Plastic Fantastic Magnetic Loops..

Please see the latest info on my loops.

Large Loop Tuned to 40m 32mm pipe 22mm Cooper trombone tuning it

 

 

This one is good for 20m - 10M

 Aluminium Tube trombone.

Lots going on...

I have not updated the bog for some time and I have a raft of things to share I will hopefully be adding more in the next day or so on :-


Magnetic Loops
QRP transceivers for 20m 40m 80m
Data Modes (Chickened out on having my first psk31 contact)


Andy

Intresting Cheap DIY yagi link

http://www.fredspinner.com/W0FMS/CheapYagi/vjbcy.html

 

 

 

 

Amsat

Over the last day or so I have been in conversation with several locals ref working satellites so50 so I think it’s time I built a beam for such exploits  the following looks just the job.

 

http://www.g6lvb.com/HomebrewArrow.htm

 

 

Magnetic Loops

I have been fiddeling with a magnetic loop made from water pipe with a foil lining and it seems to work

 

 

New Call it's been 3 years but hear it is my Full UK licence

My new Call is M0JLY

Finished Peabury SDR Transceiver

Finished Peabury SDR Transceiver now up and running just need to build the low pass filter.

Peaberry SDR update RX working.

Just a note I had a good weekend and managed to get the transceiver to the point the RX is working and tested.

Transformers and Inductors fitted.

Peaberry SDR Kit Build So Far

I had been looking around for a while for an SDR transceiver and came across the Peaberry SDR Kit.  This is tri band sdr this just looked the ticket for me. See AE9RB's site.

http://ae9rb.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=1&products_id=1

The kit is of excellent quality and is a good progression form the simple SDR receivers i have built.
The build program is on line via Make Projects an exelent on line build guide that you can download as a pdf as well.

http://makeprojects.com/Project/Software+Defined+Radio+Transceiver/2439/1



Stage one

Pick your band choice and wind the inductors and transformers.

 Caps on the back of PCB.

PSU components in place.

 

 Difficult bit the sound IC

 

 Connected to PC after install of sound IC and PSU

 Completed to the point of sound can be played out from PC via the peaberry

 

 

 

DIY Digi Scope Web cam for Telescope

With the new telescope I have been seeing quite a lot of people are hacking usb web cameras to attach to telescopes.  After some reading and a rummage in the dark corners of a box of bits I have found a web cam it's a Maplin 720p HD web cam. 

This little camera had a surprise for me in store.  I got curios and unscrewed the focus ring and to my delight it was the same thread as the Aluminium web cam adaptor for SPC880 / SPC900 web cams that seem to be the armature astronomer's favourite with 1.25" filter thread.

I had to do some drilling of the web cam case for the adaptor to fit but behold it works.  You also need to remove the blue led's as well please see below.

 USB camera opened up with lens removed. As you can see the adaptor screws in fine.

 Only fly in the ointment is the hole is not quite big enough to take the adaptor.

 Quick visit to the Man Cave .... The garage ;) and run through with a 20mm drill and your good to go.

 Note 2 blue led's I thought might be a night sight wreaking so out they come...

 Clip PCB back in to the front of the web cam.

 Check fit of adaptor.. All looks good.

 The finished hack...

 I have tested it in day light looking at tiles on the roof and it seems to focus OK.  Just waiting for a clear night to give it a real go.

Distractions from Radio

Of late I have been getting more curious about the night sky and have finally taken the plunge and purchased a modest telescope.
 

This is a Sky Watcher Explorer 130P EQ2 Parabolic Newtonian Reflector Telescope.  I have so far seen Jupiter and it’s Galilean moons Ganymede, Callisto, Io, and Europa. So not a bad start, The moon was bright so I did not bother to try and look at it with out a filter.