Monday 24/01/2011

To nights activities included:

This week we had some more operating on 2 metres, plus some antenna work. Neil and Gary were experimenting with antennas for 2 metres.

Some more work on the Tak-tenna was done; we must get this antenna on the air.

Gary had asked to see a working MKARS80 transceiver, so I fired up my unit late in the evening. I managed to get a 5 and 7 down in to Toulouse South France. Five watts, homemade really works.

We had a visit from Bob Burns and it was a pleasure to see him.

Denis G0OLX turned up for a few minutes and showed us a Fun Cube Dongle. This is a new software defined 

radio which is on limited supply at the moment but great value at £125.

http://www.funcubedongle.com/

Monday 17/01/2011

To nights activities included:

Gary (M6GHT) and Barry (M6BJT) were operating on 2 metres. :-)

Chris Howard was fixing a 5 amp power supply and lives to tell the tale

Mick, Denis, Steve and I were playing with the TAK-TENNA antenna.  We managed to get it to load up. Next 

week we are hoping to get it on the air.

Again Lots of tea and coffee.

Monday 11/01/11

Operating

Father Christmas was kind to Gary. He got a new Yaesu FT-7800 for Christmas. Gary set it up in the Scout Hall, joined a couple of nets and had fun.

Steve New audio filter and CW tuning aid

Steve gave a demonstration of a kit he has built from Elecraft. It worked very well and certanly
improved CW reception on his IC-703. The cost of the kit is about ⅓ the price of fitting a CW filter.

http://www.elecraft.com/

AF1 Active Filter with Audio Amplifier
The Elecraft AF1 is a versatile audio filter that can be used with any receiver or transceiver. It can improve intelligibility of CW, phone, or data signals, and is especially well suited to radios that have inadequate I.F. or audio filtering. The AF1 uses straightforward analog circuitry and no surface-mount components, so it’s an ideal project for first-time kit builders.

A rotary switch on the unit allows you to select a low-pass characteristic with adjustable upper frequency roll-off, or a narrow bandpass characteristic. The bandpass filter offers two levels of selectivity, and its center frequency may be tuned from about 350 Hz to about 950 Hz. The low-pass filter is active during bandpass operation, allowing you to further control the upper frequency response. The output amplifier drives low impedance phones or a small loudspeaker. Power can be supplied via either an on-board 9-V battery or an external supply. An LED indicates power on/off status.
Specifications

• Filters: Variable Cutoff Low pass filter (SSB/CW) plus two levels of narrow CW bandpass filtering with tunable center frequency.
• Built-in audio amplifier with volume control.
• Dimensions: 5-1/2” L x 2-7/8” W x 7/8” H (14 cm x 7.3 cm x 2.2 cm). Height not including feet or knobs
• Power: 9V battery or external 12 to 14 VDC

Manual

Warren & Denis repairing an Eddystone EC10 mk1

A lovely old radio worth getting working.

Basic Specs for the EC10 and EC10 Mark 2:
Frequency coverage - 550 kHz to 30 MHz (in five bands)
Intermediate Frequency - 465 kHz
Sensitivity - <5uV for 15dB s/n ratio
Image rejection - 50dB at 2.0 MHz, 20dB at 20 MHz

Mick TAK-TENNA

Mick showed us his new TAK-Tenna he has made.

http://www.eham.net/articles/20717

http://www.tak-tenna.com/

Warren fixed the heating :-)

Plus a lot of tea and coffee drinking over some interesting radio chat.

A Very Happy New Year to All

After a two week break we are back to our Monday Sessions. Gary will be bringing his new rig. We need to get him set up quickly so he can join the Sutton and Cheam Radio Society net.

We will be sorting out some training issues as well as some HF/ Morse operating.

The tea, coffee and biscuits are good and available all evening. I you know of any other amateurs who would like to join us the please invite them.

See you all Monday night.