Category: Blog

1. Deposit checks
2. Call court house on Sunday evening.
3. Update bills on Estate Website
4. Wells Fargo Advisors
5. 1/4 drill bit LONG
6. Garbage Can for Cave
7. Recycling
8. Good Will
9. Hand truck
10. Buy 6 AWG bare wire for grounds
11. fertilize the lawn
12. Buy a hose
13. Repair radiator on Blue.
14. Program remote access backup routers for mom.
15. Drive to FL
    • Install remote access
    • Install MJ Phone
    • Repair VPN
    • Install Home Assistant
    • Bring back 55″ TV
    • Bring framed picture from Thanksgiving.
16. Repair the brakes on Blue.
17. Follow-up Appt with Lung Doc.
18. Check temperatures for Pahrump pump house every week.
19. Two 8GB Raspberry Pi’s are ordered from Newark Electronics.
20. Two more 8GB Raspberry Pi’s are ordered from DigiKey
21. Floss, banana, Meds and toes.
22. Register with IRS as an administrator of an estate.
23. Check Mom’s accounts
24. Fix mom’s printer working
25. File estate taxes.
26. Hire a lawyer for Arizona.
27. Run generators
28. Pull RG213 through attic to cave.

The van doesn’t get driven much, maybe two 5 mile trips on Sunday to church and back. I am getting worried about the battery not having enough time to recharge. I’ve connected my yard’s solar panels to a Solar Charge Controller to apply about 1/2 amp charge during the day.

The white wire on the bottom is to reduce the wear on the door seal and to have a break-away connection if I forget to disconnect it. (I had previously driven our cars with the wire attached and tore through the door seal.)

Cleaned up the weeds on the fence today.

Well, the new antenna is up. I really don’t like the SWR of 2 though. The base of the antenna is a MUCH better design with the cable connections protected under a hood of sorts. The receive sensitivity doesn’t seem to have improved much if any.

The antenna claims to be a 6/8 wave C-Load(2m) antenna, which I assume has a capacitor in series with the radiating element to make it appear as 50 ohms.

I had to add radials to reduce the SWR below 2:1. After cutting almost 3 inches off 1/2 inch at a time I ended up with 13″ radials and a SWR of 1.2:1. (200MW reflected) I don’t know yet why the SWR went up a little with the addition of 50′ of coax?

Now this looks a little better with the 2M radials. (Not much, but every little bit counts.)

1. Mow the back lawn
2. Buy tickets for Vegas.
3. Repair van window
4. Update bills on Estate Website
5. Wells Fargo Advisors
6. 1/4 drill bit LONG
7. Garbage Can for Cave
8. Recycling
9. Good Will
10. Hand truck
11. Buy 6 AWG bare wire for grounds
12. fertilize the lawn
13. Buy a hose
14. D Repair radiator on Blue.
15. Program remote access backup routers for mom.
16. Drive to FL
    • Install remote access
    • Install MJ Phone
    • Repair VPN
    • Install Home Assistant
    • Bring back 55″ TV
    • Bring framed picture from Thanksgiving.
17. D Repair the brakes on Blue.
18. Follow-up Appt with Lung Doc.
19. Check temperatures for Pahrump pump house every week.
20. Two 8GB Raspberry Pi’s are ordered from Newark Electronics.
21. Two more 8GB Raspberry Pi’s are ordered from DigiKey
22. Floss, banana, Meds and toes.
23. Register with IRS as an administrator of an estate.
24. Check Mom’s accounts
25. Fix mom’s printer working
26. File estate taxes.
27. Hire a lawyer for Arizona.
28. Run generators
29. Pull RG213 through attic to cave.

I had removed the lining of the door to facilitate closing the window after it failed. I know how badly moisture can ruin a vehicle from previous broken windows.

To remove this panel it required releasing the two handles holding the window AND supporting the window in a raised position until I could get this panel back in place.

This is the old hardware that I am about to replace.
There weren’t too many bolts, and it wasn’t terribly difficult.

The most difficult part of finishing the door was getting the window clips back into their holes under the window. I ended up using a pair of wire cutters as pliers to push the clips behind the glass.

---

1. I measured the voltage between my house ground and the coax shield and it was 6VDC.
2. When I first mounted this antenna I did have a 6AWG wire running from the antenna to the house grounds.  I had to steal that ground wire to ground the antenna on the 25’ pole.  *Which is where I originally planned on returning it too.  I’ve been fighting with the poor design of the antenna base ever since I got this antenna.  The base (Without the ground plate) seems commonly used to mount whip antennas on vehicles.  I also had plans to ground the radio, but alas I have been using my time with moving / modifying this silly 5/8 wave antenna.
3. The ground was left off the antenna so that I could evaluate how much RF remained at the base of the antenna.  I had also put a loop in the coax and a ferrite toroid core around the coax at the base of the antenna to lessen/isolate any RF riding on the coax shield. (It seemed unlikely that I would get injured with 12W RF (25V @ 50 Ohms)  My ELMER does not use a ground plane OR a ground wire at his antenna.  (His antenna is sitting on a wooden painting stick LOL.)  I have looked at antenna analyzers on Amazon and they all look like China grey market crap.

• As bad as the following antenna looks, I am only getting a little over a watt back from the antenna at 25W forward power.  It was a LOT easier to work with 18AWG wire radials which is also the gauge of the magnet wire that the antenna radiating element is made of.  (Which I read is a way of increasing the “Q” of the radials.)   The reason for the high number of radials was to vary the length slightly so that several of them would be resonant at any given frequency. (According to “Google Foo”, if the “Q” is high, then resonance of the radials would be a narrow spike.)  I did realize that the radiation pattern would change as the radials that are resonant changed.  (But then I have 9 of them.)

• I hadn’t counted on the “L” bracket from Dish network being approximately ¼ wavelength long.  I’ll have to insulate the antenna from the mast to find out how much that affected my setup.

1. Mow the lawn
2. Buy tickets for Vegas.
3. Call Kelli if she doesn’t answer my E-Mail.
4. Repair van window
5. Update bills on Estate Website
6. Wells Fargo Advisors
7. 1/4 drill bit LONG
8. Garbage Can for Cave
9. Recycling
10. Good Will
11. Hand truck
12. Buy 6 AWG bare wire for grounds
13. fertilize the lawn
14. Buy a hose
15. D Repair radiator on Blue.
16. Program remote access backup routers for mom.
17. Drive to FL
    • Install remote access
    • Install MJ Phone
    • Repair VPN
    • Install Home Assistant
    • Bring back 55″ TV
    • Bring framed picture from Thanksgiving.
18. D Repair the brakes on Blue.
19. Follow-up Appt with Doctor.
20. Check temperatures for Pahrump pump house every week.
21. Two 8GB Raspberry Pi’s are ordered from Newark Electronics.
22. Two more 8GB Raspberry Pi’s are ordered from DigiKey
23. Floss, banana, Meds and toes.
24. Register with IRS as an administrator of an estate.
25. Nancy’s Will, i don’t have a copy but she’s working on it.
26. Check Mom’s accounts
27. Fix mom’s printer working
28. Hire an accountant for the estate taxes.
29. Hire a lawyer for Arizona.
30. Run generators
31. Pull down 2M antenna from 25′ mast.
32. Install 2M antenna on Dish Network post.
33. Tune 2M antenna and measure VSWR.
34. Test some repeaters to see if they are better.
35. Replace insulated grocery bags.
36. Pull RG213 through attic to cave.

1. Repair van window
2. Update bills on Estate Website
3. Charge WetCell Batteries
4. Wells Fargo Advisors
5. 1/4 drill bit LONG
6. Garbage Can for Cave
7. Recycling
8. Good Will
9. Charge New Batteries
10. Hand truck
11. Buy 6 AWG bare wire for grounds
12. fertilize the lawn
13. Buy a hose
14. D Repair radiator on Blue.
15. Program remote access backup routers for mom.
16. Drive to FL
    • Install remote access
    • Install MJ Phone
    • Repair VPN
    • Install Home Assistant
    • Bring back 55″ TV
    • Bring framed picture from Thanksgiving.
17. D Repair the brakes on Blue.
18. My appt for CatScan.
    Follow-up Appt with Doctor.
19. Check temperatures for Pahrump pump house every week.
20. Two 8GB Raspberry Pi’s are ordered from Newark Electronics.
21. Two more 8GB Raspberry Pi’s are ordered from DigiKey
22. Floss, banana, Meds and toes.
23. Register with IRS as an administrator of an estate.
24. Nancy’s Will, i don’t have a copy but she’s working on it.
25. Check Mom’s accounts
26. Fix mom’s printer working
27. Hire an accountant for the estate taxes.
28. Hire a lawyer for Arizona.
29. Run generators

Unplugging a refrigerator

We accidentally kicked out the power cord to our portable refrigerator this week.

I actually had a moisture sensor warning for the rug, but no alarm was connected.
(I have one now that checks the temp AND the moisture from the drain hole.)

Not a huge deal, we lost one package of hamburger.
We washed the insides down with soap and water and plugged it back in.

The large delta temperature when the compressor runs makes it difficult to determine the actual temperature of our food.

I put the temp sensor in wine glass with a bit of rice to add some mass.

The glass was supported away from the walls of the refrigerator to reduce the influence. I was still unhappy with the delta Temp (Blue line) still confusing the desired temperature reading. I had to add more mass inside the glass OR add insulation to lessen the delta temperature.

The next thing I tried was a Yeti mug (Good insulation) with the rice and temp sensor in the bottom with a sock on the top to keep the air from circulating.

The temperature was changing so slowly that I removed the sock. I inserted a spoon into the rice to increase the conductivity into the rice and lowered the set point temperature of the fridge.

Now that the average temperature of the rice is closer to the desired temperature, I need to raise the setpoint to something more reasonable for a refrigerator. (Not a freezer.) Milk freezes at 30-31.5 degrees, so the ideal temperature should be really close to 32 degrees. (Coldest temperature before freezing, down from 38 degrees recommended fridge temp.)

1. Wells Fargo Advisors
2. 1/4 drill bit LONG
3. Garbage Can for Cave
4. Recycling
5. Good Will
6. Charge New Batteries
7. Hand truck
8. 6 AWG wire
9. fertilize the lawn
10. Buy a hose
11. D Repair radiator on Blue.
12. Program remote access backup routers for mom.
13. Drive to FL
    • Install remote access
    • Install MJ Phone
    • Repair VPN
    • Install Home Assistant
    • Bring back 55″ TV
    • Bring framed picture from Thanksgiving.
14. D Repair the brakes on Blue.
15. My appt for CatScan.
16. Check temperatures for Pahrump pump house every week.
17. Two 8GB Raspberry Pi’s are ordered from Newark Electronics.
18. Two more 8GB Raspberry Pi’s are ordered from DigiKey
19. Floss, banana, Meds and toes.
20. Register with IRS as an administrator of an estate.
21. Nancy’s Will, i don’t have a copy but she’s working on it.
22. Take wet cell batteries back
23. Check Mom’s accounts
24. Fix mom’s printer working
25. Hire an accountant for the estate taxes.
26. Hire a lawyer for Arizona.
27. Run generators

1. Wells Fargo Advisors
2. 1/4 drill bit LONG
3. Garbage Can
4. Recycling
5. Good Will
6. New Batteries
7. Hand truck
8. 6 AWG wire
9. fertilize the lawn
10. Buy a hose
11. D Repair radiator on Blue.
12. Program remote access backup routers for mom.
13. Drive to FL
    • Install remote access
    • Install MJ Phone
    • Repair VPN
    • Install Home Assistant
    • Bring back 55″ TV
    • Bring framed picture from Thanksgiving.
14. D Repair the brakes on Blue.
15. My appt for CatScan.
16. Check temperatures for Pahrump pump house every week.
17. Two 8GB Raspberry Pi’s are ordered from Newark Electronics.
18. Two more 8GB Raspberry Pi’s are ordered from DigiKey
19. Floss, banana, Meds and toes.
20. Register with IRS as an administrator of an estate.
21. Nancy’s Will, i don’t have a copy but she’s working on it.
22. Take wet cell batteries back
23. Check Mom’s accounts
24. Fix mom’s printer working
25. Hire an accountant for the estate taxes.
26. Hire a lawyer for Arizona.
27. Run generators

I have a working 2Meter HAM radio!

After almost four weeks of fiddling with every piece of this puzzle the antenna is high enough and the power to the radio is strong enough to keep it running.

1. Mow the back yard.
2. Wells Fargo Advisors
3. fertilize the lawn
4. add my name to the dog show
5. Pull RG58 out of the attic.
6. Buy a hose
7. D Repair radiator on Blue.
8. Program remote access backup routers for mom.
9. Drive to FL
   • Install remote access
   • Install MJ Phone
   • Repair VPN
   • Install Home Assistant
   • Bring back 55″ TV
   • Bring framed picture from Thanksgiving.
10. D Repair the brakes on Blue.
11. Our appt with D Marini. Mar 22nd.
12. Check temperatures for Pahrump pump house every week.
13. Two 8GB Raspberry Pi’s are ordered from Newark Electronics.
14. Two more 8GB Raspberry Pi’s are ordered from DigiKey
15. Floss, banana, Meds and toes.
16. Register with IRS as an administrator of an estate.
17. Nancy’s Will, i don’t have a copy but she’s working on it.
18. Take wet cell batteries back
19. Check Mom’s accounts
20. Fix mom’s printer working
21. Hire an accountant for the estate taxes.
22. Hire a lawyer for Arizona.
23. Run generators

Move the antenna day!

1. 14 FEB not much
2. 1.  Improve my receive signal, there is sufficient noise that I cannot distinquish call letters. (My antenna is currently about 25′ below the surrounding terrain to the East.)
3. The receive is a little scratchy which is making it quite difficult to capture call signs that are routinely said quite rapidly. It also makes it impossible to read an undermodulated carrier, I had a young HAM on a mobile that I just could not read on Saturday 25 Feb.
4. 27 Feb Improve my receive signal, there is sufficient noise that I cannot distinguish call letters.  I added 10 feet to my antenna.
5. 28 Feb Improve my receive signal.  There is sufficient noise that I cannot copy any conversation from GARS repeater at 20′. (To my amazement it got worse raising it 10′.) To raise my antenna another 10′ it will have to be guyed. I have all the components to raise it in 5′ increments. I just need a good day to get on the roof.  I will also have to take many more precautions against lightning.  I will be above the 30 degree protection cone of my 25′ lightning rod at the center of the home.  (We get struck by static more than 2x a year)
6. 4 Mar Improve my receive signal.  There is sufficient noise that I cannot copy a undermodulated conversation from GARS repeater.  I walked around my yard and the receive signal fades in and out dramatically indicating multipath reception.  It did’t matter if the antenna was at 3′ or 12′ above the ground.  If I use a directional antenna to reach over the hill to the east I will loose the repeaters in downtown Atlanta.
7.  8 Mar Improve my antenna situation
8. Pull RG-58 from attic
9. Mount antenna on a 5′ pole
10. Pull down ADSB antenna
11. Mount 5′ pole on top of ADSB mast
12. Secure and ground mast
13. Test radio receive and transmit
14. 9 Mar  Check the VSWR to my antenna and adjust its length. 
15. I found out AFTER I mounted the antenna that the antenna comes longer than needed and the user needs to hacksaw off the end of the antenna to tune it.  I’ll wait until I get my four lengths of COAX before I pull down the antenna again.  I’ll build them from the radio back to the antenna. (Meaning the antenna mast will be last cable I replace.)
16. 3.  Lightning protect my Transciever RF connection since the 2M antenna is now the tallest pole on my home.
17. The antenna bracket has a 6AWG copper wire running the length of the mast which is connected to the roof ground plane.  I still need to deal with the 1-3 uS pulse riding on the coax attached to the radio.  The current plan is to put a coil on the coax in my shack and then terminate the coax into a lightning protector before it runs to the radio.  (The coil slows down the dV/dT to allow the lightning protector to flash AND greatly lowers the impulse current since it’s so brief.)  I have a LOT of experience with lightning hitting my home!
18. Lightning protect my Transciever RF connection since the 2M antenna is now the tallest pole on my home.
    The antenna bracket has a 6AWG copper wire running the length of the mast which is connected to the roof ground plane.  I still need to deal with the 1-3 uS pulse riding on the coax attached to the radio.  The current plan is to put a coil on the coax at the base of the antenna. Then terminate the coax into a lightning protector before it runs to the radio.  (The coil slows down the dV/dT to allow the lightning protector to flash AND greatly lowers the impulse current since it’s so brief.)  I have a LOT of experience with lightning hitting my home!  If you want some entertainment, search Coil+Lightning+Protection. Need to Make a Coax Coil? Here’s a Tip: (eham.net)
19. Primary Focus, lightning protect my Transciever RF connection since the 2M antenna is now the tallest pole on my home.  The antenna bracket has a 6AWG copper wire running the length of the mast which is connected to the roof ground plane.   I am realizing that I should have a name tag that says “Mark, KQ4GEL and I don’t know squat”.
20. I bought the wrong cable, bought the wrong antenna and did a terrible job of mounting it.  Sheesh.
21.  10 Mar I have an issue with my transmit, the transmitter is good at 5 and 15W.  But it appears that my transmitter is collapsing after about 20 seconds at 25W or high power 55W.

Pull RG-58 from attic
Mount antenna on a 5′ pole
Pull down ADSB antenna
Mount 5′ pole on top of ADSB mast
Raise Mast with 2M antenna on top.  (I am getting too old for this LOL)
Secure antenna with guy wires
Tie 6AWG antenna ground wire to roof grounds.
Test radio receive and transmit

1. Mow the back yard.
2. fertilize the lawn
3. add my name to the dog show
4. Pull RG58 out of the attic.
5. Buy a hose
6. D Repair radiator on Blue.
7. Program remote access backup routers for mom.
8. Drive to FL
   • Install remote access
   • Install MJ Phone
   • Repair VPN
   • Install Home Assistant
   • Bring back 55″ TV
   • Bring framed picture from Thanksgiving.
9. D Repair the brakes on Blue.
10. Our appt with D Marini. Mar 22nd.
11. Check temperatures for Pahrump pump house every week.
12. Two 8GB Raspberry Pi’s are ordered from Newark Electronics.
13. Two more 8GB Raspberry Pi’s are ordered from DigiKey
14. Floss, banana, Meds and toes.
15. Register with IRS as an administrator of an estate.
16. Nancy’s Will, i don’t have a copy but she’s working on it.
17. Take wet cell batteries back
18. Check Mom’s accounts
19. Fix mom’s printer working
20. Hire an accountant for the estate taxes.
21. Hire a lawyer for Arizona.
22. Run generators

1. Take equipment to storage.
2. fertilize the lawn
3. put out lawn moss inhibitor
4. add my name to the dog show
5. Buy a hose
6. D Repair radiator on Blue.
7. Program remote access backup routers for mom.
8. Drive to FL
   • Install remote access
   • Install MJ Phone
   • Repair VPN
   • Install Home Assistant
   • Bring back 55″ TV
   • Bring framed picture from Thanksgiving.
9. D Repair the brakes on Blue.
10. Our appt with D Marini. Mar 22nd.
11. Check temperatures for Pahrump pump house every week.
12. Two 8GB Raspberry Pi’s are ordered from Newark Electronics.
13. Two more 8GB Raspberry Pi’s are ordered from DigiKey
14. Floss, banana, Meds and toes.
15. Register with IRS as an administrator of an estate.
16. Nancy’s Will, i don’t have a copy but she’s working on it.
17. Take wet cell batteries back
18. Check Mom’s accounts
19. Fix mom’s printer working
20. Hire an accountant for the estate taxes.
21. Hire a lawyer for Arizona.
22. Run generators

My HAM radio has waay too much noise and I am stumped why raising the antenna did not help.