Amateur radio projects

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This page is intended to be a pool from which future ARCatUCF activities can be selected. Some of these are also appropriate for individuals as well. If any of these projects interest you, please bring it up at the next club meeting!!! If you think of any additional radio projects, feel free to add them to this list!

Bold items have already been completed by the club, but could be repeated, as not all club members were involved.

Activities[edit]

ARCatUCF project designs and meeting activities[edit]

Research:

  • HF broadside helical for 20m
  • HF double bazooka 20m antenna
  • CW practice key (tone generator + key)

In development:

See also Category:ARC projects

Proposed basic projects:

  • ~$5 2m receiver
  • practice code key (physical key plus 555 based or cpu based)
  • shortwave multi-turn loop (for v2 receiver)

Proposed advanced projects:

  • HF power amplifier (see QST contest!)
  • grid dip meter (cheap at hamfest?)
  • small tuned loop for 2m
  • ATV transmitter

Proposed field trips

  • National Weather Service office (Melbourne) during Melbourne hamfest
  • tour of a county emergency operations center
  • tour of an airport traffic control tower
  • tour of a commercial radio station
  • UCF/KSC satellite ground station

Proposed guest speakers / topics

  • UCF frequency coordinator
  • AMSAT (amateur satellite)
  • National Weather Service Skywarn training (UCF sponsored talk)
  • microwave and weak signal
  • EZnec antenna modeling

Current active projects[edit]

These are projects for which we have partial materials and/or designs.

Active[edit]

This list is probably out of date.

Project status project leader
Remote SDR design, need antennas Steve
Satellite radio prototyping Doug
Rotor Antennas surge arrestor, LNA, yagi2
satellite patch antenna designing
satellite ground station radio -
Repeater controller design Jamie
5ft Sat Dish rotor unassigned
  • Design new QSL card and activate online bureaus, etc.
  • (funded research) cheap high bandwidth digital telemetry radio modem for satellite and ground station

Proposed[edit]

  • ATV hardware is available for club use
  • Do an exhaustive review (and feature list) for windows and linux SSTV software (wish list?)
  • Do a review of existing logbook software
  • test, program, complete code practice keys (elsewhere on this page)
  • research possible 222 repeater? (pairs are available, need hardware and a location)
  • single band strip line SWR meter

Inactive[edit]

(designs and/or parts partially available)

  • SDR radio
  • cheap vector network analyzer (with computer DSP assist)
  • repeater controller design (switch to raspberry pi?)
  • portable field station demo
  • Pick and place machine (and solder reflow oven)
  • field day prep projects
    • construct psk31 cables for ts2000(tested?) and ic706(partial/donated)
    • test and write up instructions for serial / digital for fldigi and all radios and cables
  • Repeater enhancement projects:
    • Echolink / IRLP testing, calibration, and setup (mostly complete)
    • 70cm preamplifier

Other project pages[edit]

External kit pages[edit]

Misc. projects[edit]

  • Pneumatic Antenna Launching Systems
  • Radio to Bluetooth Interface, QST Feb 2007
  • Lightning Protection fo rthe Amateur Radio Station (QST June/July/Aug 2002)
  • PIC projects (TAPR has many)
  • The St Louis Switcher (QST May 2002 p35) turn a computer power supply into a radio power supply
  • Mirophone adapter for the IC-706 (QST May 2002 p39) includes sound card interface
  • A Quality Sound Card Interface for ICOM Rigs (QST March 2002)
  • An Accurate dip Meter Using the MFJ-249 SWR Analyzer (QST Nov 1993)
  • Indestructible Co-ax Attenuator
  • Salt Water Dummy Load

Tools[edit]

WiFi projects[edit]

Internet remote base projects[edit]

These would allow the club to install an HF radio on a remote tower, and allow control from the shack (or anywhere else) without unreasonable expense.

  • good overview article, QST November 2002, pg 39
  • Remote control of the Amateur Station, QST April 2007 pg 28

Components of a remote base would be:

  • hardware
    • remote controllable radio such as the TS2000, IC756, and others
    • remote antenna switch
    • remote antenna rotor
  • control systems and protocols (assuming ethernet rather than radio link)
    • encrypted authentication
    • voice over IP
    • remote serial ports for above hardware

A few of the control ideas are similar to a repeater controller.

Repeater projects[edit]

The club repeater could use some enhancement.

  • Proposals for antenna mounts
  • Voice over IP and remote control / remote link setup (for repeater or HF)
  • weather station linkup for repeater
  • voice synth and/or DVR for repeater
  • build a repeater controller from scratch using an embedded system
  • Build a $60 talking repeater controller QST Feburary 1997 p37

ARES/RACES related projects[edit]

  • form jump team, build kits
  • put emergency antennas on all shelters (Arrow J-pole recommended)
  • practice events, emergency power testing, etc.


Antenna projects[edit]

More antenna links

  • Portable transmission line J-pole
  • Copper pipe J-pole
  • Copper loop (plumber's delight) for 2 meters (QST December 2002, pg 46)
  • Fox hunt antennas
    • Tape measure yagi
    • small loop
    • stepped attenuator
  • Portable antenna tripod and ground plane
  • 2.4ghz high gain antennas
  • full wave 2m loop
  • discone antenna
  • Moxon directional antenna
  • (sturdy) 2m yagi (2004 or 2005 hamcation project?)
  • Texas potato masher single rotor LEO tracking antenna (donated to club June 2005 tailgate)
  • Maximum gain portable HF yagi QST sept 2007 pg 34
  • Baloon-Lift Loop Antenna (for field day) QST July 2007
Arrow J-poles
Arrow dual band J-pole (10 gets a price break)
Arrow Foxhunt antenna
foxhunt VHF loop. Very pretty, but price is a bit high especially for a receive only antenna. (Perhaps we should try to build some?)

Satellite projects[edit]

  • dish mounting bracket
  • dish rotor control system
  • automated satellite and rocket tracking software

Weather station[edit]

lightning detectors and mapping[edit]

Embedded systems[edit]

Project sources[edit]

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