EQINIU No. 156 NOVEMBER 1991 BRITISH AMATEUR TELEVISION CLUB GUESS WHAT ? CONTENTS 7 SATELLITE TV NEWS Trevor Brown G8CJS 9 S-VHS/CVBS TO RGB CONVERTER H.Reelen 20 PULSAR - DIGITAL CIRCUIT SIMULATOR Mike Wooding G6IQM SOFTWARE PACKAGE REVIEW 25 CONSTRUCTING AERIAL PHASING LINES Ron Neyens NOCIH 26 MORE CROPREDY BOARD TIPS Brian Kelly GW6BWX 28 A NEW SSTV STANDARD ? Mike Wooding G6IQM 31 CONTEST CALENDAR 32 A 5-ELEMENT VIDEO FILTER John Cronk GW3MEO 33 IN THE STUDIO PART-13 John Goode 40 USING OSCILLOSCOPES Part-9 (Conclusion) Mike Wooding G6IQM SUP-1 to SUP-8 PUBLICATIONS AND MEMBERS' SERVICES SUPPLEMENT 45 THE DAYTON HAMFEST REPORT Andy Emmerson G8PTH 48 A DETACHABLE HIGH POWER E-PLANE PROBE Dr.J.A.Share Msc. Phd. 50 BEYOND TTL Part-1 Trevor Brown G8CJS 56 10GHZ AN THE EASY WAY Part-4 Jim Toon GOFNH 59 FEEDBACK - THE TDA3590 AGAIN Tom Mitchell G3LMX 62 BROADCAST BAND DX-TV RECEPTION Garry Smith & Keith Hamer 67 CONTEST NEWS Bob Platts G8OZP 68 NON THE AIR Andy Emmerson G8PTH 71 HOW TO GET INTO SAT N - WITH A MELON INSTEAD OF A DISH ! REVIEW Andy Emmerson G8PTH 73 THE BATC AT THE HAMFEST Brian Summers G8GQS 75 REPEATER GROUP AFFILLIATIONS 76 THE BATC BULLETIN BOARD SYSTEM 77 MORE ON THATVIDEO FILTER Peter Grannell G4TQB CLOSE FOR PRESS FOR THE NEXT ISSUE 20th DECEMBER 1991 CQ-TV is produced on an ATARI MEGA ST4 computer system, using the PROTEXT word processing package and the TIMEWORKS desktop publishing package. The camera- ready artwork is produced on an NEC PINWRITER P2200 24-pin dot-matrix printer. The magazine is printed and bound by APEX PRINTERS of Rugby. CQ-TV 156 1 WHO TO WRITE TO Members of the BATC committee are available to help and advise club members on any AN related subject. Remember that all such work is done in spare time, so please try to keep such queries to a minimum. CO-TV MAGAZINE - Anything destined for publication in CQ-TV magazine or forthcoming BATC publications. Articles; review items; advertisements; other material. EDITOR: MIKE WOODING G6IQM, 5 Ware Orchard, Barby, Nr. Rugby CV23 8UF Tel: (0788) 890365 (Answerphone). FAX: 0788 890365. CLUB AFFAIRS - video tape library; technical queries, especially related to handbook projects: TREVOR BROWN G8CJS, 14 Stairfoot Close, Adel, Leeds LS16 8JR. Tel: (0532) 670115 MEMBERS SERVICES - PCB's; components; camera tubes; accessories etc. (other than publications); queries related to such supplies: PETER DELANEY G8KZG, 6 East View Close, Wargrave, Berkshire RG10 8BJ. Tel: (0734) 403121 MEMBERSHIP - Anything to do with membership including new applications; queries and information about new and existing membership, non-receipt of CO-N; subscriptions; membership records; data protection: DAVE LAWTON GOANO, 'Grenehurst', Pinewood Road, High Wycombe, Bucks HP12 4DD: Tel: (0494) 28899 GENERAL CLUB CORESPONDENCE & LIBRARY - Any general club business. Queries relating to the borrowing or donation of written material. PAUL MARSHALL G8MJW, Fern House, Church Road, Harby, Nottinghamshire NG23 7ED: Tel: (0522) 703348 PUBLICATIONS - Anything related to the supply of BATC publications. IAN PAWSON G8IQU, 14 Lilac Avenue, Leicester LE5 1FN Tel: (0533) 769425 EXHIBITIONS AND RALLIES - also arrangements and information about lectures and talks to clubs; demonstrations etc: PAUL MARSHALL (address as above). CLUB LIAISON - and anything of a 'political' nature; co-ordination of AN repeater licences: GRAHAM SHIRVILLE G3VZV, The Hill Farm, Potsgrove, Milton Keynes, Bucks MK17 9HF. Tel: (0525) 290 343 PUBLIC RELATIONS AND PUBLICITY - IAN SHEPHERD, Grosvenor House, Watsons Lane, Harby, Melton Mowbray, LE14 4DD. Tel: (0949) 61267 WI & RADIO INTERFERENCE - problems of this nature to: LES ROBOTHAM G8KLH, 38 Ennerdale Avenue, Stanmore, Middx. HA7 2LD. Tel:(01 907) 4219 (not committee). CONTESTS - BOB PLATES G8OZP, 8 Station Road, Rolleston-on-Dove, Burton- on-Trent. Tel: 0283 813181. CO-TV AWARDS - BOB WEBB G8VBA, 78 Station Road, Rolleston-on-Dove, Burton- on-Trent, Staffs, DE13 9AB. Tel: 0283 814582 Where possible it is better to telephone your query rather than write. Please do not call at unsocial hours. As a guide, try to call between 6.30 and 9.30pm evenings and not before 11am at weekends. CQ-TV 156 2 stations that have worked us in past contests, helping to make us a successful POSTBAG group. 73 ... John G4ZJY - GW7ATG/P THANK YOU AT LAST - A LIFT!!! Dear Mike Hi Mike, Joining the BATC some 5 months ago, my after waiting patiently for conditions to lift wife and I ventured north to the Harlaxton on 70CM following the lift on 2M a few days Manor convention. earlier, at last it came. On 28 August at 2203 GMT IT HAPPENED, with a P1 both The point of this letter is to say thank you on ways with Jeff Fl IFR. My first AN from behalf of Joyce and myself for this excellent France. first prize of a VCR as we bought the winning ticket in the raffle. Thanks also to This was followed by a receive only at 2341 the trader who donated the machine. GMT from PA3DEE (JO33TT) on 24CM - some very nice shack shots. My first ATV rally and a good day it was. On 30/08/91 at 1933 GMT a P5 both ways Thanks again .. 73 Morris G1PIB with PE1HXD (JO33CF) on 70CM - excellent pictures from Holland. Then at THE FORGOTTEN ONES! 2033 GMT PE1LRS (JO33CE) and at 2218 GMT PA3DEE both P2-3 receive only on Dear Mike, 24CM. I read with great interest the two very good PA3DEE and PE1LRS both accessed articles in CQ-TV 155 regarding the 1991 GB3RT (Coventry 24CM FM ATV Spring Vision Contest. Both articles referred repeater)with very good quality through to the splendid efforts of Clive G8EQZ and pictures - a first for GB3RT since its move Richard G4YTV and how they won the 70CM to Coventry from your QTH. section with 2468 points. Bob was quite right with his comments about being noticed The Dutch stations were worked by a with so much ERP. number of Coventry stations on both bands, including G8ONX, G1IJT, GOHOV Our effort, with ONLY 200W into 4 x 16ele, and G1MSA. was obviously not noticed according to the magazine. But in fact it was noticed by the 73 ... Steve G6WLM, Manager GB3RT 20 stations that we worked, giving us a total of 4127 points, which I believe makes us 24CM DX IN HAMPSHIRE winners on 70CM, a fact proved by receipt of printout and certificate sent to me by Bob, Dear Mike also, the results of our 24CM entry which Whilst on holiday this August on the was not published either. Sandbanks peninsula just beyond Whilst on the subject of contests, what has Bournemouth, I decided to try out my happened to the results of the 1990 Autumn 24CM equipment. I had a 39-ele loop yagi Vision? I have not received them from Bob, and a preamp -well two preamps in neither have they been published in CQ-TV. cascade actually - but didn't hold out much hope as the aerial was only 15 feet Perhaps we should have stayed at home for above sea level. I beamed hopefully these two contests, or maybe we did and towards Brighton, tuned to where I thought only dreamt that we went /P on a mountain 1318.5MHz might be on the RX and was in Wales. rewarded with some almost locking line May I take this opportunity to thank all the syncs on the monitor. A little further CQ-TV 156 3 adjustment of the aerial and tuning All the gear was thrown into the Capri, (I revealed fully locked pictures occasionally use a long checklist now, but still stopped trying to lock in colour as well, twice before the M42 the make sure that I sat through a considerable quantity of connector was REALLY packed) and only 'home video' type material on which the an hour and a half later I had found a spot call sign G1SBZ was superimposed, and commanding at least a clear view to the then finally in full colour lock at P5 came south. the Brighton ident caption. DAY 1 (Sunday): I erected the beam on a Pictures were received throughout the short mast attached to the roof rack and evenings of most of the two weeks that I sorted out the power leads to the Wood was at Sandbanks and the picture would and Douglas receiver and portable 5" come up and down from total noise usually monitor. I was not expecting much, if any, to a P4 or so, with brief periods of P5. success at a pot luck location, but powered During the daytime there was nothing most up and tuned around. of the time, but occasional watery syncs. WOW! A P5 picture straight away! I also saw pictures from G8KOE I couldn't believe it! Clean colour test card, (Littlehampton) via GB3VR, but as the followed eventually by another. Then, after repeater seemed to be in use solidly by its a colour bar screen a page of text. Oh regulars, I did not get a chance to transmit dear, a lot of words for a 5" screen, then into it. Also, it seems that SU18 was being more test cards. monitored for talkback and I had no 70CM During the next hour or so, some aerial gear available. views of the city came through and several I did however raise G8LES at Four Marks pages filled with text. These were almost on 144.750 and received about a P3 from impossible to read on the small screen so I him (simplex). recorded them. Considering the distance of some 120kM I returned to the sight later in the afternoon between Sandbanks and Brighton and the and rigged up once more.