BATTERY POWER

MOTORCYCLE BATTERY

Just before I sold my Honda FireBlade, I bought a YUASA YTZ10S (9.1Ah(20HR)) battery for it, so  rather than let the bike go with the new battery, I put the old one back in and kept the new one for days when I'm playing radio outdoors (but not too far from my vehicle).

If I go hill-walking, I always take my LifePO because it's light, but if I'm actually driving to a take-off spot, then I can afford to take something meatier and heavier, so this YUASA will do the job nicely and prevent me from using the cars battery.

On a Club Field Day outing, it should also be fine for a good while at higher power levels. We'll see.

SHACK PIC

PORTABLE HF ANTENNA REVIEWS

MY PORTABLE HF ANTENNAS

I was talking to another M7 the other day and the only antenna he had was a Diamond X30 antenna for VHF/UHF but he was preparing to move into the HF arena as soon as funds permitted. I was telling him how I loved to play QRP on HF and how much I enjoyed the success of making a DX contact on 10W or less, using simple portable antennas.

At home in the shack, I tend to use my permanent EFHW or G5RV, but outdoors I have a choice of portable antennas which are listed below. All these are used at one point or another with my YAESU FT-818 or my ELECRAFT KX3. The antennas can also be used for QRO work on Field Days with my local Radio Club.

So, for the benefit of any newbies wondering what to buy, here's what I chose to invest in...

• SOTABEAMS 20/40M LINKED DIPOLE (BandHopper II)
   
• SOTABEAMS 7-BAND LONG WIRE (BandSpringer Midi)
   
• WIRE-ANTENNAS EFHW - 40/20/15/10 

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The SotaBeams products are highly favoured by me (and many others) and I consider them to be fantastic products at a very reasonable price. The best thing about them is that they are so 'complete'. They come with absolutely everything you need, including tent-pegs and a neat carry-bag.

The 20/40 Linked Dipole BandHopper II is probably my primary choice - it is permanently stored in my Go-Bag and because those two bands are the ones I use most frequently, it ends up being in constant use. Needless to say, no ATU is required, since this antenna is resonant on both bands (with the links connected or disconnected accordingly).

Despite how it may look in the photos, the BandHopper II is very simple to erect and rebag. When I first saw it I thought it would be like getting the Genie back in the bottle, but thanks to those fantastic (supplied) winders, it's an absolute breeze! Just be sure to wind the cables back onto the winders in a 'figure of 8' motion so that they unravel easily the next time you use them. I strongly recommend that you watch some of the videos on the SOTABEAMS website.

Apart from the antenna itself, you will, of course, need some means of getting it up in the air. Personally, I use a portable mast and erect the antenna in an inverted-v, as recommended by the manufacturer. You can use SOTABEAM's Tactical-7000HDS or the smaller Tactical Mini.

M7MCQ up on Winter Hill, G/SP-010

I'll be honest and admit that I struggled a little to get the mast and antenna to stand up at first, but then I came up with the idea of using a small Guy-Tube to make things infinitely easier even in high winds....

Simple  'Guy-Tube'

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The next antenna I purchased was the BAND SPRINGER MIDI and this is a 'Long Wire' with a Counterpoise. Again, the kit comes complete with a carry-bag, winders and tent-pegs - and a handy BNC connector that many other manufacturers would probably have left out.

The BandSpringer is available as a MAXI too, but the MIDI seemed like the best choice for me, since I wasn't interested in working 80M portable. The MIDI will work on 8 bands but an ATU is required! Whilst I prefer to use resonant antennas like the BandHopper, it sure is nice to be able to switch from 10 to 60M for when conditions are really good and the other bands have lots going on.

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My 3rd choice of portable antenna is an End-Fed-Half-Wave. I wanted to invest in one of the American products from MYANTENNAS but they're just not readily available here in the UK so I took a chance on a UK manufacturer called WIRE ANTENNAS and it should arrive in a couple of days. When it does, I'll test it and report back.

This product claims to be resonant on 40/30/20/17/15/12/10m and to be honest, I'm interested in how much better (or maybe worse) it will perform than the similar BandSpringer.

UPDATE <<<   It arrived! First thing to note, is that it's quite heavy. And it's not exactly 'compact'. I'm guessing that this thing will put quite a bend in your fibreglass fishing pole and isn't really practical to fasten to the very thin sections at the top. Much more likely to be fixed lower down the pole. The SotaBeams BandSpringer Midi weighs 190g whereas this weighs 720g!!!

The quality looks fabulous! All components seem to be of a high quality and well constructed. The wire is wrapped onto a plastic winder and there's a Hook & Loop belt to keep everything in place. The UNUN enclosure is actually attached to the winder itself.

I just unwound the 66ft of cable in my office to see how easy it was to work with - and let me tell you - it's nowhere near as easy as the thin SotaBeams wire antennas! The cable is 1.5mm copper in a plastic jacket and is quite stiff.  It feels like single-strand wire, but it is, in fact, Class 2 Stranded copper  and for some reason, the outer sheathing is LSZH (Low Smoke Zero Halogen) which is normally used in conduit and for fixed, protected installations where fire, smoke emission and toxic fumes create a potential risk to life and equipment. Weird!

Winding it back onto the winder takes time, although I think it would have been a hell of  lot easier if one end was attached to something to stop all the twists and kinks that there in the wire on my office floor, lol.  The ABS enclosure is good quality and the components within all look good, so no complaints there.

This EFHW is meant for 'portable use' but I would say it's most certainly not for SOTA use. It's probably better suited to a Field Day with the local Radio Club at a location where you have got your vehicle close by and are able to take a more sturdy mast with you than you would on a SOTA trip. Anyway, I'm looking forward to trying it out at the weekend and will update again.

Another option is a Magnetic Loop. There are a few DIY designs on the internet for those who like projects, or for those who have some spare cash, you can invest in a commercial loop such as the fabulous ALEXLOOP.  I invested in the AlexLoop Hampack and you can read about that HERE.

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I should like to mention my dinky telescopic! I bought this to use with my KX3 radio - it's the fabulous ELECRAFT AX1. Yes, £100 is an awful lot of dosh to spend on a little telescopic, but believe me, this thing is special!

For more information, CLICK HERE to read a previous post about this fantastic little antenna.

Finally, I invite you to consider the wonderful SUPER ANTENNA MP1. You can read all about it HERE and I strongly recommend that you do! I covers nearly all HF bands, PLUS 2M and 4M. Of course small verticals are ‘compromise’ antennas, but this one does incredibly well and lets you work all those bands.

SINCE WRITING THIS POST, I've bought an Icom IC-705 and use these antennas with that radio too.

Thanks for visiting - please take a minute to leave a comment below 

73, Tom, M7MCQ.

YAESU FT-817 FT-818 CHEAT SHEET

FT-818ND ADAPTED CHEAT-SHEET

I found a rather useful "Cheat Sheet" on the internet today - it was designed by Arthur C Bross over in Arizona, USA and it was for the Yaesu FT-817. Since the Power Settings for the FT-818ND were slightly different, I altered the sheet and printed it off.

It folds into a very neat and handy little "concertina" arrangement which you can slip into a little pouch to keep in your rucksack close to the radio.

I was going to write to Arthur (KC7GF) to thank him for this very handy little page, but sadly, when I looked him up on QRZ, he was listed as a Silent Key :-(

The 818 version can be printed from the image below or you can (again) email me for a proper PDF version for printing.

RIP  Arthur (KC7GF)

ELAD DUO-ART FT-817 INTERFACE

ELAD DUO-ART FT-817 INTERFACE (NOT)

When I invested in the ELAD DUO-ART it was for a number of reasons and it was only the sum of these reasons that made me shell out for it....

1. I fancied a PANADAPTER that would work with my ELAD FDM DUO and with my YAESU FT-818ND.
    
2. I fancied an ATU that would work with my ELAD FDM DUO and with my YAESU FT-818ND.
    
3. I fancied an AMP that would work with my ELAD FDM DUO and with my YAESU FT-818ND so that I'm future-proofed if I upgrade my licence.

The DUO-ART rather uniquely met all the criteria, so I got one. Connecting the DUO-ART to my FDM DUO was a breeze and it all worked very well (once I'd done the FDM DUO updates). Everything pretty much worked as expected, apart from a slight issue of "tuning noise" coming through the audio of the radio - something I'm still working on to resolve.

So with the FDM DUO interfacing properly, I went and got my YAESU FT-818ND from my rucksack and switched the DUO-ART to "FT-817 INTERFACE" mode.

Sadly, it ended there, because I could find no interface lead to go between the DUO-ART and the 818. That's because the DUO-ART doesn't come with such a lead and after contacting ELAD, I was told that no such interface lead exists! Now that seems a bit ridiculous to me.

I asked ELAD for a very simple diagram to show me exactly which pins in the 818's ACC connector to connect to the DUO-ART's RS-232 connector, but I got very little useful information. I have ordered a YAESU CT-62 Lead from ML&S which is an 8-PIN DIN to RS-232 but of course that won't give me a connection to the PTT-IN on the DUO-ART.

SO VERY ANNOYING! Why design an FT-817 INTERFACE and even build it into the menu system if you can't also provide an Interface Cable. Or even provide a simple guide how to make your own!

I've asked for help on a few forums but got nowhere so far. As a newbie (Foundation Licence holder) I could 'experiment' but I don't want to end up blowing up my amp or radio! I've asked a few "G0's" but had no joy there either. I even wrote to TechnoFix UK to see if I could PAY to have a lead made up but they weren't interested either.

If I can't get any help soon, I guess I'm going to HAVE TO have a go!

  

UPDATE!!!!!!! 

I've managed to make an interface cable myself.

See HERE to see how.

ELAD SP-1A SPEAKER

MATCHING SPEAKER FOR FDM DUO

I've been using various speakers with the ELAD FDM DUO with varying success and so decided to get the proper matching component from ELAD. The SP-1A is an amplified speaker which takes its power from the ELAD DUO linear. It has decent power output (but it's not the loudest speaker in the world) and has a built-in 3-stage DSP circuit. Fits in very well and completes the station.

PC UPGRADE

It's never good when your PC starts to play up, but at least it motivates you to upgrade aging equipment! This weekend, the hard-drive in my PC started playing silly-buggers and so I started to look at updating the whole system. I built the PC way back in 2009 so it's getting a bit long in the tooth. Of course I've modified it along the way and even spent a few bob on it in March this year, but now it's time for a radical overhaul.

When choosing new system components, I was focused solely on making a CombatSim PC. I wanted something that would run DCS World 2.5 at ULTRA HIGH settings, with absolutely everything maxed out. Now that's a BIG ASK for any PC but if that's my goal, then whatever I can manage to build, it'll be the very best that I can currently afford.


The tower case (with fans) can stay and so too can the 850W PSU, but the rest has to go. I decided straight away to go for a Gaming motherboard because that's where all the bottlenecks tend to be. The mobo of choice is the ASUS ROG STRIX Z390-F GAMING and in the socket is a lovely INTEL i7 9700 CoffeeLake running at 5,000MHz.

The RAM is Corsair Vengeance LPX DDR4 3000MHz in four 8Gb modules, giving me 32Gb to play with. That should certainly help with the sims! The motherboard will take 64Mb and there's rumours that a future BIOS update may increase that to 128Mb!

The video card from the outgoing PC has been upgraded along with a 2560x1440 monitor. The GPU is an MSI GAMING-X GEFORCE GTX 1080 TI with 11Gb of DDR5X and in these new surroundings, it should make DCS World run like the wind with (hopefully) no stuttering even at the highest realism settings.

One of the biggest changes will be the Storage System. Although my old PC had an SSD drive, it also had a disc-spinner as the main drive. Well this time I'm forgoing that option and I'm going for two marvellous NVMe drives which are mounted directly to the motherboard! One is a Corsair 960Gb for the main OS and general software, and the other is a Corsair 480Gb dedicated purely to FlightSims and CombatSims. The Samsung 860 EVO 500Gb SATA SSD from the old PC will be used as a backup drive.

This machine should be LIGHTENING FAST!!!!

The only downside to all this is that I have to build it which is bound to be a pain in the ass, lol. The bit which gripes me the most is all the Windows updating that goes on during a new installation, then re-installing all the other software and then downloading digital copies of your licenced sims from one torrent or another. Thankfully, I've got Thursday and Friday off work, so it should all be done by the end of the weekend. Oh yeh, and then there's that software you bought, but cannot find the serial-keys GRRR!

UPDATE :
I stripped the old components out from the tower case last night and cleaned up the interior. I then installed the ram, the CPU cooler and the two M.2 drives, before putting the whole thing inside the tower case. I'd forgotten just how fiddly it was to connect all the cables to the motherboard - that power supply is like an angry octopus with all its legs fighting one another, lol.

Next up was the graphics card and reconnecting the 5 case-fans. Finally, I had to attach the 5 heat-sensors to the CPU, the M.2 cards, the Graphics card, the memory and one for the ambient case temperature.

Once everything was finished, I connected a monitor, mouse and keyboard and booted up from Windows DVD. The installation was surprisingly swift and the only unusual thing I had to do was attached a network cable to the broadband router in the lounge in order to provide an internet signal (my wireless wi-fi wouldn't operate at this point). Luckily, I have a very long CAT-6 cable.

So the first part went well and all that remains now is the installation of all my programs and sims. But first of all I'll carry out some driver updates and run some benchmarks to get a measure of the performance of the new beast.

UPDATE 2 :
Last night I started the downloading of the DCS WORLD files which took forever via a torrent and so it was extremely late in the night by the time it was finished. As I waited, I got around to installing a few other things including some benchmarking software. The results looked very impressive.

When DCS had finished downloading and unpacking, I ran the sim and set everything to MAX settings and went for a spin in an P-51 Mustang. It was amazing!!!  There was no lag or stuttering or tearing no matter what I did. Awesome!

Knowing that the sim was functioning superbly, I started the next laborious task of installing the aircraft and terrains that I have licences for. Again, it's a loooooong download, so I set it going and went to bed, but by now I was over-tired, lol, so I got back up and started reading through the Early-Release F-16C Manual. I don't find modern manuals very easy to read - they're just not entertaining enough, so I picked up the F-16 manual from Microprose's FALCON 4 sim which is a beautiful and thoroughly enjoyable printed book. It's obviously no good for the key-commands in DCS, but it's a fantastic resource for the F-16 generally.

This morning I got up and checked that the download had gone well - it had. The only one which wasn't running correctly was the A-10C Warthog but all I had to do was find the Serial Number and hey-presto, it was fine.

So I'm off to work now and can't wait to get back home to have a play. There's still all the setup of the Thrustmaster Warthog HOTAS and the CH Products MDF's, but at least I know it's all worthwhile when I jump into that cockpit!