Author Archives: robert

A Better Option than the PyPortal for a NTP Clock?

Posted on July 2, 2019 by robert

In the prior two posts I discussed the mistake made on the PyPortal that rendered all timing very inaccurate (was that 1000 Hz PWM tone actually 970 Hz or 1030 Hz or somewhere in between?).  Adafruit suggested adding a RTC, … Continue reading →

Posted in Arduino, NTP, NTP Clock, Raspberry Pi | Leave a comment

PyPortal NTP Clock – Part 2

Posted on July 1, 2019 by robert

The PyPortal does have a 4-pin JST connector on the side, which makes it easy to hook up a IC2 Breakout like the DS3231, which is about 1 PPM accurate, or 3 seconds a month.  That is a heck of … Continue reading →

Posted in NTP, Projects | Leave a comment

PyPortal Auto Rebooting Endless Loop

Posted on June 28, 2019 by robert

A few years back I made a NTP clock for my station.  I was always obsessed with time accuracy, and a RPi running NTP services filled the bill quite well.  That clock was always within a fraction of a second … Continue reading →

Posted in From the OM, Projects, Time | Leave a comment

Checking Out the Sat Gear for Field Day

Posted on June 9, 2019 by robert

As my wife was traveling, this was a perfect time to grab the satellite gear, setup the antenna in the driveway, and keep the radio gear in her side of the garage.  I envisioned making dozens of contacts out to … Continue reading →

Posted in Antennas, Contests, Satellite | Leave a comment

VUCC Satellite #435 Arrives!

Posted on May 30, 2019 by robert

I had applied for VUCC Satellite on May 4th, but I failed to check a box that would have resulted in the certificate being sent my way (Bad Bob, bad!).  I realized my error quickly when that auspicious “*” didn’t … Continue reading →

Posted in Awards, Satellite, VUCC | 2 Comments

… then one, and done!

Posted on May 3, 2019 by robert

With the help of Manuel EA5TT and a CW QSO on FO-29, plus a QSO with Frank WA2NDV on the next pass, I have received LotW confirmations for 100 different grid squares, which qualifies me for VUCC Satellite. Many thanks … Continue reading →

Posted in Satellite, VUCC | Leave a comment

And then there were two…

Posted on May 1, 2019 by robert

A nice surprise this May Day, for my VUCC Satellite effort.  I am now up to 98 confirmed grids.  So five new grids were added in April.  Perhaps I will get two more in May!

Posted in Satellite, VUCC | Leave a comment

Joe Taylor’s upcoming FT-4 and the value of bit shaping

Posted on April 24, 2019 by robert

I was watching a video of Joe Taylor giving a presentation at the Fair Lawn Amateur Radio Club (Thanks, Bob W1YRC, for that reference).  Joe started giving some details of his upcoming FT-4 protocol (starts at 15:35 mark).  FT-4 might … Continue reading →

Posted in Digital Mode, FT-4, FT8 | Leave a comment

DMR 2 YSF Crossover

Posted on April 5, 2019 by robert

Having now gotten my DJ-MD5 working well on DMR, I figured it was time to up the stakes and see if I could use the DMR2YSF bridge feature.  Sure enough it works, although not fully yet.  It appears that the … Continue reading →

Posted in DJ-MD5, DMR, YSF, ZumSpot | 5 Comments

160-meter WAS Certificate Received

Posted on April 5, 2019 by robert

Just a few days ago I used LotW to apply for my 160-meter WAS certificate.  I received it today (fast service, thanks ARRL!) I was surprised to see a fairly low number (1667).  Hard to believe that 160-meter WAS is … Continue reading →

Posted in 160-Meters, WAS | Leave a comment