How to Set-Up and Test Your Station
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HOW TO SET-UP AND TEST YOUR STATION. A BEGINNERS GUIDE TO PRACTICAL TESTING, SETTING UP YOUR EQUIPMENT AND HOW-TO START AT HOMEBREW SOMETIMES ITS IN THE BLOOD…….OR NOT. • Amateur radio, also known as ham radio, is the use of radio frequency spectrum for purposes of non- commercial exchange of messages, wireless experimentation, self-training, private recreation, radiosport, contesting, and emergency communication. • For some the “experimentation and self-training is the rewarding part for others it’s the talking or competitiveness. • I am a more the technical operator than talkative type. • Part One – How to set-up and test your station • We review typical buy / make decisions for radio equipment • Go over the basic test equipment needed to support and build radios THIS • Examples of using basic tests to ensure your station is operating correctly. PRESENTATION • Part Two - How-to Start at Homebrew SERIES • Discuss and recommend basic tools for construction • Introduce some favorites in available equipment – the cools stuff. • Look at available radio kits and design suitable for a new operator • List some of the places to get more information and help BUY OR MAKE? BUY BRANDED NEW STOCK OFF BRAND AND USED • Many good radios can be purchased from current • Many cheaper Chinese or Kit radios available suppliers • Less traditional suppliers (Individuals, E-bay, Amazon) • The new generation of Radios often offer • Some better than others – how to choose? • High performance • Still black box, but more open to experimentation – satisfaction of building your own! • Many features (digital modes, auto tuning…) • May or may not meet Federal Requirements • Expensive and mainly closed to constructors ( a black box) • Strong Used Market • Almost everything is available used • Most are private sales • Need to take some responsibility for checking what you buy HOW TO CHOOSE? • Price might be the driver – total equipment budget • Ease of Use – Novice might want to get on the air quickly • Space available – Older equipment tends to be bigger • Form of Operation – power source and mobility Also, will depend on what type of operator you want to be: • Only Operator • No construction • Some Construction • Build it all WHAT DO YOU WANT TO DO? • I am technical so my choice was easy. • I reasoned that the money I save making my own equipment would cover the cost of buying the test equipment I needed. • That I would get a great deal of satisfaction making my own equipment and learn a great deal about the latest trends and designs. • I wanted the best, so anything I constructed would be at the top end performance but sometimes expensive. Not everyone feels the same, it’s a spectrum, but all operators should be able to check and maintain their station. THE ARRL HAS A GREAT FEATURE GUIDE https://www.arrl.org/files/file/On%20the%20Air/Choosing.pdf 24 pages covering all bands and antenna Helpful Glossary QST REVIEWS CURRENT EQUIPMENT https://www.remeeus.eu/hamradio/pa1hr/productreview.pdf • QST does compare many of the popular radios, this makes it clear what the defining specifications are: • Researching specifications is a great way of getting to know your radio • No easy way to search what reviews it has done. BASIC KEY OPERATIONAL PARAMETERS • Receiver • Sensitivity, Bandwidth, Noise Floor, Dynamic Range • Reciprocal mixing dynamic range, Blocking gain compassion, 3rd order dynamic range. • Transmitter • Power Output, Harmonic levels, Stability, Accuracy, Spurious Emissions • 3rd Order Intercept points, Phase noise, Keying Bandwidth Generally, power, total spurious, receive sensitivity and bandwidth are well specified, but the receive blocking, image compression like items are often missing or hidden. YOUR RESPONSIBILITY • As a licensed operator you have an obligation to ensure you transmit within the terms of your license. • This includes making sure your station is working correctly. • There are many ways of doing this • Offset Responsibility • Use a Rig that is 100% professional – with correct FCC credentials • Make sure it is new enough to be withing specification • You still need to ensure your antenna is suitable and tunned correctly • Test Key Functions • You need basic test equipment • You need to know how to do the tests Or join a Club – They have the expertise and equipment THE TOOLS OF THE TRADE • We will suggest the basic tools • Aim to build up a collection over time • Or befriend people with the tools who might help you if you gain their trust. • You don’t need to spend a fortune the cost of good test equipment has fallen. MOST IMPORTANT TESTS AND TOOLS (IN ORDER) Everybody has a A VSWR Meter A Dummy Load A Power Meter You can test your Multimeter don’t they – Cover the band of interest and A 50-ohm dummy load / Ensures you are transmitting receiver using signals check power and ensure you are matching your antenna lets you test your what you think. off air continuity transmitter transmitter into a know good match Get familiar with how the bacons signals changes with TOD and conditions. That’s it – not difficult or expensive MULTIMETER • A multimeter, also known as a volt-ohm meter, is a handheld tester used to measure electrical voltage, current (amperage), resistance, and other values. • Some also measure capacitance, temperature even simple transistors • Suggest a smaller low voltage type, not the high current clamp type typically used by electricians. • Cheap ones are accurate but can be easily destroyed by using them wrong – over current is typically fatal. VSWR METER • Stand-alone or bundled with a power meter and or ATU • VHF tend to be separate • May need more than one • VHF VSWR meter • Combined HF VSWR ATU and Dummy load • Some rigs have a built in VSWR meter • Does not measure at antenna end • Good for confirmation but not for antenna development. POWER METER AND DUMMY LOAD • Again, tends to be a HF / VHF divide. • HF needs to dissipate more power • VHF needs less loss and more coaxial construction • Connectors often different! • PL259 on HF • N-type on UHF • PI Match is most common • T or L circuits OK compromise ANTENNA • Many tuners can switch antenna and offer balanced TUNER – output MAINLY HF • Today auto tuners will store and automatically set correct settings COAX CONNECTORS SMA connectors SMA and RSMA used a lot in VHF or UHF hand- held equipment. RSMA male / female confusing! PL 259 Connector – common in most HF and many Ham Radio equipment N-type a professional NOTE!! UHF connector BNC comes in frequently on test 75ohm and 50ohm equipment and high- the 50ohm center is end kit. thicker BASIC VHF TEST EQUIPMENT – LESS THAN $120 • VHF VSWR Meter – Check your VSWR and probably give estimate of output power • Collection of coax connectors and adaptors • Selection of short coax leads, probably BNC or SMA N Male Plug DC to Gam3Gear SURECOM SW-33 RG58 3 Feet 50-Ohm 3.0GHz 50w Watt Mark II 100 W 125-525 Mhz Mini BNC to BNC Coaxial Dummy Load 50 Ohm Digital VHF UHF Power & SWR SMA Cable Connector Male to Cable Pack of 10 $17 Meter $40 Rf Coaxial Terminal Female Cable Connectors 20 $28 Type $28 TESTING A VHF/UHF TRANSMITTER • Receiver Testing – Use off air signals • Repeaters have published frequency and location • Transmitter – Use the VSWR and Power Meter • Measure power at beginning, middle and end of each band • Repeat for each power level and mode if available. • These two tests will give peace of mind and Using SMA adaptors and BNC coax confidence. leads, connect the antenna to the VSWR meter then the meter to the dummy load. HF TEST EQUIPMENT – BASIC PACKAGE ~$200 • Most Basic Package • Combined ATU, VSWR and Power Meter. • PL259 Coax Leads • Optional Light Bulb! UHF (Pl259) Male to Male Used for about $150 plus some TLC Low Loss Digital RG58 Coax (switch cleaner and inspection) Cable (12 Inch RG58) $14 PL-259 UHF Female to UHF Female Coax Cable Adapter $8 TESTING A HF RADIO • See the video on club website https://www.wearc.org/news-blog/sharing- my-antenna-tuner-1 • Shows how to test in steps: • Direct into Dummy load • Use tuner to match into a dummy load • Match an Antenna with the Tuner • Additional match using tuner into an incandescent light bulb (use balanced output) • Receiver can be tested using off air standards. • https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/WWV_(radio_station) TESTING AN ANTENNA • VHF / UHF and HF Dipoles can be • Determining the center frequency and measured directly through the coax usable bandwidth: connection. Ideally as near as practicable. • Typically, was done using a VSWR meter HR matched antenna (G5RV, end fed, etc. • Better equipped stations used a SWR • Analyzer are more challenging because of the use of • Now nano Vector Impedance Analyzer an Antenna Tuner available TYPICAL TEST PROCEDURE FIRST CALIBRATE THE TEST MEASURE THE ANTENNA EQUIPMENT • First find the minimum VSWR or best • Use the 50ohm dummy load and match. validate a 1:1 vswr or resistive impedance. • Then find the edges where the match exceeds usable limits (perhaps 3:1 • This makes sure all is well and that the vswr) test set-up is working as expected. • You can now plot a series of results to • With the all-in-one ATU this is a simple quantify the antenna performance. switch position. TYPICAL RESULTS SWR ANALYZER • Ideal / essential for antenna development • Read SWR, return loss and reflection coefficient at any frequency simultaneously. • You can read inductance in uH and capacitance in pF at RF frequencies. • Later Models will link to PC and plot results • This example $150 off e-bay HOW-TO START AT HOMEBREW PART TWO • Discuss and recommend basic tools for construction • Introduce some favorites in available equipment – the cools stuff.