This 'n That

It's been somewhat quiet on the home front, radio-wise. I've been distracted by things that take my attention away from the microphone - website development for our church, visiting relatives, dealing with computer issues, and wrapping things up at work as I get ready for retirement (yeah!). But, there have been a few interesting tidbits to talk about.

First, computers. If you read any of my blog posts you'll soon realize that I've got a strong interest in computers. I'm not a gamer, and I don't write code. I just find computers, and their applications in the real world, somewhat fascinating. My involvement with computers goes back to the time of the introduction of the earliest 8-bit processor units, and I've been working with, or on, computers since the early 1980s. What fascinates me today is the application of form factor to function. I really like things such as lightweight tablets, ruggedized field systems, and special purpose devices. Over the past several years I've tested, and acquired, a number of Microsoft Surface tablet computers, both the Surface Pro and Surface Go models, and a small range of Panasonic and Dell ruggedized computers. 

I really like the Microsoft Surface format, and as long as I'm not paying for them (my employer does) I'm delighted to use them. It took until the release of the Surface Pro 7 for Microsoft to get the design 'right', but with the 7 they got it really right, and I've enjoyed using both the Surface Pro 7 & 9 models for a number of years. Sadly, both of those devices have developed issues that will have them headed to the recycling center soon. The Surface Pro 7 has suffered the inevitable fate of all Surface devices - the battery is dying. Since it can't be replaced, off to the shredder it must go. Sad, because it really is a good little tablet.

The Surface Pro 9's issue is altogether different, and unique in my experience. It's developed a hardware issue (I think with the system memory) that causes frequent Blue Screens of Death (BSOD). In my experience the BSOD is a rare event with Windows 11, so the fact that this thing blue screens about every 10 minutes tells me it too just needs to head to the shredder. Again, a sad fate for a pretty good piece of hardware.

BTW, the new(ish) Surface Pro 12 looks like a very good little tablet. I think it would make a great replacement for its older siblings, but the memory and storage specs are way too low for the asking price. Plus, Microsoft nickels and dimes you with the accessories, like the detachable keyboards, which aren't really accessories, but must-haves.

Now on to some older Dell systems. I've got a few of the Dell rugged laptops and tablets, and they are great devices. I mean, they are REALLY good. I'll say this - Dell does rugged better than Panasonic, which invented the market for rugged computers. Unfortunately for me, most of what I bought was released when Window 10 was at about mid life-cycle. This meant that they were crackerjack Windows 10 machines, but when Windows 11 came out they were not eligible to upgrade due a 'hardware compatibility' issue - either the CPUs couldn't handle Windows 11 or a the units had missing our outdated a hardware devices known as the Trusted Platform Module, or TPM. I was OK with this for a time - Windows 10 was perfectly fine for what I did. Then late last year Microsoft announced it was sunsetting support for Windows 10. While Microsoft doesn't give a damn about the average computer buyer, they do pay attention when their large corporate and government customers start complaining, and complain they did. Many were sitting on large installed bases of perfectly fine Windows 10 hardware that couldn't be upgraded to Windows 11. They told Microsoft, either you continue Windows 10 support, or provide an upgrade path to Windows 11 for this older hardware. Microsoft miraculously found a way around the 'hardware compatibility' issue, and released versions of Windows 11 that run just fine on older hardware. Funny how that happened, eh?

Earlier this week I pulled out two of my older Dells - my Latitude 5404 laptop and a 7210 tablet running on an i3 processor. I had tried updating both of these to Windows 11 earlier in the year, but with no luck. Microsoft told me repeatedly that my hardware was not compatible with Windows 11. Since neither computer had been turned on for months, I figured it was time to grab the latest (and perhaps last) Windows 10 updates available. I was surprised to find an authorized Windows 11 update package waiting in the update queue for both computers! 

My old Dell 5404 can run Windows 11!
This is easily one of the best laptops I've ever used, rugged or not, so
it's great that I can keep it going with a new OS.
This computer taught me that Steve Jobs was dead wrong about laptops with touch screens

What changed in Redmond, I don't know. All I know is that I'm delighted that these Windows 11 installs have extended the useful life of these fine computers for a few more years.

Last, a failed POTA activation, but still some success. Last week I traveled to Philadelphia to spend some time with my sister. She lives in a 31 story condo just south of Washington Square, which itself is just a block behind Independence Hall. Washington Square is also a part of the Independence National Historical Park. This means a POTA activation in Washington Square counts as 'activating' the Independence National Historical Park (US-0738). The square is really more of a regular city green space, and on any given day is filled with local retirees feeding the squirrels and bitching about Donald Trump (some of the conversations are hilarious - I strongly suspect a TDS cocktail is added to Philly's drinking water along with the fluoride), kids riding their scooters, folks walking their dogs, bums and homeless people passed out under the trees (really charming), and the occasional tourist group that wanders over from Independence Hall to view the memorial to the Unknown Revolutionary Soldier in the park. It's rare to see a park ranger or a Philly cop, unless there's demonstrations or a medical emergency. I figured if I activated the park I would be pretty safe from unwanted scrutiny from the law. Well, I did, and I was right. I activated the park at noon on Sunday, and only park visitors that showed any serious interest in me were some passing dogs. In fact, considering the bums, the dope smokers, the panhandlers, the tattooed gay lovers playing slap and tickle under one of the trees (really guys, you didn't think anyone could see you?), and the guy in rainbow tights roller skating around the park with a boom-box, I was the least weird thing in the park that day.

Unfortunately, I had zero contacts. Even though I spotted myself twice on the POTA website, I had no luck making any contacts. Of course my setup didn't help. There was no way I could have gotten away with setting up a 100 watt rig and a wire, or even large vertical antenna. I would have been either robbed or arrested, or both. Instead I was using my Elecraft KX2 in it's 'pedestrian mobile' configuration - handheld, with a 20 meter whip antenna (the Elecraft AX1), a drag line for a counterpoise, and some earbuds. Don't laugh - I've talked from Georgia to Indiana with this exact setup. The problems I faced were poor band conditions and operating from an urban canyon. Yes, I was disappointed, but I learned some good lessons. Next time I try this (and there will be a next time), I'll be using a better antenna setup. I can't get away from a 20 meter whip, but I can set it up better.

Now to the successful part. The night before the activation I decided to test my equipment by going up to the roof of my sister's condo and doing a test run. The roof holds a swimming pool and cabana area. I set up on one of the tables, clamped the 20 meter whip to a lounge chair, and started listening for people calling CQ. I was delighted when WD6T out of northern California answered my call. Philly to California on 10 watts with a seriously compromised antenna. Hey, I'll take that! I then added the 40 meter extension coil to the whip, and contacted W9ISF, the Indiana State Fair ARC station. Not too shabby. The night was cool and clear, with a light breeze. It was wonderful to be able to sit 31 stories up, by myself, and spin the dial. A wonderful night all-around.

My roof-top poolside view, looking south towards Delaware.
Note the whip antenna clamped to the lounge chair. With this setup I was
able to contact California and Indiana on SSB. A wonderful night!

A KX2, a wonderful night at a great location, and some neat contacts

This clamp by Pro Audio Engineering is extremely well made 
and perfect for the task of holding small whip antennas

I'm now in a downhill slide to retirement (scheduled for November). I'll be plenty busy until then, so I'll have limited in radio time. But after November, let the radio fun begin!

W8BYH out

Hand Tool Renewal

Time for some new tools on the electronics bench!

I've been buying hand tools for over 53 years, mostly mechanics tools for car repair, small engine and  motorcycle repair, bicycle repair and other related mechanical work. Down through the years I've worked as a car mechanic, a bicycle mechanic, I've worked on my own motorcycle, some small boat engines, lawn mower engines, 2-stroke appliance engines, generators, and I've supervised dozens of mechanics during my Army career. I've turned a lot of wrenches in my time, and I've bought an almost endless number of tools (that's tool geek code for 'I've lost or damaged a bunch'). 

As I got more into working on electronic equipment, I focused mainly on electronics tools - soldering tools, scopes, meters, probes, cables, power supplies, all the things needed to set up a well appointed electronics bench. When I needed a mechanical tool to work on a radio - screwdrivers, wrenches, sockets, etc. - I dove into my pile of automotive tools and made do. I think the only electronics specific hand tool purchases I've made so far have been miniature Crescent/Excellite flush cutters and pliers and a set of JIS (Japanese industrial standard) cross-tip screwdrivers. Just about every other hand tool on my bench was originally bought to work on a gas engine. When I needed to dive in and work on those teeny-tiny nuts, bolts, screws and other fasteners, most of my tools were simply too big. In an effort to save cash, over the years I accumulated a drawer full of cheap tools. Most of those tools worked OK, but there were always some quality issues that annoyed me, and many of these tools just didn't feel good in the hand. My most recent struggle was with a cheap end connector crimper I bought years ago that didn't really put a good crimp on anything. But it was was what I had so I used it. I ended up mashing more than one lug connector all out of shape. It's at that point I decided enough is enough, and it's time to start investing in some decent small hand tools for the electronics bench. No more grabbing a greasy screwdriver, last used to tweak the carburetor on a leaf blower, to adjust the pots on a radio. 

In my youth, if you needed a good hand tool the choice was simple - go to Sears and buy Craftsman. Sears sold just about everything you needed, and the quality was very high. The Craftsman brand, along with Kenmore, were the two store brands with reputations that Sears went to great lengths to protect. They did this by making sure those branded items were always high quality. In the 1960s Sears even went so far as to establish Western Forge, a company dedicated to making Craftsman hand tools, so they could better control quality and standards. Alas, Sears and Western Forge are gone and the Craftsman brand was sold to Stanley/Black & Decker years ago. Lowe's Home Improvements signed on as a major distributor of Craftsman tools (along with Ace Hardware). While the name (and unique branding) of Craftsman lives on, Stanley stumbled for years to get things right. In its declining years, Sears had moved a lot of tool manufacturing to China, and Stanley kept it there. Almost no Craftsman branded tools on the shelves in Lowe's stores were US made. To be fair, everyone was doing this - cost pressure was forcing many tool manufacturers to move production to China. But Craftsman was an American icon - American made tools, made for Americans. Loyal Craftsman customers (and there were millions of them) signaled their disapproval by switching to other brands. The problem was, most of those other brands were also made in China, or other off-shore locations like India or Pakistan. Craftsman sales started to seriously suffer, so Stanley announced plans to bring Craftsman tool production back to the US. This included plans to set up a new state-of-the-art forging plant in Texas. For some reason that project fell through, and Craftsman hand tools are still manufactured overseas. To Stanley's credit they seem to be pulling a lot of production out of China and over to Taiwan. The Taiwanese made tools I've looked at seem well manufactured - good finishes, clean and clear stamping, and a level of execution that seems a few tiers above what comes out of India. Taiwan has a long history of quality tool manufacturing, plus they are a democracy, not a communist dictatorship. That means something.

No finer, indeed. An excerpt from the Sears Craftsman 1949 tool catalog.
The demand for quality hand tools exploded after WWII with the rise in car and home ownership.
Sears stepped into the market with their Craftsman line that offered high quality, an extensive
lineup, and an unbeatable guarantee
The annual Craftsman tool catalog was the real Sears Wish Book for teenagers of my generation

Today there's no good single source for a comprehensive lineup of reasonably priced quality hand tools. Nothing fills the niche like Sears Craftsman used to. Tool buyers now have to shop around and individually assess each brand, and the tools in that brand lineup. This has led to an  interesting explosion of what I'll call 'hand tool geekdom'. While hand tool geekdom was always a thing, the world wide web has given it a new and expanded voice. Blogs like ToolGuyd offer near real time reviews of new tools, discuss industry trends, provide information on sales and special deals, and often act as informal on-line counseling venues, as tool users vent their frustrations or share their joy over tool related issues, and seek solace among like minded tool geeks. Seriously. Some of the comments to posts on that site are positively... Freudian ("my tool is bigger than yours!"). I like going to a brick and mortar store and fondling the tools I'm considering buying (that Freudian thing again?). This means occasional trips to the Big Blue Box, the Big Orange Box, and the smaller but increasingly ubiquitous Little Red Box (Harbor Freight). I'll also check out auto supply stores, Tractor Supply, Wal-Mart and even pawn shops. And of course, Amazon. I don't have any strong all-or-nothing brand loyalties, but there are brands I'm partial to because they've served me well in the past - older Craftsman, Klein, Victorinox, Crescent, Vice Grip, Streamlight, Wiha, Knipex & Wera (three high quality German tool brands), Mitutoyo (a leading Japanese manufacturer of measuring tools), Wiss, Milwaukee, Vulcan, and a few others. 

For the kind of bench work I do, there's really no need for SAE (or Imperial) standard hand tools. The electronics industry long ago switched over to metric, so I can pull any SAE sized tools off the bench. A few will stay in reserve, squirreled away in the corner of my tool cabinet, but for the most part everything I work on these days, from cars to laptop computers, uses metric fasteners and connectors.

Let's have a look at what's on my bench, and close at hand in a nearby tool cabinet:

• 1/4" drive socket set - 4 mm thru 14 mm
• Box and open end combo wrenches - 6 mm thru 12 mm. This includes several thin flat stamped open end wrenches for getting into narrow spaces inside things like radio cabinets
• A wide assortment screw drivers, from miniature flat bladed screwdrivers for working on eyeglasses, to a large #4 Phillips head drivers. This also includes a set of JIS screwdrivers, to properly engage the screws and nut heads on Japanese manufactured radios and components. Most of these screw drivers are electronically insulated, rated to at least 600 volts. 
• Needle nose pliers, from small standard sizes to the miniature Crescent or Xcelite units for working on small hardware components
• Small smooth faced needle nose pliers for bending components that might be damaged by the grip pattern on normal pliers
• A complete assortment of wire and cable cutters, from coax shears to the miniature flush cutters made by Crescent or Xcelite
• Small standard pliers, both straight head and angle head
• T-handled hex (Allen head) wrenches - 2.0 mm to 4 mm
• An assortment of small Torx-head drivers 
• A small adjustable wrench. The one I have represents the only Snap-On tool in my collection, and to this day I don't know where it came from
• Set of 'Swiss pattern' needle files - round ('rat-tail'), triangular, flat, combo ('bastard')
• Wire strippers that can handle wire sizes from 8 down to 36 AWG. No one tool does everything, at least not well, so I've got a small assortment of wire strippers, to include a Vise Grip/Irwin automatic stripper that works quite well on a variety of wire gauges
• Wire crimpers. Like wire strippers, no single crimping tool does everything. My arsenal of crimpers includes a crimp set for Anderson PowerPole connectors, a couple of crimpers for small end connectors, and crimp set putting end connectors on coax cable
• A set of miniature scissors for cutting fine wire, plastic flashing, cutting out labels, etc. I use a set designed for use in fly-tying activities - very small, precise and sharp
• Cutting tools - a miniature box cutter with snap-off blades, and a Victorinox electrician's folding knife
• Pin vise. I've rarely needed to power drill something on my bench, but there have been plenty of times when I needed to enlarge or clean out holes to make sure there's bare metal for grounding purposes, or re-work a hole with a larger diameter drill bit to put a bevel on one side. These tasks are easily handled with a pin vise and a set of small drill bits
• For measuring things, a small stainless steel ruler marked out in inches and millimeters (can also be used as a small straight edge), a clear plastic ruler, a cheap vernier caliper for rough measurements, and a digital caliper for very precise measurements
• Large angle-head tweezers for fitting and holding components in-place during assembly (example - holding a small nut in an awkward location inside a cabinet while you drive the nut from the outside) 
• Straight and curved locking hemostat pliers - the uses are endless
• Small, inexpensive but infinitely useful 'third hand' clamp setup for holding components together for soldering, gluing, etc. Put shrink tubing on the alligator clamps to keep your components from getting chewed up
• A bench top circuit board holder. I've got a few, but the one I use most is my old Panavise with the small circuit board clamp
• Magnification is absolutely essential for working on any modern electronics gear, even if you have good near vision. I don't. I use a OptiVISOR system with LED lighting and a swing-away auxiliary eye magnifier, plus a whole range of hand-held magnifiers that can take me up to over 15x magnification
• A small penlight flashlight. I'll also use a head lamp if I really need to flood the work space with more light
• Small Vice Grips. I own a needle-nose set, and they are remarkably useful on and around the bench. They are the tool of last resort for getting a death grip on nuts or bolt heads that just won't come loose with any other tool, they make a pretty good substitute soldering stand (make sure you cushion the jaws), and if you really need to clamp two components together (like metal cabinet sections) to align or re-drill screw holes, these are invaluable
• An assortment of plastic, non-conducting pry and adjustment tools. This includes a 'spudger' set from the iFixIt folks, designed for prying open things like laptop computers, and a set of classic radio and TV alignment tools
• Small clamps and spring clips for holding components together for assembly or soldering
• Mechanical pencil and a Sharpie for marking things up and recording notes. For example, if I modify a radio I'll write on the inside of the case the type of mod, the date it was done, and my callsign, so future owners will know what and when something was done, and who did it

Ask a professional car mechanic which tools he uses most, and the answer may surprise you. Most of what he uses day-to-day likely fits into just one drawer of what is likely a very large tool chest. A 1/2" ratchet, a small collection of common sockets, some open end and box end wrenches, a few screw drivers, some Channellock pliers, Vice Grips, pliers, hex wrenches, and that's about it. It's the same for electronics projects. I sat down at my bench and pulled out the tools that get used the most. It's easy to do because these are the tools that are close-at-hand. The collection is pretty small.

A few screwdrivers, wire cutters, needle nose pliers, wire strippers, a couple of small hex and Torx
drivers, a magnifier and flashlight, a steel ruler and caliper, Sharpie and lead pencil for
marking things, scissors and a knife, and a locking hemostat and large tweezers.
Plus a Panavise and third hand. 
These are the tools that get used most often, and stay ready at-hand on my bench

The question I now ask myself is, what's missing? Honestly, not a whole lot. I've built a couple of amplifiers and tuners, done a bunch of radio modifications and tackled other small projects using the tools described above, so I feel confident I've gotten down to the essentials. I can think of just a few items I need to add:

• A set of non-conductive nylon or ceramic tipped tweezers for working around SMD boards
• A board-level chip extractor/puller. I rarely have to pull chips from a board, but when I do I'm prying with small flat-tipped screw drivers. That's an invitation to disaster. An inexpensive chip puller will make sure I don't bugger things up
• A small bench-top vacuum cleaner
• A magnetic or clamp mounted LED project light, so I can bring more light to the project rather than relying on overhead lighting

This wraps the discussion up for now. I'd love to hear about the hand tools you have on your electronics bench - maybe you've got something interesting or important that I've missed. Please feel free to comment below!

W8BYH out

Life In The Time Of The Cheap Battery

You young whipper-snappers don't know how good you have it. In my day (like, way back in 2020), if we wanted to power a full-sized rig in the field we'd have to lug around big old lead-acid batteries that barely dribbled out 12 volts for an hour or two, and then would quickly die. Lord help you if you let the voltage drop below 11 volts, or you'd start damaging the cells. Need to keep track of that voltage? Make sure you brought along your multi-meter. And you better have a bottle of distilled water handy to keep the cells topped off - don't want those lead plates getting exposed!

Sure, back in 2020 this new-fangled battery technology called Lithium-Iron-Phosphate (LiFePo) was available, but it was frightfully expensive, particularly large capacity units that could keep a full size radio operating for days. Think prices approaching $1,000 for a 100 amp-hour battery from a well regarded US-based company like Bioenno Power out of California. These sexy new LiFePo batteries offered amazing performance - very safe (LiFePo won't burst into flames like other lithium battery technologies), high energy density, excellent power discharge management, thousands of recharge cycles, built-in battery management systems (BMS), and extremely light weight. It's everything every field operator wanted, except cost. 

Like many, I started small - picking up 3 and 4.5 amp hour batteries to test with my QRP rigs. The performance was amazing. These little batteries effectively eliminated the dreaded battery angst that plagued us - 'do I have enough battery capacity for a long activation?' One local ham reported running his Yaesu FT-817 on regular POTA activations for almost a year before needing to charge his 4.5 Ah Bioenno battery! These small blue-wrapped batteries became ubiquitous at field operation everywhere. The phrase 'just buy a Bioenno' became the modern equivalent of 'just buy an IBM' - a pricey but totally safe purchase decision that came with great performance and manufacturer support

Bioenno makes great products, and they have bent over to support the ham radio community.
These batteries fundamentally changed QRP operations by providing stable, high current output
over incredibly long run times, all in a small and lightweight package.
Operators using radios like the Elecraft KX2, the Yaesu FT-817, the Xeigu G90  and the Icom IC-705
switched en mass to these batteries, and they became ubiquitous at POTA, SOTA
and Field Day activities. One of these batteries, the somewhat beat up 4.5 Ah one on the
middle right, is almost 5 years old and still holds 100% capacity

On a recent camping trip, a Bioenno 4.5 Ah battery powered my KX3 at 15 watts out, 
over the course of several activations

Yet, we continued to lug our boxes of lead and acid out to Field Day, because high capacity LiFePo batteries were beyond most ham's means. We're talking about batteries that cost more than some of the radios they were powering. Lead acid batteries soldiered on because the price/performance ratio was still in their favor, until...

A few years ago, offshore battery manufacturers (i.e., 'China, Inc.') spotted an opportunity, and stared to flood the US market with inexpensive, high capacity LiFePo batteries that offered very good quality and performance. Overnight they broke the lead acid battery lock on the price/performance ratio. There was no longer any reason to choose lead acid over LiFePo. While LiFePo batteries are still more expensive than equivalent lead acid batteries, the price gap had shrunk, and the improved features and performance of the LiFePo battery more than makes up for the price difference. These LiFePo batteries are clearly the better value.

Tracy at Outdoors On The Air lays out the arguments nicely in this video:

So let's look at a current example. The Power Queen (the brand I buy) LiFePo 12.8 volt, 100 Ah battery is on sale right now for $219 direct. Something to point out here is that these Chinese manufactured batteries are always 'on sale'. An equivalent generic lead acid 100 Ah deep cycle battery from Wal-Mart currently sells for $159. That's a $60 difference, but the Power Queen offers considerably more - up to 4000 recharge cycles (vs. hundreds for the lead acid battery), has a built-in battery management system, has a flatter discharge curve (more rated power for a longer period of time), has built-in Bluetooth to monitor battery performance via a smartphone app, is IP67 rated, and is much lighter (by at least 50%) than the lead acid battery. Plus, the LiFePo chemistry is much safer than lead acid. Based on recharge cycles alone, the Power Queen is the cheaper buy. All the other features are free candy. 😊

Power Queen is one of five or more Chinese-based battery manufacturers that do direct sales in the US, and they all offer LiFePo models with equivalent capacities and features. I bought Power Queen based on a personal recommendation from another ham, but I've also heard good things about the LiTime, AmpereTime and other brands. There are a number of YouTubers who revel in tearing these batteries apart to see what's inside,  and they all appear to have the same internal components. Some reviewers claim the manufacturers all buy their battery cells from the same factories in China, and there are only slight differences in the BMS and Bluetooth boards, internal component configurations and construction methods.

In this video, Will Prowse at his DIY Solar Power channel tears apart two LiFePo batteries (one of them a Power Queen) and compares the interior components. I wouldn't be at all surprised if both of these battery brands were owned by the same company, and the batteries came out of the same factory.

BTW, Will's channel is an excellent resource for anyone looking for answers and advice on batteries and solar systems.

There is but one caveat to all this lithium love - LiFePo batteries don't do well in very cold temps, and the cells can be ruined when charging in sub-freezing temperatures. In fact, some LiFePo batteries have built-in heating systems to warm the cells in low temp conditions. This is usually not an issue in the south where I live - if I'm out in the field in sub-zero temps, I'll be in a camper or a tent with a heater going. The BMS in many batteries will also shut the battery down in very cold situations, to protect the cells.

So where does all of this lead us? To me, the clear lesson is that lead acid batteries, in the amateur radio use case, are dead, dead, dead. Say it with me now: 'lead is dead'. There simply is no justification for choosing a lead acid battery over an equivalent capacity LiFePo. These new batteries are an amazing leap in power technology for ham radio, and there's no reason to stick with now obsolete lead-acid batteries.

(Time for a hypocrisy alert? Anyone who knows me, or reads this blog, knows that I loudly state that I do not buy Chinese manufactured products, unless there's no other option. I still stand strongly by that rule, and I practice it daily. The caveat here is 'unless there's no other option'. There are no US-based manufacturers of LiFePo batteries that offer all the features the Chinese manufacturers offer - at any price. There are US-based 'assemblers', like Battle Born Batteries and Dakota Lithium, but the key components - battery cells, BMS boards, etc., are sourced out of China. As far as I can tell, there is no LiFePo battery cell manufacturing taking place in the US - everything comes out of China. So in this case, I feel we're in the 'unless there's no other option' category.) 

W8BYH out 

Wee Beastie

My Irish grandmother, and Scotts/Irish grandfather used the term 'wee' to describe anything and everything that was small - from lightning bugs to babies. I think I understood the term 'wee' before I understood what the word 'small' stood for. The radio connection? Well, I've reached the conclusion that none of the major manufacturers will be making my ideal field radio any time soon. I needed to take matters into my own hands and build something that came as close as possible to my vision. I started with the Elecraft KX3 platform because it offered the most potential. In pursuit of this ideal I've stuffed every available add-on into a KX3, installed a few firmware updates to extend capabilities, and bolted on a few key after-market components to improve functionality. What I ended up with was a beast of a little rig - a 'wee beastie'.

I've discussed this KX3 a lot on this blog, so this post will be something of a wrap-up on all the things I've done to get the radio to just where I want it. To note, I've been singularly unimpressed with most of the Big Three (Icom, Yaesu, Kenwood) and China, Inc. offerings over the past few years. I desperately want a small, light, HF only field radio that offers true portability, good SSB and digital performance, low power consumption, and 20 watts output on internal or connected batteries. I own an IC-705, but that rig is has a number of issues that keep it out of serious contention. I've taken a quick look at the new Yaesu FTX-1 and, well, no thanks. While the Xeigu G90 once looked promising, I don't buy China, Inc. products out of principle. There are several contenders on the used market, such as the Icom IC-706 or 7000, but good used examples have gotten pricey. One of my many regrets was not paying more attention to the IC-706 when it were still in production.

After reviewing all the options, and leaning on my experience with the Elecraft KX2, I decided to find a good used KX3 and give that a try. The KX3 has been on the market for over 15 years, it's still in production, is well supported by Elecraft and a large user community, offers an impressive array of options, and gets me as close to my 20 watt output goal as I'm likely to get with a modern field radio. The KX3 provides 15 watts of output on most bands when connected to an external battery, and up to 10 watts on internal batteries. It also offers very impressive receiver performance (it's rated in the top 11 by Sherwood Engineering). Yes, Elecraft's KX line is an acquired taste - the controls, settings and firmware options are unlike any other rig and, to be honest, some of the technology built into the radio is old - like its built-in NiMH battery charging function. Why Elecraft hasn't moved beyond this to develop a modern lithium battery capability, like they have with the KX2, is baffling. But at least you can run the radio on internal batteries for a few hours at reduced output power. Overall, the KX3 platform offered the most potential.

Rather than yelling at you for opening up your radio, Elecraft actually encourages it. 
Virtually every board, wire and cable in this photo can be purchased a-la-carte from Elecraft 
and is user replaceable. 

A fair number of KX3 rigs come up for sale every month, on QRZ.com and the Elecraft Groups.io discussion site. After hunting around for a bit, I picked up this radio at a fair price. It was part of a package deal that included the KXPA100 amplifier and tuner (that clever piece of gear is a story for another day). The KX3 came with the internal tuner and roofing filters, but oddly did not have the internal battery charger board installed. This means it was an early model (mine is in the 10,000 serial number range), since Elecraft now includes the battery charger and real-time clock board in current production units. As it came, it was a very good radio, and with a little effort could be improved.

• The first thing to tackle was the battery charger. Elecraft sells the charger/clock board as a user installed option (in fact, just about every KX3 add-on is user installed). Just plug it in, change a few firmware settings and the NiMH charger is up and running. I stuffed a set of Tenergy high capacity NiMH AA batteries into the internal battery tray and was up and running. Elecraft recommends reduced output power of between 3 - 5 watts when on internal batteries, but you CAN push it up to 10 watts for short operating periods. 

• MARS mod. I wanted to be able to use this radio on SHARES frequencies, which meant I needed to remove the amateur band restrictions. With other amateur radios this means either yanking something off the main board, or soldering something on. With Icom rigs it's removing a teeeny diode or two. With Yaesu rigs I've worked on, it means closing a solder bridge on an open pad on the main board. With the KX3, it's a simple firmware update. Just email Elecraft tech support and they'll send the file to you, and it's a reversable mod.

• The KX3 is known to run hot, and the frequencies can start to drift when the rig gets too hot. The factory heat sink - just a big piece of folded metal - works, but not as good as some after market solutions. I installed one of the heat sinks made by Pro Audio Engineering.  Yes, the heat sink adds weight to the rig, but that's a necessary trade-off.

• The front face of the rig needs some protection, and a company called Gems Products makes an excellent set of replacement side panels that provide raised 'rails' that will protect the knobs if the radio is placed (or falls) face-down on a surface. In addition, they make a snap on polycarbonate cover that mates with the side panels to provide full front panel coverage. This is such a popular option that the majority of KX3 rigs I've seen have these panels installed. They are so ubiquitous that many think they are a factory original product. 

• 2 meter capability. OK, this is an 'icing on the cake' add-on. Elecraft makes a 2 meter transverter mod that installs inside the radio (it mounts above the internal tuner), and provides a separate SMA connector for a 2 meter antenna (hear that, Icom?). It works on all modes - FM, SSB, AM & CW, and you can set repeater offsets and tones. I don't really need 2 meter capability, but hey, why not if it's available. I installed it yesterday and got good audio reports from other hams one of our local repeaters.

Look Ma, Two Meters!

• Digital modes. Elecraft didn't build a sound card interface into the rig. To be fair, they didn't put a sound card interface into any of their rigs until the recent release of their high end K4 radio. But there is a digital mode built into the firmware. I'll be honest and admit that I struggled for a long time to get this radio running right on digital modes. It turns out I was just using the wrong hardware. First I tried a SignaLink unit, but for some reason the KX3 didn't really like that. Next was a DigiRig. Again, I was having all sorts of configuration issues with that. Eventually I took the advice of a majority of KX3 users on the Groups.io site and tried a simple and cheap Sbarent USB sound card dongle - $13 on Amazon. Success! There are a few settings you have to play with on the radio, like turning off the microphone PTT option, but once you get those sorted out, it runs like a champ on digital modes. Yes, there's a bit of a cable mess and you have to run an outboard speaker to monitor the receive audio, but it works and works well. 

To recap. I started a search for a lightweight, portable all-mode 20 watt HF rig with a built-in power supply & tuner. None of the Big Three are making what I want. The only radio that seemed to offer the potential to get close to what I'm after is the KX3. In going the KX3 route I was able to get closer to the ideal than with any other available HF rig:

• 160 - 2 meter all-mode RX & TX
• Low current consumption - as low as 150 mA on receive
• Wide-band TX (MARS mod)
• 15 watts TX on external batteries, 5 - 10 watts on internal
• Excellent RX performance
• Easy to view front panel
• Roofing filters
• Internal wide range tuner
• Good digital performance
• Easy to service & maintain
• Wide support from software developers
• Well supported by the manufacturer, user community and after-market suppliers
• An entire field kit - radio, external battery, antenna, microphone, cabling, documentation, can all be carried in a small waterproof Pelican case

Camping with the KX

So what's next? Well, into the field I go! Time to run this wee beast hard in various field environments. My go-to antenna is the Chameleon tactical delta loop - fast to set up and very effective. I'll be using that as a baseline for testing. One test goal is reliable connections to Winlink RMS nodes at least 500 miles from my operating position. Stay tuned!

W8BYH out

Hot Stuff

I had a chance to play around a bit with a new Yaesu FTX-1 rig during Field Day this year. One of our club members brought his and we hooked it up to an end-fed antenna just to monitor. Here's a few quick observations.

• Audio is excellent. Yaesu really did a neat trick with the 'front firing' speakers, which really are not front firing, but downward firing, but into a resonance chamber below the radio that directs the audio forward. I found the audio was loud, clear and distortion free. Good job there, Yaesu
• The screen is very good - clear, crisp and bright, and well laid out
• The configuration soft menu system appears to follow the FT-710 layout, which I thought was pretty good
• The main VFO knob is too big - it gobbles up too much front panel real estate, space that could have been put to use for other purposes like a dedicated sub-VFO knob
• The whole Field package seemed very sturdy. As many have commented, it's not light - it's very brick-like

But...

The radio was running just on receive, and it was running hot. I mean, HOT. There's a small area on the back of the radio just above where I think the PA board is located, and it was hot to the touch. The radio was on receive only because we didn't want to interfere with Field Day stations operating just a few yards away. I was astonished at how hot this thing was running. Compared to its #1 competitor, the IC-705, well, there is no comparison. Both operate at the same power levels (10 watts max), but even running heavy digital modes like JS8CALL the 705 never gets above moderately warm (less than half of the built-in heat indicator scale, and never near the danger level). One YouTuber reports that his FTX-1 gets up to 110 degrees F. when running FT8. Of course, Yaesu has always stated that the optional fan is necessary when running digital modes, and I don't really have an issue with that, but they should include the fan as a standard item with every radio sold.  

Heat management is an issue all radio manufacturers face. Some do it better than others, but more often manufacturers get it right with some models, wrong with others. Even Icom. The IC-705 and the IC-7300 are well known as 'cool-runners', but their higher end commercial HF rig, the F-8101, is infamous for its heat issues and the need to run its noisy clip-on cooling fan even when just working SSB. Elecraft's small KX3 and KX2 field radios are notorious hot runners on digital modes, which has spawned an active accessory market for heat sinks and clip-on fans.

Nobody I know of has yet to open up an FTX-1 to take a look at how the PA board is built, and what components Yaesu spec'd. It may be that the engineers knew heat would be an issue, and they over-built that part of the radio to handle the heat. Equally likely, we may see that Yaesu ends up replacing a lot of boards under warranty because they just couldn't handle the heat. Either way, we'll know in about a year. Stay tuned.

W8BYH out

Bust

My lovely wife and I recently returned from a 2,100 mile road trip that took us from Atlanta, GA, to Mammoth Cave, KY, to Benton Harbor, MI, to Oregon, OH to Cincinnati, OH and then home again. The objective was Benton Harbor, to attend her nephew's wedding, but the other stops were for pleasure. For example, we both grew up in Maumee, OH, and wanted to visit relatives and old haunts, so we booked a campsite at Maumee Bay State Park in Oregon, OH (a great park, BTW). 

We were moving fast - a day or two here and there - and the objective was to visit people and see interesting things. In that sense we weren't really 'camping', we were just hauling our hotel room around behind our F-350. What also worked against us was the heat. Just as we left Atlanta, a near record setting heat dome settled in over much of the eastern US. Here's the temperature in Benton Harbor, on the shores of Lake Michigan, on June 21st at 2:00 pm:

It should be noted that at the same time the temperature in Atlanta was only 95 degrees. This heat dome followed us from Kentucky to Michigan, Ohio and Tennessee, and it made any outside activity an exercise in heat stroke prevention.

I took along a compact radio setup knowing operating opportunities would be few and far between. I was right on that part. The only chance I got to set up was at our campground in Benton Harbor. This was a KOA, nicely run and well maintained, but campers were stuffed in cheek-by-jowl. This is a 'feature' of every KOA and private campground we've ever stayed at. The owners want to maximize profit, so spaces are tight. Stuff as many in as you can. This arrangement also highlights another problem with camping - RFI from the power inverters, converters and solar charge controllers built into every camper made in the last 20 years. It's a literal RF soup in these campgrounds, and many bands are simply unusable. Your only real defense is to use a radio that has strong filtering, and maybe bring along a set of bandpass filters.

I was using my Elecraft KX3, and much of the 40 meter band was unusable due to RFI (and the KX3 has strong bandpass filters built in), but I did find segments of 20 meters that were usable. Alas, my antenna setup wasn't good enough. I tried two vertical antennas - the desktop Elecraft AX1 you see in the photo, and a larger Chameleon 17' vertical. Alas, I wasn't able to make any Winlink or JS8 connections. I don't blame the campground RFI for this - it was really an antenna issue.  

Which brings me to a major point of this post. I'm a big supporter of the 'AM radio in every car' initiative. Both because I do feel AM radio is important, but also because having to incorporate a working AM receiver into vehicles means car manufacturers will have to take the time to 'clean up' their electrical systems designs to minimize RF noise. This goes double for electric vehicles. Then hopefully there will be a trickle-down effect, where the FCC gets off its ass and does its job and starts forcing manufacturers of things like inverters, switch mode power supplies, solar charge controllers, etc. to clean up their products. Then maybe ham radio operators will be able to set up next to their campers and only have to deal with a light sprinkle of RF noise instead of the flood we deal with now.

W8BYH out

ARES Southeastern US Situational Awareness Map Updates - 12 June 2025

Before diving in to the discussion about changes, I think I'm going to start using this blog as the notification outlet for the Situational Awareness Map. Normally when I do updates and I need to get word out about key changes, I'm cross-posting between a couple of Facebook and Groups.io sites. It gets clumsy, and I have to keep my comments short to fit the various platform restrictions. Using this blog allows me to be a bit more 'expansive' in my comments and discussions about changes.

Now, on with the show!

Yesterday I pushed out a few key changes to the map that wrap up some content updates and a few minor layout changes. Let's have a look.

Since the 2025 Hurricane Season opened on 01 June. I set the NOAA Active Hurricanes layer to on by default. This means any NOAA-released hurricane & tropical storm information (tracks, probability polygons, etc.) will automatically appear and update as NOAA releases information. This layer will stay on by default all the way through hurricane season

Under the Situational Awareness layer group, I added a Current Wildfires layer. This data is hosted by the Department of the Interior, and provides basic information on current wildfires across the US. This layer is off by default:

Let's spend a moment discussing repeaters. After a few years of hosting Repeaterbook.com info in the map, and getting very little feedback on Georgia repeaters (good or bad) - and zero info on repeater data from other states - I've decided to take a different approach. I've dropped the Repeaterbook.com coverage, and have gone back to an internally managed repeater database for just Georgia. This new data can be found in the Georgia Amateur Radio Repeaters layer. What you see in the map today is a slight update to the old Georgia Repeater Database Initiative information. I can take direct updates to repeater information, and can make quick changes - new repeaters, off-line repeaters, changes in repeater location, etc. I will likely put up an on-line form to capture this info, and link it in the map, but that's still a few weeks off. I'm also using a data clustering display tool, which is why you see a bunch of large dots when you turn the layer on. As you zoom into the map, the repeater data will 'dis-aggregate', and  you'll be able to get all the way down to individual repeaters. This layer is turned off by default:

Next up... PSAP boundaries. This one caused a slight stir a few months ago when I put out the word that the Dept. of Homeland Security pulled down the national PSAP (Public Service Answering Point) boundaries layer, and I had to take the layer out of the map. Not that anyone actually used the boundary info, they were just incensed that DHS took it down. Conspiracies, and all that. Folks, it happens all the time with this cooperative mapping platform, not just with national level datasets, but with very innocuous local datasets like local bird sightings, or community-level Girl Scout Cookie sales point layer (yes, someone made a cookie sales point map layer). I do it in my regular job as a GIS program manager at a very busy international airport. Data layers often age-out, security restrictions get imposed, or we just come up with new ways to display the data. So we pull down the old and (usually) put up something new. It's not just me and the DHS doing it - NOAA does it, the Georgia Emergency Management Agency does it, local governments do it, DOT does it, FEMA does it - everyone does it. The real issue is that there's no built-in notification system that lets map authors know a data layer is no longer available. The map just throws an error when you try to open it and a data layer is no longer available. So, back to PSAP data. Yesterday I discovered that the State of Georgia has published its own PSAP data layer, and I've added it into the map. You'll find it under the Borders, Operational Boundaries & Geographic Features - Georgia layer grouping. This layer is turned off by default:

Let's wrap this up. The last thing I want to talk about is finding layers in the map. There are over 50 individual data layers in the map, and the layer structure is complex. It can be tough finding the exact layer you want to take a look at. Heck, even I get lost in the layer stack! That's why I've incorporated a search tool in the Data Layers window, to help you find what you are looking for. It's the little search icon in the upper right corner of the window:

Let's say you are searching for a layer that shows lakes in Georgia. You heard the layer is in the map, but you don't know where. Just open the search tool and enter 'lakes'. The search tool will find the layer group that 'lakes' is nested up under. Simply expand the layer grouping to find the Georgia Lakes & Ponds layer and click the check box to turn it on in the map (it's normally off by default):

That's it for this update. As always, if you have any questions, feedback, or would like some instruction on how to use this map just let me know. There is a feedback button in the map, and it's the best way to get my attention.

W8BYH out