Hello 222 denizens,
It is that time of the week again. It is the time when everyone with 222
MHz gear turns their assembled pile of circuits on and tries to
communicate with their like minded brethren and sistren. I am not sure
that sistren is a word, but every one is invited to join in on 222.100
MHz starting after supper and try to make one or more contacts.
I get a fair number of comments that the 222 nights are great in that
people with no 222 gear in working condition can use the evening to see
if their receivers are even working. It also creates some serious angst
with those who do not have any gear for 222 MHz. They are all worrying
about what they are missing by not being there. There is a growing
market for used transverters.
True to form, being Tuesday, it is raining in the northeast and
conditions promise to be a bit soggy, but that does not stop anyone from
having some serious fun. I am hoping to be QRV this evening but with a
twist, I will be QRP and at the bottom of the 222 food chain. My diesel
power plant is still not working and I am going to try to run on battery
power using an AC inverter. So no meteor scatter or long haul tropo for
me tonite. My goals are scaled back a bit and I hope I can QSO Good
Buddy Ron, WZ1V and K1PXE. I am routing the transverter output directly
to the transmit relays. I am hoping I can run at 25 watts. Another
possibility is to hook up my new solid state FET driver that will do
about 60 watts output. I am inclined to stay with the transverter alone
in the interest of power drain on the poor battery. It is a 150 AH
lithium battery and it is rated for an 80 or 90% discharge cycle, so I
think I can run for a few hours with no problems.
The big diesel generator is still torn apart. The speed control system
is NG. There are three major parts to a speed control system and I just
ordered unit #2, the speed sensor or magnetic pickup. Unit #1 the speed
controller, is here brand new, sitting in a box. It arrived over the
weekend, but I suspect that I do not need it. In further testing I noted
the voltages coming out of the pickup unit, and, while it is working,
the output voltages are low and experts tell me that it is too low.
When the generator failed, I was seeing only 0.26 vac coming from the
magnetic pickup with the engine at full speed. I adjusted the pickup in
closer to the flywheel and now see 1.2 volts, but I have been told that
it should be more like 15 volts at high speed and a minimum of about 3
volts at cranking speed. I suspect that a turn or two shorted in the
pickup head. I think they are built sort of like a tape recorder head
and a shorted turn there will kill it. Anyway I am still fighting the
problem and will not have much power this evening on 222. I will also
have no AC lighting, and no heat. I can have internet with battery
power, but I will use a small battery powered laptop to save some
current drain for this evening. Normally, I have a desktop system
running for 222 MHz, but it will pull more power than the little laptop.
I hope to be on starting around 2300UT and will go as long as I can. It
will be a good battery test.
73
Dave K1WHS
_______________________________________________
VHFcontesting mailing list
VHFcontesting@contesting.com
http://lists.contesting.com/mailman/listinfo/vhfcontesting
|