SOTA

6 Articles

Wago Terminals Make This Ham Radio Dipole Light And Packable

December 15, 2024 by 13 Comments

For the amateur radio operator with that on-the-go lifestyle, nothing is more important than having your gear as light and packable as possible. If you’re lugging even a modest setup out into the woods, every ounce counts, which is why we love projects like this packable dipole antenna feedpoint.

At its simplest, a dipole antenna is just two pieces of wire cut to a specific, frequency-dependent length connected to a feedline. In practical terms, though, complications arise, such as keeping common-mode currents off the feedline and providing sturdy mechanical support for the antenna to suspend it safely. [Ham Radio Dude]’s design handles both those requirements while staying as small and packable as possible. The design starts with a bifilar 1:1 current balun, which is wound on an FT82-43 ferrite toroid with 22 AWG magnet wire. One side of the balun is connected to a BNC connector while the other is connected to a pair of Wago splice connectors that are glued together. A loop of paracord for mechanical strain relief is added, and the whole thing gets covered in heat-shrink tubing. The antenna is deployed by attaching a feedline to the BNC, clipping quarter-wave wires into the Wago terminals, and hoisting the whole thing aloft. Full build details are in the video below.

People will no doubt be quick to point out that these Wago terminals are rated for a minimum of 18 AWG wire, making them inappropriate for use with fine magnet wire. True enough, but [Dude] was able to get continuity through the Wagos, so the minimum gauge is probably more of an electrical code thing. Still, you’ll want to be careful that the connections stay solid, and it might pay to look at alternatives to the Wago brand, too. Continue reading “Wago Terminals Make This Ham Radio Dipole Light And Packable” →

CW Not Hard Enough? Try This Tiny Paddle

July 22, 2024 by 7 Comments

For a long time, a Morse code proficiency was required to obtain an amateur radio license in many jurisdictions around the world, which was a much higher bar of entry than most new hams have to pass. Morse, or continuous wave (CW) is a difficult skill to master, and since the requirement has been dropped from most licensing requirements few radio operators pick up this skill anymore. But if you like a challenge, and Morse itself isn’t hard enough for you, you might want to try out this extremely small Morse paddle.

Originally meant for portable operation, where hiking to something like a mountain top with radio gear demands small, lightweight, and low-power options, this paddle is actually not too complex. It attaches to most radios with a 3.5 mm stereo cable and only has two paddles on flexible metal arms which, when pressed against the center of the device, tell the radio to either produce continuous “dits” or “dahs”. For portable use the key sits inside a tiny plastic case and only needs to be pulled out and flipped around to get started. And, while not waterproof, [N6ARA] reports that it’s so small you likely could just shield it from the rain with your other hand if you needed to.

Presumably, this paddle actually wouldn’t be that much different than using any other paddle except for the fact that it’s not heavy enough to resist the force of use, so you’d have to hold it with your other hand anyway. And, while this is a product available for purchase it’s simple enough that, presumably, the design could easily be duplicated with just a few parts. Paddles like this were made as an improvement to older technology like straight keys which require the operator to produce the correct lengths of tones for each character manually. While you can get higher speeds with a paddle, there are still some dedicated CW operators using a straight key.

Continue reading “CW Not Hard Enough? Try This Tiny Paddle” →

Super-Portable, Tunable VHF Antenna

March 16, 2024 by 6 Comments

Ham radio is having a bit of a resurgence these days, likely due to awards programs like Parks on the Air (POTA) and Summits on the Air (SOTA), which encourage amateur radio operators to head outside and “activate” at various parks and mountaintops. For semi-mobile operations like this, a low-power radio is often used, as well as other portable gear including antennas. In the VHF/UHF world, the J-pole is a commonly used antenna as well, and this roll-up tunable J-pole antenna is among the most versatile we’ve seen.

The antenna uses mostly common household parts which keeps the cost down tremendously. The structure of the antenna is replacement webbing for old lawn chairs, and the conductive elements for the antenna are made out of metallic HVAC tape which is fixed onto the chair webbing after being cut to shape. The only specialized parts needed for this is a 3D printed bracket which not only holds the hookup for the coax cable feeding the antenna, but is also capable of sliding up and down the lower section of the “J” to allow the antenna to be easily tuned.

As long as you have access to a 3D printer, this antenna is exceptionally portable and pretty easy to make as well. Although VHF and UHF aren’t too popular for POTA and SOTA, portable equipment like this for the higher frequency bands is still handy to have around when traveling or operating remotely. With the antenna situation sorted out, a DIY radio that can make use of it might be in order as well.

Continue reading “Super-Portable, Tunable VHF Antenna” →

The Peak Of Vacuum Tube Radio Design

May 12, 2023 by 19 Comments

One of the more popular trends in the ham radio community right now is operating away from the shack. Parks on the Air (POTA) is an excellent way to take a mobile radio off-grid and operate in the beauty of nature, but for those who want to take their rig to more extreme locations there’s another operating award program called Summits on the Air (SOTA) that requires the radio operator to set up a station on a mountaintop instead. This often requires lightweight, low-power radios to keep weight down for the hike, and [Dan] aka [AI6XG] has created a radio from scratch to do just that.

[Dan] is also a vacuum tube and CW (continuous wave/Morse code) operator on top of his interest in summiting various mountains, so this build incorporates all of his interests. Most vacuum tubes take a lot of energy to operate, but he dug up a circuit from 1967 that uses a single tube which can operate from a 12 volt battery instead of needing mains power, thanks to some help from a more modern switch-mode power supply (SMPS). The SMPS took a bit of research, though, in order to find one that wouldn’t interfere with the radio’s operation. That plus a few other modern tweaks like a QCX interface and a switch to toggle between receive to transmit easily allows this radio to be quite versatile when operating while maintaining its portability and durability when summiting.

For those looking to replicate a tube-based radio like this one, [Dan] has made all of the schematics available on his GitHub page. The only other limitation to keep in mind with a build like this is that it tends to only work on a very narrow range of frequencies without adding further complexity to the design, in this case within the CW portion of the 40-meter band. But that’s not really a bad thing as most radios with these design principles tend to work this way. For some other examples, take a look at these antique QRP radios for operating using an absolute minimum of power.

Keeping Ham Radio Relevant Hack Chat

February 3, 2020 by 69 Comments

Join us on Wednesday, February 5 at noon Pacific for the Keeping Ham Radio Relevant Hack Chat with Josh Nass!

It may not seem like it, but amateur radio is fighting a two-front war for its continued existence. On the spectrum side, hams face the constant threat that the precious scraps of spectrum that are still allocated to their use will be reclaimed and sold off to the highest bidder as new communication technologies are developed. On the demographic side, amateur radio is aging, with fewer and fewer young people interested in doing the work needed to get licensed, with fewer still having the means to get on the air.

Amateur radio has a long, rich history, but gone are the days when hams can claim their hobby is sacrosanct because it provides communications in an emergency. Resting on that particular laurel will not win the hobby new adherents or help it hold onto its spectrum allocations​, so Josh Nass (KI6NAZ) is helping change the conversation. Josh is an engineer and radio amateur from Southern California who runs Ham Radio Crash Course​, a YouTube channel dedicated to getting people up to speed on ham radio. Josh’s weekly livestreams and his video reviews of ham radio products and projects show a different side of the World’s Greatest Hobby, one that’s more active (through events like “Summits on the Air​​”) and focused on digital modes that are perhaps more interesting and accessible to new hams.

Join us on the Hack Chat as we discuss how to make ham radio matter in today’s world of pervasive technology. We’ll talk about the challenges facing amateur radio, the fun that’s still to be had on the air even when the bands are dead like they are now (spoiler alert: they’re not really), and what we can all do to keep ham radio relevant.

join-hack-chatOur Hack Chats are live community events in the Hackaday.io Hack Chat group messaging. This week we’ll be sitting down on Wednesday, February 5 at 12:00 PM Pacific time. If time zones have got you down, we have a handy time zone converter.

Click that speech bubble to the right, and you’ll be taken directly to the Hack Chat group on Hackaday.io. You don’t have to wait until Wednesday; join whenever you want and you can see what the community is talking about. Continue reading “Keeping Ham Radio Relevant Hack Chat” →

Ham Radio On $100 Or Less

May 28, 2018 by 63 Comments

There are a lot of reasons to get a ham radio license, and if you are one of those that think ham radio is dead you can probably skip this post. However, if you have been interested, but didn’t want to drop a lot of money on a station, [KE6MT] has got some great advice for you. He says you can have a rewarding time in ham radio for about $100 of spending.

The post is the advice he wished he had been given in 2015 when he got his license. It turns out you can get on the air very inexpensively these days, especially if you aren’t afraid to build gear from kits.

Continue reading “Ham Radio On $100 Or Less” →