After several years I decided to make a step: get an HF radio with SSB and CW. On a general basis I despise having any antenna longer than 2m. I am a simple, very high frequency guy. The issue is, VHF and higher frequencies have their limitations, as I have mine. Besides, not having any SSB/CW radio other than the virtuoso Quansheng UV-5 KX severely limits my ability to have fun and hack things. Moreover, attendance on higher frequencies is sometimes thin and moreover, going QRP on those bands sometime annoys my counterpart. I managed to get some nice QSO on VHF but the counterpart couldn’t hear me very well on FM and such is life, I managed to get hold of a G106 Xiegu which is both portable ( I am not going to put any prominent antenna outside, at least for a while), relatively cheap, light and expendle. So the SOTA/POTA stuff becomes interesting.
Quansheng UV-K6 HF fullband MOD: if I made it, you can, too…
I am the proud owner of a modified Quansheng UV-K6 for receving HF…a lot has been said and I won’t bother anyone but I will regroup here a few resources I found useful:
UV-K6
The Hf board I used (mod v.5.0, less modification required…)
The antenna I use
I also needed the programming cable (used one from my Baofeng). here Some tutorials:
OM0ET and TakeApart as well as iu2frl
Some useful tool:
- Flat bar tool to open the device
- Third hand with lens or microscope.
- Good desoldering braid (I didn’t have, I am acquiring it)
- Flux, I used flux for SMD, not the stuff in the jar.
- A soldering tip and solder iron small enough to operate in those little places. Another soldering iron capable to heat up a little more for SMA soldering and ground pad soldering.
- A wrench for SMA (maybe useful)
- very tiny copper wire (how tiny, you will understand opening up the device and seeing what you need to bridge. Be careful that is solder-friendly wire.
- Conical drill bit or various size drill bits..or a small round file to enlarge the LED hole until it fits the SMA connector
The first step for me is always to test the device and be sure that works. Later, it is easier to understand if I broke it or didn’t work in the first place. After that, with the programming cable I use k5prog_win_v1.27 to backup calibration data and initial configuration, saving it for later use.
Programming the Retevis RA-25, a bildungsroman – part II
On part I of this bildungsroman, I dabbed in binary dat files and messed with the hex editor to avoid filing 500 channels entries by hand on the Retevis RA-25. In the end, I prevailed! But I declared I had no intention to fix the script – I lied. I tend to like low hanging … Leggi tutto
Programming the Retevis RA-25, a bildungsroman – part I
I recently got a Retevis RA-25, a nifty and resourceful little analog rig from Retevis. I won’t discuss the GMRS version (I nearly don’t know what GMRS is) but the HAM version. The hardware may probably be the same. Also, there are some other models that are said to be the same hardware, marketed under … Leggi tutto
A bandstop filter for dirty VHF-UHF ham radio
I have a few baofengs I don’t use, as I prefer going around with my Yaesu. My QRP rig set is centered on my Yaesu, in fact. But there are times when I am not very confortable with losing or damaging the Yaesu, and being able to carry a Baofeng would be nice. But the harmonics! Aw!
Now, once I got my SDR radio I had the chance to look in a very non-scientific way to the harmonics of those Fengs and decided that I would be funny to have a few filter and try to clear up those emissions and learn something (I am no filter expert whatsoever)
APRS packet interface with Baofeng and Pine A64
Since I was a boy I was intrigued a lot by TNC and packet Radio. In these days a TNC was a serious investment and soundcard weren”t as capable as now, plus we didn’t have (or at least I didn’t) access to programs like Direwolf and the lot. Moreover, I didn’t have access to a serious radio or receiver. Cheap SSB receivers like SDRs and XHDATA D808 were a mere dream. You would have to get a serious radio receiver with BFO and the price tag.
Now everything is simpler, and at arm reach (information and hardware). What you need is: time to fiddle with them.
My adventure with packet radio started with a very simple audio interface.§ This is more a diary for work in progress than a tutorial (there are many, and well made on the tube).
Let’s also state up front that by doing an interface like this you risk a lot damaging your valuable radio and PC. Not by chance I used an old UV3R and let my trusty Yaesu in its bag. As this is not a tutorial, I suggest you don’t follow the advice below and document yourself elsewhere very well before risking damages to your gear.
YADL, a dummy load for VHF/HF
I recently change my antenna cable and noticed I didn’t have a dummy load (“carico fittizio”) rated for VHF/UHF, so instead of buying or borrowing I decided to make one. I mostly do QRP: power rating isn’t really an issue, but I didn’t want to risk the RFP. I just bought a 50 ohm RFP … Leggi tutto
Cristina Castagna “El Grio” (1977-2009)
6 years today, Cristina Castagna left this word while climbing on Broad Peak. La neve ti sia lieve. “Quos dei amant iuvenes moriuntur”