tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-72486541675606048962024-03-05T16:53:21.142-08:00KB5WIA Amateur RadioKB5WIAhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01482606551647955921noreply@blogger.comBlogger63125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7248654167560604896.post-90195654997626288702015-12-01T16:19:00.000-08:002015-12-01T16:19:32.686-08:002015 ARRL EME ContestThis weekend I had fun working the second leg of the 2015 <a href="http://www.arrl.org/eme-contest">ARRL EME contest</a>. There were two legs for VHF operators, one at the beginning of November and one at the end of the month. Each leg was 48 hours, with local moonrise around 10pm or so -- making for very late nights!<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
My small EME station worked nicely. 37 unique stations worked over 21 different country / state combinations: Bulgaria, Finland, France, Germany, Hungary, Italy, Japan, Latvia, Netherlands, Norway, Russia, Scotland, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, USA - North Dakota, USA - Arkansas, USA - California, USA - Illinois, USA - New Jersey, USA - Texas. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
The equipment was the same as usual: Antennas are a pair of M2 2M7 yagis, transmitter is a W6PQL KW LDMOS amp, and the receivers are a Yaesu FT-817ND running WSJT9 software and a FunCube Pro+ Dongle running MAP65 software. The low-noise ARR SP144VDG preamp is on the mast at the antenna. Split RX / TX lines protect the dual receivers and preamp from the transmit power. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Having MAP65 allowed me to see the entire EME sub-band at once, so I was able to keep an eye on the other stations in the contest and watch for CQ calls. This year, the contest rules changed to allow internet chats, but with MAP65 there's not a whole lot of need to look at other spotting sites or chats to find other stations. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
One of the best contacts was with the W6YX Stanford Club station. Since they're easily close enough (about 100mi away) to hear terrestrial signals directly, and these signals obscure the much weaker moon-reflected signals. Only when the moon is setting does the Doppler shift (caused by the relative motion of stations on earth moving rapidly away from the moon) reduce the frequency of the reflected signals enough to make a QSO possible. This time, we used mode JT65A (narrower bandwidth) to more easily separate the direct vs. moon signals. It worked great -- I was able to copy them on the second call.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Here's a list of the stations worked: HB9Q LA8KV RZ3BA/1 OH6ZZ SM4GGC EA4CYQ I2FAK KB8RQ 7K3LGC W5ZN NT0V W6YX DL25UN DF9UX RU1AA LZ1DP YL2GD DL8SCQ DK5EW DG0KW OH2BC I3MEK EA6VQ OH2BYJ GM6VXB SM5KWU DD0VF K5LA UA3PTW HA8CE F6HVK PA0JMV F6APE PA2CHR K1JT OH4LA RK3FG</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
All in all, another fun contest!</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Dave </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
Davehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04543771933653324967noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7248654167560604896.post-32623774270731321732014-10-25T19:50:00.002-07:002014-10-25T19:50:27.769-07:00Ultimate QRP DX: 4M Moon Mission!China's recent effort to send a spacecraft to the moon has had a nice benefit for VHF ham radio. Attached to the last stage rocket is a radio transponder developed by LX0OHB, that outputs a 1-watt signal in JT65B mode on 145.980 MHz USB. The transponder sends repeated callsigns, messages, voltages, temperatures, and has an on-board experiment monitoring space radiation levels. More information is at the <a href="http://moon.luxspace.lu/blog/">4M website</a>. The spacecraft was launched 10/23/2014, will briefly orbit the moon on 10/27, and then will return back to earth on 10/28.<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
I was very surprised to find out that my small EME station (two 7-element VHF yagis and a preamp at the mast) was more than capable of reliably decoding the telemetry from this spacecraft! Capturing a QRP (one watt) signal from over 300,000 km away is pretty remarkable. I use exactly the same setup as I do for EME, and also run the 4M Data Delivery Client to automatically send the received packets from the 4M back to their central data warehouse. Seems at this point in time there are around 30 stations providing the warehouse with live feeds of packets coming down from 4M as it heads towards the moon!</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0XCWHCANmBRlYNO22-QLkIDwvPM33L14blmNSj9A-B4LKQvCAQntmM1JaobMSSPZ8W_2eaZTwH8r2jpy_I56ZBTmqXfUdxOBr3Iii_ZsJGyIeznALdb7Cq1jnreSOmPu4V2u2Q1PI-pFI/s1600/4m-141025b.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0XCWHCANmBRlYNO22-QLkIDwvPM33L14blmNSj9A-B4LKQvCAQntmM1JaobMSSPZ8W_2eaZTwH8r2jpy_I56ZBTmqXfUdxOBr3Iii_ZsJGyIeznALdb7Cq1jnreSOmPu4V2u2Q1PI-pFI/s1600/4m-141025b.JPG" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAVvY3WakzhUr6wTrcYXOuZTVhV1-2h4GGPwF_R40yjIwSwhmayGH8q1mXiSeiNmuV1SBIOabk_BFs7ssyAKMKMcikFxmxKmTkf_i9lXb5QX5p-46GyO7aeWy3Wsq6ACcDszOaaACEvJtB/s1600/4m-141025k.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAVvY3WakzhUr6wTrcYXOuZTVhV1-2h4GGPwF_R40yjIwSwhmayGH8q1mXiSeiNmuV1SBIOabk_BFs7ssyAKMKMcikFxmxKmTkf_i9lXb5QX5p-46GyO7aeWy3Wsq6ACcDszOaaACEvJtB/s1600/4m-141025k.JPG" height="175" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCu-dhmZD7EWcAOPFYq-OPr1BLgTaltwnGtwnaqbYOgAs_ei4dAJNjNwc6vokSKqddTjMIEYF-nlK9NZPhJbYlWsw6yVrI5mSQBFl7ORnM_IsLpImY0QD3vwMy-xd9KIQvPawBGSmvE_2J/s1600/4m-141025g.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCu-dhmZD7EWcAOPFYq-OPr1BLgTaltwnGtwnaqbYOgAs_ei4dAJNjNwc6vokSKqddTjMIEYF-nlK9NZPhJbYlWsw6yVrI5mSQBFl7ORnM_IsLpImY0QD3vwMy-xd9KIQvPawBGSmvE_2J/s1600/4m-141025g.JPG" height="215" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtd0WXLBw5T1pcvSNa-0alHLq4EVvz6cLhA36ZOsznW-E39aBOaO5o7LwE7LoPla3h29Y93wKowDaHCbsBmTxesPsa3OZ18uDpeO01_2BDPThG-ClX6Iz7hp6hyKt8gIGTBZi8E_A10Y9p/s1600/4m-141025x.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtd0WXLBw5T1pcvSNa-0alHLq4EVvz6cLhA36ZOsznW-E39aBOaO5o7LwE7LoPla3h29Y93wKowDaHCbsBmTxesPsa3OZ18uDpeO01_2BDPThG-ClX6Iz7hp6hyKt8gIGTBZi8E_A10Y9p/s1600/4m-141025x.jpg" height="180" width="320" /></a></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
The keplerian elements for tracking 4M seem are near the bottom of this post: <a href="http://moon.luxspace.lu/receiving-4m/"> http://moon.luxspace.lu/receiving-4m/</a> and the current position of the spacecraft is shown on their webpage at <a href="http://moon.luxspace.lu/tracking/">http://moon.luxspace.lu/tracking/</a> (for doublechecking your own tracking software).</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
Davehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04543771933653324967noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7248654167560604896.post-35927190854051833492014-06-30T21:13:00.000-07:002014-07-02T12:37:43.178-07:00ISS Contact - Field Day 2014In the days prior to the ARRL 2014 Field Day, there were postings on the internet indicating that crew on board the International Space Station (ISS) might be making voice contacts for the event. How exciting!<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiY0yIruGA2hyvf_8BYIPidiNHuoT_Y0t473LL_HlpawX1DhNjvC2vlA7WvPMkFmbX3dv2-BR0gW6b5-x6wGoS46REZ2D8_8w9xUcXh4gfnhSMIAuISPeNog_p5IXTo5yZNZp_G8n9JoF19/s1600/scan0003.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiY0yIruGA2hyvf_8BYIPidiNHuoT_Y0t473LL_HlpawX1DhNjvC2vlA7WvPMkFmbX3dv2-BR0gW6b5-x6wGoS46REZ2D8_8w9xUcXh4gfnhSMIAuISPeNog_p5IXTo5yZNZp_G8n9JoF19/s1600/scan0003.jpg" height="205" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
To get ready, I set my home satellite station to run on emergency (battery and inverter) power, and waited for the first pass of the ISS at 11:11am local time here. Sure enough, just after AOS, at around 11:12am I could hear FM signals coming through the noise on the 145.800 FM downlink. A minute or two later and the ISS (using call NA1SS) was full quieting! I tried to make a QSO, and they came right back, woohoo! I had a voice recorder running at the time, here's the audio from the quick contact:<br />
<div>
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dzIZ98BLvTiv4lW5VU7Kz4BY5_30CCMfa0ul9KOY8EP7Nwsh-BZ6fGAoeEJhFBAh5PVI04-BexF1fdV3nRcjg' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
In the first pass at 1811z, I heard NA1SS copy NU6S, K6LCS, KB5WIA, W6TO, WD9EWK, KO6TS, and a few more. An hour and a half later (1949z), the ISS came by on a second pass (this time to the north), and I heard them copy quite a few more stations: K6GHA, KJ6ZL, KE1B, K6XX, W6CKL, V7?LGY, WB6NOA, W6HQ, W6HTY, N7OY, VA7VW, N7OY a second time, WA2TND, VE7N, W6NN, KE6IWM, KJ6PFW, VE6EGN, VA7GAB, and AC0RA. At that point (1957z) the ISS went LOS, but were still making contacts. Links to the the full audio recordings from both passes are here:<br />
<br />
<a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B1ZviSWAVgOBdG10U1VsZGZuZGM/edit?usp=sharing">ISS Field Day 2014 - Saturday 1811z</a><br />
<a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B1ZviSWAVgOBdWJpbWZwMEcyVUk/edit?usp=sharing">ISS Field Day 2014 - Saturday 1949z</a><br />
<br />
All in all, a pretty exciting experience! It's not often I get a chance to make contact with someone in orbit!</div>
Davehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04543771933653324967noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7248654167560604896.post-79931147191174260262013-11-22T08:33:00.002-08:002013-11-22T12:56:49.169-08:00Having Fun with FUNcube!<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLd_2HVvyG1FcEVQmh1_i8FG0uwBCkrZXgb7CRHstErqodESedDkqqBor_Bxii-Yf8lAKxoihLdio2oZJHQvyycSgTG_d4injbTucz2vjU9PIDGyq6-w9gvqRyvyU9KHAVKkyHSE-EEmXt/s1600/funcube_sat.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="90" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLd_2HVvyG1FcEVQmh1_i8FG0uwBCkrZXgb7CRHstErqodESedDkqqBor_Bxii-Yf8lAKxoihLdio2oZJHQvyycSgTG_d4injbTucz2vjU9PIDGyq6-w9gvqRyvyU9KHAVKkyHSE-EEmXt/s400/funcube_sat.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
Yesterday marked a successful launch of the UK's FUNcube amateur radio satellite. The satellite contains both educational experiments and a linear transponder, and for these initial orbits the satellite is relaying telemetry containing data about the satellite's status (voltages, temperatures, etc). The FUNcube designers have built software that will automatically read and decode the telemetry from an attached software-defined radio (the FUNcube Dongle Pro+), and relay this telemetry to a central data warehouse. This way, students in the UK (and around the world) can see the status of the satellite in almost real-time!<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRH-ThzE4zDWJrjBPQ_HmHaR3CBjuQ_dc4B10UhhkgtkI61E9savcNuEh83T71NFWKhCpc4swOo1MKbNZEFT9bzRWc5gch4uQrRVzyQd3jgviqWVNYfeRDbvj6JnMsnb0jWX0T17jlY47e/s1600/funcube-map.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="338" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRH-ThzE4zDWJrjBPQ_HmHaR3CBjuQ_dc4B10UhhkgtkI61E9savcNuEh83T71NFWKhCpc4swOo1MKbNZEFT9bzRWc5gch4uQrRVzyQd3jgviqWVNYfeRDbvj6JnMsnb0jWX0T17jlY47e/s400/funcube-map.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
Right before launch, I set up my home station with the software to record and upload the telemetry, and configured my satellite tracking program (SatPC32) to steer the antennas (a pair of VHF yagis) and track the satellite in the expected orbit. <br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhC33SNVvcbDUjipVYBY9WCgVh0L_mhDdML8mN3oE3Q0UAQy1iVeA1Xt17A_0WsUp50F3EjbzhkqT4Q4_04tUSNNzrvLg-eL3eLUboUKtUOkFeFuwP6HPdQuGv_Nb2VU0CiNE9504s_GJ52/s1600/IMG_20131008_182202_557.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhC33SNVvcbDUjipVYBY9WCgVh0L_mhDdML8mN3oE3Q0UAQy1iVeA1Xt17A_0WsUp50F3EjbzhkqT4Q4_04tUSNNzrvLg-eL3eLUboUKtUOkFeFuwP6HPdQuGv_Nb2VU0CiNE9504s_GJ52/s400/IMG_20131008_182202_557.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
The first visible pass of the satellite over California was around 9:30am yesterday morning, and all systems worked great! Not only was the satellite operating perfectly, but the home station was able to decode and transmit its telemetry to the warehouse. After the pass, I could see on the website that KB5WIA had uploaded 121 frames of data to the warehouse.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDyliKYFKXbPe3gsYgseSgg6L9h-AqTKCMeRo0gNaKR7SxAfRFyzmxp1mjIOZqorThHE5FVNwplVV-iKxhxh7lJAIVEKy0_ztynE1ubGsLbcTl4J33OAA7VdPylov4T6I00lIZPR_XA3nv/s1600/funcube_tlm-131121.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="347" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDyliKYFKXbPe3gsYgseSgg6L9h-AqTKCMeRo0gNaKR7SxAfRFyzmxp1mjIOZqorThHE5FVNwplVV-iKxhxh7lJAIVEKy0_ztynE1ubGsLbcTl4J33OAA7VdPylov4T6I00lIZPR_XA3nv/s400/funcube_tlm-131121.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
I'll leave the system tracking FUNcube for the next while, to add to the pool of satellite data that's being collected right now. It's nice to be part of a truly global effort to help out with this satellite. Fun stuff!<br />
<br />
More details on the data being received at:<br />
<a href="https://warehouse.funcube.org.uk/">https://warehouse.funcube.org.uk/</a><br />
<br />
And lots more details on the FUNcube project itself at:<br />
<a href="http://funcube.org.uk/">http://funcube.org.uk/</a><br />
<br />
<br />
<br />KB5WIAhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01482606551647955921noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7248654167560604896.post-60849137099003889292013-11-18T20:36:00.001-08:002013-11-23T08:30:45.407-08:00Installing MAP65 and the FUNcube Pro+ for JT65 EME, Part II<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Here is an updated article for installing the FUNcube Pro+ receiver and MAP65, this time without using Linrad. In this article, we'll see how to install the system with the receiver providing direct input to the software. The advantage? Faster and <u>much</u> easier installation!</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhL_g6Ygdw0rsbFyTf5qQhTwXfBs3Z6JZW6KbfPL5ftMhRBvOH_L2UKAnEe8KZcKUO5w5wO54oMSDCwsw7uDXTqKngfl7iMNB87DTlbPsccpA6hisdn8gVX-6uc4bKiDQTS2YtapMfovBZd/s1600/funcube_pro_plus.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhL_g6Ygdw0rsbFyTf5qQhTwXfBs3Z6JZW6KbfPL5ftMhRBvOH_L2UKAnEe8KZcKUO5w5wO54oMSDCwsw7uDXTqKngfl7iMNB87DTlbPsccpA6hisdn8gVX-6uc4bKiDQTS2YtapMfovBZd/s320/funcube_pro_plus.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
SUMMARY<br />
<br />
A software-defined receiver coupled with MAP65 software will allow the amateur radio EME (Earth-Moon-Earth) operator to visualize the entire EME sub-band at once. This can be a great benefit to both small and large stations, since monitoring the entire spectrum simultaneously will tell you exactly where other EME stations (strong enough for your system to decode) are located.<br />
<br />
This article describes how to install a FUNcube Pro+ (FCDPP) software defined radio (SDR) into an exisiting EME station. It assumes that the operator is already familiar with EME exchanges using the JT65B protocol, has experience with WSJT software, and has basic EME station hardware.<br />
<br />
<br />
HARDWARE<br />
<br />
A typical EME-capable station will have a mast-mounted preamplifier, sequencer, and separate transmit and receive lines. For my 144 MHz EME, I use two M-Squared (M2) 2M7 antennas coupled with a M2 power divider, feeding an Advanced Receiver Research (ARR SP144VDG) GAsFet premplifier with +24dB gain. Received signal is sent through a separate receive coax (75' of RG-8/U) to a hybrid splitter combiner (ie. Mini-Circuits ZFSC 2-2 Power Splitter, 10-1000 MHz). The FunCube Dongle Pro+ is connected directly to the output of the splitter, the other port goes directly to the analog radio. <br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwKZmfXrC9qTXT-7AiDn9uTUcjdGwzlkXKxKtLetJDIcFp5WJi4haWA6sbTT9FdmecgLYN9cOYbRCWA53Z50SpMa4wKyEuEudra1_pqNrHGLMGOYYPlQXog5hfE-72L1IoRhS2DvgWclE6/s1600/kb5wia_system+(1).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="254" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwKZmfXrC9qTXT-7AiDn9uTUcjdGwzlkXKxKtLetJDIcFp5WJi4haWA6sbTT9FdmecgLYN9cOYbRCWA53Z50SpMa4wKyEuEudra1_pqNrHGLMGOYYPlQXog5hfE-72L1IoRhS2DvgWclE6/s320/kb5wia_system+(1).jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
Appropriate coax relays are controlled by a dedicated sequencer and protect the mast-mounted preamplifier and switch between the separate TX/RX lines. I also found it helpful to add a dedicated coax relay to switch the input of the splitter to a 50-ohm dummy load during transmit; this also helps to prevent spurious JT65B decodes. The main hardware list is as follows:<br />
<br />
<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>- Antenna(s)<br />
<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>- Sequencer<br />
<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>- Mast-Mounted LNA<br />
<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>- A/B coaxial RF relay at mast (high-power)<br />
<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>- Separate RX / TX lines. RG-213 or RG-8/U is OK for RX side.<br />
- High power amplifier<br />
<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>- A/B coaxial RF relay in shack (low-power)<br />
<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>- 2 port hybrid splitter<br />
<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>- SDR (in this case, the FUNcube Dongle Pro+)<br />
<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>- Traditional transceiver and WSJT9 software<br />
<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>- Multi-Core CPU (MAP65 is more CPU intensive than WSJT)<br />
<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>- Second 1080p monitor (optional, but recommended)<br />
<br />
If separate transmit and receive lines are not used, careful attention needs to be placed on protecting the FCDPP receiver from damage during transmit. The configuration settings described below will likely need to be optimized if station hardware differs significantly from the above. It should, however, provide a good starting point.<br />
<br />
<br />
COMPUTER SETTINGS<br />
<br />
A reasonably fast computer is required, and modern multi-core processors should be fine. These instructions are written with the Windows 7 operating system in mind. It helps to disable power saving options on the computer used to run the SDR.<br />
<br />
<br />
INSTALLING THE FUNCUBE DONGLE PRO PLUS<br />
<br />
Read the user manual for the FUNcube Dongle Pro+ (FCDPP) and install the software according to directions. The main steps will be:<br />
<ul>
<li><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Obtain documentation at <a href="http://www.funcubedongle.com/?page_id=1225">http://www.funcubedongle.com/?page_id=1225<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span></a></li>
<li><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Download FCHid (called FCD+ Frequency Control Program v2.002)</li>
<li><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Download SDRSharp</li>
<li><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Install both programs</li>
<li><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Verify the FCDPP demodulates signals</li>
<li><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Update the FCDPP firmware to latest</li>
<li><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Verify (again) the FCDPP demodulates signals</li>
</ul>
The FUNcube Dongle can be attached directly to the computer's USB port, but some operators have reported that it's better to use a short USB extension cable. This allows the FUNcube to be physically separated from the computer (reducing RF ingress) and also takes some of the strain off of the USB connector. I have not seen any RFI issues myself, but use a 3-foot USB extension cable with a ferrite core.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkfhzXf7eqx96xaaRZUBhRGBbQDgLTATcSFInDRsriW6CmMeagRveFPOIJDBtEuv2n-c8AEfRFRZSkuV66sMnG64xmlg_CrMOsU31ABaMAeJOriBjplak1PbTY1ByPRqjGodE1HfOaY222/s1600/funcube_splitter.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkfhzXf7eqx96xaaRZUBhRGBbQDgLTATcSFInDRsriW6CmMeagRveFPOIJDBtEuv2n-c8AEfRFRZSkuV66sMnG64xmlg_CrMOsU31ABaMAeJOriBjplak1PbTY1ByPRqjGodE1HfOaY222/s320/funcube_splitter.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
Re-read your FCDPP user manual, and re-verify that it can hear signals with the SDRSharp software. There's no point in continuing any further if you haven't got your receiver working!<br />
<br />
<br />
CONFIGURING THE FUNCUBE DONGLE PRO+<br />
<br />
You'll run the FUNcube Pro+ receiver using the FCHID program. This program is the one you downloaded earlier, called "FCD+ Frequency Control Program v2.002". Start the program and enter your center frequency in the big black box in the upper left:<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_B61_kPqTsyyT_sM63pJV9X8O3MyDLgkX6pUGcajPBstqMvMUQ6YTJHi6hv7Qc3hfA82lMCrsmHjCfrM1gnGVqFqY69zcMOK1QT9w_tJjKVl_DUkxJOsa_QKwU00O22hnEOmaK3lLnJQd/s1600/fcdpp-fchid01.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="237" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_B61_kPqTsyyT_sM63pJV9X8O3MyDLgkX6pUGcajPBstqMvMUQ6YTJHi6hv7Qc3hfA82lMCrsmHjCfrM1gnGVqFqY69zcMOK1QT9w_tJjKVl_DUkxJOsa_QKwU00O22hnEOmaK3lLnJQd/s400/fcdpp-fchid01.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
</div>
Next, boost up the IF gain a little (like 10dB), by clicking on the up-arrow next to the IF gain window. Your FUNcube Dongle Pro+ is now sending an RF stream out via the soundcard port.<br />
<br />
<br />
INSTALLING MAP65<br />
<br />
Download and install MAP65 from Joe Taylor's website at <a href="http://www.physics.princeton.edu/pulsar/K1JT/map65.html">http://www.physics.princeton.edu/pulsar/K1JT/map65.html</a>. Comprehensive installation directions (and a great manual!) are included on Joe's webpage, just follow them step by step. Be sure to install to the path [C:\MAP65\].<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilKSqLkeL1YxcAbgNAYDM8o2AxqD4AQxIjk5N-GorGfq7iHgoF9YhXTLdxLv0ssL3yeeUspphnYzGluntSTPZz3L8cbrpeR1yUV8AHIHWtPd1tR4oYpLUAVTncSptapSTWJg1ZGRREvpCT/s1600/map65_01.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="259" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilKSqLkeL1YxcAbgNAYDM8o2AxqD4AQxIjk5N-GorGfq7iHgoF9YhXTLdxLv0ssL3yeeUspphnYzGluntSTPZz3L8cbrpeR1yUV8AHIHWtPd1tR4oYpLUAVTncSptapSTWJg1ZGRREvpCT/s320/map65_01.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<br />
<div>
CONFIGURING MAP65<br />
<br />
Well next set up MAP65 to listen to the output from the FUNcube Dongle Pro+. Start MAP65 and go to Setup > Options > I/O devices. <br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgD2ACjxRbuxRLEN83R3mEFq_ULwn91_rXFpmQ0fO21axvjfAVG5ts6tqpESVbNsdiZb-WGjNsEv3dX6N7yDEoNzBnl6OqJ45qC-QYsDnBWNzEs_ugIdb-_nHOlI4hhpCmz7eX_8jJMgGEG/s1600/fcdpp-map6501.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgD2ACjxRbuxRLEN83R3mEFq_ULwn91_rXFpmQ0fO21axvjfAVG5ts6tqpESVbNsdiZb-WGjNsEv3dX6N7yDEoNzBnl6OqJ45qC-QYsDnBWNzEs_ugIdb-_nHOlI4hhpCmz7eX_8jJMgGEG/s320/fcdpp-map6501.JPG" width="312" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
Make sure the radio button next to SoundCard is selected. Next, select the output from your FUNcube Dongle in the drop-down list. Make sure the sample rate is set to 96000 Hz. <br />
<br />
Now make sure that your MAP65 wide graph display shows the right frequency. Check the Force Center Freq checkbox and enter the same value you had in your FUNcube control application (144.137).<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqwyEPbjUtzgji2Qmqg39XHYLIitH1xQ3B7HQCx7_5YHTQhgpCiQuzOd5XmjIbXSdWJSRpC8JZoWPj3jlYluwGguz6_aowo_fWkwNhR7zS5Na4XeNPKaS3rKeM-6MqMa36rsaqejbU_9Xl/s1600/map65-force_center.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="43" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqwyEPbjUtzgji2Qmqg39XHYLIitH1xQ3B7HQCx7_5YHTQhgpCiQuzOd5XmjIbXSdWJSRpC8JZoWPj3jlYluwGguz6_aowo_fWkwNhR7zS5Na4XeNPKaS3rKeM-6MqMa36rsaqejbU_9Xl/s320/map65-force_center.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
Next, check to be sure MAP65 is receiving data. You should see the bar graph on the left have some sort of display:<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiB6PkXirnbEgwqp6oZy1OIsTHkTmxhvWfo6P5NtRRi6SVSKDfDqovI8D6iG4uEpp61yKzRzKZvTkCL6IUM_Kpw23_B0qsLcQlCR3_Xmtng68OBfEGUu6YvFMejPr5U-Am72kh1MSjUYFpi/s1600/map65_06.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="260" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiB6PkXirnbEgwqp6oZy1OIsTHkTmxhvWfo6P5NtRRi6SVSKDfDqovI8D6iG4uEpp61yKzRzKZvTkCL6IUM_Kpw23_B0qsLcQlCR3_Xmtng68OBfEGUu6YvFMejPr5U-Am72kh1MSjUYFpi/s320/map65_06.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
Verify your noise floor. On my system, at this point, the noise floor on MAP65 will fluctuate around +21dB with antennas pointed away from noise sources into a cold sky. It's also normal to see the noise levels go up by +8dB when the antennas are pointed towards the horizon in a suburban environment.<br />
<br />
If your noise floor with the antennas pointed at cold sky is high (higher than +25dB), you should next to to the Windows audio control to turn down the audio gain of the FUNcube. Choose Windows Start > Control Panel > Sound > Recording, and look for your FUNcube:<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5vCHD7fyE8f0cc8ihStM891r4OnZuOxfG5lBZQJINcomUyC0x3dFTGLMPV8rvSZ8auca2hLJ2FO2uSspvxJkRhgQJdlzmC4F60F4MKM4QQUiiyWKGj52tj-DwxHggBwuFFfbRwiZ_vDJS/s1600/fcdpp-soundcard01.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5vCHD7fyE8f0cc8ihStM891r4OnZuOxfG5lBZQJINcomUyC0x3dFTGLMPV8rvSZ8auca2hLJ2FO2uSspvxJkRhgQJdlzmC4F60F4MKM4QQUiiyWKGj52tj-DwxHggBwuFFfbRwiZ_vDJS/s320/fcdpp-soundcard01.JPG" width="285" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
Select this by double-clicking, then choose the Levels tab and decrease the audio level so that your MAP65 signal reads in the +20 to +30dB range. I have my "gain" set to "6":<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFC0gihWcKyPoNbNf7rcPtDvkfTnHkaClchc0M9Z1BykT4zAj6Cjy9rQ76bYDULbTS0JkPzIkAPPpB2vtxww13YYFhgybPr0C8zqpMEaSucM6mK8dqH6u76FHnvUgfwf8qT_rIGMNAZ2wA/s1600/fcdpp-soundcard02.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFC0gihWcKyPoNbNf7rcPtDvkfTnHkaClchc0M9Z1BykT4zAj6Cjy9rQ76bYDULbTS0JkPzIkAPPpB2vtxww13YYFhgybPr0C8zqpMEaSucM6mK8dqH6u76FHnvUgfwf8qT_rIGMNAZ2wA/s320/fcdpp-soundcard02.JPG" width="285" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
Next, verify your preamp is functioning. Turn off the mast-mounted preamplifier and verify that the noise floor drops significantly (at least 10dB, preferrably 20dB). On my system, the noise floor drops to around +7dB when power to the external +24dB preamplifer is removed.<br />
<br />
Adjust the NAvg on MAP65 to a value of 10, so that 1 minute of time corresponds to approximately 1cm of vertical space on the waterfall. Averaging the lines (a slower waterfall) will help you see weak traces.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUnClYOGwTU86JANAOajpgza1JsDDvtlx_dyBFZsqRbEBJp-Ixb4T-pdTik4fgevBPQccg7LDCEcUMcZy_t2gKsoWM_QTNEeMiyUrJC8HKZ44_OzJV34XXdNHg5EvTTe-XVEptMO_Gicoo/s1600/map65_03.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="26" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUnClYOGwTU86JANAOajpgza1JsDDvtlx_dyBFZsqRbEBJp-Ixb4T-pdTik4fgevBPQccg7LDCEcUMcZy_t2gKsoWM_QTNEeMiyUrJC8HKZ44_OzJV34XXdNHg5EvTTe-XVEptMO_Gicoo/s320/map65_03.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
Zero the MAP65 waterfall brightness. After zeroing, the waterfall should be a blue color. I'll typically zero the waterfall with antennas pointed at the cold sky, so the color of the MAP65 waterfall can tell me how much local noise I'm seeing at any point in time: Blue = nice and quiet; Green = Marginal; Orange and Red = only the big guns will get through! <br />
<br />
Increase the gain on the MAP65 waterfall to 5 or so to get more "snow". This will help you visualize weak traces better.<br />
<br />
You can turn on MAP65's noise blanker if you'd like. Personally, with my local noise environment, I don't see much impact one way or the other. Keep the blanker from "eating" too much signal, so adjust it so it's less than 5 to 10%.<br />
<br />
Verify the frequency display is correct. Look for a birdie (or set of birdies) on the MAP65 wide screen waterfall. Take a note of the frequencies, then tune your analog radio to the same frequency. Verify that you can see the same birdies on both radios. On my system, they are pretty close, about 40Hz apart.<br />
<br />
Configure the MAP65 output to your analog radio (transmitter). You'll need to specify the sound card output, and the COM port used to key the PTT line. These should be the same settings that you are using in WSJT9 software. Try calling CQ on an open frequency and verify that the MAP65 transmissions and levels seem correct. <br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgj_ukMOy1rHpQcDXnxsOqiksafkSkx35hP4v78PNCvL9qd6TIVumC8aoA8SEJVn0hARktQG4Njmo6T4qb0FjW5HP3bEk_V_QoQRrvIZ7CQyjU-m19NqOzSb7CKIrhYsuLI0x5RAqu9dP3u/s1600/map65_04.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgj_ukMOy1rHpQcDXnxsOqiksafkSkx35hP4v78PNCvL9qd6TIVumC8aoA8SEJVn0hARktQG4Njmo6T4qb0FjW5HP3bEk_V_QoQRrvIZ7CQyjU-m19NqOzSb7CKIrhYsuLI0x5RAqu9dP3u/s320/map65_04.JPG" width="315" /></a></div>
<br />
<b>IMPORTANT</b>: Update MAP65's call3.txt. Download the latest from <a href="http://www.mmmonvhf.de/">http://www.mmmonvhf.de</a>. The program WSJTMerge from <a href="http://www.k2txb.com/WsjtMerge.htm">http://www.k2txb.com/WsjtMerge.htm</a> can be used to merge an existing call3.txt file with the new one. Also, if you're not in the Make More Miles on VHF Database <a href="http://www.mmmonvhf.de/dbase.php">http://www.mmmonvhf.de/dbase.php</a> already, then you're potentially missing out on +4dB of coding gain because other EME stations may not have you in their own call3.txt files. Be sure your call is in the call3.txt from this site. It's difficult to stress how important this is -- if you're a small station, and you're not in the other station's call3.txt file, it's going to be much, much more difficult to have a QSO.<br />
<br />
Make sure to turn on aggressive deep search in MAP65.<br />
<br />
MAP65 has a Setup option to reduce the font size in the Astronomical Data window. Set it to something like 12 or 14 pt so you can see everything in the window.<br />
<br />
<br />
USING THE SYSTEM<br />
<br />
By now you have a system that is decoding JT65B signals on two separate radios: the FCDPP and your traditional analog radio. With the settings described above, the FUNcube Dongle Pro Plus should be about the same sensitivity (able to decode JT65B signals about as well) as your analog radio.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCAv6EbNRPzdhCshteb8NTtMwrOBDiAtXYe_iWzGQ7pyUTn97XHxlp340xe4jaat82NDLGth1kgkw9Aki9Hr5qgYZ2MAJ_XIeXnbQuZLC-oiLrP8SGRRN91APdwRf0zq2Tghl86ayk_o4U/s1600/map65_05.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCAv6EbNRPzdhCshteb8NTtMwrOBDiAtXYe_iWzGQ7pyUTn97XHxlp340xe4jaat82NDLGth1kgkw9Aki9Hr5qgYZ2MAJ_XIeXnbQuZLC-oiLrP8SGRRN91APdwRf0zq2Tghl86ayk_o4U/s320/map65_05.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
By running both MAP65 and WSJT9 simultaneously, you now have an even better ability to decode signals on the frequency you're looking at. For example, if one of the two radios misses a decode (random noise, etc), the other one may pick it up. You can also use one radio to check on the decodes of the other -- for example, seeing both radios decode the same message virtually rules out the chance of a false decode.<br />
<br />
Moreover, you can now visualize the entire EME sub-band on the MAP65 waterfall, so you can quickly check other frequencies for active EME activity. Even better, MAP65 has the band map / message list, and will decode stations that you're not even looking for (albeit, with slightly reduced sensitivity).<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXshwxfOgw2o5ZgcopG4PR4yN0cgxLlnbOq8C5IU6N_QipR5VZ1_SCeG7YWWfF5eQw_mLXcfZPEKyh9_6SdliO4b_9c5rtytfKhcIDHZoNsaLhHlIiHRp6AnZcbijalxSf5B-RM4bZt5TP/s1600/map_65_working.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="215" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXshwxfOgw2o5ZgcopG4PR4yN0cgxLlnbOq8C5IU6N_QipR5VZ1_SCeG7YWWfF5eQw_mLXcfZPEKyh9_6SdliO4b_9c5rtytfKhcIDHZoNsaLhHlIiHRp6AnZcbijalxSf5B-RM4bZt5TP/s400/map_65_working.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
Importantly, using MAP65 you're no longer limited to finding stations calling CQ on the internet chat rooms. You'll find stations that *your* station can hear, since by definition MAP65 is only going to report to you the stations that you're capable of receiving. As a bonus, you can also quickly use MAP65, which displays the last 5-10 minutes of spectrum activity, to zero in on a station that you saw calling CQ in an internet chat room to see if you can find any traces of signal. <br />
<br />
You can also use the two radio systems (analog and digital) for optimizing one or the other. For example, you can experiment with different Linrad settings, or different filters, on the SDR side and make A/B comparisons with the decoding on the analog side. Given the high degree of variability of EME decodes, having a direct A/B comparison greatly improves your ability to optimize one or the other.<br />
<br />
Overall, the incorporation of an SDR and MAP65 into your station should greatly enhance your ability to make EME contacts, even with a smaller station.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS<br />
<br />
Much assistance from the W6YX team is appreciated with regards to getting this system working!<br />
<br />
<br />
REFERENCES AND NOTES<br />
<br />
[1] Ordering a FUNcube Dongle Pro Plus: Howard Long G6LVB has ordering instructions on his website at <a href="http://www.funcubedongle.com/">http://www.funcubedongle.com/</a>, look for the tab called "The New FUNcube Dongle Pro+", you can find out about how to order it right there. When I ordered mine, there was a waiting list of a few weeks -- put in your name and Howard will send you an email telling you when yours is ready to order. Pricing is on the website also, and proceeds from these units go to AMSAT-UK's FUNcube satellite project, so it's also for a very good cause.<br />
<br />
[2] The original version of this article, designed for those wishing to install Linrad as an intermediary between the FUNcube Dongle Pro+ and MAP65, is located here: <a href="http://kb5wia.blogspot.com/2013/01/installing-map65-and-funcube-dongle-pro.html">http://kb5wia.blogspot.com/2013/01/installing-map65-and-funcube-dongle-pro.html</a><br />
<br />
[3] I've written about optimization tips that have really helped me, as a small EME station, make contacts. That article is located here: <a href="http://kb5wia.blogspot.com/2013/06/a-checklist-for-optimizing-small-144mhz.html">http://kb5wia.blogspot.com/2013/06/a-checklist-for-optimizing-small-144mhz.html</a><br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<div>
<br /></div>
</div>
KB5WIAhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01482606551647955921noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7248654167560604896.post-58819607107702787582013-10-31T16:31:00.000-07:002013-10-31T16:31:24.140-07:00EME: 28 Grids in 36 Hours!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTAlZqliGRgsao0RVzPTMXI-n_IkVjlXJtVQv8sIXhsMFMhT0c-NAaPBqZ07FvO6iyY5tbU0sT8zHJhJgTqaz7jwHUIbz2XdnIk9_4_QGDJVoxhUGCnLWEWuP5uBtSAnPqUeEaKJZQOAQh/s1600/IMG_20131008_182202_557.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTAlZqliGRgsao0RVzPTMXI-n_IkVjlXJtVQv8sIXhsMFMhT0c-NAaPBqZ07FvO6iyY5tbU0sT8zHJhJgTqaz7jwHUIbz2XdnIk9_4_QGDJVoxhUGCnLWEWuP5uBtSAnPqUeEaKJZQOAQh/s400/IMG_20131008_182202_557.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
This last weekend was the first (144 MHz leg) of the 2013 ARRL EME Contest. The contest scores 100 points for each two-way QSO via the earth-moon-earth pass, multiplied by states / provinces / countries. For this contest, I used the regular EME station (FT-817ND running WSJT9 software and the FunCube Dongle Pro Plus running MAP65 software), relying on MAP65 to find other stations across the EME sub-band (144.100 to 144.160 MHz). It worked out pretty well!<br />
<br />
The moon didn't rise above the local noise (= RFI from neigbor's houses) until 1:30am both days, so I worked at trying to make contacts from 1:30am to 6:30am, then again from 9:00am to moonset. Staying up all night doing radio was rough, but still pretty exciting to be making so many EME contacts! <br />
<br />
Here's the list:<br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Num<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Call<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Grid<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Location</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">1<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>I2FAK<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>JN45<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Italy</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">2<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>PI9CM<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>JO22<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Netherlands</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">3<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>RU1AA<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>KO48<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Russia</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">4<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>OK1UGA<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>JO80<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Czech Republic</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">5<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>K9MRI<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>EN70<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>USA - Indiana</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">6<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>UX0FF<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>KN45<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Ukraine</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">7<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>OK1DIX<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>JN79<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Czech Republic</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">8<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>UR7D<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>KN18<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Ukraine</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">9<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>3Z4EME<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>KO03<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Poland</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">10<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>DK9ZY<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>JO40<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Germany</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">11<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>DK3WG<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>JO72<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Germany</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">12<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>KB8RQ<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>EM79<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>USA - Ohio</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">13<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>WS3Z<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>FN20<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>USA - Pennsylvania</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">14<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>K1JT<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>FN20<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>USA - New Jersey</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">15<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>AA4SC<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>EM94<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>USA - South Carolina</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">16<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>AD4TJ<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>FM08<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>USA - Virginia</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">17<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>KE7NR<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>DM33<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>USA - Arizona</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">18<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>7K3LGC<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>QM06<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Japan</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">19<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>K6MYC<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>DM07<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>USA - California</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">20<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>SK6EI<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>JO68<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Sweden</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">21<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>YT1AR<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>KN03<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Serbia</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">22<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>RK3FG<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>KO86<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Russia</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">23<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>SP2OFW<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>JO82<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Poland</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">24<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>VE1KG<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>FN84<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Canada - Nova Scotia</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">25<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>AA7A<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>DM43<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>USA - Arizona</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">26<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>PA5MS<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>JO21<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Netherlands</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">27<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>K3RWR<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>FM18<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>USA - Maryland</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">28<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>W2DBL<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>FN20<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>USA - New Jersey</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">29<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>W7MEM<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>DN17<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>USA - Idaho</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">30<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>NT0V<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>EN08<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>USA - North Dakota</span><br />
<br />
30 contacts beats my previous weekend record by 1 contact (previous was the DUBUS EME contest in the summer, there I managed to log 29 QSO's over the weekend). What's interesting is the DUBUS contest allows station operators to find stations by any means (email, internet spotters, chat rooms, etc) ... yet I was actually able to make one more contact by completely relying on my own station. Comparing the two contests, it seems that with a well-functioning station, the use of chat rooms / internet spots can become a distraction, rather than an aid.<br />
<br />
A number of highights from the weekend: Seeing K1JT Joe making contacts -- he's the Nobel Prize winner who developed the software that allows small stations like mine to "see" the signals reflected off the moon. Working K6MYC Mike, and seeing both his direct signals from a few hundred miles away, as well as his moon reflection at the same time. Also making a few new contacts with stations that I hadn't worked before (SK6EI, 7K3LGC, W2DBL, OK1DIZ, 3Z4EME, PI9CM) was quite enjoyable.<br />
<br />
I was discussing weekend's contacts with a neighbor, and they asked what the furthest station I had contacted was -- I answered either Russia or Japan, I'm not sure which is actually further from California. To me, however, what's far more amazing than contacting another station several thousand miles away, is that these contacts were all made completely via moon reflections. So -- the signal received in Japan actually went from my backyard, 250,000 miles through space, then reflected off the rocks and dust of the moon, then travelled 250,000 miles back through space, to be reached on the other side of Earth. That's a half-million miles that the signals travelled!<br />
<br />
Overall, it was a fun weekend. It's pretty amazing to see how well earth-moon-earth communication works!<br />
<br />
Dave<br />
<div>
<br /></div>
KB5WIAhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01482606551647955921noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7248654167560604896.post-74350880368408087412013-09-15T21:11:00.000-07:002013-09-15T21:21:45.978-07:00September ARRL VHF Contest - Mt Vaca<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmXTQxB6F9BCZKVTxuYviqp_geXYxbgZVCfX65tjj52BqgLVEjkyZ9DyESfda346VlKxCgdscG8ylmyxoRhZhHcwZ62mgxvADRIKrx_GurcSyN7UHwxykR9stJ2kJhavG2z_XV9eexrw4c/s1600/IMG_20130914_143754_742.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmXTQxB6F9BCZKVTxuYviqp_geXYxbgZVCfX65tjj52BqgLVEjkyZ9DyESfda346VlKxCgdscG8ylmyxoRhZhHcwZ62mgxvADRIKrx_GurcSyN7UHwxykR9stJ2kJhavG2z_XV9eexrw4c/s320/IMG_20130914_143754_742.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
For this year's ARRL September VHF Contest, I set up the portable system near the summit of Mt Vaca. Mt Vaca is close to 3,000' in elevation and is located west of Sacramento in grid square CM88. The mountain has good radio views of the surrounding San Francisco Bay Area and the Central Valley. The ridgeline is accessed by the 5-mile long narrow, winding, Mix Canyon Road; near the top, a private road turns to the south to access the commercial radio towers, and I turned north for another mile along the dirt road to a relatively open spot along the ridgeline.<br />
<br />
The equipment I used was the same as in the June 2013 VHF contest: the Yaesu FT-817ND QRP all-mode transceiver, connected to a 2-element Diamond 6 meter beam for 50 MHz, a 4-element Arrow VHF yagi for 144 MHz, and a 15-element Diamond UHF yagi for 432 MHz. All three antennas were mounted on a 20-foot Buddipole mast that I set in the bed of the pickup truck. I also brought along the Yaesu VX-6R and a 5-element 223 MHz yagi for 1.25m FM contacts. Power came from the 6.4 Ah LiFePO4 battery that I've used for contesting in the past; four hours of operation didn't deplete the battery enough to need the solar panels that I normally use.<br />
<br />
This contest was just casual operating -- in that I set up around 1pm on Saturday, and took the station down just after 5pm. There were quite a few other stations out there. Some of the best contacts were KK6BQU in the South Bay (he was with me in the June Diablo contest), and AL1VE and others on Mt Shasta in the relatively rare grid CN81. It was also great to hear quite a few of the contest regulars out there!<br />
<br />
<table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" style="border-collapse: collapse; text-align: right; width: 192px;">
<colgroup><col span="3" style="width: 48pt;" width="64"></col>
</colgroup><tbody>
<tr height="17" style="height: 12.75pt;">
<td height="17" style="height: 12.75pt; text-align: right; width: 48pt;" width="64"><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Band</span></td><td style="text-align: right; width: 48pt;" width="64"><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">QSOs</span></td>
<td style="text-align: right; width: 48pt;" width="64"><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Grids</span></td>
</tr>
<tr height="17" style="height: 12.75pt;">
<td height="17" style="height: 12.75pt; text-align: right;"><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">50</span></td>
<td style="text-align: right;"><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">21</span></td>
<td style="text-align: right;"><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">7</span></td>
</tr>
<tr height="17" style="height: 12.75pt;">
<td height="17" style="height: 12.75pt; text-align: right;"><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">144</span></td>
<td style="text-align: right;"><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">31</span></td>
<td style="text-align: right;"><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">8</span></td>
</tr>
<tr height="17" style="height: 12.75pt;">
<td height="17" style="height: 12.75pt; text-align: right;"><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">223</span></td>
<td style="text-align: right;"><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">11</span></td>
<td style="text-align: right;"><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">4</span></td>
</tr>
<tr height="17" style="height: 12.75pt;">
<td height="17" style="height: 12.75pt; text-align: right;"><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">432</span></td>
<td style="text-align: right;"><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">21</span></td>
<td style="text-align: right;"><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">7</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<div>
The weather was just about perfect -- temperature in the low 80's and virtually no wind. All in all, it was a fun day to be doing radio on top of a mountain!</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikGRv0C8c2_1vLmyOuaRCVUk-5oz6OLamhrPIn339uYNFb7gfv6jdtF2ezK-GM4iyvVK1QX6bKXzhQQVk6eHz8STtsm_FSKn2rkMPFHCs5kU2xkVwUXIiu1pNywet6_yUbn09Ad8mqSC9R/s1600/IMG_20130914_171747_373.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikGRv0C8c2_1vLmyOuaRCVUk-5oz6OLamhrPIn339uYNFb7gfv6jdtF2ezK-GM4iyvVK1QX6bKXzhQQVk6eHz8STtsm_FSKn2rkMPFHCs5kU2xkVwUXIiu1pNywet6_yUbn09Ad8mqSC9R/s320/IMG_20130914_171747_373.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0eYeeg_os4hzIqFqsHIiqczdDIqL96Y1yIEsZvFAFgNGkD2ttLHQo-R_dMN-za2LzTLHThsU6HScpXIQ5_DHkKWcnme0R57qI4NTw1B_-Tqa6Pzn3PBBSg6X6qjEoaqFoQc2ttFlvcMAU/s1600/IMG_20130914_160610_654.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0eYeeg_os4hzIqFqsHIiqczdDIqL96Y1yIEsZvFAFgNGkD2ttLHQo-R_dMN-za2LzTLHThsU6HScpXIQ5_DHkKWcnme0R57qI4NTw1B_-Tqa6Pzn3PBBSg6X6qjEoaqFoQc2ttFlvcMAU/s320/IMG_20130914_160610_654.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhD9X98w6-OfPfwwcKbKEf1y2oqimuMW171LAZB58sF6wB-8ll6d-7A8Kce7zoPNavkPQy5rtCb3GPRk5IIMnLFmvkEJFtHJiq6sTNdBeO6IjUw0GuKB39BQDkcf1qFL8s2Z0uReMluon5/s1600/IMG_20130914_143803_110.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhD9X98w6-OfPfwwcKbKEf1y2oqimuMW171LAZB58sF6wB-8ll6d-7A8Kce7zoPNavkPQy5rtCb3GPRk5IIMnLFmvkEJFtHJiq6sTNdBeO6IjUw0GuKB39BQDkcf1qFL8s2Z0uReMluon5/s320/IMG_20130914_143803_110.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIpJidl-zRPWjwEoFjwJGJUMTzqd3kAbUDX92nIBONM3757BZS2MBSbbkaUnNh4s0tRjzVZrQLiIiOZt8JbXR11m0ljlUMVGDb8OWX4Wa5_1YI08TekcFy7XHwrQlAYWh-rtyvP9MZIF6N/s1600/ge_mt_vaca.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="174" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIpJidl-zRPWjwEoFjwJGJUMTzqd3kAbUDX92nIBONM3757BZS2MBSbbkaUnNh4s0tRjzVZrQLiIiOZt8JbXR11m0ljlUMVGDb8OWX4Wa5_1YI08TekcFy7XHwrQlAYWh-rtyvP9MZIF6N/s320/ge_mt_vaca.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
KB5WIAhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01482606551647955921noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7248654167560604896.post-9321418735130416672013-08-06T15:59:00.001-07:002013-08-09T14:28:39.896-07:00RF Maps of the Sky, Continued...Here are a few more of the RF Noise Maps that I have been creating. Each one is made by sweeping the 2m antenna array in a grid pattern across the sky, and recording the absolute level of RF noise seen by the antennas and SDR receiver. The noise is measured in decibels (dB), with an arbitrary setpoint of roughly 21dB for the lowest noise seen (the "cold sky").<br />
<br />
The first map shows a typical morning. In the lower left is a bright red blob, corresponding to high noise coming out of a neighboring house (across the street, a few houses down). In the upper right, there's a mild source of noise centered exactly around where the sun is located in the sky. The cold sky in the upper left, away from most noise sources, is in the low 20's.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhARtFbrmfOANFp3DF5aetYdQhQrDBy7kDJCyy4dPKpmdOqcVsokTGzdnzypCJ3C1j3Rc25dvO4FqBEPQc0ETh1-D-JoYld0PKWrNJ3lTVZMCy_pURmZ944bAnMuymbVRWZp3_cmFCHpjio/s1600/noise01.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhARtFbrmfOANFp3DF5aetYdQhQrDBy7kDJCyy4dPKpmdOqcVsokTGzdnzypCJ3C1j3Rc25dvO4FqBEPQc0ETh1-D-JoYld0PKWrNJ3lTVZMCy_pURmZ944bAnMuymbVRWZp3_cmFCHpjio/s400/noise01.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
The next one was recorded during an evening when many TV's, fluorescent lamps, microwaves, and toaster ovens must have been running - there's very high noise near the horizon in all directions.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYGgktrxJ7MalkXYAlLa3QXO-ke3N3ekev2fhzgzPQ2nTcUhvlw37jcvG_450NelsPFo6V4ZkWAvx5YbpttI5lb5_sP2Gscc578dHipe8ELBOhjHckU4LYJdubag9fopAO0gPtqdUdWolo/s1600/noise02.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="123" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYGgktrxJ7MalkXYAlLa3QXO-ke3N3ekev2fhzgzPQ2nTcUhvlw37jcvG_450NelsPFo6V4ZkWAvx5YbpttI5lb5_sP2Gscc578dHipe8ELBOhjHckU4LYJdubag9fopAO0gPtqdUdWolo/s400/noise02.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
Next we have a nice morning with very low noise levels. The sky is a very dark blue, indicating low RF signals at higher elevations. Even the lower elevations have a nice (relatively!) low noise level. My radios (and associated computer equipment) are located at 270 degrees azimuth on this map, and it's possible to see the orange "blob" from the RF that the computers, internet router, etc give off.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEje-oSp1sWHKOQPPMPN0BKHULw2Fh6MZYOHs68lThT3VS4Mlw9fKs-WKXUlw6aXtDJxVNQAV9bQ7LILJrM98NDqWPpUGDZ3-HJLE6kagQzRqLw9MkL_K2uFRYZJ88WcKmH6MXopygTj3FA5/s1600/noise03.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="120" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEje-oSp1sWHKOQPPMPN0BKHULw2Fh6MZYOHs68lThT3VS4Mlw9fKs-WKXUlw6aXtDJxVNQAV9bQ7LILJrM98NDqWPpUGDZ3-HJLE6kagQzRqLw9MkL_K2uFRYZJ88WcKmH6MXopygTj3FA5/s400/noise03.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
Next is a map created just as the sun appeared over the hills to the east in a July morning. Accompanying the sunrise was a huge amount of radio noise that obliterated all EME reception right away. Notice the huge red blob surrounding the sun in the sky, as viewed by the antennas:<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgN3g7XDFBsTCPdqPXOc5OCzVSrIcR6pcat3FfSBv0oWLrgrHgxVjsKYR8ddwngOBzSiYM-7txXMMtlVOyWsT2Ccv6hchNJiXBLMFA6JXpIPrU8wP_5lNwG3gLL3-bQGBCbuTGsBdb46ncs/s1600/noise04.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="110" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgN3g7XDFBsTCPdqPXOc5OCzVSrIcR6pcat3FfSBv0oWLrgrHgxVjsKYR8ddwngOBzSiYM-7txXMMtlVOyWsT2Ccv6hchNJiXBLMFA6JXpIPrU8wP_5lNwG3gLL3-bQGBCbuTGsBdb46ncs/s400/noise04.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
One could argue that it's not sun noise at all in the lower right of the above plot. Maybe it's my neighbor's TV? Well, if we hypothesize that the noise is coming from the sun, then if we look at the same sky a few hours later, the noise should have moved and followed the sun. This is exactly what we see, in the following plot from later on that morning:<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEq1CHaobjGzEvtsQ0Mvecl5KHyOxB8hYDuRLSQy9QS_D5E2V9lP-S8KYBS9ejG6pH9s_C-w-AnGHeGJ-Pq9Siig2BE8Tct3fJFQdq3nsMyAd_3sYP62wz9NGw1rNGjyUvNS9KRcNfnJdB/s1600/noise05.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="118" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEq1CHaobjGzEvtsQ0Mvecl5KHyOxB8hYDuRLSQy9QS_D5E2V9lP-S8KYBS9ejG6pH9s_C-w-AnGHeGJ-Pq9Siig2BE8Tct3fJFQdq3nsMyAd_3sYP62wz9NGw1rNGjyUvNS9KRcNfnJdB/s400/noise05.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
Was the sun that noisy all day? I took a reading a few hours later, and while there is still noise centered around the sun, the level has gone down quite a bit. You can also see that my RF-generating neighbors at 248 degrees still have their noise going, and my neighbors to the south have turned something on as well:<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQVeQ7b77zCAwRu5pkV1aQgkWif-8eSZICP4SdGAEujogHhVFuPdT0-X1NLj1hEyFslMs4Mei9UujPsUUv3AKR1WemXW4mbj58BRiL-Nrl2lCfhs1xslxI2V8pRCmU_1txvpqB-V4i_KFL/s1600/noise07.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="121" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQVeQ7b77zCAwRu5pkV1aQgkWif-8eSZICP4SdGAEujogHhVFuPdT0-X1NLj1hEyFslMs4Mei9UujPsUUv3AKR1WemXW4mbj58BRiL-Nrl2lCfhs1xslxI2V8pRCmU_1txvpqB-V4i_KFL/s400/noise07.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
The last plot is from a later July morning, with sun just coming over the hill but with little associated noise on that day. <br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi636vC8nUZ0OYVVc8N_LDhBhSObKCAkelQtEOiEC3ZQOdPivsotOdd9VhEf8RcTJwnsnbOLkXLwL7h9CLQCr7gcEQMd9DS65OtZWJyZfNe9E8AoLxfQ7RS1AzZshQxfjgxfF3PB3OJ1YNu/s1600/noise08.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="110" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi636vC8nUZ0OYVVc8N_LDhBhSObKCAkelQtEOiEC3ZQOdPivsotOdd9VhEf8RcTJwnsnbOLkXLwL7h9CLQCr7gcEQMd9DS65OtZWJyZfNe9E8AoLxfQ7RS1AzZshQxfjgxfF3PB3OJ1YNu/s400/noise08.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
The neighbor to the south at 180 degrees has whatever RF-noise box running, but on the whole noise levels are fairly low across the sky at 40 degrees elevation and above.<br />
<br />
By way of reference, to hear a 4-yagi EME station, I pretty much need to have the Rf noise levels at that azimuth and elevation to be at 24dB or below (green or blue in the above plots). When the noise is above 24dB (yellow, orange, and red in the plots above), I can only hear the strongest of the EME stations.<br />
<br />
One nice thing about these plots is it lets me compare the local RF-noise environment from day to day, on a more or less absolute basis. It helps to identify sources of noise, and to determine which noise sources are constant and which change over time. It also helps to predict the best times and directions with which to listen for EME signals. Finally, it serves as a "reality check" that helps to verify system performance -- even if there's high noise that suddenly appears in one direction, by mapping the sky and seeing the rest of the noise levels are as expected, I can attribute the noise to a particular source rather than a system malfunction.<br />
<br />
An example Excel 2003 spreadsheet that has these maps, and the macro that generates the color coding, is available <a href="http://zdap.com/radio/kb5wia-noise_maps_130720.xls">here</a>. My previous post on this subject is located <a href="http://kb5wia.blogspot.com/2013/05/rf-heat-maps-how-eme-antennas-see-local.html">here</a>.<br />
<br />KB5WIAhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01482606551647955921noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7248654167560604896.post-9300119489559718882013-08-01T21:14:00.000-07:002013-08-01T21:21:16.643-07:002013 Digital EME Contest<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_aAeqBGZEu4o7Rf7iFwVHiKmKsIOEHP9yWF8W-giDJxQSB_cIQSd9Pc_sKbFk8N32NK03XPA1mBtzJm4kI30vG7Nxu7GwZKfmWMCKEhOqhbXOmy9YOOr1RwOQ8zV1PnoNupPdSVwDjkoP/s1600/_decodes.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="147" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_aAeqBGZEu4o7Rf7iFwVHiKmKsIOEHP9yWF8W-giDJxQSB_cIQSd9Pc_sKbFk8N32NK03XPA1mBtzJm4kI30vG7Nxu7GwZKfmWMCKEhOqhbXOmy9YOOr1RwOQ8zV1PnoNupPdSVwDjkoP/s400/_decodes.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
This was my first EME (earth-moon-earth) contest and I had a lot of fun but not much sleep! The moon rose above my local hills past midnight local time, so on both days I was up the whole night long trying to make contacts. The contest involved trying to make as many different contacts on the 2-meter (144 MHz) band as possible, using digital modes, and with one strict requirement: all contacts must be complete two-way exchanges using only signals reflected off of the moon.<br />
<br />
Out of the 29 QSO's, eight were new initials (stations not previously worked), including a new country (Uruguay) and two US states. The most exciting contact was a local California station (Stanford W6YX), with very strong direct signals but also with a very weak lunar echo trace visible. Once the lunar echo was strong enough to decode, we could complete the QSO!<br />
<br />
Below is the contest log:<br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Date Time Call Grid Sent Rec'd</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace; font-size: x-small;">7/27/2013 6:50 UA3PTW KO93 "O" "O"</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace; font-size: x-small;">7/27/2013 7:56 I2FAK JN45 "O" "O"</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace; font-size: x-small;">7/27/2013 8:14 EB5EEO IM98 "O" "O"</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace; font-size: x-small;">7/27/2013 8:51 I3MEK JN55 "O" "O"</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace; font-size: x-small;">7/27/2013 8:57 DD0VF JO61 "O" "O"</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace; font-size: x-small;">7/27/2013 9:15 DL4KUG JO64 "O" "O"</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace; font-size: x-small;">7/27/2013 9:51 CX2SC GF25 "O" "O"</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace; font-size: x-small;">7/27/2013 10:05 WZ5Q EM30 "O" "O"</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace; font-size: x-small;">7/27/2013 10:18 CT1HZE IM57 "O" "O"</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace; font-size: x-small;">7/27/2013 10:49 K3RWR FM18 "O" "O"</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace; font-size: x-small;">7/27/2013 10:55 NZ5N EL96 "O" "O"</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace; font-size: x-small;">7/27/2013 11:06 AD4TJ FM08 "O" "O"</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace; font-size: x-small;">7/27/2013 13:43 K9MRI EN70 "O" "O"</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace; font-size: x-small;">7/27/2013 14:05 VK5APN PF95 "O" "O"</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace; font-size: x-small;">7/27/2013 15:01 W8WN EM77 "O" "O"</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace; font-size: x-small;">7/27/2013 15:25 KD9NH EN44 "O" "O"</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace; font-size: x-small;">7/27/2013 16:50 HL5QO PM42 "O" "O"</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace; font-size: x-small;">7/28/2013 7:18 HB9Q JN47 "O" "O"</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace; font-size: x-small;">7/28/2013 8:16 RU1MS KO48 "O" "O"</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace; font-size: x-small;">7/28/2013 9:01 OK1KIR JO70 "O" "O"</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace; font-size: x-small;">7/28/2013 9:11 UR7D KN18 "O" "O"</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace; font-size: x-small;">7/28/2013 9:15 F1DUZ IN97 "O" "O"</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace; font-size: x-small;">7/28/2013 9:44 G4SWX JO02 "O" "O"</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace; font-size: x-small;">7/28/2013 10:19 SM4GGC JO69 "O" "O"</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace; font-size: x-small;">7/28/2013 13:53 KE7NR DM33 "O" "O"</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace; font-size: x-small;">7/28/2013 14:00 VE1KG FN84 "O" "O"</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace; font-size: x-small;">7/28/2013 15:41 JA5EEU PM63 "O" "O"</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace; font-size: x-small;">7/28/2013 16:49 K5DNL EM15 "O" "O"</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace; font-size: x-small;">7/28/2013 17:36 W6YX CM87 "O" "O"</span><br />
<br />
Here is a screenshot from a typical QSO. This one is with VK5APN in Australia. At 1402z you can see the trace that decoded as KB5WIA VK5APN PF95, when he replied to my CQ call. At 1404z you can see the characteristic shorthand notation of "RO", where he acknowledged my OOO signal report. And at 1406z you can see the shorthand notation for "73", indication completion of the QSO. The lower left window is the WSJT9 software display from the FT-817ND analog radio, and the middle window is the MAP65 display from the FunCube Dongle Pro+ software-defined radio.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXJw0Wsa5nGZ9_wH3qwAeuc4QtH-sc6UUyx9gIi4JpTII637DHCoKiUAYw7375yLbPXWf4rpBjLhFO7XIuUayikpb3f6krImeeoadsDW03KY3B4dzf-bxWGbC3irH4XD1r-pcK_bKDxGXH/s1600/vk5apn-130727c.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="217" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXJw0Wsa5nGZ9_wH3qwAeuc4QtH-sc6UUyx9gIi4JpTII637DHCoKiUAYw7375yLbPXWf4rpBjLhFO7XIuUayikpb3f6krImeeoadsDW03KY3B4dzf-bxWGbC3irH4XD1r-pcK_bKDxGXH/s400/vk5apn-130727c.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
And next is a screenshot of the W6YX QSO. In the SpecJT waterfall window, you can see the strong direct terrestrial JT65B signals clearly at about DF=80Hz. At around -285Hz you can see a very faint trace, which decoded as KB5WIA W6YX CM87 at time 1731z. The dT of the decoded trace is 2.0 seconds, in line with the expected 2.5-second round-trip of radio signals to the moon and back (the WSJT9 software clock is about 0.5 seconds behind the MAP65 clock, you can see this in the VK5APN windows above). The Astronomical Data window in the upper right shows that the expected doppler shift between KB5WIA and W6YX was -369Hz at that instant. The observed doppler shift of the faint trace is -285Hz - 80Hz = -365Hz, pretty much exactly as expected and further confirming the weak trace as a lunar echo. Also of interest is the diagonal trace at 1733z, veering off the main sync line to the upper left; this is likely an airplane echo, doppler-shifted by the relative speed of the aircraft between the two stations. To me, these QSO's are even more fascinating than EME DX contacts to the other side of the world -- since you can literally "see" the radios hearing signals coming direct through the air, the signals bouncing off of airplanes, and signals literally bouncing off the moon.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhccColYmMfMQx-hy-gzuctyaiTcP87zBinm6BY_Lo28hMXLCFivcS7g2-ENs0tpZ9Zein12q9wKULPXnGQf56dvTtwPfvWU7LnIDclodN4eYWGBSrAZ8Md4ZUx_zpHW7hEFZdQXkGT3rPJ/s1600/w6yx-130728n.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="215" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhccColYmMfMQx-hy-gzuctyaiTcP87zBinm6BY_Lo28hMXLCFivcS7g2-ENs0tpZ9Zein12q9wKULPXnGQf56dvTtwPfvWU7LnIDclodN4eYWGBSrAZ8Md4ZUx_zpHW7hEFZdQXkGT3rPJ/s400/w6yx-130728n.JPG" width="400" /></a><br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
The MAP65 waterfall display (receiving signals from the FunCube Dongle Pro+) was really useful -- it helped to keep an eye on what signals were strong enough for easy decodes, and at times the messages display was full of QSO information.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtk9vKoYQZvzR6NrFAEJWEI-H3nL6zkiX7kduNTJI51m-Ymsg5OJxU2AYGhOBCOLxo2weTc1HK2yhqLPtzU1mTCqHMPNiPL39VTImw-Uis_aC4Qo5icaxJfQaR-FD-f2axxpn-m1iKAPrC/s1600/_map65_messages.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtk9vKoYQZvzR6NrFAEJWEI-H3nL6zkiX7kduNTJI51m-Ymsg5OJxU2AYGhOBCOLxo2weTc1HK2yhqLPtzU1mTCqHMPNiPL39VTImw-Uis_aC4Qo5icaxJfQaR-FD-f2axxpn-m1iKAPrC/s320/_map65_messages.JPG" width="253" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
All in all, it was a fun contest! I'm pretty happy to make 29 unique QSO's via radio signals reflected off the moon, all in a single weekend!<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />KB5WIAhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01482606551647955921noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7248654167560604896.post-21685997170543336012013-06-29T18:18:00.000-07:002013-11-08T15:34:08.243-08:00A Checklist for Optimizing JT65B and WSJT9 144MHz EME Stations<b><b>Introduction</b></b><br />
<br />
A year ago I would not have believed it to be possible to work over a hundred different EME stations in a span of 8 months, all with just two short yagis. I have worked ham radio satellites for a number of years now, and have recently become active in 144 MHz EME (Earth-Moon-Earth) radio contacts. Each one of these contacts is exciting, since it involves signals carried all the way from my backyard, to the moon, and then back to some distant point on earth. Since I don't have much physical space for antennas, I have had to spend much time optimizing my small JT65B / WSJT9 EME station for maximal performance (with the valuable assistance of the W6YX team). I have listed many of the optimization tips below. By following these guidelines, it should be possible to work many dozens of EME stations, even with a small station.<br />
<br />
I have ordered the optimization tips spatially, to preserve clarity and flow. The tips start with antennas, then move to the feedlines, then to the transceivers, then to the computer and software, then to the human side of operating the software and attempting EME. For each tip, I have included my own personal "ranking" as to how important they are. Some are nice-to-have (Very Useful), whereas others are so important that if you skip them, you will certainly miss out on many contacts (Critical!!). As with all lists, this one too will be subject to change. It's based on what I consider important after learning enough to contact the hundred-plus EME stations so far; I'm far from finished learning, so no doubt the list will change in the future.<br />
<br />
Enjoy!<br />
<br />
Dave KB5WIA<br />
<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicRwInj6WXFJOASL7a8sHR3YXK68JjaS9td2Gpf8_-qRzJLkFLilEEdlKHxe19QmXS5oMfb27p4P0mrT0t1LQR1aJjKCq4OkU_bEAsqzr0AA9NhFFXo6ZJm-zPSuTRJ6h-VHzed_fu08qM/s885/eme-graphic-130607b.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; display: inline !important; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="268" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicRwInj6WXFJOASL7a8sHR3YXK68JjaS9td2Gpf8_-qRzJLkFLilEEdlKHxe19QmXS5oMfb27p4P0mrT0t1LQR1aJjKCq4OkU_bEAsqzr0AA9NhFFXo6ZJm-zPSuTRJ6h-VHzed_fu08qM/s320/eme-graphic-130607b.jpg" width="320" /></a><br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<b>Hardware: Antennas: Gain</b><br />
<i>Importance: Very Important</i><br />
Use the maximum antenna gain possible. Why? EME signals are weak! Every additional dB of gain you can obtain from the antennas will help out. Use modern antenna designs, pay careful attention to the manufacturer's recommendations for spacing and mounting, and avoid interactions with crossbooms, other antennas, or the feedlines.<br />
<br />
<b>Hardware: Antennas: Polarization</b><br />
<i>Importance: Very Important</i><br />
Use linear polarization. Why? On bands 432 MHz and below, the convention is to use linear polarization, not circular polarization. Circular polarization results in a 3dB reduction in signals of linear polarization. Unless you are using dual horizontal / vertical polarization, you will need to wait for Faraday rotation to line up signals for optimum reception, this will take from a few minutes to an hour or more. Patience is a virtue with EME. <br />
<br />
<b>Hardware: Antennas: Preamplifier</b><br />
<i>Importance: Very Important</i><br />
Use a low-noise preamp (LNA) at the antenna if possible. Why? By boosting the signal immediately after the antenna, you can reduce or eliminate the effects of cable losses on your received signals. Keep the preamp at the antenna, since any loss between the antenna and the preamp will add directly to your noise figure.<br />
<br />
<b>Hardware: Rotator Type</b><br />
<i>Importance: Important</i><br />
Try to use a two-axis rotator. Why? If you don't have elevation control on your rotator, you are going to be limited to attempting EME with the moon close to the horizon, typically where most environmental RF noise is located. By being able to elevate your antennas towards a high moon elevation, you can significantly extend your moon operating time, and therefore improve your chances of EME contacts.<br />
<br />
<b>Hardware: Feedline Quality</b><br />
<i>Importance: Important</i><br />
Use the lowest loss feedline you can afford with a minimal number of connectors. Why? Again, on EME, every dB counts. You do not want to lose signal in the feedline. Note that if you have a LNA at the antenna, the effects of feedline losses on receive are minimized. Unless the amplifier is at the tower, however, using high-quality low-loss feedline will prevent your transmitted signal from being wasted as heat.<br />
<br />
<b>Hardware: Separate Feedlines and Sequencer</b><br />
<i>Importance: Very Useful</i><br />
Use separate RX and TX feedlines with a dedicated sequencer if you can. Why? Having a dedicated RX feedline will let you split off some of the received signal to a SDR (software defined radio) if you desire. Having a dedicated TX feedline and sequencer will let you bypass the preamplifier and SDR entirely on transmit, to prevent system damage.<br />
<br />
<b>Hardware: Transmitter: Stability</b><br />
<i>Importance: Very Important</i><br />
Avoid frequency drift in your transmitter. Why? Transmitters will change in frequency as they heat up, and JT65B transmissions can generate a lot of heat. Frequency drift can make decoding impossible, or force both stations to have to turn on AFC which results in a modest reduction in coding "gain". By having a stable frequency (install a TCXO if necessary) you can improve chances of decodes.<br />
<br />
<b>Hardware: Transmitter: Power</b><br />
<i>Importance: Very Important</i><br />
Have the ability to use as much power as possible to complete the contact. Why? Since every dB counts, the more power you have, the more chance of successful decodes at the DX station. A 600W amp will improve your signal at the other station by 3dB over a 300W amp, all other things being equal. A 1.2kW amp will improve your signal by 6dB.<br />
<br />
<b>Hardware: Receiver: Noise Blanker</b><br />
<i>Importance: Important</i><br />
Use your receiver's noise blanker. Why? EME signals are very weak, and using your receiver's noise blanker can help remove interfering signals that could reduce your receiver's sensitivity. If your noise blanker has variable settings, use a "light" setting to prevent blanking out the desired signals.<br />
<br />
<b>Hardware: Receiver: Software Defined Radio (SDR)</b><br />
<i>Importance: Very Useful</i><br />
Use a SDR if possible. Why? With an SDR and <a href="http://physics.princeton.edu/pulsar/K1JT/map65.html">MAP65 software</a>, you can monitor the entire EME sub-band (144.105 to 144.165) at once, allowing you to immediately spot stations that your antennas can hear. This can multiply your chances of a successful EME QSO, since you will be less likely to miss seeing another station calling CQ. Quality SDR's are relatively inexpensive these days. [Example: The <a href="http://www.funcubedongle.com/">FunCube Dongle Pro+</a>, can be installed with <a href="http://kb5wia.blogspot.com/2013/01/installing-map65-and-funcube-dongle-pro.html">Linrad and MAP65</a>].<br />
<br />
<b>Environment: Obstructions</b><br />
<i>Importance: Important</i><br />
Be aware of nearby objects that will block the antenna's view of the moon. Why? If the antennas can't see the moon, they can't see EME signals! Obvious factors are mountains and neighboring houses. Less obvious factors are trees, which can significantly attenuate the already weak EME signals.<br />
<br />
<b>Environment: Background Radio Noise: Your own home</b><br />
<i>Importance: Critical!!</i><br />
Turn off all devices that cause RFI. Why? Any devices adding to your baseline noise level will directly reduce your sensitivity. For weak EME signals, a simple defective switching power supply can completely destroy your ability to hear other stations. Almost every home has devices that cause radio interference. Turn off circuits one-by-one to find these devices. Eliminate the noise by shutting them down, replacing them, or adding ferrite chokes to the input/output leads.<br />
<br />
<b>Environment: Background Radio Noise: Nearby Noise</b><br />
<i>Importance: Very Important</i><br />
Know your surrounding radio noise levels. Why? You can't eliminate RFI coming from your neighbors, but you can avoid it. Watch your meters as antennas are raised above horizon, and take note of how different antenna directions and elevations relate to your ambient noise levels. Plan for best operating conditions when the moon is high enough that your antennas can be up and out of the noise.<br />
<br />
<b>Environment: Ground Gain</b><br />
<i>Importance: Important</i><br />
Understand ground gain and how you can use it to your advantage. Why? You can pick up an extra few dB by capturing the signals reflected off the ground at low moon elevations! This is potentially equivalent to doubling your power output, or doubling the size or number of your antennas. Of course if you have high RFI at the horizon, you can't take advantage of your own QTH ground gain ... but you can still use the DX station's. Simply use the Astronomical Data in WSJT9 or MAP65 software to monitor the DX station's moon elevation. Very often you'll see signals come up when the DX station has low moon and is experiencing ground gain effects. <br />
<br />
<b>Protocol: Communications Mode</b><br />
<i>Importance: Important</i><br />
Plan to operate with mode JT65B rather than CW or voice when starting out. Why? EME signals are extremely weak, and a small EME station will only be able to hear (by ear) the largest of the EME stations. This pretty much entirely rules out SSB voice communications, and also rules out CW communications. The <a href="http://physics.princeton.edu/pulsar/K1JT/">JT65 modes by Joe Taylor K1JT</a> provide 10 to 15 dB better signal-to-noise than CW, and are what make small-station EME possible. (That being said, once you have experience, go ahead and try for the thrill of working the big stations by CW. It's not easy, but it's possible!).<br />
<br />
<b>Computer: Sound Card Interface</b><br />
<i>Importance: Important</i><br />
Ensure that robust audio signals are reaching the computer's sound card. Why? You want to have your radio's audio signals significantly above the background noise level of the computer's sound card. Feeding too low an audio level to the PC will result in more difficult decodes. <br />
<br />
<b>Computer: Clock Synchronization</b><br />
<i>Importance: Critical!!</i><br />
Ensure your computer clock is accurate to within a fraction of a second. Why? If your clock is off, you will have difficulty identifying valid decodes (which will have a dT of approximately 2.6 seconds). In addition, your CQ calls will not be published by the automated spotting network <a href="http://livecq.eu/">LiveCQ.eu</a>, which uses the dT value to differentiate between EME and tropo spots. <a href="http://www.iz2bkt.com/BktTimeSync/BktTimeSync_setup.exe">BKtTimeSync</a> by IZ2BKT works well to keep your clock synchronized, set your time server to pool.ntp.org with a sync of every 15 mins.<br />
<br />
<b>Computer: Read the manual</b><br />
<i>Importance: Absolutely Critical!!</i><br />
Read the WSJT9 manual. Once you've read it, read it again. Why? The <a href="http://physics.princeton.edu/pulsar/K1JT/wsjt.html">WSJT manual</a> is a great resource that covers in great detail how the software works and how to use it. Small stations need every advantage they can get, so don't shortchange yourself by missing out on knowledge that's located in the manual.<br />
<br />
<b>Computer: WSJT9 Software: Sampling Rate</b><br />
<i>Importance: Very Important</i><br />
Ensure no sampling rate errors. Why? If your computer soundcard has problems with sampling rate, you will have significant problems decoding stations, and other stations may have significant problems decoding you. The sampling rate values in the lower left of the software should be in the range of 0.9995 to 1.0005.<br />
<br />
<b>Computer: WSJT9 Software: Noise Floor</b><br />
<i>Importance: Important</i><br />
Adjust the slider on waterfall to zero the RX noise floor. Why? You need to keep the decoder working within a reasonable signal range. Adjust the slider to zero depending on your ambient RF noise conditions.<br />
<br />
<b>Computer: WSJT9 Software: Waterfall Speed</b><br />
<i>Importance: Very Important</i><br />
Adjust the waterfall speed in the WSJT9 software to "3". Why? JT65B is a visual mode, so you need to optimize your software display for the best visual signal-to-noise possible. Using a slower waterfall speed will help you identify EME traces. Also be sure to select "Flatten Spectra" in the SpecJT options, it's not set by default and helps improve your ability to see signals. These steps are often overlooked, so spend time adjusting the waterfall settings for maximum visual sensitivity; a properly optimized waterfall will have snow and a light green tint to it. <br />
<br />
<b>Computer: WSJT9 Software: Sync Value</b><br />
<i>Importance: Critical!!</i><br />
Set the Sync Value to 0 or below. Why? Values equal to or less than zero set maximum Sync sensitivity. If you do not have maximum sensitivity, you will see traces but miss decodes. All values from 0 and below are technically equivalent, so any number -1 or less will work. Some operators set a large negative number here, just to avoid the chance of accidentally clicking this value upwards past zero.<br />
<br />
<b>Computer: WSJT9 Software: Deep Search</b><br />
<i>Importance: Critical!!</i><br />
Turn Deep Search on. Why? Deep search decoder provides an additional +4dB of coding gain. Without it you are seriously limiting your chances of a successful EME contact. Once you become familiar with discriminating real from false decodes, turn Aggressive Deep Search on for further sensitivity. And remember that for Deep Search to work, you must have an updated call3.txt file (see below).<br />
<br />
<b>Operating: Practice files</b><br />
<i>Importance: Critical!!</i><br />
Practice using WSJT9 software using the <a href="http://physics.princeton.edu/pulsar/K1JT/wsjt.html">practice JT65B .wav files</a>. Why? It's very important to know how to use the software. WSJT9 is powerful and not immediately intuitive, but with practice (and careful attention to the free manual) you can be comfortable using it. Learn how to use the Freeze, the Tol, the AFC and the ZAP functions. Learn how to read the short-hand signals for RO, OOO, and 73. If you don't know how to use the software, there is no point in attempting EME.<br />
<br />
<b>Operating: Your call in the call3.txt file</b><br />
<i>Importance: Critical!!</i><br />
Make sure you're in the other party's call3.txt file. Why? If you're not in the other station's call3.txt file, you're effectively losing over half (-4dB) of your transmit power via the missing coding gain at the receive station. Be sure to register at <a href="http://www.mmmonvhf.de/">Make More Miles on VHF</a> and add your call to the call3.txt database. It's hard to stress this enough: <u>be sure to register your call, grid, and check the box that says you're an EME operator</u>.<br />
<br />
<b>Operating: Update your call3.txt file frequently</b><br />
<i>Importance: Critical!!</i><br />
Be sure to update your own call3.txt file immediately after installing WSJT software, and frequently thereafter. Why? If the other station's call and grid is not in your Call3.txt file, you'll lose -4dB of coding gain, equivalent to more than cutting your antennas in half. The default call3.txt file in the WSJT9 download is very much out of date, so frequently download the latest call3.txt file from <a href="http://www.mmmonvhf.de/">www.mmmonvhf.de</a> or <a href="http://www.livecq.eu/call3">www.livecq.eu/call3</a>. To keep your own call3.txt file up to date without losing the calls you've manually added, use <a href="http://www.k2txb.com/WsjtMerge.htm">wsjtmerge.exe</a> to merge the new call3 to your existing call3.<br />
<br />
<b>Operating: Check your call3.txt file for every QSO</b><br />
<i>Importance: Critical!!</i><br />
Always make sure other station is in your call3.txt. Why? Many stations who you see on the moon may not have added themselves to the mmmonvhf.de database, so they won't be in your call3.txt. You don't want to accidentally lose that 4dB of coding gain! If you are calling another station, check to be sure they're in your call3.txt file by looking them up in the "To Radio" box of WSJT9 software.<br />
<br />
<b>Operating: Know how to adjust for Doppler on 432 and 1296 MHz</b><br />
<i>Importance: Critical on 432MHz and above!!</i><br />
Be sure to follow the proper Doppler adjustment convention on 432MHz and above. Why? If you don't adjust for Doppler, you may not be looking in the right place and may miss callers entirely. In the Main WSJT window, click View > Astronomical Data. The "Self Dop" value is how many Hertz away from your transmit frequency you should be receiving. This is offset is also referred to as your self echo frequency. You may use your RIT or split A/B VFO to achieve this. (On 144 MHz, Doppler will not shift received signals out of the audio passband of your transceiver, so it's not as much of a concern.)<br />
<br />
<b>Operating: Start thinking in dB</b><br />
<i>Importance: Very Useful</i><br />
Stop thinking of signals in terms of S-meter readings and instead in terms of dB. Why? Decibel units, displayed for decoded signals in the WSJT9 and MAP65 software, have real-world value! For example, if you just barely work a station at -27 dB signal strength, then you can imagine if you double your antennas (adding 3dB) you could have worked that station much easier at -24 dB. Or, if you see on a spotter that your CQ was decoded at -25 dB and you're running 300W, if you went to 600W (3dB more) you'd likely have been decoded at -22 dB. Thinking in terms of dB helps put many aspects of EME operation into perspective. <br />
<br />
<b>Operating: Best days to operate</b><br />
<i>Importance: Important</i><br />
Learn how the moon's position in the sky during a month affects EME activity. Why? Some days have many EME operators who are calling CQ or listening to the moon, other days have very few. If you try to operate on high activity days, you will significantly improve your chances of hearing or being heard. The moon's orbit is inclined relative to the earth's, so the moon alternates from being low in the sky to being high in the sky every two weeks. There are many more operators out in the two weeks of high moon elevations. Similarly, at new moon (next to the sun), many operators avoid EME, as well as when the moon is near high galactic noise sources. Such physical conditions don't diminish a small operator's chances of EME nearly as much as the reduced turnout of EME operators does. [Reference: <a href="http://mmmonvhf.de/eme.php">The MMMonVHF EME Propagation Predictor</a> has a nice graph of moon declination]<br />
<br />
<b>Operating: Best hours to operate</b><br />
<i>Importance: Important</i><br />
Learn how EME activities vary during the day. Why? You will have much more success finding stations when they're a) awake and b) can see the moon! For example, Europe has many active EME operators, but they naturally will be mostly asleep at 2300z to 0600z. In addition, as the earth rotates "underneath" the moon, some regions will lose moon visibility and some will gain it. Activity on EME will ebb and flow during the day according to sleep and visibility patterns.<br />
<br />
<b>Operating: Understand the impact of the degradation value</b><br />
<i>Importance: Important</i><br />
If you're a single polarity station, don't worry much about the Degradation number in the software. Why? The calculated degradation in the moon signals varies by just a few dB for most days of the month. On the other hand, your signals can vary up to -20dB due to polarity mismatches between you and the DX station. Since the effects of Degradation are small with respect to the effects of Faraday Rotation, don't let the Degradation values scare you away from operating.<br />
<br />
<b>Operating: Finding active stations</b><br />
<i>Importance: Very Important</i><br />
Use the <a href="http://livecq.eu/">LiveCQ.eu</a> spotter to find active frequencies and relative signal strengths. Why? Unless you are running MAP65 and can monitor the whole EME band for yourself, it's fruitless to try to scan across the band tuning for JT65B signals; they're too weak to hear. If you stick to LiveCQ.eu, you can see who is "on the moon" in real-time, what their calling frequencies are, and how strong they are heard at other stations. Use caution when looking for stations calling CQ via an EME chat (ie. <a href="http://www.chris.org/cgi-bin/jt65emeA">N0UK EME Logger</a>). Chats may have very small stations advertising calling CQ (that you're unlikely to hear), or operators with incorrect settings, or operators who announce calling CQ but then discontinue without updating the chat. <br />
<br />
<b>Operating: Recognizing EME traces</b><br />
<i>Importance: Very Important</i><br />
Recognizing EME traces is a useful skill. Why? It allows you to tighten the decode window around the particular trace, improving decodes by eliminating interfering signals. EME traces have a characteristic start (:00 seconds) and stop (:50 seconds) times, a characteristic brightness (varying brightness over time), a characteristic width (about 3 to 5 Hz), and a characteristic period (every second minute). Skill in identifying potential EME traces (and differentiating them from noise) will help you to find signals. <br />
<br />
<b>Operating: Traces that won't decode</b><br />
<i>Importance: Very Important</i><br />
Know what to do when seemingly strong EME traces don't decode. Why? Strong EME signal traces that don't decode are most commonly caused by three things: 1) the message is part of a QSO between other parties (ie. N1XYZ observes W6YX KB5WIA CM88 OOO) and does not invoke Deep Search. 2) operator error on the other end. 3) operator error on your end. If you recognize an EME trace and it unexpectedly does not decode, it should be a big clue that you need to go back and check your settings!<br />
<br />
<b>Operating: Recognizing false and true decodes</b><br />
<i>Importance: Very Important</i><br />
Knowing the difference between true and false decodes is important. Why? You don't want to waste time calling a station who never called you in the first place! When you see a decode, ask yourself: a) do I expect to see the other station calling me? b) does the other station see the moon at this time? c) does the dT of the signal match an EME signal (2-3 seconds)? d) does the width of the trace match an expected EME signal (3-5 Hz)? If in doubt, simply wait one more cycle and see if the same decode comes up. The odds of a false decode are slim, and the odds of two identical false decodes are virtually nil.<br />
<br />
<b>Operating: Persistence</b><br />
<i>Importance: Critical!!</i><br />
Be persistent when trying to contact another EME station. Why? EME propagation is not like terrestrial VHF! EME propagation changes from minute to minute, is often unpredictable, and can include "one-way" propagation. Just because you call someone five times and do not hear back from them does not necessarily mean that they cannot hear you, nor that you will not hear them on the next cycle. Sometimes it takes many cycles of calling before conditions (ie. Faraday rotation) line up favorably for you to make a contact.<br />
<br />
<b>Operating: Don't be afraid to call CQ</b><br />
<i>Importance: Very Important</i><br />
Call CQ as much as you can. Why? Just because you don't see other stations calling CQ yourself, or on the Internet, doesn't mean that there aren't other stations listening to the moon. It is guaranteed they will never hear you if you don't call CQ! Call CQ often, since there are very frequently many more stations listening than you will be aware of.<br />
<br />
<b>Operating: Chat rooms</b><br />
<i>Importance: Important</i><br />
Don't become reliant on chat rooms to complete your QSOs. Why? First, exchanging any information about your QSO prior to completion will invalidate the QSO. Secondly, if you have to depend on the other station telling you about the QSO status via the internet, then you aren't doing EME communications. It's fine to announce that you're calling CQ in the chat room, and to give the other station a signal report after the QSO is finished. Finally, all hams can relate to the unexpected thrill of having a DX station unexpectedly replying to your CQ -- don't let internet chat rooms diminish this joy!<br />
<br />
<br />
<b>Summary</b><br />
<br />
It's quite possible for ham-radio operators to make contacts via the Earth-Moon-Earth path, even with a smaller station of no more than a 10-foot yagi and 100 watts of power. However, since with small stations there is very little margin for signal reductions, no stone should be left unturned when attempting to optimize the station. <br />
<br />
My own experience has shown with the above optimization tips, a small station with two ten-foot yagis and 500 to 1000W of power on 144MHz is capable of working at least 100 different EME stations in a relatively short period of time.<br />
<br />
<br />KB5WIAhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01482606551647955921noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7248654167560604896.post-48361023899339382332013-06-23T22:23:00.001-07:002013-06-30T12:55:35.594-07:00ARRL Field Day 2013 - Satellite FunThe annual Field Day was June 22-23rd this year, and as usual there was a lot of activity on the satellites!! With so many satellite operators trying to access the limited number of sats at once, it certainly was a challenge to make two-way contacts this weekend. Below are some observations from a few passes.<br />
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
The FM satellite SO-50 was near saturation on the 6/22 1827z pass, with only the strongest stations able to get through and capture the transponder. Stations heard included K6MMM, W6YX, W6TO, KO6TZ, K6CLX, and K6AGF. I didn't hear too many stations complete QSO's due to the congestion, but some lucky stations made a few contacts.</div>
<div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Satellite FO-29 was very busy on the 6/22 1831z pass. I copied stations W7PIG, W6YX, K6MMM, AI6RE, KU6S, W7SU, W7AIN, and N6HN. Activity across the FO-29 transponder was spaced out pretty well, and a number of stations were able to make two-way contacts.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Satellite AO-07 was hammered pretty hard on the 6/23 0002z pass! Not many stations were able to get in through the congestion, but I copied WA2DPI, W6YX, W7SAA, W0GQ, K4BFT, KO6TH, K4FEG, W6ARA. Screenshots from my SDR's view of the transponder downlink are below (you can see what AO-07 normally looks like on an SDR in this <a href="http://kb5wia.blogspot.com/2013/04/satellite-ao-07-spectrum-plots.html">earlier post</a>:</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbrhq4vqzMV0msVKvGkAqsbwjxr-bHiHjgipiv4JmVbllkkqGZjY7vZaTSPYu-t0JT2hYXLlTx2DJbgh9pKbUTQygAuoh5qUiJAuWzOojMDFJPlkPcaq5itTPCw1FX5Ag9TnwID9O2RDo_/s1600/b.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><img border="0" height="114" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbrhq4vqzMV0msVKvGkAqsbwjxr-bHiHjgipiv4JmVbllkkqGZjY7vZaTSPYu-t0JT2hYXLlTx2DJbgh9pKbUTQygAuoh5qUiJAuWzOojMDFJPlkPcaq5itTPCw1FX5Ag9TnwID9O2RDo_/s320/b.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiE0BStkfssboJsa-0pH0hwAfB7YNfI23tqZeB9IK3X0F1zu2qTBjHaNmfGgaheaz37AjI3d3XA3ZQsxyNZHHhRPcYQfvDT4_kFTREoloJTPZ1EODwBi32gXwMUbsPNzhhw2L0f_y6sh-Wv/s1600/e.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="114" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiE0BStkfssboJsa-0pH0hwAfB7YNfI23tqZeB9IK3X0F1zu2qTBjHaNmfGgaheaz37AjI3d3XA3ZQsxyNZHHhRPcYQfvDT4_kFTREoloJTPZ1EODwBi32gXwMUbsPNzhhw2L0f_y6sh-Wv/s320/e.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvvCLdPVXEgal_F9LtQI7abgTgqGborB8FkdnvkW11eGXRg1qIzzj1OstdnpUXEb2nfQTbKdpVWVAxKsUaQdVSJaEKn9ehiKxNHjR0eFrPyYcbBh0sLvC0Djici6wyZcewWTJz4obDR3qY/s1600/g.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="114" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvvCLdPVXEgal_F9LtQI7abgTgqGborB8FkdnvkW11eGXRg1qIzzj1OstdnpUXEb2nfQTbKdpVWVAxKsUaQdVSJaEKn9ehiKxNHjR0eFrPyYcbBh0sLvC0Djici6wyZcewWTJz4obDR3qY/s320/g.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKo6WKodwH-9xg0vZ3LLrExXW2MvJzNHW7Ij86cOrFodR7BQcqjTlNL0pt7yDpGwA7tNpwzRP0uFKF98VAQwzFdfrgtmN8Ip6cv2INy37GImf5y-QaIswRhfOTGlDlAP4OCAerdTLPNzV7/s1600/j.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="114" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKo6WKodwH-9xg0vZ3LLrExXW2MvJzNHW7Ij86cOrFodR7BQcqjTlNL0pt7yDpGwA7tNpwzRP0uFKF98VAQwzFdfrgtmN8Ip6cv2INy37GImf5y-QaIswRhfOTGlDlAP4OCAerdTLPNzV7/s320/j.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiizbjkCLsU8ZHhGwSQ93rEGiRKpODGluw_ftIEgJHVBCvvc8iE3DJ-mmQo_cFs1eCmiVEa46tcxoPDr0GrivqOZq8dvBQN3IOyjJp_XZg47XNa_WTP5ZGSEh6HAoXhZhDr3sXcNj2SNi99/s1600/l.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="115" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiizbjkCLsU8ZHhGwSQ93rEGiRKpODGluw_ftIEgJHVBCvvc8iE3DJ-mmQo_cFs1eCmiVEa46tcxoPDr0GrivqOZq8dvBQN3IOyjJp_XZg47XNa_WTP5ZGSEh6HAoXhZhDr3sXcNj2SNi99/s320/l.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTOjjKB17WyoXP-n2O9yW5HYrE0Y2-qltkpLxrrVlNzVjehqeeKy0Q_lpe1xyGglWPWBcuQlNb3SYofZPGr-pATqZcSGh7a4XQ_99D3XQRwXhXOVo6YOjjqgQ35-G5hBjUP9-BXgWE0-Pg/s1600/n.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="114" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTOjjKB17WyoXP-n2O9yW5HYrE0Y2-qltkpLxrrVlNzVjehqeeKy0Q_lpe1xyGglWPWBcuQlNb3SYofZPGr-pATqZcSGh7a4XQ_99D3XQRwXhXOVo6YOjjqgQ35-G5hBjUP9-BXgWE0-Pg/s320/n.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgROxCu-k1vRBBPa7trQ1nZUC89y1xx7XRxcK4ZfX0nqBtluaeBvItOdE8tmEKFB500jKG6CBdqwzVW8cR7ZdabQaLc0WRFg3henC9VHIKunMBYriuflMIsn6ZElk0ZOiYc6FRpkt5xQpoN/s1600/q.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="114" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgROxCu-k1vRBBPa7trQ1nZUC89y1xx7XRxcK4ZfX0nqBtluaeBvItOdE8tmEKFB500jKG6CBdqwzVW8cR7ZdabQaLc0WRFg3henC9VHIKunMBYriuflMIsn6ZElk0ZOiYc6FRpkt5xQpoN/s320/q.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgp1S7A8FcnJ1_R7BmnSdKFg57UBLKSoJ4ox03ewBC-u-SQIFmN35xw9ICjLB-i1qv6u6AeJK7DMsU8Oeddc3XcU8jdzM1Z9xx2UGOJRglGgQziY4RyXR7DBohQ0OlqjluCmyofxBp_otZp/s1600/s.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="114" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgp1S7A8FcnJ1_R7BmnSdKFg57UBLKSoJ4ox03ewBC-u-SQIFmN35xw9ICjLB-i1qv6u6AeJK7DMsU8Oeddc3XcU8jdzM1Z9xx2UGOJRglGgQziY4RyXR7DBohQ0OlqjluCmyofxBp_otZp/s320/s.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6F8VRed9F1U4cHOx2icBQmDLxLLzprwRvary7vENW00lfPEhlPR5r0k7fWZeR612pkVJRwfqrw-Mr4lyXqMrkHwVi4nxJP8L3oMTj2D_R3GlyyGZIvy__2sN05P69BcN9p0-11neD50V9/s1600/u.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="114" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6F8VRed9F1U4cHOx2icBQmDLxLLzprwRvary7vENW00lfPEhlPR5r0k7fWZeR612pkVJRwfqrw-Mr4lyXqMrkHwVi4nxJP8L3oMTj2D_R3GlyyGZIvy__2sN05P69BcN9p0-11neD50V9/s320/u.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
The middle four panels show significant distortion across AO-07's passband, notably many parallel zigzaggy lines. Trying to copy any single station via the analog radio (FT-817ND) was really difficult, as the satellite transponder was probably reacting to the wildly varying input power levels coming up from below<br />
<br />
<div>
Satellite VO-52 was really congested on the 6/23 0255z pass. I copied K6MMM, W6ARA, and W6YX, and a few other stations. Screenshots of the transponder during the pass are below. (See my<a href="http://kb5wia.blogspot.com/2013/04/satellite-vo-52-with-funcube-dongle.html"> earlier post</a> for what VO-52 normally looks like through an SDR).</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfrRG5bnm9xgaIdNLf_YQFfloaT6UvSaKaksl3sPqWNqyz57ECMxe1VhqSWVuEnHIPlak0n8-h7xpMjN_A3fX6ED7DyTB68TfbDAGE2dtt71FKnDWmUDftfmr7KKrTWsDh3AxDBgDJ7iHU/s1600/101.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="114" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfrRG5bnm9xgaIdNLf_YQFfloaT6UvSaKaksl3sPqWNqyz57ECMxe1VhqSWVuEnHIPlak0n8-h7xpMjN_A3fX6ED7DyTB68TfbDAGE2dtt71FKnDWmUDftfmr7KKrTWsDh3AxDBgDJ7iHU/s320/101.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9TzZodnANJKCgQnOMZ-h5UnehNlfIV-TyTpKeo_wGngrhmBXf83f5LZFj1yUpxi0O7vsXneiHI9fy8LElu7zk2QQQ2sbClbYYFPwzmFDR-EUwDYg7xI9FnTwXV9WCU9h8uJEwcfuKAaxs/s1600/102.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="113" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9TzZodnANJKCgQnOMZ-h5UnehNlfIV-TyTpKeo_wGngrhmBXf83f5LZFj1yUpxi0O7vsXneiHI9fy8LElu7zk2QQQ2sbClbYYFPwzmFDR-EUwDYg7xI9FnTwXV9WCU9h8uJEwcfuKAaxs/s320/102.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzo33QK3COOTF1H5imyCbYA3p8lefLeTSjFOze6ECzJ5_NbsHzO3XssQ6_emtglaP1uOnUWYjwyXo4qvMmp1GvvYfuGY21DF5_XIvr-rDZlKv_484CArIhqjV2mhbTkE7L_jrba-jgx9pS/s1600/103.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="114" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzo33QK3COOTF1H5imyCbYA3p8lefLeTSjFOze6ECzJ5_NbsHzO3XssQ6_emtglaP1uOnUWYjwyXo4qvMmp1GvvYfuGY21DF5_XIvr-rDZlKv_484CArIhqjV2mhbTkE7L_jrba-jgx9pS/s320/103.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOT6H3R0OXiXiA_qlWFjhhXw6sN8DCfTFOLryfOIAdZz0y9oKhzZHsfr9VwVOzndCDIxUDq4wa2T3qiFQ4aB7TIo7uw4Qh5B42ucq0G3AVhbIvnJgSNUt5B2iD8AboXj3bxF-4g6pANrJV/s1600/105.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="115" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOT6H3R0OXiXiA_qlWFjhhXw6sN8DCfTFOLryfOIAdZz0y9oKhzZHsfr9VwVOzndCDIxUDq4wa2T3qiFQ4aB7TIo7uw4Qh5B42ucq0G3AVhbIvnJgSNUt5B2iD8AboXj3bxF-4g6pANrJV/s320/105.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgU650wGdqCIOSKhEpp4GsT56-hwhVia2q3WR6lxyd_fTeX8iS_q3WbtqyJVbrrTtGoRo0mjy0WxlaOD9V6xO1zt8hADjC7Z_Ugc1aOXV2ZIqc34L-P-j2evgsSq5dvvx5b5GgFL3LsASoZ/s1600/107.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="113" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgU650wGdqCIOSKhEpp4GsT56-hwhVia2q3WR6lxyd_fTeX8iS_q3WbtqyJVbrrTtGoRo0mjy0WxlaOD9V6xO1zt8hADjC7Z_Ugc1aOXV2ZIqc34L-P-j2evgsSq5dvvx5b5GgFL3LsASoZ/s320/107.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFtkKs_4JfQ4L0hAUI_B1aLCKd4-7r6FWShEnhND32DBBkNsnd91zCqa4XVYZPm3q95smulnaksWIFYBEJIgndUJcn8UVvPKz7FXHAik5MNjpcQEc_vTwNdiMEJH1S0VaUxtJz0rZ1YX43/s1600/108.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="114" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFtkKs_4JfQ4L0hAUI_B1aLCKd4-7r6FWShEnhND32DBBkNsnd91zCqa4XVYZPm3q95smulnaksWIFYBEJIgndUJcn8UVvPKz7FXHAik5MNjpcQEc_vTwNdiMEJH1S0VaUxtJz0rZ1YX43/s320/108.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYsV7NQFfmqsyjydj_Ylp0awYl51d6tcA65KJnSwMJAp2Yc-zQHLns_oNDyXNk_FOeu8zb_6MV3vW_ICu3_fnnnjHOuiS6LwwbdEJPAV_x5NjBVUzBXplfgKujddcccHXClzKNGiSa5-qF/s1600/109.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="114" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYsV7NQFfmqsyjydj_Ylp0awYl51d6tcA65KJnSwMJAp2Yc-zQHLns_oNDyXNk_FOeu8zb_6MV3vW_ICu3_fnnnjHOuiS6LwwbdEJPAV_x5NjBVUzBXplfgKujddcccHXClzKNGiSa5-qF/s320/109.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEga1T-1W8chAkymWxljtz6CqruO0FU-Xb9uRufngu2P-IwCNYXYJ41tXhMf4joZIU9I8EJ49ahJoS0g86biQ-mUFMt77RrGzum3e7-cngwgHqRgjXKiWTADZZ7bNX5kvWdPBwrSDifEt0O3/s1600/110.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="114" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEga1T-1W8chAkymWxljtz6CqruO0FU-Xb9uRufngu2P-IwCNYXYJ41tXhMf4joZIU9I8EJ49ahJoS0g86biQ-mUFMt77RrGzum3e7-cngwgHqRgjXKiWTADZZ7bNX5kvWdPBwrSDifEt0O3/s320/110.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
In the first three frames above you can see some strong stations and some tuner-uppers. The middle three frames show distortion of the whole passband, probably due to the number of stations trying to get into the transponder at the same time. The last two frames show how the transponder activity has tapered off as the satellite footprint left the majority of the field day sites, with just a few stations remaining on the satellite.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Overall, it was a lot of fun to listen to the satellites during this Field Day weekend! Sometimes the satellites are pretty quiet, so it was nice to hear so many operators trying to make contacts and complete QSOs.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
</div>
KB5WIAhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01482606551647955921noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7248654167560604896.post-46501218010666604652013-06-10T16:39:00.003-07:002013-06-10T20:47:09.271-07:00VHF Contest - Mt Diablo<div>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisxRCU9V_jIvLW1MrYK6dDMwbJc-KwZFyr6gVaCYiLkHepHWtVgm7levPdTJuC23ikyD3qSsLRwSThSC_IF-cWbp-AK66Mg2eud_zWzlZHzMMvNLcbtclR87ekR12tll496jSDUmy5GwNl/s1600/P6084080.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisxRCU9V_jIvLW1MrYK6dDMwbJc-KwZFyr6gVaCYiLkHepHWtVgm7levPdTJuC23ikyD3qSsLRwSThSC_IF-cWbp-AK66Mg2eud_zWzlZHzMMvNLcbtclR87ekR12tll496jSDUmy5GwNl/s320/P6084080.JPG" style="cursor: move;" width="320" /></a></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
For the 2013 June VHF Contest, I again traveled to Mt Diablo to set up a QRP station. The equipment I used this year included the Yaesu FT-817ND transceiver, connected to three yagi antennas. For six meters I used a new Diamond A-502HB short-boom two element yagi. For the two meter band I used the 4-element Arrow VHF antenna, and for 70cm I used a Diamond A430-S15 15-element yagi. All three antennas were attached to a Buddipole 18' telescoping mast, and the mast was guyed to the bed of my truck. The antennas were spaced so that the entire array could be rotated by hand. New this year was 223.5 MHz FM, using a Yaesu VX-6R radio and a an Arrow 220 1.25m 5-element yagi on a photo tripod.<br />
<br />
<div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWJ0A4iFearRuOAAzKJtX11L8-BIRCrPmUf3o4CE82OcUl4lNe8QXPVtA2RqZfJUfpVK06gpAxLgxK_oI3gsEIB0Q7_hcE09eblPbfDB15Hrp9-5m9SFE7iF8V1wT_SrR5pRMf6sSSg4sQ/s1600/scan0001.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWJ0A4iFearRuOAAzKJtX11L8-BIRCrPmUf3o4CE82OcUl4lNe8QXPVtA2RqZfJUfpVK06gpAxLgxK_oI3gsEIB0Q7_hcE09eblPbfDB15Hrp9-5m9SFE7iF8V1wT_SrR5pRMf6sSSg4sQ/s320/scan0001.jpg" width="202" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
The radios were running on solar power, via the 6.4Ah LiFePO4 battery and PowerFilm solar panels that I've used previously. With the bright summer sunshine both days, there was no problem with the solar power keeping up withe the load from the radios. Typical power output from the panels was around 5 to 10 watts -- I didn't need any more than that to keep the battery topped off.</div>
<br />
The new antenna system seemed to work pretty well! I started the contest Saturday around 1:30pm, on a very hot day (98F!) in the summit parking lot just below the Mt Diablo main summit. The higher gain of the antennas (compared to the Elk and HO Loop from last year) seemed to help make it easier to contact the DX stations. Running QRP, it was good to have the extra gain.<br />
<br />
Along with me this year was Henrik KK6BQU (operating low-power nearby), and Gary KE6QR and Dave N6ORB were already set up in the same parking lot. Activity was fairly heavy on Saturday, and at sunset Henrik and I packed up and headed back to the campsite at Juniper Campground. As we were packing up, the Mt Diablo Astronomy Club was setting up quite a few telescopes in the parking lot -- a number of them had questions about what were were doing with all the antennas!</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Sunday was more contesting, starting around 9am and continuing to the contest end at 8pm. Overall, preliminary totals indicate 248 unique contacts on the four bands this year. By band, I counted 90 QSOs and 25 grid squares on 6 meters, 80 and 12 on 2m, 21 and 6 on 1.25m, and 57 and 8 on 70cm. There were sporadic E openings to the mountain states on Saturday, and into Canada and Alaska on Sunday. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Highlights included making contact with N7NW in Washington on 6 meters (who I had contacted by EME two months ago), hearing W6PH operating from Lone Pine, CA (on the other side of the Sierra Nevada), hearing new stations in the contest for the first time, and working the contest regulars. It was also nice to see Henrik enjoying his first VHF contest, and nice having the company up there!<br />
<div>
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZLl99wEFh3fXlT6erNMYSJ1TXeXnL0cY4Vq76emb4Rtg2obSrEJQcE0ZIu2CDJioTNuii5a5VZXFUt5V7mS36PcGva2Len8DIDtPZ3R8gbaIZd-ERTNa9GUswOzJfN7fBIDKwud89sV3U/s1600/P6074067.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZLl99wEFh3fXlT6erNMYSJ1TXeXnL0cY4Vq76emb4Rtg2obSrEJQcE0ZIu2CDJioTNuii5a5VZXFUt5V7mS36PcGva2Len8DIDtPZ3R8gbaIZd-ERTNa9GUswOzJfN7fBIDKwud89sV3U/s320/P6074067.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQ1yF4omjOR1QcFFQS0wPtQCZ4giqGe870s6Lof4nPSsnRZHmQbaUawrMqmzsjPPRMYq9av5iDP0WfLEzA_XHgIg8kDefMGBDOJjYtAD74bEOofav37lyAmg99DsUilbTrN_7IiDtZc_JC/s1600/P6084077.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQ1yF4omjOR1QcFFQS0wPtQCZ4giqGe870s6Lof4nPSsnRZHmQbaUawrMqmzsjPPRMYq9av5iDP0WfLEzA_XHgIg8kDefMGBDOJjYtAD74bEOofav37lyAmg99DsUilbTrN_7IiDtZc_JC/s320/P6084077.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhX7vxJl5GQkWCooEyOeDFLE1iZwOc3S1_uztm7JuCtumWp30vZj-SDFvdP1prqX2BedaBvxTk_gGpZiPSm3N5tk-eKFkvHTNUJbfxXliPq4k9vSaevWVpiZv4folAX0_zTijDVQCTKdOlI/s1600/P6084079.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhX7vxJl5GQkWCooEyOeDFLE1iZwOc3S1_uztm7JuCtumWp30vZj-SDFvdP1prqX2BedaBvxTk_gGpZiPSm3N5tk-eKFkvHTNUJbfxXliPq4k9vSaevWVpiZv4folAX0_zTijDVQCTKdOlI/s320/P6084079.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhB1B2mbW9whvs7VqKl1j1Ivuiy-PNYwHGEI_Q0F9JnNzbMAkRIrIHwu-Vd5ny17fRr3bTRHWphGHNaveXVl1lA6974gRuKKn9KowRp9xR-KZfy0E-rXJ0P14e55WRD7XLkEGvBdYOz3fl3/s1600/P6084083.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhB1B2mbW9whvs7VqKl1j1Ivuiy-PNYwHGEI_Q0F9JnNzbMAkRIrIHwu-Vd5ny17fRr3bTRHWphGHNaveXVl1lA6974gRuKKn9KowRp9xR-KZfy0E-rXJ0P14e55WRD7XLkEGvBdYOz3fl3/s320/P6084083.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCL9Bhnw0tzMy-3OPS-Fp5AoxC9UZu75hHYnKhbv-PSi3X24eZYh1v6x3WCTSB8wE_zsO3Y7uF1ReMNvbZ993TCp_46zeGJzJScVXeXmAXtDwiTOd-I1bnaxekOs5zKONAWEffvWVHPg_z/s1600/P6084086.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCL9Bhnw0tzMy-3OPS-Fp5AoxC9UZu75hHYnKhbv-PSi3X24eZYh1v6x3WCTSB8wE_zsO3Y7uF1ReMNvbZ993TCp_46zeGJzJScVXeXmAXtDwiTOd-I1bnaxekOs5zKONAWEffvWVHPg_z/s320/P6084086.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsDt6k_Ow_iwlKjEmZENe7cirJCE82nwR-I_VmD5xs1_817PDM0BR5G5zdSovKRVIwA1MtLiSB0yfk-VDG2-8Ea5XDszRVpPSJDK429XFLKTIHf56rtIRx8W4SbgzEKn458ZrBXzHURbic/s1600/P6084104.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsDt6k_Ow_iwlKjEmZENe7cirJCE82nwR-I_VmD5xs1_817PDM0BR5G5zdSovKRVIwA1MtLiSB0yfk-VDG2-8Ea5XDszRVpPSJDK429XFLKTIHf56rtIRx8W4SbgzEKn458ZrBXzHURbic/s320/P6084104.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
</div>
KB5WIAhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01482606551647955921noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7248654167560604896.post-38675590114363778142013-06-05T13:37:00.001-07:002013-06-06T11:46:00.434-07:00EME and Antenna Patterns<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
</div>
<div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
I'm trying to further optimize my small EME station. Based on the noise plots in the posts below, it's easy to see that raising the antennas to higher elevations will significantly decrease the radio noise that they "see" from the surrounding houses. What I have noticed over the last six months or so is that by raising the antennas out of the noise (and pointing them slightly away from the moon), I can get significantly improved reception of EME signals. This is because the main lobe of the antenna array is fairly broad, so even if the array is not pointed directly at the moon, there's still enough gain to receive signals. Similarly, the steep sides of the main lobe help to selectively null out much of the surrounding terrestrial radio noise.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWq_a2EBn90sgWjk3GA2puVgDveHfu78cXhb3HAAVhaRvgjWOUYmKywS2SjhDL03-KgcTi4KgD_sjExeP2R_vDQPMipg6bh8RKAX_4nbw9qEyKA19lSllAdSVTVp8rxv4AM7pzkSNk80QU/s1600/2m7_rev2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="232" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWq_a2EBn90sgWjk3GA2puVgDveHfu78cXhb3HAAVhaRvgjWOUYmKywS2SjhDL03-KgcTi4KgD_sjExeP2R_vDQPMipg6bh8RKAX_4nbw9qEyKA19lSllAdSVTVp8rxv4AM7pzkSNk80QU/s320/2m7_rev2.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br /></div>
<div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
So, if the reception of moon signals at low moon elevations can be improved by pointing the antennas above the moon, does this have any negative effect on the transmission of signals to the moon? If so, how much? Is there a way to find out?</div>
<br />
I have found that an easy way to test this is to call CQ, and monitor the reports of my received signal strength at a distant station. The <a href="http://livecq.eu/">LiveCQ.eu</a> site makes this relatively easy, as members of the MAP65 spotting network automatically upload signals that they have received from the moon. In my case, station KB8RQ has a very good receive system and (when online) automatically will report my signal, in real-time, as it's received. KB8RQ also has the advantage of using an adaptive-polarity dual-receive system, which helps to eliminate the effects of signal strength variability due to Faraday rotation.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwRdT2doJAtWE6ikRqfyStNJGqpf_T-znkWS58KjUEdurceZuJ0nHbfs66-xsn5vAIEmLehqm9sAL1GZIz5mlpJx31LuWrw-SMd0nNxhJDoiGUBBEFuojJ3N8hbGnxHFxaer7exJvG418i/s1600/livecq-130603c.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="206" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwRdT2doJAtWE6ikRqfyStNJGqpf_T-znkWS58KjUEdurceZuJ0nHbfs66-xsn5vAIEmLehqm9sAL1GZIz5mlpJx31LuWrw-SMd0nNxhJDoiGUBBEFuojJ3N8hbGnxHFxaer7exJvG418i/s320/livecq-130603c.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
By alternately raising and lowering the antennas every second CQ cycle, it's possible to do A/B comparisons between the two antenna angles. There's a significant natural variation in signal strength on EME signals, but over time it seems possible to do some rough calculations as to whether one antenna elevation is significantly different from another.<br />
<br />
My first test was to alternate a +0 degree elevation offset with a +7 degree elevation offset. The offset is the number of degrees in elevation above the moon. I was able to record received signals at KB8RQ over the period of about half an hour of calling CQ (with three brief interruptions as new inits from Hungary, Germany, and France replied to the CQ calls!). Plotting the reported signal strength over time gave the following plot:<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggVGVMrcOpbrjxImi2hVwi2N8gXtsCMTyHuDzPVcZZDoYROPKFwwq_wQXdAWei6ix7rJ1H2GEGdRK6ILzCZM7uDSwfeCAZCuarK-hoKnR9EVsx-R1nrwZhSc_eNrrEie2tchu86VShSM3P/s1600/7-deg_compare.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="169" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggVGVMrcOpbrjxImi2hVwi2N8gXtsCMTyHuDzPVcZZDoYROPKFwwq_wQXdAWei6ix7rJ1H2GEGdRK6ILzCZM7uDSwfeCAZCuarK-hoKnR9EVsx-R1nrwZhSc_eNrrEie2tchu86VShSM3P/s320/7-deg_compare.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
In the plot above I've recorded the signals received at the DX station. The pink colored dots are the +7 degree elevation and the blue colored dots are +0 elevation. From the plot, visually at least, there's not much difference between the two. Both are highly variable and both are "about" the same. Mathematically, it's possible to compare each cycle with its adjacent one, and see if it was "better" or "worse". This is the value in the delta column, and with a mean delta of 0.31 dB and a standard deviation of 4.06 dB, the statistics confirm that there's no apparent difference in transmit signal between having the antennas pointed straight at the moon, versus pointed 7 degrees higher than the moon.<br />
<br />
What about higher elevations? Some draft antenna gain modelling of the M-squared (M2) 2M7 yagi antennas by W6YX suggests that it should be possible to raise the antennas 15 degrees above the target with only a -1dB penalty in signal. The plot below shows the predicted gain of the 2M7 antenna in both the Horizontal (H) and vertical (V) planes:<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5IHZFP4BEPxEDGypk94aua4K1N3jQZzRh3ghK3GNQKbBc4M7EBYEZ363uRbW0ye0kcnKyBuvlzI5ybfbHmeTd0JuMsEvmJRbTFcn-gvZBaa4UWLKn0Qcn2MJosP_2CikFwsF6BEjvvSoD/s1600/2m7_vh_rev2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5IHZFP4BEPxEDGypk94aua4K1N3jQZzRh3ghK3GNQKbBc4M7EBYEZ363uRbW0ye0kcnKyBuvlzI5ybfbHmeTd0JuMsEvmJRbTFcn-gvZBaa4UWLKn0Qcn2MJosP_2CikFwsF6BEjvvSoD/s320/2m7_vh_rev2.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
My second test was therefore to alternate calling CQ at +0 and +15 degree elevations above the moon. Results from this test are below. </div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjL3poq7mX5uXbS3q0hPbuy6SP2LS2dgaa3kCEVioEu1Ta_6ADsqYhSAp4rFNokkQKiLaUj34uWQ96IbsePjwhFy5CBaAVelVw1hk7YUSO8Y7zAa1mDhgBCX3rL21xgd8hPmHcsSrxBpg_P/s1600/15-deg_compare.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="202" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjL3poq7mX5uXbS3q0hPbuy6SP2LS2dgaa3kCEVioEu1Ta_6ADsqYhSAp4rFNokkQKiLaUj34uWQ96IbsePjwhFy5CBaAVelVw1hk7YUSO8Y7zAa1mDhgBCX3rL21xgd8hPmHcsSrxBpg_P/s320/15-deg_compare.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
The second test indicates, again, a relatively small difference in transmit signal strength between having the antennas pointed at the moon versus raised 15 degrees above. Mathematically, the pairwise comparisons indicate that elevating the antennas results in -1.6dB signals with a standard deviation of 3.2dB. This actually fits very closely with the model predictions! <br />
<br />
Subsequent tests the next day indicated similar results:<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcM4tGRfMEsKUKCqg7bev0Zoz-Do0uHlDMeJJOzNr6NbQ836v1kYwNhbmTSsYb_4mNVQaGWV3MEZSCr4m58RPQdvNBgBnc_b0f91Jwxh30ZIQEQn28bH4j0f3CO30O8DJZtLd63hhTXEXa/s1600/kb5wia-130606-kb8rq.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="152" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcM4tGRfMEsKUKCqg7bev0Zoz-Do0uHlDMeJJOzNr6NbQ836v1kYwNhbmTSsYb_4mNVQaGWV3MEZSCr4m58RPQdvNBgBnc_b0f91Jwxh30ZIQEQn28bH4j0f3CO30O8DJZtLd63hhTXEXa/s320/kb5wia-130606-kb8rq.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
In the above plot, elevating the antennas 15 degrees above the moon causes a decrease in the received signal strength at the DX station of -1.7dB with a standard deviation of 2.7dB. This fits nicely with predictions and the previous day's data.<br />
<br />
In addition to KB8RQ, station S52LM in Slovenia was reporting signal strengths at the same time. The S52LM station has less receive capability than KB8RQ so the signal strengths are lower:<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYxEZ2AcFKAI0kJAajvim9EFye0sE4q8KmEiNCy6H_7cVt2U7sVfvOolHRyT_1HShpX3X5wStjl9GFPrN6-bQUTbanVqKrroTXML2ZWq7b7WueLheZpxuJYPI_uBHe4_VXjl8LR2eEQ9SX/s1600/kb5wia-130606-s52lm.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="151" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYxEZ2AcFKAI0kJAajvim9EFye0sE4q8KmEiNCy6H_7cVt2U7sVfvOolHRyT_1HShpX3X5wStjl9GFPrN6-bQUTbanVqKrroTXML2ZWq7b7WueLheZpxuJYPI_uBHe4_VXjl8LR2eEQ9SX/s320/kb5wia-130606-s52lm.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
This plot shows similar results to the last two: relative received signal strength is down -1.7dB with the antennas elevated 15 degrees. What is also of interest is that there are fewer total decodes with the elevated antennas (5 decodes at +15 degrees versus 8 decodes at +0 degrees). This is probably a result of the slight signal loss pushing these (already marginal) signals past the limit of MAP65's Wide Graph detection (about -25dB).<br />
<br />
Overall, what does this all mean? Basically, it provides some early evidence that it's okay to aim the antennas well above the moon, in order to reduce the effects of the surrounding terrestrial noise and improve received signals, with little impact on the transmitted signal itself. <br />
<br />
How much should the antennas be raised away from the moon in my situation? It really depends on the moon's proximity to the surrounding terrestrial noise. If the moon is at 20 degrees elevation, then raising the antennas +15 degrees will get them to a part of the sky with approx -3dB less noise, substantially increasing receive capability, with only an estimated -1.7 dB reduction in transmit signal strength. If the moon is at 50 degrees in elevation (already in quiet sky), then there's no benefit to aiming the antennas off of the moon. I haven't tested it yet, but based on the +7 degree tests, the calculated shape of the main lobe, and the fact that the +15 degree test shows a -1.7dB reduction, I suspect that a +10 degree elevation offset will not have a measurable impact on transmit signal strength. My gut feeling is that using a "permanent" elevation offset of +10 degrees will allow me to take advantage of lower noise levels without any significant impact on TX signals.<br />
<br />
(much thanks to W6YX for the M2 2M7 draft antenna plots!)KB5WIAhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01482606551647955921noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7248654167560604896.post-27475675907822543832013-05-29T17:15:00.001-07:002013-05-29T17:15:47.162-07:00EME and Satellite Antenna MountMike in Texas emailed me recently to ask about the construction of the antenna mount that I use with the Yaesu G-5500 rotator. The mount allows for two 2m yagis to be used on the same az/el rotator as a 70cm yagi. Here's an overall photo of the current antenna array:<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilCfEkys5kkzlvzkDf37_9UnCDm6D8hQW3Y5MUOOmwxtr0T9Ef8LdCfX_6cRMzfxdWlj0VyR95rHykoXCspgtro2PKfsB9OZrKNysPQXXJeFlrExd-jhDwy4s9TurrlUjT0p626NPYmNPx/s1600/P5254061.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilCfEkys5kkzlvzkDf37_9UnCDm6D8hQW3Y5MUOOmwxtr0T9Ef8LdCfX_6cRMzfxdWlj0VyR95rHykoXCspgtro2PKfsB9OZrKNysPQXXJeFlrExd-jhDwy4s9TurrlUjT0p626NPYmNPx/s400/P5254061.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
And here are the construction details of the "bridge" mount:<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeBwjphpnUfXVB8x7CUfx_Pe5Nk8FOYdsNIDMZvj-AVwNJO8y5pgQdh_ga3VkvRGtA3tGJwyppNRoK08mKxlA33_UA4oldzvxK06LdZbENjkgJ_PVcvt9GPkT5vZyWxajzp5dW4Nwu_DZU/s1600/az_el_mount_01.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="276" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeBwjphpnUfXVB8x7CUfx_Pe5Nk8FOYdsNIDMZvj-AVwNJO8y5pgQdh_ga3VkvRGtA3tGJwyppNRoK08mKxlA33_UA4oldzvxK06LdZbENjkgJ_PVcvt9GPkT5vZyWxajzp5dW4Nwu_DZU/s400/az_el_mount_01.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
The advantage of the bridge mount is that it lets me use the same array for V/U satellites, U/V sats, and 144 MHz EME. The antennas (a M2 440-18 and two M2 2M7's) have more than enough gain for the current fleet of amateur satellites -- typically only 2.5 watts is necessary to work the sats. <br />
<br />
I use a metallic crossboom so that I can use vertical polarization on the VHF antennas, and run the feedline along the crossboom without adverse interactions. To keep the antennas low-profile (tucked in behind the roof corner of the house) I need to keep the feedlines from hanging off the rear of the array, therefore vertical polarization is suitable.<br />
<br />
So far I haven't been able to detect any adverse interaction between the 70cm yagi and the two 2m yagis for EME operations. The 70cm yagi is horizontally polarized, and placed roughly mid-way between the two 2m yagis which are installed as per manufacturer's specs for stacking. With the two 7-element 2 meter yagis, I've been able to make around 130 EME QSO's with 100 unique stations in 25 countries over six months of operating. <br />
<br />
<br />
<br />KB5WIAhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01482606551647955921noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7248654167560604896.post-33600915248622478612013-05-02T16:30:00.001-07:002013-05-08T21:04:57.109-07:00RF Heat Maps: How the EME Antennas "See" Local Noise<br />
Some of the software applications in my regular business use "heat maps" to make complex data sets very easy to interpret. In a heat map, the numerical value in a table is converted to a color -- blue = low numbers, green = higher, yellow = even higher, and red = highest. Recently, I decided to try making "heat maps" of the RF noise environment that the antennas see, and it's led to some interesting results.<br />
<br />
To collect the data, I simply sweep the antenna east to west, stopping in 22.5 degree increments. When the antennas stop, I read the absolute RF noise measure in decibels (dB) from the MAP65 display. The MAP65 software listens to the FUNcube Dongle Pro+ at 144.1 MHz. At the end of every sweep (nine data collection points) I raise the antenna 10 degrees in elevation and sweep again. After the 60-degree elevation sweep I have 63 data points; it takes around 5 minutes to collect all the data. Once I have the set of dB noise levels, I enter that into Excel and use a custom-made Visual Basic script to color the cells in a heat map.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg141MwouGNAmiqw3tK5GlyVgCb2Zg80XI2l6lxKSslWh9tfUlJF4eLDDtdPUZkw8P862lVD7hoZCFDId9mXpJh6y3uKmrM-VjST630ikWu_4LX-0274INhW1PtmY4JLGrZPkaK4FRLE9jw/s1600/kb5wia-plots.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="366" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg141MwouGNAmiqw3tK5GlyVgCb2Zg80XI2l6lxKSslWh9tfUlJF4eLDDtdPUZkw8P862lVD7hoZCFDId9mXpJh6y3uKmrM-VjST630ikWu_4LX-0274INhW1PtmY4JLGrZPkaK4FRLE9jw/s400/kb5wia-plots.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
The heat maps give a picture of how much noise the antennas see in any given direction and elevation. At the top of the maps (in blue) is the cold sky, and at the bottom of the maps (in red) is the hot suburban environment that I live in. With a few maps collected so far, I can easily see the RF noise generated from my own office, television, as well as the neighbor's different televisions, a plasma TV across the street, and some odd source of noise maybe coming from a house in the southwest direction.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQ4vRF_tQSwoHyjJUEVsC7N3HvrPjrSY452AdJkZEVH8m7X0wfgsFggXLEHVnCKSZwmUv595rzmSZXpDDoAtSCe32JAXrpQ9gBu2v3ccM0kUHDZ2h3HQRWd8EnD6x0T42usZxwqKbSqIRQ/s1600/4069_rf_rev2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="298" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQ4vRF_tQSwoHyjJUEVsC7N3HvrPjrSY452AdJkZEVH8m7X0wfgsFggXLEHVnCKSZwmUv595rzmSZXpDDoAtSCe32JAXrpQ9gBu2v3ccM0kUHDZ2h3HQRWd8EnD6x0T42usZxwqKbSqIRQ/s400/4069_rf_rev2.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
To put the noise levels in perspective: at 24dB and below (green and blue) I can hear 4-yagi EME stations. At 24-26dB I can only hear the larger stations. And above 26dB I can only hear the EME super-stations. Definitely, the best time for EME is when the antennas are pointed into a blue or green area of the sky!!<br />
<br />
Is there any value to these plots? Other than curiousity, I'm not sure yet. One thing they should be useful for is comparing noise levels over time, to see if any new sources of noise appear, or if any existing sources disappear. They can also help predict good EME operating times, based on the moon's path through the sky vs. the local RF noise seen by the antennas in the plots.<br />
<br />
[Update 5/8/2013]<br />
I've done a few more noise plots since this first post. The image below shows three additional plots. The first one shows typical evening (10pm) noise, and the middle one shows typical morning (6:30am) noise when local neighbor's TV's are mostly off:<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_hFOCH-L1WhD7IUqhZIVn9SGWpgx5UV2Q4P66XR-J3GcG9vdRi52I8J1JwGdHZa34pY59iVWak75ZZwBF3a7s1o1Hd-bbz04VIasPBVPufw2P4ZiaGjkNr-n9Wl_nJg_MofdY_oMrRmv3/s1600/kb5wia-noise-130508.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="380" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_hFOCH-L1WhD7IUqhZIVn9SGWpgx5UV2Q4P66XR-J3GcG9vdRi52I8J1JwGdHZa34pY59iVWak75ZZwBF3a7s1o1Hd-bbz04VIasPBVPufw2P4ZiaGjkNr-n9Wl_nJg_MofdY_oMrRmv3/s400/kb5wia-noise-130508.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
The third plot is really interesting. It was taken in early afternoon, as I was trying to determine why the background noise around the moon was so high. I did a full plot, and could see a large area of noise fairly high up in the sky (around 60+ degrees elevation) in the South SouthWest. A quick check of the astronomical data showed that the sun was in the exact center of this area of high noise!! <br />
<br />
It was surprising to me that sun noise at 144 MHz ccould be that high (in this case, over 6 dB above the surrounding cold sky), but based on the figure above it's hard to draw any conclusion other than that the sun could be the source. (Also, 2 hours later, the noise source in the sky had shifted 40 degrees to the West, matching the movement of the sun....) Following from this, some good information on solar noise levels is in the article located at:<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.vk3um.com/SunNoise_Measurements.pdf">http://www.vk3um.com/SunNoise_Measurements.pdf</a><br />
<br />
In the above paper, the difference in sun noise compared to cold sky (in dB) is called the Y-factor. From the table "Expected values of Sun Noise (Y-Factor)", for a 144 MHz antenna array such as mine (12.3 dBi * 2 - 2.1 = 13.3 dBd) I'd expect to see a Y-factor of roughly 2.5 dB at a typical minimum solar flux of 62 SFU. The current reported solar flux (4pm 5/8/2013) is 127 SFU, so this should equate to an approximate Y-factor of 2.5dB * (127/62) = 6.5 dB. What I observed today was an apparent Y-factor of 29.0 dB-22.4 dB = 6.6 dB, which almost exactly matches the expected Y-factor. <br />
<br />
Translation of all this: it seems that my antennas can see not only the RF noise coming out of the nearby houses, but also can see the RF noise coming from the sun itself. <br />
<br />
<br />
<br />KB5WIAhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01482606551647955921noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7248654167560604896.post-49252133933798510302013-04-15T10:28:00.001-07:002013-04-15T10:29:59.490-07:00A Few More EME Contacts on 144 MHz<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnl2aM5BdZY19ZfcsURC2dXLg3Sk9q0xcobFTsMBHfemDXRv82cVBDr4bhvkWUYUzFBMalDhdlx_8YV41webpaS3I8hIhv_0N28eIX20tTFSyPZ1mOzQ3ctkCeYXQ8ptoTcF7gdHoVt-qv/s1600/eme-01.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="308" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnl2aM5BdZY19ZfcsURC2dXLg3Sk9q0xcobFTsMBHfemDXRv82cVBDr4bhvkWUYUzFBMalDhdlx_8YV41webpaS3I8hIhv_0N28eIX20tTFSyPZ1mOzQ3ctkCeYXQ8ptoTcF7gdHoVt-qv/s400/eme-01.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
This weekend was a good one for EME (earth-moon-earth) contacts with my small two-yagi station! On Saturday I managed to make 19 EME contacts, 16 of which were stations I hadn't contacted before. Almost all of the stations contacted were 4-yagi stations.<br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">UA3PTW<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>KO93<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Russia</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">KB8RQ<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>EM79<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>USA - Ohio</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">RT4I<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>LO43<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Russia</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">ES3RF<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>KO29<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Estonia</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">RA6A<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>KN96<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Russia</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">UY0LL<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>KN79<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Ukraine</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">G4ZFJ<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>JO01<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>United Kingdom</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">DL1RNW<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>JO62<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Germany</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">DK4RC<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>JO60<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Germany</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">DK2PH<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>JO41<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Germany</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">DL9GS<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>JO31<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Germany</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">DL4KUG<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>JO64<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Germany</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">DJ9MG<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>JO52<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Germany</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">SP4KM<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>KO03<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Poland</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">CT1HZE<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>IM57<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Portugal</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">VE2JWH<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>FN35<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Canada - Quebec</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">N7NW<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>CN87<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>USA - Washington</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">WA3QPX<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>FM29<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>USA - Maryland</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">JR3REX<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>PM94<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Japan</span><br />
<br />
One thing that helped to make contacts this weekend was the presence of a 2 meter EME DX-pedition on 144.134 MHz: station 9G5EME has set up portable operation in Ghana. This brought out a lot of EME operators, so with more people watching the moon this weekend, there were simply more out there to make contact with. Conditions for EME were also pretty good: the moon's elevation is fairly high above the horizon, and the moon comes up early enough (late morning here in California) that the European stations are still awake and active.<br />
<br />
Some screenshots of the contacts are below. Going clockwise around the desktop, in the upper left is the MAP65 spectal display, showing activity on the entire EME band from 144.106 MHz to 144.166 MHz. To the right is the MAP65 stations window, showing what stations have been heard by that software. Right of that is the astronomical data window, showing the position of the moon for my station and the DX station. Below that is the spectral display for WSJT9 software, displaying a high-resolution spectrum on the frequency I'm actually operating on. To the left is the MAP65 main window, showing stations decoded. And to the left of that is the WSJT9 window also showing stations decoded. The MAP65 software listens to the FUNCube Dongle Pro+ software-defined radio (SDR), and the WSJT9 software listens to the FT-817ND analog radio. By using two separate radios (one SDR, one analog) it's possible to view the entire band activity at once, and still have high-quality decodes.<br />
<br />
Here's KB8RQ, a very large station with 24 yagis:<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitcBmrU4k3GFro_IAF5x5iITD6C32nkN8Jp4-qzWVhczkk1IFzhX24jZ3iQf9IjW9TegiroYoe7a5li7MqWnzzIFNE6zmura_oThF6aZLhmPNg_7EPCzK_dyIslmO4v-ny0nH_vynFX9L-/s1600/kb8rq-130413a.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><img border="0" height="173" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitcBmrU4k3GFro_IAF5x5iITD6C32nkN8Jp4-qzWVhczkk1IFzhX24jZ3iQf9IjW9TegiroYoe7a5li7MqWnzzIFNE6zmura_oThF6aZLhmPNg_7EPCzK_dyIslmO4v-ny0nH_vynFX9L-/s320/kb8rq-130413a.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
And ES3RF, a 4x18 yagi station:<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiyPIZld-FDiTcTktZoJpN0Jz1Y9_5XHTY1ywjWXIT_2OKA4GTmssWyfeMZD48PTkqPDoDvyNp6qxAXhqcr1WGzs48fEmHtXloPJpO1-JoweKXC_9-UWYu_FufU0S0jLDtyKCtwjL3alTA/s1600/es3rf-130413c.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><img border="0" height="175" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiyPIZld-FDiTcTktZoJpN0Jz1Y9_5XHTY1ywjWXIT_2OKA4GTmssWyfeMZD48PTkqPDoDvyNp6qxAXhqcr1WGzs48fEmHtXloPJpO1-JoweKXC_9-UWYu_FufU0S0jLDtyKCtwjL3alTA/s320/es3rf-130413c.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
And CT1HZE, a very strong station:<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCepaZaG36o9xFAqcVYqEopoQUgj8C9QtllsbWTv9hWnmC9d40jlSEmYaYBlEyZfKY-TD1EjOi8-Zl4wSH55D-HdyhuS0qr7saq24Jd3jGRqk20rYYL10IBpdvSCVThyphenhyphennKgKe_zPP7YrtW/s1600/ct1hze-130413c.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="173" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCepaZaG36o9xFAqcVYqEopoQUgj8C9QtllsbWTv9hWnmC9d40jlSEmYaYBlEyZfKY-TD1EjOi8-Zl4wSH55D-HdyhuS0qr7saq24Jd3jGRqk20rYYL10IBpdvSCVThyphenhyphennKgKe_zPP7YrtW/s320/ct1hze-130413c.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
Finally, I've updated the EME station block diagram:<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEdst5CDYzG3Pu5Y25NMSzV5z-u0wQ-LLQ50MI0ETPfj8iYZR0jn7U5JQu7J8maoa66RFtams5rdfrKbW0RSgB6hSEKx_A6FsMpEwiB0LzbsOSLYOgAtyTX1Q9phMvOOcX3BnodiwZaawx/s1600/kb5wia_system.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><img border="0" height="250" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEdst5CDYzG3Pu5Y25NMSzV5z-u0wQ-LLQ50MI0ETPfj8iYZR0jn7U5JQu7J8maoa66RFtams5rdfrKbW0RSgB6hSEKx_A6FsMpEwiB0LzbsOSLYOgAtyTX1Q9phMvOOcX3BnodiwZaawx/s320/kb5wia_system.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />KB5WIAhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01482606551647955921noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7248654167560604896.post-30744249469862965582013-04-02T16:39:00.001-07:002013-04-02T16:44:10.839-07:00Satellite AO-07 Spectrum PlotsFollowing on the screenshots of satellite VO-52's downlink spectrum (previous post), here are some photos of what Oscar 7's downlink looks like when viewed with a software-defined radio (the FUNCube Dongle Pro+). AO-07 was in Mode B (UHF up, VHF down) at the time.<br />
<br />
This particular pass (4/2/2013 1315z) was North to South:<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRcIFq1DJv_g09HC5NGUOs-ntmaP0V4af-RMpuGkssshJQrigPhCfsO3PK3tI0cNJLVfyzwE79fKOZ23JMLRer4c8ItRATkSGK2iRAvicGZWw3B0Eb1IseCC425s3TCWskMaabl-lWmNo8/s1600/ao07x.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRcIFq1DJv_g09HC5NGUOs-ntmaP0V4af-RMpuGkssshJQrigPhCfsO3PK3tI0cNJLVfyzwE79fKOZ23JMLRer4c8ItRATkSGK2iRAvicGZWw3B0Eb1IseCC425s3TCWskMaabl-lWmNo8/s1600/ao07x.JPG" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
And I started taking the screenshots when AO-07 was already high in elevation towards the east. You can see the three strong "noise" bands (145.926, 145.941, and 145.958 MHz) of the satellite within the transponder downlink (145.924-145.964 MHz):<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbFwe4nHVmKcLA4D3v8u0WiMGojJqGhUITinyfsul32Vb1yhMfAKy43jAo8Ez3dhLy2bI1pWmqlQ_6VFyiBdi0vS7fHoNW3TisyJ-0aSQOsBxCcRgrx8KwEvwa_FH65q0qj00GCPoJepXS/s1600/ao07a.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><img border="0" height="127" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbFwe4nHVmKcLA4D3v8u0WiMGojJqGhUITinyfsul32Vb1yhMfAKy43jAo8Ez3dhLy2bI1pWmqlQ_6VFyiBdi0vS7fHoNW3TisyJ-0aSQOsBxCcRgrx8KwEvwa_FH65q0qj00GCPoJepXS/s400/ao07a.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
In this photo, a station can be seen calling CQ at around 145.950 MHz. It's interesting to see how the SSB transmission affects the three noise bands. We hear how excessive uplink power can cause the transponder to start "FMing", and this is a mild example of how a transmission in one part of the passband can affect signals in another:<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrxhqBicq1KthyFaYhD5Yy1Ff3UssSeJ0GU8-fMJTy0Tyx9QHMYBq44jPQywIqP36heQSxzYmFk7XtS0r5nYAnkW01pBDGW34PUH1FejYKGARjD8joiqsV3HyiJ5hqwbVQe6S4KKqdrJoS/s1600/ao07d.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><img border="0" height="126" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrxhqBicq1KthyFaYhD5Yy1Ff3UssSeJ0GU8-fMJTy0Tyx9QHMYBq44jPQywIqP36heQSxzYmFk7XtS0r5nYAnkW01pBDGW34PUH1FejYKGARjD8joiqsV3HyiJ5hqwbVQe6S4KKqdrJoS/s400/ao07d.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
In the next frame, you can still see the SSB transmission at 145.950 MHz, but you can also see an interesting "glitch" that affected the whole passband for around 15 seconds:<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTzgDeX_GLPplPJ5Xk3vgPslHVrzB1Mo79_ZdTLT_zZqBulCqkENhMXgAoJ-hZyqGyHqMyhLTmM8RFchzqpSTixtO9t3uR_81dW3vklfEE2K1nehRWdo0hES50yi0ygi6XWmZ6pMhnY0iJ/s1600/ao07e.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><img border="0" height="127" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTzgDeX_GLPplPJ5Xk3vgPslHVrzB1Mo79_ZdTLT_zZqBulCqkENhMXgAoJ-hZyqGyHqMyhLTmM8RFchzqpSTixtO9t3uR_81dW3vklfEE2K1nehRWdo0hES50yi0ygi6XWmZ6pMhnY0iJ/s400/ao07e.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
Some sort of signal (rapidly increasing in frequency) was heard by the satellite in the next photo, and you can see how it disrupted the three noise bands as it went by. This is possibly another example of how the whole transponder passband can be affected by a single signal. The "offending" signal is the orange diagonal line:<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYyuPQeddwpSv75tmIlSLr4d9EU-PfVOkcwAasOcGS3SXa1_YCBcGfyDhM3Wu-bObSoZMWdfwC4VmPE2Qu034eaJvy1yhibhcUpTHrTU1eSMrwFAUEuSo4zZrl4JUle_NnHw8l4CYiMd40/s1600/ao07f.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="126" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYyuPQeddwpSv75tmIlSLr4d9EU-PfVOkcwAasOcGS3SXa1_YCBcGfyDhM3Wu-bObSoZMWdfwC4VmPE2Qu034eaJvy1yhibhcUpTHrTU1eSMrwFAUEuSo4zZrl4JUle_NnHw8l4CYiMd40/s400/ao07f.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
As AO-07 continued south, it's signal started to become weaker. You can see my SSB CQ calls at 145.949, followed by a call in CQ below:<br />
<div style="text-align: left;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5SmKnJjAQvb4yGlOGq-Ssd2PuG3WjThlTBnxrSZ35EMPxNM8r_Vnh9vR8oqlKM62ptiztTUalbEeqYM4wFvAaQyVLf3DgPNk261afMFAxF6H8oP_bRZnvYvEuZxa5Ck3hxaFiqG4Zlr0p/s1600/ao07g.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; display: inline !important; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><img border="0" height="125" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5SmKnJjAQvb4yGlOGq-Ssd2PuG3WjThlTBnxrSZ35EMPxNM8r_Vnh9vR8oqlKM62ptiztTUalbEeqYM4wFvAaQyVLf3DgPNk261afMFAxF6H8oP_bRZnvYvEuZxa5Ck3hxaFiqG4Zlr0p/s400/ao07g.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
As the satellite got lower, signals were weaker, but my SSB CQ calls were still clearly visible:<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQAPUNBr6gmkPJeLD_WI1KhvByI0jdCCxT7ZxDPhIMN82z6KnPj3KAPkvRFPRopeD-Z98Rw3sy5t69upUdiAW-urwpvM_ItrhhegMkaUrqXXn-gI3808StdeZjHp1z8AQWSFoYtADaxRFR/s1600/ao07h.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><img border="0" height="127" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQAPUNBr6gmkPJeLD_WI1KhvByI0jdCCxT7ZxDPhIMN82z6KnPj3KAPkvRFPRopeD-Z98Rw3sy5t69upUdiAW-urwpvM_ItrhhegMkaUrqXXn-gI3808StdeZjHp1z8AQWSFoYtADaxRFR/s400/ao07h.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
Eventually the satellite was just a degree above the southern horizon:<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXhU7DyYs4Kdj_I4HqjYAytHJaJer7teZj6R_toyH1oUR_mFg12BqNjmZm6HgVYZXUU2BPFOyQ-ODdHJGc1SDCX9_F71p049V00w7juc4Hk2jysOY7n81dKyPtwYymCk1foCpNGfusCD60/s1600/ao07ma.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXhU7DyYs4Kdj_I4HqjYAytHJaJer7teZj6R_toyH1oUR_mFg12BqNjmZm6HgVYZXUU2BPFOyQ-ODdHJGc1SDCX9_F71p049V00w7juc4Hk2jysOY7n81dKyPtwYymCk1foCpNGfusCD60/s1600/ao07ma.JPG" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
And even then my SSB CQ call and CW ID is visible in the spectral plot:<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJapyJuc7Piej_aF2Wob3KyomhSVIynKwV_YB9UN2Zs-PpET1bPuqh8J1mr7OwJXXLSuRxmwrte-JV9qYlpMDzN31Fl-OUoPcRtoOUd3IVCROSBu8phiEnZggfteYXO5RqYQRdZSi6WTPi/s1600/ao07m.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><img border="0" height="127" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJapyJuc7Piej_aF2Wob3KyomhSVIynKwV_YB9UN2Zs-PpET1bPuqh8J1mr7OwJXXLSuRxmwrte-JV9qYlpMDzN31Fl-OUoPcRtoOUd3IVCROSBu8phiEnZggfteYXO5RqYQRdZSi6WTPi/s400/ao07m.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
When Oscar 7 got to -0.6 degrees (below the horizon), the three "noise bands" are entirely gone, along with any trace of signal from my uplink:<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPfS28q9wiKPQYpzJSkY_OL0ykteFHc2WHN3hG3D9DzA3Uoeqt3WlP0HsNkLbg6BgfKuW6gL4NPMDgfH3Cf-5xm0ItVd0hfziXlFPYr5UqBpxzSA3BBoJl6A8jnOCIfrXAE0irEGOw2b8Z/s1600/ao07p.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><img border="0" height="125" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPfS28q9wiKPQYpzJSkY_OL0ykteFHc2WHN3hG3D9DzA3Uoeqt3WlP0HsNkLbg6BgfKuW6gL4NPMDgfH3Cf-5xm0ItVd0hfziXlFPYr5UqBpxzSA3BBoJl6A8jnOCIfrXAE0irEGOw2b8Z/s400/ao07p.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />KB5WIAhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01482606551647955921noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7248654167560604896.post-74697296508659286042013-04-01T20:26:00.000-07:002013-04-01T20:28:43.375-07:00Satellite VO-52 with the FUNCube Dongle ProPlusTonight I took some screenshots of the SDR (software-defined-radio) that I use during the U/V satellite passes. Since the VHF receive line is split between the FT-817ND and the FUNCube Dongle Pro+, I can run both radios at once and see (visually)what the entire downlink passband looks like during the pass.<br />
<br />
This makes it really easy to see who else is on the satellite. Without having to tune the main radio, I can just watch the waterfall display to see what activity there is. It's simple to identify CW stations, stations tuning up, and SSB transmissions.<br />
<br />
Here's a radar plot of tonight's pass (AOS at 4/2/2013 02:42z):<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiF6Qkpetq-Rlb21wH66bfOTie8ZmUDvmi5eCy-l4n-i1Fqr4PaK_sJxLQPi8aGTPOHjJXF5I3RvvkfIW-iK3MywWUeSGn4NNsT0b1EhBlijzAdhlJdDdftNYwoK0vSL-asRs4OYZO1E9-3/s1600/vo52a.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiF6Qkpetq-Rlb21wH66bfOTie8ZmUDvmi5eCy-l4n-i1Fqr4PaK_sJxLQPi8aGTPOHjJXF5I3RvvkfIW-iK3MywWUeSGn4NNsT0b1EhBlijzAdhlJdDdftNYwoK0vSL-asRs4OYZO1E9-3/s1600/vo52a.JPG" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
And here is the console display of the SDR program HDSDR. Frequency control is in the lower left, the main waterfall is on the top, and the waterfall of decoded audio signals (a close-up of the main waterfall) is on the lower right. The main waterfall covers from around 145.840 to 145.940 MHz. The solid vertical traces are the local "birdies" coming from various sources of RFI in my area. The waterfall flows from bottom to top, so the whole display is constantly "flowing" upwards. Newest signals are at the bottom, and the vertical span of the waterfall covers around thirty seconds.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzwT-GhY-jibeXAcpfx2O5NSkBAgfEUmjeDBRvKdRxodgmXCVMRiYqitLT4Ura7hWOrzDEsYQmdUJY3iDkcy2IOc0-BUdDpzrndhMJTnM9x0EjgIEWZMI0eopU0I-PjBiesmSrZbkW7G6U/s1600/vo52b.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="302" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzwT-GhY-jibeXAcpfx2O5NSkBAgfEUmjeDBRvKdRxodgmXCVMRiYqitLT4Ura7hWOrzDEsYQmdUJY3iDkcy2IOc0-BUdDpzrndhMJTnM9x0EjgIEWZMI0eopU0I-PjBiesmSrZbkW7G6U/s400/vo52b.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
At the start of the satellite pass, the downlink is very quiet. You can see my CW identification as a vertical streak around 145.905 MHz. It's actually easy to identify, since it does not extend all the way from top to bottom like the birdies do. VO-52 is only about 2 degrees above the horizon in the south at this point.</div>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJJZtjJEUwtnINtj05gDAuVMWCt-fT0nARLF08n0rHtFjCjsvArtv61zqW2tn_KRyDNxmTDcDGzkXm_Ax4_rP5mRnHnA_YRYXsWhZZ48cIFWa7giRR9tOypfVO_CxpI5VKEoGw8WlDOFzb/s1600/vo52d.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; display: inline !important; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="136" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJJZtjJEUwtnINtj05gDAuVMWCt-fT0nARLF08n0rHtFjCjsvArtv61zqW2tn_KRyDNxmTDcDGzkXm_Ax4_rP5mRnHnA_YRYXsWhZZ48cIFWa7giRR9tOypfVO_CxpI5VKEoGw8WlDOFzb/s400/vo52d.JPG" width="400" /></a><br />
<br />
As the satellite gets up in elevation a few more degrees, you can now see me calling CQ in SSB around 145.905 MHz. There's also a noise burst around 145.925 MHz.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghtikm7dKEahmpbi955VIyw_MLQcWdtnlaPP4cO69nq0d5fTanxT49-NbIWNxb7ow7og0TOsin3G9wjbE9h8CHLcnzVJd1wcA-cCOHU6rv2hXFvC15cpn7MeDSDvCO9kZXXagPDjBbqiHn/s1600/vo52e.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="125" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghtikm7dKEahmpbi955VIyw_MLQcWdtnlaPP4cO69nq0d5fTanxT49-NbIWNxb7ow7og0TOsin3G9wjbE9h8CHLcnzVJd1wcA-cCOHU6rv2hXFvC15cpn7MeDSDvCO9kZXXagPDjBbqiHn/s400/vo52e.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
The satellite is up around 10 degrees at this point, and my CQ calls in SSB are clearly visible:</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiB-dSLq0HyDHsqcNKzX-puiOqtInHfAsuSXtd8_rpiobH1n8vys5tdVKzfkq7kam77glzGD0RMR359MKAW0RkQudYU3Wx0DBTr3kQXDqeuVlw9CaiS1xR6LB8GNk_Mw9BBuDJTFgEY_H4Z/s1600/vo52f.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="127" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiB-dSLq0HyDHsqcNKzX-puiOqtInHfAsuSXtd8_rpiobH1n8vys5tdVKzfkq7kam77glzGD0RMR359MKAW0RkQudYU3Wx0DBTr3kQXDqeuVlw9CaiS1xR6LB8GNk_Mw9BBuDJTFgEY_H4Z/s400/vo52f.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Now that the satellite is around 25 degrees above the horizon, my CQ call in SSB (top) is followed by a CW ID (vertical line), and then another station answers my CQ but is slightly off frequency (about 3kHz below me).</div>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgweZ2kd4-mixcbsa5FSmIX22XhAfAzaO8GoAL-s83DCdrNweZqR7OyMMgl_SE3mek97qehcSljqB6RcNddAsbRk8dc9Gh649zqCxK9I5EwQpkwz0dwUzjrQqCasQ_ZvxYhln_WzB0Toi6P/s1600/vo52j.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="126" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgweZ2kd4-mixcbsa5FSmIX22XhAfAzaO8GoAL-s83DCdrNweZqR7OyMMgl_SE3mek97qehcSljqB6RcNddAsbRk8dc9Gh649zqCxK9I5EwQpkwz0dwUzjrQqCasQ_ZvxYhln_WzB0Toi6P/s400/vo52j.JPG" width="400" /></a><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
It takes a little while for the other station and I to get lined up, you can see the patchy transmissions. At this point the satellite is at a really high elevation and is moving pretty fast overhead, so doppler is playing a significant role. The sloping vertical line on the left side of the waterfall is VO-52's CW beacon, slanted due to doppler shift.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7J6MymOsxHZECpfNx-OxI9MW3IJaGdwZfKXys-xgJAnU_aGBjrpocZhz_VjB3lJf7D6HvHns3v-jS_uG05hg2suWQqqEVoD5cyq7xIwTrpEbb-0-6226BlF9IqvYblo2B6zB_5EoniLIi/s1600/vo52k-n6mej.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><img border="0" height="126" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7J6MymOsxHZECpfNx-OxI9MW3IJaGdwZfKXys-xgJAnU_aGBjrpocZhz_VjB3lJf7D6HvHns3v-jS_uG05hg2suWQqqEVoD5cyq7xIwTrpEbb-0-6226BlF9IqvYblo2B6zB_5EoniLIi/s400/vo52k-n6mej.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
We're now lined up, and have good strong signals. You can clearly see the noise floor of VO-52's passband, it's the yellow-orange patch in the center of the waterfall from about 145.870 to 145.910 MHz:</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6CGfLa9EOOTc3_YrrOT1dIOJRDfp_Q89LDoevkpxhKbFtLb6tkAWQcb-Hi-J5TsHlAqpLwfaSsJQkhAa478zgoEFctAFTP9wfBsirERbjQzzbRMya6ZmVUByl_oYH7rF28up9dYA67r_I/s1600/vo52l-n6mej.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="126" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6CGfLa9EOOTc3_YrrOT1dIOJRDfp_Q89LDoevkpxhKbFtLb6tkAWQcb-Hi-J5TsHlAqpLwfaSsJQkhAa478zgoEFctAFTP9wfBsirERbjQzzbRMya6ZmVUByl_oYH7rF28up9dYA67r_I/s400/vo52l-n6mej.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
As VO-52 continues north and descends towards the horizon, signals start to fade out:</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiK60tEGzZh1O8gMPa-hTW79rhyphenhyphenfZV0QUmOsjGGLCtrh1jnVCLuW_x8tqRiLM94cionDIIm01hz2l-Ks3QgQdAVvxbVuq9ocA6epD-ZQT9qQ1smSgLb18-cNH-T4Pvq-IqqvnOZX721j8pp/s1600/vo52n.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="126" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiK60tEGzZh1O8gMPa-hTW79rhyphenhyphenfZV0QUmOsjGGLCtrh1jnVCLuW_x8tqRiLM94cionDIIm01hz2l-Ks3QgQdAVvxbVuq9ocA6epD-ZQT9qQ1smSgLb18-cNH-T4Pvq-IqqvnOZX721j8pp/s400/vo52n.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Near the end of the pass, I spun the tuning dial as I was sending a string of dashes in CW, you can see the zig-zag pattern it makes. This is typical of what a "tuner-upper" will look like on an SDR -- their CW will zig-zag through the passband until they (hopefully!) zero in on themselves:</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQomg_grfP9Z5sOM1EtkR3OpihKZ72220WmjiMrta7jXg_fvVerw4lKfaYhoeNys7_oTWsL0fiT0uISCATkK_qwTLCMTHrtSBUEcJpxOJMSI6WmeEpzpqvAnBzUnIAL6t4Bhic4hrdcUbM/s1600/vo52o.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="127" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQomg_grfP9Z5sOM1EtkR3OpihKZ72220WmjiMrta7jXg_fvVerw4lKfaYhoeNys7_oTWsL0fiT0uISCATkK_qwTLCMTHrtSBUEcJpxOJMSI6WmeEpzpqvAnBzUnIAL6t4Bhic4hrdcUbM/s400/vo52o.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
As the satellite continued even lower towards the horizon (about 10 degrees by now), signals were pretty weak. My SSB call is the smudge at around 145.903, and my CW ID's are the orange vertical lines below that.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNUwvlxGPuisIZ5VzhPKk8RFyFglDPSxV1Wcd9YjHuVUiWKBBFwy4OX4wC6BkWzK7xip4V06RGfB2jxNqznfSxJCuVCNx1Gvcq56FSDDLjEpWYcA5jWQ3Rlr1vkG-t3EN6rbso2ScFdTPf/s1600/vo52p.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="127" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNUwvlxGPuisIZ5VzhPKk8RFyFglDPSxV1Wcd9YjHuVUiWKBBFwy4OX4wC6BkWzK7xip4V06RGfB2jxNqznfSxJCuVCNx1Gvcq56FSDDLjEpWYcA5jWQ3Rlr1vkG-t3EN6rbso2ScFdTPf/s400/vo52p.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
This was a pretty quiet pass (only myself and one other station), but hopefully it will give you an idea of what a typical linear transponder satellite downlink "looks" like on an SDR display.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
KB5WIAhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01482606551647955921noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7248654167560604896.post-78118901507776089102013-04-01T09:32:00.001-07:002013-04-01T09:48:53.268-07:00EME Progress - First Six Months<br />
Here's a quick report as to how my small EME station is doing so far. I started in October of 2012, and over the first six months of EME attempts I've been able to make 76 two-way contacts so far. The contacts have included 58 "initials" (stations I haven't worked before), representing 19 countries, 13 US states, and 55 unique grid squares. <br />
<br />
All contacts have been on 2 meters (144.110 to 144.160 is the EME sub-band), and using the JT65B digital protocol. Software and hardware details are in the postings below, but mostly I use MAP65 for the contacts now.<br />
<br />
With the small 2 x 2M7 antennas, I seem to be able to work stations as small as 4-yagi stations, although I've made contacts with two 2-yagi stations and one 1-yagi station. Signal reports received at my end range from -16dB for the huge stations to -28dB for the smaller ones, but typically contacts are made at around the -22 to -25dB range. Signal reports for my station coming back from the DX station's side ranged from -19 to -27dB, typically in the -23 to -25 dB range.<br />
<br />
Most contacts have been made during the two weeks of the month when the moon is at elevations. This seems to be primarily for two reasons: 1) there are more stations on when the moon is at higher elevations, and 2) my station sensitivity is much improved when the moon is above 40 degrees in elevation (due to local noise at the horizon). QSO rate has ranged from zero over two weeks to several per hour during optimal conditions.<br />
<br />
Here's the list of stations worked so far:<br />
<br />
<i>10/11/2012 HB9Q JN47 -19dB DX 120az/42el Switzerland</i><br />
<i>11/8/2012 DG9YIH JO32 -22dB DX 112az/32el Germany</i><br />
<i>11/8/2012 EA2AGZ IN91 -20dB DX 115az/35el Spain</i><br />
<i>11/10/2012 KB8RQ EM79 -16dB DX 119az/24el USA - Ohio</i><br />
<i>11/11/2012 WA3QPX FM29 -22dB DX 123az/21el USA - Maryland</i><br />
<i>11/11/2012 K1OR FN42 -24dB DX 135az/28el USA - Massachusetts</i><br />
<i>11/12/2012 W7GJ DN27 -21dB DX 127az/17el USA - Montana</i><br />
<i>11/26/2012 RK3FG KO86 -21dB DX 89az/23el Russia - Moscow</i><br />
<i>11/27/2012 UA3PTW KO93 -22dB DX 89az/28el Russia - Moscow</i><br />
<i>11/27/2012 I3MEK JN55 -22dB DX 104az/45el Italy</i><br />
<i>11/28/2012 K6MYC DM07 -26dB DX 92az/35el USA - California</i><br />
<i>12/1/2012 K9MRI EN70 -21dB DX 86az/28el USA - Indiana</i><br />
<i>12/1/2012 K1JT FN20 -25dB DX 109az/52el USA - New Jersey</i><br />
<i>12/2/2012 RX1AS KO48 -25dB DX 90az/30el Russia </i><br />
<i>12/2/2012 DK3EE JO41 -18dB DX 104az/44el Germany</i><br />
<i>12/2/2012 DK3BU JO33 -21dB DX 107az/47el Germany</i><br />
<i>12/2/2012 W6BBS DM06 -23dB DX 268az/28el USA - California</i><br />
<i>12/16/2012 W7IUV DN07 -21dB DX 186az/39el USA - Washington</i><br />
<i>12/22/2012 OK1UGA JO80 -26dB DX 97az/31el Czech Republic</i><br />
<i>12/23/2012 KG7HF FN70 -29dB DX 210az/64el USA - New Hampshire</i><br />
<i>12/24/2012 S52LM JN65 -27dB DX 91az/29el Slovenia</i><br />
<i>12/25/2012 NC2V EL98 -25dB DX 88az/29el USA - Florida</i><br />
<i>12/25/2012 SM5CUI JO89 -25dB DX 91az/33el Sweden</i><br />
<i>12/31/2012 DK3WG JO72 -22dB DX 104az/36el Germany</i><br />
<i>12/31/2012 OK1RD JN79 -19dB DX 120az/49el Czech Republic</i><br />
<i>1/2/2013 PA0JMV JO21 -22dB DX 110az/29el Netherlands</i><br />
<i>1/2/2013 DK5SO JN58 -24dB DX 113az/31el Germany</i><br />
<i>1/13/2013 I2FAK JN45 -22dB DX 116az/14el Italy</i><br />
<i>1/13/2013 K5GW EM13 -20dB DX 173az/41el USA - Texas</i><br />
<i>1/17/2013 JE1TNL PM95 -25dB DX 241az/38el Japan</i><br />
<i>1/19/2013 SP4K KO03 -25dB DX 91az/27el Poland</i><br />
<i>1/19/2013 RU1AA KP40 -24dB DX 96az/33el Russia</i><br />
<i>1/20/2013 VK2KU QF55 -24dB DX 249az/49el Australia</i><br />
<i>1/21/2013 N9XG EN60 -22dB DX 161az/69el USA - Indiana</i><br />
<i>1/28/2013 DH3YAK JO31 -26dB DX 99az/25el Germany</i><br />
<i>1/28/2013 ES6RQ KO28 -20dB DX 102az/29el Estonia</i><br />
<i>1/28/2013 SP4MPB KO03 -27dB DX 104az/31el Spain</i><br />
<i>1/28/2013 SM7GVF JO77 -24dB DX 112az/39el Sweden</i><br />
<i>2/16/2013 G4SWX JO02 -23dB DX 93az/32el United Kingdom</i><br />
<i>2/16/2013 SM5DIC JO89 -24dB DX 98az/38el Sweden</i><br />
<i>2/17/2013 UR3EE KN88 -23dB DX 92az/34el Ukraine</i><br />
<i>2/18/2013 SM5CFS JO99 -23dB DX 77az/16el Sweden</i><br />
<i>2/20/2013 K5QE EM31 -23dB DX 124az/63el USA - Texas</i><br />
<i>3/3/2013 NZ5N EL96 -26dB DX 175az/32el USA - Florida</i><br />
<i>3/3/2013 NR5M EM10 -23dB DX 130az/33el USA - Texas</i><br />
<i>3/16/2013 AA7A DM43 -22dB DX 91az/31el USA - Arizona</i><br />
<i>3/16/2013 PA1GYS JO22 -24dB DX 93az/33el Netherlands</i><br />
<i>3/16/2013 PA2CHR JO32 -20dB DX 94az/34el Netherlands</i><br />
<i>3/16/2013 F1DUZ IN97 -25dB DX 95az/36el France</i><br />
<i>3/16/2013 OH7PI KP32 -23dB DX 99az/41el Finland</i><br />
<i>3/16/2013 R3BM KO85 -23dB DX 101az/43el Russia</i><br />
<i>3/16/2013 OH4LA KP20 -25dB DX 103az/45el Finland</i><br />
<i>3/16/2013 EA1YV IN52 -24dB DX 104az/46el Spain</i><br />
<i>3/16/2013 DD0VF JO61 -26dB DX 117az/56el Germany</i><br />
<i>3/16/2013 S51ZO JN86 -23dB DX 119az/57el Slovenia</i><br />
<i>3/16/2013 ON4KHG JO10 -25dB DX 122az/59el Belgium</i><br />
<i>3/17/2013 K9CT EN50 -26dB DX 88az/29el USA - Illinois</i><br />
<i>3/19/2013 JH8CMZ QN12 -23dB DX 198az/71el Japan</i><br />
<br />
So far, I'm pretty happy with the performance of the system! Thanks much to the W6YX team for all the tips in getting me started.<br />
<br />
<br />KB5WIAhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01482606551647955921noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7248654167560604896.post-58850758063409394512013-01-12T11:21:00.000-08:002013-05-24T14:40:16.682-07:00Installing MAP65 and the FUNcube Dongle Pro+<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
This is an article based on recent experiences installing the FUNcube Pro+ receiver and MAP65 -- I had a lot of help from the W6YX team, and thought it might be useful to put together a how-to guide here in case any other hams wish to do the same. Enjoy! -Dave KB5WIA</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhL_g6Ygdw0rsbFyTf5qQhTwXfBs3Z6JZW6KbfPL5ftMhRBvOH_L2UKAnEe8KZcKUO5w5wO54oMSDCwsw7uDXTqKngfl7iMNB87DTlbPsccpA6hisdn8gVX-6uc4bKiDQTS2YtapMfovBZd/s1600/funcube_pro_plus.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhL_g6Ygdw0rsbFyTf5qQhTwXfBs3Z6JZW6KbfPL5ftMhRBvOH_L2UKAnEe8KZcKUO5w5wO54oMSDCwsw7uDXTqKngfl7iMNB87DTlbPsccpA6hisdn8gVX-6uc4bKiDQTS2YtapMfovBZd/s320/funcube_pro_plus.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
SUMMARY<br />
<br />
A software-defined receiver coupled with MAP65 software will allow the amateur radio EME (Earth-Moon-Earth) operator to visualize the entire EME sub-band at once. This can be a great benefit to both small and large stations, since monitoring the entire spectrum simultaneously will tell you exactly where other EME stations (strong enough for your system to decode) are located.<br />
<br />
This article describes how to install a FUNcube Pro+ (FCDPP) software defined radio (SDR) into an exisiting EME station. It assumes that the operator is already familiar with EME exchanges using the JT65B protocol, has experience with WSJT software, and has basic EME station hardware.<br />
<br />
<br />
HARDWARE<br />
<br />
A typical EME-capable station will have a mast-mounted preamplifier, sequencer, and separate transmit and receive lines. For my 144 MHz EME, I use two M-Squared (M2) 2M7 antennas coupled with a M2 power divider, feeding an Advanced Receiver Research (ARR SP144VDG) GAsFet premplifier with +24dB gain. Received signal is sent through a separate receive coax (75' of RG-8/U) to a hybrid splitter combiner (ie. Mini-Circuits ZFSC 2-2 Power Splitter, 10-1000 MHz). The FunCube Dongle Pro+ is connected directly to the output of the splitter, the other port goes directly to the analog radio. <br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwKZmfXrC9qTXT-7AiDn9uTUcjdGwzlkXKxKtLetJDIcFp5WJi4haWA6sbTT9FdmecgLYN9cOYbRCWA53Z50SpMa4wKyEuEudra1_pqNrHGLMGOYYPlQXog5hfE-72L1IoRhS2DvgWclE6/s1600/kb5wia_system+(1).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="254" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwKZmfXrC9qTXT-7AiDn9uTUcjdGwzlkXKxKtLetJDIcFp5WJi4haWA6sbTT9FdmecgLYN9cOYbRCWA53Z50SpMa4wKyEuEudra1_pqNrHGLMGOYYPlQXog5hfE-72L1IoRhS2DvgWclE6/s320/kb5wia_system+(1).jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
Appropriate coax relays are controlled by a dedicated sequencer and protect the mast-mounted preamplifier and switch between the separate TX/RX lines. I also found it helpful to add a dedicated coax relay to switch the input of the splitter to a 50-ohm dummy load during transmit; this also helps to prevent spurious JT65B decodes. The main hardware list is as follows:<br />
<br />
<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>- Antenna(s)<br />
<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>- Sequencer<br />
<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>- Mast-Mounted LNA<br />
<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>- A/B coaxial RF relay at mast (high-power)<br />
<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>- Separate RX / TX lines. RG-213 or RG-8/U is OK for RX side.<br />
- High power amplifier<br />
<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>- A/B coaxial RF relay in shack (low-power)<br />
<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>- 2 port hybrid splitter<br />
<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>- SDR (in this case, the FUNcube Dongle Pro+)<br />
<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>- Traditional transceiver and WSJT9 software<br />
<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>- Multi-Core CPU (MAP65 is more CPU intensive than WSJT)<br />
<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>- Second 1080p monitor (optional, but recommended)<br />
<br />
If separate transmit and receive lines are not used, careful attention needs to be placed on protecting the FCDPP receiver from damage during transmit. The configuration settings described below will likely need to be optimized if station hardware differs significantly from the above. It should, however, provide a good starting point.<br />
<br />
<br />
COMPUTER SETTINGS<br />
<br />
A reasonably fast computer is required, and both Linrad and MAP65 can consume a fair amount of memory. Modern multi-core processors should be fine. These instructions are written with the Windows 7 operating system in mind. It helps to disable power saving options on the computer used to run the SDR.<br />
<br />
<br />
INSTALLING THE FUNCUBE DONGLE PRO PLUS<br />
<br />
Read the user manual for the FUNcube Dongle Pro+ (FCDPP) and install the software according to directions. The main steps will be:<br />
<ul>
<li><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Obtain documentation at <a href="http://www.funcubedongle.com/?page_id=1225">http://www.funcubedongle.com/?page_id=1225<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span></a></li>
<li><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Download FCHid</li>
<li><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Download SDRSharp</li>
<li><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Install both programs</li>
<li><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Verify the FCDPP demodulates signals</li>
<li><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Update the FCDPP firmware to latest</li>
<li><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Verify (again) the FCDPP demodulates signals</li>
</ul>
The FUNcube is really an amazing little device -- it doesn't need a driver install, and is pretty much plug and play. You could really skip all of the above steps, plug the unit in, and start using it with Linrad and MAP65. However it's good practice to verify that it's working, and to update the firmware, as described above.<br />
<br />
The FUNcube Dongle can be attached directly to the computer's USB port, but some operators have reported that it's better to use a short USB extension cable. This allows the FUNcube to be physically separated from the computer (reducing RF ingress) and also takes some of the strain off of the USB connector. I have not seen any RFI issues myself, but use a 3-foot USB extension cable with a ferrite core.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkfhzXf7eqx96xaaRZUBhRGBbQDgLTATcSFInDRsriW6CmMeagRveFPOIJDBtEuv2n-c8AEfRFRZSkuV66sMnG64xmlg_CrMOsU31ABaMAeJOriBjplak1PbTY1ByPRqjGodE1HfOaY222/s1600/funcube_splitter.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkfhzXf7eqx96xaaRZUBhRGBbQDgLTATcSFInDRsriW6CmMeagRveFPOIJDBtEuv2n-c8AEfRFRZSkuV66sMnG64xmlg_CrMOsU31ABaMAeJOriBjplak1PbTY1ByPRqjGodE1HfOaY222/s320/funcube_splitter.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
INSTALLING MAP65<br />
<br />
Download and install MAP65 from Joe Taylor's website at <a href="http://www.physics.princeton.edu/pulsar/K1JT/map65.html">http://www.physics.princeton.edu/pulsar/K1JT/map65.html</a>. Comprehensive installation directions (and a great manual!) are included on Joe's webpage, just follow them step by step. Be sure to install to the path [C:\MAP65\].<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilKSqLkeL1YxcAbgNAYDM8o2AxqD4AQxIjk5N-GorGfq7iHgoF9YhXTLdxLv0ssL3yeeUspphnYzGluntSTPZz3L8cbrpeR1yUV8AHIHWtPd1tR4oYpLUAVTncSptapSTWJg1ZGRREvpCT/s1600/map65_01.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="259" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilKSqLkeL1YxcAbgNAYDM8o2AxqD4AQxIjk5N-GorGfq7iHgoF9YhXTLdxLv0ssL3yeeUspphnYzGluntSTPZz3L8cbrpeR1yUV8AHIHWtPd1tR4oYpLUAVTncSptapSTWJg1ZGRREvpCT/s320/map65_01.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
INSTALLING LINRAD<br />
<br />
This article was first written using Linrad 3.46, which is a good starting point and can be upgraded to current/future version as you gain more comfort and experience using Linrad. [1]<br />
<br />
To start, I have backed up my entire Linrad 3.46 folder to the location <a href="http://zdap.com/radio/kb5wia_linrad_346.zip">http://zdap.com/radio/kb5wia_linrad_346.zip</a> (The original Linrad 3.46 files are called "linrad.exe", "errors.lir" and "help.lir"). Download this file and unzip the contents. Make a folder called [C:\ham\linrad\linrad346_funcube_pp] and copy all of the individual files into this folder. All the files should be at this folder level, with no subfolders.<br />
<br />
Optional: Download the Linrad DLL package from <a href="http://www.sm5bsz.com/linuxdsp/linrad.htm">http://www.sm5bsz.com/linuxdsp/linrad.htm</a> It's called "setup-linrad-dll-package-02.exe", and will install the necessary DLLs on your computer. Install the program as an Administrator. Note that in my experience, MAP65 installs the necessary DLL files automatically, so I have skipped this step. If the DLL's aren't installed, Linrad will tell you on start-up, and you can come back and do this step later.<br />
<br />
Make a folder called [C:\linrad_data\].<br />
<br />
The next instructions tell Linrad which USB port your FCD+ is plugged into. Note, you should always plug in the FCD+ into the exact same USB port, otherwise you'll have to follow all these steps again. ENTER <enter> means press the enter key.</enter><br />
<br />
From [C:\ham\linrad\linrad346_funcube_pp\] start linrad.exe<br />
<br />
From the start-up menu:<br />
<br />
Verify that the top right-corner of the Linrad display says "Callback ExtIO_FCDPLUS_G0MJW". This tells you that Linrad has found the ExtIO DLL (that controls the FUNcube Dongle). If it does not, go back and double-check that your configuration files are in the Linrad directory. <br />
<br />
<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Press U<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrPb5_VF30W879gWG15Mv7pEmoAOk1DDeji0HOTq_1umsc-BOVONCcHwPtkO80JuC7w7bJBNgf1b14gM411gUyRPd7DFW8Ze3IJWgmQmLekg_EVD3SVy6qXfGxzJ-iuX9MJ37S_xk3pw0D/s1600/linrad_01-mainscrn.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="display: inline !important; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="182" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrPb5_VF30W879gWG15Mv7pEmoAOk1DDeji0HOTq_1umsc-BOVONCcHwPtkO80JuC7w7bJBNgf1b14gM411gUyRPd7DFW8Ze3IJWgmQmLekg_EVD3SVy6qXfGxzJ-iuX9MJ37S_xk3pw0D/s320/linrad_01-mainscrn.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<div>
<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Press A</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKBB3TQ8rvI-1AzFHkdIn98oTCkdH6ioqWlzzk7Bj7ADBZw6-GBDvBxT91L-IQxM992uHDuN_sJNaBDbouQEw6gAjpM5HnkezUxDnDiFQfKvDGjmpwSsy0ZyQdMEVL9GYi4UZVsoMqwPei/s1600/linrad_02-adsetup.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="156" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKBB3TQ8rvI-1AzFHkdIn98oTCkdH6ioqWlzzk7Bj7ADBZw6-GBDvBxT91L-IQxM992uHDuN_sJNaBDbouQEw6gAjpM5HnkezUxDnDiFQfKvDGjmpwSsy0ZyQdMEVL9GYi4UZVsoMqwPei/s320/linrad_02-adsetup.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Press F (LibextIO hardwares)</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRl5K1IlxDjE4z4AVmjzrHgFu1aWYHYl1MGWcaEeJjn5uig1AQLN63lzNGOtDK8jwdsSHX2Z2GSCKiMK_R5ZDypEvIiE_C-vDF2YVGBXM2a3m3nOlEedmydPKGIABSZgSl7xDSON_mCaL0/s1600/linrad_03-hardwares.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="154" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRl5K1IlxDjE4z4AVmjzrHgFu1aWYHYl1MGWcaEeJjn5uig1AQLN63lzNGOtDK8jwdsSHX2Z2GSCKiMK_R5ZDypEvIiE_C-vDF2YVGBXM2a3m3nOlEedmydPKGIABSZgSl7xDSON_mCaL0/s320/linrad_03-hardwares.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Press 0 ENTER <enter>(zero) </enter></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQYH-USA-fo4i2KCxU0MeJ2bonT2Kp5ITXSD0TIM-94Mv1QROF9WirSymda9os1fTcUWVddO4oXbZZFBLsBNIWIERwXs8ZhbKW06O2Vxk9BMGMO-OTKlb9pbOfd6zFhg2si0v-2v0DVJ7a/s1600/linrad_04-hardwares.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="77" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQYH-USA-fo4i2KCxU0MeJ2bonT2Kp5ITXSD0TIM-94Mv1QROF9WirSymda9os1fTcUWVddO4oXbZZFBLsBNIWIERwXs8ZhbKW06O2Vxk9BMGMO-OTKlb9pbOfd6zFhg2si0v-2v0DVJ7a/s320/linrad_04-hardwares.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div>
<br />
<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Press N ENTER</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOKaFxa3IcROuzamVUmOLXPWn2ejls7P7qJaEDhWMgM78S_gPGp7f2HaipIRSKM1RSPkeNbmgTsfLQedjtmk99l5UikMXhMuk8SJxnlNihUwfQjJLLrd0x-DhINJjqTigOwkKpOcwOw9vp/s1600/linrad_05-hardwares.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="48" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOKaFxa3IcROuzamVUmOLXPWn2ejls7P7qJaEDhWMgM78S_gPGp7f2HaipIRSKM1RSPkeNbmgTsfLQedjtmk99l5UikMXhMuk8SJxnlNihUwfQjJLLrd0x-DhINJjqTigOwkKpOcwOw9vp/s320/linrad_05-hardwares.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div>
<br />
<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Press any key and wait 10 seconds</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMIr9mwwczzuiqfDws62Wi7lIht6vi9y1sLxbHXJV8oRUjwTLUU1l_Hlid1PMt77ThBbvhU-AZz477fA3dpZ9vczySTCIdTy-o0KpaEyBhnbmNOuFWiwdh-v8Ir779Wg9btjuW0qdzVWYt/s1600/linrad_06-hardwares.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="141" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMIr9mwwczzuiqfDws62Wi7lIht6vi9y1sLxbHXJV8oRUjwTLUU1l_Hlid1PMt77ThBbvhU-AZz477fA3dpZ9vczySTCIdTy-o0KpaEyBhnbmNOuFWiwdh-v8Ir779Wg9btjuW0qdzVWYt/s320/linrad_06-hardwares.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div>
<br />
<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Press N when asked about port audio</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhyphenhyphenom7DzCKLmIMK8__2wdCZk4p2XqSn-CvFsBEsy0NJulYL-4j1EE00JI4afQFL2ezxmepFI_8iqdjMRxXI9J1bVNCHeatFx6j6aOE6zFzV-SJROC7cXaQFWXErf2XUvVOdrU6MLqStsW5/s1600/linrad_07-hardwares.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="77" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhyphenhyphenom7DzCKLmIMK8__2wdCZk4p2XqSn-CvFsBEsy0NJulYL-4j1EE00JI4afQFL2ezxmepFI_8iqdjMRxXI9J1bVNCHeatFx6j6aOE6zFzV-SJROC7cXaQFWXErf2XUvVOdrU6MLqStsW5/s320/linrad_07-hardwares.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div>
<br />
<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Choose the sound card device number that corresponds to your FCD+. <span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Say it's 2, then...</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8wx3l8wYUsj_NSOn_mldxnRAyxlSMMlPlPQ2ZdII2CrPAekbJN1tZv5jLhOd30ZL-9zJzgDhyphenhyphenlU2Yrwb28YmN6ePMS8-k7WGx3DoEp-mKIxj27TCcB6NtWtqAWckIG0PY2xpeqVESabuN/s1600/linrad_08-hardwares.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="74" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8wx3l8wYUsj_NSOn_mldxnRAyxlSMMlPlPQ2ZdII2CrPAekbJN1tZv5jLhOd30ZL-9zJzgDhyphenhyphenlU2Yrwb28YmN6ePMS8-k7WGx3DoEp-mKIxj27TCcB6NtWtqAWckIG0PY2xpeqVESabuN/s320/linrad_08-hardwares.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div>
<br />
<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Press 2 ENTER</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtwuc1DcPHKH3PVwx_QTH9AqyB0V9Xf9iweIQmYTJP9IeKbritShd55KGE6GeDbZITYZCr_yN2SqTc9e_S2120InsVn9rKUw0__9qZQOg787NFOp5PwNY4eiKAimXGYbcfqARU5hivOk9e/s1600/linrad_09-hardwares.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="94" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtwuc1DcPHKH3PVwx_QTH9AqyB0V9Xf9iweIQmYTJP9IeKbritShd55KGE6GeDbZITYZCr_yN2SqTc9e_S2120InsVn9rKUw0__9qZQOg787NFOp5PwNY4eiKAimXGYbcfqARU5hivOk9e/s320/linrad_09-hardwares.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div>
<br />
<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Press N ENTER</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggtJUMbp3S_pQpymqWh3R-vi6J3_0HygzTFG6FcDY0hiXFJtuMooqArirfdUuxxB9VFmLBxRHPOFgxqPDLOWYHXlc9mbY0wLAvrMgUbfDxRNPW0tOrldGmaXfSrmIJvAfEsYmglxe-kVoN/s1600/linrad_09-hardwares.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="94" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggtJUMbp3S_pQpymqWh3R-vi6J3_0HygzTFG6FcDY0hiXFJtuMooqArirfdUuxxB9VFmLBxRHPOFgxqPDLOWYHXlc9mbY0wLAvrMgUbfDxRNPW0tOrldGmaXfSrmIJvAfEsYmglxe-kVoN/s320/linrad_09-hardwares.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div>
<br />
<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Press N ENTER<enter> (do not use extended format)</enter></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXqL4ydbYwVuq7b-Q9NGSMjpd4lesV-uCXkyq0rom58uxwDaQrDzpuvyPGakLMq1eoYg2KdeEwAcPVfSDxm3ER_YhzVAC5DMemmiMySkMvXLFYSG5VE5m4NPBQjovHTROUAdidcjzRiNDJ/s1600/linrad_10-hardwares.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="138" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXqL4ydbYwVuq7b-Q9NGSMjpd4lesV-uCXkyq0rom58uxwDaQrDzpuvyPGakLMq1eoYg2KdeEwAcPVfSDxm3ER_YhzVAC5DMemmiMySkMvXLFYSG5VE5m4NPBQjovHTROUAdidcjzRiNDJ/s320/linrad_10-hardwares.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div>
<br />
<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Type in 96000 ENTER </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7pxNAceHuaa8AfeFA8fVVfeljvlB_5RMEfczwv93qLtr1h0u3MRhTPL-S1cp1wvsTMuGzpcb3fj8NaNT7aa5oEgbPbn5_8Xmufw34h4ps8mYQ-43Ee2J0b_rYhk6PV-YuFBgwj6-9bIhv/s1600/linrad_11-hardwares.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="140" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7pxNAceHuaa8AfeFA8fVVfeljvlB_5RMEfczwv93qLtr1h0u3MRhTPL-S1cp1wvsTMuGzpcb3fj8NaNT7aa5oEgbPbn5_8Xmufw34h4ps8mYQ-43Ee2J0b_rYhk6PV-YuFBgwj6-9bIhv/s320/linrad_11-hardwares.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div>
<br />
<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Press 2 ENTER <enter> (direct conversion)</enter></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXWm62rRG0q6Dd1A7Xd6zUpx6ZkUishEoSid7i0XWQVV2mlX39mwg5Vs3nVxDSer0te50X6EZDe_yiwwRVd9cWauOBqVPYP8WJw7utZsMmt0Wf8sIvd_CSoADg-6A1-k63dPTGVZ5R4DE7/s1600/linrad_12-hardwares.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="66" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXWm62rRG0q6Dd1A7Xd6zUpx6ZkUishEoSid7i0XWQVV2mlX39mwg5Vs3nVxDSer0te50X6EZDe_yiwwRVd9cWauOBqVPYP8WJw7utZsMmt0Wf8sIvd_CSoADg-6A1-k63dPTGVZ5R4DE7/s320/linrad_12-hardwares.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div>
<br />
<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Type 0 ENTER <enter> (zero)</enter></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidOc6vjcGjwuajeN7PFg7jiuPeHWQKdL6JpuJySZWL86hbmJXTjEozwVuB8M3RgQRVjECFaqNIbAMznMi7ImbQx4GddUD14PyUKw0P8XB_sA2eKHKHTjctNyMmDosYFNV0e2VHREKCb_AH/s1600/linrad_13-hardwares.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="91" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidOc6vjcGjwuajeN7PFg7jiuPeHWQKdL6JpuJySZWL86hbmJXTjEozwVuB8M3RgQRVjECFaqNIbAMznMi7ImbQx4GddUD14PyUKw0P8XB_sA2eKHKHTjctNyMmDosYFNV0e2VHREKCb_AH/s320/linrad_13-hardwares.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div>
<br />
<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Type 0 ENTER <enter> (zero)</enter></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibAIm2kQS9bI88C4GZPDU1kEfdufxThM1K2oHt4mwuaNbNVFWGbytoa1sMT6A3bAeJUi7qxvYPEqcVAXQkuu-f-aQqM0Qyxg1Fa2INUnoZnWzQcjnMaZHnR5k1XOTs5ySUchJ_kB7KUx-P/s1600/linrad_14-hardwares.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="105" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibAIm2kQS9bI88C4GZPDU1kEfdufxThM1K2oHt4mwuaNbNVFWGbytoa1sMT6A3bAeJUi7qxvYPEqcVAXQkuu-f-aQqM0Qyxg1Fa2INUnoZnWzQcjnMaZHnR5k1XOTs5ySUchJ_kB7KUx-P/s320/linrad_14-hardwares.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div>
<br />
Even though it's not required for MAP65, the steps below will tells Linrad to send SDR from the audio to your speaker.<br />
<br />
<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Press B</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhV7mXaqhPWhneHUoVDFONv6d6_Zhq4qYpDqhMACBj06sQ_Y6f2Zf2iL-YHSUohwTQLY-PZT2WoIMtfOw8A83mvlhiY7XM_aqJuYVLtbUb_kko8WKG9m7CKvX_ICoup-b7o8WH6SonGNGuO/s1600/linrad_15-hardwares.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="128" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhV7mXaqhPWhneHUoVDFONv6d6_Zhq4qYpDqhMACBj06sQ_Y6f2Zf2iL-YHSUohwTQLY-PZT2WoIMtfOw8A83mvlhiY7XM_aqJuYVLtbUb_kko8WKG9m7CKvX_ICoup-b7o8WH6SonGNGuO/s320/linrad_15-hardwares.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div>
<br />
<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Press N</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFeM_exqtoDhh2VEop7w9HkmVa_EIrHcr5K2dM3CVljE47cbDud6hIo16_o7Kja1SJ-7-ZEs65Gg75LBHAO-YeWCIL5Es3R4GoKegT24VnAG7YtqDW0o5pAliTCMXQeQM_HzhWOjQvO4fO/s1600/linrad_16-hardwares.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="65" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFeM_exqtoDhh2VEop7w9HkmVa_EIrHcr5K2dM3CVljE47cbDud6hIo16_o7Kja1SJ-7-ZEs65Gg75LBHAO-YeWCIL5Es3R4GoKegT24VnAG7YtqDW0o5pAliTCMXQeQM_HzhWOjQvO4fO/s320/linrad_16-hardwares.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div>
<br />
<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Choose the sound card device number that corresponds to the soundcard your PC speakers are connected to. Say it's 0, then you'll type 0 ENTER.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKCzEmym-XhVxxFcMmyisfUBJVb7I5wPbXzc8N3FeQivUeEcuDvXdmJ60tEsP983gVrnaSNGUuY_4OZPGlNhjx603_H6l6GH0kjKRmHmhLjASMz99RoxsKvBxiPP-cxa4od0o0_fE09EZw/s1600/linrad_17-hardwares.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="88" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKCzEmym-XhVxxFcMmyisfUBJVb7I5wPbXzc8N3FeQivUeEcuDvXdmJ60tEsP983gVrnaSNGUuY_4OZPGlNhjx603_H6l6GH0kjKRmHmhLjASMz99RoxsKvBxiPP-cxa4od0o0_fE09EZw/s320/linrad_17-hardwares.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Follow these next steps otherwise nothing you just did will be saved:<br />
<br />
<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Press X</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgy6YBGNbyqItTAPwJ8ReMQ4lBNQ7Nw8WYL3osSRjPHLzwvOUWLagwWCoKfWSvtrLOQcDo8JW1tw0NhYcVBXmSIjkSGX4bKwfWTJx3Qil_klC1whmh98NMa1EhD0wmcVywCrcDHPtvmOAVN/s1600/linrad_18-hardwares.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="158" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgy6YBGNbyqItTAPwJ8ReMQ4lBNQ7Nw8WYL3osSRjPHLzwvOUWLagwWCoKfWSvtrLOQcDo8JW1tw0NhYcVBXmSIjkSGX4bKwfWTJx3Qil_klC1whmh98NMa1EhD0wmcVywCrcDHPtvmOAVN/s320/linrad_18-hardwares.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div>
<br />
<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Press any key</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Press W (on the main menu to actually save the settings)</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSfxVj6D7_gau5Y-i-wvcmuNu8f4sYjKuhhuqxiUWk58aDNJwAdQV0EkBV8NV4thyphenhyphenlKZ0hdqqgVrQ4gA6atinb7ZiT1g0RlXWQjbHD5mxbD3UDTzpuPxAJkHkkR0yfo_N55Ac3CVroccV7/s1600/linrad_19-hardwares.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="186" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSfxVj6D7_gau5Y-i-wvcmuNu8f4sYjKuhhuqxiUWk58aDNJwAdQV0EkBV8NV4thyphenhyphenlKZ0hdqqgVrQ4gA6atinb7ZiT1g0RlXWQjbHD5mxbD3UDTzpuPxAJkHkkR0yfo_N55Ac3CVroccV7/s320/linrad_19-hardwares.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div>
<br />
<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Now press Escape to close Linrad and restart Linrad.</div>
<div>
<br />
From now on, you only need to press "D" to put Linrad in SSB mode. You can type in your center frequency on the top right corner to tune the FCD+. 144.130 is good. This also controls the center frequency in MAP65.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjszF3IptQaiuXBBo3baNWp8OoV5hiLvmfGe5_mHVjETdBoNE7oztRC__Ilh8GFmWXtIbW92gBDvnf2F0TV8KueHo4b4eIb7U2E8JGeBobOoPycyfhjwv36P3ojOjcKv01IziR7a5JHFkHA/s1600/linrad_config_00.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="190" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjszF3IptQaiuXBBo3baNWp8OoV5hiLvmfGe5_mHVjETdBoNE7oztRC__Ilh8GFmWXtIbW92gBDvnf2F0TV8KueHo4b4eIb7U2E8JGeBobOoPycyfhjwv36P3ojOjcKv01IziR7a5JHFkHA/s320/linrad_config_00.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
You can now minimize Linrad and not worry about it. Press "ESC" on Linrad to close the program when you're ready to shut it down.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjQrsWCSECuNMS6axi8lX-IvIasWm71j21JAQYWLcW9RrXxg66TDhINnvHpZobgaQetuYe-oDqqcFFABYBLHawynr5eEyuEZZgVcye_Nhos_uXTHs3TjBDfJW14PDe2_Ws_BGifgOCW7oD/s1600/linrad_ops_01.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="155" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjQrsWCSECuNMS6axi8lX-IvIasWm71j21JAQYWLcW9RrXxg66TDhINnvHpZobgaQetuYe-oDqqcFFABYBLHawynr5eEyuEZZgVcye_Nhos_uXTHs3TjBDfJW14PDe2_Ws_BGifgOCW7oD/s320/linrad_ops_01.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgq0fWmogU2mYjr4s9MvkJOJ2UCp9M-EF0y7I0qvhtKvXczLYbQD75-oKwq-9zGSpgEoTJIWcjio77gbU_1YegNJxwuFgTXqM0OlP_PZ8puZilDe1Jd-gdnKfsS28jvfKgXGAfMY7p39RH/s1600/linrad_ops_02.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="222" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgq0fWmogU2mYjr4s9MvkJOJ2UCp9M-EF0y7I0qvhtKvXczLYbQD75-oKwq-9zGSpgEoTJIWcjio77gbU_1YegNJxwuFgTXqM0OlP_PZ8puZilDe1Jd-gdnKfsS28jvfKgXGAfMY7p39RH/s400/linrad_ops_02.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
If you want to learn more about Linrad, Leif SM5BSZ has lots of information on his website at <a href="http://www.sm5bsz.com/linuxdsp/usage/newco/newcomer.htm">http://www.sm5bsz.com/linuxdsp/usage/newco/newcomer.htm</a>. You can also hover your mouse over any part of the Linrad screen and press F1 to bring up a helpful description of what that control does.<br />
<br />
If everything works, make a backup of your [C:\ham\linrad\linrad346_funcube_pp\] folder for when (not if) you screw up a Linrad setting and can't fix it. To revert to your backup, simply copy the files back to the same location.<br />
<br />
<br />
CONFIGURING THE FUNCUBE DONGLE PRO+<br />
<br />
Initial defaults for the FCDPP hardware settings seem to be optimal. LNA is ON, Mixer Gain is HIGH, IF Gain is 0dB, and frequency correction is 0.96ppm [2]. The Bias T should be off, assuming that you're not powering the preamp through the coax.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtwv3Nd_x3JwaoKN9plw_zkAMfsDbik0ocv1sCLS1y-h_JOmPoPDZUIg1S6G2ixb8H0VsOuwlFb62FwxD1wi0F0WlsZPgesdbWH8q9yHaFDJn5nncrNKN2ybYo0v55_UIVMHaRCFJXXs8f/s1600/fcdpp_settings.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtwv3Nd_x3JwaoKN9plw_zkAMfsDbik0ocv1sCLS1y-h_JOmPoPDZUIg1S6G2ixb8H0VsOuwlFb62FwxD1wi0F0WlsZPgesdbWH8q9yHaFDJn5nncrNKN2ybYo0v55_UIVMHaRCFJXXs8f/s1600/fcdpp_settings.JPG" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
Note that the FCDPP is a different device than the original FUNcube Dongle Pro. Those original units used a different tuner chip, with a different ExtIO control panel. On the original, the optimal settings for EME were 20-30dB of LNA gain and 4dB mixer gain, with all of the following stages set to their lowest gain value. The original also needed a tight bandpass filter in front of the FCDP, and some sort of thermal stabilization to prevent frequency drift.<br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">A
narrow bandpass filter on the FUNcube Dongle Pro Plus is automatically selected
on the 2-meter band. Howard has redesigned the Pro+ model of the FUNcube
to have a fairly tight SAW filter in the front end, which greatly limits the
out-of-band sensitivity problems seen in earlier versions. That being said, you may wish to experiment
with a narrow bandpass filter in the receive line if you suspect out-of-band
interference problems. For me, a 2-pole
helical filter ahead of the FCDPP does not change performance significantly,
the FCDPP’s internal bandpass filter is sufficient. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<br />
CONFIGURING LINRAD<br />
<br />
Download, print, and review the following PDF files, they tell you what many basic Linrad screen controls do:<br />
<br />
<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>http://vhfdx.radiocorner.net/pics/LinradScreen1.pdf<br />
<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>http://physics.princeton.edu/pulsar/K1JT/Linrad_On-Screen_Controls.pdf<br />
<br />
Adjust the FFT1 Amplitude (this is the equivalent of the front-end gain in Linrad) to a value of "100". This will prevent the FCDPP from over-driving Linrad and causing a white or pink waterfall display.<br />
<ul>
<li><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Start Linrad<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Press "D" to enter SSB Mode.</li>
<li><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Press "X" to change settings.</li>
<li><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Press "P" to change parameters.</li>
<li><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Change the value of FFT1 Amplitude to "100".</li>
<li><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Press <enter></enter></li>
<li><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Click Continue to reach the end of the parameter menu.</li>
</ul>
<div>
In the same manner as above, I have also changed the First Backward FFT Version from "1" to "0". This tells Linrad to send 32-bit floating point data to MAP65, rather than processed 16-bit data. I'm not sure of any performance difference with this setting, but at present it makes sense to send all of Linrad's data to MAP65. I've also changed AFC/SPUR/DECODE to "0", since I have found that the auto-spur reduction does not impact the MAP65 waterfall. The ssb config settings I currently use are below. [4]</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSnbdOWsH44vfeHL5_8r7Eyt94qJzahytyKpFjTBO2wb9OHp72yRnJz7kv-FptZ_OU-a5czURhHZtnuZ6swWCpXp887iuaAoKpudOelnBpFaOLneTblj3in3vaPBcvRp1enSd1JMjyMSLA/s1600/linrad_config_04.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSnbdOWsH44vfeHL5_8r7Eyt94qJzahytyKpFjTBO2wb9OHp72yRnJz7kv-FptZ_OU-a5czURhHZtnuZ6swWCpXp887iuaAoKpudOelnBpFaOLneTblj3in3vaPBcvRp1enSd1JMjyMSLA/s320/linrad_config_04.jpg" width="313" /></a></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
Adjust the value for Linrad's MAP65 output attenuation to "15". This helps to keep the MAP65 input signals in the necessary +20 to +30dB range [3].<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>In the lower left box that says [500][10][1] (or similar) change the middle value to "15".<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzC1-7oQlbsoNwT4OBtmMHCCj5elcROAr0gaOfxbMkHjLxTcdrm-92pUQDWA7iEjYgVBnBzGrpKx7CFOPbF4QggO2f_YXrmRr-t6ByMDDqLknFVoxlPFGwO4v3rS5d2k0-ZJpdzhgjhyphenhyphenAo/s1600/linrad_config_01.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="137" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzC1-7oQlbsoNwT4OBtmMHCCj5elcROAr0gaOfxbMkHjLxTcdrm-92pUQDWA7iEjYgVBnBzGrpKx7CFOPbF4QggO2f_YXrmRr-t6ByMDDqLknFVoxlPFGwO4v3rS5d2k0-ZJpdzhgjhyphenhyphenAo/s320/linrad_config_01.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
Disable the strong signal blanking on the MAP65 output. This step is optional; in my environment, I don't have strong signals within the FCDPP passband.<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>In the lower left box that says [500][10][1] (or similar) change the right-hand value to "1".<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhiXcE0_M8enw_W048ulFPThG3raP7tn7UOUGLwL2XKUjJeXxkx3ddGPp0eWTyaMPFrdOdkMfFaJ2NOrAz1fimKN5DujwrFisdwzzVYmN7HAevusqAzuIRH4rMfmzgJkX1yoRo2IcR7pUp/s1600/linrad_config_02.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="143" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhiXcE0_M8enw_W048ulFPThG3raP7tn7UOUGLwL2XKUjJeXxkx3ddGPp0eWTyaMPFrdOdkMfFaJ2NOrAz1fimKN5DujwrFisdwzzVYmN7HAevusqAzuIRH4rMfmzgJkX1yoRo2IcR7pUp/s320/linrad_config_02.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
Turn on and adjust the Dumb Noise Blanker (NB). (It's called the "Dumb" blanker to differentiate it from Linrad's "Smart" blanker.) Optimal NB settings will depend on what type of local noise you have. Try starting at 5% blanking, and then adjust upwards or downwards on actual JT65B signals over many decodes to see if a higher or lower value works better.<br />
<ul>
<li><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>In the box on the lower left of the high resolution spectrum, choose "A".</li>
<li><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Grab the yellow bar to the right of the bar graph underneath the high resolution spectrum.</li>
<li><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Drag the yellow bar back and forth until the box in the upper left of the graph shows "5".</li>
<li><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>This sets the Noise Blanker to Automatic and blanking 5% of signals.</li>
</ul>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRUlnNgQQJfShKcf3WTzEx_OTA64i3XRflyoLAWitFyCZ_5iOsxB92Jnv0YUZF7tWRzTp2xY7o2-vpALu7zv9uDdYXFiVuTXBeruqTlrPwBwDIOy2O-YuFMOC2h1Z-5FZ10DLW81RpKy_C/s1600/linrad_config_03.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="136" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRUlnNgQQJfShKcf3WTzEx_OTA64i3XRflyoLAWitFyCZ_5iOsxB92Jnv0YUZF7tWRzTp2xY7o2-vpALu7zv9uDdYXFiVuTXBeruqTlrPwBwDIOy2O-YuFMOC2h1Z-5FZ10DLW81RpKy_C/s320/linrad_config_03.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
CONFIGURING MAP65<br />
<br />
Start MAP65 and verify that it's receiving data from Linrad. You can tell that it's receiving data because the signal bar graph on the left side will turn green, and will be showing some sort of amplitude.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiB6PkXirnbEgwqp6oZy1OIsTHkTmxhvWfo6P5NtRRi6SVSKDfDqovI8D6iG4uEpp61yKzRzKZvTkCL6IUM_Kpw23_B0qsLcQlCR3_Xmtng68OBfEGUu6YvFMejPr5U-Am72kh1MSjUYFpi/s1600/map65_06.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="260" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiB6PkXirnbEgwqp6oZy1OIsTHkTmxhvWfo6P5NtRRi6SVSKDfDqovI8D6iG4uEpp61yKzRzKZvTkCL6IUM_Kpw23_B0qsLcQlCR3_Xmtng68OBfEGUu6YvFMejPr5U-Am72kh1MSjUYFpi/s320/map65_06.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
If MAP65 isn't receiving data, make sure it is set to receive data from Network, use port 50004, is set for 96000 Hz sampling, etc.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQugwk0lIIsfrBYNnlI11y67WHiAOBW7l9s8bjgI_tYWIJH6dOlm8RM9AbEZaYxPfCZIjTQuET9hfiPq8fmftGzQlHKpnbJXCxB5Qk2jY0M58_L_xLfuvqY39YUKAWO6UzjkHZ-B0Kq5Xt/s1600/map65_02.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQugwk0lIIsfrBYNnlI11y67WHiAOBW7l9s8bjgI_tYWIJH6dOlm8RM9AbEZaYxPfCZIjTQuET9hfiPq8fmftGzQlHKpnbJXCxB5Qk2jY0M58_L_xLfuvqY39YUKAWO6UzjkHZ-B0Kq5Xt/s320/map65_02.JPG" width="306" /></a></div>
<br />
Verify your noise floor. On my system, at this point, the noise floor on MAP65 will fluctuate around +23dB with antennas pointed away from noise sources into a cold sky. It's also normal to see the noise levels go up by +8dB when the antennas are pointed towards the horizon in a suburban environment. <br />
<br />
Verify your preamp is functioning. Turn off the mast-mounted preamplifier and verify that the noise floor drops significantly (at least 10dB, preferrably 20dB). On my system, the noise floor drops to around +7dB when power to the external +24dB preamplifer is removed.<br />
<br />
Adjust the NAvg on MAP65 to a value of 10, so that 1 minute of time corresponds to approximately 1cm of vertical space on the waterfall. Averaging the lines (a slower waterfall) will help you see weak traces.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUnClYOGwTU86JANAOajpgza1JsDDvtlx_dyBFZsqRbEBJp-Ixb4T-pdTik4fgevBPQccg7LDCEcUMcZy_t2gKsoWM_QTNEeMiyUrJC8HKZ44_OzJV34XXdNHg5EvTTe-XVEptMO_Gicoo/s1600/map65_03.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="26" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUnClYOGwTU86JANAOajpgza1JsDDvtlx_dyBFZsqRbEBJp-Ixb4T-pdTik4fgevBPQccg7LDCEcUMcZy_t2gKsoWM_QTNEeMiyUrJC8HKZ44_OzJV34XXdNHg5EvTTe-XVEptMO_Gicoo/s320/map65_03.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
Zero the MAP65 waterfall brightness. After zeroing, the waterfall should be a blue color. I'll typically zero the waterfall with antennas pointed at the cold sky, so the color of the MAP65 waterfall can tell me how much local noise I'm seeing at any point in time: Blue = nice and quiet; Green = Marginal; Orange and Red = only the big guns will get through! <br />
<br />
Increase the gain on the MAP65 waterfall to 5 or so to get more "snow". This will help you visualize weak traces better.<br />
<br />
Don't run MAP65's noise blanker since Linrad's noise blanker is turned on.<br />
<br />
Verify the frequency display is correct. Look for a birdie (or set of birdies) on the MAP65 wide screen waterfall. Take a note of the frequencies, then tune your analog radio to the same frequency. Verify that you can see the same birdies on both radios. On my system, they are pretty close, about 40Hz apart.<br />
<br />
Configure the MAP65 output to your analog radio (transmitter). You'll need to specify the sound card output, and the COM port used to key the PTT line. These should be the same settings that you are using in WSJT9 software. Try calling CQ on an open frequency and verify that the MAP65 transmissions and levels seem correct. <br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgj_ukMOy1rHpQcDXnxsOqiksafkSkx35hP4v78PNCvL9qd6TIVumC8aoA8SEJVn0hARktQG4Njmo6T4qb0FjW5HP3bEk_V_QoQRrvIZ7CQyjU-m19NqOzSb7CKIrhYsuLI0x5RAqu9dP3u/s1600/map65_04.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgj_ukMOy1rHpQcDXnxsOqiksafkSkx35hP4v78PNCvL9qd6TIVumC8aoA8SEJVn0hARktQG4Njmo6T4qb0FjW5HP3bEk_V_QoQRrvIZ7CQyjU-m19NqOzSb7CKIrhYsuLI0x5RAqu9dP3u/s320/map65_04.JPG" width="315" /></a></div>
<br />
<b>IMPORTANT</b>: Update MAP65's call3.txt. Download the latest from <a href="http://www.mmmonvhf.de/">http://www.mmmonvhf.de</a>. The program WSJTMerge from <a href="http://www.k2txb.com/WsjtMerge.htm">http://www.k2txb.com/WsjtMerge.htm</a> can be used to merge an existing call3.txt file with the new one. Also, if you're not in the Make More Miles on VHF Database <a href="http://www.mmmonvhf.de/dbase.php">http://www.mmmonvhf.de/dbase.php</a> already, then you're potentially missing out on +4dB of coding gain because other EME stations may not have you in their own call3.txt files. Be sure your call is in the call3.txt from this site. It's difficult to stress how important this is -- if you're a small station, and you're not in the other station's call3.txt file, it's going to be much, much more difficult to have a QSO.<br />
<br />
Make sure to turn on aggressive deep search in MAP65.<br />
<br />
MAP65 has a Setup option to reduce the font size in the Astronomical Data window. Set it to something like 12 or 14 pt so you can see everything in the window.<br />
<br />
<br />
USING THE SYSTEM<br />
<br />
By now you have a system that is decoding JT65B signals on two separate radios: the FCDPP and your traditional analog radio. With the settings described above, the FUNcube Dongle Pro Plus should be about the same sensitivity (able to decode JT65B signals about as well) as your analog radio.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCAv6EbNRPzdhCshteb8NTtMwrOBDiAtXYe_iWzGQ7pyUTn97XHxlp340xe4jaat82NDLGth1kgkw9Aki9Hr5qgYZ2MAJ_XIeXnbQuZLC-oiLrP8SGRRN91APdwRf0zq2Tghl86ayk_o4U/s1600/map65_05.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCAv6EbNRPzdhCshteb8NTtMwrOBDiAtXYe_iWzGQ7pyUTn97XHxlp340xe4jaat82NDLGth1kgkw9Aki9Hr5qgYZ2MAJ_XIeXnbQuZLC-oiLrP8SGRRN91APdwRf0zq2Tghl86ayk_o4U/s320/map65_05.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
By running both MAP65 and WSJT9 simultaneously, you now have an even better ability to decode signals on the frequency you're looking at. For example, if one of the two radios misses a decode (random noise, etc), the other one may pick it up. You can also use one radio to check on the decodes of the other -- for example, seeing both radios decode the same message virtually rules out the chance of a false decode.<br />
<br />
Moreover, you can now visualize the entire EME sub-band on the MAP65 waterfall, so you can quickly check other frequencies for active EME activity. Even better, MAP65 has the band map / message list, and will decode stations that you're not even looking for (albeit, with slightly reduced sensitivity).<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXshwxfOgw2o5ZgcopG4PR4yN0cgxLlnbOq8C5IU6N_QipR5VZ1_SCeG7YWWfF5eQw_mLXcfZPEKyh9_6SdliO4b_9c5rtytfKhcIDHZoNsaLhHlIiHRp6AnZcbijalxSf5B-RM4bZt5TP/s1600/map_65_working.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="215" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXshwxfOgw2o5ZgcopG4PR4yN0cgxLlnbOq8C5IU6N_QipR5VZ1_SCeG7YWWfF5eQw_mLXcfZPEKyh9_6SdliO4b_9c5rtytfKhcIDHZoNsaLhHlIiHRp6AnZcbijalxSf5B-RM4bZt5TP/s400/map_65_working.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
Importantly, using MAP65 you're no longer limited to finding stations calling CQ on the internet chat rooms. You'll find stations that *your* station can hear, since by definition MAP65 is only going to report to you the stations that you're capable of receiving. As a bonus, you can also quickly use MAP65, which displays the last 5-10 minutes of spectrum activity, to zero in on a station that you saw calling CQ in an internet chat room to see if you can find any traces of signal. <br />
<br />
You can also use the two radio systems (analog and digital) for optimizing one or the other. For example, you can experiment with different Linrad settings, or different filters, on the SDR side and make A/B comparisons with the decoding on the analog side. Given the high degree of variability of EME decodes, having a direct A/B comparison greatly improves your ability to optimize one or the other.<br />
<br />
Overall, the incorporation of an SDR and MAP65 into your station should greatly enhance your ability to make EME contacts, even with a smaller station.<br />
<br />
<br />
OPTIONAL: INSTALLING HDSDR<br />
<br />
The HDSDR program can also use the FCDPP as a regular receiver, and has a very nice user interface. I use HDSDR to monitor the entire VHF passband of U/V satellites (ie. VO-52, AO-07). Make a folder called [C:\ham\hdsdr]. Download HDSDR <a href="http://www.hdsdr.de/">http://www.hdsdr.de/</a> and install into this folder. Also download the FCDPP ExtIO files from the Hardware page on the HDSDR site, and place them into the [C:\ham\hdsdr] folder.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS<br />
<br />
Much assistance from the W6YX team is appreciated with regards to getting this system working!<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
REFERENCES AND NOTES<br />
<br />
[1] Alternatively, install Linrad from scratch. Linrad can be downloaded from <a href="http://www.sm5bsz.com/linuxdsp/linrad.htm">http://www.sm5bsz.com/linuxdsp/linrad.htm</a>, and installation instructions are on the same page. The necessary FUNcube Dongle Pro+ ExtIO DLL and INI files can be downloaded from the HDSDR page at <a href="http://www.hdsdr.de/hardware.html">http://www.hdsdr.de/hardware.html</a>. The DLL and INI files need to be located in the same folder as linrad.exe. <br />
<br />
When it comes time to upgrade your Linrad, the steps are basically a) to copy your current Linrad folder to a new one with a new version name. b) download the latest Linrad exe and dll files from the website listed above. c) Start Linrad and if there are any errors (ie. ssb configuration settings mismatching), open your old configuration file (such as par_ssb.ini) and enter the configuration settings into the new version.<br />
<br />
[2] You can also run the FCDPP with LNA = ON and Mixer Gain = Low if you need extra dynamic range or linearity. If you do so, you'll need to adjust Linrad's 1st FFT Amplitude value to around 500 in order to compensate for the reduced FCDPP gain. This alternative setting seems to result in fewer MAP65 decodes, and generally (ca. -2dB)s/n values, but your mileage may vary.<br />
<br />
[3] MAP65 seems to work well with a wide input range, but try to keep it in the +20 to +30dB range. In my own experience, input levels above +40dB cause significantly reduced decodes. <br />
<br />
[4] With the settings I'm currently using, Linrad+MAP65 can decode just as well as my Yaseu FT-817ND transceiver with WSJT9 software in the range of -25dB and better signals. For extremely faint signals in the range between -30dB and -25dB, the analog WSJT9 system seems to have better performance at decoding traces. Whether Linrad+MAP65 can be adjusted to perform even better remains to be seen. There are many factors that can be adjusted in Linrad, and what I have here is a starting point. It will be interesting to see what the ultimate consensus is on "best" settings for these softwares.<br />
<br />
[5] Ordering a FUNcube Dongle Pro Plus: Howard Long G6LVB has ordering instructions on his website at <a href="http://www.funcubedongle.com/">http://www.funcubedongle.com/</a>, look for the tab called "The New FUNcube Dongle Pro+", you can find out about how to order it right there. When I ordered mine, there was a waiting list of a few weeks -- put in your name and Howard will send you an email telling you when yours is ready to order. Pricing is on the website also, and proceeds from these units go to AMSAT-UK's FUNcube satellite project, so it's also for a very good cause.<br />
<br />
[6] Further Support: There is a good <a href="https://groups.google.com/forum/?fromgroups#!forum/linrad">Google Group for Linrad</a> that also has quite a bit of MAP65 information. The FUNCube Pro Plus has a Yahoo Group in the UK at <a href="http://uk.groups.yahoo.com/group/Fcdproplus/">http://uk.groups.yahoo.com/group/Fcdproplus/</a>.<br />
<br />
[7] A word about direct connection between MAP65 and the FUNcube Dongle Pro+. The current version of the MAP65 program (2.4.1) provides support for the FUNcube Dongle Pro, but this does not support the Plus (+) version that came out in October of 2012. Some of the current information on the internet can be confusing, because it was written before the advent of the Pro+ receiver.<br />
<br />
If you have an older FUNcube Dongle Pro version (pre-October 2012), then you can either run MAP65 v. 2.4.1 direct, or you can follow the instructions above and use Linrad -- but if you do, you'll need to use a different ExtIO program. The ExtIO for the older Pro can be downloaded from the HDSDR page as described above. I haven't tested this, but there are others who use the Pro > Linrad > MAP65 system via this route. Keep in mind that the Pro does not contain the high-stability TCXO or the tight bandpass filters of the Pro+: Other EME operators have found that it's essential to use an external tight bandpass filter between the LNA and the FCDP, and also to wrap the unit in a towel to maintain temperature and reduce thermal frequency drift. Both of these issues are solved with the newer FUNCube Dongle Pro+.<br />
<br />
It is also reportedly possible to run MAP65 directly with the FUNcube Dongle Pro+, bypassing Linrad as described here. The problem is that MAP65 v2.4.1 does not provide a control panel for the FCDPP. It does, however, accept the direct sound card input that the FCDPP provides. To control the FCDPP, those that run MAP65 direct seem to use the FCDPP FCHid program as a substitute for Linrad. This program can be downloaded as described in the Pro+ manual (<a href="http://www.funcubedongle.com/MyImages/FCD2ManualV3.pdf">http://www.funcubedongle.com/MyImages/FCD2ManualV3.pdf</a>). In addition, the MAP65 frequency must be manually forced to the same freq as set in the FCHid program; this is because the sound card data does not carry the frequency information. I do not use this method, since I have had no issues with Linrad as an intermediary. Linrad allows for much experimentation with the SDR settings, and also provides a great learning opportunity to better understand how software-defined-radio works.<br />
<br />
<br />
<div>
<br /></div>
</div>
KB5WIAhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01482606551647955921noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7248654167560604896.post-61664571010300345352013-01-01T08:52:00.000-08:002013-01-01T08:52:08.414-08:00Local RF NoiseFor anyone that's interested, here is a plot of the local RF noise on the 2m band at my location. The antennas were pointed towards the east (90 degrees azimuth), and were raised 10 degrees every 30 seconds. MAP65 software was used to visually record the ambient RF noise (red = strongest, blue = weakest).<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhxOJ3uZqcWlvmxlgqZgzeUcfPwkxMNhrpXns_6Cap1jTnX3EVCStNYRKJfgjBz7tvDz3E4Yauz1yb6NXuI4eR46P-n0wCZG225d9vlFiuLAmCodD71I2aOmw8Me6pDfdahg4w_OetXBQ0/s1600/system_noise-130101b.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="222" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhxOJ3uZqcWlvmxlgqZgzeUcfPwkxMNhrpXns_6Cap1jTnX3EVCStNYRKJfgjBz7tvDz3E4Yauz1yb6NXuI4eR46P-n0wCZG225d9vlFiuLAmCodD71I2aOmw8Me6pDfdahg4w_OetXBQ0/s400/system_noise-130101b.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
The "cold sky" has a detected RF noise of around +23dB with my current settings, and with the antennas pointed at the horizon the noise is about +31dB. This certainly makes detection of low-angle weak signals difficult! Practically, the noise limits detection of most EME signals until the moon is above 20-30 degrees or so.<br />
<br />
One thing I will sometimes do with EME is to raise the antennas +10 to +15 degrees above the moon's actual position. With the vertical beamwidth of the array, this means a slight loss (1dB? 2dB?) in received signal strength, but can lead to a much bigger reduction in ambient RF noise detected.KB5WIAhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01482606551647955921noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7248654167560604896.post-83944868670203698762012-12-31T15:54:00.001-08:002012-12-31T16:37:12.529-08:00EME System OptimizationNow that I'm using the dual receivers for EME, it's time to optimize performance to get the most out of the small antenna system that I'm using. <br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEim73MZoF19GorZ0yZGK4RpYHsI5D-OxnMtgTLMQ3O6DP58DsgSFNlYM2j77e_95pYbit1kkyRxPFg0sUzFvB9lnAnm64JbKNgaPFb3GWdsegajmxs5DWORxcLDlpglPtPvMmgNMU7V2RXx/s1600/map_65_working-band_map.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEim73MZoF19GorZ0yZGK4RpYHsI5D-OxnMtgTLMQ3O6DP58DsgSFNlYM2j77e_95pYbit1kkyRxPFg0sUzFvB9lnAnm64JbKNgaPFb3GWdsegajmxs5DWORxcLDlpglPtPvMmgNMU7V2RXx/s1600/map_65_working-band_map.jpg" /></a></div>
<br />
SYSTEM<br />
The two M2 2M7 antennas feed directly into an Advanced Receiver Research SP144VDG GasFET preamplifier (24dB gain, NF=0.5dB) on the mast, which then sends the RX signal down 75 feet of RG-8/U coax to a 50-ohm hybrid splitter/combiner in the shack. One port of the hybrid feeds the FunCube Dongle Pro Plus (FCDPP) software defined radio (SDR), the other side feeds the Yaesu FT-817ND conventional radio with intalled TXCO. The FCDPP sends signal to Linrad which sends signal to MAP65 software. The FT817ND sends signal through the computer's soundcard to WSJT9 software.<br />
<br />
ANALOG RADIO<br />
The Yaesu FT-817ND seems fairly well optimized for weak-signal VHF detection right out of the box. I use settings of Noise Blanker (NB) = ON, Automatic Gain Control (AGC) = OFF, and RF Gain set to a reading of about S2 on the S-meter (equivalent to roughly a 2 to 3 dB reduction in RF gain from max). The interface box between the FT-817ND and the computer's microphone input jack is adjusted so that Windows sees about 2 "bars" of signal on the microphone levels. I arrived at these settings by empirically watching weak signals on the WSJT9 waterfall display and optimizing for best visual signals. It's subtle -- there's not much difference between out-of-box defaults (AGC On, RF Gain Max) and these settings, both seem to work well, but in my location (suburban RF noise) having AGC off seems to allow the WSJT9 software to see fainter traces through the noise.<br />
<br />
SOFTWARE-DEFINED RADIO<br />
The FunCube Dongle Pro + is a completely different SDR than the original FunCube Dongle or Funcube Dongle Pro. It contains an entirely different tuner chip, it has an embedded TXCO, and it has a front-end SAW filter for the 2m band. Published settings for the FCD/FCDP with Linrad and MAP65 won't work directly with the FCDPP because the control interface is different. Rather than having variable control of the LNA and Mixer gains, the FCDPP has two settings for the LNA (ON and OFF) and two settings for the Mixer (LOW and HIGH). The ExtIO package that I'm using (from HDSDR) has LNA ON and Mixer HIGH by default. Comparing different settings on the FCDPP and watching the waterfall display for weak traces, it seems that the combination of LNA ON and Mixer HIGH (=default) gives the best visual appearance of faint traces. Turning the LNA off or the Mixer to low causes very faint traces to disappear into the background noise.<br />
<br />
LINRAD SETTINGS<br />
Linrad samples the FunCube Dongle Pro Plus at 96000 Hz. I found that I needed to reduce the "front-end gain" of of Linrad in order to have the relatively high signal levels from the FCDPP not saturate the Linrad waterfall (settings above with Linrad defaults can lead to more than 40dB signals). By reducing Linrad's FFT1 Amplitude value from the default of 1000 (or 500) to 100, the signals from the FCDPP with antennas pointed into a quiet sky are a more reasonable +22dB or so. At present, I have Linrad also set with AFC disabled, Strong Signal Removal "1" (=off), MAP65 Attenuation -15dB, and the "dumb" noise blanker (NB) set to blank about 5% of the incoming signals.<br />
<br />
MAP65 SETTINGS<br />
Linrad feeds the I/Q data stream to MAP65 via port 50004 at 96000 Hz, and with these settings MAP65 has a reasonable signal input level (around 23dB cold sky). Turning the mast-mounted preamplifier off reduces the noise level by around 22dB. Interestingly, before I turned Linrad's FFT1 front end gain down, the high incoming signals (about 43dB on MAP65) resulted in visually nice signals but almost no decodes! Joe K1JT recommends to keep MAP65 input signals between 20dB and 30dB, and this seems to be very important. <br />
<br />
ALTERNATE CONFIGURATION<br />
(Side note: I've also used the FCDPP setting LNA=ON Mixer=LOW with Linrad FFT1 Attenuation 500, and while this achieves a similar end-result in the dB value sent to MAP65 (about 20dB cold sky), traces aren't as visually prominent, and decodes are a little spotty compared to WSJT9 with the FT817ND. Moreover, in this other configuration, turning the mast-mounted preamplifer off reduces MAP65 noise by only 10-12 dB, which allows relatively more system noise to enter the noise factor equation.)<br />
<br />
COMPARISONS BETWEEN SYSTEMS<br />
Initial direct comparison of incoming EME signals indicates that the two systems (WSJT9/FT817ND and MAP65/FunCube Dongle Pro+) are pretty much identical in terms of sensitivity. Over 26 full messages decoded, the two systems were very close in reported S/N dB values: MAP65 had, on average, a 0.65 dB worse S/N reading, with a standard deviation of just over 1.0. For 9 shorthand messages, MAP65 had an average of 2.50 dB better S/N reading, with a SD of 1.5. Interestingly, the MAP65 system decoded 9 messages that WSJT9 did not decode, as opposed to only 2 messages that WSJT9 decoded that MAP65 missed. Most of these missed by the WSJT9 system were shorthand messages.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMuk4GVfDHyZmR5wKtqebOI92mcmPaZcmNcJNFaTdLBuDCYdHYxTZQz89Mt6zGrcT_O9i8swwNCGga4jee4kxHOjwpZbb0lAxfANBx5rsyZxJeNE0qYU6RBTQ8pLs7q6dNiKtqjg__tMdO/s1600/map65_wsjt_compare.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMuk4GVfDHyZmR5wKtqebOI92mcmPaZcmNcJNFaTdLBuDCYdHYxTZQz89Mt6zGrcT_O9i8swwNCGga4jee4kxHOjwpZbb0lAxfANBx5rsyZxJeNE0qYU6RBTQ8pLs7q6dNiKtqjg__tMdO/s400/map65_wsjt_compare.jpg" width="363" /></a></div>
<br />
SUMMARY<br />
Overall, it seems that the peformance of the MAP65 + Linrad + FunCube Dongle Pro Plus system is virtually identical to the WSJT9 + FT817ND system. The advantage of the MAP65 system, of course, is that the FunCube Dongle Pro+ sees the entire EME sub-band at once, and MAP65 can automatically decode messages found anywhere across the band! This seems to be a real help in small-station EME, since the software can automatically find stations that are strong enough for my antennas to hear.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEht3ZPiiVLlejEMicO03UeQBxS1VcBgYxUl7Kv-wYyJWlqcQ6SL1R-Coie6wS-SKJsA9xMLgK1j6CZ3H67PLnpu-61z4c265gAGk_DIBE_t0qSTWB0lOTGM7dfO6fCuhjcl0updyqzGV_2j/s1600/map_65_working.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="172" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEht3ZPiiVLlejEMicO03UeQBxS1VcBgYxUl7Kv-wYyJWlqcQ6SL1R-Coie6wS-SKJsA9xMLgK1j6CZ3H67PLnpu-61z4c265gAGk_DIBE_t0qSTWB0lOTGM7dfO6fCuhjcl0updyqzGV_2j/s320/map_65_working.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />KB5WIAhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01482606551647955921noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7248654167560604896.post-8429165222699141062012-12-22T09:49:00.000-08:002012-12-22T09:49:45.731-08:00EME Upgrade - Separate Receive LineThis last weekend I upgraded the EME / Satellite station by adding a separate receive line to the 2-meter antenna array. This means that the system will now use a dedicated RG-8U line exclusively for receive (the transmit side uses LMR-600). The new system block diagram is below.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSNc2e4QHF4lWsO1mAmg_j6j4dmyDHWGeFxBUAb3_qdrnrKcyUerhqjuT4CegYcLCEIHXUWV_CPPhuKHYPpxAbnQzt7O0bLPB6QXGhhxfEd2k3228x0ZDAI7QQ9G9lCPAhMRbhFzoduqLn/s1600/kb5wia_system+(1).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="254" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSNc2e4QHF4lWsO1mAmg_j6j4dmyDHWGeFxBUAb3_qdrnrKcyUerhqjuT4CegYcLCEIHXUWV_CPPhuKHYPpxAbnQzt7O0bLPB6QXGhhxfEd2k3228x0ZDAI7QQ9G9lCPAhMRbhFzoduqLn/s320/kb5wia_system+(1).jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
Splitting the transmit and receive lines enables the incorporation of a second dedicated receive-only radio into the system. For this, I'm using the FunCube Dongle Pro Plus, a 160MHz to GHz wideband software-defined radio (SDR). This SDR is about the size of a USB thumb-drive, and directly translates radio signals from the SMA port on one end to the USB connector on the other. From there, all the subsequent processing is done within the computer: the IF stages, mixers, and demodulators are all done in software instead of hardware. The SDR is connected directly to the output of the hybrid splitter/combiner, which in turn is directly connected to the CX520 relay which switches between the RX line and a 50-ohm load. This relay is important to prevent overloading the radios with signals coupled during transmit.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZX55zwB4SJs3AE7DCyL2dxp9_pr8X8afj_EyhQNSEn6uqhTxvalmbI_FPy58-t45df4zywHLnv9iWTUIi4b0LXcYwq6tM2sFPB7Tvko28htN4vncenONcs1ngAX5CKq2cVJjYYWPF-nhF/s1600/20121222_093139.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZX55zwB4SJs3AE7DCyL2dxp9_pr8X8afj_EyhQNSEn6uqhTxvalmbI_FPy58-t45df4zywHLnv9iWTUIi4b0LXcYwq6tM2sFPB7Tvko28htN4vncenONcs1ngAX5CKq2cVJjYYWPF-nhF/s320/20121222_093139.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
The SDR allows for all sorts of interesting things. It can monitor an entire satellite sub-band at once. For EME, it can monitor all conversations in the 144.100 to 144.160 MHz EME sub-band simultaneously. Since EME signals are extremely weak and almost impossible to hear by ear, having the computer search the entire sub-band for signals will greatly speed up the time to find an active station on the band. I'm running the SDR with Linrad software do do the initial filtering and processing of the wideband data stream, then MAP65 for decoding the JT65B signals reflected from the moon.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiz-mpXVz1DVlZsmHwvFTLhJssyVPYnDr9vPpB-YzWaqu2zTZ6_PZxJh6cRw7HIPtbkO7GYVIVb-tkEvie5mK_wtZ3_1yn9n2EMoyQKxGypeJYmrH5tl6mekITOb2uFA0j2xbbiz28gXdKQ/s1600/w7iuv-121216g.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="171" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiz-mpXVz1DVlZsmHwvFTLhJssyVPYnDr9vPpB-YzWaqu2zTZ6_PZxJh6cRw7HIPtbkO7GYVIVb-tkEvie5mK_wtZ3_1yn9n2EMoyQKxGypeJYmrH5tl6mekITOb2uFA0j2xbbiz28gXdKQ/s320/w7iuv-121216g.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
With the split receive, the JT65B signals can be decoded both by the traditional FT-817ND radio running WSJT9 software, as well as the SDR running MAP65. An example screenshot showing both softwares running simultaneously is shown above. It leads to a lot of open windows on the computer, but it's really interesting to watch!KB5WIAhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01482606551647955921noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7248654167560604896.post-50215855734372293912012-10-22T19:08:00.000-07:002012-10-24T16:43:37.778-07:00EME Upgrade<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRJ0bxxrqIy0iASr8Uk0_8OdLDT5vZgWQNhpr6S_iwiSNUViPN3z4YMFGxMa9CZzpm11Oad5UXTyQBZn1gHE0par1g4pYk_r0-0tGeJDeL9yMmnFj82qNvFgUH0yNC_hJtrtXkg7DE232g/s1600/20121022_174911.jpg" imageanchor="1" style=""><img border="0" height="150" width="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRJ0bxxrqIy0iASr8Uk0_8OdLDT5vZgWQNhpr6S_iwiSNUViPN3z4YMFGxMa9CZzpm11Oad5UXTyQBZn1gHE0par1g4pYk_r0-0tGeJDeL9yMmnFj82qNvFgUH0yNC_hJtrtXkg7DE232g/s200/20121022_174911.jpg" /></a>
<br/><br/>
I've been upgrading my station to improve EME (earth-moon-earth) capabilities. Many components of the station are already set for EME -- since I work the satellites primarily, I already have the azimuth-elevation rotator (a Yaesu G5500), yagi antennas (18 elements on 70cm and 7 elements on 2m), computer control, and computer sound-card interfacing with the radios. This has allowed me to run the WSJT software in JT65B mode and copy some of the stronger signals reflected from the moon, and make a partial contact with K5GW in Texas last year. The goal this year is to produce a higher uplink power, as well as have improved gain and sensitivity in the antennas. A key aspect was to not have the EME upgrade interfere with the existing satellite capability.
<br/><br/>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisjcOwKyrhzbm2hnKXVLk57WSJLAl_a7JL06YbiI2QqnlSNLiMdD1Nb5909m5aKAu7ELPdpILoF8d4uuAAVhHkvjSZ98QZlKzzclNIx072uNhjTs9bjt5ctK3lrBEDLnRr76BvmC3Mfx5M/s1600/ft-817nd.jpg" imageanchor="1" style=""><img border="0" height="150" width="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisjcOwKyrhzbm2hnKXVLk57WSJLAl_a7JL06YbiI2QqnlSNLiMdD1Nb5909m5aKAu7ELPdpILoF8d4uuAAVhHkvjSZ98QZlKzzclNIx072uNhjTs9bjt5ctK3lrBEDLnRr76BvmC3Mfx5M/s200/ft-817nd.jpg" /></a>
<br/><br/>
For now, I'm focusing on the 2-meter band (144.105 to 144.150 MHz). It's challenging because of high local noise in that band, but there are more EME stations on 2m than the other bands combined. Here's a rundown of the station upgrades:
<br/><br/>
12V DC Power<br/>
I've upgraded to an Astron RS-70M power supply, that can put out up to 70 amps at 13.8 volts DC. I've also been working on a surplus computer server power supply (JD-200) that can produce 110 amps, but the supply generates a fair amount of RFI so that will be a longer-term project.
<br/><br/>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBUfjp8p_Pu3SW0bExLolzh3MejyIAn78W8tVNsglxMGZ1722-sb6H_LAFc12i_wonvoMiPEWBy15HzAwWJuCYENugDDFO1FscQ3dv8SOwVSgpcImqDMpjAYWQF1LDoPvkz48sQsoVZ9lP/s1600/20121022_175234.jpg" imageanchor="1" style=""><img border="0" height="150" width="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBUfjp8p_Pu3SW0bExLolzh3MejyIAn78W8tVNsglxMGZ1722-sb6H_LAFc12i_wonvoMiPEWBy15HzAwWJuCYENugDDFO1FscQ3dv8SOwVSgpcImqDMpjAYWQF1LDoPvkz48sQsoVZ9lP/s200/20121022_175234.jpg" /></a>
<br/><br/>
300 Watt Output<br/>
I'm borrowing a 300-watt amplifier from WB6EBR. By feeding a 5-watt signal from the FT-817ND radio into a RF-Concepts 2-23 amplifier, the signal is boosted to around 35 watts. The 35 watts directly feeds a Mirage 5030 amplifier, which will output close to 300 watts at this drive level.
<br/><br/>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7TtHV5ca3KN_iEbfxvigVegrX0dkrSYPANiJm-dnAIPWbOYi3uKJ3UqEYsHnjgL8ZxNViiqZfFo3pfp_SlIB7HQo8FV4VPfCJ5-9tduAZlS6KDPfNddNUMyuamJhmS8VjOuwxK3qfk86u/s1600/20121022_175255.jpg" imageanchor="1" style=""><img border="0" height="150" width="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7TtHV5ca3KN_iEbfxvigVegrX0dkrSYPANiJm-dnAIPWbOYi3uKJ3UqEYsHnjgL8ZxNViiqZfFo3pfp_SlIB7HQo8FV4VPfCJ5-9tduAZlS6KDPfNddNUMyuamJhmS8VjOuwxK3qfk86u/s200/20121022_175255.jpg" /></a>
<br/><br/>
Cooling Fans<br/>
The amplifiers and the radio can generate quite a bit of heat during the long (50-second) transmit periods and high duty cycle (50%) that the JT65B mode uses. A 6-inch cooling fan sits above the Mirage amplifier to keep it cool, and a 4" cooling fan sits behind the FT-817ND radio to cool it. Temperatures without the fan reach > 120F after 10 minutes, with the fans temps are kept to around 85F or so.
<br/><br/>
Frequency Stability<br/>
As the long transmit cycles generate more heat in the radio, the default crystal oscillator drifts slightly in frequency as the system warms up. The drift is around 5 to 10 Hz per minute, which is enough to interfere with proper decoding of the very-tight tolerance JT65B signals. I replaced the stock oscillator in the FT-817ND with a Yaesu TXCO-9 temperature-compensated crystal oscillator, that has much better improved frequency stability. This reduces drift, and will help in decoding very weak signals.
<br/><br/>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlhwGdKeuLJ_LAzr088avztNx3n9Wpe2u7vJ3X8I3Hjk8XTXLT5BPjTRLH26GKoEH5QJQPWPuokl5Y7wG1KEZn77qTaofNa9u78Do2mUbgTxKiXz6tg7aiLkCTyKedkEbd8QDQQ3Cet9my/s1600/tcxo-9.jpg" imageanchor="1" style=""><img border="0" height="200" width="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlhwGdKeuLJ_LAzr088avztNx3n9Wpe2u7vJ3X8I3Hjk8XTXLT5BPjTRLH26GKoEH5QJQPWPuokl5Y7wG1KEZn77qTaofNa9u78Do2mUbgTxKiXz6tg7aiLkCTyKedkEbd8QDQQ3Cet9my/s200/tcxo-9.jpg" /></a>
<br/><br/>
Preamplifier Bypass<br/>
The VHF preamplifier at the antenna is rated to tolerate 25 watts of RF transmit power, and would quickly be destroyed by the 300-watt amplifier during transmit. To protect the preamplifier, two Tohtsu CX-520D coaxial relays surround the preamplifier in a bypass configuration. By default, with now power, the relays allow the antenna to be connected directly to the amplifier, with the input/output of the preamplifier grounded. When energized,the relays switch input/output connections to allow the antenna to be connected to the preamp, and the preamp to the radio. The bypass relays are de-energized during transmit cycles to protect the preamp.
<br/><br/>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEht1gjiYaQRMaHUzVRUI0Uf24LbvX44QzwhIECSQiPYyeK6d_wpGo5k30qh8rp7kVUq5RqbUNwrTuDFjMEd-vlncAfXYiEVQPxrvKrl7_TBw8OiUw0tPk6hyphenhyphenJrLUmF7AHjCuqojPjtgNxsN/s1600/bypass-01.jpg" imageanchor="1" style=""><img border="0" height="200" width="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEht1gjiYaQRMaHUzVRUI0Uf24LbvX44QzwhIECSQiPYyeK6d_wpGo5k30qh8rp7kVUq5RqbUNwrTuDFjMEd-vlncAfXYiEVQPxrvKrl7_TBw8OiUw0tPk6hyphenhyphenJrLUmF7AHjCuqojPjtgNxsN/s200/bypass-01.jpg" /></a>
<br/><br/>
Sequencer<br/>
When high-power transmittion is initiated from the computer control, a series of events needs to happen in a specific order. First, the preamplifier must be shut down. Next, the bypass relays around the preamplifier must switch to connect the antenna directly to the high-power amplifier and bypass the preamp. After that, the high-power amplifier can be turned on. Lastly, the radio can be allowed to produce transmit power. I built a sequencer to control these events with a specific order and timing -- first prototyped on a breadboard using a core schematic from the internet, then assembled with discrete components onto a perfboard. On the transmit signal from the computer, the FT-817ND grounds a TX pin at the rear of the radio. This is detected by the sequencer, which then charges a 10 uF capacitor. As the capacitor charges, the voltage is compared to a reference voltage divider network at four voltages (channels), and as each threshold is crossed a trigger is sent to close a relay. Relay #1 removes power from the preamplifier on the mast. Relay #2 removes power from the bypass relays putting them in safe mode. Relay #3 sends a ground signal to enable the high-power amplifier. Relay #4 releases the TX Inhibit signal on the FT-817ND radio allowing it to transmit. The four relays close in order, with a delay of around 150 milliseconds each.
<br/><br/>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3eS1NrRvmkSp83dP7K-A9Ija3gS76gKRMQ_7v6UuHi_eIHrewbrwBy5TqFxWlq-IO0aecHWJ5a-wow8PhJxD75dMZSel-81N_C1uzcga2wpH4DJIUwrecmn3frGdwN8hvmrB4QkoW-xzW/s1600/seq-00.jpg" imageanchor="1" style=""><img border="0" height="150" width="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3eS1NrRvmkSp83dP7K-A9Ija3gS76gKRMQ_7v6UuHi_eIHrewbrwBy5TqFxWlq-IO0aecHWJ5a-wow8PhJxD75dMZSel-81N_C1uzcga2wpH4DJIUwrecmn3frGdwN8hvmrB4QkoW-xzW/s200/seq-00.jpg" /></a>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHYe8l3I3ySPBNNxwRoQXaMNUI4rSWYU-05A92m7bbpoWCkkugmpSL1LTgspUsvTsa9cIVXVi0-PCBEIYXVzl_eVaZJzFr6maf5KrO20FNFrC0laIHNECNEKyqG0Bv7LUfRcvnGqMVuARu/s1600/seq-02.jpg" imageanchor="1" style=""><img border="0" height="150" width="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHYe8l3I3ySPBNNxwRoQXaMNUI4rSWYU-05A92m7bbpoWCkkugmpSL1LTgspUsvTsa9cIVXVi0-PCBEIYXVzl_eVaZJzFr6maf5KrO20FNFrC0laIHNECNEKyqG0Bv7LUfRcvnGqMVuARu/s200/seq-02.jpg" /></a>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAJGRyeRvj5psXc5sSanA944fpwmPkzYm3zA77-48ox8Be6zVV9WQCcG1MemU8w4WepQWKwDtU_acHafrSfnBtoG5yyfYclWSAoMNq4i_vtyk93y1aMIPPK4Kmr3IRZDudA-PHi00OA7xo/s1600/seq-03.jpg" imageanchor="1" style=""><img border="0" height="150" width="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAJGRyeRvj5psXc5sSanA944fpwmPkzYm3zA77-48ox8Be6zVV9WQCcG1MemU8w4WepQWKwDtU_acHafrSfnBtoG5yyfYclWSAoMNq4i_vtyk93y1aMIPPK4Kmr3IRZDudA-PHi00OA7xo/s200/seq-03.jpg" /></a>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOJz8T-AgsZV6OqdojJFdNqx0v5NSpSnSjpk360LYK7Ly15mlJUpDbGbErcL6L1xJnqAbVPTxQAtI1drIOX0HBUfR8-AigiKR6EIqIZMcLpX3gQ3Vr5cFty-XcByBuglWHJl2ZcGmzvE44/s1600/seq-04.jpg" imageanchor="1" style=""><img border="0" height="150" width="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOJz8T-AgsZV6OqdojJFdNqx0v5NSpSnSjpk360LYK7Ly15mlJUpDbGbErcL6L1xJnqAbVPTxQAtI1drIOX0HBUfR8-AigiKR6EIqIZMcLpX3gQ3Vr5cFty-XcByBuglWHJl2ZcGmzvE44/s200/seq-04.jpg" /></a>
<br/><br/>
Stacked Antennas<br/>
To improve transmit gain as well as receive sensitivity, I added a second M-squared 2M7 yagi antenna. Previously I had the 70cm antenna on one side of the rotator cross-boom, and the 2m antenna on the other. In the new configuration, the two 2M7 antennas are vertically mounted on either end of the crossboom (separated by 6 feet 8 inches), and the UHF yagi is mounted horizontally above the rotator. Power is transmitted to both 2m antennas via a M-squared power divider and phasing harness.
<br/><br/>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRJ0bxxrqIy0iASr8Uk0_8OdLDT5vZgWQNhpr6S_iwiSNUViPN3z4YMFGxMa9CZzpm11Oad5UXTyQBZn1gHE0par1g4pYk_r0-0tGeJDeL9yMmnFj82qNvFgUH0yNC_hJtrtXkg7DE232g/s1600/20121022_174911.jpg" imageanchor="1" style=""><img border="0" height="150" width="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRJ0bxxrqIy0iASr8Uk0_8OdLDT5vZgWQNhpr6S_iwiSNUViPN3z4YMFGxMa9CZzpm11Oad5UXTyQBZn1gHE0par1g4pYk_r0-0tGeJDeL9yMmnFj82qNvFgUH0yNC_hJtrtXkg7DE232g/s200/20121022_174911.jpg" /></a>
<br/><br/>
Initial Results<br/>
The day after assembling the power supply, amplifier, relays, and sequencer system (it took about 3 weeks to get this all together), I was able to make quick contact with HB9Q in Switzerland via moonbounce. During that QSO two other stations (in Great Britain and Mexico) reported seeing my signals also. This was my first confirmed EME contact, woohoo! At this time I haven't tested the additional 2m antenna.
<br/><br/>
The photos below show the WSJT software screenshots from the QSO, as well as the antenna of the other station -- lots of gain there!
<br/><br/>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsstD5vfZWkpmY7lA88qSV36CAgGHuVpvF7TliG1ruVKA0Pvu9Ir2C11QAvslyPsTr_RK64MyCsVnAMm-6zAOWWw0oxHX-5PEpJBl3OIjXCt8PqdRBbKqNqVJN-sUdcdNEatIjEuh3LG5G/s1600/hb9q-spec.jpg" imageanchor="1" style=""><img border="0" height="112" width="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsstD5vfZWkpmY7lA88qSV36CAgGHuVpvF7TliG1ruVKA0Pvu9Ir2C11QAvslyPsTr_RK64MyCsVnAMm-6zAOWWw0oxHX-5PEpJBl3OIjXCt8PqdRBbKqNqVJN-sUdcdNEatIjEuh3LG5G/s200/hb9q-spec.jpg" /></a>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsJ_7Ih5ZF8g4p4fZwLvXXPLa_oiCsm1MeKsc1ANACoGXyP4MgeUdUuO-y9Q9CsZGebinu7Votoqa6s7HcN6knbEMwywrDf1E7PUcmiatQFA7QAJ7pMfpMWpd6JgyFc14MMzwD_B6TAdF7/s1600/hb9q-stat.jpg" imageanchor="1" style=""><img border="0" height="168" width="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsJ_7Ih5ZF8g4p4fZwLvXXPLa_oiCsm1MeKsc1ANACoGXyP4MgeUdUuO-y9Q9CsZGebinu7Votoqa6s7HcN6knbEMwywrDf1E7PUcmiatQFA7QAJ7pMfpMWpd6JgyFc14MMzwD_B6TAdF7/s200/hb9q-stat.jpg" /></a>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDCa_FxFYKpjOFwNI2g1RprHE8xFNRt8ZjGSSPfAuZNUcT8x_ppZCJHOKuquAQzvTpRgUFCcIFbbDv-t3z5JPm3DgbnK95zIpFbHkVRy07xeb1K-OmrOSd0WePU71K0DP4qCdLYKYAPEct/s1600/kb5wia-ants.jpg" imageanchor="1" style=""><img border="0" height="150" width="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDCa_FxFYKpjOFwNI2g1RprHE8xFNRt8ZjGSSPfAuZNUcT8x_ppZCJHOKuquAQzvTpRgUFCcIFbbDv-t3z5JPm3DgbnK95zIpFbHkVRy07xeb1K-OmrOSd0WePU71K0DP4qCdLYKYAPEct/s200/kb5wia-ants.jpg" /></a>
<br/><br/>
Here is my first EME QSL card -- pretty exciting to get the paper confirmation of a 2-way contact via signals reflected from the moon!!
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNaS9IlxjQRe8BuVKvW7Ltoj15Cqb8RWQA_I_vIXnJj0gKvOstC3O84XMNFw-zBS5xNNnUhHnkQZfuP30EruuKg7C-uflccwjeetOUHvnlL_Fm332GjfqgIgy14lbk0CBO50WHJNBeUXEb/s1600/hb9q-front.jpg" imageanchor="1" style=""><img border="0" height="131" width="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNaS9IlxjQRe8BuVKvW7Ltoj15Cqb8RWQA_I_vIXnJj0gKvOstC3O84XMNFw-zBS5xNNnUhHnkQZfuP30EruuKg7C-uflccwjeetOUHvnlL_Fm332GjfqgIgy14lbk0CBO50WHJNBeUXEb/s200/hb9q-front.jpg" /></a>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlMMCcMiseTcDvCubn81nFKoc2hnlQDaT31P3LvJwsiwrfH95yB7fJBDRQ1EaurOziDBpXZJ7yIAK7d3e-yZ7NlKSoa7rmtgD9fYbr4UfA6LL1SR8HnG_WSvnFLCaYBReOj02dbGNhFS8i/s1600/hb9q-back.jpg" imageanchor="1" style=""><img border="0" height="127" width="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlMMCcMiseTcDvCubn81nFKoc2hnlQDaT31P3LvJwsiwrfH95yB7fJBDRQ1EaurOziDBpXZJ7yIAK7d3e-yZ7NlKSoa7rmtgD9fYbr4UfA6LL1SR8HnG_WSvnFLCaYBReOj02dbGNhFS8i/s200/hb9q-back.jpg" /></a>
KB5WIAhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01482606551647955921noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7248654167560604896.post-20176730238934259182012-08-06T09:32:00.000-07:002012-08-06T09:33:52.544-07:00ARRL UHF Contest - Mt Vaca<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5uTfbgDTXRorQt785Z3iaYT5_weaJ7Lr4OnuKtxIw2DO25wG3gK_ykYVAQPP-IzIfIdbU4z-Gvywi3SGmJexLZKIZKvqWy9LxIIRajDAWgulyFYeD-5dP5j6e1W39rVBrfIrk-OF9VBNv/s1600/P8042485.JPG" imageanchor="1" style=""><img border="0" height="150" width="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5uTfbgDTXRorQt785Z3iaYT5_weaJ7Lr4OnuKtxIw2DO25wG3gK_ykYVAQPP-IzIfIdbU4z-Gvywi3SGmJexLZKIZKvqWy9LxIIRajDAWgulyFYeD-5dP5j6e1W39rVBrfIrk-OF9VBNv/s200/P8042485.JPG" /></a>
<br/><br/>
This weekend I spent a few hours in the ARRL August UHF Contest. The contest ran from 11am PT on Saturday, August 4th to 11am on Sunday. On Saturday afternoon, I drove to near the summit of Mt Vaca, located just west of Vacaville, California. The summit is at close to 3,000' elevation, and is at the end of a 6-mile road up from the valley below. The road continues north along the ridgeline, and I found a good spot with reasonable views to the north, east, and south.
<br/><br/>
For equipment, I used the Diamond 15-element UHF yagi, an ARR SP432VDG preamplifier, and the truck's Yaesu FT-857D radio (20 watts on UHF). The first few calls had very weak return signals, and a quick check confirmed that the preamp has burnt out (how did THAT happen??). I disconnected the preamp, and ran the yagi direct from the '857.
<br/><br/>
Weather conditions were great -- clear and sunny with almost no wind. I operated on 432.1 for about 2.5 hours, and in that time managed to make a total of 8 contacts -- pretty much everyone who was on the band in the Bay Area at that time! Signals with the yagi (my first time using a high-gain antenna during a contest) were very strong. A station on Mt Diablo (about 30 miles away) was S9+. A station above Lake Tahoe (100 miles away) was S7. Overall, the contest was pretty quiet, once everyone had worked everyone else, all we could do is wait for someone new to join in.
<br/><br/>
After the contest, I operated as a rover (KB5WIA/R) and provided a few more contacts in CM88 and CM98 grids.
<br/><br/>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCjeZ-DBNa7lVj57Qy-xfohh6My_dzFvb5CdWE6z3pwzUAq2Lx4XoXL_v8JNe96SWjNszwY4MwuREPQ_xkFVEFfYE7Izojs_wc7ca8mDAwuP4T2Qi_WO4Zc-33bsPo_K2CZ3NRdEqOeghd/s1600/P8042480.JPG" imageanchor="1" style=""><img border="0" height="150" width="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCjeZ-DBNa7lVj57Qy-xfohh6My_dzFvb5CdWE6z3pwzUAq2Lx4XoXL_v8JNe96SWjNszwY4MwuREPQ_xkFVEFfYE7Izojs_wc7ca8mDAwuP4T2Qi_WO4Zc-33bsPo_K2CZ3NRdEqOeghd/s200/P8042480.JPG" /></a>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEholzk8jN7jKaeLGlvJ_Ba39UYZ8m8jkhT1LNx3XQYq1Gw2eCRApOBWmgrQyJCsdRwFL2V3v_hO-GBmpcq-E1mzeuKvZO0WETb9L2BEjPikBJWg4ZmxOCU3uSyaF0sqb6qfjilbopbPn8i-/s1600/P8042482.JPG" imageanchor="1" style=""><img border="0" height="150" width="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEholzk8jN7jKaeLGlvJ_Ba39UYZ8m8jkhT1LNx3XQYq1Gw2eCRApOBWmgrQyJCsdRwFL2V3v_hO-GBmpcq-E1mzeuKvZO0WETb9L2BEjPikBJWg4ZmxOCU3uSyaF0sqb6qfjilbopbPn8i-/s200/P8042482.JPG" /></a>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEju3bneqsGjTUt9AbHXegZs2Vaw2W-kCrmLAgWBIIwXk51dAMpEL8dWLgtJpTjGkeF_kUdDFnuGwKjxw0u7E9MyavAyYB0qSonTJ_hI1mp7JbZntm9YWbV1cn_boG5_nBvJrDc9PMkIQthF/s1600/P8042484.JPG" imageanchor="1" style=""><img border="0" height="150" width="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEju3bneqsGjTUt9AbHXegZs2Vaw2W-kCrmLAgWBIIwXk51dAMpEL8dWLgtJpTjGkeF_kUdDFnuGwKjxw0u7E9MyavAyYB0qSonTJ_hI1mp7JbZntm9YWbV1cn_boG5_nBvJrDc9PMkIQthF/s200/P8042484.JPG" /></a>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaM5LfioJ7rPWNoAY4fSZPgLrWVH0lQpCZJLV_CSoAVdo58IzRS-JMoGS45JZt1Q68ByysJ5oX5gkqW0AvoWgE7N0j-sbN4zYk6JWD27gDqav_4aP16qra0pKatFmIRUhPRxllWk6Beybw/s1600/P8042488.JPG" imageanchor="1" style=""><img border="0" height="150" width="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaM5LfioJ7rPWNoAY4fSZPgLrWVH0lQpCZJLV_CSoAVdo58IzRS-JMoGS45JZt1Q68ByysJ5oX5gkqW0AvoWgE7N0j-sbN4zYk6JWD27gDqav_4aP16qra0pKatFmIRUhPRxllWk6Beybw/s200/P8042488.JPG" /></a>KB5WIAhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01482606551647955921noreply@blogger.com0