W5EHS

I have been dragging my feet on my microwave project. The first conversion board is on hand (28MHz - 144MHz) but haven't started assembly. Still gathering other components such as a power supply and a case for the master 10MHz stable oscillator.

A good excuse has been my workshop workspace has been occupied with doing lost wax detail finish work. A bit lame for an excuse, but it would mean stop doing that work until I finish the conversion board. Now considering creating a new electronic workbench space here in my home office where I am closer to the ham shack equipment. Yet another sub-project. My plan is to enjoy the process until I reach the goal.

The local NTMS crew has been busy doing microwave stuff. I am on the mailing list so privy to the conversation stream. Recent concerns with a few of the MW beacons being off the air. Trips to the sites going on, etc. Makes me anxious to have something up that I can go listen for them.

Wow! Time is flying. Christmas day today. Merry Christmas to all.

Sitting here juat now, looking at construction projects piling up around the shack. So much to be doing. But it is the holiday season and family activities are highest on the list. That is as it should be. Feeling very thankful for all my blessings and things to do. I could be far worse off.

I have been working on my silver jewellery work rather than radio projects. Doing the handwork carving wax and especially using my CAD/CAM software and designing jewellery to be made on my CNC micro-mill. A lot of my work is displayed here: http://kautzcraft.com/index.php/silverwork.

The machine tools used for wax carving can also cut just about any type of metal. I am considering making some of the parts and pieces for my microwave antennas and feed horns when I get to that point. Just because I can.

So, I am enjoying the holiday season for now but looking forward to a busy winter season in my cosy shop making anything my mind can conger. 73

First Impressions

It was only a 10 day trip from China for this 10MHz frequency standard to arrive at my station. It looks like the pictures on EBay and has four standoffs on the circuit board for mounting into an enclosure. The BNC connectors also have the necessary hardware for mounting through a sidewall. The circuit board layout is substantially different in the details than shown on Ebay. They layout seems to be flipped. That means there are more than one layout or version, but this is not a concern of mine. Just an observation.

All in all a very impressive looking piece of electronic hardware. This is a first look impression. The real proof is of course in performance. 

It will be awhile before I can rig up a test. Perhaps one of the clan members at NTMS can help with frequency and calibration tests. ha! From what I have seen, there are folks that love doing that.

There are no data sheets or other instructions provided with the delivery. Here is a datasheet I discovered just for the TCO-6920A Xtal dual oven. TCO-6920A.pdf

I assume from the EBay photos there is a built in splitter for the two outputs. I also assume a termination load may be required if using just one output. I see what appears to be voltage regulators on the PC board but I further assume something more stable than a wall wart will be needed for the power supply ( 12 or 15 volt). Hmm... that's a lot of assumptions! :)