R J Carpenter wrote:

"Ian White, G3SEK" wrote in message
...
Gregg wrote:
Behold, Tim Wescott signalled from keyed 4-1000A filament:
There's just not enough VHF homebrew out there!

IMHO, we can thank that no-code licence that restricts you to
commercially-made equipment for this.


There is actually a lot of HB associated with VHF, but the effort just
doesn't happen to go into building QRP transceivers.

Code proficiency is totally irrelevant to that. Some of this country's
most advanced VHF homebrewers have held a no-code licence for over 30
years. The same is true in Germany, France and several other European
countries.

Ah, but according to his URL Greg is in Canada, where IIRC the no-code
licence does NOT allow homebrew transmitters.

But code proficiency still doesn't come into it, at all.

--
73 from Ian G3SEK 'In Practice' columnist for RadCom (RSGB)
http://www.ifwtech.co.uk/g3sek

Alex wrote:

I have had a good search around but couln't find what i was after, has
anyone come across any information about 6m homebrew or could someone point
me in the right direction web site wise

many thanks






Not strictly home brew - but Ten-Tec offers a transverter kit
for 20 meteres to 6 meters. The kit is readily and easily
modifiable for 10 meters to 6 meters - I did it, as have others.
And there are 10 meter all mode radios at hamfests typically
about 125 - 150 bucks. I got one that was broken for $50 -
all it needed was an electrolytic capacitor.

And, the fact that in Canada one cannot use home made transmitters until
they pass the advanced test likely is not a significant factor here.
Canada
is a small country, and over the years there's rarely been technical
material
published in the few Canadian ham publications. So we look to the US and
the UK for technical material, and they don't have such limits on what
one can build.
==============================
In the UK a Foundation Licensee (entry level) is not permitted to operate a
homebrew transmitter except when it is an approved kit.
This means he/she can not build and operate a transmitter from a published
design with bought components ,but is allowed to build a transmitter with
design and all components supplied by a reputable 'kit-house'.
As so often with this type of rules ,proper policing is hardly possible .

Frank GM0CSZ / KN6WH

"Ian White, G3SEK" wrote in message
...
R J Carpenter wrote:

"Ian White, G3SEK" wrote in message
...
Gregg wrote:
Behold, Tim Wescott signalled from keyed 4-1000A filament:
There's just not enough VHF homebrew out there!

IMHO, we can thank that no-code licence that restricts you to
commercially-made equipment for this.


There is actually a lot of HB associated with VHF, but the effort just
doesn't happen to go into building QRP transceivers.

Code proficiency is totally irrelevant to that. Some of this country's
most advanced VHF homebrewers have held a no-code licence for over 30
years. The same is true in Germany, France and several other European
countries.

Ah, but according to his URL Greg is in Canada, where IIRC the no-code
licence does NOT allow homebrew transmitters.

But code proficiency still doesn't come into it, at all.


Yes and no. Agreed, code proficiency is not related to the ABILITY to do
homebrew.

If, as I think is true , the authorities (Canadian) forbid you to use a
homebrew transmitter with a no-code licence, it is wrong to say that code
proficiency doesn't come into it. OK, you could build the transmitter, but
it would be illegal to use it. As an aside, I wonder what happens to a US
no-code ham with a homebrew transmitter who operates in Canada....

73 de bob w3otc

"R J Carpenter" ) writes:
"Ian White, G3SEK" wrote in message
...
R J Carpenter wrote:

"Ian White, G3SEK" wrote in message
...
Gregg wrote:
Behold, Tim Wescott signalled from keyed 4-1000A filament:
There's just not enough VHF homebrew out there!

IMHO, we can thank that no-code licence that restricts you to
commercially-made equipment for this.


There is actually a lot of HB associated with VHF, but the effort just
doesn't happen to go into building QRP transceivers.

Code proficiency is totally irrelevant to that. Some of this country's
most advanced VHF homebrewers have held a no-code licence for over 30
years. The same is true in Germany, France and several other European
countries.

Ah, but according to his URL Greg is in Canada, where IIRC the no-code
licence does NOT allow homebrew transmitters.

But code proficiency still doesn't come into it, at all.


Yes and no. Agreed, code proficiency is not related to the ABILITY to do
homebrew.

If, as I think is true , the authorities (Canadian) forbid you to use a
homebrew transmitter with a no-code licence, it is wrong to say that code
proficiency doesn't come into it. OK, you could build the transmitter, but
it would be illegal to use it. As an aside, I wonder what happens to a US
no-code ham with a homebrew transmitter who operates in Canada....

73 de bob w3otc


No, code has nothing to do with it.

It's the written test that determines whether or not someone can build their
own transmitter, or rather use it.

Up till 1990, there were two licenses, amateur and advanced, and each had
a code test. (Oh, there was also the digital license, introduced in 1978,
that required no code test, but was limited to only some VHF/UHF bands,
and the focus was for digital work. It barely got noticed after it was
introduced.) But then restructuring came along. The code test was spun
out, and the test for the entry level license was apparently simplified.
I've never really seen the new test, but the whole point of the
restructuring was to make it easier for newcomers to the hobby. And for
the basic license, it was decided that few were interested in building,
so there was no sense making the test to deal with such details. The tradeoff
was that you cannot use a home made transmitter with that license.

The advanced test allows for building transmitters, and higher power (a
kilowatt instead of 250W), and I think it is needed to run a repeater.

The code test was not required for either license, but then you could not
operate below 30MHz. Hence, you could have an advanced license, but not
have passed the code test, and the result was you'd have full priviliges,
but only above 30MHz.

There were two levels of code test. 5wpm got you full privileges below
4MHz, ie 160 and 80 metres, but nothing else at HF. (I think that may have
been changed, for more HF useage, but I can't remember.)

The 12wpm code test gave in effect full priviliges, minus the bits the
advanced test allowed.

So it was rather a mix and match system.

Michael VE2BVW

Tim Wescott wrote in message ...
Alex wrote:
I have had a good search around but couln't find what i was after, has
anyone come across any information about 6m homebrew or could someone point
me in the right direction web site wise

many thanks




There's just not enough VHF homebrew out there! Particularly since
there's all sorts of wireless semiconductors that cover VHF at their
absolute lower limit (we won't get into why there's no UHF homebrew
given that's where all the wireless chips are).

"QRP Classics" has a little bit of 6 meter stuff, as does "Solid-State
Design for the Radio Amateur", but I haven't seen much any where else.

Try Experimental Methods in RF Design. The ARRL position
it as the de facto 2nd edition of Solid State Design for the
Radio Amateur. I'm inclined to agree...there is tons of
stuff out there (my own library is growing steadily), but
people constantly complain of never being able to find
anything. I'm not sure where the disonnect is...

Reminds me of a conference I went to last year, where a
fellow walked by me with a copy of EMRFD under his arm.
I commented what a neat book it was, and when he turned
around I saw his name badge: "Rick KK7B".

Laura Halliday VE7LDH "Que les nuages soient notre
Grid: CN89mg pied a terre..."
ICBM: 49 16.05 N 122 56.92 W - Hospital/Shafte

Tim Wescott wrote in message ...
Alex wrote:
I have had a good search around but couln't find what i was after, has
anyone come across any information about 6m homebrew or could someone point
me in the right direction web site wise

many thanks




There's just not enough VHF homebrew out there! Particularly since
there's all sorts of wireless semiconductors that cover VHF at their
absolute lower limit (we won't get into why there's no UHF homebrew
given that's where all the wireless chips are).

"QRP Classics" has a little bit of 6 meter stuff, as does "Solid-State
Design for the Radio Amateur", but I haven't seen much any where else.

Try Experimental Methods in RF Design. The ARRL position
it as the de facto 2nd edition of Solid State Design for the
Radio Amateur. I'm inclined to agree...there is tons of
stuff out there (my own library is growing steadily), but
people constantly complain of never being able to find
anything. I'm not sure where the disonnect is...

Reminds me of a conference I went to last year, where a
fellow walked by me with a copy of EMRFD under his arm.
I commented what a neat book it was, and when he turned
around I saw his name badge: "Rick KK7B".

In 2004 the obvious solution is a nice and stable LO
(easy), an I/Q baseband up/down-converter (ditto), and
some DSP code (also easy).

Laura Halliday VE7LDH "Que les nuages soient notre
Grid: CN89mg pied a terre..."
ICBM: 49 16.05 N 122 56.92 W - Hospital/Shafte

Behold, Tim Wescott signalled from keyed 4-1000A filament:

Gregg wrote:

Behold, Tim Wescott signalled from keyed 4-1000A filament:


Alex wrote:

I have had a good search around but couln't find what i was after, has
anyone come across any information about 6m homebrew or could someone
point me in the right direction web site wise

many thanks





There's just not enough VHF homebrew out there!


IMHO, we can thank that no-code licence that restricts you to
commercially-made equipment for this.

rant
Our respective IC and FCC want all V/UHF HAM's to be glorified CB'ers
/rant


Now, without spending five hours of quality time with my local FCC rule
book, which could be more profitably spent working on the 6 meter R/C
receiver that I've got cooking, I can't say for sure that you're wrong.

But if you were here I _would_ bet you money (which I never do) that the
no code license does _not_ restrict you to commercially-made equipment
-- you're supposed to know your own limits, but with them you can go
like gangbusters. Can you point to a specific rule that shows that I'm
wrong?

As near as I can tell the vast majority of folk with a no-code tech
license are either disinclined or unable to build their own stuff, but
not forbidden -- which is worth it's own rant.


Yeah, that *is* worth it's own rant.

However, when I went to go for my no-code class licence here (Canada), I
was told:

- without my 5WPM, I was restricted to:

1) 50MHz and above and
2) commercially made equipment

*shrug*

Sometimes, I wish I didn't let my VE4 lapse, which I did because of the
HAM attitudes in Winnipeg in 1982 when I did let it lapse. But now I do
see a use for it because I would love to help pioneer
experimentation....something sorely lacking in many new HAM's because
they can for easier/cheaper/less bother go to the store and buy an
antenna, rig, coax and for an extra $50, have someone install the lot for
you.

*sigh*


--
Gregg
*It's probably useful, even if it can't be SPICE'd*
http://geek.scorpiorising.ca

Behold, Michael Black signalled from keyed 4-1000A filament:

Gregg ) writes:
Behold, Tim Wescott signalled from keyed 4-1000A filament:

Alex wrote:
I have had a good search around but couln't find what i was after,
has anyone come across any information about 6m homebrew or could
someone point me in the right direction web site wise

many thanks




There's just not enough VHF homebrew out there!

IMHO, we can thank that no-code licence that restricts you to
commercially-made equipment for this.

rant
Our respective IC and FCC want all V/UHF HAM's to be glorified CB'ers
/rant

Your "rant" would make more sense if you'd stated that you were here in
Canada. Most of the world won't have a clue what you are talking
abnout.

And, the fact that in Canada one cannot use home made transmitters until
they pass the advanced test likely is not a significant factor here.
Canada is a small country, and over the years there's rarely been
technical material published in the few Canadian ham publications. So
we look to the US and the UK for technical material, and they don't have
such limits on what one can build.

Michael VE2BVW

Hi Michael,

I wish our leaders would get off their fat, beaurocratic butts and
actually *lead* in the area of communications again.

I say *again*, because we were "t3h pwnz0r" the US and UK until the
mid-60's, in the electronics field.

As for publications, yes, the US and UK do lead. As much as I hate the
ARRL's politics and attitude towards many policies, I have ARRL
publications and they are my bible :-)

--
Gregg
*It's probably useful, even if it can't be SPICE'd*
http://geek.scorpiorising.ca

Behold, Ian White, G3SEK signalled from keyed 4-1000A filament:

Gregg wrote:
Behold, Tim Wescott signalled from keyed 4-1000A filament:
There's just not enough VHF homebrew out there!

IMHO, we can thank that no-code licence that restricts you to
commercially-made equipment for this.


There is actually a lot of HB associated with VHF, but the effort just
doesn't happen to go into building QRP transceivers.

Too bad. HAM's were the communications pioneers, even the military used
them for R&D. Now with digital and satellites and stuff, who needs QRP?
Who really needs the HAM anymore?

Funny thing is, CB'ers regularily communicate globally with 4W AM, 12PEP
SSB and more R&D has been spent on "skip" antennas and other QRP aides for
CB, rather than HAM :-(

HELLLLLOOOOOOO! One does not need 2KW DC on a plate(s) to talk worldwide
on 21, 24 & 28 MHz.

I've been almost tempted to petition IC for a special "QRP" class
certificate "no-code" HF licence - the user *must* use homebrew equipment
and *must* keep DC input to the final at 5W or less. The catch is the regs
& theory the person must pass be at the advanced level.

Good Idea? No?

Code proficiency is totally irrelevant to that. Some of this country's
most advanced VHF homebrewers have held a no-code licence for over 30
years. The same is true in Germany, France and several other European
countries.

I have listened to 2 meter communications in BC and Manitoba for 25 years
and other than repeater ID's, I have yet to hear one QSO or even a call in
CW :-/

--
Gregg
*It's probably useful, even if it can't be SPICE'd*
http://geek.scorpiorising.ca