Author: pd5dj

A friend of mine Gertjan PA3FZB who is crazy about 3.5m broadcast “amateur” stations 😉 recently came up with an article about a HB9CV design for 3.5m. He asked me if I could build it for him. and so it happened 🙂 On the internet there is a very handy calculation tool to calculate an…

First attempt to build a 23cm Yagi I had been looking for an antenna for 23 and 13cm for a while now. As I wanted to listen to SSB and Amateur Television stations. Now I had found some factory antennas online. Only the price.. hmmm.. For these prices I can build several antennas myself 🙂…

Some people asked my some questions about how to properly connect my Rotator interface to their rotators. Most common questions are: My rotator will not rotate back when rotation is at max position. I have got distorted readings on the display.   How to properly connect the rotator interface to a rotator In this part…

Simple conversion description MX62M with BNC Connectors UPDATE! 02-07-2023 I have replaced the BNC Pigtail cable with a fixed BNC Panelmount version instead to be more flexible.   Recently I was looking for an easy way to build a Diplexer for my Icom IC-705. My eye fell on the Diamond MX62M Diplexer. This because with…

Recently I found the program FT8CN while doing some research on the internet about portable FT8 possibilities. My eye also fell on this app, because I had never come across an android app that could easily communicate with one of my radios. With FT8CN it is possible to connect to one of my ICOM radios…

Update! 30-12-2022 It’s been a while since I gave an update on the Magnetic Loop controller project I’m working on with Rob PA5RH. The purpose of the Loop Tuner was that it can tune automatically, and uses the internal SWR meter of the connected radio, and reads this via CAT. Connection will eventually be possible…

Since I’ve been active with the hobby again, I try to pick up every facet of it again. And so is ATV 🙂 Previously I was very active with 70cm ATV at our club repeater PI6HLM (NVRA), and could always receive it perfectly without any issue. I now found out that this is not so…

Last week I ordered a Mini GPSDO + 9700 injection board from Leo Bodnar. http://www.leobodnar.com/shop As I want my radio to be solid as a rock on 23cm for digital modes. The need for a stable LO was needed. Because the 10mhz reference input only is not enough cause it only corrects every several seconds.…

Recently I got a call from my local dealer that I could finally pick up my long pre-ordered Icom IC-9700 🙂 The only antenna at the time I had for VHF/UHF was a Diamond X-30 Vertical. That’s nice for some local/regional work, but not really for some DX. Since I’m not going to place big…

Some time has passed, and a lot has been done so far. Construction Tuning Section First I had to find a way to mount the vacuum condenser on the mounting plate. Because I print a lot in 3D, I had the choice to design and print mounting brackets. Also important to include in the design…