Upgraded vk3ye.com website

Enjoy reading about diverse facets of amateur radio? Like building projects? Sometimes find my videos hard to find? If any of these applies to you check out my upgraded website at https://vk3ye.com .

A lot's been done. For a start the technical section has been expanded with more articles about more aspects of electronics and radio. Join me as I dismantle and explain various pieces of gear, ranging from consumer to professional. There's features on electronic parts you can get for free or very cheaply. And components and what they do get a new section with pointers to numerous videos. 

The 'Beginner and General' section has also grown. This has many more articles on more topics including newer digital modes. Some older articles have had updates. You can read more reviews, with this section better organised. 

Antennas and projects are two of my site's popular sections. Much more has been added, incorporating much material that first appeared here on The Daily Antenna. Examples include using sports oval lights as antennas, Rowland Rings, quick antennas for the higher HF, VHF and UHF bands and more. The projects department also has items added in all sections. 

To cap it off, everything's on a faster and better server. Links from the old Alphalink url have redirects but if you do have a website that links to it please change them over to the new vk3ye.com address.

Happy reading and building! 

My six most viewed videos

What are my video viewers most interested in? Fortunately YouTube allows sorting of videos by popularity. Antennas seem to be a common thread, especially magnetic loops. People also like crystal sets. Anyway here's the top six. Happy viewing! 

1. 100w magnetic loop

2. Homebrew software defined radio

3. Choke 'balun'

4. Triband end fed half wave

5. A demonstration of a crystal radio

6. My favourite magnetic loop for HF pedestrian mobile (actually no longer my favourite as I since built a newer lighter one of aluminium described in another video)

Final note. After about 18 months of writing this blog I've decided to cease adding to The Daily Antenna blog. I've enjoyed it, but as you might have noted from the decreasing frequency of posts, it was becoming somewhat of a chore to come up with material. Taking time that I'd rather spend doing experiments to make videos about. Thanks to you all for reading and commenting. I'll continue to be active with the following: 

VK3YE website

VK3YE YouTube

VK3YE Radio Books on Facebook

Some radio related Facebook groups

If you're on Facebook here's some groups that may be of interest.

Ham Radio Homebrew https://www.facebook.com/groups/Ham.Radio.Homebrew/

Ham Radio Homebrew Corner https://www.facebook.com/groups/hamradioconstruction/

Amateur Radio QRP https://www.facebook.com/groups/qrpradio/

Making antennas for amateur radio https://www.facebook.com/groups/388985131912074/

Radio receiver kit and circuit construction https://www.facebook.com/groups/141931123174948/

Portable antenna tips and techniques https://www.facebook.com/groups/1200545163358449/

DIY cheap electronic kits and projects https://www.facebook.com/groups/147858562595896/

CW Morse Code fans https://www.facebook.com/groups/46861088039/

Magnetic loop antennas https://www.facebook.com/groups/861746933918546/

Crystal set radio group https://www.facebook.com/groups/crystalsetradio/

These are good places to ask questions and see what others are up to. If there's others you like please mention them in the comments below. Note that some groups are public while others are private so you may need to apply and answer a question or two to prove you're not a spammer.

Now's a great time to be reading books. Especially with not much else to do. 

Browse my full range of books here. 

439 MHz FM: How far can you talk on a cheap handheld?

A few days ago I went for a walk along the beach. Taking my handheld. There was activity on 439 MHz, the main FM simplex frequency. A 46km contact was made despite being low and just having the handheld's standard antenna. More here!

PS: Into low power amateur radio? Minimum QRP is the top-selling manual on the equipment, antennas, operating and strategy of successful QRP operating. It's available for under $US 5 each in electronic form. Or you can get a paperback version. Visit VK3YE Radio Books to find out more. 

151 MHz wireless microphone range test (and how I got started in amateur radio)

I like little radio transmitters. I found a little one in a box of junk from a hamfest last year. It turned out to be more interesting than expected. It was an FM wireless microphone on 151 MHz. Fortunately I have equipment and antennas that can receive on that band so I did some range tests. 

The first two tests were done with the transmitter fixed and me walking around with the receiver. I used both a VHF handheld and an FT817 on SSB with a small beam. Understandably the latter gave longer range. 

The third test was with the FT817 (on FM) connected to a home station antenna and me walking around with the wireless microphone transmitter. This took advantage of the 817's better sensitivity. In this video I also talk about how I started in radio. As the video's unedited I drop out as I walk further away. Then I come good as I return.

PS: Enjoy reading? Consider this selection of amateur radio books I have written. They are available in ebook or paperback. 

    

VK5WAT QRP new and old modes activity - May 2020

Video shows some QRP with new and old modes. Both with homebrew rigs.

PS: Into low power amateur radio? Minimum QRP is the top-selling manual on the equipment, antennas, operating and strategy of successful QRP operating. It's available for under $US 5 each in electronic form. Or you can get a paperback version. Visit VK3YE Radio Books to find out more. 

Becoming a Radio Amateur in Australia

Different countries have slightly different arrangements for becoming licensed as a radio amateur. However they all generally have an exam followed by a call sign application followed by a license. Here's Australia's procedure. 

If this topic interests you there's more detail in the Australian Ham Radio Handbook. This is available from Jaycar as a paperback or Amazon as an ebook. 

How much power is your QRP antenna coupler losing?

Get a rough idea with this back to back test.

PS: Enjoy reading? Consider this selection of amateur radio books I have written. They are available in ebook or paperback. 

    

Now on LBRY (housekeeping)

If you haven't heard of it, it's an alternative to YouTube. If you're on it then so am I.

My channel is here: https://lbry.tv/@vk3ye:3

It's mainly for backup purposes and my videos will continue to be hosted on YouTube.

PS: I've done a few videos featuring Baofeng rigs lately. You might enjoy this teardown of them. https://www.allaboutcircuits.com/news/teardown-tuesday-baofeng-amateur-radio-transceiver/

How far can you talk on 2m FM simplex with a handheld transceiver?

Cheap Baofeng handhelds sometimes get a bad rap. And the antenna that they (and other handhelds) come with doesn't make the transceiver that good for simplex unless you're elevated. But if you can put on a good antenna then you can have better luck. Enjoy this video where I give it a range test from the beach.  

Now's a great time to be reading books. Especially with not much else to do. 

Browse my full range of books here. 

7 transistor 7 MHz 700mW FT8 and JS8 DSB transceiver

Super simple. Direct conversion/DSB for two popular digital modes on 7 MHz. Under 1w output but gets good results. A lot of similarities to my Beach 40 DSB rig. Video discusses QRP PA design so could be worth watching even if you're not into digital modes. 

PS: Into low power amateur radio? Minimum QRP is the top-selling manual on the equipment, antennas, operating and strategy of successful QRP operating. It's available for under $US 5 each in electronic form. Or you can get a paperback version. Visit VK3YE Radio Books to find out more. 

Two range-boosting antennas for your 2m handheld transceiver

Two quick and simple antennas for improved performance from your 2m handheld. Video describes and demonstrates.

VK6FC's Foll-up: https://www.armag.vk6uu.id.au/1985-september-AR.html VK2ZOI's Flower pot: https://vk2zoi.com/articles/half-wave-flower-pot/

PS: Enjoy building antennas? Many hams do. Hand-carried QRP antennas, my first antenna book has been very popular. That concentrated on basic concepts and the lower HF bands. Anyway here's the follow-up. Called More Hand-carried QRP antennas it describes more than 30 antennas and accessories that you can easily build. And there's more of an emphasis on upper HF, VHF and UHF antennas that the previous volume didn't have so much on.

Backyards on the Air: FT8 & JS8 activity

Backyards On the Air is a local activity intended to substitute for portable operating during these shut in times. The last one also coincided with ANZAC Day (26 April). Here I've set up a temporary station (FT817ND & 1/2 wavelength wire end-fed) to make some 40m FT8 and JS8 contacts. 

PS: Enjoy reading? Consider this selection of amateur radio books I have written. They are available in ebook or paperback. 

    

More MSK144 receiving on 6m

Six metres or 50 MHz is often associated with high sunspot activity like we haven't seen for a couple of cycles. And it's true that's when most of the really long distance DX is worked. 

But 50 MHz is not a one trick pony. For example in summer there's sporadic E propagation for some really strong signals even with low power and small antennas. That should be exciting for those in the northern hemisphere. And throughout the year there's meteor scatter communication. Modern digital modes allow at least exchanges, if not real conversations, to be frequently made. Even if your antennas are fairly modest. This latest video is a few mornings of receiving 6m meteor scatter activity on a very basic HF wire antenna and noisy location. Stations from as far away as 1500 km were decoded. 

New to MSK144 and meteor scatter? You might enjoy my first video where I try receiving it on 50 and 144 MHz. 

Now's a great time to be reading books. Especially with not much else to do. 

Browse my full range of books here. 

Feel like watching something?

RadioPrepper on YouTube has a great run-down of various channels that could be worth subscribing to on YouTube (hit the bell icon etc!). They will appeal to people into QRP and portable.

PS: Enjoy building antennas? Many hams do. Hand-carried QRP antennas, my first antenna book has been very popular. That concentrated on basic concepts and the lower HF bands. Anyway here's the follow-up. Called More Hand-carried QRP antennas it describes more than 30 antennas and accessories that you can easily build. And there's more of an emphasis on upper HF, VHF and UHF antennas that the previous volume didn't have so much on.

QSO Today interviews Paul VK3HN

Paul is one of the many amateur radio homebrewers in VK3. He makes some amazing stuff. Enjoy this QSO Today interview.

This is a recent example of one of Paul's projects - a QRP 40m transceiver.

PS: Enjoy reading? Consider this selection of amateur radio books I have written. They are available in ebook or paperback. 

    

Two fun videos from W5IG

I won't say much except to encourage you to watch them!

PS: Into low power amateur radio? Minimum QRP is the top-selling manual on the equipment, antennas, operating and strategy of successful QRP operating. It's available for under $US 5 each in electronic form. Or you can get a paperback version. Visit VK3YE Radio Books to find out more. 

Noise canceller projects

With many people at home now might be a time to start on those projects you've always put off. Something good for the shack, especially if you live in an area with high noise, is an HF noise canceller. The idea is that you have a second deliberately poor antenna that picks up mainly noise. The signal is combined with the main antenna. Changing the phase relationship of arriving signals should allow a point where the noise can be nulled out. 

Here's a few links to get you thinking.

https://www.vk5tm.com/homebrew/noisecancel/noisecancel.php

http://www.alg.myzen.co.uk/radio/136/noise_can.htm

http://ra3wdk.qrz.ru/NoiseCancel.htm

https://py2nl.blogspot.com/2017/08/relics-radio-communications-hf-band.html

Of course cancelling the noise is one step. It might be better, if you can, to remove it first. Here's some tips.

https://www.sotabeams.co.uk/blog/combating-hf-noise-what-works/

If you've built these projects or something like them please let us know in the comments below.

Now's a great time to be reading books. Especially with not much else to do. 

Browse my full range of books here. 

Coincidence!

I was just browsing through a real estate advert. It was for a beachfront house. As is normal they had pictures of the view. And would you believe they were photographing while I was out portable. See if you can find the picture of my portable station here:

https://www.realestate.com.au/property-townhouse-vic-chelsea-133263434

The video I took is here:

Has this happened to you? Have you discovered pictures of your portable station taken by an unrelated person for an unrelated purpose? If so please leave your comments below. 

PS: My latest antenna book, More Hand-carried QRP antennas, is now available in both ebook and paperback formats. More details here.

New ebook! Make Your Passion Pay: Writing non-fiction ebooks for fun and profit

Being shut in getting you down? Lots of people are reading ebooks with sales currently booming. Why not write one? It's not hard if you've got a favourite sport, hobby, cause or passion. This concise ebook tells you how. It covers topic selection, planning, writing and marketing, drawing on my experience of writing seven previous successful ebooks. This video tells you a bit about it.

For more information visit the Make Your Passion Pay Facebook page. You can also search the title on Amazon. It's great value at just $US 2.99 (or equivalent). Direct links from popular countries are below.

USA https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08719YWRC

UK https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B08719YWRC

Australia https://www.amazon.com.au/dp/B08719YWRC

Canada https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B08719YWRC

Germany https://www.amazon.de/dp/B08719YWRC

France https://www.amazon.fr/dp/B08719YWRC

Italy https://www.amazon.it/dp/B08719YWRC

VI3RA - more about the station

In a previous post I mentioned the VI3RA activity from the former Radio Australia transmitting site just outside of Shepparton, Victoria. Amateurs were able to load up the antennas one last time.

Here's a bit more about the site and activity. Below is a video tour by Lee VK3GK. It describes the station and antennas.

Operations like these require a lot of work. For a behind the scenes look read the various accounts in the newsletter of the Shepparton and District Amateur Radio Club. This will be an event many will remember for many years. Many local and DX stations were worked. There was also a repeat of the achievement from many years ago of bouncing HF signals off the moon. 

Now's a great time to be reading books. Especially with not much else to do. 

Browse my full range of books here. 

Is a Baofeng HT any good for emergencies?

It's a common question. Here's an answer from me.

PS: My latest antenna book, More Hand-carried QRP antennas, is now available in both ebook and paperback formats. More details here.

HF listening on a partially built receiver

With many of us cooped up inside more of us are building, listening and operating. Here's a receiver that I've been doing some work on. It may soon become a transceiver. It's based on the original Bitx for 20m but shifted to different bands and with a DDS frequency synthesiser added. 

PS: My latest antenna book, More Hand-carried QRP antennas, is now available in both ebook and paperback formats. More details here.

CW vs SSB mode comparison

A video comparing them under weak conditions.

VK5WAT in the local Field Day

Last weekend I had the use of VK5WAT - the callsign of the VK QRP Club. My access to it coincided with the annual John Moyle Field Day where stations go out portable to work each other (and home stations).

Clubs cancelled their multi-operator efforts but many went our as single operator stations. And here in VK3 the weather was perfect for field days: cloudy, 18 degrees with no wind.

Anyway this video shows my activities. I operated about 4 hours on the afternoon and 3 hours on the following morning. The morning activity was under a shelter as light rain was forecast (we only got occasional drizzle). I used an FT817 to a 20m wire end-fed.

A total of 84 contacts was made, mostly on 40m. However there was some DX including to the US on 20m.

Now's a great time to be reading books. Especially with not much else to do. 

Browse my full range of books here. 

Late afternoon DXing on 40 and 30 metres from the beach

Equinoxes often bring good DX conditions, even during solar lows. And the Corona virus is keeping more and more people in. So now might be a good time to turn on the rig and work DX. Here's me a couple of weeks back at the beach.

Now's a great time to be reading books. Especially with not much else to do. 

Browse my full range of books here. 

BERU contest (and other) CW activity

The BERU CW contest was nearly 2 weeks ago. It's a contest for stations in the British Commonwealth to work each other. It's not the high pressure of the big DX contests but still brings out stations from interesting parts of the world. 

This year I took the linear amplifier to the park at the end of the street. I was using a T vertical antenna with each leg 5m long. Contacts were made on 40 & 20m. There was also some European DX on 30m worked (not part of the contest). Also notable was the strong signals from US-based Reverse Beacon receives on 40m. This will definitely be a site I'll return to given the results.

I was also active last year but as a QRP station from the beach. Here's my video from then.

PS: Want to read about antennas? Consider this selection of antenna books. They are affiliate links meaning that I receive a small commission (at no extra cost to you) if you decide to purchase.

    

VI3RA activity on 160m from Radio Australia site

Many will be aware that Radio Australia ceased its shortwave transmissions a few years ago due to government cuts. This video shows reception during its last days.

A pirate (using SSB) came up to mock this decision. I caught snippets here.

The site has been idle for a while. But the Shepparton Amateur Radio Club was able to get access to it to give the antennas one last use, but this time on the amateur bands under special event callsign VI3RA a week or so back. The antennas were pointing the wrong way for Melbourne and short-distance propagation was unfavourable so I didn't hear them very strongly (or at all) on 7 and 14 MHz. But they were good signals on 160m. Here's some recordings I made. 

PS: My latest antenna book, More Hand-carried QRP antennas, is now available in both ebook and paperback formats. More details here.

More mobile APRS - this time on a bike

A few days ago I described pedestrian mobile APRS. Results were patchy. This time I go longer distances on a bike with an improved antenna. Watch the video to see how it worked.  

Now's a great time to be reading books. Especially with not much else to do. 

Browse my full range of books here. 

Some SSB reception from amateur satellites

Many of the popular low earth orbiting amateur satellites are basically a very high FM repeater. They work well and signals are strong. And not much frequency adjustment is required to compensate for Doppler. However they only allow one contact to happen at once. 

A little harder to receive are satellites with linear translators. However they have the advantage of allowing multiple CW, SSB and other contacts within their 20 kHz or so bandwidth. And low earth orbiting type, like the Chinese CAS series, can still be received on simple antennas. 

Watch this video for a demonstration. Signals were audible from three satellites within a few minutes of each other making it a bumper evening of reception.

Here's an earlier video I did where I used a handheld transceiver on 70cm to transmit a carrier which was received. 

PS: Into low power amateur radio? Minimum QRP is the top-selling manual on the equipment, antennas, operating and strategy of successful QRP operating. It's available for under $US 5 each in electronic form. Or you can get a paperback version. Visit VK3YE Radio Books to find out more. 

A Sunday session portable QRP SSB on 40m

Sometimes what you intend and what happens can be different things. The idea was to work some US DX during their SSB contest. But I'd got to the pier too late for best signals on 40m and 20m was producing only weak signals. 

Rather than go home I stuck around and had some within VK contacts on 40m. Mostly the usual news broadcast callbacks, park activation and holidaying ham (it was a long weekend). 

The antenna I used was different to usual - a 1/4 wavelength vertical. This probably helped with good reports into VK2 (around 800km distance). Watch the video to see how I went. 

The moral of this is that with QRP under the current conditions you should be flexible. Change your aims to meet conditions. And don't expect to work DX every time you go portable.

For more on portable QRP my book Minimum QRP could be worth getting. Available in paperback or ebook details are here.