taiwan- Japan-Korea-Russia UHF test in Eate July and portable operations at the many festivals hetd in Okinawan cities and towns. The Kadena Radio Club operated the UHF test from a hilftop ate at Tanodake in northern Okinawa. Taiwanese, Japanese. Korean and Russian stations participate in this an- nual propagation test. JS6YLV worked a 8V Taiwan station on early Saturday afternoon and then turned its beams north to work Into Kyushu and Honshu Saturday evening and Sunday, A strong typhoon which hit soutfiem Hon- shu on Saturday evening reduced ac- tivity from that area considerably! The JS6YLV hams proudly told me of how they contacted another island 20Q km to the north by ATV (fiam tetevision) on 1200 MHz a few years ago from the same hilltop site. The 430-440 MHz ham band is not used for ATV in Japan; 1200 MHz and 2400 MHz are the ATV bands here*
Another group ot hams operated from the Qnnason FestivaL Onnason. a spectacularly beautiful resort, lies halfway up the Pacilic coast of Oki- nawa. Onnason is proud of its early ISth century wonr^n poet Onna Nabe who wrote this verse, the most famous of the Ryukyuan Songs: 'i gaze upon the Onna hills/Towards my lover's home village;/l want to push the moun- tains aside/And draw fiim here to rne-' Okinawan literatufe and mustc, a won-
86 73 Amateur Radio Today • May, 1 994
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Repeater HPA |
|
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25 |
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SGC's Hidden (160-10) Antenna
Covenants, building codes and neighbors limiting your HF gpe rations? SGC would like to shrire a simple solution using 90 feet of wire, some TV twin lead stand-offs and ihe legendary SG-230 Smartuner '^'^. Heir's pari of a letter from Jerry Davis of Amateur Radia Installations, in Los Angeles. California:
"Dear SGC:
I recent h' in skilled the system you see here for an elder hum who lives in a
retirement commuuity. This was one of those cases where a ham wanted top
notch performance on ail bamis-and boy, did you guys deliver!
As yotill see. the Smar tuner is mounted under the peak of fiie roof and fwo
... ■■*•
. ' VJ
A proud owner of a hidden antennu ,system u^iivg aij SG-230 ^8 stranded iusidated wires run under the eaves down from the peak and SmartunerJ'^ tromSGC. down eit tier side of the htiiidtng. Each is 45 feet ioni^. ! hope you can see this hi the close up picture. This antenna only look a few hours to ins tali and no one noticed us doing anytliinj* as it looked like we were workini^ on the eaves!
Wlien we fired if up, the system tuned perfectly on eveiy band. My client is pleased and even asked me to send along her fyicture. but she !iad to hide lie r features because there are sttfl a lot of people in the retirement community wIjo don't realize she's running 9 hand DX. Ttiank you for your suggestions on this installation.
By the way, I worked Madrid, Spain from the car using the SG 2000, SG-303 and Quick Mount Sxstem ffie otirer dar around I PM local time.. Believe it or not, f ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^_ had a better signal than almost all the fixed stations here in die LA area. Keep it up and best 73 's
Jerry Davis, KK6 YO " PO Bax 3526
Bellevue, WA 98009 USA
For a free infbivmtlon package, call SGC at I -800-259-7331 or circle Fax (206)746-6384 our Reader Sen'ice number. We make our great transceivers, antenna (206)746-6310 or couplers, antenna sysienis and accessories right tie re in the USA. 1-800-259-7331
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73 Amateur Radio Today • May. 1 994 87
derful synthesis of old and new with many ele- ments borrowed from majniand Japan, China and South Asia, reflects the passionate feel Ergs and friendly "i-chari-tja- chode" (to feel like brothers on the first meeting) spirit of the Okmawan people. "I- chari-ba-chode" trans- lates best into HngNsh as "Aloha™— Okinawa history and culture have innumerable parallels With the Aloha State. One-fourth of the Japanese- Americans of Hawaii trace their fami- lies back to Okinawa.
In mid-August the first Okmawan Radio Direction Finding Con- test was held in the Prefeciurai Forest near Onnason, The two hams who found the six transmitters In the shortest time won the right to represent Okinawa in the annual Kyushu regional radio direction finding event. Both win- ners used a 2 meter hand-hefd yag [/re- ceiver unit manufactured by Mizhuno Radio Co, TTie 145.18 MHi Foxhunting Friendship Ciub regularly holds mobile foxhunts one Thursday night a month
Photo A. QSL card from JSStiQ^
in southern Okinawa with a nice late- night snack at the site of the fox— the hidden transmitter.
Tourist hams from other parts of Japan Hstening to the 2 meter band here for the first time are surprised that so many hams here speak Okinawan, a Japanese dialect nearly tncompre-
hensible to Tokyo dwellers. As I write this In January 1 994, many of the 1 ,200 Okinawan hams (6,000 people have ham licenses) are saying "e so- gatchi de-bi-ru" (Happy hJew Year) to one an- other in Okinawan as well as the "a-ke- ma-shi-te o-me-de-to go-zai-masu" (Happy New Year in standard
Japanese). Okinawa Prefecture (population 1.2 million) has tremen- dous dialect differences from island to isEand. Saying thank you, for example, in standard Japanese is "artgato"; for hams speaking diaTect on the main island of Okinawa, "nhhey-day-bee-lu": on Miyako Island 'landy ga tandy"; and on Yonaguni island, 80 miles oft the coast of Taiwan, iu-ga- ia-sa/"
To get to the point where they could say "e so-gatch de-bi-ru," Okinawan hams ran a gauntlet of Forget -the- Old-Year Parties (bonen kai) starting in mid- December After the fine bonenkai of the 145 J 8 Foxhunting Friendship Group, where we saw a display of foxhunting antennas and enjoyed the tine view from atop the Hotel Ekka In ivjaha, many of my Okinawan ham friends got ready to go to their second party, to be followed by a third in some cases! In January many people go to New Year's parties as welL Okinawan hams kn_aw how to have fun!
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88 73 Amateur Radio Today May, 1994
A
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89 Antennas West 64
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R.S.# page
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223 National Amateur Radio, 79
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49 Polyphaser 46
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73 Amateur Radio Today UsLy, 1994 89
Never Say Die
ContinuBd from paga 4 there I asked where Ihey were In tew- ing W4 calls. They checked and said they were jus! handing out W4NSA at that time, 1 said to hold W4N3D for me please, which ihey did. I put in for It while I was there and returned 10 Southern Pines that night with my first class commercial ticket and my W4NSD license.
rd brought along my Icilowatt NBFM rig, so I had a great time worth- ing DX from there. Laier 1 movfrd to Sarasota. Florida, to wofH at WSP8, where I was active on 6m and 20m.
In I95t I moved to Cleveland, Ohio, arxi applied for W8NSD I'd put on my application so long that by the time my new call arrived I was led up with working there ard was about to inove back to New Yorfc, That was the year 1 operated the first weekend of the ARRL Sweepstakes contest as W2NSD/8 in Cleveland, and the sec- ond weekend from New York as WSNSD/2. I had separate rigs, so the onty ttiing in common was my D-104 microphone.
Sometime afler that Ihe FCC stopped making such parallel calls available. So when t moved to New Hampshire in 1962 they couldn't give me Wi NSD Bui they said that they expected to change the rules so t would be able to get the call and to
operate as W2NSD/1 in the mean- while. 1 had a permanent address in New Yofl^ at my folks' house, so it was legal. I kept sending in the required notices of portabte ope rati on , waiting for the promised rule change. This went on for years. Then, in the 70's ihey eliminated the portable notifica- tion mle. But they never made it pos- sible for me to get W1NSD, so 1 said to belt with 'em and have been usirYg my W2NSD ever since. I may have set a record lor portable operation. If s been 32 years now! Anyone beat mat?
So what call would I swap for my old W2NSD/1? WelL I have to admit that I did get a kick out of operating JYT from King Hussein s palace. So the call of my choice would be '^.' Stands for Wayne. Yes. I'il pay. How much do they want? How's tfiat for an ego trip? Would 1 accept W1? Well, perttaps. So wfx) are Ihey going to sell Wto?
Media Inertia
Rrsl I want to thank the dozens Of readers who wrote in asking for more information on the AIDS cure, I want to particularty thank those who have been putting up with my writing atx>ut anything I think will interest you.
Tlie new year was particularty esc- citing for me because I felt 9 had some earth-shaking news ahead of the pop- ular media . . . news which would
eventually make headlines. The most exciting was the AIDS cure news. Next, by a nose, was the news of what's been developing in the cold fu- sion field. Imagine, a cure for the world's worst disease and what looks hke a new source of unlimited power Ifom nickel and waterl Then I got wo^ of a simple and inexf^ensrve new p no- cess for converting radioactive waste isotopes into non-radioactive ele- ments and isotopes. Wow! This pro- cess seems connected with Hie cold fusion process.
I wanted lo get the word out on thesQ incredible developments as quh:kly as I could, so I dropped notes to several magazines, asking If ttiey were interested in getting more infor- mation. I wrote to Tjime, N&wsweek. US News, QmnL Dtst^v&r, Scientific American, Forces, Fortune, etc. The only one Ive heard from after sevefal weeks was Omni, which sent me a fonn rejection letter.
Oh yes. I also wrote to my senators and congressmen, the governor, Bill and Hillary, Aj and Tipper, and a few other elected officials. No word.
Is It that no one of importance reads their mail any more? I read m^ne, but then I probably don^t count as a person of importance, except in my own mind.
Meanwhile, word of the AIDS cupb has been appearing in a few medical Journals In the US, Canada, and Aus-
tralia, so that may get around without my help.
The AIDS Circuit
Though the circuil itseff is dlrt-sbn- pie, I wanted to provide as complete instmctJons to its use as I could so I wrote the whoie works up and printed It as an eight-page booklet l*ve sent this to everyone wtio wrote asking me to pttblish the circuit. No charge. But I have asked for dor^tions to help me get the word out with PR and ads. Tve asked that anyone who has AIDS and is cured as a result of nrry information send ine $100 which will be used solety for the pronfx>tion of this cure.
If I gel enough donations Vi\ try to find someone to put together e as fly- built kits of parts to help make this even easier. I've also asked that any* one experimenting with this approach keep careful notes and send me a copy.
GoUy. it was bach in 1364 that t got Involved with pulling together parts kits. I wanted to help the 73 readers be able to buikl the constatction pro- jects we published, i ined firs! to inter- est an outside company in doing it, but couldn't find anyone interested. So I hired a ham from Miltord, the ne>cl town east of here, to handle the kits. It meant building a test unit, writing up the detailed instructions, buying the pari:s, listing the kits in the magazine, then packing and shipping the kits
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90 73 Amateur Radio Today • May, 1 994
when they were ordem6. Sounds sim- ple, eh? What a hassled
When he goi hopelessly screwed vp with this I moved him on to some- thing else and tried a ham from Keene^ the next big town to the west. The kits were late, ads wrong, parts not ordered, and so on, I r»rkaljy gave up a net did it mysetf. I bought all my parts from Evans Radio tn Concord* NH, wrote the instaictions, picked the parts, wrote the labeEs. and had a good business going.
But I was also busy putilishirtg not Just 73, but afso 6 Up. 5-7-9, ATV, and a club newsletter editor newslet- ter. 6 Up viras a VHF-UHF newsletter 5-7'B was for ccntesters. These four newsletters were written by experts in the fields, edited by the 73 crew, and I printed 'em all on an AB Dick 360 press in my garage. I had local high school students come in after schoot to do the collating, stapling, and ad* dressing.
This was atl worldng ffne except for a couple of teeny weeny little prob- lems. First, and least significant, was that I was paying the kids 50c an hour to work. They loved it, but that was less than the minimum wage, so I had to fire them and pot iri a cottating ma^ chine and an automatic addressing machine. That saved me money, but put the kids out of work. They used their new spare tirrte to gel into Irou* hie.
The second teeny problem was my divorce from my first wife^ which really threw me for a Eoss. I got so sick over it that I coukjn't work more than a few minutes a day without collapsing. So I had to stop publishing the four newsletters. I ended the parts kit pro* gram. I turned the tr\stitute of Amateur Radio over to one of the directors to mn. and hired a manager for za The Institute director quickly bled the membership bank account dry. My manager/editor did an outstanding job of trying to put 73 ou! of business. He Stopped sending out renewal notices. He canceled several thousand ^uY>- schptions. Then he walked oul and left me with not only that mess, but with not one single artrcle for the next issue. He took along my circulation manager, and my entire production department. He tried to hire away my assistant editor and bookkeeper. ar»d so on. He used all the articles to heEp start Ham Radio, a move which tend- ed to pul a strain on our relationship from then on.
lt*s been a long time sJnce fVe writ- ten about the eaiiy days of 7 j . , . ni have to tell you some of the stories about those times.
So now I'm considering getting back Into handling kits again. Well, a kJL anyway. But if it'll help save a few thousand Hves, 111 be glad to help. Maybe f1l be able to find someone this time who'll be able to am a small kit
business for me. Oddly enough, when 1 first heard about the AIDS cure we tried to get two ham kit coirpanies to do this one . . . and Ihey woukjn't.
DRA
This is my latest attempt to try and get some intelligence into ham QSOs. J suppose t shoukj |ust shut up atx>ut this and stop grumbling. Hams, trapped by an age-old technology where they can only taJk or tislen, but not both, will probatily never be abEe to maintain many interesting conver* sations. Oh. Tve come up with some fairly simple ways 1o get duplex con- tacts going, but to no avail
Back when I was in the fifth grade at the Oyster School in Washington. DC, they had a clever way of getting all the students to read the paper ev- ery day. That's more than most kids do now, right? They had a dammy mi* crop hone in the class and each stu- dent had to get up and give a news item from yesterday's paper. We had to be prepared wtth several Items be- cause no duplication was permitted. That had us reading the papers, book- ing for unusual and interestirtg items.
The DRA stands for "didya read about." The idea is to clip interesting items from newspapers and maga- zines and have 'em handy near the rig so you can pick one up and ask DRA.
\ don't know about you. but 1 read a ton of magazlr^s (but no newspapers)
arKf Tm a cffppfng ffend. Call me the Yankee Clipper. I pull the pages oul of magazines on politics, health, EMF. ar>d SO on. Jusi under C I have clip- ping files for capitalism, child care, classical music. Clinton's plans, clothes, cold fusjoa colleges, comput- ers, Cof>gress, copy writing, cosmolo- gy, cnme, and cutting govemment
If you've worked me recent iy on the air the chances are that I somehow managed to steer the conversation around to AIDS or cotd fusion. But it you have anything that interests you, the chances are good that I'll be inter- ested too^ I just want to talk about somethir^g olher than what rig or an- tenna you have, t like to use our com- munications medium for communicat- ing. I want to know what work you do, what other hobbies ar>d Interests you have, and anything new that t might have missed.
Many readers delight me by finding articles In their local papers they think will interest me and sending me dtp- pings. I really enjoy that So keep a pair of scissors handy and clip for your file. And if you find something you know Vm interested In, send me a copy. OK?
|.,oony Tunes * , ^
That's the answer some scientists have used to rkiicuie others for contin- uing to research the cold fusion phe- nomenon. Many areas of research are
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73 Amateur Radio Today • May. 1 994 91
cut off from any significant funding t>y the Loony-Tune derision. OJ course there's nolfiing new about this, as I've explained befotB, The Wright Brothers were ridiculed as frauds tor $everai years after their maiden flight, it was so bad tliat they left America and went to France, where their work was ap- preciated. The same thing Pons and Fleischmann did.
There are so many areas that sci* entists shouki be researching, but are prevented by ridicule, llaat if we are ever able to overcome thai read ion by the pathologically skeptical, we'll be able to enjoy more progress in undar- Standir>g the wo rid an6 life than any- thirvg we've seen in the past
There are so many "crazy' things that science has ignored that I can on- ly list some of the major ones that come to mind. I've read enough books to convince me that we need to find out a lot more about death, reincarna- tion, me spirit world, psychics, psychic healing, clairvoyance, fortune telling ^ psycometry. predicting the future, UFOs, UFO oontaclees, auras, spoon bending, prayer, communications be- tween and with plants, der^taJ amai- gam, vitamins, light bioelectromag* netism, electromagnetic fields and health, mob psychology, magnetism, communications with extraterrestrials, near'death experiences, out of body experiences, mind reading, lEmb re- generation, light and health, all that missing dark matter, serendipity, cofn- cidences, past lEves, acupuncture, herbal medicine, homeopathy, chiro- practic. the placebo effect, music arid health, f^re walking, speed healing, psychokinesis, long (delayed radio echoes, and so on. How cfo Quija boards work? How atsout automatic writing? How can yogis control their heart rate, body temperature, blood flow, and so on? Is dowsing all tjaloney?
As I've mentioned, you can be- come a research scientist ^n your own home WFth nothing more than a bunch of beans and some pots to grow them in. Vou can experiment with the ef- fects on their growth of being exposed to either the north or south pole of a magnet, exposed to different colors of light, to AC fields, to nadio Tields, and even to prayer. Yes, I know it looks stupid to pray to a bean, but waiflt you see what it can do! Try some beans up near your linear, with some at a distance as a control. AtkJ some near your TV set.
By the time we've opened up most of the fields (Ve mentioned we're go- ing to know a lot more about our wo rid, about life, and even mayt>e be- gin to understand a lot more about God.
One nice thing about quantum me- chanics was that it knocked the stuff* ing out of the old-guard scientfsts. Most reacted by refusing to accept ft. I've totd you Max Planck's response to that. And sure enough, the old-timers gradually died off, taking their refusal to believe In quantum theory to their graves. Well we have our own ver- sion of that with our believers In CW.
S2 73 AmatBur Radio Today* May,
Oh, CW is nne. It just shouldn^t be a religious matter. And it also shouldn't t>e used to make amateur radio a skill hobby Instead of a technical ho&by. CW requires no mind at all. It's a sub- conscious fy developed skill. I prefer to have amateur radio depend on ex- panding the mind, not killing it
Perhaps, without our need for ever more complex and expensive military weapons, we'll be abte to devote more money to non-miMtary research and development. The latest figures I've seen have put the American overall scientific budget at about 80% mili- tary-oriented. That stinks. How much more technology do we need to butt into countries where we have no strategic interests? There are dozens of countries alt around the world where our media will be pushing us to send In our milttary for humanitarian reasons. Well, atrocities sell papers and build TV ratings ^ plus they give Congress an excuse to keep up their military pork spending. Le! me know when you think you are getting tired of being manipulated by the media.
One of the results of the ridicule in
When we win we're heroes. When we miss. weVe the only ones who need know about it. And we're not under any publish-or-pensh mreat.
i'm Proud to be an American!
Just look at everything we have to be proud of. We all know tt^t America is the greatest country tn the world. Love it or reave It. right? Weil, we all love America. And we are justly proud of a country which used to be the car capital of th^ world. Whkrh used to t^e by far number one In electronics and high-tech.
Well, we're still number one tn a great many ways and we shoutdnl forget it! We have one of the most corrupt governments in the world. We have one of the most expensive and least effective school systems in the worid. We have one of the most expensive health care systems in the world. We have some of the most corrupt unions in the world. We have the worst crime problem of any courv try m the world. We have rrtore mur- ders per capita than any other coun- try. We have more racial strife and
"And most of all, I'm truly proud of my fellow Americans, who are able to stomach all this corruption and waste without a whimper. "
America of cold fusion researchers ^ that most of the exciting devetop* ments in the field are happening in Other countries. We re getting left fur- ther and further behind. The lates! re- pott is from an Italian group who've go! a sysiem working thai they can turn on and off at wilf, and which, once started, generates around 300 ktio- watts using only three giams of nickel and some hydrogen for fuel. They haveni gone public with this yet. so we'll see if it's real when they've fin- ished their patent applications.
The time was when hams led the communications industry in th^ devel- opment of new technologies. We pio- neered FM. We pioneered NBFM, SSB, SSTV. and repeaters. We even pioneered TV. Some of the eariy com- mercial TV people had cut their teeth in an amateur TV studio In Long Is- land City When I worked as an engi- neer and then as chief cameraman at WPiX (channet 11) In New York bacM in 1948 several of the people working wth me were afumni of the Long Is- land studio.
There are many areas wide open for hams to research and pioneer, once we stop being scared off by the commercial research scientists. We have ^n enormous advantage over them in that they know that when they tackle a project they'd better damned well come up with a positive result. It's a vicious worid out there for scientists. Amateurs are gambling their own time and money This is why most of the major new breakthroughs in technolo- gy have been made by amateurs.
1994
bigotry. We have one of the worst drug problems in the worid. We have more lawyers and lawsuits per capita than any other country. We have the highest federal deficit In the world. We have the worst trade defK:it in the worid. We have the most dangerous cities in the world. We have the best music In the worid, but of course, 83% of our music comes from foreign* owned companies {mostly Japanese). We have more people in prison per capita than any other country. We have the wealthiest organized criminal groups in the worid. We have more employees in government than in manufacturing. And we're world- class when It comes to encouraging enlr^reneurs . . , to tap our goveni- ment via HUD, food stamps, and endless health care scams, all dutif- ully reported on our expose TV shows.
We can well be proud of our street gangs, our riots, our welfare system, our decaying cities caused by rent control, our polluted rivers, our ra- dioactive and Industrial waste record, black family disintegration, smog and air pollution, the IRS, Bill and Hillary, our obscene music lyrics, guns In schools, vapid sitcoms, illegal immi- grants, our foreign aid program, our lobbyists in Washington and all state Capitols, our porno industry, our mili- tary procurement system, our banking mess, our savirigs and loan mess, our tobacco farmer subsidies, corruption on Wall Street. NASA's monumental Inefficiency, our eager acceptance of eco-scams . . . you continue the list
please,
ftome had l\s circuses, with Chrfs- fiWB ighting lions and each other We have TV so we can gawk at mayhem in Bosnia and Somalia, so we can spend our days enjoying important things tike a severed penis» an at- ta^ed skater, our Bureau of Rreanns wiping out a dangerous colony of relf- gious nuts, and more religious nuts fighting or defending abortion. We reJ- ish every murder in the news, and then turn to crime shows for nrrore. We shine our media spotlight on any protest group. We fan the flames of sensitivity. We're sensitive to women, to homosexuals, to the "disadvan- taged.' to blacks, to the poor, to the short, the fat (so don't eat so damned much, fatly), the homeleas+ the lu- natics, and so oa
I'm proud of our choice of presi* dents. Of Lyndon Johnson who so en- thusiastically pursued the expensive and lost war in Vietnam and launched the long^ e)q>en5ive and lost war on poverty. Of Nixon, who still insists he was not a crook. Of Ford, who gave us lots of laughs. Of Carter, who gave us hyper-inflaiton. Of Reagan, who gave us the movie star president we'd always dreamed or Of 8ush who gave us . . . gave us? Oh yes, of Bush, who fir^lfy fed us up with both the Democratic and Republican par- ties, forcing us to lean on Ross Perot . . . who then crumbled under the weight.
And most of all Tm truly proud ot my felk)w Americans, who are able to stomach all this comjption and waste without a whimper, t'm proud of how our factory production school system has Chang©! what was once a fiercely proud nation into a nation Of wimps. I'm enjoying the spectacle of a people trying to er^act a constitutional change to limit terms ... please stop me from endlessly re-electing my crook. And another to balance the budget . * please stop me from letting my repre- sentatives spend my children's mon- ey. I'm proud of our stomach for con- gressional poriL
What other country would allow pe* dophiie (man-boy fove) groups to pa< rade? Would provide police protection for hate groups to parade? Would lis- ten by the millions for hours a day to Rush Limbaugh^ Howard Stern, and G. Gordon Liddy? What other country would watch Donahue, Oprah, and G era I do on TV every day explorting sickos?
I hope you are as proud to be an American as L I'm proud of the isia* tional Rifle Association and the Ameri* can Associatkin of Retired Persons for their effective lobbying, no matter what it is doing to our quality of life. Do you know that we have the most Gormpt newsstand circulation system in the world? And the most cormpt music industry loo? When it comes to superiatives, weVe got most of *em cornered.
Now, if you happen to t>e a trouble- maker and less of a Poltyanna ttian I, you might look at the downside of some of the superlatives Tve listed.
Yes, the Mafia fs ruthless and into hundreds of businesses, but by golly, it worlds! It works fabulously. Th& average Mafioso inakes well over a million a year, and what spells suc- cess more in America than making big money?
When we heard thaf Perot was a multi-billionaire we wanled him tor president, arid never mind some screws Ihai seemed lo be loose. Maybe well run Bill Gates nert time. Sill, who I happen to know personally, also has some screws ksose, but the lecent media oampaign to make him a household word should should sue- cesslully hide those btemishes.
But even if someone were to actu- ally get upset over the negative as- pects of the thjngs I've mentioned, we re all on this big train goi/tg a hun- dred miles an hour toward hen and there's nothing any of us can do to change things, flight?
Wrong, aciuatly. Tve got a chal- lenge for you. Let's see how creative you are. What rs one thing that you could do which coiild change almost everything many probably clin^lly depressed people see as negatives? Let me make that even more of a challenge. What is oriB thmg you could do which would take an average of abotit 12-seconds a day and which would inevitably change the welfare system, the social security mess, the deficit, crime, crowded prisons, the
drug war. foreign aid waste, unem- plovment, housing values, lower tax- es, and so on?
Now, if you look back over the list, you'fl see that virtually every outstand- ing misery in our country comes down to bejr>g caused or encoy raged by the government. The government you elected and are paying for.
Is the situation hopeless? Yes, un- less you change. Look, your poEitl* dans aren't going to change by them- selves. It isn't going to be easy to change them . . . but it actually can be done. Here's a scenario for you to think about. Let's suppose that no matter how good an elected pditidan seems to be doing his job. that with- out fail he is replaced fn the nea^t eldctk)n by someone new. This would kill the congressional seniority o^m- mittee system, which lies at the heart of most of our problems. Many con- gressional freshmen come in hoping lo make changes. It doesn't take them ^ortg to learn that ihey either play ball or they'll get zip. Mo commit- tee appointments worth spit No pork. Nil
iMevet ever re-elect any poiiiician. If we keep fitishing the toitet long enough we'll finally begin to see clean water in the bowL One tenn. Period. Nevtl I'd love to see NMi bumper stickers all over the country. No More incumbents. Is this something your radio club could do?
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73 Amateur Radio Today * Niay, 1 994 93
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Special events
Ham Doings Around the World
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BEM1DJI, MN The Paul Bunyan ARC Of
Bemidji will hold its annual Hamfest from S AM-2 PM, Flea Market. VE Exams. Deal- ers. Taik-in on 146.1 3/. 73. Contact Steve Hake, Hamfest Chaifman, 4331 Fincherry m, Bemidji MN 56607. TeL (218) 751- 9558.
BURLINGTON, lA Valley Emergency Comin. Assn. will host Burlington Hamfesl "94 from 7:30 AM'3 PM^ at tfie BurlJnglon Drive-In Tfieater on Agency St. Talk- in an 146=790/.190 WOLAC/R and 146.520 &im- pEex. Contact Chuck Gy^N2DUP, Burling- ton Hamfest '94, P.O. Box 911, Builington iA 52601 0911, or call (319) 752-3000
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HERKIMER, NY The Fort Heri^imer ARC
will hold a party at the Herkimer County Home lor the Aged, from 1 PM-3 PM, to celebrate "Dean Wallace Day/' tn of honor Dean K2ANM, Oldest Active Amateur Ra- dio Operator in Herkimer County. Dean, who was bom In July of 1899, was first li- censed in 1919!
YONKERS, NY The Metro 70cm. Networ1< weII present a Giant Electronic Flea Market at Lincoln H.S.^ 9 AM-3 PM, rain or shine. VE Exams. Talk-in on 440.425 MHz PL 1567; 223.760 MHz PL 670; 146.910 Hz; and 443.350 MHz PL 156,7, Mail reserva- tion payments to METRO 70 CM NET- WORK, 53 Hay ward St., Yonkers NY 10704. For details, call Otto SuplfSki W62SLQ, (914) 969-1053.
MAY 7
EAST LIViHPOOi, OH A Hamfest will be heW t>y the Triangle ARC from 8 AM-3 PM at Calcutta Fire Hall, Talk-in on 146J0. Contact Dick Sisley K8JKB, 1218 North- side Ave.. East iJv&rpool OH 43920. GRA&ONVtLLE, MD Kent Island ARC will hold their Hamfest at Grasonville VFW, from 0S00Z-1400Z. Tatk-in on 146.94 Rptr. Contacts: Tom Dove K30RC, (410) 643- 4675; Gtenrj Durbln WmC, (410) 643- 1125; Jim Smith K3UBC, (410) &43-333d; Jerry Mianfe K1JUM, (4 10) 643-2732. MANITOWOC, Wl The Mancorad RC will hold iits annua! Hamfest^ starting at 8 AM, at the Manitowoc County Expo Ctr. Ama- teur/Computer/Electronics Rea Mart<et. VE Exams. Mail checks w/SASE to Mancorad RC, EO. Box 204, Manitowoc Wi 54221- 0204; or call R&d, (414) 634-9097 days; Ron (414) 793-4733 eves. OWEGO, NY A H ami est sponsored by Southern Tier ARC wilt be held at Marvin Park Fairgrounds from 8 AM-4 PM. VE Ex- ams, ABRL Fomm, 35th Annual Banquet. Flea Market. More. Talk-in on 146. 16/. 76 or 146,52/,52. Contact STARQ RO. Box 7082, Endicott NY 13761-7082. SIERRA VISTA, AZ The CochisO ARA will have their annual Hamfest from 7 AM-4 PM For VE Exam Info, call Frar\k Ivey, (602) 378-9404. For Hamfest info, contact Tim Mize, (602) 458-5257. Talk- In on 146.76/16.
Listings are free of charge as space permits. Piease send ub your Speciai Event two months in advance of the issue you want it to appear in. For example, if you want it to appear in the January issue, we should receive it by October 31. Provide a dear, concise summary of the essentiai details about your Special Event. Check Special Events File Area mi on our BBS (603-924-9343). for itstings that were too late to get into publication.
MAY 6
ATHENS, OH The Athens County ARS will hold its 1 5th annual Hamfest and Rea Market from 8 AM-3 PM at the City Rec. Center Indoor space is available only by advance registration; Contact John Biddfe WDSJLM, 80 Wonder Hitts Dr., Athens OH 45701. TeL (614)594-8901 after 6 PM. For InfOp write to Carl 1 Dent^ow KA6JXG, 63 Morris Ave., Athens OH 45701-1939. TaJk- in on the Club repeater at 145.15 MHz (- 600).
MEDINA, OH The Medina 2 Meter Group, Inc., will hold their H am/Com puter/Elec- tronic Hamfest at Medina County Commu- ntty Center, 735 Lafayette Rd. Ftea Market Set-up at 6 AM. For details, contact Medi- na Hamfest Committee^ RO. Box 452^ l^edina OH 44253. Tel. (216) 725-4492, 10 AM-5 PM,
IWAY14
CADtLLAC, Ml The annual Swap and Eyeball QSO will bs held by the Wexaukee ARC at the Cadillac Middle School, Talknn on 146,98 Rptr. Contact Wexaukee ARC, P.O. Box 163, Cadillac Ml 49601; or call Dan KESKU, (616) 775'099a, ETOBICOKE, TORONTO, CANADA The Skywide ARC will host their annual Spring Hamfest and Flea Market from 8:30 AM- 1:30 PM, (Set up at 7:30 AM) at the West- way United Churchy 8 Templar Dr TalK-in on 146.985/R or direct 146.52. Reserve early for best tables. Contact John Wilson
VE3WIL, (416) 663-0173: or Rex Sweet- apple VE3XER, (416) 663^0288.
MAY 14-15
FT. WAYNE, IN The Ft. Wayne Computer Fair, sponsored by Trade Show Produc- tions, Inc:, will be held from 10 AM-5 PM at the Memorial Coliseum. Flea Market. Demonstrations. To reserve space, make checks payable to Trade Show Produc- tions, tnc, and return to: Mark Hansfip, 143 Schloss if)., Dayton OH 4541$. SELAH, WA The Yakima ARC will hold their annual Hamfest at Selah Middle School. Seminars. VE Exams. Breakfast, lunch, and banquet. Talk-in on 146 .660. Contact Dick Umberger N7HHU, (509) 248-3530.
MAY 15
CAIVIBRIDGE, MA The MIT Electronics Research Soc, the MIT Radio Soc. and the Harvard Wireless Club will hold a Tailgate Electronics/Computer/Amateur Radio Flea Market from 9 AM-2 PM at the corner of Albany and Main. For reserva- tions and info, call (817) 253-3776. Mait advance reservations before May 5th to W1GSL, P.O. Box 32 MIT BR., Cambridge MA 02139. Talk in on 146.52 and 449.725/444725 - pi 2A - WIXM/R. HOLLY, Ml The 4th annual ARRL sanc- tioned Hamfest/Computertest. sponsored by the Fenton Area ARA and the Ben Sherman Middle School ARC, will be held
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flie^ Sherman Midde School. Hamfesf d AM'2 PM (SetHip 6 AM-B AM), TaJk^n on 146.780 (-600) and 442,250 (+5 MHz) linked Rptrs. Contact FAABA, P.O. Box 46, F§ntQn Mt 43430.
WAUSEON, OH TTie North West Ohio Tri- Counry HAMFEST will be heW at the Ful- ton Co. Fairgrounds on Stale RTE 108 (Ohio Turnpike Exit 3). Rea Market. VE Exams by appointment on*y: Contact Tom Hay, (4i9} 542'6t92. before May sm. Talk- In on 147,195+ KflBXQ Rfrtr, Ftiom (419) 264-7775 for table resen^a lions or into; SASE to Mike Sharpe NBRLD, 126 Muntz SL Hoigate OH 435S7. WHEELING, WV Tripfe States RAG. Inc. will present their 17th annual Wheeling Hamfest-Computer Show al Wheeling Parte fmm B AM*3 PM. Antique Gar Dis- pity. 1912 Beechy Rane replica on djs> play. Talk-in on 146.91. Contact TSRAC, 8ox24€, RR I Adena OH 43901. T&i/Fax (614) 546-3930.
MAY 20-22
ROCHESTER, NY The 60th annual Rochfist^r Handiest and Computer Show, combined wilti ttw Atlantic DivTNew Yoffc Slate ARRL Convention, will be hetcf at yonroe County Fairgrounds. Route 15A & Celkins Rd. Sponsored by the Rochester ARA, The Flea Market will run continuous- ly for the entire weekend, starting at noon, Fri. May 20th. For info, cail (716) 424-7t84 during weekd&y busiriess hours ^ For a t) nocture, write to Rochestsr Hamfesi 300 Whfte Sprues Bhd., Rochester NY 14623.
MAY 21
COLORADO SPRINGS The Pikes Peak RAA will hokl a Ham Radio Swapfest from
8 AM-3 PM at Liberty H.S.. 3720 Scaibor- ougti Df Ham gear Computers. Bectron- ics. Tatk-in on 146.97/,52. Swapfest Con- tact: Harv Hunter WA3EIB, (719) 597- 8964. VE Exams begin at 9 AM: contact Rick Brown KDOSU (719) 53h3423. Send pre-registfation cheeks payable to PPRAA, with SASE to Jortn KrRn\Br NOVBM, 1765 Kimberiy Place. Colorado Springs CO 80915. Tet. (719) 560^ 14S9 after 5 PM. EPHRATA, PA The 9th annual Ephrata Hamfesr-Rea MarKet w[ll be held by the Ephiata Area Repeater Soc., Inc, at ttte Ephrata H.S.^ 803 Oak Blvd. Their Radlo/Computer/Eloctronic Flea Market will stal at e AM (Set-up at 6:30 AM), V£ Exams wilJ begin at 9 AM. Make checks fof S5.75 pa^aWe to 'ARRUVEC; Brir^ origi- naf ^>d a photocpy of your cu/rertt l»^nse, and 2 fonrts d ID. Rea Maricet Pre-regis- trations deadline fs May lOth, fsfo rBfunds, Make diecks or money orders payable to Ephrata Area Repeater Soc, tnc, 906 Clearview Ave., Ephrata PA 17522. TeL (71 7) 33&25i4 (after 6 PM). FORESTDALE, Rl The Rhode Island Arzi- ateur FM Rptr, Seivice, Inc., wiH hoJd tt>elr annual Spring Audion and Rea Mart^t at VFW Post 6342, Main St., FbfBStdaie (No. Srnithi field), The Rea Market opens at 8 AM. with the Auction b^inning at 11 AM and continuing until about 3 PM, Ta^k^n on H6J6. Contact Rick Falnveather K1KYI, 106 Chaptin St., Pawtucket Ri 02361; or call (40 n 725-7507 t)etween 7 and 8 PM, MKNEAPOUS/SX PAUL, MN A Tailgate Swap test will be held by IM TwinsLAN ARC, at Hofieyweii Ridgway taoiity parit* Ing lot. 2600 Ridgway Pkwy. Open to the public 7 AM-l PM (Set-up at 6:30 AM).
Talk-in on 146.76^.16 KIOHB Rptf, Contact Biti Brisley NOBSN, \B025 Cynthia On, Mlnnetonka MN 5B345-42Q6. TeL (6l2j 474-0113.
PADUCAHp KY The Paducah ARA will sponsor an ARRL Hamtest Irom 8 AM-2 PM (Set-up at 6:30 AM], at Noble Parle Civic Center, Flea Market. VE Eieams. Concessions. Other goodies available. Contacts: David Fraser KQ4iU, 5715 BiandvSte Rd. Paducah KY 42001, (502) 554^7999, or Paul Smith N4ffO, 229 Nicketfo Hts.. Paducah KY 4200t, (502) 898-6834; packet address
@ W4NJA. WKY.KY. USA.NA. PRILLIPSBURGp NJ The Cherryvilfe Hamtest, sponsored by the CherryvilJe Rp- tr Assn, II Inc. wfll be hetd from 8 AM-2 PM at ^iB Warren County Farmers Faif- groynds. Set-up al 6 AM, Flea Market Contact: Keith Burt KF5FK (906) 788- 4080. VE Exams Contact: Marty Groiin^ NS2K, ($08) eOS-6944. Talk-in on 147.375+ and 1 46.820-. SACRAMENTO, CA Visit the Camlchael Elks Lodge in CarmichaeL between 8 AM- 3 PM. to enjoy the annual Hamswap spon- sored by the North Hills Ra<fo Qub Talk^ in on 145,190- (K6IS)- For detoils, write 10 NHRC, PO, Box 41653, Sacramento CA 95814-0635.
MAY 22
CAN FIELD. OH The Canfield OH Fair^ grounds on RT 46 wilJ be the location for the 10lh annual Hamfest/Compuler Show spofisored by the Twenty Over Nine Radio Club. Doors open 8 AM-3 PM, |Set*up starts at 6:30 AM). For info, contact Don Stoddard N8LNE. 42 S. Whitney Ave..
Youngstown OH 44509. (216} 793-707^ or Dave Mellon KE8KT 2895 Penny Ui., Austintown OH 44515. (216) 793-0816. Advance registrations must be received by May 15lh; send with SASE to 20/3 ARC Inc., 42 $. Whitney Ave., Youngstown OH 44509. Ta1k4n (before 1 PM) on 147.315+, 443225+. or 224.160 MHz simplejt, PLAIN EDGE, KY The Suffolk County RC ^id the Great South Bay RC will hold tt>eir Long Island Hamfest/CompLFter Show from 9 AM-4 PM at the Pialnedge H.S,, Wyn- gare Dr, Talk-in on 146,635 and 223.86. Contact Ancfy Fetdman WB2FXN^ (516) 928-3368 (eves. 7-10 PM); or Watt Wen^et KA2RGt, (516) 957-5726.
MAY 28
COLUMBIA, UO The Central Missouri Radto Assn. will hold their t91h anr^ual Hamtesl'Compuler Expo from 9 AM-4 PM al \he Heams Mutti- Purpose BIdg. on Sta- dium Blvd. Contact W. 'Mac' McKeazie, Jn H4CHS, (314) B82 7413 days; (314) 442- 7619 eves.
SPRINGHILL, LA The Spnnghlll and Ark- La ARCS will co-host the North Louisiana/South Arkansas Hamfest at Spfinghill Civic Center Flea Marttet. Fo- mms Commeraal Dealers. Contact David Smith KF56E PO. Box 812, Springhift LA 71075. TeL (318) 539-3226. Taik-m on 146,73 and 147.39,
MAY 29
SOREL, QUEBEC, CANADA The Club Radio- Amateur Soret-Tracy will bold their "tiamfesl du Quebec' at The Curling Dit>. For details, write to Ciub Radio-Amateur Sorei-Tracy. C.P^ 533, Soreh Quebec, Canada J3P 5N6^
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MAY 30
SYLACAUGA, AL The 3rd annual Tal- ladega RAC Hamfesi will be held at J. Craig Smith Comm, Center beginning al B AM, VE Exams at 8 AM sharp, with walk- |n$ accepted. Fcrums. Contact Jim KD4BHH, (205)245-7825.
JUNH4
KTTCHENEfl, ONT, CANADA Th€ 20th Central Ontario Aniateuf Had o Reamarkei MriU 5e heid at Bin gem an Park. Contact Jack Kntght VE3RGY, 35 BrockviHB Ave., Guetph, OnL Canada NJE5X5. TeL (519) 823^135$,
KNOXVILLE, TN A Hamfest will ba held from S AM -4 PM at Tennessee Vafley Fair Gfoynds-Chilhowee Pk. Sponsor: RAC of Knoxville. VE Exams Talk-fn on 147,30+ RACK Rptf.. and 224.50+. Dealers contact Angeia Cngger N4RPR 27Q7 Pine Hiil Dr., Kmxviiie TW 37938. TeA (615) 694^9Q7i. For inlo. contact Ross A. Ramsey KC4YDR, 790 N. Cedar Bluff Rd., KnoxvHfe TN 37923. Tei {615} 690-^520, TEA«ECK, NJ The Bergen ARA will hold its BUTntial Spring Ham I est from 8 AM-2 PM at Fa^fl&igh Dickinson Univ. in Teaneck. pre -registration required for Flea Market spaces w/power. Contact Jim Joyce K2ZO, i20t) 664^725. VE Exains; contact BAHA VE Hotline. (20V 797^15t t)efom W PM. Talk-in on 146.1 90/. 790; 14S.620 Simplex.
JUNES
EVANSVtLLE. m The Tri-^ale AR5 will hold Iheir 47tft Hamfest/Electronic/Com- puter ShQ^ at the ^ndertxirgh County 4H Cenier. Booftvilte-New Harmony Rd, starl- ing at B AM (Set-up at 7 AM). Tark-in on U7.15/146.79- Contact: Chartie Apfeistam
N9GWS, TARS. PO. Box 452h Evansviffe fN 47724. Te!. ($^2) 477*77i5, PRINCO'ON. it The Starved Roc^ Ra(fk) Club Ham f est will be held at the Bureau County Fairgrounds, staning at 6 AM. Talk- In on 146.355/ J55. For details, Contact Bfuce Burton KU9A, or Debbie Burton N90RU, 1153 Union St., Marseiihs (L 6l34i-i7t0. Tet. (815)795-2201. SAUNA, KS The Cerrtral Kansas ARC will sponsor its a;inuaJ HamfesI 8 AM-3 PM. in the 4H Btdg. in Kerrwood Park F^ Man<et. Commerdat Booths. Corttad La/7y White KB08H, 336 Sunset Dr., Satina KS 67401. Tei. (913) 827-3737.
SPECIAL EVENT STATIONS
APR 29-MAY 1
K04AVE DESERT. CA BHIy Hotcomb Chapter of E CUmpus vnu$ will operate KC6LUC to oommemorale Fort Cady. Op- orations will be In the phone portions ol the General 80, 40. 2D and 15 meter sub- bands, and In the Novice 10 meter sub- band. For a certificate, send QSL and rxlf SASE to KC6LUa Sid Blumner. 1458 Albright Ave,, Upiand CA 91786- 272t
APR 30
SONOMA VALLEY, CA The Valley ol the Moon ARC, WB6DWY, will operate in com- merrwration of the City of Sonoma and the Valley of the Moon's lich historical her- itage, from 1700 UTC-2400 UTC The sta- tion will be operated dortng the dub's an- nual Hamfest. Listen throughout the day on Ure Gertefal pTtone ponions of to. 20 and 40m. For a nica parcftmeni certfficate,
QSL wtlh SASE to VC^ARC, 358 Pattm St,. Sonoma C A 95476.
APR 30-MAY 1
PHILADELPHIA, PA The Olympia ARC wit] operate WA3BAT from 1300Z April 30th-20002 May 1st, to commemorate the 96th Anniversary of Admiral Dewey's tri- umph over the Spanish Reel al the Battle of Manilla Bay. SSB/Phone— 3,898. 7.268, 14.268, 21.368, 28.368. 145.270. and packet For a certFTKate, send OSL and a 9*3t12' SASE to aympia ARC, P.O. Bom 928, Phtla<Mphm PA 19105.
MAY1
WAMEGOp KS The Mahar ARC Will oper^ ate KBOGPR 1400Z to 2000Z to celebrate the annual Mahar Family Reunion. Opera- tion will be In the 20 and 40 meter General phone bajxis. 146.580 and 28.350 For a certificate, send QSL and btisiness Size SASE 10 Mitdi Antferson KBOGPR, PO. Bom 931, New Slmwn KS 66839-09^1.
MAY 4-14
HOLLAND, Ml The Holland ARC wtll op- erate a Special Event Station to celebrate Tulip Time. Operation will be in ifm lower portion of the General 20 and 15 meters and 26.400 MHz. For a c^tificate, send QSL with call Signs worked, ^id a ^%\X SASE to N8NXA, Bartara Si^}eitnK 6418 cm R<S., Saugatuc^ Ml 49453.
MAY 8^3
ABERDEEN WA The Grays Hartor ARC wtil operate W7ZA from 2300Z May 6th- 2300Z May Stin, to celebrate their 40th Birthday. CW operation will be in the Hovice poftai of the 1Q, 15, 20, 40. and m meter subbaiKls. as weu as in the Gm- eral portion of tfte 20 meter band. SS8 will be in the General portion of tt>e 10 ,15. 20,
40, and 80 meter subbands and the 10 meter Novk» barrf. For a QSL cant, send QSL and SASE to GHARC, P.O. BoM 2250, Aberdeen WA 98520.
MAY 7
DEKALB, IL Tht Klshwaukoe ARC will operate WA9CJN 1800Z^2200Z to help celebrate the Three Fires Council BSA Scout-0-Rama show. The purpose is to eooourage young mert and boys to gain an Interest in ham radio ar>d earn tt>e Radio Merit Badge. For a certificate, send an SASE to KARC. WA9CJN, P.O. Box 264, Sycamofe it 60173, ATTN: KB9AGV, Lis- ten for WA9CJN on 28.430 +/- QRM.
MAY 9-1 4
VAN ALSTYNE, TX Amateur As* tronomers/Hams representing the Sotrth- west Region ol the Asironomica! League w^ll be operating BE Station K5GH (K 5 Gaiaicy Hunters) at the I3th annual Teicas Star Party. The TSP Is located near the Univ. of Texas's McDonald Observatory In tti« Davis Mountains of West Texas. Oper- ation will be (W- ORM): 28365, 21385. 14265 afid 7285. SSTV and CV/ contacts on request. For an astronomical theme QSL card, send QSLySWL report and SASE to K5GH'TSP, 2619 Bordeaux, MC^imey TX 75070
MAY 10
PROMONTORY, UT The Ogden ARC will Operate W7STB 0001Z-2100Z, to com- memorate the driving of the Ooiden Spike at Promor^tory Summit. Ffequencies; 3.S70. 7^0, 14.280. 21,375. and 28.415 MHz. Send OSL and SASE lo Ogden ARa P.O. Box 335J. O^en UT 84409.
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MAY 1Ȥ
SAN ANTONK), TX The San ArrtOnJo FIC Will celetsrate its Diannorid Anniversary by operating W5SC from 2200Z May 13th- 2200Z May 15th. Operation will be in the bottom 50 kHz of the General phone bands on 75-10 meters (NovicaTech part d band on 10). For an 8 1/2'xll' mm- cate and QSL, send SASE and QSL to "SARC Diamond Jubthe.' 1(^27 ML Cros- by, San Antonio TX 7825L
MAY 14-15
BROKEN ARROW, OK The Broken Ar- nm ARC will operate AS5EE trom 1500 UTC May 14-0300 UTC May IS In coll- odion with the Bnokefi Antm Chamber of Commerce sponsored "Rooster Day,* Fre- quencies: 10m Novice band. a!or>g with all HF bands In CW and SSB, Also on VHF FM. For a ceriitk^ate. send QSL and 9'x12* SASE 10 Brok&n Arrow ARC, Box 552. Bnokefi Arrow OK 740 1 3. CAHUSLE, PA The Cumbtfland ARC wi operate K3IEC 1 3002^0 IfXJZ May Uth and 15tli, to celebrate the Club's 30th An- niversary. Operation wifl be phone and CW on the 160-6 meter bands, For QSU send QSL and SASE to CARC, 107 mmp M, Boiling Springs PA i7007.
MAY15-JUNE15
WAIANAE, Ht To commamofate the beautilication of Falher Damien, Hawaiian hams will operate a variety o1 Special Event stations. Activities are planned for all bamls, aU modes^ including the IMovioe Sti]baj>ds. Operati^fts begin on May I5th, lo colndde with ttie ofTioiaJ ceremony in Belgium, and will coniinue until June 15th.
Pof a Oa, please send your card, SASE. and name of operator worked to AmKY, Apt. iSQB, 84-265 Famagton Hwy., Wa- ianae Ht $6792; Of dkectfy to the operator contacted,
MAY 20-22
HAINES FALLS, MY Tlie Long Msmi Mobile ARC'S Junior Operators Commrt- lee will operate K2YEW from their QRP Camping Weekend at North Lake State Park in Greene Co. Frequencies: 3.560, 7040, 14060. QSL to Robert Todaro N2MX, 22S8 E. 73rd St., Brooklyn NY U234.
MAY 21
PASADENA, MD The Bay Area ARS. in cooperation with the Anne Aoindeli Coun- ty Historical See, will operate Station KM3I to commemorate the 150th Anniver- sary of the telegraph rnessage 'What Hath God Wrought.' transmitted on an experh memal Bne from Was^ngton DC to Balti- more MD. Operation wifl be 1300 UTC- 2000 UTC on one or more of the (oltowing CW frequenctes; 7.125, 14,125, 21.125, 21.225, 28.125 MHz, For a commemora- tive certificate, Amateurs send your QSL card: SWLs send details of the QSO, along with an 8 li2*xir SASE. to Greg Odema, Bay Area AflS. 41B Brooks Ct, ^en Bumte MD 210St SEATTLE, WA The 2nd Annual North- west QRP Club Spring Sprint Contest will be held from 1700 UTC-2100 UTC. Fre- quencies; 7035-40, 14055-60, 21060 kHz. Logs must be received by June 15th, 1994 by: Sfai? Yarema KG7ME. Contest Editor, 345/ 72th West, Seatlie WA 98119,
MAY 21 -22
HANSKA. MN Ihe New Ulm ARC wil op- erate KeoiWV 1600Z-04002 May 21st, and 1600Z-2300Z May 22nd, to celebrate Han ska's 10lh annual Syttende Mai. Thts is to commemorate the ieoth Anniversary of the enactment of the Constitution of Norway. FfBquencies: 7.250, 14.250 MHz, and the Club Rptr. at 147.33^, For a certifi- cale, send a QSL ajid a 9^12' SASE with 2 First Class stamps, or a #10 SASE (for a folded certificate) lo New Utm ARC^ KBOtWV ' Patrick Mattiioweti, RR 4 Box U'A, New Uim MN 56073. SWL reports welcome.
ST CHARLES, MO The SI. Daites ARC rnH operate WBOHSI 1300Z-2100Z as part of the Lewis and Clarlc Rendezvous, to commemorate the departure of the Lewis and Clark Expedition on 2i May 1804. Frequencies: 7,265, 14.265, 21.365. 28.465. 146,67. AO-13 Modes B ar^d J. as propagation and QRM permit. For a certifi- cate, send a 9M2' S.^E to Sf. Oiaries ARC, EO. Box 1429, St. Charfes MO 6332-1429.
MAY 21-23
OAK PARK, Ml The Oak Park ARC will host the 1994 Michfgan QSO Party, 18002 May 21SI-0300Z May 22nd; and ffom 1100Z May 22nd-0200Z May 23rd, Fre- quencies: CW-1810, 3540. 3725, 7035. 7125, 14035, 21035. 21125. 28035. 28125, Phone-1855, 3905. 7260. 14280, 2t380, 28SaO. VHF'S0.125, 145.025,
146.52. Results will be final on July 30th, 1 994 and will be mailed to all entrants who have sent in an SASE, Mailing deadline is Juty 1st. Send logs to: Mark Shaw K3ED, 27600 FFEnkifn Rd., Apt. 5t6, Sou^fietd Ml 45034,
MAY 28-29
BELLEVUE, NE The Bellevue ARC will operate WOWYV from the Strategic Air Commanct Museum, adjacent to Offutt Air Force Base, t300Z-2200Z on May 2dfh and May 29th. Operation wtJI be in the lower phone portion of the General 40, 20 and 15 meter t>ands. and if propa- gation permits, in the Novice portion of the 10 meter phone subband. For a QSL, sand QSL card wi!h contact num- ber and a #10 SASE lo N40WG, 1311 Greef}wood Ave., Orryaha NE 6S133- 2526.
NORTH SYRACUSE, NY TTie Liverpool Amateur Rptr. Club wil) operate WA2f5C from 2000Z May 2eth-2200Z May 29th. to commemorate the Mid- Empire Slate Chapter 293 Vietnam Veterans of Ameri- ca's WatchFire VII Memorial Day fire Hghllng. SSB operation will be tn the vicinity of 7.240 and 14.240. CW opera- tk)n will be in the lower 25 kHz of 40m and 20m general sub-bands. RTTY on 40ni amJ 20m. Other bands as concfitions permit. For a certificate, send QSL and 9'x12' SASE to LA/?a PO. Box W3. North Syracuse NY 13212.
MAY 30
ELQIN, IL Station W9IKN, sponsored by the Elg*n ARS in conjunction witJi the ai>- nual running of ihe Valley Fox Tret 10- mile race, will be on the air from 1200Z* 1700Z. Operation will be in the lower por^ tion of Ihe General subbands on SSB and CW, and propagation permitting, 50.200 SSB. For a osffificale, semi busi- ness size SASE 10 EAM.B., RO^ Box 135f, Bg^n IL 60123-1351.
Serving The LORD Sfrtce 1967
THE POWER STATION
The POWER STATION is a 12V x 6.5 AmpHr gel-celi battery complete with voltmeter, wall charger and a cord for charging via automobifes. It will power most HTs at 5 Watts for 2-4 weeks (depending upon how long-winded you are). AJso VHF, UHR QRP, or HF, mobifes such as the KENWOOD T^ 50 (at 60W). There are no hidden costs, all you need is your mobile or HT power cord or cigarette tighter adapter.
The POWER STATION provides 12V from a cigarette plug and has two recessed terminals for hardwiring. A mini-phone jack with regulated 3V, 6V, or 9V output can be used separatefy for CD players, Walkmans, etc. THE POWER STATION can be charged in an automobile in only 3 hours, or in the home in 8 hours. The charger wil! automatically shut off when the battei7 is completely charged, so you can charge it even when it has only been slightty discharged, (unlike Ni-Cads that have memory). Our charg- ing circuit uses voltage sensing circuitry, other brands are timed chargers which always charge the battery a full cycle, this damages their battery and shortens its' Itfe rf ft only needs a partial charge. The POWER STATION has a voltmeter that shows the exact stale of charge of the battery, not worthless idiot lights that tell you '^YOUR BATTERY IS NOW DEAD." The voltmeter can even be used to measure voltages of other sources.
To order, send ct^eck or money order for S49.9S + S6,S0 for shipping* along witti your shipping address and lefephone number lor
Joe Brancato
THE HAM CONTACT
P,0, Box 3624, Dept. 73 Long Beach, CA 90803.
CA Re^Fdents Add 8 i^A% Sales Tax. Alaska, Hawaii, and Canadian Residents. Please Send U-S. Money Order & S17J0 Shipping.
If you wi^h more inforrnaOOrt pl^aBS send a SASE lo the above Address. For COD orders, call ^310^ 433 5S60, outside of CA Orders Only caH (BOO) 933'HAM4 and leave messaoe, Deafer fnouiries Invited.
C1HCLE 384 Cm READER SERVICE CARD
7B Amateur Radio Today* Uay, 1994 07
PC HF FASCIMILE 7.0 $99
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Number 26 ori your Feedback card
n^ Number 26 ori your Feedbac
Dealer directory
DELAWARE
N«w CastJ« Faf^ory ^utfwrtiiKl deader! Yaesu. iCOiyi, Ken- iMiod. Ten-Tec, AEA. KantroOfCS, DRSl Mfg.. Araenfron, Cusheralt. H^jn, Heii Sound. Stan- dard AoidBtir Radio. MFJ, HustSef. Dl«niand. Bui temut> Atiron, Larsen, and much rnore. DELAWARE AMATEUR SUPPLY, 71 Maadgw Ro^dp New Castle BE 13720. (302) 32B-772S.
NEW JERSEY Lodi Horth j«f^s newesi Two Way Radio snd Bv^ insfvs Dealer s rKW opeiL Sale« ol Ham, Buii- ness, Marine snd CB- two way eQUipmefit as viti as Scanners. Slioftwftve. Eleclranic tCrts. Ante*^- nas, Books, CaUFe Soxes and more. Frier>d]y ser- vice and k>w piic&s. Advanced SpccEsltiies, 1t4 Es»x Street, Lodi NJ 07644. (201) VHF-2067.
KEW JERSEY Park Ridge f4orth J€fsey'$ oldest and linesi Snortwa^ and Hant Rftdio OOfltot. ThvM mnuie^ hwn Gsj'diBn Sate Pitwy and NY Thiuway. Ai^ttiorlzed Dealeii br AEA^ Alpha Delta. Oiamond, I COM. Japan Radio Company. Kenwood; Vectroftics, Yaesu. Ham Sales, L&& WK2T. GrLFER SHORTWAVEp 52 Park Ave., Park Ri£ite NJ 0785$. (201) 391- 7887.
NEW YORK Manhatiart
ManhsKa/is .i^g&si and DnFy ham Radio Stofe, also M bne of Suskicss. Marine. Avtalaon. Short- wave Radios and Scanners, arfd Ceiutar Phon^ and Beepers. Large seiectien of ifioks, Anten^ nas. Test Equipnri&nt. coaxial cabla artd parte, Fiull
Service Repair Lab on premises. Our 44th Year ... We carry all maior itnes" MOTOROLA. ICOM. KENWOOD. VAESU. BENtWX-KiNG. ASTflOfJ, AEA. SONY. PANASONEC, MFJ. CCTV CAM* ERAS AND MONETOftS. BIRD WATTMETERS. FREOUEMCY COUNTERS. SCANNERS. HY- GAIN. VIBROPLEX, HElU CALLBOOK, ARRL, OTHER PUBUCATiONS, Op&r\ 7 days M-F. 9-€ p.ni.; Sat., 10-5 p.m. Sun. 11-4 p.m. We ship Wofidwide. Call. Fax^ or write for infofmatitjn and pnoet. Your one Soyrce for HAM and Bu-siness f^dfOS eARRY ELECTRONICS. S12 Sroad- my, Nm York NY 10012. (212) §25-7000. FAX P12|
OHIO
Columbus Central Oi1io"s fuil-line aulihanzed daaler l^or Ken- wood. ICOM, Yaesu, Aiinco, Japan Radio , Stan* dard, AEA, Cushcralt, Hustler. Diamond and MFJ. New and used equipnient on display and opera- ticmal in our new 10,000 sq. ft tacalify Large SWL Depanin&nL too UNIVERSAL RADIO, 8130 Amencana Pkwy . ReynoJdsburg (Columbus) OH i^m. (614) B££-42e7.
PENNSYLVANIA TraYOse Aythoriied factory sales and sarvice, KENWOOD. ICOM, YAESU, leatuhng AMERITHON. RAW. MFJ. HYGAIN, KLW, CtJSHCRAFT. HUSTLER. KAMraONiCS, yiBROPtat, HEIL CALiSOOK. ARRL Pubications. and mudi more HANTTEON- ICS, INC., 4033 Brownsville Road. Ttcvom PA 19047. (2tS} 3S7-1400, FAX (215) SSS-S^SS. 5alo$ Order 1-000426-2820. Circle Reader Ser- vice 29e lor mare intormation.
DEALERS: Vour company rane and message can contaEn up to 50 words for as little as S420 yearly (prepaid), or S2.^Q lof six monij-i3 IprepaJd), tsto mentlcn or maiJ-order business ptea&e. Directory lexi and payment must reach us 60 days in advance of pubHi^catian. For example. aAieittoing lor the Apni "93 ^sy« mu& t>e m our han^ &y Fei>ruaFy isL Mail lo 73 Ammsur Rmfo Ibdaf 70 Rle^ 202 N. Pefefbonough. NH 034^
Propagation
Kumber 27 on your Feedtxack card
Jkn Gmy W1XU
210 East Chateau Clfcie
Payson AZ 35541
This month's calendar shows few Good (G) days for propagation, while the remainder are Fair (f ) to Poor {P) and trending from one to the other. DX success this month will require a good receiver and a tot of work. On the Good days yoy wilJ find oonditions. favorable for DX, whereas on the P cor days you may hear few DX stations, and those am likely to be on the nofth-sauth path across the equator. The Fair days are the ones where opportunity will present itself but will require effort, with signals fading in and out and general inslatDility Ofi all bands. As tisual when cortditiors are margir^L the higher HF bar>ds lerxJ to be affected the most. Anticipated conditions by band are as follows:
10-12 Meters
Some north -south openings during afternoon hraurs. On some c^ys you will find sporadic E ttial can provide signal paths of short duration to 1 ,000 miles or
so.
15-17 Meters
On good cfays you will have fairly good openings to tf>e southern hemisphere dur- ir^ daylight hours, peakirvg in the afternoon. There will be occasional openings lo Eu- rope and Africa on east-west paths, also during the local afternoon. There will be pten* ty of short-skip and sporadic E skip on many days. Out to 1*000-1 ,500 miles.
20 Meters
The best band for world- wide propagation during day- light hours. This band ought to open shortly after sunrise and remain open until after dailt Peak oonditions should occur an hour or two after sunrise and again in the tale afternoon. Short-skip will be favorable during the daylight hours beyond about 500 miles.
3040 Meters
Evening, nighttime and sunrise hours are best on these bands for DX contacts. From sunset to midnight to- ward Europe and Africa, and generally toward the East. During sunrise and for a half hour Of so on efther skie. look for DX to the West and PacJf-
Jim Gray WIXU
\c areas. Daytime short sitip to about 1.000 miles, and nighttime Skip out to 2,000 miles wlN occur, increasing state levels will be present, and may some- times prevent hearing all but the Strongest signals on these bands.
eO-1 60 Meters
No DX openings during daylight hours on these bands. After dartt on some days you may find DX (limited by QRN). and again around sunrise, Short skip cf 200 miles or so may be avail- abJe on 80 meters, and distances out lo 2.000 miles or so at night. On 160 meters, skip out to atKJUl 1,000 miles shoukj be available when QRN is ab- sent
Special Condftions
There may be some severe weather or other geophysical disturbances sur- rounding the dates of May 16th and 27lh, and iasting for a day or two, Ke^ your ear open for WWV on 5, 10, 15, and 20 MHz at 18 minutes after each hour for latest propagation news.
Ttiere will be a partial lunar eclipse on May 25th, visible in most of both hemispheres.
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98 73 Amateur Radio Today* May» 1994
Bl Number 28 on ^
ARTER W BUY
Number 2S on your Feedback card
Turn your old ham and computer gear rnto cash now. Sure, you can waSt for a hamlesf to try and dump it, but you know youll got a far more n&atisiic prioo If you have it, oul whiere 1 00,000 ac- live ham potential buyers can see it than Ihe few hurKlred bca! hams who come by a flea rnarket labia. Check your attic, gamge, cellar and closet sheJv@$ and gel cash ior your ham and confipuier gear before it's too old to seB. You know you're not going to use it a^ain. so why leave rt for your wido* to throiv out? Thai stuf? tsn'i gening any younger!
The 73 Rea Mai^et. Barter W Buy. costs you peariuts {almost:)— comes to 35 csots a mird lor tmSvidual (nof>camtfTiNcr^a{) ads and 51,00 a wofd for aynmefoiil ads. Don't plan on t^ng a bng story. Use ^ibfevia&ons^ crain it in. But be hanesL There eie plenty of hams vvtio Icve k» fix things, so if it rloesnt work, say so.
Mike your Ut couni ^ words, inducfing your cail address arul plune numbef= Induds a diedt Of your Cfedrt carit number and mtpnmBon- If you're pl^ng a coiiwmtitiai ad, indikde ao ad- dittcrtal phone nurnber, separate from your ad.
This is a monthky magazine. f>ot a daily newspaper, so figure a couple months before tha ac- tion starts; then be prepared. If you get too many caHs, yoo priced tt low. If you don't get many callSn too high.
So get busy. B3ow the dusi off, check everything out rnaJ^e sure II sttU wofks right and mayba you can he!p make a ham sure it stxIJ woihs right arKJ mayl:)e you can help make a ham rewcomer or rehred old tkner happy with that ng you're nol using now. Or you might get txtsy on your com- pute^ and put toc^ther a tt^ Oif smafi gear^lpan^ to send to those Interested?
Send youf ads artd payment to ^ Barter 'n' Buy. Judy Walker. 70 EL T^^H. Peitefttorou^ HH 0S45S and get set tor the phone cais
Thd cieadline for the June ciassiffed
ad section is Aprif 7, 1 994.
ALL ABOUT CRYSTAL SETS, Theo- ly and construction of ciystai sot ra- dios $7.95 each, ppd USA. Send to: ALLABOUT BOOKS, Depl. S. P.O. Box 22366, San Diego CA 92192.
BNB200
CUSTOM MADE-HAND TOOLED
leatJier products witti your initials, name, call letters. Photo's & estimates available. Key rings, wallets, belts, purses, hanging signs, specialty Items. GREAT GIFT. LEATHER & WEST, 67 Causeway Rd., West Swanzey NH
03469- (6031352-6256. 9-4 pm. M-F ET BNB2r5
QSL SAMPLES' 50 cents. SAM< CAflDS, 48 Monte Carlo Dr. Pitts- burgh PA 1S239. BNB275
COMMODORE 64 REPAIR. Fast turn around. SOUTHERN TECHNOLO- GIES AMATEUR RADIO, 10715 SW 190th Stree! #9, Miami FL 33157, [305)238-3327, BNB295
WAf^ED: Electron Tubes. tCS, Semi- conductors. ASTRAL, P.O. Box 707ST. Linden NJ 07036. Call {800)666-8467. BN8307
KENWOOD AUTHORIZED REPAIR.
Also ICOM, Yaesu. GROTON ELEC- TRONICS, Bojf 379, Groton MA 01450. (503)443-3^2. BN&310
OLD TUBES. Write K1KOL, Box 131, Newton ISIH 03858. BN8335
RCl-2950 OWNERS: New modEflca- tlon manual including Power increase. Clarifier modification. Modulation in- crease. Operating hints, and more. Parts included. Only $20.00 ppd in U.S. (Missouri residents add Si. 15 lax). SCOTT, P.O. Sox 510408, St., Louis MO 63151-0406. (314)646- 0252. Money Orders orC.O^D.
BNB340
HR2S10, RCI2&50, CONNEX 3300, COBRA 148, GALAXY SATURN, plus
many more kits to frtcrease your mod- ulation. Si 9.95. (800)536-0109,
BNB330
KfT BUILDERS! Complete list of 165+ kit vendors. #10 SASE + $3,00 USD to: RUTENBER ENGINEERING, 38045 10th SL E. fH7S-AR, Paimdale CA 93550. BNB365
OSL CARDS — Standard and cus- tom. Youf ideas or ours. ExceMent quality. Foil stamping available. Many designs and type styles. Catalog and samples $1.00 refundable. WILKJNS. Dept. A, Box 787, Atascadero CA 93423. BNe370
REALISTIC HTX-100 10 METER TRANSCEIVER. HardEy used, good for a transverter. $140/BO. Call Brent (508)540-5662. BNB377
NEW NN1G CW SUPER-HET SIN- GLE BAND TRANSCEIVER KIT,
Available in 20M, 30M, 40y. 80M: $59,95 plus $3.75 S/H. (Catalog*2 Stamps). DAN'S SMALL PARTS & KITS, 1935 South 3rd West #1. Mis- soula MT 5^01. BNB335
SERVICE MONFTORS WANTED.Any
late model test equipment. (409}241- 7376, BNB390
ITS BACK] The return of the HW-e HandtKXJk! Second printing. Modifica- tions for ttie Heath QRP rigs. First dass mart $11 . DX add $4 for air mail Shipping. Mike Bryce, WB8VGE, 2225 Mayflower NW. Massillon OH 44647. BNB404
WANTED: Hammarlund Model SPC- 10 SSB Converter HA. Weber, 4845 West 107th Street, Oak Lawn IL
60438-5252. B1MB411
MAHLON LOOmiS, INVENTOR OF RADIO, patented 1872 by Thomas Appleby (copyright 1967). Available tfom JOHAN K.V. SVANHOLM, N3HF, SVANHOLM RESEARCH LABORATORIES, RO. Box 81 , Wash- ington DC 20044, Please send $25.00 donation with $5.00 for S&H. BNB420
PERFORMANCE AND VALUE
WITHOUT COMPROUtse
KRP-5000 REPEATER
Won! Is spreading fast- ^ 2 METERS-220-440
"Nothing mafchet th« KRP-SOOO
for total performanctf and valu«. Not GE, rmt tv«n Motorola.
RF performance realty counts in tough repeater environ- ments, so the KRP-50Q0 receiver gives you 7 helical fesonaiors, 12-poles ot IF fijienng, and a precise Schmitt trigger squelch with automatic threshold switch- rng The transmitter gives you Clean TMOS PET power
EnjOy high performarrce opera- tion with remote programmabil- ity. sequential tone pagmg. at'topatch, reverse autopaich. 200-number autodial, remote squeich setting, status rnputs conirul outputs, and fieid- programmable Morse messages
Call or write for the full performance story . anH the super value price!
Micro Conlrol Specialties
2 3 Elm Park^Groveland, MA 01834 (S08J 373^3442
rAX:(5O8>3T3-7304
KRP'5000 Repeater shown With PA-100 Amplifier
The fir^t choice in
Transmitters - ReceivefS
Repeaters
Repeater Controllers
Power Ampfifiers Voice Mail Systems
artCt£ 144 ON READER S£RVtC£ CARD
PCB / Schematic CAD - from $195
EASY4*C • For sfngle Sided arwJ multilayer boards to 17"x17". Phenomenally fast and easy to use. Over 1 8,000 copies in use worldwide. EASY-PC Professional for boards up to 32" X 3r at .OOV resolution. 16 layers. Schematic capture and netlist eKtraetlon - integrates seamlessly with PULSAR and ANALYSER III. Run« on PC/XT/AT/ 28^/386/486 with EGA or VGA displays.
Logic Simulation - from $195
( S ■^^— m.-^
ffi-
PULSAR and PULSAR Professional >
Full featured digital logic simulators. Allow yoy to test your designs quickly and inexpensively without the need for sohisticated test equipment, PULSAR can detect the equivalent of a picosecond glitch occurring once a weekf Runs on PC/XT/AT/ 288/386/486 with EGA or VGA displays.
Analogue Simulation - from $195
ANALYSER lit and ANALYSER 111 Pro.
Powerful linear circuit simulators have ful graphical output, handle R's.L^s.C's. Bipolar Transistors/ FET's, Op-Amp's, Tapped Transformers and Transmission Lines etc. Plots Input and Output Impedances, Gain, Phase and Group Delay Covers 0.001 Hz to >10GH2, Runs on PC/XT/AT/286/386/486 with EGA or VGA dispjays>
For information write^ fax or call:
Number One Systems
REF: 73. 1795 Granger Ave., Los Altos, CA94024
(415)968 9306 VISA and MasterCard welcome.
CIRCLE 1 ON READER SERVICE CAttO
73 Amateur Radio Tbtfay * May. 1994 99
Experimenters HP FREQUENCY COUNTER
$49.95
• Counts to 75 MHz
• 1 Hertz flesolution
• Sensitivity 50 mv RMS
• Input Protected
• Run5 from 9V battery
• Product of USA
• PCB and all parts intruded
• 1 Hi resolution to 75 MHZ witti 4 1/2 or S digits
• Display portion may be detached
Frequency Counter Kit FC4 (4 1/2 dtgits) . . $4ft.ftS
Assembled and Tested. ♦,♦,... $69.09
4 DJgit Add-on Kct AD4 (B digits total) $1 6v9S
Shipping & Handling 4 4^0
MD residents add 3% saEes tax
To Order Call:
14102 BROWN ROAD SMITHSSURG, MD 21783
U(HivCatd
(30t) 415-0661
FAX (301) 416-0963
CIRCLE 2&4 ON READER SERVICE CARD
CABLE X-PERTS, INC.
COAX fLEXiBU »i3 cmecr BumAL jm:k£t _ »t3 BDiML w pessrfHTJHOter
ioon.AJp 5ooFr
flQ ^»J MA^-SPEC CNReP^ BUmM. iACNET.
MA
= ■■■ dXiLKaGUlVVJACid iMUii-iOii iiii.apcr_
nOTOn CABLE
CaOflO sm DUTY a.' 1 6*'22 LTV Jl*jClfliT ^,,
&S090 HVY DUTY &'T6-6/S0 UV JACKET „„™ „.
15GA 4C QFiAY JACKrr „.^.-.... ,.,^.^^
1 »GA V/C QFl Ay JACKFT ,. , „ ,
ANTENNA WfRE 1<QA leiSTPSUPER-FLfiK UNlNajLAT£D...,...^ I4GA 7/22 H.D 9 C UNINSULATED ^
t4GA SOLID ^COPPE^WELD' UMMiUtATED
1I6A ia sm Fiexfa_E bc uMNSuLAiei _
tJQit
8AL1JNS
vi^if t f on 4 i eLK^^fr^wHi wmrmL.
onGffML carw lOT ^_ _
TflAPS ts-^omn ^ -.
.3L
3-
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JOTVft .06*1
PUCE
dm: ROPE m, wo 3nr TTV TEfT-
_t$2^)dfiotit
WIRE
ii2*BflAio ?5n -Sio.oa^
1Z GA flEDi^LK 25tt-5e.O0.'Ea
.... .,-, 1 ' BHAtD aSft - Si 7.5Q'ea
450 OHM WCOERLIUE iSaA SOLID OW. ^^, *12.KW1CtOfl
MO-RE JTEMS STOCKED JNCLU DING CONNECTORS h ANTENNAS CftBLE 3( WJHE CJT TO YOUR SPECIFIC LENGTH
ORDERS ONLY: 800-828-3340
TECH INFO: 70S-506-18fl€
113 MoHenry Rd„ Suite 240
Buffalo Grove, 3L 60089-1797
FotComplwtm UteraturK Uaii S4Sf
PacketPeT
For Windows
PC Terminal Software For Your TNCl
• Use up to 4 TAPR. KAM. MFJ. PacComm or PKB8/232 typ« TNCs tn any combtnatbn simultaneously
• Muttiple Connect Support, Logging •/ Integrated Text Editor / Viewer
i/ Binary File Transfers wrth Chat
• ANSI Color Graphics Support
• Macros & User Definable Menus
• Selectable Fonts & Colors
• User Manual & 1 mb of Online Help
$4%M + $2.m Shipping & Handling FlorMs residents add sales tax.
Please Send Check or Money Order and your Amateur Call Sign to:
Chuck Harrington Software, fnc.
1 565 Brazilian Lane
Winter Park, FL 327^2-2309
(407) 679-901 7
VOX CONTROLLER
SECOND GENERATION
next generalion VOX cotitroiler willi adj vox sensitivity, timers and CWJD. Operate VOX will) no inlcmal conneclions to your radios or COR for more deinaiidiitg systems.
BC-2I w / CWID & enclosure ...SS9.95
Add DTMT' rmt control, patcli and outputs to coniToi otJicr cquipniait to llic iK!-2L BC-2R adds rmt clri and patch. ..$79,95
DTMF decoder Board t for every need
f^ilMC has 8 latched, nnt toll-restriction, LiTZ, IC sockets & more .„„**.. $99, 95
BTD-8M momeniiiy outpuU. . , S79. 95
BTD-8A $69 95 Grig BC-L... $34.95
Boi Preductf, luc Orders SW-S$4*242^ RO Box 57 In ^'> 901-968-5416
Lexington, TN 38351 add $4.0() S & H
CIRCLE 137 ON READEF4 SERVICE CARD
The FLYTECRAFT' SFX Line of Monotiand Vertical HF Aniennas
FoTihose who dorund i high- enkienty uitcnnt when height uid fpice ire cniicil iActon, Ihe FLrTECRAFT* SFX lllici* idcil,
• t «nk|4it modcli for SO. 40, 30,
20, 17, 15, U& lOmcLcff. Eich only 9 ft U 11 ( 1 0 meUr k slighily shoner.) • Precision-wound rull length helljc gives ijicredibic DX pcrfommiicc^ «Unot»tmsive- Potea for aittenni rcsiriaed treas. • [nstant Hi-iip tnd lev do4vTL,or lave up peimMfienUy, •Tap whip ■djuots for bw SW'R poJAt • Use< 2 shortcDed tuned r«dials wiih PLVtecjiaft* HADiALCOILS ^ (lO m&a usm 3).
rtrTECRAlT^SFK MoiiobAad«n ire in daily hh kround Utt world.
Ouiii with pride & sold worldwide ^ fLVTEC8AFT"usA
SFX m - $79.95 40, 30, 20. 17. 15. 12 « $€f.9S ea. 10 - $59,95 Add $6.50 t/h. ConL U.S.
Siituficlwii Gyannleed
VISA/MC PHONE ORDOIS 800-456-1273
M-F 9A-SP (FT) 805-58:^173
ScsdOiedc/S Order w: FLYTBCftAFT" RO. Boa 3141 Suni Villey CA 93093
CrRCLE 11« DM READER SERVICE CAMD
^1^^^"^^^^
^
'f.
EC TOR riNDER
ZEBO-IN THE SIGNAL!
HAND-HELD
PHASE SENSE
AMTENNAS FOR
VHP DIRECTION
FINDING, USES
ANY FN XCVR,
COMPASS GIVES
DIRECTION, ARMS FOLD FOR STORAGE . TYPE VF-14a COVERS BOTH 2-HTRS & 2 20MHZ, OTHER MODELS AVAILABLE- WRITE OR CALL FOR MORE INFO. $3*50 SHIPPING & TYPE VF-142
CA. ADD TAX) $139,95 ^19-
71 RADtO ENGINEERS 565-13X9
U 3941 MT. BRUNDAGE AVE- ^ SAN DIEGO CA.92111
CIRCLE 3K ON READER SERVICE CARD
1 0fl 75 Amateur Radio Today • May. 1 994
BROWNIES QSL CARDS SNCE 1939. Catalog &
sampTes SI (refundable with order). 30 35 Lehigh Street, Allentown PA 1 81 03. B^S4^0
QSL CARDSIII Customize one of 26 standard for- mats, or create your own design. FREE into-packet (75 cent stamp appreciated). CHESTER QSL's. DepL A. 2 South Commercial, Emporia KS 66801. (31 6)342-6792, FAX (31 6)342^705. BNB434
ICOM-781 RAFFLE: One hundred tJctets ONLY at $100 a piece. Drawing to be held at 3pm on June 24 at the HC of JHS 22 In NYC. Tickets/Quesiions- WB2JKJ, RC of JHS 22. POB 1052. New York NY 10002. Phone {516)674-4072, FAX (51 6)674-&600.
BNB455
REPEATER PROGRAMMING SOFTWARE.
Use your PC and modem to generate DTMF tones. Send SASE to KM9S, Box 771 , FranKlin IN 46131.
BNB4eO
CRYSTALS: High quality for your VHFAJHF arwJ SHF transverter pfojects. SASE WA31AC. 7148 Monlague SL. Philadelphia PA 19135. BNB515
CELLULAR PHONE PROGRAMMING PACKAGE! PrograirVReprogram cellular phone (s). Change ESN and NAM. Change or CJone ALL. $200.00 Comp^ta Cali (41 9)351 -77ia BNB520
CDROMr94 HAM RADIO CALLSIGN DATA @ASE
Ham Radio Caflsign Database with hundreds of PC Compatible programs, radio mods, TCP/IP Usenet, Ham Radio Archives. FCC Rules & Regulations, cur- rent exam question pools, and Canadian Call Signs, Only $24.95, with Windows/DOS Interface Includes shipping! Send check to: CDROM. 2348 Karen Dr.. #6, Santa Clara C A 95050 or calJ (408)241 -7376 witfi
yoor Visa oc MC. BNB640
FOR SALE: ICOM 735 & K^OM AH-2A HF aJI bard ar>tenna tunrier S955. (901)986-5153 Of Box 21, HuntingCtofI TN 38344. BNB545
OACRON ROPE, WHY RISK ANTENNA SUPPORT FAILURES?? Mil Type, black, strong, high UV/stretch resistant. 3/32": $.06/ft., 3/16" (770 lb. test}: $.11 /ft., 5/16"; $.16/fr. IMMEDIATE SHIPMENT DAVIS BF CO. 24 HOUR ORDERS: (800)464^4002. CODE 1356. ENBSS7
DON'T BUY QSL CARDS UNTIL YOU SEE MY FREE SAMPLES. Also 1 specialize in custom cards and QSL business cards. Wrtte or call tor free sart*- ples and custom card ordering information. LITTLE PRINT SHOP, Box 1160. PflugervJIle TX 78660. (512)990-11 92. Mastercard and Visa now accepted.
eNB595
WANTED: Westem Electric tubes and olher tube au- dio eqijpment. (800)251 -5454. BNB6t5
DUPLEXER TUNING GUIDE. A complete booklet showing step- by 'Step instructions on tuning all typos of dup lexers. Included is theory of operation, detailed diagrams and much more. Send $9.95 plus $2.50 sah to ROM PUBUCAT10NS. 533 Main Street. HilEs- boro NM 88042. For faster service using a major credit card call (505)895'5333 and order today 30 day money back guarantee, BNB635
SATELLITE EQUIPMENT 40% OFR Drake & Toshi^ ba IRDS Ku band upgrade special. 25' CAL AMP Slimline II LNB .7" CAL AMP Ku LNB. Chaparral C/Ku Feedhom- All three for $245! Call for price list. (602)623-5748. Fax (602)624-1629. Tucson AZ
BNB640
CIRCLE ^ Or^ RiAD£H SERVtCE CARD
UNIVERSAL PROGRAMMERS Data 10, XELTEK. Logic Devices. Magic 10, EEToots, Needhams, from $399.00, EPROM progra miners from $117. Call for free catalog. (408)241 -7376, BNB645
VHWfHF-SHF Large SASE. VHFer, P.O. Box 685. Nolbrook AZd602S. BNB660
QSLS— ELEGANT, AFFORDAeLE, Samples Si (re- fundable with order). A ACQ, Dept S45, 1639 Fofd- nam Way* Mountain View CA 94040. BNB670
HAM RADIO REPAIR- All makes and models. Fast. Professional Service. AFFORDABLE ELECTRONIC REPAIR, 7110 E. Thomas Rd.. Scottsdale AZ 85251. (602)945-3908. BNB7DQ
ROSS^ SSS$ NEW MAY (ONLY) SPECIALS. SAVE TIME AND MONEY HAVE MODEL NUMBER AND MANUFACTURER READY WHEN YOU CALL OR WRfTE. KENWOOD. TH-22AT S260.50; TR-751A, imS^OO; YK-aSA. $62,50; TH-205A. $250.00; A£A, PK-6A/HFM, SI 45.00; PM-1. $125.00; ALINCO CALL; YAESU. SP-5. $145.00; FT-SSO, $416.00, FT- 416 CALL: ICOM CALL; ASTRON CALL; MFJ CALL; KANTF»ONICS CALL; BARKER & WILLIAMSON CALL: BENCHER CALL; BUTTERNUT CALL; CUSHCRAFT, A3WS CALU TELEX HY GAIN CALL; KLM CALU RF CONCEPTS CALL; MIRAGE CALL; LARSEN CALL LIMITED TIME OFFERS. LOOKING FOB SOMETHING NOT LISTED OR HARD TO FIND? CALL OR WRrTE. OVER 9000 ham-related items in stock for fmmedtaie shipment. Mention ad. Prices cash, F.O.B. Presion. HOURS TUESDAY-FRI- DAY 9:00 TO 6:00, 9:00-2:00 RM. MONDAYS. CLOSED SATURDAY & SUNDAY ROSS DIS- TRIBUTING COMPANY, 78 SOUTH STATE. PRE- STON ID 83263. (208)852-0830. BNB707
GIANT SOLAR PANELS $44.00 EACHI Excetrent Prices/Solar Equipment/ Accessories. Free Informa- tion/Send Stamped Envelope, Catalog $3.00. To: QUAD ENERGY, RO, Box 690073. Houston TX 77269. (713)893H33T3. BNB715
ELECTRON TUBES: All types and azes. Transmit' ting, receiving, microwave . , . Large inventory = same day shipping. DAILY ELECTRONICS, 10914 NE 39lh ST. Suite B*6, Vancouver, WA 98682. (800)346-6667 or {206)896-8856. eNB71 9
QUALITY QRP KITS FROM 624, Curtis 8044ABM Keyer Kit $31.00. MUCH MORE. 2 Stamps for cata- log. 624 KlTSt 171 Springlake Drive, Spartanburg SC 29302- BNB720
MINTATURE POLICE RADAR TRANSMITTER
One mi!e range, $41 assembled, $31.00 kit. 9025 Coldwaler Rd. 81dg. 100A, Fod Wayne IN 46825.
BNB725
QUALITY: coax cables, connectors, antennas and amateur radio equipment Send $3,00 for latest cata- log. R, C. KONTES, 465 Croft, Idaho Falls ID 83401- 4419, BNS730
SKYWARN SPOTTER'S & STORM CHASERS:
"Storm Spotter's Vtdeo Reld GtikJe* now available on VHS. Leam how to intercept and monitor developing tornadoes. Thorough spotter training with beautiful computer stocm simulations, vivid storm video exam* pies, nanated by pefsor^able TV meteorotogisi MQIron ttnes better than any slide presenlalioo. $24,99 each plus 52.00 shipping to: Dave Oliver, 1128 Montdair. AmardloTX 79124. BNB750
HAM RADIO REPAIR— Prompt seivice. ROBERT HALL ELECTRONtCSt t660 McKee Rd.. Surie A. San Jose CA 951 1 6, (408)729-8200 . BNB751
UHF REPEATER
Make hiQh quality UHF repaatefs from GE Master II mobiles!
40Wat!Mobile-f^^'iO Dupl^x]ng and tunlrg information
InfonmaiJon wittioul radiQ
$199
$12 S40
Field
Versatel Communications
Orders l'fl00^56'S&4e For m<o. 307-266-1 TOO
P,0. Box 4012 • Casper, Wyoming 82604
CIRCLE fiSS ON HEADER SERVICE CARD
Beam ?
Took 10,15. 20. iitid 4Q mctlr HalfSquatiJs on Field Dav. Th^v went up in the itetA as easv as dipoles, A low G5RV took' care of e^rrMhine close and the mlt^uares made mv ORP a bitt ?*i^nal tor the cone hop easi and west. On 10 and 15 1 [Houghs I h^d a cosauti. In a HalfSquare?
10 M 15 M 17 M 20 M 30 M 40 M ^
$40 $45 $4« $50 $60 $70 p^ h
MoPak 51— Plans; TechNotc 122^S7ppd USA
AntennasWest cr^tr Hotiin«:
Box 50062'S. Pto^o LT 84605 801-373-8425
CIRCLE 282 ON READER SERA^CE CARD
I
EME army of NCI I
CaU_j:)r write
FOR THE SERIOUS VHF/UHF ENTHUSIAST ONLY !
Discover what EME Operators around the world have already found out. Our designs produce higher gain to noise temperature ratios than any other antennas com- mercially avaitable. 'These antennas are optimized for gcHDd gain, extremely clean patterns, and an excellent match." OST April ^91
TROPO, METEOR SCATTER, EME, ATV, OR OX
FROM 50 MHz TO 950 MHz WE HAVE YOU COVERED!
RUTLAND ARRAYS
1703 Warren St. * New Cumberland, PA 17070
Info. 1-717-774^3570 Orders b800^536-3268 Phone Hours 6 PM to 10 PM Eastern Time
■WE DESIGN AND BUILD OUR ANTENNAS FOR PERFORMANCE NOT PRICE
! 3
CIRCLE 71 ON READER SERVICE CARD
Sell Your New & Used Gear In BARTER 'N' BUY
Classified Ads Work! Call Judy Walker today. 1-800-274-7373
RECEIVE PICTURES LIKE THIS PIRECTLY FROM SPACE ON YOUR COWPUTERl
Mu^JFAX offers two fuHy t&atur&d weBiher saieHiie demodulators: Onv modei p4ugs direcJIy into th# ex|)an$ion &lct of your EBM f^ornpati^d^^ 'JtiH^p PC. ^t)t dihfi model tnl*f(Accs id your PC {tapcop. ndUboak, er d«l{£Dp)i UVDugih Ine p^ialftl {prnim\ pori^ — psftecl lor
fiolh wr»9H ofTv ttra tvnc p(iiv«i1Vil <apabiN« — PLL or cuflfy for p«i1ec{ly slriiQlll edgei on f^OAA imd GO£S lateTites Cap^ute ALL ine liiflh rttsotuhon th* istoAA sal^lliles tan provide (2-3 rnitesj In vtsibk n\6 inlrared wtUi a M[ i^ mlinute recording
FlATUREl INCLyeC: NCMA^ IMkw fThj&$^)i hMeoMl. QQ^S. •nd f^ FoM « Dtect Wi4etQ Ptsh (EiteirHJAd or Ejcpandrd ntflfnufy NOT RAquvttf) ■ lTTmg» itave S^aighl fdgn ■ Evea rrofi fOAA and GOES Audio T^pc R^contmgs • thart It Shoor Ls«f irKerfaix wrth FuP MouHc Sup^Ft ■ 3b& Ca4of S.1 64 Stiodn of Gray, m2i*7EB Pixels wim SVG^ -VESA Video Support ■ Zoom to 800% ■ PowfirtuJ InwB* EnhflncBmenl p GIF F^I» Outpul ■ False GolfKrizaliori ■ LJnaltendsd TlmBr Hvcordtng ■ Animstiofi (looping]< for GOES and Me4eo«l ■ Cafibnd«d IR Ivftip^tt^vim DHttDut ■ Pel Uairii end lasm Pfwmr QUpwt ■ -SET Enliewwiiit ■ LiilLMfciil I II I J II II mill aid Mip Owflkyt (USA lociudfifi • fWEwncB Audio Taps of Actual NOAA MetMCat. and HF FAX TtvnunissiDns ■ Clear. Campfete U^^^rs Manual a DempdulmtDrs wrtb SoAwb/^ fl(ait at £2es ■ Much M&n ...
CalJ or Wrr^ for Detailed Information
iftlftlFAX ' 143 f^lrii Ireti Road ■ MEHph, VT 0S4Ga IfUlmrriii-iLl and Vtu e02'993'70D6 ■ Faxr B0S^S93'6659
4ADEFR00UCTS,INC
P.O. BOX 368
£. TUMPSTF A0, NH tl3S2£
60^J29-699S SaM-V PM
Fax<03^»-M99
FUN-Krr LIME
HEWl LADDIR^LIME MULTiBAND ANTEHNA KIT
CtKXvfe SO OR 4 [) Mktes^ >tMD L~m WA THKRh g«=tl£PDiHLCiW»u JO. 10. 1 7. i 5. I 2, OK I OM. PUU^JtSOCMiX CM
COAXCA
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TWIN-LEAD LADDER-LINE 2 M J-POLE ANTENNA
JADE-POLE
TWO
ANTENNA
Cn^Jia'FOKTiiOEVi'o SPACE. CkJiJf 60 IN Cl-3My
AMU JADC^POLE KIT 144 UKcCR XUTi
S &95
TWIN-LEAO MARCONI ANTENNAS
E>SV10ilSSfJ^EI, TiaMTOJ-ISJ«IHt,i«H>
€OAX fuLFTUbjasoFAiACLhNsiSNO
TttEt mjh. pwh too w ^ n
AK-OI 180 METER ANTENNA _ »«.» AMhO? aDHETEft AMTENMA 04. t£
^
TWflH-LEAD LADDER 4JHE PiftARCOMI
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BC-01 fiATTERY CKAROEK KIT
(Uj*DhAc1&'<;^ t\;i,) U^STSK LJC3906 tC CowT. Dtrr Man-*¥ chakjii. QLTAunf
C^JMIVlNgKT^ Pi"! t MOUN1EI) li^ll XFMH.
E^l] I'frj-. nr TTt, i-aflaTTT, i rm nTnif h.
vci:zjUESca.ciTJCE>m 1 1 a'220v«-, Mi^ te.. t't.M
BC^Ct^ SCQl4Jil>&Kli»t.v&i!MIflLlu&B£ICfc. t^%f^
EK-01 . EKPERIMEHTER'S KIT
DtShJMi} J^3i jtjttilOEXPEiufcdEjnjcrioist JmcLi PCBi, NE!602AN*MCi49^
JO-OCtOOl EXH3UMHKTQtS t>CB _
JT-OOOOI ENCLCKinj: t iics Sx3 Ptiarar ftiBn'iufcuM.r 4 5-OO001 NEaOI^o; MD«» f^KMUSxaa. I^^ISMlIM 6 iaa_ 4 5-O00O3 Ia:190* BATTlItV OiAROSt CHIP
45-OOOM NEWMAN IF-UM-P!iV?H DCTF.CTDe_. 4SO00O5 S044ABM CURTIS KEYER C^W—^^ 43-lOMll LM33HKPOS. V RE0.5A,1.5*33V
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CrRCLE 133 OIM READEH SERVICE CARD
73 Amateur Radfo Today* May, 1994 101
TIRED OF PLAYING GAMES?
Finally, a pradial use for your soind card!
Passb^nd manftoring
Signal identification and tuning
Notch fmr adjustmBnt
3-D surface 0ts & color spectrogram track tequency chants over time
Miittipie open windows
Spectra Vi^on & Spectra Ptas.
Resi-tirm audfo spectmm anaiyzers. Full coniroi over FFT size, sampttng rale, scaling, gain, and
averaging. Requires 386 or better, Windows 3.1 and any Windows compatibte 8 or IB bit soundcard,
-Knock-your-socks^off quatityr- Harold Price. QEX Magazine, Dec. 93
Spectra
Plus
Spectra
vision i Modes
Real time
Recorder
Postpioeess
All display formats Includ&d wVi eitt^er package, SO ddy money-back guarantee.
M79^^ I
800-401-3472 rax/voice 206-697'3472
Visa. MasterCard. Check or Money Order
PkHieer NiU Software
24460 Mason Rd., Pouisbo, WA BB370 S&H mdud&d, foreign delivery add $10.00 Demo disk $4M0 (credit toward purchase)
CtPlCLE 311 ON HEADER SEflVICPCARD
1 02 73 Amateur Radio Today * May, 1 994
FIELD DAY ANTENNA
campk;i$. itsapml?t^i^ms<iy to use,
TNT b Ko-iiim ofl 90 iTHv, «, 20, 17, \l\lQ TlST/l hi So^iwv™ m. 39, Id V%nrk <Mbi:T bun4« W^' lunf^f, 0>i JL CjJr me *i / fnKfUCncv
*
Mun k'^H Si^i
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offf m^fT W viitihrn..
Antennas West
3ox 500625. Provo, UT 8460S
Kink-pfQOf LOwtSOEK
TNT/2 $79.^^
Windom ^7/i. long iftggS? 801^73-8425
P4M
CIRCLE 13S ON READER SERVICE CARD
Say You Saw It In
73 Amateur Radio Today
QUICK, EASY, & COMPACT
Flash cards 'NOVICE thru EXTRA' iheofy Key words underrmed. Over 4O00 seis in usb} Foi- beginner, OMs. )CyLs & kids.
AOVAJhfCED I1MS
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CmCLE t04 ON READER SERVICE CARD
Amateur Radio Language Guide
'Hundrec^Ql p^-Bse ^ii.'y lof Ehel-t^nn r^KliOOperBiof
• Vol- 1 - Freivcft^ Spa. .- ., -;-£,Tnan. Japarp&&&, PqSsh
< Voi. 2 - Sivwfish, Italian, Poiiuge&e, Croatian, Norwegian
• VoJ. 3 - Russian, Danisfi. Czech. Korean, HawaJian
• Vol. 4 - Chinese, Dutch, Finish^ Rcjmflrtian, Vietnamesfl
• Vol. 5 ' Hungarian, AfobJc, PhNltplnOn Turkis-h^ Indonesian Send 510. per volume U.S.. S12 outside U.S. 10:
ROSE. P.O. Bqx 7m, Mundelein. II 60060-0796
Speak To The World
CIRCLE 134 ON READER SERVICE CARD
EVERY ISSUE
of 73
on microfiche!
The entire run of 73 from October, 1960 through last year is available.
You can have access to the treasures of 73 without several hundred pounds of bulky back issues. Our 24x f iche have 98 pages each and will fit in a card file on your desk.
We offer a battery operated hand hekf viewer for $75, and a desk model tor $220, Libraries have these readers.
The collection of over 600 microfiche, is avaifabie as an entire set. (no partial sets) for $285 plus $5 for shfpping CUSA). Annual updates avaHabie for $1 0,
Your full satisfaction is gyaranteed or your money back. Visa/MC accepted.
BUCKMASTER PUBLISHING
"Whitehall"
Route 4, Box 1630 Mineral, VA 23117
703«a94-5777
BOO-282-5628
CIRCLE lea ON READER SERVICE CARD
WANTED: HAM EQUIPMENT AN0 OTHER PROP- ERTY. The Radio Club ot Junior High School 22 NYCp fnc. is not only the Big Apple's largest Ham club but also the nation's only full time, non-profit organiza- tion, working lo get Ham Radio into sc!xx>Es around the country as a theme for teaching using our EDUCOM-Educatkjn Thm Communication-program. SerKl your radio to school. Your donated amateur or related property, which will be picked up or shipping arranged, means a tax deduction to the fuli extent of ihe law for you as we are an IRS 50 1 (c) (3) chart/ in our fourteenth year of servk;e. Your help will also mean a whofe new world of educatiorial opportunity for ctiildren around tJie (^>untry. Hadk>s you can write off. kids you can't Get ready for summer tiy helping someone else and yourself. Pfease, write -phone -or FAX the WB2JKJ "22 Crew" today; The RC Of JHS 22. P.O. Box 10S2. New York NY 1000Z Telephone C516)€74'4072 or FAX (516)674.9600. Young people, natJonwicte, can get high on Ham Radio with your help. Meet us on the WB2JKJ Cl^SSROOM NET: 7.238 MHz. 1200-1330 UTC and 21.395 MHz. 1400- £000 daiiy-ALSO-al HAM-COM 94. the ARBL Nation- ai Convention m Texas, June 1 0-12. BNB762
JOIN TAPR-TUCSDN AMATEUR PACKET RADIO (non-profit developers of tfje TNC). Mem&ership ben- efits Indude: supporting Ibe development of new com* municatfons teclnnology, quarter iy newsletter, low- priced software/shareware, 10% discount on kits and putJiications. S15/year (foreign higher). Visa/MC ac- cepted When joining, mention 73. receive TAPR Packet Radio Generat Info booklet (S7 value)! (817)383-0000. Maii:8987-309 E. Tanque Verde Rd. 11337, Tucson AZ 85749-9399. BNB765
SERIOUS ABOUT SOLAR POWER? The PVSP Starter kit oomes witfi a 32 watt Solarex VLX panel and a ten amp Sunbgic charge contmller. Special in- troductory price S275 plus S7 shipping. SUNUGHT ENERGY SYSTEMS, 2225 Mayflowef NW, Massillon OH 44647. BNB774
EARN SI, 000 WEEKLY WITH YOUR PC, Free de- tails. Send SASE. Jeff Boone. 845 Miller Ave., iB, Shebyvrtle ! N 461 76. BNB795
AGGRESSIVE SALES REPRESENTATIVE seeking additional employment. Woufd fike to self amateur ra- dio equfpment, (910)299-1298. BNBeOO
AR^IDON TOROID COIL FORMS AND KITS for Ham prefects. Interest to Radio Amateurs, large stodc on hand. IVAN JOSEPH, 31 16 West Jariath SU Dept. 73. Chicago IL 60545, {31 2)46^-6683, BNBBOS
fl-390A COVER SET. New $55 each. Ballast tubes, S25. (ppd) PO Box 3541 . Toledo OH 43608. BNB813
FREE IBM SHAREWARE ANO HAM CATALOG.
Morse Code Computer interfaces. S49.95. NEW TWO METER Mobife Antenna Pattern Switcher for two vertical antennes, $59. 95. DYNAMIC ELEC- TRONICS, Box 896. Hartsetfe AL 35640. (205)773- 2758. FAX (205)773-7295. BNBa 1 5
SENSATIONAL NEW WAY TO LEARN CODE-DO Aerobics, Sing, Jog, or Drive while leaming code! Now the secret is yoursi Order THE RHYTHM OF THE COOE-Morse code music cassette today! $9.95 ppd KAWA RECORDS P.O. Box 319-5. Weymouth. MA 02188, Ttie HIT of the 1 993 Dayion Hamveniiont
BNB624
WANTED: Kenwood R600 Recetver; also McKay DYMEK DP 40 pre-selector. Rick, N6NVG, (510)687- 271 9. BNBa25
FCC COMMERCIAL UCENSE PREPARATION RA- DIOTELEPHONE-RADIOTELEGRAPH. Latest home study fast easy audio video. Q & A pod disks, FREE details WPT PUBLICATIONS (800)800-7588.
BNB840
f
ELECTROKICS GRAB BAG! 500 pieces of new components: inductors, capacitors, diodes, resistors. S5.00 postpaid. ALLTROWCSt ^300 Zanker Rd.. San Jose CA 951 31 . BNB855
WANTEDi COLLINS ArfTtOUES, anything old from, speakers, receivers, transmSttera, and all accessories, any conditjoa. Top $$$ paid. Rick. (800)462-2972 anytime. BNB665
KENWOOD TL-922A LINEAR. Low time, original box & manual. $1 ,250.00 FOB, (916)351 -8453. BNB870
RF EMGINEERS WANTED SGC. a world leader in HF SSB equipment is seeking experienced RF Engi- neers. Experience in transmitter and receiver design, A/D converters, dlgilai voice processing, and low noise oscillators is required. Preference to licensed amateurs. SGC, INC., PO Box 3526, Bellevue WA 98009, Principals only. ENSSBO
SCHEMATIC DESIGH PROGRAM. Free brochure, write Dept. 7, SCHEME-AODICT, 8622 West 44th Place. Wheat Ridge CO 30033. BNB905
PRINTED CIRCUfT BOARDS for 73, QST, etc. Club orders welcome. US orders deduct 20%. Free list B-C-D ELECTRONICS, Box 20304. 853 Upper James St., Hanfiilton. Ontano, Canada L^C 7M5.
BNB91 0
WANTED: BUY & SELL All types of Electron Tubes. Call (612)429-9397. Fax (612)429-0292. C & N ELECTRONJCS, Harold Bramstedt. 6104 Egg Lake Road, Hugo MN 55036. BNB91 5
COMMODORE 64 HAM PROORAMS-8 disk sides over 200 Ham programs $16,95./$.29 stamp gets un- usual software calalog of UtiFities, Games. Adutt and British Disks, HOME-SPUN SOFTWARE, Box 1 064^ BB. Estero a 33928. BNB91 7
INEXPENSIVE HAM RADIO EOUIPMENT. Send postage stamp for list. Jim Brady WA4DS0, 3037 Au- drey OR., Gastonia NC 28054, BNB927
RADIO REPAIR Amateur and commercial, profes- sionai work. Fred Fisher WF9Q. 6866 W. Rivar Rd.. South Whilley 1 N 46787. (£1 9)723"4435, BNB930
SEIZED GOODS, radios, stereos, computers, and more by FBI IRS. DEA. Available in your area now. Call {800)436^363 Ext, 0-6233, BNB940
RF TRANSISTORS AND TUBES NEEDS DEALERS
and repair shops for 2SG1969, 2SC2879. MRF455, 2SCl307and more. WESTGATE (600)213-4563.
BNB950
FREE HAM GOSPEL TRACIB, SASE. N3FTT. 5133 Gramercy. Clifton Mights PA 19018. BNB960
AMIGA, MACINTOSH, ATARI XLOCE/ST Amateur Radio & electronics PD/shareware software $4,00 per disk. Two stamp SASE brings catalog. Specify whk^ computer! KD-WARE, Box 1646. Orange Pk. FL 32067-1646, BNB965
PRINTED CIRCUIT BOARDS for projects In 73, Ham Radio, QST, ARRL Handbook. List SASE. FAR CIRCUfTS, 18NS40 FiekJ Ct., Dundee IL 60118.
BNBSee
AZDEN SERVICE by former factory technician. SOUTHERN TECHNOLOGIES AMATEUR RADJO, INC, 10715 SW 190 SL #9. Miami FL 33157, (305}238'3327. BNB979
ROTOR PARTS ROTOR SERVICE, ROTOR acoes- sories: Bra k-D- Lays, Quik-Connects, Pre-Set mods, NEW nrodels for sale. Free catalog, C.A.T.S., 7368 Stale Road 105. Pentervilte OH 43450. BNB996
HUGE INVENTORY REDUCTION SALE CALL TODAY TO GET IK ON THESE LOW LOW PRICES^ !
WOLFE COMMUNICATIONS
11 13 Central Ave.
Biliings, MT 59102
406-252-9220 FAX 406-252-9617
WE BUY, SELL, AND TRADE
Calf or wnle for our current ffy&r
Field Dav Solar!
CIRCLE 20 ON READER SERVICE CAf!0
The $MV flO Bullcl-Tc^lCiJ (JRV S(ii4T Pts^cr Supply kerpn your rcpciitri iirv (Itc tut 'rotiod llic clock tn pn.TViti youj- lOO* HF litalicm. 60ihr^ I mufuh CamnA cinruM fspcpdir clur^. pfvteai fcl L-eds & sfikff tuitena Puil> aucmMcd, ^V. potuMe. Eastlip c^fMndnl
(^)3?5'8425 "TM-B^ .^oc^i pro^o UTf^6&5
GIHCLE 336 ON RiAOEFl SERVICE CARD
SELL YOUR PRODUCT IN 73 MAGAZINE
CALL DAN HARPER 800-274-7373
i^M^—^^im
T ELECTROMAGNETIC FIELD METER ▼
Reduce exposure to potentially harmful electromagnetic fislds. AlphaLab's har^dheld TrJFjeld™ Meter measures AC electric fields, AC magnetic fields ^nd radio ^microwave power density. Find ground faults, AC current wires or measure higti-freld generators witti the Magnetfc setting (,2 - 100 mlllLgauss, 60 Hz); identify poorfy grounded or shielded equipment, high VDT or fluorescent light fields, distinguish hot vs. ground wires wittT Eteciric setting {.5 - 100 kV/m, 60 Hz); measure antenna radiation patterns, leaky microwave ovens, etc. on RF/mlcrowave setting (50 JVIHz to 3 GH2, .01 to 1 mW/cm^),
Electric and magnetic settings are omnidirectional, measuring full magnitude of fields without the need to reorient ttie meter Price of $145 Includes delivery and one-year warranty.
AlphaLab,l272 Alameda Ave, Salt Lake City.ljT 84102 Call (801) 532^6604 for speedier service or free literature on electromagriellc radiation health risks.
WATCH FOR OUR GRAND RE-OPENING!
I
CLOSED FOR REMODELING
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We're making some changes at Uncle Wayne's Bookshelf, changes that will enable us to offer you the books you want at prices you like.
Please bear with us while we remodef the operation to serve you better.
73 Amateur Radio Today * May. 1 994 1 03
^a
New pr\
f/f
Number 29 on your Feedback card
vers
Compiled by Charles Warrington WAIRZW
AEA
Advanced Electramc Appii- cations. Inc. is proud to intro- duce AEA We- Fax 256— a new software accessor/ for users of their DSP'2232/t23£ multimode con- trol lers. AEA WeFax 256 Is a Windows program for reception and display of gray scafe WeFax images.
AEA WeFax 256 dispiays. in real time, true gmy scale images from ei- ther the NOAA HF WeFax Service or the t^OAA APT Satellite Service. It will provide two modes of resolution^500 Of 250 pixels per line — which ensures that the AEA WeFax 256 imaging sys- tem will wort< on yoiif setiip. This prod-
uct inoorporates i scnotfable recefve buffer capatsle of operating in slop or loop modes.
AEA WeFax 256 comes complete with an Image processor It wilt sup* port BMP. GIF, PCX. TIF. and JPG im* age formats. It integrates an Aoto CtocK function to "Vrake up" your sys* tern; and ca ply res unattended Irans- mtssions.
The suggested retail price for the AEA WeFax 256 \S 5129- AEA WeFax is available from your favorite amateur radio dealer For more information* please contact Advanced Eiectronfc Appiications, ma. P.O. Box C216Q, LynnwoQd, WA 98036: (206) 774- 5554; FAX (206) 775*2040. Or drcte Reader Service No. 201 ,
NUMBER ONE
The paper Smith chart, invented over 50 years ago. provides a graph!- car method for solving impedance matching and transmission fine prob- lems. Now, Number One Systems' new Z-MATCH for Windows program greatly enhances the usefulness and accuracy of Smith chart techniques, and adds a wide range of valuable Ra- dio Frequency Engmeerfng utilities,
2-MATCH tor Windows provides RF and Communications designers with a comprehensive set of circuit and sys- tefn design tools in a remarkably easy- to-use. low-cost package. An immedt- atety apparent advantage of Z-MATCH for Windows is that it works directly with actual lengths of transmission tine and actual reststance and reactance values, eliminating the need for nor- matization. The designer can also switch instantly between Impedance and admittance charts
Z-MATCH for Windows also pro- vides a receiver and system design lool for calculating overall values of gam. noise figure and more. For RF amplifier designers, Z-MATCH for Win- dows' ability to work directly with S-Pa-
;7fffj
SYSTEMS LTD.
r a m e t e r s greatly simpli- nes many de- sign tasks. Options In- clude platting stability cir- cles, the cak:ulation of stabHfty factor, transducer gain» maximum available gain and the source and load Impedances needed to achieve it, and even the determination of the compo* neni values to provide source and load matches for specified O.
The program comes complete wiriiti a comprehensive instruction manual covering botin the theory and practice of using Smith chart techniques and includes many case examples. Z-MATCH for Windows requires a min- imum oi an AT286 running Microsoft Windows 3,0 or later, and is available direct. The price is $375. For more in- formation contact Number OnB Sys- tems Ltd.. Harding Way. St. tves Hunf- ingdon. Camt^s- PE17 4WR England: +44 480 48 1 778; FAX -1-44 480 494042. Of circle reader Service No, 204.
b-kk precision
B+ICs new h^gh current variable 3- 14 VDC power supply is designed ex- pressly as a substitute for an auto or truck battery. Model 1688 produces r>ominaliy 25 A maximum at T3.8 VDC continuously, fK>ur after hour, without overheating, (Maximum current output is lower at fower voltages).
Model 1688 IS ideal for servicing or
demonstrat- ing mobile electronics equipment, such as ham radios, it is a preferred substrtule for
heavy vehicle batteries tf>at leak add, must be recharged, and cannot toler- ate shorted loads: and for typical high- cun-enl DC power supplies that are ei- ther high priced or designed for inter- mittent duty oniy.
Voltage can be varied from 3 to t4 VDC, Current and voltage can be monitored simultaneously on separate analog meters. Outputs are fully iso^t- ed. Line ztK^ toad regulation are tight (+ or - 0.8%) and ripple is low (less than lOmVrms), Two or more supplies can be connected in series or parallel to double the voltage or current out- put. And to withstand accideriial abuse, Model 1688 has reverse potari- ty protection, overload protection,
S-COM INDUSTRIES
S-COM Industries Is now shipping a powerful new software upgrade with all 6K Repeater Controllers, whic^ in- cludes a 100-setpoint sc^tedulerto eic^ ecute tasks at programmed times and qiates. Uses include changing the re- peater's access mode based on day and night; generating special Identifier
messages for hofldays or special events; announcing nets; charging batteries: weekly pager tests; and so on.
The 6K Repeater Controller with
Aulopatch is priced at $395. Older 6K controflers may be upgraded with a 6K V2.0 Kit for $49-95 plus $3 for ship- ping and handling.
For nnore information, contact S- COM industries, RO. Box t718, Love- tand. CO 80539-1718; (303) 663- 6000. Or circle Reader Service No. 202.
TECHSONIC
A new line of attractive, sturdy QBP transmitter kits is now available for 20, 30, and 40 meters from TechSonic. These professionally engineered 3- walt rigs fealure low cun^ent drain for long battery life and clean, chirp-free DC keying with low harmonic content.
Output levels on these rigs are ad* justable from under 100 mW to 3 watts by changing input voltage; le, a 9~volt transistor battery will run all weekend and provide one-half watt out. Twelve volts gets you one watt out, and 16 to
18 VDC delivers 3 watts. The output transistor is lully SWR protected. An RX an- J^„ lenna jack couples to your
receiver for single-antenna convenience arxl full QSK.
Ffequency control is via VXO and provides 7 to 14 kHz coverage depending on the band. A QRP frequency crystal Is included with each unit Kits come complete with PC board. atJ components, conr^ectofs. and thorough instructions tor easy assembly. All coils are pre-wound- Information on GRP oper- ating, clubs, and awards is also in- cluded.
For more information contact Tsch- Sontc, 1642 Butler Piks Suite 1270, Coryshohoaken, PA 19426; (610) 834- 1978^ Or circle Reader Service No, 203.
RF Industries' new 26*page catalog presents an expanded range of SMA connecto rs. These connec- tors are de- signed to offer reliable broadband performance ffwn ix; to 16 GHz at a consistent 50 ohm Impedance. They feature high me-
RF INDUSTRIES
Chanical strength, high durability and tow VSWR,
The SMA series (RSA-3xxx) will encompass connectors for fle^^e ca- ble as well as semi-rigid ^bie. it wiii also include in-series adapters and between-sertes adapters.
For your free copy, call or write /?F industries. Ltd., 7620 Miramar Road, San Diego. CA 92126-4202: (619) 549-6340: FAX (619) S49-634S. Or cir- cle Reader Service No. 205.
CONTACT EAST,
The new 1994 catalog from Contact East is 244 pages of new test instru- ments and tools for engineers, man* agers. technicians, and hobbyists. Featured are qualily products from brand-name manufacturers for testing, fepalnng. and assembling electronic equipment. Product highlights include new: DMMs and accessories, solder- ing tools, custom tool kits. EPROM programmers, power supplies, ELF meters, helplut reference books, breadboards, scopes, meters, data- com tools and testers, adheslves, measuring tools, precision hand tools, and portable and bench top digital storage sccpes.
Also included are Conlact East's
INC.
popular lines of communication tesf equipment, SOldering/desol- defing systems, static protection products, ozone safe cleaners, magnifiers, in- spection equipment, workbenches, cases and nnone. All products are tully guaranteed, and orders placed by 4 p.m. are shipped by 5 p.m. To receive your free copy, call or write Contact East, 335 Wiliow Street No^ Andover, MA 01345: (508) 682-2000: FAX (508) 686-7823. Or circle Reader Service fto.207.
short circuit protection, thermal protec- tion, and current limiting.
Model 1B38 is priced al S29d. For more information or for the name of
your nearest distributor, contact 0^K Preaskm, 6470 W. Cortiand St, Chica- go^ ft 60635: (312) 869-1448. Or cirde Reader Service No. 206,
104 73 Amateur Radio Today* May, 1994
FT-7400H
/70cm Mobi es
Specifications
• Frequency Coverage: FT-250QM
RX: 140-174 MHz TX: 144-148 MHz FT-7400H RX/TX: 430-450 MHz
• Rugged Military Spec Design
• Advanced Track Tuning (ATT)
• Sslectabie Alpha-Numeric Display
• Largest Oisptay Available
• Power Output:
FT'2500M 50/25/5 Watts FT-7400H 35/20/5 Watts
• Rip Up Front Control Panel Hides Seldonn Used Buttons
• Backlit DTMF Mtc
• 31 Memory Channels
• CTCSS Encode Built-in •Automatic Power Off (APO)' •Time-Out Timer (TOT)'
• Manual* or Automatic Backlighting Adiustment
- Accessories: FTS-17A CTCSS Decode Unit FRG-6 DTMF Paging Unit SP-4 External Speaker FP-700 Power Supply
"No other mobile lias a Military spec rating. This radfo can really take itl*^
"Backlit DTMF Mic, too. Only Yaesu radios have this "
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'"Yaesu did it again "
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Performance beyond the call of duty.
ust when you thought you had
the most formidable mobile built, we made the FT-2500M. It^s the next evolu- tion of powerful rugged mobile radios.
The FT-2500H based on the acceptance of the popular FT-2400H takes its durable quality, features, and performance then goes one better! The FT-2500M has a new easy-to-operate front panel design with rubber coated knobs and large amber display, and the Yaesu exclusive 3-Stage Advance Track Timing feature which reduces intermod- ulation and front-end overload. With its superior technology, the FT-2500M is as close as >'ou can get to commercial grade performance in amateur frequencies.
The FT-2500M is the only mobile with a Military spec rating; the only mobile radio with the most often used
controls on the front and those you "set
and forget" neatly hidden; and the only mobile radio with a backlit DTMF mic. With its extra large heat sink and one-piece die-cast chassis^ the tough FT-2500M is unlike any other mobile in its class.
So test the mettle of your mobile, if it doesn t measure up to the endurance standards set by the US* Military, you need the FT-2500M. Designed for flawless performance in rough and rugged situations, the FT-2500M is really formidable - just what youd expect from Yaesu. See it at your deafer tod^!
Performance without compromise.
SM
FT-2200/7200
Just 5.5 "W K L6"H X 6.5'D, the FT-2200/7200 radios are designed to fit into today's more c()mpact tars with ease,
SPECIFICATIONS • Frequency Coverage: FT-2200 RX: llO-WJ-MJiz, TX: 144-148 MHx. FT-7200 RXTX: 430^50 MHz,* \Sl^ ReceK'cr Co\«rage: 1 10-180 MHz • AM "Aircraft" Receiv-e: 110439 MHz • Built-in DTMF Paging^Coded Sqatich • Selectabk Channel Only Display • 10 Memor>' DTMF Auto Dialer • Backlit DTMFiMic • Vower Output SO/25/5 Watts (FT-7200 35 Watts)
• 50 Memor>' Channels • Remote Operation w/ Optional MW-2 • CTCSS Encode Built in
• Optional Digital Voice Storage System, Accessories: Se^ your authorized Yaesu dealer.
© 1994 Yaesu USA, 17210 Etfwafds Road, Cerrittjs. CA 90701 (310) 404-2700 Specifkcartkiins stittecf to donge wlvut ficto Specfficafion^ guManieed on^ wrttm amaeur Ctinds Sonie acxgssDnes artd/m opiions ar^ standard m certiNi p^ss Check with ^r toc^l Vaesu dealer for specific: detail.
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eafures
Iqx. sow auiput {1 44MHil 35W (440MHi)
4-m-l * progrommafcle memoiy
2 memory channels
Ime-Operflted & (arrter^Operatd start stop modes
)uqI receive on some band [VHF+VHF or tJHF+UHF)
uihin DTSS selective talfing with page iSC (Aulo Stmplei Checker)
lilt-in cress encoder & optional TSU-8 decoder [ey function display I Aytomatic band chonge itP (Advanced IntercepI Poin)) ■ Cross-bontt repeated Selecfoble frequency step {5, 10, 12.5, 15, 20 or 2SkHz Wireless done function I Incrementol MHz key ** S-meter squelch
lone alert system with elapsed Hme indicafor teparole speaker terminals for each band (switchable; iijto repealer offset (l44Ut{i) tepeater reverse switch & offset smilili l-position RF output power control I Dimmer fontiol I Auto power off
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FM DUAL BANDER ^-^
Kenwood V new FM dual bncier, the IWTBk (H^MHz: 440MHzl is specially tailored for hassle-iree mobile communicauons with a unique "6-111-1' programmable memor}\ Six entire operating profiles^including eveT;\tliing from frequency range to dimmer leve — can be stored, ready tor instant recall. So there's virtually no need to adjust your settings. The detachable front panel has a high-visibility LCD with key function display to make on-the-move operation even easier. Of course, this compact transceiver has a ful complemeni of sophisticated features, including 72 memory channels, DTSS selective calling and page functions, ASC (checks whether you can switch from a repeater to simplex communications), AIP (Ken^vood s exclusive circuit for enhancing RX performance), and a jack for 1200 9600bp5 packet use. And as well as receiving simultaneously on \'HF and UHF bands, the TM-733A can receive two frequencies on the same band (\'HF+\TfFor UHF+UHFX Theres even an optional quick-rel^se kit as an added anii-theft measure. So check out the TM-/ 53A-a sensation bred from inspiration.
*li? ^^mliaxBBf h« a TiiiM^ « SHI «■ Vi p4ri !
'Jw^'ittiifii
94ARD-0a93
KENWOOD COMMUNICATIONS CORPORATION
AMATEUP f^ADfO PRODUCTS GROUP P.O. BOK 2?74S, 2201 East DDfnmguflz St., Long Beach, CA 9&e0i-57J5
KENWOOD ELECTRONICS CANADA INC.
6U70 Kestrel Road. MisBlsaauga, Onrario L5T 156