Thomas Does Radio or Something

I've been sitting on my to-be-modded UV-K5 for a while now in hopes of having low-cost access to more bands . In my diversion from this project, others have put together some good work, though at the low end of the range. The ludwich66 GitHub wiki tracking UV-K5 projects covers them on the Hardware_Mods_27Mhz page . The two sets of PDFs were uploaded back in July 2024. Yeah, I'm behind a bit. Let's dive into what's been implemented.

With the QSOs from my trip to California in October, I finally completed the requirements for a long-sought-after POTA award . James F. LaPorta N1CC Activator: Having QSOs from 10 different entities on 10 different band. I was trying to not have only one state (Wisconsin) parks on the list and ended up getting a 3-fer in California that satisfied the 10-band target. So not quite coast-to-coast, but more than just the local parks! Award: James F. LaPorta Award; In memory of N1CC issued to Thomas Murphy WN1C on 2024-11-04  

I went out for the North America SSB Sprint for November 2023 to get a combo park activation and contest participation in. My choice was the north shelter at Governor Nelson State Park ( US-1452 , KFF-1452, wiki ) as an exploration for hoping to operate at this location for the upcoming ARRL 10m contest. Of course, I wasn't operating on 10m given the lateness and band selection for the sprint! And the early sunset meant that I didn't really get the best pictures for the antenna setup since I had to get the antennas up while I could still aim.

What with the ARRL June VHF contest coming up this weekend and the weather being warmer than 12"+ of fresh powder experienced in January, I finished buying and putting together the right PVC parts to hold my Elk 2M/440L5 LPDA antenna stably above head height. It's composed of a cheap speaker stand with the speaker post inverted, 6' of 3/4" schedule 40 PVC pipe, a 3/4" to threaded to threaded to 1" fitting pair, and 2' of 1" PVC to fit the stock bracket of the Elk. Rotation is, of course, of the armstrong type. No additional handle required. Assembled stand setup in the apartment stairwell. 6' of RG-58 for scale hanging from the Elk antenna core (no elements mounted). Gets some decent reach!

In working closer to be committed to actually hacking up a UV-K5, I acquired one, saved its memory config and EEPROM raw read, and popped it open: Simply flipped open on my desk

With the extremely strong solar storm, we went out to a darker park here in Madison. Specifically Picnic Point of the UW Lakeshore Nature Preserve. So many photos to dig through, but here's the choice pick. Meteor trail in Aurora Borealis over Madison, WI There were probably more colors earlier in the evening, but clouds and storms obscured the sky. At the later hours, flickers of color were visible all the way to the southwestern sky and directly overhead.

Being contemporaneous for a new achievement and experience: 6m auroral propagation with a QSO at 5W! With the G5 storm observed before 0Z, I built myself a more durable 6m full-wave loop and set out to experience some new amateur radio. Heading out to a local hilltop with a plan! Initial deployment of the 6m loop on my fiberglass pole for a tuning check and preparation for operating

As previously discussed, the BK4819 simplex FM transceiver chip with specified coverage of 18-660 and 840 to 1300 MHz covers a lot of Region 2 amateur radio bands with generally accepted FM operation: 10 m, 6 m, 2 m, 1.25 m, 70 cm, 33 cm, and 23 cm. The most popular models of amateur-oriented HTs using the chip generally only cover the popular VHF/UHF split with 2m and 70cm (and wide enough filters to support nearby business/public safety bands). How this is implemented varies in cost, complexity, and potential for effective modification. Of course, it's not really a modification if it's an actual product, but more on that further in.

For the QRPer's Field Radio Kit Gallery , this is my KX3 and speaker wire in a camera bag activation kit. This kit is the continuation of the equipment I used for my Maine ATNO expedition and other activities on that return to my parents almost a year ago. Primarily, it's a change in bags and an improvement of the audio connection options for more sustained activations. Writing up this kit for the gallery also will probably be an incentive for further change. With how loosely packed it is, there's space for options! You can see this kit in action on my recent trail activation . The bag packed and ready for an expedition, even if just a little ways away.

With an Elk Antennas 2M/440L5 providing me directional operation on 2m and 70cm and a couple handheld rigs that include 1.25m, I wanted more than just a stock whip to operate with those rigs. Since I have access to scraps of copper refrigerant tubing at the day job from test/prototype systems, I thought it'd be a great material to build with. To put it briefly, the results have been fantastic to start. As initially assembled on the terribly scientific test stand of an empty recycle bin.