The pdf of the Yagi-Uda presentation at the Feb 2020 meeting is at
https://w1sye.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/YAGIpresentation.pdf
Category Archives: Hands-on Radio
Another Successful Hands-on Radio Event: VNAs
Last night, Paul K1YBE held another Hands-on Radio Event; a workshop on the nanoVNA ($50 to $80 VNA claiming 0 to 900 MHz a 0 to 900 MHz range). After an introduction, the attendees broke into several small groups to work on installing the software, calibrating their VNAs, and using them to measure some different antennas.
Hands-On Radio Event #7: Using a VNA October 21st
Our Seventh Hands-on Radio event will be held on October 21st, at All Saints STEAM Academy (915 W Main Rd, Middletown, RI 02842) beginning at 6:30 PM.
A new club interest group with the $50ish NanoVNA and other RF analyzers has requested K1YBE (k1ybe@yahoo.com) organize some hands-on experience with Vector (more than SWR) measurements of RF circuits and antennas.
Nice Turnout at the Oct 7 Soldering Class
Paul K1YBE setup our Sixth Hands-On Radio Event last night and it was a great success. There were 21 people present and enough helpers on hand so that there were 1 to 2 students at each table with a mentor.
The objective of the class was to practice basic soldering skills by soldering some resistors and ICs onto a prototype PCB, then to test a series LED resistor circuit. That took about an hour to complete. The remainder of the class, which wrapped up about 9:30 PM, involved assembling a Offset Mixer Attenuation board used for RDFing. Most of these were completed and many were tested and found to be working. The students had an opportunity to desolder components as the PCB had a silk-screen error that lead to a LED being installed backward.
As one might expect the age of some of the soldering equipment, and the solder itself lead to some issues. Good, clean tools, and recognizing that solder has a shelf life (the rosin goes bad over time – 3 years per the manufacturer), was a valuable lesson.
Students and mentors at work assembling the Attenuator PCB (Mark and Mary in the foreground)
Many thanks to All Saints STEAM Academy for allowing them to use their facilities and to their Science and Math teacher Dr Mike Thombs, W9DAD (also a NCRC member).
Hands On Radio Event: SDR Workshop May 30th
NCRC is holding its fourth Hands On Radio event on May 30th from 6 PM to 8 PM at All Saints STEAM Academy, 915 W Main RD, Middletown RI
This event will focus on how inexpensive USB software-defined radio dongles (<$30) can be coupled with Matlab Simulink software running on a PC to demodulate various radio signals.
See more information and register on the Hands On Radio tab