tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-62082466929286369182024-03-14T08:09:59.881+01:00PA1SBM, the life of a dutch radio amateur....HAM, Antenna, tranceivers, coax cable, PD0SBM, PA1SBM, Veron, VRZA, Kenwood, Diamond, Comet, Falcon,Alex, PA1SBMhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13873272506953908368noreply@blogger.comBlogger87125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6208246692928636918.post-54456130179409872542016-03-19T20:56:00.000+01:002016-03-19T20:56:34.327+01:00Yaesu FTM-100DE : Stop the presses!! Alex, PA1SBM is going digital !!!Stop the presses and go to def-con 1 !!!!
For those who know me this will be a huge shock.... for which i want to apologize in advance.
Today was one of the biggest ham-fests in the Netherlands (or Holland for people who do not realize we're not a province of Germany)
And on this ham-fest i bought a new dual-band transceiver which is capable of C4FM/FDMA, also better known as system fusion. It'sAlex, PA1SBMhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13873272506953908368noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6208246692928636918.post-72433682974465972342016-02-15T13:25:00.004+01:002016-02-15T13:25:54.149+01:00Looking back at PACC 2016.....After being locked up in my shack for 24hrs, and feeling like total crap afterwards, it's now time, after a good night sleep , to look back at a weekend which usually makes me avoid my shack for the upcoming 3 to 4 weeks.....
I already wrote a post about the preparations not going completely as planned... but ohh well what else could happen.... Well..... I volunteered for being on call for work Alex, PA1SBMhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13873272506953908368noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6208246692928636918.post-24401480699256129782016-02-13T09:14:00.003+01:002016-02-13T09:14:39.505+01:00PACC 2016 preperations.... They never go as planned....From last minute bought headset's to setting up antenna's... planning PACC never seems to be easy....
This week started wit me wanted to buy a new headset as my old computer headset which worked fine, was not comfortable at all....
So I went to several computer stores, and I just could not find something that suit me. Even online, it was never what I wanted. the lightweight stuff was flimsy and Alex, PA1SBMhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13873272506953908368noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6208246692928636918.post-31548997291080630152016-01-31T21:03:00.001+01:002016-01-31T23:27:18.178+01:00It's almost time.... Time for PACC 2016 !!The only contest I do is the PACC. As the whole world then at least takes the time and effort to listen for me, I am able to make nice contacts all around the world.
This year might be different though, i might also do the CQ WW SSB contest as well...
Butt back to the PACC....
Every year i try to do better then the year be for. And I succeeded so far.
It's not mandatory for me to do better, but Alex, PA1SBMhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13873272506953908368noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6208246692928636918.post-63903184352333993892016-01-02T00:28:00.001+01:002016-01-02T00:28:57.406+01:00Happy new year !!!
Hello all,
Just a quick post to wish all you who follow my blog, and all your loved ones a very happy new yearLets hope all our HAM dreams come true and we all expand our awesome hobby.
Until the next time!
73's
Alex
PA1SBMAlex, PA1SBMhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13873272506953908368noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6208246692928636918.post-13768043316020431842015-12-19T14:37:00.000+01:002015-12-19T14:37:39.587+01:00Build an active receive antenna..... The Mini-Whip.....So I was browsing the dutch variety of eBay... called marketplace... (no i am not kidding)....
And all of a sudden I stumbled on an advert with a PCB+components for a mini-whip....
Now, as I wanted to build one for a while, but did not feel like going through the trouble building my own PCB's, so I ordered a kit at this webshop....
It's a very simple and basic kit.... So out came the Alex, PA1SBMhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13873272506953908368noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6208246692928636918.post-81019227541802592722015-09-22T16:55:00.001+02:002015-09-24T14:51:08.937+02:00New toy: ZD-985 desoldering station.... Part2Hello all,
So today I finally cleaned my workbench and installed the ZD-985 desoldering station.....
The absolute first impression I got was: "O.M.G. its big!!" and however this sometimes is good, this time I was less amused. It is really bulky compared to my other soldering stations...
It will not fit under my shelve!!!
The unit itself, so not the holder, is 17 cm high, 13 cm wide andAlex, PA1SBMhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13873272506953908368noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6208246692928636918.post-71343478312481588822015-09-15T15:25:00.000+02:002015-09-24T14:58:41.971+02:00New toy: ZD-985 desoldering station.... Part1Today the postal service delivered a package.....
Within was another box....
In that box was my brand new desoldering station.
It is the same as Dave from EEVBLOG talked about in this video
He was not too positive about the one he received.... His one did not heat up...
Worse, his tip did not open without the help of the cleaning tool which let me to believe that the suction Alex, PA1SBMhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13873272506953908368noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6208246692928636918.post-15027299904806385042015-08-24T19:18:00.000+02:002015-08-24T19:18:39.958+02:00RS-232 disappearing from PC's and so is PCI.... so now what to do when you run Linux as a HAM?Hello all,
Well, it's no surprise that I am a big fan of Linux. On my blog I usually post about Linux stuff often enough.
Recently I bought a new PC. I used an "old" AMD 64 X2 4000+ with 8GB DDR2 800MHz memory, and I thought I would spoil myself with a new one.
As it was going to run Linux , it did not need be top of the line, so I bought myself an Intel Core i7 with 16GB 1600Mhz memory.
And Alex, PA1SBMhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13873272506953908368noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6208246692928636918.post-67491153181607615682015-08-16T19:06:00.000+02:002015-08-16T19:06:00.303+02:00A new PSU... KPO SPS-30-II ... PART 2: Installing the missing partSo I promised part 2 soon , so here it is :)
This week my order of 10 clixons (50c N.O.) arrived.....
And today i had time to add this to my latest PSU.....
So again i got rid of 13 screws....
And i looked at an empty spot where a clixon should be......
The holes you see there are only in the metal sheet they use for a heat sink... they are not drilled through.... which took me about a Alex, PA1SBMhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13873272506953908368noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6208246692928636918.post-18785662993420565002015-08-16T18:43:00.001+02:002015-08-16T18:43:32.925+02:00A new PSU... KPO SPS-30-II ... PART 1: The good, the bad and not so bad at allA while back I bought a KPO SPS 30-II .... And I promised to write something about it in a few weeks... well.. a few weeks became a few months....
So without any more delay..... here it is , a 59 euro 30 amps power supply......
yeah you read it right... 59 euro..... (thats dirt ass cheap for dutch standards)
It looks like this.....
Not too bad in my opinion, nice clear meters, and if you Alex, PA1SBMhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13873272506953908368noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6208246692928636918.post-83447191686482122562015-08-15T22:17:00.001+02:002015-08-15T23:13:59.055+02:00The FoxDelta.com 1-50 MHz swr analyzer.........A while back I was browsing the internet..... I always wanted a SWR analyser, but i always thought that the price was a bit high for a tool I only use like 5 times a year....
So somehow I got to a site.... foxdelta.com ...... And I found this..... aaz-0914a
..... 50 bucks...... After like thinking about it for about a month, I ordered it....
Then after a few weeks....... No i have to be Alex, PA1SBMhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13873272506953908368noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6208246692928636918.post-10416542462667231032015-04-22T19:59:00.003+02:002015-04-28T19:27:57.867+02:00New toy's !! Arduino's for HAM projects.
Hi all....
Today the mail arrived with a new toy....
I ordered an Arduino UNO and a Nano....
I did not have time to do a lot of things with it, but I uploaded a quick program to it.... just watch the orange led blinking SOS in morse....
This is also where I want to use the Arduino's for.... morse stuff... Still looking into fun projects for them....
Ohh and on eBay the Alex, PA1SBMhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13873272506953908368noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6208246692928636918.post-2995079441009306742015-03-20T14:37:00.002+01:002015-03-20T14:37:50.032+01:00BITX20 - 24. PA part 2... the story continues....Well, it has been a long while since the 2 criteria to work on the bitx20 both were valid....
A) I have to feel like it....
B) I need time...
But as i have the week off.... i picked up the project box where the Bitx20 is in and opened it up.....
I took out the PA and started to look what was needed.....
I left off here.....
So i grabbed the manual and started to work with the dreaded Alex, PA1SBMhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13873272506953908368noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6208246692928636918.post-47142950409486938562015-03-16T15:51:00.001+01:002015-03-16T16:27:09.662+01:00K-PO KPS30SW : Part 2 - adding a bi-metal thermal thingie.....Hello all.....
About the title... As no-one posted a comment about what the proper name was of the temprature sensor, I still call it a "thingie"........
So yesterday i visited my good friend Hans (PD0AC). If you don't know him, you really should look at his blog as well <link>.
We started to talk about my PSU story and I told him about the bi-metal thermal thingie "missing" in one of Alex, PA1SBMhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13873272506953908368noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6208246692928636918.post-49404989119297421562015-03-08T22:26:00.002+01:002015-03-08T22:26:45.456+01:00CQRLOG 1.9.0 releasedOn the 4th of March, Petr OK2CQR, released a brand new version of CQRLOG.....
So, what's new, and what bugs were fixed.....
In the download section of www.cqrlog.com we read the following......
Version 1.9.0
added support for setting the QTH Nickname in eQSL.cc download dialog (Florian, DF2ET)
configuration can be stored into database or local computer only (Preferences -> Program -> Alex, PA1SBMhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13873272506953908368noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6208246692928636918.post-69109356983231825712015-02-16T14:47:00.000+01:002015-02-16T14:48:11.925+01:00PACC 2015... Looking back at 24 hrs of fun....Hello all,
After 24 Hrs of HAM fun, it's time to evaluate......
Just be for the PACC.... RED ALERT!! PRIORITY ONE INCIDENT......
For the people who know me, it's not unknown that i drink a lot of coffee, and i love a good cup....
There for i have an Illy X7..... and just before the PACC the Illy broke down!! PACC without coffee is just not done..... It kinda works still, so i am gonna try to Alex, PA1SBMhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13873272506953908368noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6208246692928636918.post-29429667125588407742015-01-23T09:59:00.002+01:002015-01-23T09:59:46.240+01:00We all know someone who does this......Normally I do not blog about funny things....
But when i bumped into this picture on 9gag.com I could not resist to shamelessly rip the picture and post it here....
Reason be that we all are HAM amateurs and have some level of electronics skill....
There for we get people who come to use asking to fix something for them which they have successfully sent to electronics heaven with the Alex, PA1SBMhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13873272506953908368noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6208246692928636918.post-88884981053667480512015-01-11T21:17:00.000+01:002015-01-11T23:18:35.613+01:00K-PO KPS30SW : Fan noise and differencesHello all,
At the last HAM fest, 2 fellow HAM's, William (PE1BZF) and Herman (PE1GDF), told me that one salesperson was selling low-noise PAPST fans which fit in my PSU's.
My PSU's are 2 identical K-PO KPS30SW PSU's.... well, I thought they were identical......
Let's start with the first one......
The KPO front and back.. with crappy fan....
So what am i replacing it with..... This nice Alex, PA1SBMhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13873272506953908368noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6208246692928636918.post-5726080473601423622015-01-11T15:47:00.000+01:002015-01-11T17:42:40.429+01:00PC headset interface for ham tranceivers.....Hello all,
A while back I wanted to have a Heil headset.... They look awesome, are very high quality and just are one of the best you can get...
With off course two downside..... you did not build anything yourself, and the price can be a lot of money for a person.... they are not dirt ass cheap.... (for a reason though, see the first comments)
For me , the first reason was the most important. Alex, PA1SBMhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13873272506953908368noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6208246692928636918.post-11859245494806878392015-01-10T14:29:00.001+01:002015-01-11T17:46:24.962+01:00PACC 2015 is upon us !!Yes !!!
Again the only contest I like and join is getting close.
The PACC....
1200 UTC, 14 February - 1200 UTC, 15 February 2015
More info at: http://pacc.veron.nl
Last year my results were as good as you would expect from my station.
I came in at 41st of 155 dutch ppl contesting in my category (single op, low power, SSB)
So this year I am going to try to finish higher... so I am keeping my Alex, PA1SBMhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13873272506953908368noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6208246692928636918.post-41710819142716231792015-01-10T13:41:00.000+01:002015-01-11T18:11:32.964+01:00Belate happy new year and stuffHello all,
Sorry for being away far too long......
Work has gotten the most time at the moment, together with a more healthy life style.
But 1st things first...... Happy new year!!! that this year may be full of special contacts, new DX and awesome contests, and off course lots of love and good health.....
As my work is very busy at the moment, and I never get enough rest... so , as I got Alex, PA1SBMhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13873272506953908368noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6208246692928636918.post-20559749704047162882014-10-03T23:21:00.001+02:002015-01-11T17:57:43.451+01:00Zero ohm..... with a 1% fault tolerance.....Sorry for the long wait on a post.... real life sucks out all my energy at the moment....
But, Last weekend I went to a HAM fest, and I bought some nifty things.....
Among the stuff I bought was a huge pack of 1% 1/4 watt resistors.... 2850 of them....
Hans, PD0AC, who is a personal friend of me, always had a little joke on the local repeater about how he was looking for a very special resistor.Alex, PA1SBMhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13873272506953908368noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6208246692928636918.post-74140584054012372182014-07-12T14:41:00.000+02:002015-01-11T18:15:30.212+01:00Kent paddle key kit.....Today the doorbell woke me up from a nap on the couch.....
It was the Dutch postal service with a package....
This made my day, cause I was already hoping it would arrive today as I ordered it on Monday.
Now I did not want to order this be for I actually learned Morse code, but I could not help myself, and it felt like the missing part in my shack....
So after I opened the package up, I Alex, PA1SBMhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13873272506953908368noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6208246692928636918.post-39345177985112537282014-06-20T00:40:00.001+02:002015-01-11T18:16:23.545+01:00Fielday PA2014CC .......I had to think a while how to call this post.....
Shameless advertising might be a good title as well....
And as i am shamelessly advertising on my site, i might as well shamelessly copy qrz.com as well... I am sure Raymond (pa7ray) won mind.....
This is about the local chapters of the 2 major dutch HAM organisations Veron and VRZA
On June 21, VRZA and VERON are jointly going to host a Field Alex, PA1SBMhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13873272506953908368noreply@blogger.com3