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From: John Rabson <john.rabson07@gmail.com>
In-Reply-To: <1893481215.20151013103725@chriswilson.tv>
Date: Tue, 13 Oct 2015 12:00:10 +0200
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References: <858532982.20151012141313@chriswilson.tv> <561BC13C.6070603@posteo.de> <1893481215.20151013103725@chriswilson.tv>
To: rsgb_lf_group@blacksheep.org
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Subject: Re: LF: First LF TX's from 2E0ILY
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Chris,

Make sure that your radio earth and your mains supply earth are properly isolated from one another, preferably with a double wound RF transformer. Until I did this, I found that the RCD equivalent would trip within an hour when I was soak testing a 30W transmitter on 136 kHz (losing domestic supply was guaranteed to degrade domestic tranquillity!).

 73 John F5VLF

> On 13 Oct 2015, at 11:37, Chris Wilson <chris@chriswilson.tv> wrote:
> 
> Hello DK7FC,
> 
> Monday, October 12, 2015
> 
> 
>> 
>> Hello Chris, 
>> 
>> My congrats!
>>       Timestamp  Call  MHz  SNR  Drift  Grid  Pwr  Reporter  RGrid
>> km  az       2015-10-12 14:14    2E0ILY    0.137500    -19    0   
>> IO82qv    5    DK7FC    JN49ik    878    111       
>> That's really a good signal for that time. And i have a lot of QRM inside the 200 Hz wide WSPR-band!
>> 
>> What antenna and power do you have?
>> 
>> 73, Stefan
>> 
> 
> Thank you all for the congratulations and reports. Very early days
> yet, and many improvements need making. The aerial is my HF horizontal
> quad wire loop, up about 25 feet max, fed in a corner by my bungalow,
> (its lowest point too, so not ideal...), using the shorted windowed
> ladder line as the vertical. A six foot long ground spike near the
> feed point is the only earth. I want to raise the loop higher, add a
> ground wire under the perimeter, and add more ground spikes too. I may
> try using a grounded electric fence as an addition too, it runs almost
> underneath one leg of the loop.
> 
> 
> As this is also my HF aerial I need to add some sort of relay to
> disconnect the shorted feeder from the LF matching coil and connect to
> a balun for feeding my HF stuff. Right now I can either use HF or LF
> and changing means a trip outside and much fiddling about. I am
> thinking of using an active whip and separate receiver for LF
> reception and a grabber though.
> 
> 
> I need to improve matching and resonance slightly, but intend changing
> the feeder co-ax to the aerial for something less temporary. I built a
> scopematch  and see the following right now, so room for improvement I
> feel:
> 
> http://www.chriswilson.tv/scopemeter-tx-full-power.jpg
> 
> The driver is the DRV output at 1mW from my TS-590 feeding a W1VD pre
> amp and W1VD frequency doubler, then running a G3YXM FET amp.
> 
> I noticed a hot smell from it last night, then it blew the RCD trip on
> the house electric panel. It ran again, but again on higher power
> ranges it did the same again. as it has over current and high SWR and
> drive loss safety cut outs I suspected something in the power supply,
> and indeed, it seems the toroidal mains transformer was getting hotter
> than I would have liked. I am wondering it it has an internal
> intermittent short? I may high pot test it later.
> 
> 
> 
> My  other  issue  is I have modded my TS-590 to use a VK3HZ GPS locked
> master  oscillator, fed from my Trimble Thunderbolt GPS.
> 
> 
> http://www.vk3hz.net/XRef/XRef_Home.html#XRef-Vx
> 
> 
> It has worked perfectly for months. But now I am TX'ing on 136kHz it
> is picking up RF, either into the Thunderbolt GPS itself, or a divider
> board that offers divisions of 10MHz for other uses in the shack. I
> see the square wave at 10MHz from the divider go crazy on my scope
> when I TX, so I am not using the GPS locked oscillator and find my
> signal is 3Hz off without it running. I am trimming on the actual rigs
> frequency setting to compensate.
> 
> 
> So  a  few  improvements to play with, and the issue of the GPS locked
> oscillator  to  fix.  But  I am over the moon to be finally able to TX
> rather than just listen.
> 
> A big step for me has been taken though! All the best.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> -- 
> Best regards,
> Chris                            mailto:chris@chriswilson.tv
> 
> 

john.rabson07@gmail.com

Researching history of RABSON, BLACKSHAW, GAUNTLETT, VERLANDER and ROBSONNE