Amateur Radio Experiments.

How to replace the Icom IC-725 LCD lights

2012-01-17T22:57:00.000-08:00

I used this method for replacing LCD backlight bulbs on the Icom IC-725. The LCD backlighting is provided by 3 x miniature 12V bulbs (not LEDs). Each lamp is help in place in a hole behind the display.
The limited access behind the front panel is the main constraint in replacing the bulbs.

Ensure to follow the standard safety precautions - ie. the radio is disconnected, and remove any connected devices, Mic, CW Key, data connectors, etc.

NOTE: This procedure does NOT require the removal of the front-plastic panel.

Follow the instructions found in the user manual for removing the top/bottom covers.
Remove 2 x the screws on top which holds the front-panel connected to the heat sink.
Remove the 2 x Left and 2 x Right side screws holding the front panel in place.
With the 6 x screw removed, the front panel should be free to be tilted down (away from the heatsink) See pic below. Be careful not to tilt too far. The connecting wires between front panel and the bottom (circuit board side of the radio) is short, and only allows for a little play.

Left View

Left/Top View - showing the access gap, after rotating the front panel down.

The top side of the front panel can be rotated away from the heatsink, allowing about 1 inch space between the heatsink and front panel assembly. This is the gap through which you will access replace the lamps.


Top view

There are 3 x 12V mini lamps (backlights to the LCD panel) which can be access via the gap between the heatsink, and the front panel when it's in the rotated state.

The image below indicates the locations of each of the 3 x lamps.

Relative Lamp Locations when viewing from the heat-sink side.

Left lamp (meter backlight) is clearly visible here:
This lamp is easy to reach, and replace. See below.


Meter Backlight (Leads visible, with light bulb inserted into socket and yellow sleeve)

Middle Lamp (LCD left backlight)

The middle lamp is the trickiest to replace, due to the placement behind the mounting bracket, which leaves very little space for a soldering iron, and tweezers to grab the lamp leads and maneuver the new one into place. To complicate matters, the soldered connected wires, are sort of in the way. Be careful not to sever these connections while working on this lamp.


Middle Lamp (trickiest to get to, since it's behind the mounting bracket)

Right Lamp (LCD right backlight)
This lamp is also easy to reach and replace. It is also clear of the mounting plate.

Right Lamp (LCD right side backlight)

The process for replacing the bulbs, simply involves unsoldering, and replacing with equiv 12V lamps. You can re-use the yellow sleeve. (This is what gives the backlight the yellow tint). You can experiment with other colors, for a different effect. I chose to re-use the sleeves, for the original effect.

Front panel view
This view shows the relative locations of each of the lamps, and their back-light effect on the meter and LCD panel when the radio is powered on.

Front panel view - indicating relative lamp location.

Good luck on replacing the bulbs to give your IC725 a new look again.
Please send comments if you think this was helpful.

73 and happy maintenance.

WWW-SDR - Multi-tuner

2011-11-29T23:27:00.001-08:00

To demonstrate the ability to run multiple tuners at once, I configured the server to run 3 x tuners concurrently. The www view demonstrates this view, with multiple spectrum modes as well. Each receiver can be controlled independently of the others - but combined in a single www view.

Ability to view multiple receivers via a single browser.

2011 - SDR with CQWW DX CW

2011-11-26T21:19:00.001-08:00

After many performance experiments (server vs. browser) the SDR processing still lives on the server.
I have uploaded about 7 mins of 96KHz sample data from the 2011 CQ WW DX CW contest.

Feel free to try it out here

Please leave comments and feedback. This is a work-in-progress project, and has served as a vehicle for DSP technique experimentation, while having fun with weak signal modes.

WWW-SDR : Multi-decode view.

2011-09-05T16:21:00.000-07:00

The WWW-SDR now supports sdr rx functionality with tune/demod/filter.
This view above demonstrates the ability to run multiple independent radios in a single www browser.
In this example, both www-radios are connected to the same SDR server but running different waterfall modes

The multi-threaded server architecture supports multiple radios, each serving multiple www-clients.
Server-side capacity is mostly limited by network I/O & CPU.

Read more about the features and release notes here.

HF-SSTV

2011-08-21T23:41:00.000-07:00

Around 0630Z, 20m was open to Japan. Here you can see the clear trace from SSTV tx from JA2GZZ
on 14.233MHz.

SDR functionality is now almost complete. From the browser you can Tune, Filter & Demodulate
audio.

The SDR radio is now usable, via anywhere on the www.

73, Deon

Internet SDR - audio streaming

2011-03-27T12:26:00.000-07:00

Project notes here:

Added audio streaming to the www client. Also more UI features such as display pan/zoom
and controls for pause/muteof the data feeds - which will optimize the network bandwidth usage.

I'm now working on adding full SDR receive capability to the www client.
This will allow multi-vfo tuning of the radio from the client.

Feel free to connect as often as you like. The radio is mostly tuned to the high bands during daytime, and
40m at night time Pacific time.

Online SDR - Its alive.

2011-03-18T09:14:00.000-07:00

The Online SDR project has been coming along nicely.

The results of a few late nights work appears to be working good so far.
The multi-digital decoding engine is also working fb.Now that the digital decoder is working, then next step is to implement a fully internet enabled SDR.

If you want to follow along, project notes can be found here: ReleaseNotes.

Here is a snapshot of the Online SDR (Single radio mode)

The SDR server and UI supports multi-radio capability.

Independent radios can be visible in a single view view.

Jan Mayen 2011 - JX7VPA

2011-01-15T16:56:00.000-08:00

You can follow the status of planning on dx-world.net.

http://dx-world.net/2011/jx7vpa-jan-mayen-2011/

Stan SQ8X is pleased to announce that today he has received an email from The Norwegian Post and Telecommunications Authority (NPT) granting ham radio license – and permission to transmit from Jan Mayen island.
JX7VPA will be a group callsign used during the DXpedition scheduled for July this year.
The timetable as follows:

July 2 – the team gathers in Reykjavik, Iceland.
July 4 – departing for Jan Mayen with a charter yacht, 2 days on the sea with a chance to sign as /mm.
July 6-14 – ON THE AIR.
July 14 – tearing the camp down, sailing back to Iceland.
July 16 – back in Iceland.

Due to polar summer season at Jan Mayen Island with broad daylight 24/7 the team will not operate on 160-80 meters – those bands will be totally dead at that time. DXpedition will focus on 30-6m and our main modes will be CW and RTTY/PSK, with some SSB if conditions will be good enough to operate as much as we wish to. The team will also check conditions on 40m band, but the band may also be not usable at that time of the year.
The team will have a professional TV crew onboard that will prepare a broadcast documentary about the project and the island. All details as updated operators’ list, QSL route, bandplan and such will be announced soon on a dedicated website http://janmayen2011.org (under construction).

2010 - ZS1D Piketberg Portable

2011-01-11T22:51:00.000-08:00

Dec 17 - 20, 2010.

Our mountain top location for this trip is about 100 miles north of Cape Town. 1800ft elev.

The multi-band vertical is easy to setup and the station is on-air within minutes. Antenna is based on a design from the ARRL handbook - multi-band design based on a bottom loaded design.

Scanning the 40m band results in a few local QSO's but nothing too exciting. We easily establish contact with ZS stations about 1000 miles away. During the afternoon, 20m opens up with some longer distance dx.
We easily manage a few QSO's with Europe around 14h00Z.

Our Cabin under the clear Milky Way night sky.

During the late afternoon, 20m grayline allows an easy path to EU. Soon after that the path switches to NA, with both 20m and 40m paths between 17h00Z - 20h00Z.

706 with Vertical and the view from the shack

Roelof, ZS1XD taking a well-deserved break from all that dx...

The field kitchen at the nearby camp site.

View from the shack - looking east towards the reflection of sunset

2010 - ZS1D Safari dx.

2010-12-12T13:56:00.000-08:00

Trying out the new multi-band vertical turned out to be quite successful.
This location on the beach north of Cape Town is rf-free. DX fills the bands, especially 40m night time is full of EU, NA, OC dx.

ZS1D logs for Dec 2010 are now available via LOTW.
Feedback, comments and SWL reports are very welcome - in particular if you heard my CQ call, but
for some reason I could not copy you?

Beach camp - /p with battery power and lots of fresh air along this stretch of deserted beach.

Under the milky way - with the Southern Cross clearly visible. The milky way is so bright, one can almost read a book at night.

Typical sunset wave action

Multi-band vertical - top section = 12ft, which is easily supported against the vehicle. A single counterpoise is extended to match the operating band.

DX Breakfast : A room with a view + dx.

This vertical goes on the air in abt the time it takes to slide 3 pieces of Al tubing together.

SDR-Audio : CQ WW DX SSB Contest.

2010-10-31T09:53:00.000-07:00

With the CQ WW DX SSB contest in full swing, I captured some interesting callsigns audio clips on 15, 20, 40 this weekend.
Receiving station:
Rig: Softrock SDR
Ant: Wire vertical over salt water.

15m 1815Z

DSP, $5 Linux server, cognitive radio and more...

2010-10-12T13:03:00.000-07:00

Well, it's been a while since posting here, mainly because I've been investing some time in educating myself in the world of DSP s/w.

Some new pieces of SDR gear made it past the bench and into the shack The latest Softrock Ensemble rx is now online,
and I must say the new pcb design is much cleaner and compact from a constructor's perspective. It's performance on par with the previous v9.0.

The next step was to dedicate a Linux system for SDR experimentation. As the good fortune would have it, I was lucky enough to pickup a desktop PC, in immaculate condition at the local swap meet. It became the dedicated Ubuntu platform and now serves as my main development platform.

Ubuntu desktop installation is a snap, and with the added dev-tools a scap PC is transformed into a capable development platform. Ubuntu's S/W manager makes things really easy.

SDR and Cognitive Radio
Experiments around the automation of decision making for the purpose of detecting information via rf sensing technologies can cover a wide range of topics. For the Amateur Radio experimenter, there are several benefits and utility to this exciting field. Propagation studies are among the very useful outcomes of cognitive radio. In the context of two-way communications, ionospheric path optimization could be another interesting outcome of path discovery/and auto selection between two/more terrestrial locations.

H/W:
As the chip manufacturers push the A/D envelope and DSP integration becomes more affordable, we have access to a level of instrumentation sophistication which has never been available before.

S/W
Unix/Linux is of course a very capable networked O/S - which is perfect for radio work, as well as a powerful s/w development platform for doing DSP development work.

Design considerations.
To approach the problem of concurrent decoding of multiple digital data streams, and adding a level of control logic to make decisions about decoding activities over time, an understanding of a few key concepts are necessary. Here is an interesting write-up on the general progress and concepts of SDR.

DSP concepts.
With the advances and adoption of SDR technology, the technical components for cognitive radio are in place today.

First, a reasonable understanding of DSP is needed when tinkering with S/W methods for signal processing. The several phases of processing a signal undergoes through digital acquisition, digital processing and filtering and subsequent decoding, are all significant in laying the basis for S/W DSP.
Secondly, DSP happens in real time, and therefore the processing speed becomes a consideration when selecting a O/S platform - when done right, interesting opportunities await - eg. dx-spotting, "steering passive antennas" by means of S/W phase shift, diversity reception, etc.

Hopefully you will find some of this information interesting, perhaps entertaining, but most of all, somewhat useful in your own experimentation activities.

Useful references:
The Scientist and Engineer's Guide to Digital Signal Processing is a good starting point for DSP concepts.
Do you understand the SDP concept?

SDR Reports

2010-05-29T02:11:00.000-07:00

Using PSK Reporter is a really helpful system for tracking propagation.
Here is a sample of what my 20m SDR receiver sees during a 24 hr cycle.

Softrock : Miles per watt.

2010-05-02T12:43:00.000-07:00

With recent propagation, 20/40m has been really great for grayline dx. A very active QSO party weekend added some more long distance QRPp Qs.
Rig: - Softrock txrx 6.3 running at max 1W, - (300-500mW just for fun)
Antenna: was wire vertical over salt water (somewhat sloped config

(Distances in miles)

Date        Start    Station  Band  Mode My Power Distance   QTH
5/2/2010  04:48    K1TTT   40m    CW    1W    2,478.45    PERU
5/2/2010  04:44    W7POE   40m    CW    1W    1,065.37    BURIEN
5/2/2010  04:42    K7LFY   40m    CW    1W    1,090.35    ADDY
5/2/2010  04:34    KK7S    40m    CW    1W    1,071.44    MEDINA
5/2/2010  04:32    N7BV    40m    CW    1W    1,118.16    PORT ANGELES
5/2/2010  04:30    W7UG    40m    CW    1W    906.60      SALEM
5/2/2010  04:22    W7GKF   40m    CW    1W    1,084.23    Snohomish
5/2/2010  04:21    K7ZSD   40m    CW    1W    961.20      SCAPPOOSE
5/2/2010  04:11    K7MI    40m    CW    1W    826.58      BANDON
5/2/2010  04:10    W7AR    40m    CW    1W    929.78      WEST LINN
5/2/2010  00:36    KX7L    20m    CW  300mW   1,085.29    BOTHELL
5/2/2010  00:22    K7HBN   20m    CW  300mW   1,088.06    BOTHELL
5/2/2010  00:19    AB7R    20m    CW  300mW   1,122.27    OAK HARBOR
5/1/2010  23:43    W7RN    20m    CW  500mW   487.45      VC HIGHLANDS
5/1/2010  23:38    N7BV    20m    CW    1W    1,118.16    PORT ANGELES
5/1/2010  23:26    KI7MT   20m    PSK31 1W    1,015.82    HELENA
5/1/2010  23:17    W1KM    20m    CW    1W    2,594.23    MARSTONS MILLS
5/1/2010  23:10    WG7Y    20m    CW    1W    1,020.32    GILLETTE
5/1/2010  23:06    W7GKF   20m    CW    1W    1,084.23    Snohomish
5/1/2010  22:11    K7QQ    20m    CW    1W    1,064.91    Olalla
5/1/2010  22:09    NZ1U    20m    CW    1W    2,525.26    E KILLINGLY
5/1/2010  22:03    KN7T    20m    CW    1W    1,088.06    BOTHELL
5/1/2010  21:58    AC7T    20m    CW    1W    1,075.91    REDMOND
5/1/2010  21:57    N7TT    20m    CW    1W       965.01   LA CENTER
5/1/2010  21:53    KK7S    20m    CW    1W    1,071.44    MEDINA
5/1/2010  21:41    K7SS    20m    CW    1W    1,070.89    SEATTLE
5/1/2010  21:40    W7VP    20m    CW    1W    1,081.45    WOODINVILLE
5/1/2010  21:30    KK7OO   20m    CW    1W    1,157.75    BELLINGHAM
5/1/2010  21:25    K7BG    20m    CW    1W    1,081.01    POWER
5/1/2010  21:24    W7AC    20m    CW    1W      942.16    ALOHA
5/1/2010  21:20    NG7Z    20m    CW    1W    1,085.29    BOTHELL
5/1/2010  21:18    K9SG    20m    CW    1W    1,808.46    GREENFIELD
4/25/2010 03:09    NV5E    20m    PSK31 750mW 1,163.11    ARLINGTON
4/25/2010 02:52    K5JJR   20m    PSK31 750mW 1,147.25    HASLET
4/25/2010 01:16    WA5MS   20m    PSK31 1W    1,165.94    HIGHLAND VILLAGE
4/25/2010 01:12    W5GT    20m    PSK31 1W    1,157.56    N RICHLAND HILLS
4/10/2010 09:37    JS1NDM  40m    CW    1W    5,576.71    Noda City Chiba
4/10/2010 09:07    JA7DLE  40m    CW    1W    5,379.44    Hanamaki
4/10/2010 08:30    JA1XMS  40m    CW    1W    5,600.02    Chiba City
4/10/2010 08:17    JF2QNM  40m    CW    1W    5,752.96    My shack :CHITAGUN 
4/10/2010 04:31    KI7MT   40m    PSK31 1W    1,015.82    HELENA

2010 ARRL CW DX Contest - portable operation

2010-03-05T20:55:00.000-08:00

Another edit of some of the activities during the recent 2010 ARRL CW DX Contest. Events such as this are really useful for tweaking your station configuration. With a low power portable station, the dx contest is especially helpful, because of the test requirement to "work dx only".
Here is a view of some of the weekend activities, which I conducted from the hills just east of San Diego.
It was a cool day, with the temp hovering around freezing - (31F)

ARRL CW DX Contest - portable.

2010-02-28T15:07:00.000-08:00

Here's the next challenge. Portable, CW contesting.

Dec 2009 - Africa - Portable Operations.

2009-12-13T09:02:00.000-08:00

Located about 100 miles north-east of the coastal city of Cape Town, our base camp is at 32.871954S, 19.084239E.
This time, we are exploring the mountainous region of the Ceder Mountains, adjacent to the Great Winterhoek Mountain Nature Reserve.
The base cabin is visible in the middle of the picture. A freshwater stream (which provides drinking water as well as a refreshing break from the daytime heat) runs about 100ft from the cabin.

Traveling here is easy by car (we bring 4X4 just in case), and at elevation of about 1500 MSL, we are surrounded by lots of mountains.
The cabin offers sleeping facilities for 6x. No electricity or water supply - just the way we like it. Well - ok - plenty of running water from the nearby river which serves as fresh water supply as well as a welcome relief from the baking southern sun.
At this location, the air is clean, there is no light pollution and at night, the Milky Way lights up the skies. While around the campfire, stargazing consumes the better half of the evening.
(No visible International Space Station pass during our stay unfortunately)

The "Green" Inverted V goes up - Mast is a sturdy piece of 30ft straight timber we found close to the cabin.

QRV / QRP - Of course no electrical infrastructure for miles, also means no rf pollution, and virtually "no" noise floor. With an inverted V for 40/20m, we light up the 706 (battery power). 20m dx sounds fill the quiet evening and even S1 signals are booming in Q5. What appears to be 20m short path to the U.S. comes alive around 20:00 UTC. No dx luck at QRP power levels, unfortunately, due to the high noise floors at the remote stations.

On 40m, local stations (< 1000 miles) provide for fun rag-chew QSO's during the daylight hours.

Working local stations on QRP power offers quite a bit of activity during the daytime, with several fixed base and mobile stations from as far as Namibia and the Kruger National Park on 40m.

Stateside dx on 40m around 04:00 UTC are 5/9++. W1AW code bulletins are as clear as local stations during this window. 40m Gray line propagation shuts down around 06:30 UTC. Unfortunately we did not work any dx on 40m this time.

The rock formations in this area are truly spectacular, with a variety of freshwater streams feeding into the Elephant river. Easy hikes from base camp provide access to great vistas, waterfalls and freshwater mountain pools for cooling off during the summertime heat.

This time of year, the temperatures average about 30C. During our stay, we were lucky with some overcast days reaching 28C.

HF A/B linear on 20m - 15W PSK

2009-11-14T13:04:00.000-08:00

With the LPF inline and on higher bande, such as on 20m this amps' performance drops a little but still delivers 15W easily with 1W drive.

Homebrew 40W WA2EBY linear amp.

2009-11-14T12:24:00.000-08:00

After soldering in the header to support LPF/plug-ins the homebrew Hf-packer amp finally made it into an enclosure. Nothing permanent for now, but at least it'll keep some of the rf inside the box. The 2 x IRF510 MOSFETS are visible mounted on heatsink.
The amp delivers 40W output with 1W drive - at 24 Vcc.

The heatsink is pobably a little overkill, but it works! The IRF510's are heating up quite a bit at 20W.
This al enclosure (designed for rf use) was a find at the local surplus store for $5. It came with pre-drilled openings for DB9-style panel mounts - which now double as BNC mount slots.

The lid + heatsink still sitting loose on-top...and I'll have to do better job of running shielded cable to the MOSFETs. (hidden from view here under the heatsink)

ARRL CW SS : 40m

2009-11-08T18:14:00.000-08:00

Zooming into the activity shows the signal spacing around 100Hz
Detecting light signals on this busy band is no problem - Rocky S/W, (with narrow filters still usable to around 35Hz on CW.)

40m ARRL CW Sweepstakes. Busy band

2009-11-08T18:08:00.000-08:00

Spacing down to 200Hz in cases
ARRL CW Sweepstakes on 40m.

2009 ARRL CW Sweepstakes - 40m

2009-11-08T17:55:00.000-08:00

So the 2009 ARRL CW Sweepstakes is in full progress and the 40m band is packed. Here are some screenshots showing the activity.
Radio: Softrock 6.3 txrx, Antenna : Wire vertical at sea level.

The entire 7.0 - 7.1 full of CW - what a joy!

Think we can get a QRP 1W signal in there. Actually yes - the contest stations are so keen for points, and the QRP class (up to 5Watts) is definitely active and recognized in this competition.

Zoom into the activity shows the signals about 200Hz apart. Using the Rocky S/W, it's easy to filter out the big signals, and still copy the weaker stations among them.

PSK31 with Rocky and Softrock 6.3.

2009-11-07T16:04:00.000-08:00

Zoomed view of what Rocky can provide, with signals close to each other on the waterfall. Operating PSK directly from the Panadapter is very convenient, and provides a wide-band view while providing the ability to filter down to a usable 25Hz.
Rocky supports demodulation of SSB, CW and PSK31. It also transmits in CW and PSK31. It's PSK31 decoder offers exceptional quality...and combined with the Softrock, this platform provides for hours of fun experiments, and trying out different antenna options.
With the panadapter view of 96KHz (depending on your soundcard) this system can be a very effective tool in antenna experiements. Signal to noise ratios are now easily visible, and "watching " the band adds a different dimension to hf-monitoring.
Rocky also allows recording of the entire 96KHz spectrum for later play-back.

WA2EBY - HF AB linear amp.

2009-11-07T15:00:00.000-08:00

Prototyping the WA2EBY broadband amplifier. Using 2 x IRF510 MOSFETs this design is capable of about 16dB gain when supplied with 24V. (1 W in, 40W out) (Output board on the left and Input and TX switching on the right. The heatsink with the 2 x IRF 510's is out of view here. (QST March/April 1999.) http://www.golddredgervideo.com/kc0wox/wa2ebyamp/

This is the output board - which has the phasing transformer (right) as well as the output balun (left). The rest is the 5V bias supply.

Input circuit, with 1:1 input balun (bottom right) TX relay in the back. Left is 5V bias adjust circuit, driving the MOSFETS in AB mode.
The LPF is fittend in the output to the antenna, and be sure to measure for harmonic suppression before connecting to an antenna.

2009 ARRL CW SS - More fun.

2009-11-07T13:20:00.000-08:00

With SDR it is really easy to apply very narrow filters. Here is a view of the very close-spaces 20m CW signals. See how many you can count within 1KHz of each other.

Zooming out slightly - gives a good view of the level of activity on 20m

ARRL 2009 - CW Sweepstakes

2009-11-07T13:09:00.000-08:00

Busy 20m band on 7 Nov 2009 - with the ARRL CW Sweepstakes in full swing. Softrock 6.3 TXRX with 20m Vertical dipole.

Homebrew 5 W linear amplifier for the Softrock SDR

2009-10-31T17:40:00.000-07:00

Enough of this QRPp! Now that we know the radio works for sure, lets add some power for those QSB moments.
The 5W amp is in progress and being tested on 40/20m. First tests into dummy load show about 3- 5W out with 1W of drive. Using NB6M's "miniboots" design, here goes, and "yes I know this really needs to go on copper" with proper shielding.

Notice the LPF is already inline, and output reads close to 5W / CW (with 1W drive from the Softrock SDR)
Parts for this 5W amplifier will run you about $8-$10 depending on where you source your components.
Adding several LPF's for each band combination will require mode capacitors and toroid inductors.
The most expensive part (in my case) was the relay (DPDT tx relay switch) at about $2.50. The amplifier design is based on the very popular and very affordable IFR510 MOSFET. Add your choice of LPF for the output stage and make sure to mearure for harmonic suppression.

Be sure to measure for proper harmonic suppression with the LPF inline. A good IMD test can be performed using Rocky's built-in 2-tone generator.

Miniboots reference: http://www.amqrp.org/kits/miniboots/miniboot.htm

Softrock 6.3 nearing completion.

2009-10-31T17:23:00.000-07:00

Oh - the joy of SMT. With the Softrock 6.3 kit, theres a few more interesting hours of soldering ahead. The double sided board, has al lthe smt on the bottom. Here the board is taking shape, wiht the PSU and some initial smt components, including the VXLO in place.

Here the board is nearing completion with the LPF inplace and all the components in place. The bottom has a few more smt's added to the mix.

A few headers make the external connections a breeze. This way you can work on the boad, make corrections without worrying about damaging the external wiring already soldered in place.

And so the first day on-air arrives. With things wrapped up and headers all wired, the radio can get on the air. This time with a 20m quaterwave vertical (wire) antenna no higher than 20ft. Sitting on the antenna tuner, one can easily watch for smoke, while ensuring there's a nice match.

Given the space limitations at my QTH, I choose to make sure things are matches by adding the antenna tuner. The Softrock earning it's place in the "shack with a view".

Here goes with a few CQ's on PSK31 (20m)

What do you know -the signal makes it over to the east-coast. Software: Rocky, Antenna = wire vertical at sea level.

And after a few hours of calling CQ - the results look like this.

Softrock txrx 6.3 (1W) nearly completed

2009-10-31T17:21:00.000-07:00

The Softrock 6.3 txrx kit will test a few more of your smt skills, but with a little persistence and after a few hours of building, the board is coming together nicely. The main board acts as motherboard for the rx BPF's as well as multiple Power Amps. The PA modules can be purchased separate for each band-combination you require (eg. 40/80, 30 - 17, 15 - 10) The smt components on this design is all mounted on the reverse side with through hole components on the top. Tony's design is very good and so is the quality of the manufacturing of the boards. As always with kits and projects, once you start, the thing has to get done, and you can't wait to get it on-air. No different here.

SDR with the SoftRock Lite II kit.

2009-06-23T21:07:00.000-07:00

It felt as if I was missing out on the action of age of Sotfware Defined Radio . So I decided to get going with a Kit and completed the SoftRock Lite II in a few hours. The SMT is a little tricky, but for a first try I must say it requires nothing more than basic soldering skills and very good tools for visually inspecting your work.

So I ordered a SoftRock Lite II 40m kit.
The package arrived in the mail 2 days later, and I could not wait to get started on the construction.
You can read a write-up of the construction project here

I could not wait to get this radio on the air, so the construction went into the early morning hours one night. After about 4 hours (of which the toughest is the minute toroids) the project was on the air, and alive.

The SMT work is really no big deal, and allthough parts are tiny, good viewing tools make the project go much faster.

This board matches the performance of the other expensive radio I own.
This may just be the best $10 you ever spent on ham gear.

Using PSK Reporter is a really helpful system for tracking propagation.
Here is a sample of what my 20m SDR receiver sees during a 24 hr cycle.

2009: CQ WPX SSB: Anza-Borrego State Park.

2009-03-31T00:11:00.001-07:00

The area is green after the rains - mild temps and rfi-free
environment, makes for fun HF portable operations.

2009: CQ WPX SSB Contest portable : Anza-Borrego State Park

2009-03-31T00:08:00.001-07:00

http://www.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=638

Camp site at : 33.157596N, 116.150873W

Using 20m/40m with hamstick antennas.
This area is RF silent, with noise floor around S1. Portable
operation is really easy with low power. Noise floor of S1, makes it
easy to virtually hear all the signals on the band.
Plenty of terrain here to put up nice wire antennas.

2008 Dayton: Those with deep pockets.

2009-03-26T20:17:00.001-07:00

For those with deep pockets.

2008 Dayton : Icom display

2009-03-26T20:14:00.001-07:00

Aaah ...new IC7700

2008 Dayton - Yaesu display

2009-03-26T20:13:00.001-07:00

Some Yaesu HF gear on display.

2008 Dayton Hamvention

2009-03-26T20:11:00.001-07:00

IC 7700 on display

2008 Dayton

2009-03-26T20:10:00.001-07:00

Many options for rig control s/w were available.

Ham Mobile : 2008 Dayton Hamvention

2009-03-26T20:07:00.001-07:00

Antenna experiments?

2008 : Dayton

2009-03-26T00:04:00.001-07:00

For those of us who need more audio pre-processing... there's always
room for more toys in the shack.

QRO?

2009-03-25T23:55:00.001-07:00

Well - then... maybe when operating /MM ?

2008 : Dayton Hamvention

2009-03-25T23:53:00.001-07:00

toys toys toys,.

2008 : Dayton - Steppir motor

2009-03-25T23:27:00.001-07:00

The inner workings of the SteppIR motor drive and element control motor.

2008 Dayton Hamvention

2009-03-25T23:26:00.001-07:00

The place to be ...
shoppers paradise.

If you've never visited Dayton - you should make it a priority this year.

2009 Coronado, CA

2009-03-25T23:09:00.001-07:00

At this QTH, my antennas consist of wire dipoles, and
wire vertical on 20 & 40m.
Keep it simple shack.

2003 - Carmel Valley, CA - Spot the 706

2009-03-25T22:39:00.001-07:00

The IC706 fits nicely into the workplace.
Simple wire dipole, abt 15ft above grnd from this Carmel Valley location.
Zero lot-lines make where antennas make neighbors very nervous.

Stealth skills put to the test at this HQ.

HF Mobile Palomar Mt. , CA Dec 2003

2009-03-25T22:27:00.001-07:00

HF Mobile
IC 706 MKiiG, Hamstick, 100W
Nice view from this elevetion.

Del Mar, CA Oct 2003 - HF 20m Mobile - working ZS

2009-03-25T22:26:00.001-07:00

2003-10-14 08h24 PDT - Del Mar - CA
20m SSB Long Path to ZS1XD !!!
Hamstick and 100W barefoot. What a nice surprise to work Home from
halfway around the world.

On the workbench.

2009-03-25T22:19:00.000-07:00

Minimalist operating position.

HF portable.

2009-03-25T22:18:00.001-07:00

IC 706 MKiiG ready for portable use. 706 is getting a workout here -
inside the shack - ARRL dx SSB contest - 2009

HF in a box.

2009-03-25T22:15:00.001-07:00

My HF portable station is taking shape. IC706 MKiiG in a water proof
box, ready for mobile/portable use.

For portable use, the battery goes in the box 7Ah 12V Gel Cel.

IC7000 - New toy - March 2009

2009-03-25T22:12:00.001-07:00

What a great radio - IF DSP Rocks.
Antenna is Wire Vertical, using MFJ telescopic 33ft mast. (base at about 15 ft above sea level)
Ground plane is salt water in canal 10m from the base of the vertical.