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Hello Paul,
Repeaters are used widely in commercial and public safety (ex. police) applications. A market leader here in the U.S. is Motorola and they offer training in their commercial equipment.. You can see what they offer here –
The course outline might give you some idea of what sort of things you need to learn about.
I hope that this helps.
Hi Peter,
You might check all of the transceiver interface settings in WSJT-X. Make sure you are using “fake-it” and that WSJT-X is configured for the IC-7300 and you are using the CAT interface for PTT. Also, make sure that the Mode setting is set for “Data/Pkt”. You should also be using 8 data bits, one stop bit, and no handshake. Finally, make sure that you are not forcing any of the control lines.
You should also check that you don’t have any other software (loggers, etc.) that is trying to interact with the radio at the same time. The best way to test for this is to stop all programs that might be using the radio EXCEPT for WSJT-X and see if the problem is still there. If it goes away, then you probably have another program trying to manipulate the radio at the same time as WSJT-X.
I hope that this helps.
Hello Luis,
I see that you’ve narrowed your choices to either a Rig Expert or a NanoVNA. I’d like to suggest that you consider how you will use your analyzer the most as you make your final choice. If you are mostly about building electronics on the beach, then the NanoVNA with its two-port capabilities will probably serve you best. It will work great on your bench and it can be used with a computer there to make some pretty advanced circuit measurements.
On the other hand, if you want to use your analyzer to put up, tune, and troubleshoot outdoor antennas, I think the Rig Expert will serve you much better. The Rig Expert is a much more rugged device and its built-in display makes it much more suited for tasks like tuning outdoor antennas, troubleshooting coax cables once they are installed, etc.
Good luck with your projects!
Hello Collin,
Congratulations on your General!
The antenna was a Buckmaster OCF Dipole. It comes in several different versions and power levels. The 80m and 40m versions are good choices. You can learn more about it here. You can order one at DXengineering as well as coax and other odds and ends to put it up. The high-power 80m version along with LMR-400uF coax would be a great combination for your HF station.
We did a Tech Night recently on Simple HF Wire Antennas. You can find it on our Tech Night Page (don’t forget to login first). The Tech Night will give you a little more information on the OCF Dipole as well as lots of good information about how to put up wire antennas.
Fred, AB1OC
Hi Brian,
Sorry to hear that you are having problems. You might want to check the following:
- SteppIR’s are heavy antennas. Your thrust bearing should carry the weight of the antenna and mast; not the rotator itself. If the system is putting downward force on the rotator, this could cause binding and will, at a minimum, likely cause premature rotator failure. We adjust our rotators so that there is about a 1/4″ gap between the bottom of the mast and the rotator top plate or bottom stop when the rotator mast clamps are loose.
- This step will help you to determine where the problem is. First, check to see if the bearing is the thing that is binding. This can happen in a number of different ways. Once you have #1 taken care of, loosen the rotator mast bolts that clamp your mast to the rotator and spin the antenna around to see if it turns smoothly for a full +/- 180 degrees from North. If it does, your problem is in the rotator. If it does not, then your problem is in the thrust bearing. You can also run your rotator lock to lock with the rotator mast clamp bolts loose and confirm that the rotator does not bind up.
- The mast must be centered in the thrust bearing. If it’s not, Binding will occur. The best way to check for this problem is to loosen ONLY the bolts that fasten the thrust bearing to the tower top plate and see if the binding goes away. If this is the problem, first check that your rotator is centered on its mounting plate in the tower. Then check that your thrust bearing is properly centered relative to the rotator and top plate. With these steps done, you’ll need to check that the mast is centered in the thrust bearing. All three of these points must be concentrically aligned with the tower. Make sure that your thrust bearing, not the rotator carries the weight of the mast and antenna.
Good luck solving your problems. If you get a chance, let us know what the problem was here so that others can learn.
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