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VK4EA |
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VK4EA |
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My first foray into ATV was via a kind loan of FM 23cm transmitter loaned by Danny, VK4KI. This was after I attempted to build a 23cm FM transmitter consisting of modules from minikits.com.au for the Redcliffe & Districts Radio Club. Danny kindly assisted with getting the Club's transmitter going. And then I was hooked.
A 13cm.co.uk 23cm TX module was acquired, and a Minikits 23cm PA was constructed and assembled into a 2RU rack case. Some reasonable results, once the pre-emphasis was sorted out.
However, there was digital to explore. The BATC (batc.co.uk) organised a deal with AntennaAir for a frequency agile DVB-S transmitter module, bewdy! So again it was assembled into a 2RU enclosure with a 23cm PA and on air it goes.
My station looks a little like this, the transmitter is on the shelf to the right, next to the receiver.
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My station is managed using vMix, an awesome bit of gear. No need to buy an expensive video console. I've written up an article on vMix here.
I use the smaller Dell monitor on the right as my preview screen, all display devices are driven from a 4 output video controller. One HDMI port and the Dell monitor are cloned using the Windows feature, and the HDMI to composite converter connects to the transmitter. So everything I see on the Dell monitor is going to air (when the transmitter is powered up). The remaining DVI ports drive the large monitors.
For live transmissions from the shack, I use a Logitech webcam. This setup allowed me to anchor the VK4 portion of the Worldwide ATV QSO party - http://www.seqatv.org/2-uncategorised/22-worldwide-atv-qso-party
For receive I use a Strong SRT5430, manually programmable. Bought from Harvey Norman for $50, there are plenty of cheaper options, connected via HDMI to the Kogan TV mounted up high. I also have a free to air antenna connected so I can watch the footy downstairs :-) The STB also drives an EasyCap USB connected AV capture device, this is used by another PC that runs the Adobe LiveStreaming software for the BATC streamer. The VK4RMG stream is available at this link.
Finally I've managed to get a 9600 baud APRS iGate going. It's only 3/4 of a Watt into an antenna under the house at the moment, running UView32 gating eveything in a 500 km radius to 439.100 MHz. Object is VK4EA-2.
Equipment is an Argent Data T3-9670, they do have an acknowledged issue with decoding from a number of TNCs, however everything should be qble to decode its transmitted packets. My VX8 and the TM-D710 in the car decodes it all, in the next few weeks I'll get an antenna up. If it gets used, I'll think about an iGate located on a hill behind Caboolture, and a digi at Oceanview. All depends whether I get motivated to interface the iGate radio/TNC to a Raspberry PI running APRSX. And if there is sufficient interest in 9600 APRS?
                           01/27     |
We choose to go the last week of the June/July school holidays, thinking most travellers would be returning. Didn't quite go to plan, it is a not a place to get away from people :-). Plenty of travellers on the PDR heading South which made the drive North very interesting with lots of thick, thick, red dust.
Our itinenary ended up like this ->
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1. Brisbane to Marlborough (stayed behind the pub, reasonable food, OK facilities) |
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2. Marlborough to Ayr (Caravan Park) |
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3. Ayr to Daintree (Caravan Park) - We were suprised by the amount of roadworks, which really slowed us down |
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| 4 & 5. Daintree to Cooktown- via the Bloomfield Track - very scenic. Stopped at the Lions Den for lunch. Spent two nights in Cooktown. | |
| 6. Cooktown to Archer River (Camped at the roadhouse, had the Archer Burger) | |
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7. Archer River to Dulhunty River (OTL) - nice campsite on the Southern Bank. First night on the OTL, we succesfully traversed Palm and Gunshot Creeks with no troubles (chicken tracks) |
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8. Dulhunty River to Mistake Creek (OTL) - good camping on the Northern Bank. On the way visited Fruit Bat and Elliot Falls, fabulous |
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9. Mistake Creek to Loyalty Beach (2 nights)- TI day trip - Pajinka, Pusand Bay, Croc Tent |
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| 10 & 11. Loyalty Beach to Bramwell Station - highly recommended, good food and entertainment | |
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12. Bramwell Station to Lockhart River - via the the Frenchmans Track Traversed the Wenlock and Pascoe Rivers, only needed the winch once. |
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| 13. Lockhart River to Musgrave | |
| 14. Musgrave to Cairns - and the long bitumen drag home commenced | |
| 15 & 16. Cairns to Cape Hillsborough (2 nights, wonderfull!) | |
| 17. Cape Hillsborough to Ayr | |
| 18. Ayr to Marlborough | |
| 19. Marlborough to Childers | |
| 20. Childers to Brisbane |
Can't speak highly enough of the Landcruiser, Truck-a-saurus just kept on going. The Toyo Open Country M/Ts performed well, and nothing major happened. The only vehicle failure was the air conditioning compressor drive belt, which was replaced at the next camp. However, need to do something about the fuel consumption. Best we got was 15l/100km, does not bode well for more remote trips we have planned. The Foxwing did fall off going into Fruit Bat falls, crappy welding thanks to MW Toolboxes, luckily a couple recognised it and let us know, so we did manage to retrieve it.
The camping setup, we nailed it this time, it's only taken us 15 years to get right. All we going to change is the location of the food containers so Jayenne can reach them. I will be moving the vehicles solar regulator closer to the battery, but other than that, not much will be changing.
Got motivated and fabricated a set of shelves to house my not to inconsiderable technical library.
I picked the hottest weekend in Brisbane for some months, I did lose a bit of fluid with this effort, but all worth the discomfort. It's a very simple effort using 25x25mm galvinised RHS, 25x25 angle and left over melamine sheeting for the shelving material. I am so happy I bought the MIG gasless welder and auto-darkening helmet, much better results than the cheap ARC welder.
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Before - wasted space above the desk |
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First part of the frame welded - 25x25mm |
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Nearly finished |
Shelving installed |
Job done! |
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After earning maximum points by finishing the upstairs jobs (and the wine cellar), time to tackle the big one. I have steadily outgrown the dirty and clean workshops, they were both badly in need of a reorganisation. My acquisition of test equipment, and changing focus on the hobby meant I needed to think serioulsy how I set myself up.
You be wondering, you have two workshops? Yes, yes I do have two. The intent is I carry out all of my radio operating, testing and PCB assembly in the clean workshop. And in the dirty workshop, that's where the machines, welders, drilling, grinding happens. The 'dirty' area also serves as the storage area for parts, fasteners, solvents, sealants etc.
For the clean area, there is shelving for items that need to be 'inside'.
The intent of the design is to encourage the 'keeping it organised and tidy' mantra. The old expression, everything has it's place, and every is in its place, is one I will endeavour to adhere to. But, without thinking seriously about how to store and organise, it would quickly go back to its natural chaotic state.
Started one rainy weekend by shifty the final assembly bench and storage shelving toward the rear of the house, immediately realising another metre of room around the final assembly and metalwork benches. I moved the hutches I rescused from a previous employer around, where the mill and lathe are now in dedicated areas with plenty of access and room to store the metalworking tooling. Then the big job restacking the shelving using some plastic tubs I rescued from the industrial bin at work. Immediately a big difference with room and feeling, it's now organised!
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Clean workbench moved out |
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A temporary solution was required while constructing the new bench and moving the internal shelving, to keep some radios on, and preserve the ATV station and main PC.
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Temporary radio location |
Shelving stripped out |
Starting to assemble shelving |
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Shelving coming together |
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Progress made where the shelving has been relocated and the rack moved into position. Even put on my electricians hat and installed a number of new GPOs, extension lead now retired :-)
Next, welding. Bottom portion of the bench has been fabricated, now working on the hutch that will house the radios, test gear and SMD assembly gear.
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Last weekend in November, significant progress towards completion, pictured is the hutch frame finished ready for wiring and shelving.
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And now, time to clutter it up :-)
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