During summer when the bands are hopping you don't need much to work DX.
Shown here is an small magnetic loop antenna ideal for pedestrian mobile.
It does 15 through to 6 metres, giving a great range of frequencies for the summer sporadic-E season.
In this video I talk about the antenna and demonstrate its use on six and ten metres.
Photos and constructional information is provided at the end. A full constructional article also appears in Amateur Radio magazine for March 2013.
In case anyone is wondering, I'm not in the kit or manufacturing business. This is something you MAKE yourself, and it's so quick, cheap and simple there's no excuse not to give it a go.
UPDATE: This loop has now been rebuilt into a more efficient version with aluminium strip. Details at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kykqimN7nvI
Some handy links are below:
http://www.66pacific.com/calculators/small_tx_loop_calc.aspx (I used this to design my loop's dimensions)
http://www.g4fon.net/
http://www.g4ilo.com/wonder-loop.html
http://aa5tb.com/loop.html
http://www.g4tph.com/
http://www.alexloop.com/
...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dFWIXjftB8o
Got an evening message saying that 27 MHz was wide open. So turned on the FRG-7. Here is what I heard.
PS: If you liked this video please consider supporting Amateur Radio VK3YE by:
* Subscribing on YouTube
* Checking my books page at https://books.vk3ye.com
* Shopping on Amazon via: https://amzn.to/3iiDQXv, or
* Shopping on eBay via: https://ebay.us/i9DuWP
(then if you buy something I'll get a small commission at no cost to you)
...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qdb0aEh4zNE
The third in my series on the HF Signals Antuino RF test instrument. One of its functions is as an RF signal generator. I've connected it to an antenna and gone for a walk to measure its range. I've been told its output is -20dBm but I wouldn't be surprised if it was a little more given the distance achieved.
Antunio courtesy HF Signals: https://www.hfsignals.com/
Cup from MERC: https://www.facebook.com/groups/merc.amateur.radio
PS: If you liked this video please consider supporting Amateur Radio VK3YE by:
* Subscribing on YouTube,
* Checking my books page at https://books.vk3ye.com to see if any appeal,
* Shopping on Amazon via: https://amzn.to/3iiDQXv , or
* Shopping on eBay via: https://ebay.to/3rrGL3u
(then if you buy something I'll get a small commission at no cost to you)
...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=99QWt-CwD70
Setting up QRP in the mud can have its rewards. Including some great DX results with simple antennas. Here I'm using a vertical off-centre dipole (intended for 21 MHz) to have DX on 5 bands between 10 and 28 MHz.
PS: If you liked this video please consider supporting Amateur Radio VK3YE by:
* Subscribing on YouTube
* Checking my books page at https://books.vk3ye.com
* Shopping on Amazon via: https://amzn.to/3iiDQXv, or
* Shopping on eBay via: https://ebay.us/i9DuWP
(then if you buy something I'll get a small commission at no cost to you)
...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6-EHR4OXH6g
Trying a 60cm magnetic loop made from thick speaker cable. I try it from home and away on several HF bands on different digital modes.
PS: Like these videos? Wish to support this channel? If so please store this link to Amazon Shopping as a bookmark or favourite. https://www.amazon.com/s?k=amateur+radio&camp=1789&creative=9325&linkCode=ur2&linkId=459b07464cb38819b3376396431e47d3&tag=v0108-20&ref=as_li_qf_sp_sr_tl Then when you buy something I receive a small commission (at no extra cost to you). Or check my books page to see if any appeal. http://home.alphalink.com.au/~parkerp/vk3yebooks.htm
...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gRRtlarJnKg
More on the magnetic loop tuning unit. This time loading up a 2m length of RG58 coaxial cable. Yes it tunes up on 7, 10 & 14 MHz but efficiency is dreadful. For more information on the loop tuning unit see the previous two videos.
PS: Like these videos? Wish to support this channel? If so please store this link to Amazon Shopping as a bookmark or favourite. https://www.amazon.com/s?k=amateur+radio&camp=1789&creative=9325&linkCode=ur2&linkId=459b07464cb38819b3376396431e47d3&tag=v0108-20&ref=as_li_qf_sp_sr_tl Then when you buy something I receive a small commission (at no extra cost to you). Or check my books page to see if any appeal. http://home.alphalink.com.au/~parkerp/vk3yebooks.htm
...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eWS4P2hp-bo
Testing a homebrew direct conversion double sideband WSPR transceiver on 30 metres.
WSPR is a slow-speed narrow bandwidth digital mode that can be decoded even if signals are below the noise level.
WSPR takes 2 minutes to send two words. This is too slow for conversational purposes so it finds most use as a beaconing system for propagation testing and research.
Milliwatts of WSPR can be decoded thousands of kilometres away and the transmitting gear needed is very simple as this video shows.
The transceiver, which plugs into a laptop computer, has just four transistors. One is in the crystal oscillator, another in the receiver audio amplifier and two in the transmitter driver and final. The balanced modulator is used as the receiver product detector and uses two IN4148 diodes.
This is a very bare-bones rig. The concept is similar to the W3PM rig (see website below) but it's only double sideband (not SSB) and uses manual transmit / receive switching.
The receiver is prone to false spots and requires further work (possibly due to interference from the computer). However the transmitter is working very well, as the long-distance reports indicate.
Anyone wishing to build something like this is should start with W3PM's transceiver for a well-designed but simple design with good performance (link below).
This project was inspired by an item on the Soldersmoke podcast/blog about DSB WSPR. Even better was that 30 metre activity was around a frequency whose crystal I had in the junk box (although popular WSPR frequency crystals are cheaply available from oveseas). Following links led me to W3PM's site which describes a simple WSPR transceiver for 30m.
More info on WSPR below
* See whose hearing whom at http://wsprnet.org/drupal/
* Download K1JT's free software: http://www.physics.princeton.edu/puls...
* Soldersmoke http://www.soldersmoke.com
* W3PM's homebrew SSB WSPR rig: http://www.knology.net/~gmarcus/
* M0XPD's homebrew WSPR: http://m0xpd.blogspot.com/2010/05/homebrewed-whispers.html
* G3XBM's QRP and homebrewing: http://sites.google.com/site/g3xbmqrp/
...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2aUHNRgV7kw
Receiving a newly resurrected 10m CW beacon from the other side of town. Using aluminium foil magnetic loop. Details in previous video.
PS: Like these videos? Wish to support this channel? If so please store this link to Amazon Shopping as a bookmark or favourite. https://www.amazon.com/s?k=amateur+radio&camp=1789&creative=9325&linkCode=ur2&linkId=459b07464cb38819b3376396431e47d3&tag=v0108-20&ref=as_li_qf_sp_sr_tl Then when you buy something I receive a small commission (at no extra cost to you). Or check my books page to see if any appeal. http://home.alphalink.com.au/~parkerp/vk3yebooks.htm
...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ob1L529Vqn4
QRP from the beach and river in this year's Commonwealth Contest. CW DX contacts with 5 watts with simple antennas.
Further information:
* Ribbit website https://www.ribbitradio.org/
* Rattlegram info https://www.aicodix.de/cofdmtv/rattle...
* A club presentation https://www.gars.org/presentations/20...
PS: If you liked this video please consider supporting Amateur Radio VK3YE by:
* Subscribing on YouTube
* Checking my books page at https://books.vk3ye.com
* Shopping on Amazon via: https://amzn.to/3iiDQXv, or
* Shopping on eBay via: https://ebay.us/i9DuWP
(then if you buy something I'll get a small commission at no cost to you)
...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uBUoXrXxs-U