This website contains notes on my amateur radio activities and projects that I have worked on.
First licensed in 1979, my main interest is weak signal operating on 144MHz, especially Moonbounce or EME (Earth-Moon-Earth) communication.
You can contact me using the email address on my QRZ.COM page or via admin (at) g8rwg.uk
73 Niels, G8RWG
Basic DSP experiments
There are many internet resources that cover digital signal processing (DSP) and software defined radio (SDR), but I’ve only found a few that provide a good introduction along with practical examples. Software Defined Radio for the Radio Amateur by AC2CZ (G0KLA) is an excellent set of SDR tutorials which I found particularly useful. The sample code is written in Java, but it was fairly straightforward to rewrite the parts that I wanted in C++ using Qt.
CWA Intermediate Course
In 2020 I took up CW again after many years and successfully completed the CWOps CW Academy Basic Course in March 2021.
In May 2021 I successfully completed the CWA Intermediate Course and now enjoy making regular CW QSO’s. You will hear me mainly on 40m and I occasionally take part in the K1USN SST and CWops Tests (CWT). I am also a member of the Long Island CW Club, a club dedicated to teaching Morse Code to beginners and helping to improve the skills of intermediate and advanced operators.
RF Power Meter using two AD8313 devices
Background
In May 2017 I built a simple RF Power Meter using a AD8313 rf power detector module from SV1AFN, an Arduino Nano and a LCD module. The meter was battery powered and it was calibrated for use at 144MHz using the output of my HF to 2m transverter via some variable attenuators. The meter worked well, either with an external attenuator or a directional coupler.
Options for using the Elecraft K4 for 2m EME
Background
Elecraft announced the K4 transceiver in May 2019 and I saw the radio at Ham Radio, Friedrichshafen in June 2019. I placed an order for a K4D (with an optional K4HD should I need it), in July 2019. Units started shipping in November 2020, maybe delivery will be Q1 2021?
BM10T Mast - change to luffing system
I recently installed a second-hand Radio Structures BM10T lattice mast for my 2m EME array. The BM10T is similar to a Versatower but has a simpler luffing arrangement with the wire attached to the bottom of the lattice section and running through two pulleys either side of the base post and up to the winch. The pulleys simply act as guides for the wire and provide no mechanical advantage. This makes luffing hard work with the antennas installed.