5 Mar 2013

Projects update

It is some time since I summarised my projects list and progress. This is the current "ideas list" for the coming months. As we are in the middle of a house renovation/move project over the next 3-6 months it is quite likely that my amateur building work will have to go slow.
  • VLF earth-mode - optimising the E-field probe and loop antennas for mobile coverage tests
  • 481THz Optical NLOS tests - testing new RX and then trying the 10dB higher powered PhlatLED TX and seeing how far over the horizon I can reach.
  • WISPY 10m WSPR beacon - combining the TX and RX boards into a full WSPR/PSK31 transceiver. Separate modules made and tested but yet to combine.
  • Tenbox - I still need to finish either the AM transceiver or modify the design to a DSB transceiver.
  • 2m horizontal omni antenna - I need a simple horizontally polarised omni antenna for the new QTH. I'm tempted to organise a pair of stacked big-wheels with around 5dBd gain.
  • Simple test equipment for the shack at the new QTH - I want to build a number of pieces of simple test gear such as a frequency counter and simple spectrum analyser 
  • Rebuild of the 10m Homebase-10 halo - the wooden frame structure is showing signs of age, so a fibre-glass support may be less visible and more durable 
Now, knowing the way things work with me, I 'll wake up one morning and think of something completely different to work on. That is the fun of simple homebrew amateur radio experimentation: no-one tells you what to do, unlike when at work, and each day is one filled with opportunities.

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