[VHFcontesting] Making roving fun and interesting

[Alex]

Hi Zack,

I use a Raspberry Pi 3 B with GQRX for the bandscope. GQRX has a "demod  
off" mode which is nice if you only want to use it as a bandscope. Saves 
a lot of CPU cycles! I do use the KD2C board (formely HupRF) to tap RF 
just before the first IF and use a RTL-SDR Version 3 dongle ($20). The 
Pi requires a little over 5V, but I'm not sure how much current it 
draws. I can measure this for you when I get home. The power supply is 
usually rated for 2.5A, but it's not drawing that much.

I added an IF tap (with a KD2C board and a NESDR Smart dongle, $20) to a 
FT-897 and I'm working to add the Pi to that as well. I'm thinking of 
using a 3.5" touch screen on this one. A Pi with a 3.5" touch screen is 
about the size of two stacked decks of cards. Right now I just hook it 
up to a PC/laptop and run SDR Console on it.

73,
--Alex KR1ST

On 2018-08-24 12:16, Zack Widup wrote:
> Speaking of bandscopes, does someone know of a fairly small, low power 
> way
> of implementing a bandscope? I'm mainly interested in a bandscope for
> microwave transverters with a 144 MHz IF.  This operation is usually 
> from
> hilltops and running off battery power, which I need to conserve as 
> much as
> I can. I do have a Softrock Ensemble II VHF for 144 MHz to use as a
> microwave IF monitor but it's a lot to carry around. I need to use an
> external soundcard with it (if I want more than 48 kHz of bandwidth). I 
> did
> the mod to my FT817 per W1GHZ but I'm not very happy with that, either.
> Maybe I need a better SDR for that than a cheap $10 dongle.
> 
> 73, Zack W9SZ
> 
> 
> On Fri, Aug 24, 2018 at 11:04 AM Alex <alex at kr1st.com> wrote:
> 
>> On 2018-08-23 15:36, JamesDuffey wrote:
>> 
>> > Also, move people up the bands you have when you work them on the
>> > lower bands. Before you move, though, always ask if there are others
>> > on frequency who need to work you.
>> 
>> This point bears repeating. I often find rovers at the tail end of a
>> contact. I see them popping up on the bandscope, tune to the signal 
>> only
>> to hear that they are moving to another band. It often happens that I
>> get no reply when I call immediately after the Q ended. Perhaps it's
>> because they are afraid that they are keeping the other station 
>> waiting
>> on the other band. If I'm lucky and caught the new frequency I will 
>> will
>> go there if I have the capability. If they are moving to a band I 
>> don't
>> have have (still building, only 6 and 2 for now), then I lost the the
>> opportunity.
>> 
>> I have tremendous respect for rovers, and I get great enjoyment out of
>> working them, especially when I can work them in multiple grids. My 
>> wife
>> and I roved a few times, and that was in an area where there are 
>> hardly
>> even any fixed stations (SC) to work. It's a lot of work. What we
>> enjoyed most were the visits from folks who we just worked and drove 
>> up
>> to see our setup. Even the visits from the local authorities were
>> pleasant. This was one of our attempts to create some interest in weak
>> signal operations in an area where there was virtually none.
>> 
>> I also enjoy reading the post-op rover stories, especially in blog
>> format with lots of pictures. So please post those if you can. We 
>> never
>> did that ourselves, unfortunately.
>> 
>> 73,
>> --Alex KR1ST (FN21fk)
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