Hi All-

As usually, another newbie question brought to you by AD0AE.  I was just wondering if there are any programs out there that allow one to be able to use their mouse (standard un-tampered USB mouse) as a keyer?   I am mainly curious if a program like this exists where I could do a bit of sending practice.  So just to practice before trying on the air.  I found this MorseKOB program, but on launching it, it didn't seem to quite be what I thought it would be.

73s
Steve
AD0AE

One thing that would be nice about that CNN website is if the format wasn't exclusively for Mac products. I understand that .m3u only works with Itunes.  It would be nice if maybe the format was something that could be opened in Chrome.

Maybe there is a work-around, but I have tried to open this using Rythmbox on ubuntu and got a bunch of garbage.

Hi all-

Thank you all for the responses so far!  I appreciate hearing about this.  When I put the dipole outside of my apartment (to a near-by fence - thin wire invisible type), I was hoping to have a reduction in noise.  The fact of the matter was that it was about the same!  That was disappointing.  And since it is winter I have abandoned the idea for the time being.

I also understand that filtering will merely reduce the bandwidth of the received signal.  And I understand how the mfj 1025/1026 works, in terms of phasing and gaining your noise to reduce it.   

I am hesitant to spend a bunch of money on something which may marginally improve things, at best.  I was more posting to get some feedback about "if this was your situation what would you do?"  I am just trying to brain storm some ideas.

All that being said, JT65 has worked well out of my apartment.  I can say I have racked up around 60-70 QSOs across the country using an indoor loop antenna.  Nothing DX, I have worked coast-to-coast.  I also don't have a ton of time these days anyway, and maybe get 2-3 hours on the weekend if  I am lucky.

I will say one last thing, besides JT65, I can hear CW really well in my apartment.  All the more reason to continue learning it!

Hi All-

This has been something I have been wondering for a while now.  I have heard it said that JT65 and PSK31 are excellent modes to operate because they can "break through" noisy environments.  It is one of those modes you can pick up, even if your noise floor is really high.

Question: Why is that?  How does the mode work in such a way to be able to overcome (or maybe more accurately compensate) for noise?  I am curious what properties and engineering is involved that does that?  I know that with JT65 the long, slow tones have something to do with it, maybe someone could spell it out for me.

I am also wondering if there are any good documents that explain how JT65 works?  I mean to say I am curious how these long slow modes accomplish everything.  Personally, I love the mode, but I think it is black magic.  So I want to see how it works.

That being said, does anyone also have any suggestions for how to deal with people who are 'blasting' on jt65?  By that I mean people transmitting who are so loud that it actually doesn't allow you to hear weaker signals?

73s all
Steve
AD0AE

Hi All-

I have been debating a little bit about what might be a good 'long term option' to the noise problem I am having at my apartment.  Just to give some basics: I have an IC718 using indoor antennas (I live in an apartment and I can't put anything outside- so don't bother suggesting that).  On any day, I have around S9 level noise that I am receiving, along with whatever I am trying to listen to.  It would be nice to knock the noise floor down, if possible.  I can tell you that I have many power lines hanging outside, a power transformer within 50 feet of my transceiver, and many other house/buildings close by(including a retirement home across the street!).  I will also mention, I have tried to put some outdoor antennas outside and the noise is about as bad out there as it is inside.  I will openly admit that having a high noise level has been a benefit at times - particularly that it can 'preselect' some of the people banging away on JT65.  

That being said, I have read a bit about the mfj 1025/1026 noise canceler and also been suggested that getting some SSB or CW filters might be a good way to knock down the noise floor.  

Question: Given that the cost is approximately the same amount, and given that I can probably afford to get one, at some point, in the near future, I am wondering which might be a better option both in the short and long term?  

Are there plans online to make fairly simple, effective, filters for the ic718 that would be easy to install?

 I may be apartment hopping for another year or two depending on where I land a postdoc/how much I get offered/how expensive property is.

73s all
Steve
AD0AE

Hi All-

I just want to thank you all for the awesome suggestions and the input.  I will say that my time on the air is pretty limited, so that is partially why I wanted to ask for a few other things I could do.  I also sit in front of a computer most of the day, so something online makes a lot of sense.  I was mainly asking this for suggestions on how to take things to the next level.

I plan to put some of these ideas into practice, along with trying to send some code in my spare time.  Maybe there is some sort of software package that will help you send code...

Thank you all for the suggestions!

73s,
Steve
AD0AE

Dan, thank you for the response.  I have definitely checked out your website for ideas. I like your spiderpole vertical idea.  I know you put the matching right at the bottom of the antenna in a little dog house type thing, but would an autotuner work?  I have an idea for a possible dual 40/20m groundplane vertical which I may draw up and post.

Also, it was very good to chat with Ethan and you at AGU this year!  Frankly, that was one of the most enjoyable conversations I had all week! 

All-

I have been trying to conjure up some ideas that would employ using a fiberglass rod?  Dipoles, multiple-band dipole, a vertical, an elevated ground plane vertical? 

There are two things I am especially curious about.

1. How do you secure the pole into the ground?  Do you just use a big stake?  Or some sort of holder that is guyed down?  Maybe attaching it to a tripod?

2. If I put a dipole, wouldn't feeding it at the peak of the pole end up causing the pole to bend?  While this may not be a big deal, I would see it being an issue if it was done enough.


I would just like to see or hear about ideas that have worked.

Thanks all!

AD0AE

Hi All-

OK, before I get too deep into this post, I already know what many of you will say,  YES I AGREE YOUR BRAIN IS THE BEST CW DECODER.

Now onto the real question.  What type of decoder has worked well for people?  Software programs?  Some sort of electronics box (MFJ, some sort of kit?)?  I am just curious.  How well do either of these methods work for decoding?

From my apartment, I have played with some of the software decoders and it has been a little bit disappointing.  I think in part because the SNR needs to be pretty high, which doesn't happen easily when I have an S9 noisefloor!  Is that correct? or am I totally off?

As for the "electronics" of decoding, how is that accomplished?  I mean to say that you must have to be able to distinguish between a dah and a dit, which is usually suppose to be 3 times longer.  That being said, it is usually some sort of discriminator circuit or a digital situation, where you can detect a dit as being "high"?  I am curious about that.

Anyway, I would be curious to hear what people have to say.  Having a read out may be handy, provided it doesn't cost an arm and a leg.

AD0AE

Hi All-

My dad always told me he bought a radio when he was much younger that could receive whistlers (VLF style radio).  We never got the radio out as a kid, and in the last year or so he has said that I can have the old radio. 

Over Christmas I looked up the number and found that is a WWII era RBA5 receiver and power supply!  So that is pretty exciting.  I have no idea if it works or how to test anything on it.

So my question is pretty simple: where do I start?  What should I do with it?  I found a manual online for a RBA7, which is close. 

I would just appreciate some helpful advice and places to start.  I am also wondering if there are any safety concerns I should be aware of (charged caps or something).

Thanks all!

Steve
AD0AE

All-

Just was wondering if anyone has any experience or recommendations on the mfj-1025/1026?  I have read a fair amount about them so I understand how they work.  I have fairly bad noise in my apartment.  I am not sure what the sources are.

Has anyone used them within an apartment? 

Thanks all
AD0AE

Hi All-

I recently read WB2WIK's article about CW and really enjoyed it.  Thank you WB2WIK!  I want to take his advice a step further and get some recommendations. 

My story real quick, I am currently in the process of learning morse code at 12 wpm using the Koch Method (JustLearnMorse code freeware).  I am about 2 letters shy of having the whole alphabet done and then it is onto numbers and a few prosigns (SK..etc).  I try to do a 100% copy using the keyboard ( and I am good at typing, so that isn't an issue).  Unfortunately, I probably only practice 5-10 mins a day.  So it is a bit low, but I have been at learning it for over a year now, so I am committed.

After reading the article, it sounds like a better way to copy (perhaps after learning the code?) is to listen and just absorb what is being said.  My question: how can you practice this skill?  I would imagine listening to actual conversations is great, but I still sense I will be trying to copy.  Maybe using programs or other website that send words to copy? 

In this context does slowing down to maybe 5-8 wpm make sense to get the hang of listening and then building up speed?

I am also wondering if people who just listen will occasionally jot things down or "spell out" harder/longer words during real QSOs?  I suppose some of this is just "what works," but you all are the experts, not me!

As a final note, one of the key reasons I want to learn CW is that it is one of the few modes that comes in clear in my apartment which has a ton of noise.  That is reason enough right there! 

Thanks all!

Hi All-

Thanks for the comments back!  For the time being, I will experiment with creating a coax looped multiple times and see if that affects the tuning.  The other thing I am considering doing is attaching the mfj-259 I have to TX jack and trying to find the location on the tuning knob where the reactance is zero, while keeping the "coupling" capacitance at minimum (presumably open). 

I will experiment around.  I just want to minimize having my coax turn into an antenna!

Hi All-

Thank you for the response.  Just to address a few points...

1.  The configuration I was using a few months ago were thin wires that formed an off center dipole.  The wire was #24 (or #22) from radio shack (solid core) that I felt through the screen of my window.  I made effectively an off centered inverted V type dipole.  This was fed through a manual tuner and I tuned it to the usual SWR 1:1 match condition.   This dipole was just on the outside of my building, effectively running along the length of the building.  I tied off the ends by either using some string and tying to a gutter or actually wrapping the wire around the gutter (I know this is probably a horrible idea - but it was meant to be put away rapidly). 

This configuration, while not ideal, still suffered from having a lot of noise.  Some of it I think could be from the apartment.  We have also have a power transformer for the building not more than 50 feet from my operating station.  We may also just be in a noisy environment as well because there are a lot of power poles close by as well.

2. For now, I have had more success using a mag loop antenna indoors.  That has gotten me some modest QSOs, mainly on digital modes.  With it being winter, I am not keen on feeding an antenna outside at the moment.  I am also probably going to be moving fairly soon, so the indoor loops might be "good enough" for now.

3. I have seen some of you guys talk about the mfj 1025,1026, and Timewave ANC-4.  I read a little bit about their operation and it sounds like a pretty neat idea - if you can get it to work.  Would people generally recommend them?  Is there a particular type of noise they are especially well suited for?  I am thinking it might be worth a shot at least.  Given that my antenna for receive and transmit are going to be in the same room, I could see it working potentially.

4. This whole thing raises a new question that I have been wondering about.  Has anyone tried to develop software that could digitally filter out noise?  I am not so much talking about the DSP that is the radio hardware, but more of a software program that would do that?  Kind of like you would feed the audio in and then it would get filtered somehow to clean up the audio?

I only ask because at work I have used Butterworth filter to low pass some of the data that I have been analyzing.  We had high frequency "harmonics" that we wanted to eliminate from our data.  I was just wondering if something similar has been done or could be done?  I'd imagine there are some limitations or issues with these methods.

Thank you for the replies!  I want to direct my reply especially toward AC5UP. 

First, I just want to emphasize that at the moment I cannot have an outdoor antenna.  Period.  So either I operate on an indoor antenna or nothing at all. [I am not going to go into the reasons, but if you want to know them send me a message].  This of course raises its own question about whether to operate or not.

I also agree with you that I do not have the right "to make a decision about how much RF exposure is " OK " for his immediate neighbors a few feet away."

To the point, are there good ways/good rules of thumb(some of which you pointed out) about how close you can be to an antenna if you're at low power?