Archive for the ‘Maker’ Tag

The Paella Feast at Maker Faire Bay Area 2014!   Leave a comment

Every year, the Maker Faire hosts a paella dinner for the Makers. This year, the event was sponsored by Liquid Wrench. Here are some images, and you can watch the Paella video on channel KH6WZ. . . 

Gerard’s Paella feeds 2,500 people very quickly!

IMG_0038 kh6wz Maker Faire 2014 - Paella just starting to cook

 

 

IMG_0041 - kh6wz Paella simmering Maker Faire 2014

 

 

IMG_0043 kh6wz - paella MF 2014

 

 

IMG_0069 kh6wz paella ready to serve

The Software Defined Radio (SDR) at Maker Faire Bay Area 2014   Leave a comment

Not Your Grandpa’s Ham Radio

Dennis W6DQ displayed his Flex 1500 software defined radio with 10 GHz and 24 GHz transverters. There were many questions about SDRs and many visitors were surprised to learn ham radio operators have this technology. But this is another example of what radio hams are using these days. The system Dennis showed is actually three systems in one: The SDR, which is being used as the “intermediate system,” and transverters (transmitter-receiver-converters) for 10 GHz and 24 GHz microwave ham radio. The posters briefly explain the transverter system:

Dual band 10-24 GHz SDR 1

Dual band 10-24 GHz SDR 2

IMG_0016 - kh6wz - W6DQ Maker Faire 2014

 

 

The SDR is a Flex-1500, made by FlexRadio Systems

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

 

IMG_0247 KH6WZ balloon APRS parts

 

APRS: Automatic Packet Reporting System – and High Altitude Ballooning

Someone asked if it would be possible to track a high altitude balloon using ham radio. It is possible to track a vehicle, aircraft or person using the amateur radio application called APRS, the automatic packet reporting system. Basically, the system consists of a two-way radio (usually for the 2m ham band), a GPS receiver, a modem to interface/control the data to and from the GPS, and an antenna for the radio and the GPS.

By coincidence, I am collecting parts for such a system, see the photo above. The radio antenna is on the left –  it is a piano wire dipole for the 2 meter ham band. On the upper right is a Byonics Tiny Trak SMT – the interface between the two-way radio and the GPS. Inside the orange plastic box is an old 2m handie-talkie, with its cabinet parts and battery pack removed. Not shown in the picture are the other ingredients, which include a tiny GPS module and the video cameras for Amateur Television (ATV).

KH6WZ - W6DQ APRS poster

 

KH6WZ - W6DQ APRS poster 2

Here are some links I used in my research.
Byonics – Makers of the Tiny Trak series of APRS beacons

Amateur Radio High Altitude Ballooning

Sparkfun – High Altitude Balloon Launch

Low-cost Near Space Without HAM Radios or Cellphones

Breaking the Amateur Radio Balloon Altitude Record

BEAR (Balloon Experiments with Amateur Radio)

Watch this space for more Bay Area Maker Faire stories and pictures!

2014 Bay Area Maker Faire – Anouk Wipprecht, Fashions and Tesla Coils   Leave a comment

Photo by Kyle Cothern of CrashSpace

Photo by Kyle Cothern of CrashSpace

Here are some amazing photos of Anouk Wipprecht and some of her costumes at the Maker Faire Bay Area. The photos were taken by Kyle Cothern of CrashSpace, in Culver City, CA

In these photos, you can see lightning effects created by a giant Tesla coil, made and “played” by ArcAttack!

Photo by Kyle Cothern of CrashSpace

Photo by Kyle Cothern of CrashSpace

 

Photo by Kyle Cothern of CrashSpace

Photo by Kyle Cothern of CrashSpace

 

Photo by Kyle Cothern of CrashSpace

Photo by Kyle Cothern of CrashSpace

 

Photo by Kyle Cothern of CrashSpace

Photo by Kyle Cothern of CrashSpace

 

Photo by Kyle Cothern of CrashSpace

Photo by Kyle Cothern of CrashSpace

 

Learn more about Anouk Wipprecht in this CNN article!

Stay tuned for more Bay Area Maker Faire images and stories!

2014 Maker Faire Bay Area Recap – Setup Day   Leave a comment

The 2014 Bay Area Maker Faire is now history.

One of the Maker Faire team members, Brian Yee, W6BY, was not able to join us – we are all hoping Brian recovers quickly from his injury.

Dennis Kidder, W6DQ and Marty Woll, N6VI (ARRL Southwestern Division Vice Director) – along with several University of California, Davis engineering students and their faculty advisor, Professor Leo Liu, displayed and demonstrated their projects to the Maker Faire crowd. Estimated attendance: 120,000.

Here’s a two minute “drones eye view” of the Maker Faire 2014

Highlights during setup day included meeting Anouk Wipprecht, the fashion designer;  Tenaya Hurst, the Arduino Woman; and the paella dinner, sponsored by Liquid Wrench.

This year, I included a handout of frequently asked questions about Amateur Radio, and it turned out to be useful. However, we quickly ran out of copies, so I am pasting the text here:

What Are We Doing at Maker Faire 2014
Not Your Grandpa’s Ham Radio

Thank you for your interest in our Maker Faire display. We are radio communications experimenters using the microwave Amateur Radio (ham) frequencies.

Who are we?
We are licensed Amateur radio operators (“hams”).

Is this like CB?
Yes and no. Ham radio is similar to CB because we use two-way radios to talk to each other, but hams can communicate using Morse code and computers in addition to voice, and we even have our own satellites. Ham radio requires a license issued by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) in the USA.

How far can you talk?
We can communicate with other ham stations around the corner or across the globe, depending on a variety of factors that affect the way radio waves travel. The equipment we are using here operates on frequencies that generally follow line-of-sight paths. However, through experimentation, we find that signals can be reflected against objects such as buildings, trees, islands and mountains, to extend the range. Using these techniques, we are able to contact other stations hundreds of miles away.

What kind of radios are you using?
No commercially-built, “off-the-shelf” equipment for these frequencies exists, so we must build our own equipment, or modify commercially-made equipment meant for other services, such as cell phone, wireless links and radar systems.

How much does this equipment cost?
Like any other hobby, people spend as much or as little as they can afford. Most people involved in ham radio spend as much as any serious stereo enthusiast, amateur photographer or woodworker.

Where can I get more information?
Wayne Yoshida KH6WZ
http://wayneyoshida-kh6wz.com/
http://www.linkedin.com/in/waynetyoshida

American Radio Relay League (ARRL)
http://www.arrl.org

CQ, and CQ-VHF Magazines
http://www.cq-amateur-radio.com

The 50 MHz and Up Group
Meetings are held on the first Thursday of the month at 7pm at the TI (formerly National Semiconductor) Conference Center, Building E, in Sunnyvale, CA
http://www.50mhzandup.org/

The San Bernardino Microwave Society (SBMS)
Meets on the first Thursday of each month at 7pm at the American Legion Hall, 1024 Main St., Corona, CA
http://www.ham-radio.com/sbms/

The Microwave Group of San Diego
Workshops and informal meetings are held each month on the third Monday at 7pm in La Mesa, CA
http://www.ham-radio.com/sbms/sd/mgsd.htm

Here are some images from setup day, Friday May 16.

. . . More to follow. . .

 

 

 

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. . . . .

What Does Fashion Lack? Microcontrollers, Says Fashion Designer Anouk Wipprecht   Leave a comment

 

Dutch fashion designer Anouk Wipprecht – who mixes high fashion with microprocessors and fiberoptic fabrics, is scheduled to present “Robotic Fashion and Intimate Interfaces” on Saturday May 17 at 11:30 AM on the Center Stage at Maker Faire Bay Area.

Anouk made the microprocessor-controlled fibre optic and LED costumes for the Black Eyed Peas for the Super Bowl XLV half time show.

I met Anouk at a Crash Space meeting in 2011 – she is fascinating!

Learn more about Anouk and her work with Pseudomorphs 

She talks about her experience and how her interest in microcontrollers and robotics made their way into her fashion designs on YouTube

Here is Anouk’s official website

Maker Faire Bay Area is May 17 and 18!   Leave a comment

Maker Faire 2012-2 010

 

 

The big show is coming soon. Last year, over 120,000 people attended this science-art-food-engineering-fun-educational event.

This year, my team (Dennis Kidder W6DQ, Brian Yee W6BY and Marty Woll N6VI) will bring their newest ham radio projects to show. We will continue with my original theme called “Not Your Grandpa’s Ham Radio.”

A group of University of California, Davis (UCD) engineering students will join us to demonstrate their experiments and projects. These new engineers are getting a great head-start by doing hands-on, practical experiments and projects that go beyond their lecture and textbook learning.

Read my LinkedIn post to understand my personal passion about amateur radio, Makers, the Maker Faire and education.

 

 

Not Your Grandpa’s Ham Radio at the 2013 San Diego Mini Maker Faire   Leave a comment

UPDATE: Articles on San Diego’s First Maker Faire:

Inventors Show Off DYI Drones, Robots

Maker Faire Celebrates 100 Faires Around the Globe in 2013

Crowd Deluges San Diego’s First Mini Maker Faire: An Xconomy Slide Show

The First San Diego Mini Maker Faire Takes Off!

A Mini Maker Faire makes its debut in San Diego at the Del Mar Fairgrounds. Despite the sometimes heavy rain, most all of the exhibitors (Makers) showed up. San Diego Mini Maker Faire organizers kept the weather forecast updates on a positive note: “…Forecast: 100% Chance of Great Exhibits” – an excellent promotional phrase.

There were around 5,000 tickets purchased, amazing for a first run in inclement weather. Another positive indicator of interest in San Diego area “Making” is the number of Learn to Solder kits that were made during the event – all 350 of the blinky LED boards were built on Saturday.

The San Diego Not Your Grandpa’s Ham Radio team

Dave WA6CGR (San Bernardino Microwave Society – SBMS)

Dennis W6DQ (SBMS)

Jason W6IEE (SBMS)

Kerry N6IZW (San Diego Microwave Group – SDMG and SBMS)

Walt (SBMS)

Wayne KH6WZ (SBMS)

In addition to visitors from our own radio clubs (Rein W6SZ and his XYL, Larry K6HLH and his XYL, Ed W6OYJ, Michelle W5NYV and Paul KB5MU) many other San Diego area hams stopped by. As in previous exhibits, there is a pattern: Those who have a callsign but are not on the air, those who have callsigns and are active on the FM repeaters but not much else.

But this is one of the reasons I developed the Maker Faire theme called Not Your Grandpa’s Ham Radio – I want to show something new to licensed (active as well as inactive) hams, and I want to expose those not familiar with ham radio to what some of us are doing with twenty-first century technology in our hobby – we are embracing and doing hands-on experiments with microprocessors/microcontrollers, GPS, micro- and millimeter-wave construction techniques and other exotic radio-related technologies. We are having fun while learning new skills and expertise.

I hope this idea spreads to other active ham radio groups in other locations – surely there are other hams like us who are doing something more interesting than just talking to strangers, friends and family, right? If you are a ham radio operator and are involved in doing something interesting, let me know and we should join forces to help each other increase interest and participation in this concept – since – as most all hams know – being a Maker is certainly not a new idea!

Here are some pictures from the San Diego Mini Maker Faire. I have two videos posted on my YouTube channel: Walt’s Radio Wave Demonstration and The Electric Giraffe

Map showing the KH6WZ APRS beacon location.

Map showing the KH6WZ APRS beacon location. The location is approximate, I had to simulate the GPS coordinates since signals were blocked in the steel and concrete exhibit hall.

Despite the rain, there was a constant crush of people in, near and around the Not Your Grandpa's Ham Radio booth at the 2013 San Diego Mini Maker Faire

Despite the rain, there was a constant crush of people in, near and around the Not Your Grandpa’s Ham Radio booth at the 2013 San Diego Mini Maker Faire

Not Your Grandpa's Ham Radio at the San Diego Mini Maker Faire - We were lucky there was a no-show next to us, so we combined the empty space with ours at the end of an aisle - good show!

Not Your Grandpa’s Ham Radio at the San Diego Mini Maker Faire – We were lucky there was a no-show next to us, so we combined the empty space with ours at the end of an aisle – good show!

A visitor (striped shirt and black hat) tries some of the hands-on microwave physics demonstrations made by Walt

A visitor (striped shirt and black hat) tries some of the hands-on microwave physics demonstrations made by Walt

Dennis brought his 10 GHz / 24 GHz dual band station with software defined radio and notebook computer. The "waterfall" display is used to visually indicate very weak to very strong signals across the receive band. The digital signal processing in this system can improve signal reception

Dennis brought his 10 GHz / 24 GHz dual band station with software defined radio and notebook computer. The “waterfall” display is used to visually indicate very weak to very strong signals across the receive band. The digital signal processing in this system can improve signal reception

Two more projects by Dennis - On the left, a transmit/receive sequencer, used to turn on or turn off circuit modules (or functions) in a specific order. To the right is a circuit under construction/proof of concept receive system using direct synthesis.

Two more projects by Dennis – On the left, a transmit/receive sequencer, used to turn on or turn off circuit modules (or functions) in a specific order. To the right is a circuit under construction/proof of concept receive system using direct synthesis.

Jason W6IEE brought his airplane IFF detector. I will get a better description of his display in a later update.

Jason W6IEE brought his airplane IFF detector. I will get a better description of his display in a later update.

Here's one of Kerry's gadgets - a surplus QualComm microwave diode being used to generate a wideband microwave signal. Intended to be used to detect a microwave signal to verify transmitter operation, it can also transmit a signal for voice communication - in this case, to my 10 GHz transverter system shown in the background.

Here’s one of Kerry’s gadgets – a surplus QualComm microwave diode being used to generate a wideband microwave signal. Intended to be used to detect a microwave signal to verify transmitter operation, it can also transmit a signal for voice communication – in this case, to my 10 GHz transverter system shown in the background.

Here are three of my projects. On the far left, is a microwave field strength detector, this is used to demonstrate vertical or horizontal polarization, the KH6WZ unit in the middle is an APRS beacon, transmitting GPS coordinates (this unit generated and transmitted the GPS coordinates used to generate the location on the APRS locator map at the top of this page) and at the far right is my distance record-setting 10 GHz microwave transmitter-receiver system.

Here are three of my projects. On the far left, is a microwave field strength detector, this is used to demonstrate vertical or horizontal polarization, the KH6WZ unit in the middle is an APRS beacon, transmitting GPS coordinates (this unit generated and transmitted the GPS coordinates used to generate the location on the APRS locator map at the top of this page) and at the far right is my distance record-setting 10 GHz microwave transmitter-receiver system.

Visitor's to Not Your Grandpa's Ham Radio at the San Diego event were able to see some vintage 1960s microwave ham radio units - like this "Synplexer" built by Ed Munn W6OYJ. A pair of these units were on display so we could demonstrate full duplex wide band communication on 2.4 GHz (2400 MHz)

Visitor’s to Not Your Grandpa’s Ham Radio at the San Diego event were able to see some vintage 1960s microwave ham radio units – like this “Synplexer” built by Ed Munn W6OYJ. A pair of these units were on display so we could demonstrate full duplex wide band communication on 2.4 GHz (2400 MHz)

Here's a closer look at the Synplexer

Here’s a closer look at the Synplexer

Who's that?

Who’s that?

It's great to see young ladies get excited about technical things. There's a San Diego area high school program that includes a robotics class and competition

It’s great to see young ladies get excited about technical things. There’s a San Diego area high school program that includes a robotics class and competition

Quadcopters seem to be trendy with Makers. Maybe this is where Jeffery Beezos got that idea for small package delivery?

Quadcopters seem to be trendy with Makers. Maybe this is where Jeffery Bezos got that idea for small package delivery?

MakerPlace - a place where fellow Makers can gather and make, share and borrow tools and ideas to make things. Funny, it sounds like what a good and active ham radio club should be

MakerPlace – a place where fellow Makers can gather and make, share and borrow tools and ideas to make things. Funny, it sounds like what a good and active ham radio club should be

Russell - the Electric Giraffe at the 2013 San Diego Mini Maker Faire. Russell and its builder Lindsay, are San Diego residents

Russell – the Electric Giraffe at the 2013 San Diego Mini Maker Faire. Russell and its builder Lindsay, are San Diego residents

The Electric Giraffe - This image may give you some idea of Russell's size - this is the "down" position, with head lowered for crowd interaction

The Electric Giraffe – This image may give you some idea of Russell’s size – this is the “down” position, with head lowered for crowd interaction

Links to More Information

Amateur Radio General Information

CQ Amateur Radio Magazine

American Radio Relay League (ARRL)

Polaplexer for 2.3GHz (2300 MHz) – a Vintage Microwave Transceiver

Another Polaplexer Article

APRS – Automatic Packet Reporting System -Beacons

Byonics – I Use TinyTrak Beacon Kits

Microwave Ham Radio Clubs in Southern California

San Bernardino Microwave Society (SBMS)

Microwave Group of San Diego / San Diego Microwave Group

San Diego Area Radio Clubs

Go here and search for ham radio clubs in your area

Russell the Electric Giraffe 

San Diego Mini Maker Faire is Saturday December 7!   Leave a comment

 

Announcing San Diego Mini Maker Faire 2013 - Visit the Maker Booth called "Not Your Grandpa's Ham Radio"

Announcing San Diego Mini Maker Faire 2013 – Visit the Maker Booth called “Not Your Grandpa’s Ham Radio”

Maker Faire – where art, science and technology crash together!

>> Click here for more info! <<