by Tony | Feb 22, 2021 | Amateur Radio, Projects
A while back, I built a cable to power 12V devices (in my case a Kenwood TH-D74 HT) using the QuickCharge standard available in some USB power adapters. This allowed me to use a USB charger to charge my HT rather than bringing a dedicated wall wart which helped save...
by Tony | Jul 22, 2020 | Amateur Radio, Projects, Satellites
I’m a big fan of the Arrow Antenna for satellite operations for its good performance and portability, but one issue that pops up is the constant need to tighten the elements. I leave my Arrow assembled in the back seat of my Honda Accord, so it loosens up on its...
by Tony | May 17, 2020 | Amateur Radio, Projects, Satellites
8/22/2025 UPDATE: I have had some discussions with ARRL about this rule for VUCC. In short, the intent of the rule is a 200km diameter circle enclosing all locations used toward VUCC rather than no two locations being farther than 200km apart. It is possible to meet...
by Tony | Apr 5, 2020 | Flying, Projects
When I was still in graduate school a few years ago, my office was in the center of a building which meant no windows and no way to quickly see the weather outside. This motivated me to make a project that would display the current weather on my desk. Being a pilot, I...
by Tony | Mar 24, 2020 | Projects
I originally made this intervalometer to photograph the 2017 total solar eclipse. I wanted to make a portable and simple intervalometer out of parts I had laying around. I had a small enclosure with a front panel cut out for a keypad, LED, and switch from an old...
by Tony | Mar 15, 2020 | Projects, Satellites, Uncategorized
Although I really like the Kenwood TH-D74 for its long list of features, being an HT, the user interface is not well suited to satellite operations. In particular, for linear satellites where I may need to continuously vary the tuning throughout the pass, it is tough...