QRZ! Ham Radio 4/QRZ Ham Radio Callsign Database - Volume 4.iso/digests/homebrew/940117.txt

Internet Message Format | 1994-11-13 | 16KB

Date: Tue,  3 May 94 04:30:23 PDT
From: Ham-Homebrew Mailing List and Newsgroup <[e-mail]>
Errors-To: [e-mail]
Reply-To: [e-mail]
Precedence: Bulk
Subject: Ham-Homebrew Digest V94 #117
To: Ham-Homebrew


Ham-Homebrew Digest         Tue,  3 May 94       Volume 94 : Issue  117

Today's Topics:
                    Help with Homemade Capacitors
         Newbie code Practice receiver -- feasible? (5 msgs)
Periodic Announcement - ARRL Email Information Server ([e-mail])
                        Vertical yagi mounting

Send Replies or notes for publication to: <[e-mail]>
Send subscription requests to: <[e-mail]>
Problems you can't solve otherwise to [e-mail].

Archives of past issues of the Ham-Homebrew Digest are available
(by FTP only) from UCSD.Edu in directory "mailarchives/ham-homebrew".

We trust that readers are intelligent enough to realize that all text
herein consists of personal comments and does not represent the official
policies or positions of any party.  Your mileage may vary.  So there.
----------------------------------------------------------------------

Date: Mon, 2 May 1994 20:02:21 GMT
From: ihnp4.ucsd.edu!swrinde!gatech!news-feed-2.peachnet.edu!darwin.sura.net!mlb.semi.harris.com!cica.mlb.semi.harris.com![e-mail]
Subject: Help with Homemade Capacitors
To: [e-mail]

I am trying to fix an old
Quack Medical Device that has a glass
and foil stacked capacitor inside it.
I have seen similar capacitors inside
Leeds & Northrup equipment.  Does
anyone know how big (uFs), these
capacitors tend to be and what the
breakdown voltages might be?  I hesitate
to rebuild it.


Russ Pate
WB4VVN
[e-mail]

------------------------------

Date: 29 Apr 1994 14:25:37 GMT
From: ihnp4.ucsd.edu!swrinde!emory!news-feed-2.peachnet.edu!news-feed-1.peachnet.edu!news.duke.edu!solaris.cc.vt.edu!news.ans.net!newsgate.watson.ibm.com!watnews.watson.ibm.com![e-mail].
Subject: Newbie code Practice receiver -- feasible?
To: [e-mail]

I took my no-code tech exam couple of weeks back, and
am now learning code from tapes while waiting for the
licence. I would like to get up to 13wpm so that
I can upgrade to general when I take the exams.

I would like to have a code-practice reciever to
get the code practice sessions from W1AW and also
perhaps to listen to other conversations going on
in the various bands. Since I don't know what
kind of radio I would eventually want, I don't really
want to buy a traceiver yet. Most of the cheaper
commerically availabe receivers don't receive CW and SSB.
So, I am thinking of building
a simple receiver, either as a project or
preferrably from a kit. I will basically have only a
multi-meter available, and I don't have any experience
with building RF circuits.

Given the above,
1. Can somebody recommend a good, inexpensive kit ? I just
got the catalog from ten-tec yesterday, they have a a kit
for $39. This is a new business for them, so I don't expect
anybody has built this yet, but if they have, I would like
to hear about it..

2. Is this kind of project feasible, or am I better off looking
for a used receiver? (Well, I intend to look at the local hamfests
anyway, I was just wondering about how feasible the task is in
general, given that I don't have much test equipment).

Thanks for any comments, advice, references etc. in advance.
--vinod
email: [e-mail]

------------------------------

Date: 2 May 1994 19:17:48 GMT
From: ihnp4.ucsd.edu!library.ucla.edu!csulb.edu!nic-nac.CSU.net!charnel.ecst.csuchico.edu!olivea!news.bu.edu!dartvax.dartmouth.edu![e-mail]
Subject: Newbie code Practice receiver -- feasible?
To: [e-mail]

In article <2pr5d1$[e-mail]>
[e-mail] (Vinod Narayanan) writes:

> I would like to have a code-practice reciever to
> get the code practice sessions from W1AW and also
> perhaps to listen to other conversations going on
> in the various bands.

     I bought a kit to do just this thing from a company in
Pennsylvania called Radio Adventures Corp.  They have had an ad in the
back of CQ somewhere for a while.  It only picks up W1AW on the 40m
band (other bands available) but has very minimalist filtering, so I
can occaisonally hear some English-language SW broadcaster that I can't
quite seem to comprehend (part of which may all be because my antenna
system is just a random wire about 15m long...).  The receiver will
definitely pick up W1AW and was somewhat useful as my first kit, as I
got plenty of "oops - all those parts weren't supposed to go on that
side of the PC board, were they?" type of experience out of the way...
---
=======================================================================
Kenneth E. Harker  N1PVB        Dartmouth College  Amateur Packet Radio
[e-mail]  Hinman Box 1262    [e-mail]
[phone]                  Hanover, NH 03755  or n1pvb-5 on 144.99
=======================================================================
             (PGP Public Key now available on request)

------------------------------

Date: 2 May 94 22:28:29 GMT
From: pa.dec.com![e-mail]
Subject: Newbie code Practice receiver -- feasible?
To: [e-mail]

"

In article <Message-Id>
[e-mail] (Vinod Narayanan) wrote:

"
>I took my no-code tech exam couple of weeks back, and
>am now learning code from tapes while waiting for the

I saw in QST or CQ a receiver that just received the ARRL broadcasts. It was
in an add. Somewhere in the back. Pick up an issue and check it out.


Jeff
KD1IT/7

------------------------------

Date: 2 May 94 21:50:57 GMT
From: agate!dog.ee.lbl.gov!ihnp4.ucsd.edu!usc!nic-nac.CSU.net!news.Cerritos.edu!news.Arizona.EDU!nelson.as.arizona.edu![e-mail]
Subject: Newbie code Practice receiver -- feasible?
To: [e-mail]

In article <2q3jks$[e-mail]> [e-mail] (Kenneth E. Harker) writes:
>
>     I bought a kit to do just this thing from a company in
>Pennsylvania called Radio Adventures Corp.  They have had an ad in the
>back of CQ somewhere for a while.  It only picks up W1AW on the 40m
>band (other bands available) but has very minimalist filtering, so I

Kenneth, what kind of earphone/headphone are you using for this W1AW
receiver? I built one for 20 meters and shelved it, because, in any of
my "walkman" type headphones, or an old style earphone, the audio output
is minimal. I wrote to the fellow, and he recommended Koss "ear-buds",
but I'm not so sure I want to invest any more money in this. Also, it
has no shielding and is very susceptible to local AM broadcast. I wish
I had waited for Ten-Tec to produce their kit line.

Howard

------------------------------

Date: 2 May 94 22:16:55 GMT
From: yale.edu!noc.near.net!news.delphi.com!BIX.com![e-mail]
Subject: Newbie code Practice receiver -- feasible?
To: [e-mail]

[e-mail] (Kenneth E. Harker) writes:

>In article <2pr5d1$[e-mail]>
>[e-mail] (Vinod Narayanan) writes:

>> I would like to have a code-practice reciever to
>> get the code practice sessions from W1AW and also
>> perhaps to listen to other conversations going on
>> in the various bands.

>     I bought a kit to do just this thing from a company in
>Pennsylvania called Radio Adventures Corp.  They have had an ad in the
>back of CQ somewhere for a while.  It only picks up W1AW on the 40m
>band (other bands available) but has very minimalist filtering, so I
>can occaisonally hear some English-language SW broadcaster that I can't
>quite seem to comprehend (part of which may all be because my antenna
>system is just a random wire about 15m long...).  The receiver will
>definitely pick up W1AW and was somewhat useful as my first kit, as I
>got plenty of "oops - all those parts weren't supposed to go on that
>side of the PC board, were they?" type of experience out of the way...

I also bought one of those Radio Adventures kits but I found it
essentially useless.  When I'd talked with the company before ordering,
I was assured, oh, no problem, you should be able to pick up W1AW with
a 10' piece of wire as an antenna, you're so close.  (I live outside
Boston, seemingly not all _that_ far from Newington, CT.)

In fact, the kit will pick up W1AW but not so well that anyone I know
could possibly have the patience to try listening.  Even with an
outside antenna, you can barely hear it.  It's pitiful.

Now, in point of fact, W1AW is just not that strong a signal in many
places.  With that same outside wire antenna, I can always find W1AW's
80m and 40m signals on my FT-990 and those signals are always fairly
easy to copy, but nonetheless, there is also quite frequently an annoying
amount of QRM and fading.

My advice is to not to waste your money on something cheap.  You only
get what you pay for.  If you're looking for some inexpensive code
practice, get the ARRL code practice tapes.  They _really_ work and
they're really worth the money.

Don't expect to practice with the W1AW signals (depending on your
location) until you get a "real" radio.


Regards,
Doug Hamilton    KD1UJ    [e-mail]    Ph 508-358-5715
Hamilton Laboratories, 13 Old Farm Road, Wayland, MA  01778-3117, USA

------------------------------

Date: Mon, 2 May 1994 08:38:55 -0600
From: ihnp4.ucsd.edu!galaxy.ucr.edu!library.ucla.edu!psgrain!nntp.cs.ubc.ca!alberta!ve6mgs![e-mail]
Subject: Periodic Announcement - ARRL Email Information Server ([e-mail])
To: [e-mail]

Periodic Announcement - ARRL Email Information Server ([e-mail])

The services that the ARRL provides via the internet include the
Email Information Server and the Technical Information Service.
The Information Server is an automated mail server that gives you
access to many of information files relating to various facets of
Amateur Radio.  You can retrieve any or all of these files by
sending an email message to [e-mail] here at ARRL HQ.
Each file you request is then mailed to you automatically.

To use it, mail messages to:

   [e-mail]

Each line of the message body should contain a command as shown below.
The subject of your message is not processed and may be omitted.  You
may place as many commands in a message as you want.  The files you
request will be sent to you in separate messages.  Only ASCII text
files are supported.

Valid INFO commands:

reply <address>  (may be needed - see below for explanation)
help
index
send FILENAME   (example: send prospect.txt)
quit

In the above message example, "help" retrieves a brief set of
instructions for info, "index" retrieves a list of available files
and "send prospect.txt" retrieves a text file containing information
on becoming a radio amateur.

Note to users with FTP capability:  All of these files are also
available by anonymous ftp to oak.oakland.edu in the
pub/hamradio/arrl/infoserver area.  Retrieve the file index.txt
in the /league sub-directory for a complete listing of available
files.

If you want to retrieve several text files with one message, use a
separate line for each "send filename" request.

Your From: field or Reply-to: field in your header should contain a
valid Internet address, including full domain name.  If your From:
field does not contain a valid Internet address, the answer will not
reach you.  If this is the case, then use the reply command as shown
above.  When needed, this command should always be the first command
in your message.

IMPORTANT: Please use the quit command in your message.  This will
           prevent processing errors from message signatures.

PLEASE NOTE!:  This is an automated system not capable of handling
written requests.  Any questions on the info-server or the content
of any of its files should be directed to [e-mail].

ALSO NOTE!: Do *NOT* reply to messages sent from [e-mail] - the
reply address is redirected to keep bounced messages from endlessly
looping.  Write a new message to [e-mail] instead.

The Technical Information Service gives League members on the
internet better access to the knowledgeable technical staff here
at ARRL HQ.  Questions relating to Amateur Radio and related
technical topics are welcome.  To use this service, send a normal
e-mail message to [e-mail] with your question spelled out in
plain english.  For best service, be as specific as possible and
keep your line length in messages to a maximum of 80 characters.
Due to personnel limitations, priority will be given to questions
from League members.

Best Regards,

Michael Tracy, KC1SX, ARRL Technical Information Services Coordinator
(e-mail [e-mail])


Sample of files available from INFO: (There are lots more!)

Note - If you are not yet an Amateur Radio operator retrieve the
file prospect (send prospect) for information on how to easily get
started in this fun hobby.

FILENAME         SIZE  DATE  DESCRIPTION
---------------- ---- ------ --------------------
PROSPECT.TXT       2k 930514 How to get your Amateur Radio license
EXAMS.TXT         52k 930629 Current exam schedule info - updated bi-weekly
EXAMINFO.TXT       9k 921020 Examinations - what to bring - requirements
USERS.TXT          6k 930119 List of HQ Email addresses
ARRLCAT.TXT       39k 930709 Catalog of ARRL Publications - commercial content
JOIN.TXT           2k 930621 How become an ARRL member
SERVICES.TXT       5k 930621 A condensed list of ARRL membership services
TOUR.TXT          28k 930621 An electronic tour of ARRL Headquarters
DIR.HQ             5k 930310 Visiting ARRL HQ - diretions and tour information
HFBANDS            7k 921203 Breakdown of users of HF spectrum
Q-SIGS             1k 921203 ARRL list of Amateur Radio Q-signals
W1AW.SKD           2k 930120 W1AW schedule of transmissions and operation
PRODREV1.TXT      12k 930227 Which rig is best? Part 1 - QST Lab Notes
PRODREV2.TXT      22k 930227 Which rig is best? Part 2 - QST Lab Notes
!LIST.TXT          6k 931120 QST Bibliographies List
RFIGEN.TXT        37k 930120 How to solve an EMI/RFI problem - QST Lab Notes
RFISOURC.TXT      13k 930607 Where to buy filters - EMI-proof telephones etc.
ADDRESS.TXT       16k 930318 Lots and lots of ham/electonic company addresses
KITS.TXT           6k 930430 List of companies that sell kits
BBS.TXT           12k 930601 List of ham-radio land-line bulletin boards
FAQ1.TXT          25k 930707 Introduction to the FAQ and Amateur Radio
FAQ2.TXT          45k 930707 Amateur Radio Orgs, Services and Info Sources
FAQ3.TXT          32k 930707 Amateur Radio Advanced and Technical Questions

-------------------------------------------------------------------------
American Radio Relay League, Inc.     Tel: [phone]
225 Main Street                       Fax: [phone]
Newington, CT 06111                   Email: [e-mail]
-------------------------------------------------------------------------

------------------------------

Date: Mon, 2 May 94 07:18:01 MST
From: ihnp4.ucsd.edu!usc!howland.reston.ans.net!spool.mu.edu!news.cs.indiana.edu!lynx.unm.edu!dns1.NMSU.Edu!dns1.NMSU.Edu![e-mail]
Subject: Vertical yagi mounting
To: [e-mail]

On Thu, 28 Apr 1994 20:55:12 GMT,
Paul H. Bock  <[e-mail]> wrote:

>     In a recent on-the-air discussion, I pointed out the error
>of mounting a two-meter yagi in the vertically-polarized
>position while using a metal mast (assuming that the antenna
>mounts from the center of the boom and not at one end, the
>latter being common for 3- and 4-element yagis).
Paul:  This is an excellent problem for testing with the newer versions of
MIninec or NEC on the market.  I have done a good bit of modeling of
stacked and interlaced 10/15/20 meter yagis and can confirm that a 20 meter
element in the middle of a 15 meter yagi is bad news in that it can cost
you 1 to 1.5 dB of gain, change the input Z some and cause most anything to
happen to the front to back.  I have not tried a random length mast but I
would expect the same sort of results.  73 Bill

------------------------------

End of Ham-Homebrew Digest V94 #117
******************************