Ham Radio

Resources for Ham Radio:

Calendar of local (Pittsburgh area) Ham Radio Nets:

       http://ical.me.com/dgou/HAM%20nets

You can subscribe at:

       webcal://ical.me.com/dgou/HAM%20nets.ics

Member Ed passed along this link for building shortened antennas:

• http://www.k7mem.150m.com/Electronic_Notebook/antennas/shortant.html

Member Tim wrote to the list: (Dates are 2010)

• I spoke with Joe Sciulli (ka3tdq@verizon.net) regarding the classes I took at the Salvation Army Disaster Center and when they would be scheduled again. He mentioned that he and a few adjuncts would be there October 13,14,20,21,27,28 (Wednesdays and Thursdays for October) from 7-9PM and that he would post more details on the arrl.org site when he gets around to it.

Amateur Radio Satellites

Live Tracking Websites

JTrack - from NASA

N2YO - Uses Google maps

Frequency and Status

AMSAT's Operational List

Satellites We Care About

These are the ones that have FM repeaters or Linear Transponders on them. We should add easy links to some of the pass calculators here

• VO-52 "HAMSAT" ( Linear transponder ) (AMSAT Prediction - click 'Predict') (N2YO Pass list - click 'Show All')
• AO-51 "AMSAT ECHO" ( FM repeater ) (N2YO Pass list - click 'Show All')
• SO-50 "SAUDISAT 1C" ( FM repeater ) (N2YO Pass list - click 'Show All')
• ARISS "ISS" ( FM repeater, Astronauts ) (N2YO Pass list - click 'Show All')
• FO-29 "JAS 2" ( Linear transponder ) (N2YO Pass list - click 'Show All')
• AO-27 "EYESAT-1" ( FM repeater, the original "EasySat" ) (N2YO Pass list - click 'Show All')
• ???

Satellites We Might Want To Track

These are the ones that are downlink only, usually CW or packet telemetry data. Add pass calculators

• AO-7 "OSCAR 7" ( Linear transponder, sort of works, but its been up there for nearly 40 years so why stop trying now ) (N2YO Pass list - click 'Show All')
• bloo
• blah

Resources

Find your grid square - the shop is FN00AK - Foxtrot November Zero Zero Alpha Kilo

ARRL Homebrew Challenge Information

The ARRL has completed two Homebrew Challenges so far and a third has begun. These contests produce some great designs that HackPGH might be interested in building as a group kit or just for fun. The reason you'd build one of these designs instead of some random one off the internet is that the ARRL has tested the designs to show that they meet a rigorous level of performance (selectivity, stability, harmonic output, etc).

Unfortunately, the ARRL changed their website around in 2010 and it is hard to find information about the contests and their results. Also the circuits and instructions for the winning entries are scattered throughout various issues of QST spanning several years. We have many years worth of QST in the shop, but we need to find out when the different designs were published and if any updates to the designs are available online. Of course there is a Yahoo group too. :/

First Homebrew Challenge - 40 meter QRP CW and SSB transceiver

• Initial Announcement
• Announcement of Winners
• Information on designs
  • NM0S
  • N3ZI
  • WA2EUJ
  • KD1JV

Second Homebrew Challenge - 40 meter power amplifier

• Initial Announcement
• Announcement of Winners
• Information on designs
  • KR4HO
  • NM0S
  • W6JL
  • WA2EUK (more than one design?)

Third Homebrew Challenge - 10m and/or 6m CW and SSB transceiver

• Initial Announcement
• Announcement of Winners - TBA Nov 2011 D:
• Information on designs - TBA a zilliondy years from now D:

Ham Radio Kit Links

DDS Kits

• Si570 based - $29.50 kit / $33 assembled
• AD9851 based - $50.50 kit / $80 assembled
• another one - $67.50 kit including LCD and encoder