Category: Community Page 12 of 14

Check out the Vice President’s new shack addition!

The Inovato Quadra HamClock Bundle is a compact and affordable solution for amateur radio enthusiasts to display the HamClock software on their monitors or TVs. Here are the key features and details:

Hardware:

• The bundle includes the Inovato Quadra PC, a small computer with a quad-core A53 ARM v8 64-bit SoC processor and 2GB RAM. It comes with an HDMI cable, USB power adapter, custom stand, quiet fan, and USB hub
• The device is designed for use with 1080p or higher resolution displays

Software:

• HamClock, developed by Elwood Downey, is pre-installed and configured
• The system auto-updates to the latest version of HamClock
• Other ham radio software like WSJT-X, FlDigi, and QDMR are also pre-installed

Setup and Usage:

• Initial setup is straightforward, with the system guiding users through HamClock configuration on first boot
• Users can choose to have HamClock start on boot and run in full-screen mode
• The “Live Spots” feature is automatically enabled, showing active bands at the user’s location
• HamClock can be viewed on other devices within the local network using a web browser

Features:

• Displays a digital version of visual maps showing the Earth, gray line, space weather, satellite tracking, and moon phases
• Offers a more affordable alternative to commercial products like the geocron Atlas

Flexibility:

• Users can exit full-screen mode (ALT-F11) to access other installed applications
• The system includes a Ham apps installer for adding or updating additional software

Price and Comparison:

• The Inovato Quadra HamClock Bundle is priced at less than $50, making it a cost-effective option compared to similar Raspberry Pi setups

The Inovato Quadra HamClock Bundle provides an easy-to-use, pre-configured solution for ham radio enthusiasts to display HamClock and access other ham radio applications, offering good value for its price point.

Bob got his kit at: https://inovato.com/

Want to do something fun and purposeful?

Alex, KO4OJQ, came to the Club with an interesting build in work to show off! A Fox Hole Radio?

What is a fox hole radio?! A foxhole radio is a makeshift crystal radio that soldiers built during WW2 to listen to local radio stations for entertainment. The radios were a safer alternative to vacuum tube radios, which could be traced by the enemy, and were often built using basic parts that didn’t require a battery. That’s right!! No power required!

Supplies
• Toilet paper tube
• Razor blade (If you can find a Blue one like the “PAL Super Single Edge”
then great. Otherwise, you’ll have to blue it by heating it up)
• Earphone
• Large safety pin
• Wood pencil stub
• Magnet wire
• A scrap of wood
• Paper clips
• Tacks

To make it, in short, 120 wire wraps around a tube tied to an antenna, a ground and a detector. They serve in conjunction with a cat whisker (pencil) and a razor blade with a high impedance earphone as a monitoring device.

This is essentially a crystal radio that can be used to hear music, news, and all other information transmitted over the AM broadcast band. AM radio is still viable the world over and in the United States, vital information is still passed over it. Don’t believe us? Turn off your Spotify and take a listen!

For detailed instructions go here: https://cdn.makezine.com/make/wp_foxholeradio.pdf

Don’t forget to stop in at the Playground Amateur Radio Club on Sunday’s at 3 pm central time! You never know what will come in the door!

Meet Paul Sapp, N4HFZ, a former USAF Flight Simulator VET (30 Years) used to go to Castle AFB in California and was able to sign for excess equipment that had passed its technological service due to the rapid technological expansion following WW2. His collection includes operational gear from the 1950’s and on. The old military equipment from his MARS days at Castle AFB is to be considered a donation to the Playground Amateur Radio Club!

The following items are now added as Playground Club property and enhance the test bench!

OS-8E oscilloscope: got it new, Replaced parts over the years, but still functional. With manual

TS-505 Electronic Multimeter: worked ok years ago, haven’t used it in15 years. With manual.

URM-26 Signal Generator: works ok, but attenuation circuit may be faulty. Tunes about 200 kHz to 30 m Hz.

To see and learn to use these assets, please stop in at the Playground Amateur Radio Club based on our Calendar for our weekly Pile-Ups! You never know, you too can learn the ways of the old to understand what influenced the new! Be more than an operator, be a technician!