Amateur (Ham) Radio BS and Callsign Thread!

Buy in bulk and just share with the rest of us. It will make your price ea. look better. I'll send you a QSL card in exchange.

 

Some of the parts are coming in 2 or 10 packs, But the HM-10 and FTDI were singles.

Does anyone see any glaring explosive details in this? I figured I would leave the FTDI in there for the USB-power connection since it has 3.3v and 5v. The only time that this would be connected to a computer the Yaesu plug would be disconnected so I don't think the FTDI TX - MAX3232 TX path would be an issue

 

There might be a logic level issue with both the MAX3232 and FTDI board both connected to your BT module. I have run across that problem when you have too many pull-up or pull-down resistors connected to a data line. You end up holding the level too high or too low when sending/receiving data. What's the purpose of the FTDI except for the 5v power?

 

To program the HM-10 since I don't have an Arduino and didn't want to write code and for the 3.3v. It doesn't sound like a line held high or low would be catastrophic but I guess I could just unplug the data lines from the FTDI until I ever need them again.

 

I think that would be best.

 

Any recommended tutorials? I purchased a nanovna a few weeks ago but have not been able to use it successfully to test my swr.[/user]

 

Do the max232 or ftdi have an EN input that isn't shown? If you can find a way to activate it (jumper or maybe off vbus), I have a hunch that the RX/tx lines would go Hi-z/float

 

Uhh... not really. It's not very intuitive. I'll have to take a look at mine and explain it.

 

Any of you guys in tune with the airband freqs 108-137mhz? I was around a small airport earlier and wanted to tune in but didn't know how. Just figured it out and was sitting in the truck at home listening around, all across 117mhz is some kind of radioshow talking to and about in support of the current president, like a presentation by multiple people at a dinner party or media event. That doesn't sound like airplane talk/navigation to me. Thought it was strange.

 

I user that part of the band almost daily but I've never heard what your explaining. I'm usually on 122.8, 122.9, 118.52, and 135.42. The first two are common traffic advisory frequencies and the next two are weather at local airports. The lower frequencies are for navigation beacons. I don't know what was on 117.7. That's outside our com frequency range and may reside in the nav section.

 

That's what makes it weird, it was all over the 117mhz range not on one single frequency. Here's a little bit that I recorded. My wife said the lady said something about aliens *these clips are not descriptions of my political standings and don't warrant any opinions against or for, this is strictly for curiosity of why this is being broadcasted on aviation frequencies*
https://youtu.be/0Ow9IJNhwyg
https://youtu.be/owaKhGCI01w

 

@Sandman614 I wonder if it is a harmonic you are picking up. Some spurious emission from a pirate radio station.

 

Many receivers don't perform very well in those out of band zones. It's probably a harmonic of something.

 

I was wondering if it was but hadn't heard it anywhere else I scrolled through. How close to 117mhz would it have to be to hear it like that? FM radio stopping at 108mhz wouldn't be too far of a stretch I guess.

 

I don't know the theory and math behind figuring that out. But also, broadcast FM is just that, FM. You were demodulating AM. Someone else will have to answer that.

 

Harmonics are multiples of a frequency, more or less. If thats whats going on here, I'd expect the source to be something lower. You can play with this calculator to see where it might have started:
http://mustcalculate.com/electronics/harmonics.php

58.5 MHz, 39 MHz, etc.

 

That's awesome, I'll have to sit down and look at it later. Continuing to be curious I was still picking it up this morning and heard hurricane center updates. It's definitely some FM radio type station. I could even still hear it, but less so, while I drove to the store.

 

Or you could do it the more fun way
https://hackaday.com/2020/08/23/mobile-transmitter-gets-internal-gps-and-bluetooth/

 

Yeah it would be weird to pick up FM on an AM radio...But...

As a kid I build one an aircraft radio receiver kit. There wasn't much to it, and the instructions were clear. All I could ever to get it to pick up was FM broadcast radio. If only I had kept it, I have more of a clue now, and a scope.

 

I guess there is AM radio still too.