Developments.. ?

I know I havent been keeping promises lately..

Its been more than a year since I promised updates, and there have been so many things I have been caught up with lately.

The shack now stands untouched for quite sometime due to my career. The antenna needs fixing too.

 Amidst all the QRL for the past few months, I got around to building the VUSDR ..! What a performer, at the given price (INR 8000)!!! I paired the 5 Watt 1-30 Mhz SDR with the infamous "Red-Box" PA-150 from VU3GEK. The Amp is a terrific steal at the price. My only concern was the lack of a proper BPF (under construction) for the linear.

I got around to playing with it too much without a cabinet that I now suspect there is a hairline short between those tiny little SMD components. I'm now looking out for hot air station to rework those solder joints.

I also manged to get my hands on the so-far-elusive si570s by organizing a group-buy.  I have some neat plans for them.

OK. I think I've written too much.  Here are some pictures,

The VUSDR, based on the AE9RB Peaberry

A Marine Engine room communication headset, purchased at MAHA MEET for a very reasonable bargain!

The MFJ tuner. I love the cross needle meter on this one!

More soon.

73

QRL QRL ..

I'm Sorry.

It has been a long, long time since I was QRV from my shack due to my post graduation and QRM from other things in life.

During all this, OM Shyam, 3UBR, kept nudging me to get my ticket renewed. After 6 months or so, of constant nagging, I gave in and sent off my papers to the WPC address and waited. A few weeks later, I received the renewal in my mail.

My plan was to build a receiver (My old junkbox and homebrew were gotten rid of when I was in the UK!)  and then work my way up to a transceiver. I started sourcing all the parts and got back on VHF to let my old friends know that I am back.

Amidst all this, I was looking for a HF transceiver to primarily fill my shack and operate portable(when time permits). After some looking around, I landed on a Yaesu FT-100D from a very friendly and well known local op and I've been thankful to him for that. The receiver with all its bells and whistles DSP is simply better sounding than any rigs I've made in the past*.

A quick Inverted Vee cut for 40M, some Old Co-Ax and a 30A Power supply was put together on a old table, and my first contact on HF-40M was with VU2PLL, OM Shan, from Erode, with a 5-9 sent and a 5-6 received on 20W. Not bad considering my Noisy location. A Few QSO's later, I had my very first DX qso with 4S7AVR, OM Noel from Colombo for a 5-5 received.

I'm in the process of starting to build a proper shack around my FT-100D. In a few following posts(I Promise, I will be regular this time) you will see a lot of related radio accessories before I go back to radios ( MINIMA, by Farhan looks like the next big project). I will also post updates on contests and other DXing info

A special thanks to VU2NKK(OM Krish), for reminding me to get back on my blog.

73

USB PIC Microcontroller Programmer on Sale!

Hello!

I've recently been looking around for a USB PIC programmer for Programming those Microcontrollers for Homebrew Projects. There are a few Programmer, but they are mostly Serial port devices, which are not at all compatible with Modern Motherboards and laptops. This is where USB programmers come into play.

There are currently 2 on offer for those who want to buy from India. One is from United electronics, based in Mangalore. It Costs around 1700 INR without shipping and Is based on the Blueroom elecronics's Junebug Programmer. The Programmer is a Self Powered Programmer, meaning, the USB port powers the programmer.

The Link to their webpage is http://united77.com/products.htm

The other is from eXtreme electronics, based in Jamshedpur. The Cost of this programmer is 999INR without shipping. My Guess is that the shipping charge would be close to 200 INR, so that makes this the cheapest USB PIC Programmer available in India. This Porgramer on the Other hand requires a 12VDC inout to program Microcontrollers.

Here is the Link to the eXtreme electronics E-shop : http://shop.extremeelectronics.co.in/product_info.php?cPath=21&products_id=78

Before Buying, make sure you read all the technical data presented on the website to make sure that the programmer supports the PIC microcontroller you are planning to use.

I'm planning to buy one/homebrew (based on time+cost+availability factor) soon. Ill post reviews later.

73's

Ragav

Hello!

Phew! It's been a hell of a hard time these days. I Managed find a job right after graduation and am now sitting from my office typing this in my outdated blog. Amatuer radio of all things has taken a backseat and motocycling is in! I managed to get my hands broken this year but I'm recovering now!

There have been some upgrades in the shack as well. A Kenwood TS450 is now a part of th shack along with a mismatched 7 Mhz Dipole which works Incredibly well on 21 Mhz! To supplement the TS 450, I have a 10 A Junk market Power supply. Both of these are courtesy of VU2ABS and VU2JA! Thank you guys! I've had my share of fun on SSB with a Homebrew 7 Mhz Rx and a Homebrew 7 Mhz TRX.

Since It been almost a year since I wielded a soldering Iron, I've decided to allocate time on my long lost, yet favourite hobby to keep my spirts high. I still ahvent boxed up my SDR nor is that BITX complete! Need to work on that soon! I'm planning to order a USB-PIC programmer (due to the cost and laziness factor involved!) from Extreme Electronics. That should give me some opening to PIC microcontrollers and a chance to study after a long time!

The Blog will be updated as and when I get time! I swear! Since Geocities has shut down I'm looking forward to move the blog to a better host and have my own personal website.

Look forward to more Homebrew electronics and antenna projects soon!

73's

Ragav

The SDR ... Its Alive !!

Hello!

After some QRL , I found some time to work on my SDR Receiver which i have mentioned about in my earlier posts. After adding a BC 547 RF Preamplifier, I connected it to my PC and fired up M0KGK's SDR decoder and voila .... I picked up this transmission from a "french" (Not sure) Station. It still needs tweaking and boxing up but alas, It fianally works.

The Preamp is powerful enough to bring in weak stations with just a 3 Mt wire thrown around the room!

A well deserved break , I should Say!!

73's

Ragav

Back after a long spell ....

Hello!!
Its been a long time since i updated this blog.

Almost a YEAR!!!!

College QRL had kept me from my shack and i decided to break the spell and attended a Software Defined Radio Workshop By VU3WJM, OM Rahul. Anna University, Chennai had done a great job of arranging a workshop to promote SDR's here.

Shyam, 3UBR and I got a kits of a simple SDRx for homebrewing. Since Shyam's Interest in the subject is simply too high, I took some tips from him which gave me a lot of things to think about before I could say "Yeah....I think I understand now..."

Once back in the shack after a brief dinner, I set my sights on the kit. I quickly put together the 5V regulator section and tested it. Next were the Jumpers on the board. After some struggling the jumpers were soldered on. Next were the Resistors, Followed by the non-electrolytics. Then came the IC sockets. The electrolytics and the Crystal were soldered only after the 2 transistors.

After a short break I returned to the shack with the pin layouts of the 3 IC's :

1. 74HC74
2. 74HC4053
3. NE5532

The Pin voltages were measured and were found to be well within the specs of the IC's. Next in line were the 2 transistors. No problems there. Frequency measured was at 28.325 Mhz.

Close enough!

Now to interface it with a good PC (My laptop lacks a Line IN).

I have M0KGK,Rocky and WinRad installed. Lets see :)

73's

Ragav

P.S.: I also got the New BITX v3 PCB from VU3SUA and WOW... look at it guys!! absolute fun to assemble! More on that later!!!

A Simple USB PIC Programmer !

Hello!

I was on the hunt for a USB PIC microcontroller programmer after losing interest in the GTP-USB-Lite.

After a night long search, I found the June Bug Programmer by Blueroom Electronics. The programmer Side is a PICKit 2 Version without the EEPROM's used for On the Go Programming.

The trick to getting this programmer to work is to use a 18F2550 programmed with a .Hex file provided by Microchip. Once this is done, you can calibarate and use the programmer. Oh yes! Once the Chip is programmed, you can update it's firmware by pressing a Push-button on-board.

This makes sure you can program the latest supported PIC micro controller.

This Is a Must Have for Any Hobbyist!!!

Since The PCB is not available on the internet, I decided to ask Theo, a Young Lad who seems to have the knack, even though he is not into RF Design and Construction (yet!).

Here is the PCB and the Component Layout in PDF format.

The Hardware is supported by MPLAB and the hex file can be found in the MPLAB installation directory.

More Updates soon!

73's
Ragav