Friday 22 April 2016

Bunch of Stuff

Been pretty busy these days and shack time has taken a back seat somewhat. Having said that I've got a couple of things on the go. And in no particular order here they are:

1, 2 tone generator.  In order to test the ssb signal on the LBS rig, it has become apparent that I need one.  There are a few kits out there that look pretty good but I was thinking of building one from scratch.  I then stumbled across a kit that produces 2 tones but only one at a time.  For about $4 I figure I can buy two and join the two and see what happens. Turns out there is a local store that carries them so a win win.  Now to find the time to put them together.  I should be able to put them both in one Altoid tin.

2, Get back on the LBS rig.  I have finally all the pieces put together and adjusted.  The only thing to confirm is the quality of the signal.  Injecting a 1khz tone into the microphone amp produces a signal that appears to sound ok.  Speaking into the mic the signal does not appear to be all that great. But to make sure I think I'll remove my KX3 from the shack and move it outside and then get the xyl to speak into the LBS so I can listen to the signal quality.  The LBS is connected to a dummy load so I may only have to move to another room in the house so I can get a clearer picture of the signal.

3, Get the software working correctly for the LBS rig. I like the latest version from Dave, VE3OOI, but am having a few issues getting it to run. None of it insurmountable, but another item on the list. hihi.

4, Work on my cw. Field day is approaching quickly and I'd like to try for a couple of contacts with that mode.  Won't loos any sleep over it if I don't, but I know I'll use it this summer with the gang back in Toronto/Brampton.

5, Get our old "Q4" project up and running again.  It was one of my early ventures into SDR. I think this rig would make for a nice poor mans spectrum analyzer.

6, Start making some more contacts on the hf bands.  After all that is what this hobby is mostly about.  I need to get using my new KX3 more so I can learn and remember all, well most, of its capabilities.  I want to do some outdoor operating this year and the KX3 will be my main rig for that.

7, Raspberry pi.  Got to get onto the board I got 2 Christmas's back and put it to good use.  Couple of ideas but it keeps changing.

8, Load the latest firmware for my SNA.  Some terrific new capabilities with this release and want to give it a go.

Sure there's more but enough writing and time to heat up the iron.

73, Peter