About That UHF Connector

Posted on 25 June 2023 by Bob K0NR — 10 Comments ↓

I caused a minor kerfuffle on Twitter recently, when I posted this:

This connector, properly called a PL-259, is the most common RF connector for ham radio use. The female counterpart is called the SO-239 connector. While these connectors are often called “UHF” connectors, they actually don’t perform very well at those frequencies (300 to 3000 MHz). So I feel justified in disparaging that name.

The tweet generated a large number of replies, mostly in support of my anti-UHF-naming sentiment. It seems that other highly-educated and thoughtful radio amateurs agree with me. (It seems that the wise hams out there always agree with me.) You should be able to view the thread here: https://twitter.com/K0NR/status/1653575723838492672

Some people pushed back on the anti-UHF sentiment, usually saying that it is the common name for this connecter. A few folks pointed out that Amphenol calls these things “UHF Connectors”, which did surprise me. Who am I to disagree with this manufacturer of high-quality connectors? Of course, Amphenol also says this:

Originally intended for use as a video connector in radar applications, UHF coaxial connectors are general purpose units developed for use in low frequency systems from 0.6 – 300 MHz. Invented for use in the radio industry in the 1930’s, UHF is an acronym for Ultra High Frequency because at the time 300 MHz was considered high frequency. They can be used when impedance mating is not required.

Well, there you have it: the connector was named UHF back when UHF meant up to 300 MHz. (Today, UHF means 300 to 3000 MHz). I particularly like the comment “They can be used when impedance mating is not required.” What? That does not sound good for RF applications. I do agree that these connectors can generally be used to 300 MHz, but these days the ITU calls that VHF (30 to 300 MHz).

Wikipedia provides a more complete explanation, worth reading.

OK, so the name “UHF” is archaic but it has kind of stuck, the way old terminology sometimes does. I am still going to avoid using this term because it really should be deprecated.

And don’t use these connectors above 300 MHz (UHF frequencies). Unless you have to. Which I did last weekend when the only cable available for my 440 MHz antenna had a PL-259 connector on it.

73 Bob K0NR

ISO-TIP 7700 Soldering Iron Review

Posted on 9 January 2016 by Bob K0NR — 1 Comment ↓

I recently had the opportunity to try out a new ISO-TIP 7700 soldering iron. This is a rechargeable soldering iron without a lot of extra features but it is plenty capable for small soldering tasks. Here’s a few specs from the ISO-TIP web site:

MODEL #7700
– Fully recharges in 3.5 to 4.0 hours
– Partially charged battery to full capacity in one to two hours
– Up to 125 soldering joints per charge during continuous use
– Withstands high-rate charging without damage

I’ve been on the lookout for a simple construction project for our local radio club and had acquired a Blinkey Kit from rainbowkits.com. This is a simple two-LED flasher circuit using the venerable 555 timer. I decided it was also a great little project to try out the 7700 soldering iron. Assembly was very simple, requiring 24 solder joints. The iron did a find job of heating up those joints. It takes about 2 to 3 seconds for the tip to heat up, plenty fast for my needs.

IMG_0414soldering — Soldering iron in action

Here’s a short video of the circuit blinking away, proving that I can solder together a simple circuit: Video of circuit blinking Yes, the circuit did work the first time.

The soldering iron performed well, no complaints at all. With only 24 joints to solder, I did not stress the capacity of the iron (which is rated at 125 joints). This is a relatively light duty iron, so I wondered how well it would do against a physically large soldering task. Soldering a PL-259 coaxial connector is a common task for amateur radio work, one that takes a lot of heat. I was surprised to find that the 7700 was able to heat up the center pin of the connector quite nicely. I was not surprised that it struggled with heating the body of the connector. I think that is asking too much of this size soldering iron. The only nit I would pick is I’d really like a LED power/charging indicator. I am always nervous about whether a device is plugged in, getting power, really charging and a simple indicator would solve that. But that is a very minor issue and probably speaks more about my personal paranoia than the soldering iron.

This iron has quickly become my “Go To” tool for quick soldering jobs. I don’t do major kit assembly and other big soldering tasks. I just need a little soldering here and there and this baby is always in the charging stand ready to go. To order the soldering iron (and see other products), visit http://www.iso-tip.com/products-page/

Use discount code YT1510 to get 10% off store wide.

73, Bob K0NR

Disclosure: this soldering iron was provided to me by ISO-TIP at no charge.

Religion and Ham Radio

Posted on 16 October 2015 by Bob K0NR — 3 Comments ↓

We need to get the religion out of ham radio. No, I am not talking about the HF nets that support missionaries or similar activities. (Those people might actually be doing something good for the world.) I am talking about the religious debates concerning new technology…this technology is better than that technology.

Amateur radio is a technical hobby, one based on technology, hobbyist pursuits and mutual interest. One might think that this means issues are looked at objectively and discussions are based on logic, scientific principles and facts. Of course, this is completely wrong. What often shows up in ham radio are religious debates about technology or operating modes.

Here’s a definition of Religion:

a specific fundamental set of beliefs and practices generally agreed upon by a number of persons or sects: the Christian religion; the Buddhist religion.

You can tell when you are stuck in a religious debate…the facts quickly fade and statements like “this is the right way to do it” become louder. Underneath this is a fundamental belief trying to come out that the person may not even be aware they have.

A long running example of a religious debate is Linux versus Windows. On the surface, people argue about which one has more defects, which one is more secure and which one ultimately serves their needs better. Underneath the surface is the religious belief: software should be free, Microsoft is evil, etc. Then there are those Mac enthusiasts (you know who you are)….these folks tend to act like a cult as they attempt to convert other people to their group. (Where is the line between enthusiast and cult member?)

The latest one on the ham radio front is the debate over digital technology in the VHF and higher bands: D-STAR versus DMR (and now Fusion). The debate starts out rational with a discussion of the merits of each but soon the deeply-held beliefs come out: D-STAR is bad because ICOM is pushing it, DMR is good because it is the commercial standard, D-STAR is good because it is an amateur radio standard, D-STAR uses a proprietary vocoder chip so it is bad, etc. Then don’t forget the guys that say “all digital is bad, analog FM is good.”

Again, you can tell when the religion kicks in because the facts start to fade and the beliefs rise to the surface. Usually, these arguments can’t be resolved because you can’t really debate beliefs. What you get instead are flame wars on the various email groups.

What other religious debates are out there? Android versus iOS, Open Source Software versus Commercial Software, My favorite rig versus Your favorite rig, … what else?

-73, Bob K0NR

This post is recycled and updated from a 2007 post. Some things never change.

A Few New Ham Radio Podcasts

Posted on 3 September 2015 by Bob K0NR — 1 Comment ↓

Listening to podcasts has been part of my daily habit for almost a decade. I lean heavily towards audio podcasts (as opposed to video), so I can listen to them while driving. My smartphone is always loaded with hours of content on a variety of topics which is especially useful for international flights.

Podcasts come and go (or podfade) and recently I’ve noticed a few new ham radio podcasts. Well, they might not be all that new…perhaps I just woke up and noticed them. Anyway, I am passing them along in case you have not come across them.

The QSO Today Podcast by Eric 4Z1UG:

QSO Today is a weekly conversation between me, Eric Guth, 4Z1UG, and my amateur radio operator guest. Each guest tells his or her’s ham radio story to the present time. I select guests based on their contributions to the hobby through their publishing of articles and books on ham radio, their involvement in the creation of new technologies that enhance the hobby, and the role that they played to bring the amateur radio to others.

The Fo Time – The Other Ham Radio Podcast by Cale K4CDN:

It’s a new Podcast for the Up and Coming Amateur Radio Operator aka Ham Radio Operator. Whether you’re looking for the latest news, a different take on an idea, or just some good humor, Fo Time is the Podcast for you.

If you aren’t sure about the name, this might help.

The 100 Watts and a Wire by Christian KØSTH:

Created by Christian Cudnik, KØSTH in 2015, 100 Watts and a Wire is a program celebrating amateur radio through the eyes of a new ham. The show features topical conversation and interviews, news and an entertaining look at the adventures of a ham trying to figure it all out.

I’ve found all three of these podcasts to be well done and interesting. They all typically run about an hour long. Frankly, that’s a bit much for me, mostly because it does not fit my commute time. Not bad for an airplane ride, but too long for driving to work. More importantly, my smartphone is overflowing with interesting audio content, so I have to be selective.

Other Podcasts

I’ll mention a few other podcasts that deserve attention: The Ham Nation podcast has set a new standard for ham radio video podcasts. Hats off to Bob Heil and crew for their efforts. The Amateur Radio Newsline got its start by delivering audio programs via telephone for hams to play on their local repeater. Many repeaters still play their program but I get their feed via my smartphone. They continue to do an excellent job of stuffing interesting content into a 20-minute format. While not a ham radio podcast, This Week in Tech from TWiT remains a quality source of tech news and opinion (lots of opinion).

Give these podcasts a listen and let me know what you think.

73, Bob K0NR

ARRL Field Day: Season To Taste

Posted on 18 March 2015 by Bob K0NR — No Comments ↓

I’ve written before about the flexibility of Field Day and the need to season to taste to make it your own. I have always thought that one of the great things about Field Day is that it can be tuned to whatever interests you or your club. It can be a serious radio contest (well, almost); it can be an emcomm drill. It can be a radio campout; it can be a foodfest, it can be a beer-drinking party. Insert your idea here.

This year, our local club, the Tri-Lakes Monument Radio Association is going to try a new approach that we call Tech Field Day. We previously have held a one-day educational event that we call Tech Day, that featured a series of presentations and hands-on demonstrations. The main theme of Tech Day was to help the Technician level hams gain more knowledge and help them move on up to General class operating.

We are taking the basic idea of Tech Day and combining with a shortened one-day version of Field Day. So on Saturday June 27th, we’ll offer a series of educational presentations along with some classic Field Day radio operating. The operating emphasis will be on giving newer hams a chance to get on the air, probably on both HF and VHF. (Our plans are still coming together.) We will also promote the theme of emergency communications, operating off a emergency power source, etc.

There are a number of things that we are intentionally leaving out. We won’t operate the entire 24 hour period…in fact, we’ll probably just be on the air Saturday afternoon. We won’t worry about making a lot of contacts or running up the score. Our stations will be relatively simple (no towers, no amplifiers).

So that’s our idea of a fun Field Day. What are you planning to do?

73, Bob K0NR

ARRL Field Day Information Page
ARRL Field Day Site Locator
ARRL Field Day – Complete Information Packet

Bloody Proprietary Connectors

Posted on 14 February 2014 by Bob K0NR — No Comments ↓

I came across this video rant by David L. Jones on the EEVblog concerning proprietary cables on consumer devices. I agree with him completely. Warning: some language not suitable for kids.

Unfortunately, if you look at ham radio gear, we are in even worse shape than the consumer market. Heck, even the freaking microphone connectors are unique to each manufacturer.

Solving the Baofeng Cable Problem

Posted on 8 February 2014 by Bob K0NR — 1 Comment ↓

The various models of Baofeng handheld transceivers keep popping up everywhere. At prices less than $50, radio amateurs (including veterans and newbies) are scarfing up these radios. See my postings or check out PD0AC’s blog for more information.

Also very frequently, the new owner of such a radio finds that they cannot figure out how to program it. Of course, the solution is “use the programming software” which is often helpful (and often not). The really gnarly problem that usually surfaces is getting the programming cable to work.

It appears that many of the cheap Baofeng USB programming cables use a clone of the Prolific PL-2303 chip that is not supported by the latest Windows driver. This Miklor web page does a good job of explaining the driver problem and giving some helpful advice. (Actually the Miklor site has tons of information on these radios, so check it out.) I’ll also note that the same cable can be used to program a Wouxun radio, so the same remedies apply. Using the info on the Miklor site allowed me to get my Baofeng/Wouxun cable working with my old Windows XP computer. When I bought a new notebook PC, it came with Windows 8 installed, which I later “upgraded” to Win 8.1. (I will spare you the sad story of dealing with Win 8 and 8.1) Anyway, I have not gotten the Baofeng cables to work on Win 8 or 8.1, even following the Miklor advice.

I started using the Chirp programming software, an open source application that supports a wide variety of radios. (I have found the supplied Baofeng and Wouxun software to be, uh, well, crapware. It can be made to work but it is a pain.) While the Chirp software is not bug free and is in perpetual beta, it basically works well and does a great job of supporting a wide range of radios. I noticed that the Chirp Cableguide recommends the use of programming cables with an FTDI USB chip. I found this one on Amazon for $19, a little more expensive than the cheapo cables but not bad. I plugged it into my Win8.1 computer and it started working immediately. I did not load any drivers, Windows actually did its job and took care of it for me. In minutes, I was programming a variety of Baofeng and Wouxun radios. Success!!!

My strong recommendation at this point is to use the Chirp software and get a FTDI-based programming cable. You will be a much happier Baofeng or Wouxun owner.

73, Bob K0NR

Tech Day 2013 – Saturday Sept 14

Posted on 11 September 2013 by Bob K0NR — 1 Comment ↓

Come join us on Saturday, September 14th, 2013 (9:00 AM to 2:00 PM) at the Prairie Winds Elementary School , 790 Kings Deer Point East, Monument, CO for Tech Day 2013. Tech Day is for beginner to intermediate hams who want to learn more and take that ‘next step’ in ham radio.

Everyone is welcome, no registration is required. Just show up with your bright smiley face, ready to learn something and have fun.

Presentations

9:30 am – Getting started in QRP operating from Steve WGØAT of Rooster & Peanut fame [http://www.youtube.com/user/goathiker]

10:30 am – Mobile radio installation tips with James KDØMFO

11:30 am – Practical antennas made out of copper pipe by Al WBØTGE

12:30 pm – Ham Shack 101 – the basics of setting up a home station by Stu WØSTU

1:30 pm – Some Practical Antenna Theory – Bob KØNR

* Each presentation is approximately 20 minutes with Q&A at the end.

Live Demonstations

All day long, we’ll have these displays set up so you can get a hands on look at radio operating:

QRP operating, Flex Software Defined Radio (SDR), HF antennas, mobile radio installation

The local Boy Scout troop will be selling hotdogs and drinks in hamfest style.

Tech Day 2013 is proudly sponsored by the WØTLM Amateur Radio Club

Checking Out A Baofeng UV-5RA

Posted on 17 April 2013 by Bob K0NR — No Comments ↓

In the Winter 2013 issue of CQ VHF magazine, I wrote about some of the VHF/UHF handheld radios available from China. In that article, I reported on the measured performance of a few of the Wouxun and Baofeng transceivers. One of the Baofeng UV-5R radios that I tested showed harmonic distortion that was a bit high on the 2 Meter band, around -40 dBc.

I recently got my hands on a Baofeng UV-5RA, which is a newer version of the same radio (firmware BFB297), so I wanted to check its performance. Like the two UV-5R models I checked, the power output, transmit frequency and receiver sensitivity were all quite solid on both bands. I was more interested in the harmonic distortion present in the transmit signal.

On the 2 Meter band, the 2nd harmonic measured -48.4 dB relative to the fundamental which is pretty good. Similar to the other radios I measured, the performance in the 70 cm band is a lot better (-56.1 dB).

This radio has significantly better harmonic distortion than the older UV-5R radio. Of course, this is just a single sample, so performance of other radios may be different.

73, Bob K0NR

Zero Ohm Resistors

Posted on 6 July 2012 by Bob K0NR

Mark Frauenfelder innocently (or cleverly) asks the question “What are zero ohm resistors for?” on BoingBoing. The fun really starts in the comments section, with replies such as “They’re a novelty gift for electronic engineers.”

Take a look at the article here.

Yes, zero ohm resistors really do exist. Think of them as jumpers on a PC board.

73, Bob K0NR

2011 Fall TechFest

Posted on 20 September 2011 by Bob K0NR

Announcing the 2011 Fall TechFest

Ham Radio Comes to TWiT Network

Posted on 15 May 2011 by Bob K0NR

Leo Laporte first caught my attention when he hosted the cable TV show, The Screen Savers, on ZDTV. He has a great way of talking about technology topics, using his own personal knowledge and leveraging his team of bright techies. Recently, he has been focused on creating the TWiT Network, named for the flagship netcast, This Week in Tech. (TWiT calls the shows netcasts, not podcasts.) Leo saw the opportunity that came with the technology shift to streaming audio and video over the internet as an alternative to conventional radio and TV broadcasting.

There are a number of ham radio podcasts out available, although many have struggled to stay current. The phenomenon of podfading is very real, since it is a real challenge to produce interesting content week after week, month after month. See my previous posts on ham radio podcasts here and here.

The TWiT network has been expanding, moving from audio to video technology. Loic Le Meur shot a very interesting video of Leo touring his new studio which is still under construction. This gives a good idea of where Leo is headed with TWiT.

I often wondered whether TWiT would try doing a ham radio netcast. According to this press release, the answer is YES. Leo has tapped Bob Heil, well-known ham radio dude and founder of Heil Sound to lead HamNation. Leo recently interviewed Bob on the Triangulation show. (Watch this video, really good.) Bob Heil is an excellent choice for HamNation—he has the passion and knowledge of a real ham radio enthusiast. His first guest is scheduled to be legendary Joe Walsh, ham radio operator (WB6ACU) and screaming guitar player for the Eagles.

This could be a really good thing for the amateur radio hobby, so I wish them well.

– 73, Bob K0NR

Six Completely Useless Nerd Apps for the iPhone

Posted on 5 May 2011 by Bob K0NR

One of the main uses of an iPhone is to load completely useless apps that you can use to annoy your friends. As a service to the ~~nerd~~ techie community, I have reviewed ~~all available most~~ some of the free (or at least cheap) apps available for the iPhone platform and selected the top six useless but fun apps.

Here they are:

FreqCounter (Author: Tang Peng Lab, Cost: Free) A clever little app that displays the time domain waveform of the phone’s microphone audio, displays the sound level and calculates the frequency of the waveform. This is my favorite of the list.

Sound Check Tone Generator (Author: Joe Voelker, Cost: Free) A simple app that generates audio tones (just sine waves).

Tone Generator Pro (Author: Performance Audio, Cost: $0.99) This is a tone generator that can create sine waves, square waves, triangle waves and sawtooth waveforms. Also does white and pink noise and frequency sweeps.

Nerd Noise (Author: Brian Shumate, Cost: $1.99) This app produces some really important, but of course, useless sounds: computer modem tones, Morse code, RTTY, MFSK, telephone busy signal, dial tone, etc. This is a MUST HAVE for the true techie.

Piano Free (Author: Better Day Wireless, Cost: Free) One of those piano keyboard apps.

Cowbell (Author: CTS MobileSoft, Cost: Free) Makes a cowbell sound. Because you always need “more cowbell”!

Just to be clear, some of these apps might actually be useful. Or maybe not. Your mileage may vary.

– 73, Bob K0NR

Added 6 May 2011:

At no extra charge, I decided to add a 7th app:

SpectraSound (Author: Francois Guilleme, Cost: $1.99) This app shows the time domain waveform from the microphone plus the FFT spectrum of the signal. This is a fun way to look at the frequency content of an audio signal.

NIST Time

Posted on 24 March 2011 by Bob K0NR

The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) recently launched a survey of time/frequency users. See the ARRL announcement here. This is a pretty simple survey asking about how you use WWV, WWVH, time.gov, etc. If you use these services, you should probably fill out the survey.

Along the way, I realized that NIST offers a time widget that can be embedded into a web site. It looks to be very handy and well done, so here it is:

I don’t know if I’ll keep this around or not, but I wanted to see if it would work 🙂

– 73, Bob K0NR

Completing the 2010 Trip Around the Sun

Posted on 31 December 2010 by Bob K0NR

As the year 2010 comes to an end, I feel compelled to write something really insightful and meaningful as we log another trip around the sun. Perhaps some brilliant insights for the coming year? Or predictions of future technology breakthroughs?

Instead, I am writing this.

This is a mishmash of my thoughts about amateur radio at the start of 2011:

Tech License Class: One of the most fun and rewarding ham radio things I did this year was help teach a couple of Technician License Classes. There is nothing like engaging with newbies to the hobby to give you a new perspective on how cool amateur radio really is! I have a great set of teammates that made this class fun and successful: Stu W0STU, Paul AA0K and Joyce K0JJW.
Next Challenge: The challenge we see right now is helping these newly licensed Techs get engaged with amateur radio, so they don’t drop out. My belief is that the Technician License is a beginners permit that only enables a person to get started in the hobby. We are cooking up some fun activities to keep them going.
Public Service: We have a good thing going with the local fire district and the RACES group in our county in terms of real engagement on emergency communications. This is fun, rewarding and a good thing for our local community.
Dayton Hamvention: I am going to skip Dayton (again) this year. Instead, I’ll attend the International Wireless Communications Expo (IWCE), a trade show centered on land mobile and mobile wireless communications. For me, it has an interesting mix of emergency communications, land mobile, data/voice convergence and test & measurement topics. Oh, did I mention that it is in Las Vegas? I suspect that it will be a better venue than Hara Arena 🙂
ICOM IC-9100: I have been patiently waiting for this rig to move from vaporware status to reality. Maybe it will happen this year?
Keep On Writing: I find that writing is good therapy, so I will keep that on the list for 2011. Mostly it will be this blog and the FM column for CQ VHF magazine.
Operating: It seems I don’t actually get on the air as often as I’d like, certainly not for the casual ragchewing QSO. Operating events seem to be a good way for me to get some air time: VHF Contests, Colorado 14er event, Colorado QSO Party, maybe an HF contest or two.
D-STAR: I haven’t been spending much time with D-STAR lately and I want to increase the focus on it. D-STAR falls into that dorking around with new technology category where experimenting with it and learning about it is the main activity. The technology continues to grow in adoption…arguably slow in real terms as the analog modes have such a huge installed base.
APRS: Oddly enough, I have been messing around with APRS again, mostly thinking of it as a tracking tool for hiking and other outdoor activities. Maybe we need to look at bridging APRS with D-STAR location data?

Amateur radio is clearly my #1 hobby interest, and by a wide margin. But it is primarily a hobby (yes, with a public service hook to it…at least for me). It is important to keep it in perspective and not let it turn into another job. I already have one of those.

What are you going to be doing in 2011?

73, Bob K0NR

Podcast Signals and Noise

Posted on 15 March 2010 by Bob K0NR

step1_ipodnano_white I’ve posted before about being a fan of podcasts (those mp3 file “radio shows” that don’t use radio). There are so many decent podcasts out there to choose from, I keep my iPod Touch loaded up with all kinds of mp3 content. Actually, my taste includes topics outside of tech, but that is what I’ll focus on for this blog posting.

One thing I have noticed is that the ham radio podcasts on my mp3 player are getting pushed aside by other tech shows. I think it is driven by the signal-to-noise ratio of the ‘cast. With so many to choose from, I have become less tolerant of rambling commentary, crappy audio and marginal content.

I don’t want to be overly critical, since it takes real work to produce a quality podcast. I have enough trouble keeping up with this blog. I would not be able to do a decent job of an audio podcast and you probably don’t want to hear my voice anyway. (I have a radio face and a CW voice.)

So what am I still listening to these days? Here’s my favorite tech-related podcasts, in rough order of priority:

Amateur Radio Newsline
Buzz Out Loud (CNET)
Cranky Geeks (John C. Dvorak)
This Week in Tech (Leo Laporte)
Slashdot Review (SDR News)
Tech5 (John C. Dvorak)
CNET News Daily Podcast
This Week in Amateur Radio (TWIAR.org)
PC Mag Radio

So the only remaining ham radio ‘casts are Amateur Radio Newsline and TWIAR. AR Newsline is the old standby that I used to listen to on the local 2-Meter repeater, usually interesting and well done. TWIAR has some good content but it often tests my patience with drawn out introductions and weird sound effects. Keep the fast-forward button handy on that one. Slashdot Review sets the standard for “get to the point, say something interesting and move on.” We need more shows like that. CNET News does pretty well, too.

Oh, I should mention Ham Radio Podclass, which I recommend to students studying to pass their next license exam.

I’ll toss in a couple of non-tech wildcards for you to consider:

WNYC’s Radiolab – “Science meets culture”, usually thought-provoking and well-executed
The Moth Podcast – People telling true stories without notes in front of a live audience
Common Sense with Dan Carlin – a fresh, logical approach to politics that generally annoys both Democrats and Republicans

So what are you listening to? Give me some fresh ideas.

73, Bob K0NR