Radio

Do you cut or lengthen the antenna?

June 18, 2024May 27, 2024BenLeave a comment

When measuring SWR, I always forget if I should lengthen or shorten the antenna. So rather than jump around the bush, I will get to the answer straight away.

The graph below will help you always remember.

If when the frequency goes up, and the SWR goes up, as per the above green line, then you need to shorten your antenna.
If when the frequency goes up, and the SWR goes down, as per the above brown line, then you need to lengthen your antenna.

You can reverse the above two statements also.

If when the frequency goes down and the SWR goes down, as per the above green line, then you need to shorten your antenna.
If when the frequency goes down, and the SWR goes up, as per hte above brown line, then you need to lengthen your antenna.

Basically, if the frequency and the SWR change in the same way, then you need to shorten it.

Hopefully that helps from now on. I know I will be looking at this myself.

Here are some other interesting reads you may enjoy!

Basic Antenna Fundamentals
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Diamond Antenna W-8010 and expanding it to all bands
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NanoVNA-H 4 Antenna Analyser
The Nano VNA-H 4 is my new toy that has just arrived after purchasing via Banggood. This Antenna Analyser is a complicated device, but doesn’t have to be, and can be a powerful tool for the Amateur Radio hobbyist. Charging the device Your NanoVNA should come with…
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Portable HF all band Antenna and Mount
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Fishing Line Antenna DIY
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NanoVNA H4 USB Control to PC
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Do you cut or lengthen the antenna?
When measuring SWR, I always forget if I should lengthen or shorten the antenna. So rather than jump around the bush, I will get to the answer straight away. The graph below will help you always remember. You can reverse the above two statements also. Basically, if…
Continue reading →
HF Mobile Antenna CBL-561
CBL-561 Review The new CBL-561 antenna is strong and light that is fit for mobile work, camping or remote radio use. I plan to use this on our next outback trip! This antenna supports a frequency range of 25-30MHz, covering both 10-meter and 11-meter bands. With a…
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Remote testing Antennas
I’ve always wanted to take the radio with me while on holidays and I always do. However I’ve always been limited to 2m and 70cm including local repeaters and digital work. Our family enjoy holidays all over Australia into some of the most remote places without water,…
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Daiwa CN-460M Meter
The Daiwa CN-460M is a small cross-needle meter displays both forward and reflected power for 2m and 70cm. It measures in ranges of 15/150 watts forward and 5/50 watts reflected. SO-239 jacks. It includes a mobile mounting bracket and meter illumination option if you connect the power cable. I…
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Flowerpot Antennas
Have you heard of a flowerpot antenna? I hadn’t until recently, and I enjoy gardening also. But this antenna has nothing to do with gardening apart from why it was named flowerpot and it will probably end up either on your roof or garden. A good friend…
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NanoVNA H4 USB Control to PC

June 12, 2024May 27, 2024BenLeave a comment

If you haven’t seen my previous blog on the NanoVNA Analyser, then I suggest you look at that first before reading this blog. This one will talk about how to connect your NanoVNA to your PC via the USB cable, so I am assuming you know the basics on how to operate it.

There is a google drive (link here) that has a lot of things on it, including manuals and software. There is lot of other things that I haven’t looked at yet also available in several languages.

If you go into the Software and Drivers folder via the link above, you will see the file NanoVNASharp.zip. Download this file onto your PC, then unzip it into a folder.

Once unzipped, you can run the NanoVNA.exe file after connecting your NanoVNA device with the USB cable. You may need to install the driver. I used the nanovna-cdc.acm.zip file you can see on the above google drive.

You may have to go to your windows device manager to check which COM Port the NanoVNA has been allocated. Below is what the program looks like (without the graph showing).

You can see above where to select the com port and connect. You can adjust the start and stop frequencies as mentioned in the last post. You can either press the Get Data button or tick the Auto Refresh box. Then you can save and open the file. I did screen shots before I adjusted my antenna, so you can open the current and old side by side and compare what your adjustments did.

Down the bottom of the chart is where you can change the chart format from Logmag to Smith Chart or SWA etc. You can also change the scale as needed.

Below is an output from my dipole antenna. You can see the SWA is very high at 3.5Mhz still but a lot better on other bands.

The other bands may not be perfect, I can now zoom in to each band one at a time and see how the antenna works across the selected band more accurately.

I would value your thoughts on this and if you found it interesting. Please send me an email or post a comment below.

Flrig

June 11, 2024June 11, 2024Ben2 Comments

Flrig is a transceiver control program designed to be used either stand alone or as an adjunct to fldigi (see my review on this). The supported transceivers all have some degree of CAT. The flrig user interface changes to accommodate the degree of CAT support available for the transceiver in use.

Download Flrig here, but not via the green button, select the setup.exe file below (if for windows).

Once installed, all I did was press the Config menu and select Setup and Transceiver. From this window, I selected my radio on the receiver page, then the relevant com port, baud rate as per the radio and selected Init. and it just worked.

While in that area, you may want to return to the Config menu and then select UI and then turn tool tips on. This will help you around the program.

The picture to the right shows a few screens of Flrig working with my radio. You can see live SWR, power used and a few others. Down the bottom is how I can quickly switch bands. If you have band stacking on this works in well also. The second bottom screen is the VFO A or B (B is on in this example)

I can tune in a frequency via Flrig, or Flrig will update should I change settings on the radio.

Another benefit of this simple software is you can point other software to it. This may include logging software and digital decoding software.

A great little free program with a lot of benefits.

Links

Download Flrig here, but not via the green button, but the setup.exe file below (if for windows)

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ProScan and ProScan Client Update
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Fishing Line Antenna DIY

May 27, 2024Ben2 Comments

With so many different HF antennas available, I often wondered what people in high rise buildings did. If they can not put an antenna on the roof, what options are left for them? I talk to so many people from Asian cities who would have this problem, and occasionally I see what they do.

The easiest option is to stay on digital like DMR. These only require internet, and a hand held radio, but this always asks the question, is this real amateur radio? My opinion is if it connects people that are licenced and only licenced people can uses it, then I guess it is, while understanding it may not be everyone’s cuppa. I do understand there are many even in Australia in retirement villages who only have the option of digital radio due to restrictions on antennas.

Today, I made contact with Lok Shui Fan VR2VAZ in Hong Kong, and on his QRZ page, he came up with an amazing idea that clearly works for him. While it is not going to be the best antenna ever seen, it is perhaps the best antenna he is able to use. Given we are about 7450 km (4627 miles) apart, and still made contact on this antenna, you can’t say it doesn’t work.

On his QRZ page, Lok says “This is my DIY HF Fish Pole Antenna. Can be used under 80M,40M,30M, 20M, 17M, 15M, 12M, 10M band.”

He also says “If I am not playing radio, all the antenna will be hidden in flower bed”.

There are more photo’s on his QRZ page. He even has a youtube video on it.

I guess it would feel like catching contacts everytime you made a contact. If you enjoyed fishing and radio, this might be a bit of fun for you?

I think it is a fantastic idea. What do you think? Have you built your own antenna that camouflage’s when not in use?

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Band Stacking

May 24, 2024May 24, 2024BenLeave a comment

Have you ever tried Band Stacking before? This is where you have three options per band every time you go to that band. For example, you may have one set up on SSB, one on CW and another on Data, all on the same band. You can easily switch between them all.

For example, if you are on 20 metres, press band and 14 again, and if band stacking is on, it will keep you on 20 metres but to the different stack. This different stack could have a different mode. You usually have three per band.

Have a look at the video for more on how to use it and turn it on:

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Band Stacking
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The History Of Yaesu
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10 metres 28.490

May 24, 2024BenLeave a comment

On the 10-metre band, 28.490 is the unofficial calling frequency for Australia and New Zealand. This is interesting as the Band plans state it is 28.390 as the recommended intra-VK calling frequency.

That said, 28.490 is more recognised as the unofficial calling frequency down under.

Most amateurs down under will listen to 28.490 on ten metres and put out a call there, but then QSY to another frequency 10 or 20 kHz away either after making contact, or before contacting another station by announcing where you plan to go.

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DNR – Digital Noise Reduction

May 15, 2024May 15, 2024Ben1 Comment

As per the Yaesu FT-710 manual, the Digital Noise Reduction (DNR) system is designed to reduce the level of ambient noise found on the HF and 50 MHz bands. The (DNR) system is especially effective during SSB operation. Any of 15 different noise-reduction algorithms can be selected; each of these algorithms was created to deal with a different noise profile. You will want to experiment with the DNR system to find the best setting corresponding to the noise currently being experienced.

The DNR function can be operated individually for VFO-A band and VFO-B.

But have you ever tried this trick with the RF-Gain. Have a look at this video to see more:

Press the [DNR] key to enable the DNR operation. To disable DNR operation, press the [DNR] key once more. If you turn your RF gain back to 12 o’clock, it will sound super.

I would love to hear your views on this, and how you have used it. Please like or comment below.

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Dipole Antenna for Portable Use – Make your own!
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Interference
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Baofeng UV-17R Plus Series Review

April 22, 2024May 24, 2025BenLeave a comment

I recently got my hands on a new Baofeng UV-17R Plus Series radio. It didn’t take long at all to arrive and was not expensive at all. People these days pay more for a UHF CB radio than a radio that does all this can do.

You can purchase it via this link: https://www.radioddity.com/products/baofeng-uv-17r-plus However, if you go via this link, you will get a discount: https://radioddity.refr.cc/bensangster

My last Baofeng radio is a GT-3TP which you can still purchase new. It also works well and have always received good reports from it.

The UV-17R Plus is an upgraded version of the UV-17R handheld with the following: extras

an expanded receiving frequency band (encompassing aviation and police bands in the US),
an extended battery boost from 1800mAh to 2500mAh (that works out to about 40% more charge),
a quick USB-C charging plug and cord, and
it also has a new voice scrambler function.

Some of the things I liked with the new UV-17R Plus Series includes:

The look and feel of the radio. This includes the bright display, feel and position of the buttons, large LED lights, and easy antenna swapping as the area is wide. I also like the speaker behind the keypad, this saves room and is an area you never cover with your hand either. The text on the display is far easier to read than older models inside and in the sunshine.
The new USB-C charging is so much better. You don’t have to bring a charging cradle anymore when you leave the house, and can even charge it in the car easily.
Customising DTMF is easy via the # key. It will also search for a used frequency then will display what CTCSS or DTMF is used. This can quickly be saved as a channel also.
Secure conversations – I couldn’t test this as I only have one radio, but agree this is a good feature. However, I did talk on it myself and my digital scanner couldn’t decode it.
The weather feature would be good if you are in a country that uses it. Australia does not. I could see this being a great radio in an emergency with the LED lights.
The user manual is well put together and entirely in English. A PDF version is available online also.
The radio can be programmed directly, or your PC via several different software options. I have done a video on this below if you want to see this.
It comes with an 18-month warranty.

Here is a video where I unbox the radio and show what is included in the package. If it is helpful to you, please press the like button.

The video below is an overview summary of this radio. I’d recommend watching it as it has more details than posted here.

Below is another video showing some of the features that the radio has. While I don’t show you them all in action, it will at least give you an idea of how the radio works.

If you want to get connected into the Baofeng community, have a look at this groups id where others comment and are there to help. https://groups.io/g/BaufangRadios

This is a great radio for the price. It does far more than I thought it would and I am sure will get a lot of use out of it. I was initially concerned it may be hard to use because of the price, however, was pleasantly surprised how easy it was to program.

Below is a video I did showing you how to program the radio via a PC using Chirp-Next.

Programming Tip

Did you know you can program this radio via chirp? Here is a tip you may like.

Hope you have got something from this to help you in the hobby. If you go via this link, you will get a discount: for this radio and anything else on their website https://radioddity.refr.cc/bensangster

There is also a new group io you can join if you want https://g r oups.io/g/BaofengRadios

If this has been helpful, please let me know. Perhaps you have one of these radios and have thoughts of your own, I would value your commitments below.

Radioddity GD77

April 10, 2024April 22, 2024BenLeave a comment

After using this radio for years, this is my summary on how I find it.

While I want to replace it to a base station that puts out more power, I don’t want to lose the OpenGD77 firmware. Can you suggest a radio that would work for me where you can manually type in any talk group? It would be a base station radio that puts out 10 or more watts.

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GD-77 Won’t connect to PC
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Portable Hot Stop with Battery Pack
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Retevis RT73 – Kydera CDR300UV

April 3, 2024April 2, 2024BenLeave a comment

The Retevis RT73 and Kydera CDR300UV are identical radios. They are a DMR/FM duel band radio for Amateur radio use. This is great, as most of the early DMR radios available were commercial radios that were used for Amateur operations.

At time of writing this, the radio is one of the smallest dual band DMR mobile I’ve seen, about the size of a handheld.

Some of the features include:

DMR / Analog
Dual Timeslot (MotoTRBO compatible)
VHF / UHF Dual Band
Size: 121 x 76 x 43mm, 4.75 x 3.0 x 1.7″
Weight: 329g, 11.6oz
136-174 400-480 MHz
5W-20W transmit
FM radio receive
300,000 DMR DB IDs (w/ Latest FW/SW)
20,000 call groups
4000 channels
Analog APRS
16 zones (250 Chan / zone)
Built in GPS
DMR roaming

Included with the radio in the box are:

Microphone (DTMF currently doesn’t work but may be fixed with a future update)
Mounting bracket and screws
2m 12V power cord
60-page user guide – 6 languages
GPS antenna
Programming cable (optional – but you may already have one)

There are three programable keys along the top along with other buttons. These buttons respond differently to long and short presses. The speaker is on the front making it easy to mount, however the speaker microphone can also be a speaker if you want it to be. There are two power levels, 5W and 20W.

The display is small, but it is a small radio. However, the 2″ screen is bright and colourful. It is easy to navigate also with icons on the main menu.

Programming can be a bit tricky if you use the normal software, however there are a few alternatives. The good news is the software is free. Some do not allow you to export or import, and when you want to add a channel, it has to be added to the end, not between.

I would recomend Codeplug Editor by David MM7DBT as it has an easy tabulated menu system that guides you through each step of programming this radio.

Some other things you should know:

Listen in single channel or dual channel mode
Has promiscuous mode for DMR, however it is only on the one timeslot even in dual mode which is a pain.
You will need to make sure you are on the latest firmware for everything to work correctly (eg APRS).
You can adjust the TX audio for DMR and analog. This may need adjusting when you first get it.
Colour display that is easy to use, but can be hard to see from a distance or in a car.
You can program in zones, which is great. So you can turn them on or off.
Small design so easy to mount in the car

It is clear from other reviews that this radio had and has some bugs. But as more firmware updates gets pushed out, the better the radio becomes. This is mainly about GPS and APRS making the radio slow or even take over. However, most reviews admit with the latest firmware, the problem has been fixed.

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VK3TBS

Amateur Radio Notes, from Australia