How deaf is the FT817 at 136, 472 and 500kHz?

You may have read that the FT817 is deaf below 160m. This matters if you want to use the rig "as is" without preamps as a receiver for 136, 472 or 500kHz. So I decided to measure the performance using a signal generator. I measured the MDS on CW (the level at which I could just still hear a  CW tone without additional filtering), the level for S1, S5 and S9 on the FT817's meter. I also checked whether having the IPO switched in or out made a difference

These were my results:

136kHz (best results with IPO on)  DEAF!
MDS -103dBm
S1 -72dBm
S5 -68dBm
S9 -48dBm

472kHz (best results with IPO off)    SLIGHTLY DEAF
MDS  -120dBm
S1  -84dBm
S5 -81dBm
S9 -60dBm

500kHz (best results with IPO off)    A BIT DEAF

MDS  -124dBm
S1 -85dBm
S5 -82dBm
S9 -60dBm

What conclusions can be drawn? Well, the FT817 is definitely very deaf on 136kHz and needs a preamp to be usefully sensitive. On 472/500kHz, although the MDS is worse than at 1.8MHz, the sensitivity is arguably OK without a preamp. Yes, a small amount of high dynamic range gain with good filtering to stop overload from adjacent broadcast stations may give you a slightly better sensitivity, but the question is whether this matters when external noise may be the limitation. I have used to FT817 on 500kHz for several years and heard most of what was going, including transatlantic stations. At 472kHz it is slightly worse but still useable I think.

GQRP Component Data Book

Tony Fishpool G4WIF, G4CCQ, G3OOU and others have created an on-line, downloadable, GQRP Data Book which has the pin-outs of a number of devices commonly used in QRP designs featured in SPRAT and elsewhere. It is just what I need to stop me having to look up parts on the internet every time. This is "a work in progress" as they say with updates and additions coming frequently.

Finally, why not join the GQRP Club? Its quarterly magazine SPRAT is still the best amateur magazine in the world and remarkable value at £6 UK, 12 euros or $18 US. Details at http://www.gqrp.com/join.htm .  As well as very interesting constructional projects, the magazine has operating news, useful adverts from QRP suppliers as well as adverts for GQRP club sales which supplies members with useful QRP parts (semiconductors, crystals, DVDs of SPRAT back issues, etc) at very reasonable prices. The GQRP club represents the spirit and ethos of amateur radio at its best.

472/500kHz TX transverter - first schematic

10W 472/500kHz TX Transverter (CW, WSPR, OPERA, QRSS)

OK, here is the first schematic (subject to corrections, changes and improvements) of my simple TX transverter for 472 or 500kHz. This one needs no expensive parts and went together painlessly. The PA filter parts used the GW3UEP approach of winding thickish copper wire (1mm in my case) onto 22mm white PVC drain pipe pieces. The mixer, LO and squarer stage all use ubiquitous 2N3904 transistors (my favorite!) and the PA a cheap IRF510 FET that produces 10W RF without even getting warm.

Next stage is to add the RX preamp and filter and sort out RX-TX switching. I also want to try to go for a higher PA output power which will require changes to the output network.

500kHz tranverter (Mk 2) breadboarding

This weekend I've made considerable progress with the new transverter for 472 and 500kHz and fully breadboarded a 10W TX transverter.

My objectives are to make the design simpler than the original 2010 design  (no expensive SBL1 double balanced mixer!), produce more power and improve the RX performance. Also I want to reduce the need for special parts such as toroids.

The design evolving is, like all my designs, a mixture of my own ideas and the best from other people. When the design is ready I will put it here and on my main website. I've moved away from 28MHz IF (too high, too much start-up drift) and instead gone to 3.7MHz using a 3.2MHz crystal available from GQRP inexpensively. The TX mixer (none is needed on RX as it is uses the FT817 in split mode receiving directly on MF) is a simple bipolar stage followed by a low pass filter. For the PA I have largely copied GW3UEP's excellent designs for a 25 (and later 100W) amplifier. Initially I am using an IRF510 from 13.8V and getting around 10W RF out. The next stage is to look at the RX front end. I want a little gain ahead of the FT817 but with good large signal handling and decent filtering. The FT817 works OK at 500kHz but is a little deaf.

So, a satisfying few hours building.

QRP semiconductor pin-out sheet?

Is it just me or do you also have to search the web quite frequently to confirm the pin-outs of devices you've used time and time again?  I need to do this for LM386, 2N3819, IRF510 and the 2N3904/6 almost every time I get them out of the drawers just to be sure. "Senior moments" I hear you say!

Does anyone know of a simple (all in one place) "crib sheet" that I could download giving the pin-outs of the common devices we frequently use in QRP projects?

500kHz WSPR

I left my 500kHz WSPR station running overnight last evening to see what reports I got. People are now generally using 500kHz USB dial for WSPR so that simultaneous monitoring on RX of both OPERA and WSPR is possible. Personally I can't tell much difference.

500kHz WSPR reports earlier (20mW ERP)

Anyway, my best reports were from F59706 (560km) and F5NWK (559km) when I was running around 15-20mW ERP from my current transverter and antenna.

My first ever website - 1996

Looking on the internet today I found an old link to my first ever website that I created in 1996. I'd forgotten the URL, so I put it into the Wayback Machine to see if it had been crawled and stored. It had. Created in Nov 1996, this was a snapshot of the site in 1997. See http://web.archive.org/web/19970328203144/http://www.lapr.demon.co.uk/ .  Actually, for the tools available then, it wasn't a bad effort as I think the page was created in raw HTML.

FT817 speech processor - English translation

Dave G3YMC kindly did an approximate translation of the German instructions for the Funk Amateur speech processor that I built at the weekend. This may be of use to others building this kit. Dave says this is not a precise translation and does not want to be held responsible if he has made any mistakes!

Incidentally on a local SSB contact with G3KKD this evening I switched from "processor out" to "processor in" and Ian said it nearly blew his head off, so it works, HI.

G3XBM Shack - 1977 style

My shack in 1977. I still use the same Morse key.

Just came across this picture of my shack in 1977. On the left is the Eddystone EC10 receiver. Next to it is a crystal controlled CW transmitter for 28MHz and a down-converter to 4-6MHz IF, tuned on the EC10. On the far right is the Belcom Liner-2 2m SSB transceiver, a state-of-the-art rig at the time. The boy in the chair is my son aged 2 at the time. These days he is a successful professional jazz musician. I never did interest him or his younger brother in amateur radio.

More countries on 472kHz

Last night I left my 472kHz WSPR system running through the night and was very pleased to receive SM6BHZ and DF6NM at good S/N at times.

477kHz WSPR DX last night