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Zindello’s Ramblings
Just a guy with too many hobbies …
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- Updated iOS Review: Vero VR-N7500 App Controlled APRS VHF/UHF radio
Disclaimer: This updated review focuses on the iOS app, not the Android app, which has a different set of features. About two months ago I did a review on the Vero Telecom VR-N7500 APRS radio. You can read my initial review here: I was quite critical of the radio, but not because I don’t like it. It’s an awesome little unit, just the firmware and app development let it down. There are lots of reviews online that echoed this. Perhaps the biggest disappointment though was that the manufacturer assured me that the functionality I was looking for (APRS Messaging) was …
Read More - Vero VR-N7500 iOS APRS Messaging Support – Android Beta needs testers!Today the iOS BS HT app for the Vero Telecom VR-N7500 and VR-N75 radio has been released by the software developers on the Apple Store with all the work we’ve been doing over the last month to get APRS Messaging working, and a few other fixes. It seems after my review of the radio and reaching out to the manufacturer I was able to work with the software developer to help them improve and test the application. My understanding is that they have a number of new products in development that we’ll see coming on soon, and this work they’re …
Read More - Missed it by that much – Review: Vero VR-N7500 APRS Android/iOS VHF/UHF Radiotldr: Not a terrible radio, but not particularly great either. With a little app work it could be exceptional, but the manufacturer doesn’t want to spend the time or effort. Android has better functionality than iOS – but I’m an iOS user. Background: I have been looking for a half decent APRS Radio for my ute for a little while now. In my previous life I had a Kenwood TM-D710A with an external GPS and I really loved that radio. Unfortunately in the new vehicle my mounting options without things looking ugly are a little limited. The Yaesu FTM-300 and …
Read More - APSPOT – An (eventually) single APRS Self Spotting system
A concept! One of the things I wanted to do when I got my APRS stuff setup was self SPOT my WWFF activations to parksnpeaks.org via APRS. I spent some time looking into this and basically, to PNP, it couldn’t be done. I started looking at SPOTS for other systems and there are various other scripts that are either limited in scope, worked once but don’t anymore, or are an outright hack (SMSGTE to POTA, SOTA, etc). There had to be a better way. So, I introduce to you a new system, “APSPOT”, short for APRS SPOT. The goal of …
Read More - My APRS IGate VK2MES-5 and a Flowerpot High Gain antenna
Something I’ve been wanting to muck around with since I got back into the hobby is APRS. I used to have a Kenwood 710 previously, and honestly, I should have hung onto it. When I first moved to NSW back in 2015 I figured I wouldn’t be doing any HAM radio again, so I got rid of all my radios in the move. Hindsight is 20:20, I wish I’d kept the gear. I checked up on aprs.fi and noticed there was an IGate in Bathurst and one of the things I wanted to play with is messaging. I sourced a …
Read More - My FT-818 Mod Summary
This is not the first time I’ve had a FT818ND – ok, maybe it is, my first one was an FT-817ND, but effectively, they’re the same. This second time around I decided that when I got this radio I wanted to do it right, and do all the mods I wanted to do the first time around, but couldn’t afford to. My list of mods (and my thoughts on each mod) are below: BHI NEDSP-1901 https://www.bhi-ltd.com/products/noise-cancellation-products/pcb-modules-low-level-audio/64-nedsp1901-kbd.html?ic=1 These DSP units are legendary. The 1901 is the upgraded version of the DSP for the FT-817/818. There’s a little bit of messing around …
Read More - Finishing off Eusdale Nature Reserve – VKFF-1929
I’ve been a little quiet over the last month or two. Works been really busy, life’s been busy so I’ve had a re-visit to this park on the cards for a while, it just hasn’t happened until today. Since last activating this park I have made a couple more mods to the radio (FT-818ND), most notably I’ve ripped the speech compressor I was using out of the mic and fitted a BX-184 vocal keyer/speech compressor, and I’ve fitted my internal 4000mAh LiPo battery solution. My ute’s been out of action for a couple of weeks now (it blew a radiator …
Read More - The ultimate FT-817/818 internal battery solution (maybe?)
Ever since I bought my FT-818ND I wasn’t really happy with the internal battery. Although the FT-818ND came with a larger battery (and a better charging circuit to handle the bigger battery) it still wasn’t really up to scratch. I found that when out portable it’s useable life was really only about 1.5 hours and then it’s a pack it up and go home job. Unless you bring a spare battery or an external source, that’s the end of your outing. While my solution might not last you a full day, it should double the useable time of your radio …
Read More - VKFF-1929 – Eusdale Nature Reserve – If I can find it ….
Today I went out to do another VKFF activation, as was the case last time, lessons were learned (re-learned?) and added a list of things to check/do before the next one. Packing the gear into the car this morning I threw an Alert up last night using the ParknPeaks iOS app version 3 beta (Shoutout to Sue for including me after I messaged her!) and encountered a known bug with this version of the beta. Fixing the Alert on the app I had planned to be on air for the rollover and well … I made it … just … …
Read More - Who wants a PSK-31 Revolution! I want a PSK-31 Revolution
I’ve re-released my FT-817/818 iPad/iPhone/Mac interface cable and will be using these on park and summit activations in the near future. The cable has been confirmed as working with the FT-817/818/857 & 897 – in theory it should work with any Yaesu radio with the 6 pin mini-din data connector. Let’s revive PSK-31 & SSTV – Maybe we can encourage someone to develop an FT-8 TX App for the iPhone/iPad! Also will plug into a Macbook if you want to run something like FLDIGI or WSJTX. May even work on Android tablets as well (Use at your own risk!) Grab …
Read More - New toy! FT-950 finally arrived!
A few weeks ago I went on the hunt for an FT-950. I/’ve always wanted one and believed it would make a nice home rig for my activities – mainly chasing WWFF and SOTA activators when I’m at home. I scoured the second hand websites, Gumtree, Facebook and eBay and found two. One on eBay out of Japan, and one in a “something’s not quite right” condition out of the UK. Unfortunately the one in Japan sold before I could pull the trigger and so I sent the seller of the one in the UK a message – it was …
Read More - FT-817/818 Interfaces Delayed – Again
I got a delivery notification this morning. It was that my 6-pin mini din cables were in the post to arrive today. One of the components of the interfaces that have been tough to track down have been these cables which are needed to interface to the “data” port on the back of the radio. The first lot I ordered turned out only to be 4 pin mini-din cables, the second lot were listed as 6 pin. When they arrived I cut one in half and started buzzing them out to figure out which wires went to which pins. Everything …
Read More - I got my first 44, but not before it all seemed lost.I headed back up to Wambool Nature Reserve today to finish off my activation I started earlier in the week. On my first outing here I managed 17 QSOs, which qualified me for VKFF but I wanted to head back to finish off the WWFF. I planned to camp out over the UTC rollover again to take advantage of chasers either side, so armed with my newly modded 818 my EFHW and my squid pole I headed back out em this morning with an aim to be on air by 23:15 UTC. Upon arrival I found that the little duck …
Read More - UnUn Kits available in the storeJust a quick post to say that the clip-on UnUn kits are now available for purchase in the store. If you need a custom size then let me know and we can make it happen!
- 3D Printed Radio Repairs (FT-50R Knob)
I picked up an FT-50R recently in a “box of random cables”, the battery was flat, it was missing an antenna and one of the knobs was missing. I borrowed the antenna from my Baofeng UV-3R original that I won in a raffle at the SERG convention I can’t remember how many years ago, and plugged in my power supply from my FT-817 and the battery took a full charge, it was just missing a knob. I looked online and found a dubious source overseas which I ordered the replacement knob, but given the age of the radio I suspect …
Read More - A cheap speech compressor for the FT-818ND and an expensive DSP.Shortly after acquiring my FT-818ND I had a bunch of mods for it that I wanted to perform. I’ve had one once before and wasn’t really happy with the speech output on SSB, and the lack of DSP was annoying. So I had a look to see if the “One Big Punch” mic mod was still available, and alas it’s not. It seems that W4RT electronics that used to sell all things radio have since vanished into the ether – not entirely uncommon in this hobby. So I had to look for something in it’s place. I eventually stumbled across …
Read More - My first WWFF Activation, VKFF-2015 – Wambool Nature Reserve – VK2MES
Now that my license has come through, I was looking to get out and start using the FT-818 for what I bought it for – QRP work. Looking at the various offerings for QRP, there’s a little bit more available compared to what was on offer last time, SOTA, POTA, WWFF, just to name a few, picking one activity to work was going to take a bit of time. While I had originally intended to work the SOTA program, a listen around showed pretty quickly that the WWFF program seems to be the one that’s favoured in VK at the …
Read More - I got my license!WOOHOO! So yeah, I got my license, I’m now officially VK2MES, formerly VK3XJM and VK3HGI. I ended up getting the invoice early in the morning of Easter Friday which I found a little peculiar, but I paid it via the ACMA portal and within half an hour I had my license in my inbox and it was showing on the ACMA license register. My first contact was with ZL1HOG which I thought was pretty cool, first QSO was DX, to a WWFF park, on 5 watts, with them running 20 watts on the other end on 20m. Can’t complain about …
Read More - A loaded EFHW Antenna for 40/20/(15)/10
UPDATE: In a previous revision of this post, I posted results on my VNA that showed this antenna gave a good SWR on virtually all the bands from 40-10. Further experimentation has shown this NOT to be the case. I believe the issue that was leading me to believe the “too good to be true” situation was a faulty connection on one of the connectors for the antenna. To revise – this antenna works as expected on 40/20/10 with it being useable (but not ideal) on 15m. So, I’m currently waiting on the Australian Maritime College to process my callsign …
Read More - Aaand we’re back!The FT-817/FT-817ND/FT-818ND iPad interface is back in action. First: An apology. Early in 2015, I had two fairly major events occur in my life, and unfortunately this resulted in some orders being lost. It was a combination of external factors and mismanagement of both the ordering and the manufacturing process on my part, and it resulted in a number of my final orders before I wound up production being completely lost, the details of the orders being completely lost, and being in a situation where I had no way to track which orders had already been sent to which payments, …
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