After the Winter FD Ops at Ice Station Zebra,

Don, AA6GA, told me that i was not responding to some calls on 7032 kHz.

i checked my BC-221 and found that my transmit frequency was 400Hz lower than my receive frequency. So the only guys i worked were those who didn't zero beat me.

i was not 'transceiving', i was working 'split'.

The base transceiver i am using in my Re-Purposed BC-221 is the '1 Watter'.

i checked out the 1 Watter and found that the 10V regulator (U1, 78L10) on the VXO was not regulating well enough. i tried 3 different 78L10's but they were all inadequate to regulate the 10v line. My 12V battery was dropping down too close to the top requirement of the 10V regulator.

So i replaced U1 with a LM2940T-10, 1A, 10V, Low Drop Out regulator in a TO-220 package.

It also has a 22MF capacitor on the output.

The LDO regulator will keep working as my battery discharges.

(ps: My 'Tune' pot is 50K ohms).

Now  my RX freq is the same as my TX freq. My 10V line is steady now.

i will be back on the air with the BC-221 again testing it on   5 Jan  2020, 1600z, 7032 kHz.

So if you called me and i didn't answer, here is your chance to get your special "Dino" QSL card. 

The description of my Re-Purposed BC-221 is in the  NAQCC Newsletter: 

  "A Skin Deep BC-221", 

http://naqcc.info/newsletter/newsletter_257.pdf

Paul   w0rw

So far I have only put it through the receiving paces.  As far as I know the only time any appreciable RF would be present is when transmitting.  You coarse and then fine tune by ear, not by keying up and transmitting.  I only use the analyzer for checking as my hearing is very directional.

I took it out yesterday afternoon for an hour or so at a RF quiet park and was quite pleased with the reception.

MFJ has details and a video to explain how it works on their website.  Also QST had an article a couple of months ago dealing with making a neat loop using 450 ladder line...... you might give that a read.  I plan to try it also.

John

KK4ITX 

Visit:  www.zaarc.org.   👁

On Jan 31, 2020, at 11:30, Dan Reynolds <on30ng@...> wrote:

On Thu, Jan 30, 2020 at 09:24 AM, John - KK4ITX wrote:

MFJ-9232 QRP Pocket Loop tuner

That's pretty interesting - have you had good luck with it? And yes, I would have to tune it with an analyzer - LOL. No way I'd want to be close enough to touch those knobs with real RF going through it.  I'll bet it would work well with a loop made of hard line. Heck I could make one for each band almost. 

Now an arduino controlling that would be pretty darn cool. 
 
--
Dan Reynolds -- KB9JLO
<><

On Thu, Jan 30, 2020 at 09:24 AM, John - KK4ITX wrote:

MFJ-9232 QRP Pocket Loop tuner

That's pretty interesting - have you had good luck with it? And yes, I would have to tune it with an analyzer - LOL. No way I'd want to be close enough to touch those knobs with real RF going through it.  I'll bet it would work well with a loop made of hard line. Heck I could make one for each band almost. 

Now an arduino controlling that would be pretty darn cool. 
 
--
Dan Reynolds -- KB9JLO
<><

Based on what I'm seeing here about battery life it's time for me to get some new batteries.  I have only done 2 portable operations in the past few years with my Hilltopper 20 and Black and Decker battery.  When I did more portable work a 7.5 amp hour gel cell would only run my IC-706 set to its lowest power setting for about 90 minutes of typical operating. My 20 amp hour gel cell would go about 4 hours. 

Looks like it's time to go shopping for lithium batteries and maybe a more efficient radio.

Don, W9EBK 

On Thu, Jan 30, 2020, 12:52 PM Jim <n0oct@...> wrote:

On Thu, Jan 30, 2020 at 11:28 AM, Don, W9EBK wrote:

You are going to need 30 to 40 amp hours to do what you want,  with no worries.

For an Argonaut IV or KX2, a 30Ah battery will last a couple of weeks!  For an afternoon's operating, see what other folks who are running QRP on this thread have mentioned.  I have an old Hawker Cyclon cell (4Ah) and a couple of newish SLA (4.5Ah), and in my busiest SOTA operating day I have never drained them enough for the power to cut back on my KX3, running 5-10W.