VARA HF and VarAC and USB fiddling

M0RVB November 4, 2022

I had heard of VARA HF but not done anything about it because the Windows machine is not connected to the HF rig. That was cured yesterday by something I should have got ages ago - a USB switch. This switch has two USB connections aimed at connection to two PCs, and then four USB sockets for devices. So the SignalLink and the USB adapter for CAT control are now plugged into this switch which shares these between the Linux and Windows PCs. It all seems to work fine with USB devices connecting and disconnecting and, fortunately for Windows anyway appearing in the same place. It took me a whole to figure out that the CAT control, ends up as COM6 on the Windows box but so far it has not decided to change when reconnected.

Now the Windows box can see the FT450D I tried WSJT-X - no issues there, and it provided a good end to end test. I downloaded VarAC and the VARA HF modem. Installation went fine and almost straight away it decoded a beacon on 14.105. Since then it has been decoding numerous other beacons and a few CQ calls but I have yet to answer one. No time right now and I don’t want to use this for short FT8-like overs. I did send a few beacons and pskreporter showed that I am being received. Nice.

I have yet to get CAT working though. I don’t know what the issue is there as everything is set the way it should be so I am tuning the rig by hand until then. PTT is via the SignaLink which will do vox so tx works anyway. (Update: CAT now works fine - I had not set RTS and DTR to High in the CAT Configuration section despite it being that way in the pics in the documentation...)

And there is an issue I missed at first - VarAC plays sounds on events so the right would occasionally transmit for a bit of a second - Settings -> Appearance and Sounds and unchecking ‘Play application sounds (…)’ sorted that out.

I did notice one thing though. When I turn the Linux machine on it is generating noise on 20m. The Linux and Windows machines are essentially identical so something is causing pickup. I’ll need to unwind all the cables and add ferrites - a useful indication hopefully easily fixed. There are now far too many cables and all in a mess!

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M0RVB February 18, 2022

APRS fiddling

I've had a Yaesu FTM100DE for a while now and for all that while it has had a USB adapter plugged in and doing nothing. The adapter, SCU-20 came with the transceiver. Anyway, I wondered what it could be use for. The handbook discusses it being used to extract GPS data and packet data and a quick search found some software, APRSIS32 for Windows (see http://aprsisce.wikidot.com ) that talks to various transceivers. So, software loaded, I needed a driver from Yaesu. Here's where it begins to get a little tedious as those of you who have had to go looking for drivers will no doubt know. First port of call was the Yaesu site and a search for FTM100. Ok, found that. Now 'files' and ... a driver for a SCU-19. Searches for SCU-20 found a PDF which contained the filename of the driver but not the source. I eventually found it... under the files for the FTM400. And that was the hardest part. Driver in, USB lead connected, APRSIS32 loaded and a few parameters configured and there is it. The software will also send messages etc. but apparently Yaesu do not allow their kit, or at least the kit…

M0RVB May 30, 2021

More ATV fiddling

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M0RVB May 12, 2021

Antenna fiddling

I’ve been investigating putting some antennas outside and not getting very far. So I got a 2m ‘big wheel’ antenna off a trader on eBay. Plan A was to build my own but, being lazy I purchased a Wimo one. I’ve just installed this in the loft, directly above the shack so no issues of distancing (!) and it is a lot bigger than I had pictured. I now need to crawl under the thing to get to the fan dipole and other less important things such as the plumbing feeding the shower… hmmm. Anyway, it all went together without much struggle and the NanoVNA shows a decent low SWR across the 2m band. I’ve had to rearrange stuff so the 4m dipole is now where the 2m one was and had to be rotated 90 degrees so is now roughly north-south. Initial PSK Reporter results from the big wheel - note both the 2 and 4m antennas are fed from transverters from the transverter store in the Ukraine - showed 2m FT8 results of -14db into Cornwall and -10db into Cork plus a decent spread, and 4m picked up in south Wales so no worse than before. Of course,…