Following the success of the 4-position antenna switch, I decided to revisit my old two-antenna switch project, which I had also built using relays, but “in the air” with solid copper wire. Since I wanted to use the same 10×10 metal enclosure (the type commonly used in electrical installations), I had to take some measurements of the cover, which has a provision for the grounding screw that was interfering with the PCB.
Author: IU1LCU
PCBWay: From Design to PCB Manufacturing
When developing an electronic project, sooner or later the time comes to move from a prototype to a real printed circuit board. Today, this step has become much easier thanks to online PCB manufacturing services. Among these is PCBWay, a company specialized in printed circuit board manufacturing and electronic assembly. The service allows you to start from the Gerber files generated by your design software and reach the production of the finished board, even for relatively small quantities.
4×1 Antenna Switch: Final Product
After the first tests on the PCBs for the 4×1 antenna switch, I started the actual construction using a metal enclosure to house everything. After a lot of work with the drill press to make all the holes needed to mount the connectors, I built a solid and robust antenna switch.
4×1 Antenna Switch PCB
While browsing through my fantastic AliExpress, I came across a very interesting DIY kit: a remote switch for 4 antennas. The price of only the PCB with the relays is around 25/30€ (it is also possible to buy the controller or the SO239 connectors separately).
Remote Audio Switch
As part of my ongoing dream of one day being able to operate two radios simultaneously (SO2R), I built a new type of audio switch. In my previous project, switching had to be done manually using switches; with this one, I can simplify operation and keep my hands free for writing.
PTT Box for Icom IC-7610
At my radio club, after selling several older transceivers, we managed to purchase two Icom IC-7610 units to upgrade our radio room. Even though they already have an output for connecting a linear amplifier, we decided to build two relay boxes (similar to the previous one made for the FT710) in order to control older amplifiers while protecting and isolating the radio’s PTT output.
PTT Box for Yaesu FT710
I will soon be purchasing my first HF radio from Yaesu (an FT-710) and, since I like building automation systems for my radio station, I needed to bring out the PTT control signals from the rear connectors (both input for putting the radio into transmit, and output for controlling an amplifier and other accessories).
PTT su USB/COM con QARtest by IZ1JII
During some contests carried out with my colleagues from the A.R.I. IQ1LA section, the need emerged to use the interlock function of QARTest, useful in those contests where, depending on the selected category, only one signal at a time can be on air, with the need to enable the interlock function that inhibits the possibility of transmitting from the stations connected to the network when one of them is transmitting and therefore with the PTT activated.
Passive audio mixer
I purchased some time ago on AliExpress a small passive audio mixer, necessary for my radio amateur activities and various experiments. Curious about how it was made, I did a bit of reverse engineering to derive its schematic.
Clublog Livestream with QARtest
The clublog livestream is a system that displays a radio station's activity (DXpedition or otherwise) in real time, indicating which bands and modes are active and the logged QSOs, to ensure you've been successful. In this screenshot, I show J51A's real-time activity. However, you can't see […]