2 Ounces of Radio - Attempting SOTA with a Mini Pixie Transceiver in a Mint Tin
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- Опубліковано 3 тра 2020
- Here we go again! I brought the latest Mini Pixie out for a spin on a SOTA activation of "Windy Peak" in eastern San Diego county. Is 600 mW enough to get the job done? Let's find out...
- Фільми й анімація
The “it turns on when you open it” thing is cool!
I know! That thing is like a spy radio!
My fridge does that too
AMAZING, Adam!! Your Cool Waving Pixie is almost small enough to be worn as a wrist radio a la "Dick Tracey" ...@600mW proves your EFHW is doing the heavy lifting ...QRP rocks and never ceases to amaze us! Very clever exemplary work and execution!! You da GOAT, Dude! ~~ wGOAT
In testing my Pixie into a Dipole up 28' I reached a webSDR in San Francisco from Mesa AZ (Phoenix)
Wow...watching both sides of the cw qso was the coolest thing I've seen! I do plan on getting in to cw sometime soon! Thank you...de kn4ftt
Wow that’s a beautiful sight. It just shows that as technology improves it allows us Hams to keep innovative solutions coming.
The ultimate QRPp rig! Adam, the way you have that little Pixie mounted inside that little tin with the wire key is just SO cool! Nice work!
Awesome! I'm all for QRP, but would never have considered trying a Pixie for a SOTA activation. Gutsy move - but successful. Proves again and again the importance of a good antenna - regardless of the radio. I heard you on one of the online SDRs, but not directly here in CO. Maybe when condx improve 👍!
Wow! Very impressive, thanks for the video and sharing, because I wouldn't have believed it had I not seen it, including NJ7V reception of you. My whole approach to my SOTA has some new inspirations thanks to this video, thanks! 73, de W7SWA
Very nice Altoids QRPP radio. Thanks for Your video! 73!
I'm impressed you could do that without a side tone. Nice work! 73 de KB1HQS
I know, I was actually surprised at how good my code was when I heard the audio from NJ7V's recording. Muscle memory, I guess.
Impressive location, impressive operating and solid video skills. Great video!
I showed this to my wife. She’s not a ham, but wants your radio :) 73 de KB2IOF
Absolutely amazing idea to have both sides at the same time...love it!
Who needs qro...these are brilliant videos
i think he was running qro!
I just got a pixie QRP with 9 crystals. I am currently learning CW ( signed up with CW academy ) and am about to take my General. But in the mean time the pixie will be helpful to practice sending with a dummy load attached. I could just use my IC-7100 or FT-950. but something about the Pixie seems a little more fun. Hopefully after I get a little more proficient and the weather gets a little more stable here in CO I can do some SOTA activations using the Pixie, and maybe my FT3DR and Aroww II for sat contacts.
Great video! I just subbed and am looking forward to watching your other videos. Keep up the great work!
Woooooooo qrp rocks! Awesome dual vid
Sunspots are getting better, Adam... I'm sure you have lots of fun ahead with the 600mW Pixie.
Wow. You’re amazing the way you can make that tiny key work and copy so well. I’m in my 70s and have a hard time with CW but have made quite a few contacts with my three pixies at home. 73s N9EGT
Brilliant! That certainly looked fun. I’ve had many a similar experience with a 2M yagi and strong winds. 73 Chris M0RSF
Thats crazy and it works. Cool.
amazing!
Absolutely incredible. Well done! 73, Rex KE6MT
Very cool I wanna get a pixie qrp cw radio
Adam, you are an incredible inspiration for me as I begin my HAM journey! Thanks for sharing such a wonderful channel. 73 de KO4AYC
Gordon Miller I’ve been a ham 50 years and I’m inspired! High five!
Well jeez, thank you both! I sure have fun doing it, and that's what counts the most. I also really enjoy sharing with you all. There were others who were similar inspirations to me and I am stoked that I can do the same in return.
I've been a ham for 29 years and I'm inspired too
Excellent
Every time I watch a video like this, I with they would put subtitles of the message for us cw impaired folks.
I do on many of them, check my other videos
I agree
What a brilliant key solution. I just bought one of these pixie kits. But I don't think it fits into a mini Altoids tin. You sure do make this fun and especially interesting. Thanks again for a great video!
Yes, it took a lot of trimming! Once you start evaluating the circuit board you discover there's actually a lot that can be removed. 😁
@@K6ARK brilliant! Well, that’s definitely over my head. Your work is admirable! I was thinking of a similar antenna idea. I have some small ferrite cores coming in an attempt to dry my eyeballs out on your tiny EFHW video!
Send me an email, I have kits that make the build easier, and we can talk ideas.
@@K6ARK right on! Will do! Thanks Adam.
Perfectly!
Ge you do good work Mate. Sound like a postal clerk with the clacker fb job. vk5cz
I need subtitles for the CW part of the video... feeling left out 🙂
simply amazing claude va2sob
Hey... I know NJ7V - Looks like a FUN time - I really wanna learn code.
That antenna is just like the one I need, did you make it? do you have instructions or a video? 😁, I'm scrolling though your videos, but haven't found it yet.
That thing needs a Side tone !
👉😫👈
nice. the share of qso as video.
Very nice ! 73
I saw your other video with the 2.7gram micro pixie. I'd love to have one of either of those! I love the one in the Smalls tin that turns on when you open it! I know how much trouble it is to kit a radio, but maybe you could just put the board on FAR Circuits and publish the BOM and some assembly instructions someday. That'd be a real kick, to have a rig that small!
I'm going to be building the QCX-mini for 40m and a Japanese VN-2002 for 20m, and they're pretty darned small, especially given that each is ~5w. I built a Soda Pop II, but something's flaky in either the filter stage or the PA stage, because I only get 1/4 watt out. That 1/4 watt was STILL heard on RBN halfway across the country (Philadelphia to northern Illinois), so I know it works, but I really want to get that 5w stage working on that rig. It's the only KD1JV radio I have, and I'd like it to work, hi hi!
I just found out about your videos, and they're great! Keep it up as long as they're still fun!
DE NG3P
Thank you for the kind words! The problem with the micro pixie as a kit or just a bare board is that the 0402 size components make for a very difficult build. It's really not possible to assemble them with just a soldering iron. My eyes are pretty darn good, and I still use a magnifying lens, tweezers, solder paste on a needle tip, and a hot air rework station to build them. If someone is truly interested and understands the requirements to assemble one of these, I'd be happy to mail a spare board and send the bill of materials. If that's you, let me know.
@@K6ARK I had the same question. Thanks for answering. 73- KO4FVK
Hello, nice video! I have also bought a similar pixie kit, but I don't know how to make an antenna. Did you use the 7Mhz 50ohm antenna as specified in the kit instructions? If so, how?
See my other videos. I build EHFW antenna for most of my QRO rigs. I also have kits for my antenna matching units now. Check www.k6ark.com and email me if interested.
There are some simple mods which really improve this little kit. Join the Pixie fb group and look in the files section. facebook.com/groups/881071735273852/
The Pixie Max article published in Sprat is particularly helpful.
Is that a kit or something you put together? Very Cool!!
The pixie itself is a kit, but I heavily modified it to make it fit in the Smalls tin. The wire straight key was a simple solution to the problem, and the Auto-on switch in the lid eliminated the difficulty of managing tiny battery connectors.
Is the Orange mast an, " Eagle One " ?
🤔....?
I have been looking for the Mini Pixie Transceiver that you have in your mini tin but no luck in finding it. Do you have a link to where you got yours at?
73's
KI5IUF
Cool video and thanks for showing us how well it can work. SO the question is, where can one get the mini-pixie that you were demonstrating?
Tnx de Arnie W8DU
They aren't available just yet. I need to make some final design tweaks, then I can have some manufactured for sale. Just need to find the free time...
@@K6ARK Thanks for the fast reply! Yes, free time is furtive. GL de Arnie W8DU
Wow
Hi how long is your 40m longwire antenna and the counterpoise? Thank you. 73
A 40 m EFHW is 66 ft long (half a wavelength)
QRP is wonderful. Great stuff. Let the QRO'ers use lots of power and pay a huge electricity bill to achieve the same results.
73, G4GHB.
What's the QRP calling frequency on 10 is it .116 nowadays?
I honestly have no idea. I just find an open spot and call. 🤷♂️
Nice video! How tall is that pole?
The orange one is a 31 foot Jackite pole. It's up about 22 ft in this video... Too much wind!
Do sell them? 🤔
Wat was the maximal range you have got with the pixie?
With this 40m unit, probably about 800 miles. I was able to reach Pennsylvania from San Diego with a 20m version. Right now, nearing the peak of the solar cycle, a 10m or 15m build should easily reach EU or ZL/VK from San Diego, CA.
Which battery you did used?
The battery is a 3s 150 mAh lipo that I assembled myself from individual cells. I charge it with a balance charger.
What portable antenna should I get for 40m?
For a Pixie? Or a different radio?
I'm a big fan of end fed halfwave antennas for portable operations because you don't need any bulky coaxial cable. I always recommend building your own. Www.QRPGuys.com has some good kits, as does KM4ACK but if you're not up for the task, consider a Packtenna antenna.
@@K6ARK well the 49er 7.023 cw.
@@K6ARK are you able to post a link please?
Hi, What was the distance between two radios?
Contacts on the Pixie were between 300 and 1,300 km, including stations in CA, AZ, UT, OR, and WA.
@@K6ARK WOW! Can you tell me the final PA transistor number? And supply voltage? Or exact schematic?
Seems to be pretty noisy, whats all those other sounds? Others talking too?
The Pixie transceiver circuit is so simple that it has very poor filtering. As a result, it received signals from a broad scope of the band, and even outside the band in some cases (broadcast AM, for example).
@@K6ARK Ahh I see, it does sound pretty cool though.
Hard core death metal Qrp
Did you replace any of the final transistors to get any more power out of this?
I am working on my own PCB version of the Pixie with everyone's mods built into it, and I'm calling it the Megapixie. I started a thread on Reddit here but it never really went anywhere. I know one of the mods is to replace a few transistors and get way more power out, but then you probably don't want to be using it in an Altoids tin and would want proper heat dissipation etc.
Even so, a cracking build, and I love the contact switch.
Here's the thread if you want to see where this ended up (a PCB that I haven't fabbed yet) www.reddit.com/r/amateurradio/comments/ft29qx/i_want_to_build_a_megapixie_pcb/
No, this one is just stock. I am familiar with the mod and it certainly works. You can also tweak some of the components in this circuit to get more out of this transistor. thanks for the link!
Cool video 73 de DE2TRF loc jo60el
It's even painful to watch. I mean rolling your finger over a small tin housed TX and tapping a wire as a key. Believe me, you could fix easily a voice transmitter in that tin. A simple 3 transistor SW TX at, say, 7.2 MHz. With SMDs, it could be reduced in size even more. Anyhow, your life, your choice!
Make a video, show us how it's done. Or not. You can choose to be a helpful mentor and inspire others, or you can choose to act like this. Your life, your choice.
@@K6ARK no offence, I'm no mentor material but yes, it'll be an experience, even I could do a silent one. For your information, I've already made the TX I mentioned in my last. If you have an email address, please, do provide me and I'll try to mentor you as best as I can.
What a great video. Very nice to see you making QSO's with hte Pixie, love it. 72 de ON4MGY Nic