Amateur Radio – Page 3 – Why are you reading this?

09/07/201105/13/2021

More CNC goodness

I’ve been using the M3 CNC machine quite effectively to produce machined cabinets for one of my ham radio kits. In a couple of hours the other day I was able to greatly improve the machine control programs for producing three of the parts, making the machining process faster and less hassle. I’ve even posted a couple of Youtube videos of the machine doing its thing.

I’ve got two new kits that will have optional, custom modified cabinets. For these I am hoping to do a little more complicated work. In addition to various round, square and/or rectangular holes in end panels, I’m going to try some engraving to label the connector locations and maybe put a logo on them. That will take a little more development work, including making a jig to hold the parts in a rigid, repeatable location.

The machine has been a real life saver in modifying some existing cabinets. The manual process using a file was very time consuming, very difficult, and produced imperfect results. Using the CNC mill gives me perfect results in about half the time of doing it manually… and I can be doing other things while the job runs, coming back only to swap out parts when the program is finished. I may eventually be investing in a new Gecko G540 driver, which should make the machine smoother, quieter and much faster. For now, though, the cheap ($65 or so, including shipping) Chinese driver board is doing the job.

08/08/201105/13/2021

Truck radio installation followup

Well, back in March I made a couple of posts detailing the installation of the dual band mobile ham radio in my new pickup. As some time has passed, I thought I should follow up on those posts with the latest news.

The mounting products I used turned out to be a complete bust. The Command foam mounting tape gave up about the first day the truck was parked outside with the temperature over 65 or 70. The kind-of-Velcro-like stuff I used for the speaker will hold on for an hour or two before that drops onto the floor. I have not yet decided what my next step will be. I may have to fabricate a U-mount for the speaker and drill a couple of small holes in the driver side kick panel to mount that. For the control head, I’m debating still. Someone makes a really slick no-holes F150 dash mount, but I don’t think it’s worth anywhere near the $40 they want for it ($50 after shipping). Right now things are “just barely” hanging on, but I’ll need to fix them soon before the speaker cable gets twisted to death.

05/07/201102/18/2025

First parts coming off the CNC machine

Last night I successfully ran my first “real” jobs on the CNC. One was a jig to hold a number of PIcoKeyer-Plus cabinet end panels, which came out perfectly. Then I used that to actually mill an end panel, which also worked exactly as I had it set up to do. Today I’ll run a batch of end panels, and set up a jig to drill tiny speaker grilles in the cabinet tops.

It’s almost scary how perfectly the stuff is coming out. I’m still learning about tool selection. For example, I assumed a 4-flute end mill would be best for doing the cabinet because it will produce a smooth finish. However, I think a 2-flute would be better. I’m also learning how much material can be removed, and how fast, to get the best results. Speed control for the spindle would be good, but for now I’ll settle for just getting the stuff done!

03/16/201105/13/2021

Radio installation – finished!

Well, it’s all in, and I’m very happy with the result. It looks good, it works as it should. Right down to the delayed shutoff — I can park and shut off the engine, the rig stays powered until I open a door (or some delay times out). I mounted the control head with Command foam tape mounting tabs for easy removal if needed. Also, my old roll of 3M foam tape finally got too old and these were all Wally World had. 🙂 You can click a picture for larger views.

The only thing I’m not sure about is the foam tape mounting for the control head. If that doesn’t hold over the long term, I’ll probably switch to a ProClip. It’s working for now, but it’s amazing how much you can see in a high-resolution picture that you don’t see when your eyeballs start aging. The transceiver isn’t hard mounted; I’ll stick the hook side of some industrial strength Velcro to the top surface (it’s upside down) to keep it secure but it’s not shifting around even under hard braking.

03/15/201105/13/2021

Radio installation

I’ve spent the past couple of days working on getting the dual-band VHF/UHF ham radio (a Kenwood TM-G707A) installed in the new F-150. As of today it’s mostly done. All that’s left to do now is to mount the control head on the dash, and finish the antenna mount. I took it apart last night and re-painted it, since the original black paint had mostly flaked off of part of it.

The new truck is more installation-friendly than the Sport Trac, that’s for sure. Dashboard panels pop out with a simple tug, door sill plates pop up without breaking parts, and of course there is a lot more room for working under the dash. There’s a convenient pocket in the dash for the microphone, and plenty of room behind the rear seats for the transceiver. Much to my surprise, I found out the rear seats will flip down with no hassle to gain access to the area behind them.

F150forum.com has been a huge help in getting this done, from the tip about the rear seat latches to wiring ideas to someone mentioning ProClip mounts. When I’m finally finished with this project I’ll have a very nice looking and functional installation. On the off chance I ever decide to upgrade to a different radio, I’ll be able to keep most of the stuff in place and re-use the mounts. Given how little I use the mobile rig, though, I give that a pretty low probability.

03/08/201102/18/2025

First road trip in the new truck

Lisa and I took the new F150 to Des Moines and back this past weekend. It’s every bit as smooth and quiet as we had hoped; I would say it probably comes close to most luxury cars. Gas mileage was not spectacular, but I’ll reserve judgment on that issue. We’re still in the break-in phase; in fact, there was under 100 miles on the odometer when we left. Temperatures hovered at or below freezing for most of the weekend, and we had a stiff cross wind both ways. I also have not put a bed cover on yet, and I know that will make a difference.

The EcoBoost engine pulls smooth and strong from idle to highway speeds; you really have no indication you have a V6 under the hood. Horsepower and torque are higher than the new 5 liter V8. In fact, it outperforms last year’s 5.4 liter by a good margin (320 HP/390 ft-lb for the 5.4, 365 HP/420 ft-lb for the little 3.5 EcoBoost). This engine is amazing. No turbo lag or whine, just quiet power from an engine that pulls like a mule.

I’m looking at what to do to get the ham rig installed. There really isn’t a hidden spot in the cavernous F150 cab for the transceiver; I may be able to wedge it in under the seat, but I’m not sure yet. I think there’s plenty of room under the dash, but I’m not inclined to drill anywhere. I’ll have to do some looking. The antenna might be a challenge as well; I believe that’s a fiberglass hood.

01/24/201007/11/2025

Pics of the new office/shack

Finally got the new office / ham shack pretty much finished, cleaned up and took a few pics..

Ham station at right, work setup center/left with dual monitors.

Ham station on the right, work computer setup on the left with dual monitors.

11/05/200905/13/2021

I need a vacation… from me.

So here I sit, 10:30 in the morning, still in a bathrobe and slippers. I would be dressed, but in addition to work I’ve been getting two keyers ready to ship. I have half a dozen orders that need to get packed and mailed, email to be answered, and still need ot make a complete run through of the new keyer firmware to make sure all the debugging and diagnostic stuff is pulled and all the features work. On top of that I have 50 boards that need to be prepped for assembly… in less than 2 weeks the magazine ad will hit peoples’ mailboxes, which means I need to do some serious assembly work by then. I’m still trying to get the basement de-junked so Lisa can use what should be her sewing area. The new antenna still isn’t up, need to order the support line and insulators. I’ve got a piece of desk that needs finishing. Haven’t been to the gym in two weeks, again, and that’s not good. The list goes on, and on, and on.

This has been a pattern for – well, as long as I can remember. I must have a damn short attention span or something, seems like everything gets about half done. On the bright side, I think I have every Friday off from now to the end of the year, courtesy of my new employer’s crappy PTO carryover policy. Maybe I can get enough stuff finished to get to a more or less normal life again.

10/21/200905/13/2021

The new phone book – I mean, Handbook’s here!

Navin R. Johnson said it best…

If you’re wondering why I care so much,I wrote a lot of Chapter 4, the new Digital Basics chapter. Some came from the old Basic Electronics chapter, but I hope to have it completely rewritten for the 2011 edition. I also have 3 projects in Chapter 24. So, it’s pretty cool. Besides,when you contribute to the Handbook you get your copy for free… and every ham NEEDS at least one ARRL Handbook around.

10/21/200907/11/2025

Hacking at code again.

After a few weeks off, I’ve returned to hacking at the new release of MasterKeyer firmware. In the past couple of days I’ve managed to add a couple of halfway nice features and improvements, and am now working on adding the last couple of emulation mode commands. I think I’m going to discover just how many times you can plug and unplug a USB drive before the connector wears out.