THE MANATEE AMATEUR RADIO CLUB, INC. October 2018 RADIOWAVES

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1 THE MANATEE AMATEUR RADIO CLUB, INC. October 2018 RADIOWAVES MARCI Newsletter FROM THE PRESIDENT: I don t know about the rest of you but I am certainly ready for some cooler weather. Heck, how about some cold weather? In any event, I think this has been the wettest summer in the 20+ years I ve lived in Florida. And hot it was so hot the other day, I saw a dog chasing a cat and they were both walking. I m ready for it to dry up, cool down, and get dark, though I don t like the shorter hours of daylight we ll be dealing with soon. But cool, yes..please. There is just something wrong with watching the kids selling pumpkins or Xmas trees in tank tops and flip flops. Hopefully, with the cooler weather we ll be more inspired to complete those too often put off antenna projects. You know, that dipole through the trees, that ground mounted vertical, or the attic mounted J-pole now that the attic will also be cool, or perhaps something for satellite tracking. It ll be time to take advantage of what little change of seasons we get around here. Plan now install soon. And when the skies clear, especially at night, it will make it much easier to spot the International Space Station as it passes. Check out the link below for more info and schedule to plan for the flyovers. That s it for now see you soon and don t forget to tell someone you love them. Now, where s my sweatshirt with the hoodie? From The Editor: We squeaked by in September with at least 4 named storms in the Atlantic, none of which impacted our area severely. Let s hope that October will be the same or better. At last month s meeting, Steve Park gave a very interesting presentation on working with the Amateur Satellites. He has graciously consented to add a sort of a column monthly with more info on the satellite world. Page 1

2 Amateur Satellite Teasers I would like to thank everyone at the MARCI Club Meeting last month for allowing me to share my passion for the amateur satellite service. I hope you enjoyed our introduction to amateur satellite operations titled Getting Started with the FM Satellites. Did you have any luck hearing the FM Easysats? AO-85, AO-91, and AO-92 have been very reliable and easy to receive on a simple two-meter handheld radio. I also worked SO- 50 quite easily using my 440 MHz radio. The results of the survey we conducted at the last meeting were unanimous in suggesting more information on satellite tracking and orbit prediction software. Remember to look at for pass predictions on any of the birds available in the amateur satellite service. If you would like something a bit more useful, I have a list of some simple and free program apps you can use to make small satellite usage even more convenient. For most any Microsoft Windows PC; Satellite Explorer Linux users should try; gpredict My favorite is an iphone app:; SatSat My biggest discovery this month has been just how simple it is to hear the International Space Station. Just tune to MHz. I learned that the ISS and now four new amateur satellites carry Packet Radio Digipeaters. So if you have packet and/or APRS capability on two meters, you are in for a treat. If you have a two meter radio and a computer or smart phone, there are simple and free applications you can use to receive and send your location and text messages to anyone without the internet. For more information, check out I hope to share a few new tidbits with you again next month. Do you have another favorite tracking program or know of one for the Apple IOS Page 2

3 computers? Until then, please feel free to send me your questions and comments by or catch me on the repeater sometime. 73 es Gud DX, Steve W4OEP October Word Search Oscilloscopes M Y M T C E F F E L L A H G S G H Q H T D I W D N A B L Q L T I R N R H Z N Q Q V X E J Q K M Y N A K E C R T F W K B F M R N Z A G T Q T V M O M U O M J Q R K D R L I Z R N A Y T R N B C L N K Z E E C Y E T F M P C A C A B L W P D S U T V L N M P N E T T T C K K O I L T N R L J D L I T T I R Z T H D E I O M F P H G I L E N O P M T E M K C R A K I F O T R D E N R A B Q H B S T D K G N L U E F R A C A N T S A C T I V E J W D R R R L N C A T E I C O T K S N Q E T M U D G E Y G O L A N A P P D N V R T C D H L K F W N A T I O N A L R A D I O T E K T R O N I X T C H F R D N V active current logic amplitude digital national radio analog eico probe bandpass functional RF detector bandwidth graticule single sideband cathode ray Hall effect sweep converter heathkit Tektronix Page 3

4 Portable Power for QRP Operations Geoff Haines, N1GY I, like a lot of other hams, was once the proud owner of a QRP radio. Specifically, a Yaesu FT-817ND. I had both the rechargeable internal battery pack and the non-rechargeable battery holder that carries 8 AA size cells. Both work fine but I wanted a longer lasting power source. Not so coincidentally I also owned a three panel solar panel array that has a charge controller which suggests that a battery be used to function as a constant load for the controller. To solve both requirements, I purchased an 18 Ampere hour SLA battery from my local battery supplier. After some initial testing to confirm proper operation with the solar array, I determined that the battery needed some form of outer protection to avoid any possibility of an accidental short circuit across the battery terminals. My initial search was for a small ammo box. These are available in various sizes and usually finding one of a size suitable for an 18 AH SLA Battery is no problem. Naturally, this time I had no luck in finding one of the correct size. I then started looking at alternatives. I found an enclosure from Pac-Tec (r) that was a good size and would allow a little extra space to provide space for wiring a number of different connections, more about that in a minute. The enclosure was ordered and arrived in just a couple of days. In my preparations for this project, I determined that I wanted at least two sets of Power Pole Connectors. My long time fellow club member, John Bee of Quicksilver Radio Products told me about a new product he was offering called a Triple Play panel with Meter. This neat little gadget combines a cigar lighter type socket with two different USB connectors (1 amp and 3 amp) along with a digital voltmeter to show the state of charge of the SLA battery. For my use, I discarded the bezel that surrounds the three items, meter, USB connectors, cigar lighter socket, and drilled three holes in the enclosure Page 4

5 itself to mount the three units. I also drilled and squared up an opening in the end of the enclosure to accept two sets of Power Pole connectors. One of these can be used to accept a charge from either the solar array or a battery maintainer/charger that I purchased when I purchased the SLA battery. The other set of Power Pole connectors can be used to connect to the QRP radio with the power cord that is supplied with the radio, after the installation of the appropriate connectors. When not using the solar array, the other Power Poles can be used to power an LED lamp or other accessory. I also installed a SPST rocker switch to shut off the digital meter to control the power drain when not in use. Because the enclosure was not designed to carry a relatively heavy item like the SLA battery, I decided that some reinforcement was in order. A quick phone call to my daughter Lisa, who has definitely inherited her mother s talent for sewing, and a harness made of strong nylon webbing was constructed in short order. She even included a four inch piece of PVC pipe that I had brought along to use as a handle. We included two buckles on one side of the harness to allow it to be removed if disassembly was required at a later date. I normally keep the battery pack in my radio room hooked up to the charger/maintainer. It has maintained a full charge now for several months. This 18 AH SLA battery powered my FT-817ND for far longer than the internal battery packs whether the solar array is used or not. In fact, for any operations that have a definite time span such as Field Day or a public demonstration, I would just bring the battery pack and leave the solar array at home. On an emergency deployment where the time span is unknown, of course the solar array would come along, giving the radio set-up essentially unlimited operational time. This is a relatively easy project for even the newcomer to build. Since I built mine, of course, several sources for the appropriate ammo box have showed up. Using an plastic ammo box of the right size solves several issues. The carry handle comes already installed. The ammo box is strong Page 5

6 enough from the outset and thus the webbing reinforcement would be unnecessary. Since the ammo box is made of some form of plastic, drilling for the meter, switch and the other connections will be easy with the appropriate step drill. For certain mobile VHF or VHF/UHF rigs set on a lower power output, this battery could easily serve as power for a certain amount of time, easily enough for a public service event like a 5 K race or a walkathon. The one cautionary note would be that the plastic ammo cans available from many sources will not handle an 18 AH Battery. The battery is a bit to big. The box will however handle a pair of 7 AH SLA batteries wired in parallel. This arrangement will yield 14 AH of power, easily enough to power a mobile rig set on low or intermediate power for an entire day or longer. Geoff Haines, N1GY SWAP / TRADE / SELL : If anyone has gear they wish to sell or donate, please send the particulars to the editor for inclusion in the next issue. The want or sell ads are free so please avail yourself of the service. For Sale: VHF and UHF Antennas: Made with 3/32 welding rod and SO- 239 connector easy to assemble and mount on ¾ PVC pipe. Monoband only$10.00 each Call Geoff at PowerPole Power Distribution Blocks in 4+1, 6+1, and 8+1 sizes $15, $20, $25 each respectively Can custom build to suit. Call Geoff at Foot operated PTT switches brand new from MPJA wired with 3.5mm mono plug on10 cable. ¼ adapter available if needed. $10 Call Geoff at For Sale: Fitbit Flex wireless wristband. New in box, never used. $ Contact George, K4AWA or E Mail K4AWA@aol.com Club Meetings Monthly Meeting September Meeting on September 4, 2018 at the Bible Baptist Church 2113 Morgan Johnson Rd Monthly Board Meeting September 18, 2018 at the Bible Baptist Church, 7 PM Monthly ARES Meeting September 25, 2018 at the Manatee County EOC, 7 Pm Page 6

7 Club and Other Nets: MARCI Info Net Sunday 7:00 PM Hz. ARES Net Monday 7:00PM Hz. Manatee Skywarn Net Thursday 7:00 PM Hz. PLEASE PARTICIPATE IN ALL THE NETS ANY TIME YOU CAN. The nets on Monday ( ) and Thursday ( )are logged for the Manatee County Emergency Management and create bill-able hours of Volunteer Participation which often results in County provided equipment for ARES. WCF ARES & INFO Net Monday 7:30 PM Hz. WCF Eagle NTS Net Nightly 8:30 PM Hz. WCF Skywarn Net Tuesday 9:00 PM Hz WCF Technical Net Thursday 9:00 PM Hz (The WCF nets are also available on Hz.) Do please try to remember to check into the nets, both local and regional. Participation will only take you a moment out of your evening but it is vital to the life of the net. Page 7