Configuring eQSL on Ham Radio Deluxe

I had joined eQSL.cc also known as eQSL.net and had manually been sending eQSL cards to contacts I had been making. Then I thought I wonder if it is possible to send them automatically from HRD Logbook. To my surprise it is!!!

To configure it there is a two stage process.

• You need an eQSL account and then make sure you are running HRD Logbook.
• Then go to Tools>Configure>eQSL.cc

You are then presented with a dialog box that you should fill in your Username, Nickname (if you haven't configured that in eQSL leave it blank) and password.
You can put in a QSL message.
Also make sure you check the box Upload every time and entry is added to the logbook,

Automatic uploads to eQSL.cc

Ordinarily you would think that is all you have to do. In practice I found that didn't work and after a little fiddling around found that the 2nd stage of the process is this:

DM780 on 10m

DM780 is the audio module part of Ham Radio Deluxe. It decodes digital modes and morse. It also is used to transmit too. I was playing around with it on 10 metres yesterday and the FT-450D rig was not showing anything on the S meter. I also was listening on the audio feed and couldn't really discern anything. However DM780 was displaying loads of stations on the PSK-31 section of the band around 28.120 MHz

The computer display was showing South American stations (28/04/2015) at around 15:20 UTC. The 10m band was open,
I managed to work a few stations in Argentina and Brazil around 7000 miles away using just 25 Watts into my end fed dipole.

I think this software is astonishing.

EchoLink on IOS

It must be user error on my behalf but when trying to connect to a local VHF repeater in Malta using EchoLink over the internet I can do it from my iPod (yes the music player) but not from an iPad Air. The same version of IOS the same version of app.

More reading of the non existent manual I think or the FAQs on the Echolink website.

Digimodes on the Yaesu FT-450D

This is how the rig is connected to the computer:

• The rear panel has a 6 pin data socket that I have connected to the PC using a custom cable. The cable has 2x 3.5mm jacks and a USB connector (this has a serial port inside) - COM3 but this is not used to control PTT in this implementation. HRD does all the PTT switching via the CAT connector below
• The rear panel also has an RS232 connector for the CAT control (including PTT) that I connected to the PC using another custom cable. This one just has a USB connector with another serial port inside - COM5
• The jacks are fed into a USB sound card. - The transmit I have labelled in Windows as "TX to FT-450D" and receive is labelled "RX from FT-450D"
• I fed the output from the front of the rig (headphone connector) into another sound card using a 3.5mm jack to jack cable - this time a video capture card with audio inputs.

FT-450D set in datamode on 20m ready for PSK-31

Antenna erected and working

The antenna is an end fed dipole (essentially a long wire of 20m with a 9:1 UNUN). I bought this from Martin Lynch Ltd in the UK and it is sold as their Mydel 80-6m end fed dipole (see here).
I also decided to invest in some decent coaxial cable and connectors so bought 25m of Messi and Paoloni Flex 7 cable and their matching Messi and Paoloni PL259 connectors. These are unlike any coax connector I have ever seen before.

Flex7 PL259 plug

Flex7 PL259 innards

The connector part that looks like a top hat slides onto the copper foil covered inner conductor and slides in between the cable sleeve and copper outer sheath. The black piece is actually rubber and the clamping gland compresses this and is supposed to make a hermetic seal. I used some self amalgamating tape over the entire assembly.

1st QSO on PSK-31 using Yaesu FT-450D

I've had Ham Radio Deluxe for a while now and decided to give PSK-31 a tryout.
My HF rig, the Yaesu FT-450D has a data port on the rear. This is connected using a bought cable to a USB sound card. There is also another cable used to connect the CAT interface to the computer via a USB COM port. It sounds complicated but it's not and I will write something about the connections in a later post.
After much configuration I still couldn't get the rig to transmit the audio is was being fed. I listened to output of the sound module to make sure that audio was coming out - it was.
Then I got out my very old FRG-7 receiver and tuned to the 20m frequency I was supposed to be transmitting on.

When transmitting the rig was putting out about 5 watts as I thought on upper side band but it also had a carrier wave that I could distinctly hear. I put out a number of CQs with no response. The waterfall of DM-780 sound module of Ham Radio Deluxe showed the correct waveform. I was mystified.

So I resorted to reading the Yaesu FT-450D manual - we all do that when something doesn't work don't we? Anyway I found the problem. You first of all have to set the rig into a "User Mode". Essentially this instructs the rig what to do when put into datamode. In my case I wanted to transmit audio through the rear socket in upper side band. You have to go into the rig menu by pressing F for 1 second then follow the next sequence:

• rotate the DSP/SEL knob until D Type appears (this is Data Type)
• press the DSP/SEL knob - then menu text flashes and RTTY will probably be selected (it was on mine)
• rotate the DSP/SEL knob until USER-U is selected
• press the DSP/SEL knob -the menu text stops flashing
• press the F key for longer than one second
• Next select the mode you want (USB Data mode) using the mode up or down buttons
• Select the frequency of transmission - in my case 14.070.00 MHz on the 20m band

Then you are all set for transmitting data.

When you set the mode to data mode the rig only takes audio from the data socket and the microphone PTT switch is disabled. The microphone is also disabled so you don't run the risk of transmitting expletives along with the data whilst transmitting - it happens apparently when things get heated in the shack during data transmission mode.

What a fantastic rig the Yaesu FT-450D is - once you have read the manual!

I called CQ again and after 2 minutes my first contact was with a station in Konetspol, Ukraine followed by another station in Lyon, France - 1486 miles m and 588 miles away from G8YPH respectably. Not bad from 5 watts into a long wire partially running through the shack!

Interesting radio related websites

There are lots of useful websites out in web land. Here's a few:

• www.bandplans.com - Have you ever wondered where different modes should be operated, what frequencies to avoid as a courtesy (like SSTV), etc? This site will be the database for the following: 1) known net frequencies, 2) known segments for different modes, 3) known beacons
• www.g4nsj.co.uk - Ray G4NSJ's site - quite a lot of useful information and some humorous stuff too.
• hfradio.org.uk/index.html - G4UCJ's website - Digital modes with screenshots and sound files useful if you want to visualize digital reception