Menu

Show posts

This section allows you to view all posts made by this member. Note that you can only see posts made in areas you currently have access to.

Show posts Menu

Messages - caulktel

#106
Batteries & Solar / Re: My New Favorite Battery Pack
August 25, 2017, 05:10:46 PM
Hi Bob,

I think it does balance charge them, because looking at the circuit board traces in the Ebay pictures it shows a tap at all of the battery junctions and it has the shunt resistors and all the Mosfets on board, also a charge controller. I ordered one and will check it out when it arrives. I also ordered some 3S protection balance boards that should be here at any time to build my own. I salvage old laptop batteries, (18650's), by the hundreds. Might as well use them for something.

Joel
N6ALT
#107
SWXX,

I don't know what the 703 draws in receive, but the 817 draws about 350ma, (high!), according to the specs. I haven't actually checked it yet. The receive current doesn't bother me much because I go portable for short periods of time, usually no more than a hour and a half at most, so my battery bank has power to spare.

Joel
N6ALT
#108
Gil,

According to the instructions you are going to have to wind your toroid messy because it's for 80 meters, sorry:-(

Joel
N6ALT
#109
SWXX,

Mine is number 628. Also, I believe Hans ships from Japan.

Joel
N6ALT
#110
I've been looking at this QRP Labs kit all week and finally decided to order a 20 meter version. It looks pretty complex for the price. Now I will have to brush up on my CW skills. I hope somebody makes a after market case for it, I bet they do.

Joel
N6ALT
#111
Hi Gil,

So how did the MFT-40 DSB transceiver work out? Did you ever get it working, make any contacts?

Joel
N6ALT
#112
Well I've had my FT-817 for a week now and have made lots of contacts on many bands, I love this radio. I wish I would have bought one sooner. The only gripe I have is the built in battery, the whole charging process is a joke. If I use the radio for 15 minutes the charger charges the battery for 8 hours, so I bought the WindCamp liPo pack for it, now at least I can top the battery off without ruining it and its double the capacity. Ok, I'm done with my rant now, back to making contacts on 20 meters:-)

Joel
N6ALT
#113
New To Radio / Re: Working with s7 -s9 noise
August 23, 2017, 04:53:20 PM
Loops don't have to be expensive, I bought this one and love it, I have worked all across the US with it on 20 and 40 meters. http://doxytronics.com/

Joel
N6ALT
#114
It is a good read. I've never thought of a guitar string as a antenna, but it was good for understanding it.

Joel
N6ALT
#115
I have used the MFJ and quite a few of the BitX's and Gil is right, unless your a techi kind of person, better steer clear of the BitX's. I have made some great DX contacts, (Antarctica on a BitX17), but not before a lot of work. The MFJs are great single band radios. My only gripe with them is they tend to drift a little bit as they warm up.

Joel
N6ALT
#116
I was surprised to stumble across this thread because after owning just about every QRP rig out there, (no Elecrafts, too $$$), I decided to finally order a FT-817ND yesterday. I have built many QRP radios, CW and SSB and DSB too, but they all had drawbacks of one sort or another, so after watching a lot of YouTube videos and noticing that for the most part they most are running 817s, I decided to try one. I have a Hardrock 50 amp that I rarely use, but it might make the 817 more usable in bad conditions. I also have a Elecraft T1 tuner that I seldom use which interfaces real well with the 817. The radio will be here tomorrow, so we shall see.

Joel
N6ALT
#117
General Discussion / Re: Chinese hf radio
July 31, 2017, 07:11:04 PM
Hi,

I have the FX-4A from the same guy and it is my favorite radio. I have thought about picking up a FX-9A. I have appealed to BG2FX, (the guy who designed and sells them), for schematics and firmware information about those radios, and he told me NO! because he is afraid people will copy his design, but he wont upgrade the firmware to fix minor problems, so I have held off buying another radio from him. I sure like mine though.

Joel
N6ALT
#118
Great video Gil,

I contacted Dale Parfitt about your antenna after watching your video and to get pricing and some info. He got right back to me with this:

These antennas are an entirely different design from the classical
  shortened  half wave loops.
   Omniangles use an electrical length LONGER than a half wave and an
  isosceles  triangle shape to synthesize a perfect omnidirectional pattern
  (within +/-
   0.5dB). The square and round loops have an elliptical pattern with front
  to  side ratios of 5dB and more! We hope to soon have plots taken at the
  Florida  Motorola anechoic chamber of all of the commercial "omnis" on our
  site
   Our largest clients are commercial and military. As a result, all of our
   hardware is stainless, all metal surfaces are either polished or
   jitterbugged. The connectors are silver/teflon. The Omniangles are the
  only  commercial series that have a built in balun and do not require an
  insulated  mast in order to prevent mast/feedline radiation.

I think I will be buying one of these as soon as I can afford it. I just bought a HF Mag Loop, so I have to recover from first.

Joel
N6ALT
#119
I would love to buy your 817, but I have no $$$ right now:-( I saw it on QRZ also.

Joel
N6ALT
#120
I use this for my main radio. I have a Hardrock 50 amp, but rarely use it. http://www.multus-sdr.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=65&products_id=190
It has the sound card built in and delivers 5 watts on all bands and is cheaper.

Joel
N6ALT