Author's posts
Feb 28 2014
IRLP/EchoIRLP on Raspberry Pi
A more mature view of the Raspberry Pi EchoIRLP node. I’m still looking for a more ideal solution, but in the mean time, this gets it off my bench and into the rack with the repeater gear.
Feb 17 2014
EchoIRLP is ALIVE!!!!
I decided that this past weekend I was going to get the PiRLP project going. The picture above is the benched, but working result. The black box on the left is the Raspberry Pi. The circuit board in the middle is the IRLP interface board. And the various jumper cables are connections going …
Feb 03 2014
January 2014 ARRL Technical Special Report
Well, it was January and it was winter in Indiana. I think we can all agree on that. The in-climate weather hasn’t done much for my HF antenna situation. I have this shiny new launcher to play with and short of a couple of test fires, no real progress has been made in getting …
Jan 28 2014
KC9CTQ, SK
I was in the ham radio, “Shack,” on the computer, when I caught mention of a recent silent key with the suffix of CTQ. I only knew of one guy with that suffix, so a visit to QRZ and a google search confirmed that Stan Kidwell of Brownsburg passed away on the 26th. I used …
Oct 29 2013
Motorola TRBO XPR6580
My exploration of available 33cm radios continues. I recently acquired a Motorola XPR6580 HT. This radio is capable of 800/900MHz and both digital (DMR/TDMA) as well as analog operation. I currently have it programmed for local analog 33cm repeaters, however I’m exploring the options/opportunities to play with TRBO. Programming is not the easiest process. You …
Oct 23 2013
33cm Maxtrac Conversion
I think I’m finally to the point of being able to say I’ve completed my first conversion of a 900MHz Maxtrac. The radio originally started out as a trunking multi-channel (talkgroup) radio. I replaced the trunking PROM with a conventional PROM and went through the process of blanking the radio and re-aligning it. Details on …
Oct 15 2013
N9AG Website
The club for which I serve as President has adopted a new name and a new call sign. Originally the club was named after a common employer, but was forced to change the name due to conflicts with the marketing department. Then after I left the employer back in April of 2013, it was decided …
Oct 10 2013
Shack reformation
Since returning from vacation, I’ve been busy trying to get the shack back in order and get my work area functional again. I picked up (and built) a new Kobalt Bench, and now have it in the shack. I’m still trying to figure out where or how I’m going to place my test equipment so …
Sep 25 2013
Vacation Ops
The mobile installation worked great during our trip to Gatlinburg. I mostly worked PSK31 and JT65 while mobile. I’ll tell you that keeping a lengthy QSO going while traveling down the road can be tricky, but a lot of fun. I logged contacts throughout central Europe and a few state-side contacts as well. Due …