Category: How-To

Winlink-Express – Digirig – Windows ‘How-To’

I have added another document to the N1SPW “How-To” series:
Winlink-Express – Digirig – Windows ‘How-To‘

This one shows you how to build a Winlink-Express client using a Digirig.

I do not follow the masses and use SoundModem software.  I find it to be too complicated to configure for new users, and overkill for what we need. Instead, I show you how to use Direwolf as your TNC.

My “How-To’s” are specifically written for the new Ham and/or non-techies.

Have some fun and build a Winlink-Express client station.

73,
N1SPW

PAT-Winlink – Digirig – Pi ‘How-To’

I have added another document to the N1SPW “How-To” series:
PAT-Winlink – Digirig – Pi ‘How-To’

This one shows you how to build a Raspberry Pi based PAT-Winlink client.
PAT-Winlink is an open source Winlink client that runs in a web browser.

If you follow the steps in this “How-To”, you will have an SDCard that will run on any late model Pi (3/4/5). When the Pi boots, with one mouse click you will have a working Winlink client station.

My “How-To’s” are specifically written for the new Ham and/or non-techies.

Have some fun and build a working Pi Winlink client from scratch.

73,
N1SPW

Winlink–VARA-Digirig-Baofeng BF-F8HP ‘How-To’

I will say it right up front. In this post, I will not engage in any discussion about the ‘value’ of cheap inexpensive imported H/T radios from the other side of the world.  I will say, though, almost every Ham I know will admit they have one (or more) of these radios in their shack.

Just for fun, I decided to see if I could get a Baofeng BF-F8HP H/T to send a Winlink message. This is not ground breaking research – lots of Hams have already done this.

When I figured out how to configure VARA and a Digirig correctly (See my other ‘How-To’s‘), the rest was a snap.

For those of you that want to try it, I have published a detailed ‘How-To’ document on how I got it all working. You can find it here.

It is a real hoot to see these radios send a Winlink message.

73,
N1SPW

Winlink-Vara-DigiRig ‘How-To’

I have received very positive feedback about my Windows 10/11 Digirig ‘How-To’ series. Windows is a beast, and getting everything configured right is tough, especially for non-tech types.

As a follow-up, I published a Winlink-Vara-Digirig ‘How-To’ today. It walks through the process of sending a Winlink message using VARA and Winlink Express. This document has the same level of detail as my previous ‘How-To’s’  including lots of screen-shots.

Hope you find it useful.

73,
N1SPW

Open Field Antenna Mast Mount

In two previous blog posts (Drive-on,  Trailer-Hitch), I shared my heavy duty drive-on, and trailer-hitch antenna mast mount creations. In this post, I want to share a third option, my “Open-Field” mast mount.

There are times when you need to put up a tall antenna mast away from a vehicle. This may be in a park for a POTA activation, or in a remote field as an EMCOMM operator.

Many Hams will stand up a tall antenna mast using long guy wires, connected about 1/2 way up the mast. This setup usually requires two people to put in place. Deploying high/long guy wires is cumbersome, and takes up a lot of space. In most cases, it is not necessary.

Continue reading “Open Field Antenna Mast Mount”

Trailer Hitch Antenna Mast Mount

My heavy duty, “Drive-On”, mast mount is universal. It can be used with any type of vehicle. Those of you that own a vehicle with a trailer hitch, maybe interested in my hack of a trailer hitch flag-pole mount.

I ordered a trailer hitch flag-pole mount from Amazon. These devices are designed to hold a flag-pole. This particular unit has a 2.3″ diameter. I had  a requirement that the size of the pipe had to be larger that 2.25″, due to the large rubber caps on my TN07 telescoping mast.

Without an insert, the flag-pole mount pipe is too large for both my TN07 and DX Commander masts. I discovered a 2″ PVC pipe fits into the flag-pole mount perfectly. The outside diameter of the pipe is 2.3″ (@60 mm). The inside diameter is 2″ (@50 mm).

I cut a length of the 2″ PVC pipe to 36″.  I painted it with Rustoleum paint from a rattle can.

Continue reading “Trailer Hitch Antenna Mast Mount”

Custom Built Drive-On Mast Support

I am a big fan of vertical antennas – especially for POTA activations. Recently, I decided to deploy “Tennessee Walt’s” world-famous EFHW TennTenna (Search Ebay for ‘TennTenna’) on 20M.

The antenna driven element for 20M is about 33′, trimmed to the lowest SWR. This requires a 10M mast to get the wire fully extended.

I own two 10M fiberglass telescoping antenna masts. One from TN07 , and the other from DX Commander in the UK. The TN07 is super heavy-duty and virtually indestructable. The DX Commander is lighter, thinner, but also quite rugged.

One drawback of the TN07 is its use of large rubber caps on each end. The diameter of the caps are 5.5cm (2.2″). This means when the bottom cap is in place, the mast will not fit into a 2″ pipe. The DX Commander uses a threaded cap on the bottom, which does not increase the overall diameter of the mast. It fits into a 2″ pipe.

When I went looking for a “drive-on” flagpole mount to hold my masts, I was surprised at how flimsy most of them are. They were also too short (length-wise), most being about 15″.  This puts the mast dangerously close to the vehicle, which can cause problems in high-wind conditions.

So, I set out to build my own.

Continue reading “Custom Built Drive-On Mast Support”

Introducing the XT-60

In my previous Post – I went on a rant about PowerPoles (PP). It’s true, I do not use them anymore. What am I using instead? The connector that is used in the radio controlled aircraft universe – the XT60.

Electric RC aircraft gobble up huge amounts of current. Andthe con-nection between the motors and the power source must be reliable.

Similar to the universal use of Power Poles in Ham radio, XT60’s are THE connector used in RC models.

There are 3 reasons for this:

    1.  They can handle huge amounts of current
      Although they are rated for 30 amps. These connectors can easily handle twice that amount. In fact, I have seen YouTube videos that show these connectors can handle well over 100 amps for 10 seconds or more.
    2. They are highly resistant to vibration
      This may not be an important requirement for Hams, but it is good to know these connectors are not going to come loose.
    3.  They are more resistant to weather.
       Nobody is going to claim the XT60’s are waterproof. But they have more protection against the elements than a fully exposed PP.

Continue reading “Introducing the XT-60”

Digirig – VARA – Winlink “How-To”

I have completed the testing of my HT’s on 2M with Winlink/VARA/Digirig. They are all capable of sending Emails over the air.

I wrote a detailed document on how to get all the pieces working together.
How-To_Winlink_VARA_Digirig

I hope this saves other Ham’s some time and reduces the frustration level for non-tech’s.

N1SPW