Archive for the ‘LED’ Tag

Not Your Grandpa’s Ham Radio at the Bay Area Maker Faire 2014   Leave a comment

This is our third consecutive appearance at the Bay Area MF, and continues my theme of showing how some ham radio operators continue the tradition of “teaching, mentoring, making, modifying, repairing and improving” radio and radio-related technology. Read my post about ham radio and the Maker movement.

Today’s ham radio operators have an incredible amount of exotic surplus material that can be converted into everyday use on the ham radio bands. Grandpa certainly never heard of surface-mount technology, talking on homemade 47 GHz transmitter-receiver systems or pocket-sized, satellite navigation systems (GPS). But he sure did mentor, make, modify, repair and improve the equipment in his bedroom radio station…..

Not Your Grandpa’s Ham Radio – Maker Faire 2014 Team

Wayne Yoshida KH6WZ

Dennis Kidder W6DQ

Brian Yee W6BY

Marty Woll N6VI

More information on the Maker Faire Bay area.

Here is a gallery of our booth posters for the 2014 Bay Area Maker Faire. More photos, videos and stories will follow. . . . .

Second KH6WZ APRS Unit Completed   Leave a comment

KH6WZ APRS Unit Two (KH6WZ-5)

My “high power” version of the tracker box is complete. This unit is housed in an aluminum instrument case, and uses a mobile radio (Radio Shack HTX-252) with 10W and 25W capability for remote locations. The GPS unit is an old Garmin Street Pilot Color Map.

The bottom of the box (on the left) is used to store cables, the original microphone in case I need to use it as a “radio,” a GPS and a two meter whip antenna. A gel-cell would fit nicely in this space for “truly portable” operation.

KH6WZ tune up and KH6WZ-5 005

KH6WZ tune up and KH6WZ-5 008

KH6WZ tune up and KH6WZ-5 004

KH6WZ tune up and KH6WZ-5 002