Innovation and a Dual Band Sweep with Version 2 of the 15-10 Transceiver

Here are a couple of videos on Version 2 of my 15-10 SSB transceiver.  In the video above I try to show the advances and innovations that have been made since the start of my BITX construction adventure back in 2013.  

 The video below shows the receiver in action this morning on 15 and 10 meter SSB.  I think it sounds pretty good. 

Click on the image for a better look

Farhan asked what the passband of the 25 MHz crystal filter looked like.  I sent him this.  I think it looks very good, and shows that it is possible to use an IF this high.  This permits us to not only set up the transceiver for dual band coverage (in this case 15 and 10 meters), but it also allows for a lower frequency VFO (in this case around 3.5 MHz) with a resulting increase in VFO stability.  

Yet ANOTHER Homebrew 15-10 SSB Transceiver (Video #1)

A homebrew 15-10 SSB Rig for the Dominican Republic:

This is my second build of this rig.

I am using a 10 pole crystal filter that I built for the first build, but did not use. I am also using the tuning capacitor from a Galaxy V's oscillator -- I like the anti-backlash gears and the reduction drive. This rig is built on a pine board covered with adhesive copper tape. It has been built stage-by-stage on copper-clad boards using the Manhattan construction style.

The structure of the rig is basically that of a BITX rig -- the RF and IF amplifiers are Termination Insensitive Amplifiers.

Soon the receiver will be completed. I will then build the stages needed for the transmitter portion of the transceiver.

I will take this rig with me to the Dominican Republic.

Clock Chimes from Japan - Contact with JA0LBE

This contact with Masa was a lot of fun.  2300Z January 14, 2024.  15 meters was obviously in great shape.  Suddenly I started hearing clock chimes.  The sound seemed to be coming from my rig.  Then I looked at my watch and realized we were at the top of the hour.   Masa-san's clock chimes were being picked up by his microphone.  The microphone was in his I-pad, which he was using to connect to his ham radio station.  Very cool. 

This email came in from Masa: 

兼子政彦 <>	Sun, Jan 14, 7:54 AM (20 hours ago)
to me

Hello Bill

Thank you very very much for your Email attached the video of our QSO.

Your homemade transceiver is working excellent! I was very surprised to watch the video. I checked transmitting of your equipment is very good this morning. And this evening I understood receiving was also very very good. Congratulations on your homemade equipment.

I have tried remote operation for several months. But I’m afraid my transmitting is not good.

Thanks for your video, I could tell following things. Thank you so much l appreciate it.

My remote signal has almost no blinking up,I felt.

There are about 2 seconds latency on my transmitting.

Most important thing I realize is English conversation over the phone is very difficult for me. I need to learn intonation and pronunciation of English much more.

Again thank you very much for your Email,I appreciate it.

Have a nice day. And good night from Japan.
73!

JA0LBE, Masa in NAGANO

15 Meter Homebrew SSB Rig As Heard in Mexico City

 19 August 2023. Ralph XE1RK recorded part of our QSO and played it back to me. Thanks Ralph!

I was running about 75 watts to a hex beam aimed Southwest.

Working Indonesia and Chile with new 15-10 Homebrew Transceiver

Conditions were good this morning, and the Radio Gods continue to favor homebrew rigs.  I got on 15 meters SSB with the new 15-10 dual bander and quickly worked YH0AD in Jakarta (about 10,000 miles).  A few minutes later I talked to YB2MVD; he was a bit further east on Java.  I shot a video of the QSO with YB2MVD.  He said I was 59.  

I then switched to 10 meter SSB (same rig) and worked CE4PS in Chile (5,000 miles).   

TRGHS. 

The antenna for all these contacts was my K4KIO Hex Beam.  I was running about 75 watts from the .1kW CCI amplifier. 

First Contacts with 15-10 Rig -- Two Atlantic Crossings

 

I was just testing it, working (as usual at this stage) on final amplifier stability.   Then I heard ON5WO calling CQ.   I could not resist.  I worked him, but had to use a test lead to manually key the .1 kW amplifier.  Minutes later I worked OH6RM.  He very diplomatically said that I had "highly unusual audio."  This was probably due to earlier efforts to shift the carrier oscillator to improve carrier suppression. (I will fix this.)  

I will continue to work on the rig; It should look a bit better when I am done.  But hey, it works!  It has already crossed the Atlantic. Twice!  

Progress Report Video on my 15-10 Meter Homebrew SSB Transceiver

The receiver is mostly done on my 15-10 rig, and I am following Farhan's BITX20 advice: "pause at this point and listen to the receiver that you have built." In the video I mention a problem with out-of-band signals. I was hearing shortwave broadcast signals (Brother Stair!) and even strong 20 meter CW signals. I thought the problem may have been with the bandpass filters, but after thinking about it I focused on the diplexer coming out of the product detector. I put a simple diplexer (from W7EL's Optimized Transceiver) in there and the problem disappeared. I still plan on beefing up the Bandpass Filters -- the dual tuned circuits I have been using are, I think, inadequate. I needed some more space on the wood board so I installed a sort of "back porch" -- you can see it in the video. I will build a power amplifier (RD6 or RD16) and a mic amp. Soon I will be on 15 and 10 with this rig. On this one, I am going the full "radical fundamentalist homebrewer" route: no ICs, no manufactured PC boards, no VFOs from old Yaesus.

SolderSmoke Podcast #247 -- Hating on the IC-7300, Pete Goes FT-8 with a KWM-1, Bill's 15-10 Rig, MAILBAG

Bill's 15-10 Rig -- Click on image 

SolderSmoke Podcast #247 is available: 

Audio Podcast:  http://soldersmoke.com/soldersmoke247.mp3

Video:  (482) SolderSmoke 247 -- Hating on the IC-7300, Pete goes FT8 (with a KWM-1), Bill's 15-10 rig, Mailbag - YouTube

Bill’s Bench:

The 15-10 Dual Bander.

n  10 pole crystal filter at 25 MHz.

n  G3UUR, Dishal, AADE and all that..

n  Testing woes.  Looked bad.  But it was a bad test cable. Duh.

n  VFO (Colpitts) at around 3.5 MHz.

n  Buffer blues:  Bad J-310s.  Beware!  

n  Variable cap from a Heath Q Multiplier

n  A bit of a black art – competing goals. Freq coverage, etc.

n  BFO needed an amp to turn on the diodes in the balanced modulator

n  TIA amps.   SIX dual direction TIAs.  18 transistors.

n  On a pine board (like Frank Jones)

n  Will use the N6QW all discrete AF amp.

n  Maybe an RD16 in the final?

n  Will build a second one for the DR.

 Shameless Commerce:  Mostly DIY RF and the PSSST kit.  Todd K7TFC reports:  “The P3ST is on track for Lee Deforest's birthday release (August 26th). I'm going to send out another newsletter on July 4th, and I'll give some details on P3ST development.” Results of Todd’s Survey.

Pete’s Bench

n  FT-8 on the KWM-1!

n  Presentation to the ham club.

n  Why the Icom 7300 is the anti-thesis of homebrew.

MMAILBAG:

-- SPRAT 195  Summer 2023, in the mailbox.  A happy day at N2CQR

-- Armand WA1UQO sent a wonderful book about Faraday and Maxwell… And told me Jim K8OI was heading to our area.  I met Jim at the VWS Field Day event.  FB.  Thanks Armand.

-- Tony G4WIF sent Father’s Day greetings.

-- Alvin N5VZH asking about electrolytics for his 2-B.  Hayseed Hamfest!

-- John AC2RL replacements for the IBEW.  We need to start over!

-- Steve “Snort Rosin” Smith WB6TNL was in the area.  Sorry I missed him.

-- Joh DL6ID helping us to track down origins of a homebrew receiver Grayson saw in Berlin.

-- Grayson KJ7UM was in Europe visiting his wife’s relatives.  But I think he is back in the USA.

-- Walter KA4KXX sent a QRP HB family portrait. 

-- Wouter ZS1KE sent info on surface mount soldering.

-- George Zaff KJ6VU Ham Radio Workbench – re-runs! Recommended audio processor.  Let me know how it sounds. 

-- Michael AA1TJ   Great to hear from him. 

-- Alan Wolke W2AEW on the toroids  he used in Diode Ring video.  Thanks Alan!

-- Dean KK4DAS, AI and SWR meter project  And new lexicon word:  Hamsplaining. 

-- Bob N7SUR --  Let me know we are semifinalists in the Hack-A-Day prize!  

The 15 - 10 rig from above -- Click on image

SolderSmoke Podcast #246: PeteGPT! DC RX, Si5351, Franklin osc, Cuban DSB, Hex beams, uBITX mods, DX, 10 meters, MAILBAG

 

SolderSmoke Podcast #246 is available: 

AUDIO PODCAST: http://soldersmoke.com/soldersmoke246.mp3

YouTube VIDEO: (247) SolderSmoke Podcast #246: uBITX, Hex Beam, DX, High School DC RX, 10 meter SSB Rig, MAILBAG - YouTube

The AI Deep Fake Threat!  PeteGPT!

Hearing Aid info:  I can hear the cymbals in my audiogram adjusted Airpods.

Update on the TJ DC RX project – Several receivers working! https://hackaday.io/project/190327-high-schoolers-build-a-radio-receiver

Sunil’s company provides Nano/Si5351 combos.  With the KD8CEC software. Very cool.  http://amateurradiokits.in They have a new SSB dual band transceiver – the Airpal.

Mark AJ6CU helping me. Sent me Nanos with KD8CEC software. His uBITX Settings Editor seems very cool. https://github.com/AJ6CU/uBITX-Settings-Editor/releases/tag/V2-beta-1  Thanks Mark.  

Franklin Oscillators. 

Cuban Islander and Jaguey info.  Send more!

Fixing up uBITX 2   How Bill blew up TWO Raduino Nanos. My results with the KB1GMX mods. (see below)

Hex Beam work:  Adding 10 and 15 meter elements.  But now I can hear AM breakthrough from WFAX 1220 AM  (5 kW during the day),  So I made a high pass filter.

Made first contacts on 15 and 10:  Argentina, Brazil, Dominican Republic.

First contacts with both India VU3TPW and China BA4TB.  SSB homebrew.

sBITX news. Taking orders!

Pete’s 10 Meter SSB Project

Mailbag:

--Wes W7ZOI provided great info and analysis on the Franklin oscillator. And lots of great tech info on other topics: http://w7zoi.net/oldtech/ponder.html Thanks Wes!
--Lex PH2LB. uBITX mods. TO-18 Heatsinks. New stickers (see above).
--Kostos SV3ORA and Hans G0UPL about the Franklin Oscillator.
--Listening to HRWB 178: Great stuff, many old friends: George KJ6VU moved to Oregon. Thomas K4SWL on the show.  Ben, an old friend of Pete’s,  mentions John Zaruba K2ZA – the guy who gave me the DX-100. Wonderful connections.
--Thanks to Todd VE7BPO for sending me another AADE LC meter. I need it for the SSSS.
--Nick MONTV planning a 15/10 meter dualband SSB rig. Me too! See video.
--Trevor Woods in W. Australia – The portrait in Artie Moore’s shack. Chuck WB9KZY – Willam Ramsay
--LA6NCA Helge three tube RX. Regen or DC? Mike Masterson WN2A and I discuss.
--Mike WU2D video on Retro QRP rigs – Steve G0FUW discusses Severn rig long in the works –started 1983 and nearly finished!
--Tim Hunkin of Secret Life fame did video with speaker made from potato ship bag. Discussed with Tony G4WIF and others. Also, Tim has an amazing video on cutting holes in metal. On the SolderSmoke blog.
--Bob Crane W8SX will be covering FDIM for SolderSmoke!
--Glen VE3DNL working on a more sophisticated DC RX.
--Craig KC2LFI from the beach on Grand Cayman. FB.
--Steve EI5DD reports We have changed our name - The May Issue of the HAM RADIO IRELAND Magazine, Ireland’s only independent magazine for the Radio Experimenter: https://docdro.id/SHH0VEy
--Mike EI0CL on 15 meters with Dean KK4DAS. FB
--Howard N3FEL of the Penn Wireless Association wants to do a group build of a DC RX.
--Martin LW9DTR in Buenos Aires looking for help with the code for an AD9850
--Todd K7TFC – always helping other homebrewers.
--Really thoughtful message from Kevin WN7Z

uBITX 2

My KB1GMX mods to uBITX 2

SolderSmoke Podcast #207 -- 15 mtrs, 60 mtrs, Giants of Radio, Cubesats, Pete's rigs, SDR MAILBAG

SolderSmoke Podcast #207 is available: 

http://soldersmoke.com/soldersmoke207.mp3

-- Giants of Radio
-- Pete on 15 Meters
-- Bill on 60 Meters with the uBITX
-- Pete's Sudden and Heath Filter Transceivers
-- Cubesats to orbit!  To the moon!  And to Mars! 
-- Bill rebuilds his 2 meter "Ray-Gun" Quad (for Farhan's Cubesat)
-- Homebrewing Variable caps and stockpiling NP0
-- My "by ear" Minimal Discernible Signal Technique
-- Thoughts on Direct Sampling SDR and the Radio Art
MAILBAG
-- A request for feedback from GQRP
-- G4WIF reports G3ROO on UK TV with spysets
-- VU3XVR builds FB rig from EMRFD
-- M0KOV Charter member of the 3 Scratch-built BITX club
--KD4PBJ's PTO Turtle DC Receiver
-- AB1OP builds Pete's LBS receiver and gives us a new acronym: SITB
-- KD4EBM -- Thanks for the scanner Bob!   
-- A possible sponsor from California... 

-- Pete's dream neighborhood...