Volume 18, Number 10 October, 2009 The Greensboro Amateur Radio Association Providing Amateur Radio news for the Triad Brian Wilson, KJ4LKY, Editor www.w4gso.org [email protected] transmitting so it’s a natural for Building The Elecraft K1 battery power operation. by Will Ravenell, AI4VE chose the four band option making it The kit consists of three boards, I’ve been getting interested in a K1-4. The bands the Filter Board, QRP operation and have been eyeing included are 40m, the Front Panel the Elecraft kits. After Rob Wittner, 30m, 20m, and Board, and the WG5Q, gave his presentation on either 17m or R F B o a r d . building the K2 at the August GARA 15m (parts for C o n n e c t i o n s meeting I decided to take the plunge. both are included b e t w e e n t h e I’ve built small kits before but the and the choice boards are made K2 looked like more than I wanted is made during w i t h i n - l i n e to tackle right now from both a cost construction). In plugs and there and effort point of view so I ordered addition to the fourth band selection is virtually no point to point wiring. the K1. This little 0.1 to 7 watt CW- there is a choice to be made for band Commands are passed between the only QRP rig comes with either a coverage. By changing a capacitor boards under the control of a PIC two or four band filter board and I and a crystal filter you can select processor on the Front Panel Board. between about 80 KHz or 170 KHz The pictures show what you see coverage on each band. The 170 KHz when you first open the box and after coverage comes at the expense of a unpacking. faster tuning rate. I chose the 15m band and the 80 KHz coverage on each band (I ended up with closer In This to 90 KHz). The kit cost $390 plus shipping. This is a single conversion radio but has lots of capabilities Issue not normally found in a QRP kit, including: Building a K1 Kit Elecraft does a great job of RIT/XIT making life easy for the builder. The Family Electrocuted A three digit LCD display that components are packaged separately can be selected to show frequency, for each board and the resistors are Erecting an Antenna power out, voltage, or AGC see K1, page 3 A memory keyer adjustable in Open House one wpm steps A 17db attenuator NEXT MEETING A choice of three band pass October 26, 2009 filters which are user selectable from The next meeting of the Greensboro Amateur Radio Association will be on 850 Hz to 200 Hz Monday, October 26th, at the Golden Corral Steak House, 4404 Landview Dr, The rig draws only 55 mA Greensboro, NC 27407, off Wendover Ave. in receive and about 1 W when near Sam’s Club. Feed Line www.w4gso.org GARA Meeting Minutes Regular Meeting Minutes, September 28, 2009 The regular monthly meeting have a report due to computer problems. Brian Wilson, KJ4LKY, needs of the Greensboro amateur ra- Tom Forrest, N4GVK, said the newsletter ideas and stories. dio association was held website is doing good. Alan Bradley, KD4IUN, thanked on September 28, 2009 at Will Ravenell, AI4VE, said he all volunteers who worked the soc- the Golden Corral restau- needs ideas for programs for future club cer tournament. Alan gave Bob Mays, rant near Wendover Ave. meetings. KE4MOW, a certificate for his multi- and I-40. Old business faceted work at soccer tournaments over The Meeting was The D-STAR gateway is fully op- the years. called to order at 7:15PM erational. The previous problems have Alan said there is one more tour- by Chris Thompson, K4HC. been resolved. nament coming up Nov. 21&22. Please We had our usual round of every Chris explained the function of the contact Alan at [email protected] if you one identifying themselves. D- STAR gateway and used the Southeast are able to help. Chris said that we need volunteers weather net as an example of linking Will gave a great presentation on for a nominating committee. several repeaters together. Tom will put a the upcoming open house. Ernie Wall, NC4EW, said the club link to the S.E weather net on the GARA Roy Smith, N4BYU, made a mo- is in good shape. website so people can listen to it on a PC tion to adjourn. Respectfully submitted by Greg Spencer, KG4UQV, GARA Al Allred, K4ZKQ, said he did not without a D-Star radio. Secretary. Board Meeting Minutes, September 14, 2009 The monthly meeting of the GARA ley, N4BFD, Roy Smith, N4BYU, and John, AJ4BT, said the church will board of directors was held on September Greg Spencer, KG4UQV. We also had be a good venue for the open house, add- 14, 2009, at Hinshaw Memorial Method- three visitors; Tom Forest, N4GVK, John ing that it has a lot of options. We then ist Church on High Point Road. Those Strandberg, AJ4BT and Jim Waynick, discussed the different possibilities for present were; Chris Thompson, K4HC, N4GLW. the open house and the number of tables Will Ravenell, AI4VE, Ernie Wall, The meeting started with Jim, required for the exhibits. We discussed NC4EW, Al Allred, K4ZKQ, Jesse Lind- N4GLW, giving us a tour of the church the invitation and how many to send out facilities that are available for our upcom- and to what areas. ing open house. Chris made a motion to use the The Greensboro Chris thanked Jim for showing us church’s bulk rate mailing offer and the Amateur Radio the church and for making it available motion passed. Association to us. Jim asked that any club member President Chris Thompson, K4HC Will gave an update on the D- who has or can borrow an easel please Vice-President Will Ravenell, AI4VE STAR repeater. Will met Arch, KT4AT, contact the GARA board. Treasurer Ernie Wall, NC4EW at the repeater site to do some testing to Will added that we will need as Secretary Greg Spencer, KG4UQV Financial Al Allred, K4ZKQ determine the cause of some gateway many volunteers as we can get to staff Engineering Chairman Jesse Lindley, N4BFD problems. Will said that they found the the event, and Jim offered to cook lunch Operations Roy Smith, N4BYU Member at Large Clark Doggett, KG4HOM router for the Internet connection was the for all who are working the open house. Member at Large Dave Touvell, KN4ZO cause. Will and Greg Cohoon, KJ4AED, Set up will start on Friday after- Appointed Positions: Webmaster Tom Forrest, N4GVK will get together and set up a registration noon on Oct. 30th and the church will Newsletter Editor Brian Wilson, KJ4LKY page to be linked to the GARA website. be open at 7:00am on Saturday Oct 31st. “The Feed Line” is ©2009 by the Greensboro Amateur Radio Association and published monthly. Our address is P.O. Box Ernie said that we are doing good, Will made a motion to adjourn; 7054, Greensboro, NC 27417. The purpose of the newsletter the phone bill showed the increase of Chris seconded; and the meeting ended is to provide the club and prospective members information about the club and amateur radio in general. Material and adding the DSL service. at 8:40pm. information should reach the editor by the first Friday of Respectfully submitted by Greg Spencer, the month for the next edition of the newsletter. Opinions Al said, “We are on forecast same expressed in “The Feed Line” do not necessarily represent as last meeting.” KG4UQV, GARA Secretary the views of the officers, directors, editor or members of the Greensboro Amateur Radio Association. Material may Jesse had nothing to report. be reproduced, provided proper credit is given to GARA. October, 2009 Page 2 Feed Line www.w4gso.org using a blob of solder on the iron to while building the first stage of (continued from page 1) burn the insulation off. I found that the RF Board. There are three 8 K1 tedious but got through it. If I did pin receptacles on this board that taped in strips and arranged in the another I think I’d do all the toroids order that they will be installed. The at once or pay the nominal fee to manual is very detailed and includes buy pre-wound toroids. Things get a illustrations and parts photographs to little congested on this board. This is help identify everything. There’s even where a good temperature controlled a tutorial on soldering technique for soldering iron with a very small tip those without much experience. If helps. Using very small diameter you get in trouble there is an on-line solder also helps avoid excessive forum where Elecraft engineers and blobs that could short between expert builders provide diagnostics adjacent pads. I used 0.015” 65/35 the Filter Board will plug into and and trouble shooting advice. Lead/Tin solder. Construction goes before I realized that there are more The first step was to inventory faster if up to ten or so resistors or than three places where these can every part. I probably could have capacitors are inserted into the board go I had soldered all eight pins into skipped this since there was nothing before soldering. I bent the leads so the wrong set of holes. I was able missing but it did help familiarize they stayed in place and then laid the to recover with a little solder wick me with the components, some and a suction solder extractor with of which are very similar but not nothing lost except some time, but interchangeable.