K4SPBlog

 I have a Peltor Comtac 3 headset because reasons. I got it to use with my Motorola handhelds, primarily the XTS2500. For a long time I have wanted to adapt the two PTTs that came with it to work on other radios I own. Today I'm attempting to adapt it for a Yaesu FT-991A These come with the 6 pin NATO connector, U-229, described on Cryptomuseum, here . I need to remove this cable and add my own. I'll be adding two since few ham radios have audio in and out all on one connector. First I have to identify the function/color of each wire. Pins on the connector are labeled A-F with corresponding functions below: GND A SPK B PTT C MIC D EXP E EXT F I keep all pinouts I identify in a  Google Sheet  of pins, wire colors, and functions with pictures where able. I got the functions from that Cryptomuseum link above.  Disassembly of the U-229 is simple with a wrench and some pliers. Then I add color of each wire to the spreadsheet near the appropriate letter. Inside the PTT we ...

 In my never ending quest to continually delay my entry to the CW club, I think my nest hamateur venture will be satellite operations. Multiple satellites with ham radio capabilities orbit the earth at any given moment. One of my favorite youtube channels, saveitforparts , (my new life motto btw), does lots of satellite operations, mainly snooping on commercial, government, and even military satellites. He builds dishes with different low noise amplifiers (LNAs), low noise blockers (LNBs), software defined radios (SDRs), and a bunch of craigslist junk. He just installed a fully automated satellite tracker inside a surplus radome and I could definitely see myself wasting time on similar ventures.  The uber expensive M2 SATPACK, an example of a commercial egg beater antenna. To get my feet wet, I thought the best way would be using these ham radio focused satellites. The only equipment I would need is an antenna. Antennas must be circularly polarized due to the way satellites co...

 This has been discussed before elsewhere but HF nets are so bizarre. Archaic websites. Obscure membership structures. Shooting fish in a barrel. but simultaneously inefficient where it takes one hour to get one turn.  My main gripe though is the signal reports. If you have to ask a relay for the call sign and repeat the RST multiple times, you were not a 5-5.  I'm actually enjoying this though as it helps me work out some quirks in my home set up while I get ready for more base operations. I found a net that meets late at night so I currently have something to do other than watch youtube. I'll get WAS through them I guess then got for it through LOTW.  My set up so far is the EFHW I installed in the last post which runs through the window, I placed scrap extension cord in the window track to allow the wire to slip through without crimping it while getting an almost complete seal. That goes to my Yaesu FT991A which is hooked up to the computer via USB and my Heil hea...

 I've messed with a little AI in the past couple of years since LLMs exploded into the mainstream a couple years ago. Results initially were not promising but you just have to ask it to not lie (hallucinate) and not ask it something too obscure (something it's not trained for).  Short story long, I had an EFHW antenna that ran north-south and was long enough for 160m and went over some trees that are probably pushing 100ft. Unfortunately, I used cheap wire and it eventually snapped before I got around to replacing it with copper-clad steel(CCS). After that I put up an OFCD but that was dedicated to my Winlink station. Other than that I have a butterfly T2FD in the attic which is essentially a dummy load. TLDR, I only have one antenna and its committed full time. I just finished my master's and it's the holidays so I have time to kill. There's plenty of house projects to do and the weather's great but night owls like me can only replay COD MW3 so many times. I ha...