Here is the connection diagram showing the connection between the Moencomm GMSK modem and the FC301D radio.
Connection cable plugs required:
FC301: Male D-sub 9 pin
Star*Board: Female D-sub 9 pin
FC301 pin description:
1 = Audio In
2 = Audio Out
3 = PTT
4 = GND
5 = +12V
not used for Moen...
After my first installation (details here) of ID5100 / IC7100 (swappable) in the vehicle I decided to have a HF radio permanently installed. Previously I had to remove the IC-7100 from the shack and put it in the car which was fine for long trips but not so good w...
Continue reading...On this activation I logged contacts on 10, 20 and 40 meters. As I had the necessary battery power (4.2Ah LifePo) and 100W TX power I spent a bit of time working DX on 20mt in the afternoon - unfortunately none of them were SOTA chasers.
This was the first time that I completely drained my batter...
Continue reading...The Friencom FC301 radio provides an RSSI signal output but the manual does not specify the relationship between RX signal strength and the voltage on the RSSI signal output.
I made these measurements by feeding an RF from a signal generator directly into the antenna input of the radio and measuri...
Continue reading...Many Icom radios (e.g.7100) have a connector for automatic tuners such as the Icom AH4. The cable supplied by Icom is of a fixed length (10m) and is not shielded. Icom recommends to use shielded cable for any length greater than 10m.
The cable is nothing special and doesn't...
Continue reading...Update June 2015: This article documents my previous installation - here is an article on my current vehicle installation.
The Icom ID-5100 is a great radio with lots of modern features and a large display. Having used it in the shack for a couple of month the time has come to deploy it in my ve...
Continue reading...The FC301 is a very well priced and simple data radio made by Friendcom in China. With direct access to it's discriminator and 5W RF output it is an ideal candidate for Amateur Radio data projects such as D-Star hotspots and mini repeaters.
The first time I used my FC301D radio in...
Continue reading...Adjusting audio levels for digital modes is a very important component of digital mode setup. On voice transmissions other operators will point it out when there is a problem with your audio but not so on PSK. Is very difficult to pick a modulation problem by listening to the audio, certainly beyond...
Continue reading...A simple RF sampler and demodulator is a handy tool for the shack, in conjunction with an oscilloscope it allows the operator to keep an eye on the station output.
Here is a simple circuit which provides a an RF sample output and a Demod output:
Watch thi...
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