GROUND ZERO

SO MANY OPINIONS!

I've just been reading a loooong debate on an online Amateur Radio Group and was amazed by the huge variance in opinions on not only what represents a good RF Grounding, but also on whether they're really necessary!  That last bit left me quite surprised because we're not talking about a bunch of newbies here - these are mostly from hams who have been operating for decades.

So what's going on?? Well first of all, I am amazed by how many people quickly turn the conversation to electrical grounding - they're seemingly confused over the difference between that and RF grounding. Quite shocking (if you'll excuse the pun). And then there are those people with bizarre beliefs!

From my own personal viewpoint, an RF Ground is essential and desirable. I appreciate of course, that everyone's circumstances are different and some hams have a real job on their hands to install a good station ground. I'm quite fortunate that on the other side of my shack wall is a garden, so I have an extremely short path to the ground-rod. Some people have no such luck.

A friend of mine lives on the top floor of an apartment block and struggles like crazy to get a decent ground. As a result, his transmissions can cause havoc with the block's Door-Entry Intercom system. Not a good situation to be in and he's managed to partially resolve his problems with a virtual ground of some description.

Anyway, my question (to myself) was who's right?? I'm a big believer in empirical evidence and when someone shows me something that works, I'm pretty much sold! But then there's the theorists who can be equally persuasive. Rather than listen to a bunch of guys battling it out in a forum, I think I'll stick to the advice of the manufacturers and the big organisations like the RSGB & ARRL. 

Here's a link to what I consider to be a good read. I'd LOVE to hear about how YOU achieved a good Station Ground in your shack - or why you don't even bother with one.

Click on the image below....

Thanks for visiting 👍
Tom McQ - M7MCQ

SURFACE PRO PENS

MICROSOFT or RENAISSER?

I recently lost my Surface Pro Pen and despite a thorough search around the house, it was nowhere to be found, so I had no choice but to buy another. And I was quite happy with it, but then I saw a video about the Wacom Pro 2 pen which was supposed to be the dog's dangly bits.

But when I looked into the Wacom's compatibility with the Surface Pro 7 (my tablet), I discovered a few negative comments about the pen, so I looked elsewhere for an alternative and decided to give the cheap Renaisser Rapheal 520 a go.

Well I'm glad I did, because it's an excellent pen and is the perfect alternative to the standard (and expensive) Microsoft pen. The first thing you notice about the 520 is that it is very light! Now that's normally a negative to me, but in this case, it's very much a positive when you're doodling or painting for ages.

The pen performs every bit as well as the Microsoft pen and in some respects seems to perform better, although I suspect that this is a 'handling' thing because of the lighter weight.

The only negative I can find is that it doesn't have the button/eraser at the top of the pen like the Microsoft does, but other than that, I love it. And you can buy it for about a third of the price!!

The Microsoft pen is powered by a battery which lasts a long time, whereas the Renaisser has a rechargable battery (via micro-usb). I don't know how long a charge lasts yet, but if it's a decent length of time, then I'd probably prefer the rechargeable pen, since you can always guarantee to be able to get it powered up, whereas the unusual battery of the Microsoft might not always be readily available.

Finally, both pens have magnets inside to allow you to clip them to the side of the Surface Pro.

DIGITAL PREJUDICE

ON BEHALF OF MY CLUB, I spent two 12-hour shifts this weekend on FT8 (30M) and 2M FM and even though everyone was complaining that the bands were absolutely dead, I worked hard all weekend and managed to get 170 contacts in total.

When I posted the results on our Club's Facebook page, someone put a 😂 emoji against it and straight away I asked "What's funny"?

But in reality, I already know what he finds funny - digital doesn't count! It's the opinion of so many older operators who are stuck in their ways and are unwilling to embrace new technology and new modes of operation.  They only seem to validate CW and PHONE. In fact, I'm convinced that if they had started operating when only CW was available, they'd be against using VOICE! 

I'm sure people assume FT8 is totally automated and you can switch on a PC then go to the pub while your computer does everything. Well not for me - I was sat in my chair for a good 12 hours each day, peeking and poking all day long.

It makes me laugh though, when I hear people mocking the use of digital modes and yet these same people were quite happy to use Packet Radio when that became popular back in the 80's 😃

This is all a very clear indicator to me why Ham Radio started to fall into decline. Old fashioned opinions and a blinkered view on progression at a local level turned off younger generations, which led to shrinking club membership and attendance records. If it hadn't been for the changes made in licence types in 2002, the hobby would be in dire straights by now!

Many Full Licence operators back then thought it was a bad move to give these Foundation Licence holders such wide ranging capabilities and spouted on about how, back in the day, you had to go to college and study at night and how they had to learn morse code to get a licence.

Well it seems to me that much of that prejudice against Foundationers has gone away now and I've found most advanced operators to be quite helpful, but the aversion to new technology remains for many.

I've spoken to a few old-timers about Digital Modes and rather than let them simply dismiss it, I've gently coaxed the reason for their dislike out of them. It seems to me that the real reason for their disdain is that they don't understand it and don't have the motivation to learn by studying.

Just recently I spoke at length with one guy who was vehemently opposed to Digital and I discovered that he would like to play around with it if someone would set it up for him and show him!

So from that, I concluded that just as the older guys should go out of their way to help and encourage the younger operators, so too should the younger operators help and encourage the older ones. It's a two-way street.

Clubs should perhaps have a meeting to discuss this and decide what they're going to do about it. Whether they recognise it or not, their memberships will likely be deeply divided when it comes to Digital Modes, but maybe these walls can be knocked down with a few simple but enthusiastic club demonstrations.  I've personally introduced a G0 to FT8 and explained how to set it up and use it. He has since set it up at another 'mature' G0's shack. The same thing goes for SDR's and panadapters and waterfalls - all new fangled stuff that's "a waste of time" until it's explained and demonstrated.

Operators don't necessarily need to know how it works, they just need to be shown how to use it so that they can enjoy it. It's a bit like using cars - you don't need to be a mechanical engineer to enjoy the benefits of driving. With time though, you learn more about it all and improve your operating skills through a more thorough understanding.

So that's my little rant for the week 😉

2 RECEIVERS, 2 ANTENNAS

AT LONG LAST, I got round to connecting a second antenna to my IC-7610. I invested in some UltraFlex-7 coax and some M&P Compression Plugs and got my ass into gear.

Needless to say, as soon as I stepped outside on this bright Saturday morning, it started to rain, so it was a quick dash back indoors to get waterproofs on and then back outdoors and up the ladders. My first job was to remove the coax from the EFHW and fit the UltraFlex to it. I then had to find a way of routing this new cable so that it went directly to the shack instead of using the switchbox at the side of the house.

I found a route across the roof and down the house wall and under the pavement flags. This was hard work and I'm surprised I didn't choose an easier method, being the lazy person I am LOL. Anyway, after it was done, I was very pleased and was glad I'd made the extra effort.

By the way, I must say that this UltraFlex should be called UltraKink because it was a pain in the ass to unravel the roll as it came from the shop! Took me ages to unravel it to a straight run and all the time it kept trying to form kinks which would have damaged it if I'd not been careful.

So once the coax was through the shack's outer wall, I fitted a PL plug and got around to the job of pulling all the radio-gear off the shelves so I could fit the plug in the back of the 7610. Antenna-1 would now be my EFHW and Antenna-2 would be my half-size G5RV.

With everything off the shelves, the shack was a MESS of tangled spaghetti and I don't mind admitting that it was very off-putting, so I stopped for the day and decided to do it on Sunday. And then at 5am on Sunday, I remembered that my son and granddaughter were coming for lunch so I got out of bed and went to finish off the shack.

It was a pain in the ass but eventually, everything was in its place and I powered up and started to test it was all working. It was working but the MFJ-993B ATU was bitching about high SWR's and not enough power to tune. Huh?

Damn!! I had forgotten to check the new cable and plugs before putting everything back on the shelves. What an idiot! I put the NanoVNA onto the new coax and did a full sweep of the EFHW. It was spot on, so that showed me there was no issue with the coax or plugs I'd just fitted. I checked the patch leads between the MFJ and the 7610 and they were okay too.

After a bit of time spent head-scratching, I looked at the interface-cable between the MFJ and 7610 and found that the wire on pin-3 of the Molex connector was detached - it had not been crimped properly and had simply fell out from the pin. MFJ quality control for you!

QUAD L2 CENTRE SPEAKER

With the interface lead repaired, everything worked a treat, so I put it all back in place and continued testing all the radio equipment and speakers. As part of the re-jig, I decided to put my Quad L2 speaker back in situ, connected to the FT-991A. The small stereo pair were attached to the 7610 as VFO-A and VFO-B. They all sounded fantastic and infinitely better than any OEM speakers.

So that's it. Everything's in its place and just as I want it. All the portable stuff is up on the top shelf, all with drop-in mains chargers.

It's good to have a neat and tidy shack. What a dream it must be to be able to walk around to the back of your radio equipment to inspect/change the leads/connections. Sadly, I have to cram all mine in the corner of a small room. Ah well, it's finished now - no more changes for a while 😀

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

73, Tom, M7MCQ.

YAESU FTA-550L

I just sold my Uniden 125XLT scanner which I use solely for Civil Airband listening and replaced it with a real Airband radio - the FTA-550L from Yaesu. This is a very attractive handheld transceiver with both COM and NAV frequencies along with Weather capabilities (US/CAN). Obviously, I won't be transmitting on the radio and would have been perfectly happy with a receive-only version if they'd offered one. The radio can be PTT-LOCKED from within the menus.

So why order an FTA-550L? Well, for the same money as a Uniden, the Yaesu build quality is infinitely superior.

The FTA-550 also includes VOR and ILS navigation features plus NOAA weather band monitoring for those who can receive it. The radio can be programmed with up to 200 preset channels and quickly called up by selecting the station name. With the capability of using up to 15 alphanumeric characters per name, the FTA-550 allows for complete channel descriptions. The radio can be programmed on the user’s computer with the included USB cable. 

Two versions of the radio are offered: FTA-550L comes with a Lithium-ion battery, 240-volt and 12-volt DC charger with cradle, alkaline battery tray, antenna, belt clip, headset adapter, and USB programming cable, while the FTA-550AA comes supplied with alkaline battery tray, 12-volt DC power cable and antenna, plus the belt clip, headset adapter and USB programming cable.

If you want the FT-550 with a lithium-ion battery pack and a desktop charger, it'll cost £225, but I think it's worth it for the much longer battery life and long-tern savings (good alkaline batteries are getting ridiculously expensive).

Yaesu FTA 550 L specs....

Transceiver Air Band Portable:

TX 118.000 - 136.975 MHz, RX 108.00 - 136.975MHz (NAV and COM bands).

TX Power 5W PEP, 1.5W Carrier Power.

FEATURES, FUNCTIONS AND SPECIFICATIONS:

This YAESU FTA-550 is packed with features, yet very affordable. Boasting an oversize full dot matrix LCD display, the FTA-550 Airband Transceiver provides full communication on the Aircraft communications Band and additionally provides VOR and ILS navigation features on the NAV band.

Additionally the FTA-550 can easily be reprogrammed in minutes using the optional PC Programming software and the supplied USB programming cable.

Two Packages Available:

1°)  FTA-550L Comes supplied with:

Li-Ion battery, 110V and 12VDC charger with cradle, Alkaline battery tray, Antenna, Belt clip, headset adapter, and USB programming cable.

2°) FTA-550 AA Comes supplied with:

Alkaline battery tray, 12VDC Power cable, Antenna, Belt clip, headset adapter, and USB programming cable.

FEATURES:

• 5 Watts TX Output Power (Airband: AM 5W P.E.P. type, 1.5W carrier).

• Huge 1.7 x 1.7 Full Dot Matrix display (160 x 160 Dots).

• VOR Navigation Display.

• NOAA Weather Channel receive (US/CANADA)

• NOAA Weather Alert. (US/CANADA)

• 200 Memory Channels with 15 alphanumeric characters.

• Back-lit Keypad and display with dimmer.

• Water Protection -IPX5 Rating.

• Loud Audio (800 mW).

Easy to operate menu system.

The FTA-550 comes configured with an easy to operate icon driven menu system. The displays and menu settings are logically configured for a more intuitive user interface.

Huge Dot Matrix LCD display.

The FTA-550 features a huge 1.7 x 1.7 (160 x 160 dots) full dot matrix LCD display with full backlight and dimmer. The high resolution display makes it easier to view all the great features the FTA-550 has to offer.

VOR Navigation Display.

When the FTA-550 receives a VOR signal, the display will automatically switch to the NAV band screen which shows a CDI based on the received signal.

200 Memory channels with up to 15 Alphanumeric characters.

The FTA-550 can store up to 200 Memory channels for quick and easy retrieval. With the capability of using up to 15 Alphanumeric characters per name the FTA-550 allows for a better channel description.

200 Channel Memory bank.

The FTA-550L can store up to 200 Memory channels for quick and easy retrieval. With the capability of using up to 15 Alphanumeric characters per name the FTA-550 allows for a better channel description.

PC Programmable.

The FTA-550L channel configurations can easily be reprogrammed using the supplied USB programming cable and the optional YCE01 programming software.

PACKING INCLUDES:

1 Pc of FTA-550 Air Band Transceiver.

1 Pc of SRA-13A Helical Antenna.

1 Pc of SBR-12LI Li-Ion Battery Pack.

1 Pc of SBH-11 Charging Cradle.

1 Pc of SBT-12 Alkaline Battery Tray.

1 Pc of SHB-11 Belt Clip.

1 Pc of SAD-11U Wall Charger.

1 Pc of SDD-12 Cigarette Lighter Charger.

1 Pc of SCU-15 Headset Adapter Cable.

1 Pc of T9101606 USB Programming Cable.

1 Pc of User Manual in Engish.

More later.....


Well, it arrived! I cannot believe the quality and heft of this radio considering the price. Yes, the Lithium battery option is expensive, but if you go for the AA battery model, it's an absolute steal!!  The FTA-550L model comes in a nicely packaged box containing everything listed above. It really is comprehensive. 

I downloaded the free programming software and inputted my local frequencies. The software is extremely easy to figure out and use. The only reason that I needed to reach for the User Manual was to learn how to put the radio into Programming Mode (hold MENU while powering up). 

It really makes the Uniden look and feel - dare I say cheap! The Uniden obviously covers a wider range of frequencies, but as I already said, I personally only used it as an AirBand radio (it didn't even do FM Broadband). What's the downside of the Yaesu?? Well it obviously doesn't cover military frequencies, which would be a shame if you lived within range of an RAF base, but if your main interest is in CIVIL aviation, then you can't go wrong with this unit.

Back home I connected the FTA-550 to an external discone and wow, those signals came flying in (excuse the pun). Unlike the 125XLT, the 550 needed no additional filtering to produce perfectly clear reception. Manchester Tower is normally audible but quiet and with hiss from my location, but now it's crisp and clear! Can't believe the difference!

The unit is also LOUD! The audio output is just under 1W and that makes a real difference. I compared the FTA-550L to my AOR AR-3000A and the Yaesu is much better in both sensitivity and clarity of audio.

I can't wait to visit Manchester Airport when the Covid Lockdown is over. Up to now? HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!

TOP-FLIGHT AIRBAND SCANNER!

AOR AR-7400

WOW! That's all I can say. This new Airband Receiver from AOR is top-flight and I want one! But sadly I can't have one - yet. The AR-7400 was unveiled at the Tokyo HamFest in 2019 but the Corona Virus has obviously put paid to a 2020 launch.

Hopefully, the Japanese manufacturer will soon be able to provide us with an expected delivery date in the UK and I've got my name on one already.

This stunning new scanner appears to be set in an AR-DV1 case and shares all the DV1's buttons and dials. The screen is split into 4 readouts, showing the frequency (and other information) of each of the receivers 4 VFOs. Both Civil and Military bands are covered (plus they've thrown in the Broadcast band).

Apparently, the receiver can scan the entire civil-airband in less than 1 second!!! Now that's fast by anyone's standards. As you can see in the photo, it has an SDCARD slot and a record button just like the DV-1.

I have no idea, but I'm kinda hoping that you can program the scanner to record a particular VFO when the squelch is broken. That would be handy for monitoring the emergency channel and recording any event that occurs even when you're not within ear shot. 

Being able to monitor 4 separate channels at the same time is a real boon and on the back of the receiver you'll find 4 sockets for 4 separate speakers - one per VFO (obviously). It also has a line-out. The only negative I can see about this airband scanner is the fact that it only has one antenna socket (BNC) 😓

No prices have been announced or even hinted at, but I'm guessing that it's gonna be pretty damned expensive. 

Unconfirmed Specs...

Coverage: VHF band 108 ~ 137MHz (AM), UHF band 225 ~ 400MHz (AM), WFM 76 ~ 108MHz;<
IF Bandwidth : AM mode 6kHz (5.5kHz);
Reception: VHF / UHF 4-wave simultaneous reception;Speed: Ultra-high-speed 1-second scan / search. Example: The time required to scan the range of 108 ~ 137MHz is about 1 second (when the signal on all channels was not out).
Antenna Connector: 1 x BNC (Female);
Speaker: 1 x top mounted internal (assumed based on image) AND 4 x 3.5mm rear speaker output jacks
Other: 1 x Micro USB (front) 1 x Line 3.5mm jack (rear), 1 x SD/SDHC card reader (front), 1 x Auxiliary socket (rear) (assumed based on image).

UPDATE 1: I heard from someone on FaceBook (Rick King) that AOR have been having issues with harmonics and the SDR chip and that's contributed to the delays too. Rick further commented that he felt the 10 character alpha-tag restriction was a let-down. Personally it wouldn't bother me too much because I'd be using tags such as EGCC-TWR1 but I suppose longer tags would be helpful. The small screen comes in for some criticism too.

ELECTRONICS NOTES

A SUPERB SITE FOR BEGINNERS

If you invest some time routing around this website, I guarantee you will learn something - probably a lot! There's loads of hidden gems in here, so do look out for links and do a lot of clicking and snooping. There's so many things on this website that I don't really know which page to start you off on, so I'll just pick one at random to give you an idea. Save this website in your Favourites!

>>> RANDOM WEB-PAGE <<<

I would also recommend that you Subscribe to their YouTube Video Channel. It's ram-packed with fantastic videos which do a great job of explaining various theories and practises. Perfect for us Newbies....

>>> YOUTUBE CHANNEL <<<

And before you ask, no, I have no connection to the authors.