Amateur Radio SIG

The Amateur Radio Special Interest Group is a group of DMS members who are interested in Amateur Radio (colloquially called “Ham Radio”) activities.

This SIG is under the umbrella of the Electronics & Robotics Committee, which helps to enable the SIG’s activities.

It is currently headed by Kevin Grantham (N5KRG).

Projects

• Helping members become licensed Amateur Radio operators
• Educate and encourage all Amateur Radio activities consistent with Code of Federal Regulations, Title 47, Part 97
• Participate in communications readiness activities such as ARRL CW/SSB Sweepstakes, Field Day, SKYWARN, and others.
• Encourage the building of home-brew Amateur radios and equipment by providing hands-on classes and test equipment

Making Radio Stuff

Internal Projects

• Michigan Mighty Mite QRP Transmitter (very simple and easy to build)
• Bring Your Own Radio (BYOR) Bench in Electronics (Amateur_Radio_SIG:BYOR_Antennas_2016)

External Projects

• Homebrew Cicuit Design Ideas

Members - 09/12/19

1. Walter Anderson (AF5WH) — (SK)
2. Todd Caldwell - @tmc4242 - K5SLR
3. David Barkley - - KF5AVS
4. Michael Jasso - @mjasso -
5. Brady Pamplin - @bpamplin - W5LH
6. Jeff Ray - @jray - KI5ENI
7. Rich Meyer - @richmeyer - AG5OB W8CNY- Volunteer Examiner ARRL/W5YI
8. Malcolm - @malcolmputer - KI5BCD
9. Jay Crutti - @frnno967 - K5JCJ
10. Adam Overman - @Adam_Overman - W9ECO
11. Kevin Grantham - @krgrantham - N5KRG
12. Doug Emes - @dougemes - KG5BZY
13. Jim Hartnett - @hon1nbo - ke5tuz
14. Dale Wheat - @Dale_Wheat - KI5SME
15. Kevin Braby - @kbraby - KG5QBI
16. Alex Thomas - @Alex_Thomas - KG5BCX
17. Tim Dugger - @fender84 -
18. James Harper - @yehuda613 - KK5Y
19. Rebecca Harper - - KC0RHZ
20. Art Givens - @artg_dms - KG5BZZ
21. Kelly Baggett - @sciborg - KG5YEX
22. Adam Meek - @adam_meek - KC9ZQJ
23. Robert Short - @RobS_NGO - W4DFW
24. Sal Piro - @spiro1961 - KI5HNP
25. John MacDonald - @JMAC - KF5I
26. Fred Philibert - @PhilibertF

• Team_Amateur Radio

How To Join

Add your name, to the “Members” section of this wiki page. If you already have your license, add it by matching the format of the others.

Reference Material

Calculators

• WA4DSY Filter design
• Toroid calculator for Windows
• RF Safe Exposure Limit Calculator

Media/Clubs

• American Radio Relay League (ARRL)
• American QRP Club
• Electric Radio Magazine - Predominately focused on Vacuum Tube Radio Equipment
• Michigan QRP club - They publish a very nice newsletter for QRP experimenters
• North American QRP CW Club - Free club that emphasizes using morse code
• Northern California QRP club - Archives of the QRPp a very good newsletter
• New Jersey QRP Club
• Radio Society of Great Britain
• SETI League
• QRP Amateur Radio Club International - Publishers of the QRP Quarterly
• Metrocrest Amateur Radio Society (Carrollton) - meets second Thursday each month
• Dallas Amateur Radio Club (DARC) - meets first Tuesday each month
• Radio Amateur Satellite organization in North America
• DCARA - Denton County Amateur Radio Association
• LARA - Lewisville Amateur Radio Association
• LAARK - Lake Area Amateur Radio Klub
• Richardson Wireless Klub
• Dallas Amateur Radio Club

Tutorials

• Build a 100W oil-filled dummy load
• Instructions on building an air variable capacitor
• Code Quick, audio tutorial for learning morse code

Video Tutorials

• How to monitor your Ham Radio Transmitter with your oscilliscope
• How to zero-beat WWV to check or adjust a Frequency Counter’s accuracy
• How to install Anderson Powepole connectors
• How to measure output impedance
• What is dB, dBm, …
• How to wind a toroid inductor
• How to wind a trifiliar toroid
• Oscilliscope basics and how they can be used in the Ham Shack
• The Signal Path tutorial on passive filters

Magazine Archives

• 73 Magazine (Amateur Radio)
• American Radio History archive site
• CQ Magazine (Amateur Radio)

Reference Sites

• Continental US Current HF Band Conditions
• Power versus Voltage in a 50 ohm system
• QRZ.com General news and information site for HAMS. Has great study and practice test material
• VOACAP - HF Propagation Prediction and Ionospheric Communications Analysis
• Explanation of scattering parameters

• Reverse Beacon Network - The Reverse Beacon Network is a revolutionary new idea. Instead of beacons actively transmitting signals, the RBN is a network of stations listening to the bands and reporting what stations they hear, when and how well.

Parts Vendors

• Antique Electronic Supply - Vacuum tubes, transformers, inductors, and such
• AF4K Radio Crystals - Selection of used and reconditioned crystals in variety of forms
• Borden Radio Company - Selection of parts and some kits for crystal radios
• Etherkit - Sells a Si5351A DDS breakout board
• Expanded Spectrum Systems - Purveyors of inexpensive crystals for HAM bands
• Fair Radio Sales Company - Military electronic surplus parts
• FAR Circuits - Sells PC Boards for projects
• Kits and Parts - The toroid king. Toroids, capacitors and other radio parts
• Mike’s Electronic Parts - Variable caps and other hard to find parts
• Surplus Sales of Nebraska - Crystals and other useful parts
• QRPME - Crystals and other hard to find items

Kit Vendors

• HAM Crafters - Beacon chips and morse keyer chips/boxes
• HobbyPCB - Several kits and project materials including Hardrock 50, DSP 610, RS-UV3
• Oak Hills Research - Amateur Radio Kits
• QRP Kits - Amateur Radio Kits
• QRP Labs - Amateur Radio Kits
• QRPME - Amateur Radio Kits
• Sotabeams - Summits on the Air gear supplier.

Our Components

• [1] - Power capacity for coaxial, we are using LMR400
• [2] - Our Buckmaster OCF 8 band antenna - will try diagonal on roof in November 2019
• [3] - Manual for our antenna

Meeting History

Meetings are infrequently held by announcement on the Talk forum. They will also appear on the DMS calendar.

• 14-Jun-2017 : KG5BZZ (Art), AF5WH (Walter), N0ZGO (Zach), Kevin (N5KRG), Andy (KE5KOF), Danielle (??), Jay

   Promoted (mostly against his will) Kevin to SIG leader
   Discussed wireless audio transmission (Part 15) with Jay J.
   Verified that antenna and SGC autocoupler is still working

• 5-Nov-2016 : KG5BZZ (Art), AF5WH (Walter), N0ZGO (Zach), two others TBD

   Placed and connected auto-transmatch on roof.
   Terminated coax and installed surge suppressor
   Plasma-cut BYOR patch panel

• Insert missing meeting here
• 24-Sep-2016 : N0ZG0 (Zach), AF5WH (Walter), KE5KOF (Andy)

   Ran power and RF coax cables from electronics bench to roof.  The
   original AC penetration turned out to not be useable.  Found
   alternative unused vent penetration that we were able to use.

• 13-Aug-2016 : N0ZGO (Zach), AF5WH (Walter), ?? (Daniel), KE5KOF (Andy), N5KRG (Kevin)

   Surveyed the antenna "tower" on the roof and took impedance measurements of the existing dipole with Walter's MFJ analyzer
   Moved the tables in Electronics Lab to create the new Amateur Radio Bring Your Own Radio bench
   Discussed power supplies and coax runs

• 19-Jul-2016 : N0ZGO (Zach), (Newly-licensed-and-awaiting-callsign! Kee), KG5BZZ (Art), KC5CBJ (Hank), KF5IDY (Jonathan), AF5WH (Walter)

   Congratulations to Kee, who got his HAM license and joined the makerspace since he visited us at the last meeting!
   Discussed HAM radio transmitter class and potential future classes, receiver, antennas, etc...
   Interest in morse code learning sessions and practice
   Discussed getting bench set-up in electronics with HF antenna on roof and VHF/UHF antenna in ceiling
   Retrieved and sorted through AR committee equipment and stored in Electronics

• 16-Jun-2016 : N0ZGO (Zach), KD5QLN (Mike E.), KD5GGC (Bryan), KG5BZZ (Art), N5ZFW (Raymond), AF5WH (Walter), KG5DXE (Katie), KF5IDY (Jonathan), KG5OOM (Kee), K1UM (Matt), (Prospective member Audrey)
• 18-May-2016 : N0ZGO (Zach), KG5BZZ (Art), AF5WH (Walter), 3-4 others (please send info to Zach!)