tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-64745367084223503862024-03-18T23:53:23.732-04:00Life @ RIT As A Double ELife here at Rochester Institute of Technology. Documenting current events, interests, and activities of an Electrical Engineering student involved in numerous activities. I also will document projects and activities relating to amateur radio as well as electronics.KB1LQChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05417244730231023017noreply@blogger.comBlogger41125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6474536708422350386.post-13506233792700792022009-09-30T21:47:00.003-04:002009-09-30T21:59:07.857-04:00CollegeARC Reaches 1 Month MarkWell <a href="http://www.collegearc.com">www.CollegeARC.com </a>the College Amateur Radio Club Association is one month old! We have learned a lot about starting a community, it's been one heck of a ride to say the least. Slowly but surely the website is taking form and people are signing up. We now have roughly 47 users and a core group of people who are on almost daily. CollegeARC receives about 100 unique IP address visitors and roughly 400 page views daily. Not bad for the first month.<br /><br />Recently the <a href="http://www.collegearc.com/index.php?option=com_sectionex&view=category&id=8&Itemid=66">featured article list</a> was updated to a MUCH better looking let alone the improvement in usability. One problem that has absolutely been a pain to try and fix is SEO or Search Engine Optimization. Using the core Joomla 1.5 SEO with the Search Engine Friendly (SEF) links causes the user to not be able to login or logout (if already logged in when activated). I have the .htaccess file modified and played around with commenting the RewrightBase / line. Any suggestions would be VERY VERY VERY appreciated.<br /><br /><br /><br /><br />Bryce Salmi KB1LQC<br /><a href="http://www.collegearc.com">www.CollegeARC.com</a>KB1LQChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05417244730231023017noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6474536708422350386.post-25688042110381135822009-09-01T22:58:00.002-04:002009-09-01T23:39:40.888-04:00Beginning Satellite OperationsCollegeARC.com shows the beginner how they can get involved<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.collegearc.com/components/com_joomgallery/img_pictures/member_photos_13/satellites_23/brycewitharrowso-50_20090816_1452902910.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="http://www.collegearc.com/components/com_joomgallery/img_pictures/member_photos_13/satellites_23/brycewitharrowso-50_20090816_1452902910.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a> with amateur radio satellites in the article <a href="http://www.collegearc.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=130:amateur-satellite-communications&catid=56:what-can-techs-do&Itemid=66">Amateur Satellite Operations</a>. Check it out to learn how easy it is to work low earth orbit satellite with as little as an hand-held radio or similar equipment and only a technician class license. I have made contacts from Massachusetts to Georgia on only my Yeasu VX-8R and an Arrow antenna with 5 watts of power, give it a try!KB1LQChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05417244730231023017noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6474536708422350386.post-77637495345933038532009-08-30T13:47:00.004-04:002009-08-30T21:22:29.649-04:00CollegeARC.comCollegeARC.com is experiencing a lot of interest and it continues to get busier! We quite literally DOUBLED our bandwidth in 12 hours (Cool!). A few new updates to announce<br /><ul><li>Posting articles is currently disabled due to a small bug that is being fixed</li><li>Comments work fine now</li><li>Registration works great</li><li>follow us on Twitter at <a href="https://twitter.com/collegearc">twitter.com/CollegeARC</a></li></ul>Please share the website and let as many people as possible know about it! The success of the website is up to those who are involved with it. We hope you you share some of the enthusiasm for spreading Amateur Radio (ham) and inspiring younger people to enjoy the hobby!KB1LQChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05417244730231023017noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6474536708422350386.post-20460094005430375342009-08-29T00:26:00.004-04:002009-08-29T00:29:21.217-04:00CollegeARC.com to Debute Sunday August 30th!CollegeARC.com will be debuting Sunday August 30, 2009 at midnight EST. This is 0400 UTC and can be thought of at Saturday night/Sunday Morning. We hope all who are interested can visit and help make this site a success by influencing college radio clubs to become active and grow!<input id="gwProxy" type="hidden"><!--Session data--><input onclick="jsCall();" id="jsProxy" type="hidden"><div id="refHTML"></div>KB1LQChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05417244730231023017noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6474536708422350386.post-10111818978448711212009-08-11T23:36:00.002-04:002009-08-11T23:52:14.411-04:00Quality Space Antennas Take A While To BuildSo as a result of building the Turnstile Moxon Rectangle antenna for satellite operations I have learned that constructing a well-built antenna takes a LONG time. I am currently having issues tuning the phasing stub of the 70cm Moxon rectangle. I found I needed to cut the driven elements down about 1 inch due to the center PVC spacing and the end bent portions of the elements were longer than they were supposed to be. A few more hours playing around with the antenna getting the right adjustments should be enough to finish the main part of tuning. Phasing and matching stub lengths truly are crucial to this satellite antenna. The article describing the construction in detail of this antenna will be hosted on <a href="http://www.CollegeARC.com">www.CollegeARC.com</a>.KB1LQChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05417244730231023017noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6474536708422350386.post-24039976316797917572009-08-09T21:32:00.003-04:002009-08-09T21:43:22.666-04:00Turnstile Moxon RectangleHere are some pictures of my turnstile moxon rectangle satellite antenna that I am building.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://people.rit.edu/bts2637/images/antennas/2melementcut.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 1080px; height: 720px;" src="http://people.rit.edu/bts2637/images/antennas/2melementcut.JPG" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://people.rit.edu/bts2637/images/antennas/2melementfile.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 1080px; height: 720px;" src="http://people.rit.edu/bts2637/images/antennas/2melementfile.JPG" alt="" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://people.rit.edu/bts2637/images/antennas/2mreflector1.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 707px; height: 1080px;" src="http://people.rit.edu/bts2637/images/antennas/2mreflector1.JPG" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://people.rit.edu/bts2637/images/antennas/2mturnstilemoxonrectangle.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 1080px; height: 720px;" src="http://people.rit.edu/bts2637/images/antennas/2mturnstilemoxonrectangle.JPG" alt="" border="0" /></a><br />Thats just the 2m antenna, I will be writing up a larger more in depth article on <a href="http://www.collgearc.com/">www.collegearc.com</a> in the near future.<input id="gwProxy" type="hidden"><!--Session data--><input onclick="jsCall();" id="jsProxy" type="hidden"><div id="refHTML"></div>KB1LQChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05417244730231023017noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6474536708422350386.post-25043420562916956052009-08-03T23:09:00.006-04:002009-08-03T23:40:08.586-04:00TubeSat from Interorbital Systems<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.interorbital.com/images/Tubesat%20%20solar%20cells%20antenna%20earth%20background%20assembly%20Heading%201.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 438px; height: 274px;" src="http://www.interorbital.com/images/Tubesat%20%20solar%20cells%20antenna%20earth%20background%20assembly%20Heading%201.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br />It looks as though <a href="http://interorbital.com/">Interorbital Systems</a> is attempting to make their way into the personal space market. They have released a "<a href="http://interorbital.com/TubeSat_1.htm">TubeSat Personal Satellite Kit</a>" on their website. As an alternative to the popular CubeSat, which many experimental amateur radio satellites have been constructed in, the main difference is that the price of launch seems to be included in the costs of the kit.<br /><br />Apparently the satellites will be placed into a self decaying orbit around 310km above the Earths surface and stay in orbit for several weeks. They will then burn up in the earths atmosphere. The first launch is planned for the fourth quarter of 2010. The company gives possibly ideas for use as simple "HAM radio" satellites among a host of possible uses.<br /><br />Interorbital Systems plans to launch 32 TubeSats per month on their Neptune 30 rocket. They will be released according to a reprogrammed timing sequence which prevents the satellites from clustering too close together.<br /><br />This seems pretty neat but if you spend a few minutes on the website, there are plans to launch a manned orbital flight in 2010 on their Neptune 4000 rocket. Problem is, the Neptune 4000 rocket hasn't been built yet nor has the Neptune 30! They are still under development. More information can be found at the <a href="http://interorbital.com/Neptune%20Modular%20Page_1.htm">Interorbital Systems modular rocket</a> page. Judge for yourself but I don't think I would trust that close of a deadline. Also, the ticket into space is offered at a discounted price of $250,000 dollers as compared to $5 million for the normal ticket. There is a full refund two years after the flight as a promotion. Personally, this sounds too good to be true. Why two years? Enough for the company to fall through?<br /><br />While the $8,000 personal satellite sounds awesome it might be a better sell if they actually put the rocket into space first to prove they can do it. For now it seems like a start up space program in the Mojave Desert. It will be interesting to see what this company does in the next few years. If they TubeSat PS kits work then I think that it will be a huge success, especially with Universities!KB1LQChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05417244730231023017noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6474536708422350386.post-79568096635383682022009-08-01T20:36:00.002-04:002009-08-01T20:38:48.018-04:00Hustler 5BTV Antenna SeriesA collection of my posts documenting installation and tuning of the Hustler 5BTV Antenna by the New-Tronics Corporation:<br /><ol><li><a href="http://bts2637.blogspot.com/2009/07/dx-engineering-hustler-4btv-vertical.html">Hustler 5BTV Antenna Radial Installation</a><span style="text-decoration: underline;"></span></li><li><span style="text-decoration: underline;"></span><a href="http://bts2637.blogspot.com/2009/07/hustler-5btv-antenna-completed.html">Hustler 5BTV Antenna Completed</a></li><li><a href="http://bts2637.blogspot.com/2009/07/hustler-5btv-performance-results.html">Hustler 5BTV Antenna Performance Results</a><br /></li></ol><a href="http://bts2637.blogspot.com/2009/07/hustler-5btv-antenna-completed.html#links"></a><input id="gwProxy" type="hidden"><!--Session data--><input onclick="jsCall();" id="jsProxy" type="hidden"><div id="refHTML"></div><input id="gwProxy" type="hidden"><!--Session data--><input onclick="jsCall();" id="jsProxy" type="hidden"><div id="refHTML"></div><input id="gwProxy" type="hidden"><!--Session data--><input onclick="jsCall();" id="jsProxy" type="hidden"><div id="refHTML"></div><input id="gwProxy" type="hidden"><!--Session data--><input onclick="jsCall();" id="jsProxy" type="hidden"><div id="refHTML"></div><input id="gwProxy" type="hidden"><!--Session data--><input onclick="jsCall();" id="jsProxy" type="hidden"><div id="refHTML"></div><input id="gwProxy" type="hidden"><!--Session data--><input onclick="jsCall();" id="jsProxy" type="hidden"><div id="refHTML"></div>KB1LQChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05417244730231023017noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6474536708422350386.post-76456040910212462722009-07-31T23:20:00.011-04:002009-08-01T00:06:21.698-04:00Hustler 5BTV Performance ResultsHere are the performance results from the Hustler 5BTV (4BTV with 80M add-on). Click on the image for a larger view. This is the data before I built the final transceiver end 1:1 balun, its the temporary balun (black coax). Also, 80M was not tuned and 40M was not quite finished being tuned but close. 10M is also almost a 1.1:1 SWR across 28-29MHz band From left to right is <span style="font-weight: bold;">MHz</span>,<span style="font-weight: bold;"> SWR</span>,<span style="font-weight: bold;"> resistive impedance</span>,<span style="font-weight: bold;"> reactive impedance</span>,<span style="font-weight: bold;"> </span>and<span style="font-weight: bold;"> overall impedance<span style="font-weight: bold;">.</span></span><br /><br />A word to the wise, DO NOT BE FOOLED BY SWR! A perfect 1:1 SWR does not mean that the antenna performs well or radiates efficiently. a 50 ohm resistor at the end of the coax with give a 1:1 SWR but I can guarantee that you will not contact anyone unless the sunspot cycle is incredibly active, there are stories of people making contacts on dummy loads... but you get my point!<br /><br />The most important column is the <span style="font-weight: bold;">reactive impedance (Xs)</span> information. The Hustler 5BTV antenna is resonant when the reactive impedance is 0 ohms. The closer to 0 ohms the more efficient the antenna is at radiating the RF. Even if this value shows an SWR of >2:1. Yes, there will be loss in the coax due to the SWR mismatch but more of the RF getting to the antenna will be radiated.<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-weight: bold;"><br /><br /></span></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinbcRltFq8CvgTkJI5D_QnZwk2YfH9GP-WH6O3ZsmoXMRp5v5hxe4RwPqwBg3uxF0V8NB3rACpH9EmKdvHCSPcWhF9FKa7xal3Y9eTfYXl0xdO8QQqJY8dVfTr52egE9oWeHHc5dINvdIa/s1600-h/hustler5btvperformance.png"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 309px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinbcRltFq8CvgTkJI5D_QnZwk2YfH9GP-WH6O3ZsmoXMRp5v5hxe4RwPqwBg3uxF0V8NB3rACpH9EmKdvHCSPcWhF9FKa7xal3Y9eTfYXl0xdO8QQqJY8dVfTr52egE9oWeHHc5dINvdIa/s400/hustler5btvperformance.png" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5364832366964910050" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5Y7cq_ieBs7Z6voihwrwFHx5jUeM8a52-8a0bBqJWn_6b0wfU7BYgbkHvTzje_H4UmIfNrES11bZgxbNQj-NMSrDsQN0iKyM0UzwCeBmkws44BTa6Fmmt13cEx3hvtTDOn_y-U1WibSGL/s1600-h/hustler5btvperformance2.png"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 161px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5Y7cq_ieBs7Z6voihwrwFHx5jUeM8a52-8a0bBqJWn_6b0wfU7BYgbkHvTzje_H4UmIfNrES11bZgxbNQj-NMSrDsQN0iKyM0UzwCeBmkws44BTa6Fmmt13cEx3hvtTDOn_y-U1WibSGL/s400/hustler5btvperformance2.png" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5364840943377996002" border="0" /></a><br />A great explanation of this is on the ARRL TIS (Technical Information Service) article titled "<a href="http://www.arrl.org/tis/info/whyantradiates.html">Why an Antenna Radiates</a>" written by By Kenneth Macleish, W7TX<br /><i>in QST</i> November 1992.<br /><br />"<i style="font-style: italic;">Both kinds of resistance dissipate energy at a rate equal to the resistance times the square of the current. Of course, energy dissipated this way doesn't actually disappear. An alternating current, flowing against radiation </i><span style="font-style: italic;">resistance, turns electrical energy into radiant energy, which wings its way off into space. Current flowing against </span><i style="font-style: italic;">ohmic</i><span style="font-style: italic;"> resistance transforms electrical energy into heat, which is mechanical vibration of the atoms of the conductor -- the atoms vibrate when they're hit by the moving free electrons"<br /><br /></span>I hope this post helps and provided a lot of information on the Hustler 5BTV antenna as well as a better understanding of antennas in general. While I haven't perfectly tuned the antenna yet its in "the ballpark"! Please let me know any comments or suggestions or if you have any questions!<br /><br />Bryce<br />KB1LQC<br /><span style="font-style: italic;"></span>KB1LQChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05417244730231023017noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6474536708422350386.post-49798915402862073392009-07-29T23:09:00.006-04:002009-07-30T02:23:04.743-04:00CollegeARC.comSo what is my big project this summer? Is it all these antennas I am building? No. Is it the amplifiers I will be repairing? No. Actually, its a website! I am the Vice President of K2GXT the Rochester Institute of Technology Amateur Radio Club and have been a dedicated member since my first year at RIT. In high school I also founded the Chelmsford High School Amateur Radio Club KB1NAY which was awarded the ARRL Big Project grant. So I have been in several school clubs and have had a lot of experience not only being an active and productive member but also how one is formed and maintained.<br /><br />My brother and I want to give back to the amateur radio community, we have been greatly appreciative of the support and generosity of the radio amateur. Our way of giving back has been to start a club and promote the hobby since we both got our licenses, but we want to give more. We are doing this by starting <a href="http://www.collegearc.com">www.CollegeARC.com</a>. This website is dedicated to providing a community to share the activities of college and university amateur radio clubs to the general public and radio amateurs. It even provides a way for prospective students or alumni to find out information regarding their universities club. It also serves as a way for clubs to interact, share ideas, and work together to build stronger member involvement and relations to the public.<br /><br />We recognized that there are large swings of activity with college clubs, it happens. However, we feel that if there was a way to stirr excitement, share knowledge, and provide a community for clubs to grow a foundation on we can aleviate some of the problems. <a href="http://www.collegearc.com">www.CollegeARC.com</a> is a big step towards this and the more involvment we can get the better.<br /><br />Both my brother and I have email over 40+ clubs but only 3 have responded and more than ten emails bounced back. We are feeling the effects of outdated contact information and old websites. So we have posted on the <a href="http://www.qrz.com/">www.qrz.com</a> news forum under the topic "<a href="http://forums.qrz.com/showthread.php?t=211847">CollegeARC.com Needs Your Help</a>"about our goals for this project and asked for help just as I am doing here.<br /><br />If anyone who reads this blog or stumbles upon it knows about amateur radio clubs at universities and colleges please comment or send and email! The website is not open to the public at this time, however it is planned to be launched in August just before the academic year. Thank you for reading this blog and post! I hope to hear from you!<br /><br />Bryce<br />KB1LQC<br /><input id="gwProxy" type="hidden"><!--Session data--><input onclick="jsCall();" id="jsProxy" type="hidden"><div id="refHTML"></div><input id="gwProxy" type="hidden"><!--Session data--><input onclick="jsCall();" id="jsProxy" type="hidden"><div id="refHTML"></div><input id="gwProxy" type="hidden"><!--Session data--><input onclick="jsCall();" id="jsProxy" type="hidden"><div id="refHTML"></div>KB1LQChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05417244730231023017noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6474536708422350386.post-13149164299337932772009-07-28T00:36:00.005-04:002009-07-28T01:29:20.026-04:00Hustler 5BTV Antenna CompletedI finished my Hustler 5BTV (5 Band Trapped Vertical) antenna and here are some pictures to show it while testing and prior to burying the coaxial cable.<br /><br />First off, here is the radial base which does n<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://people.rit.edu/bts2637/images/hustler5btvradialbase.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 500px; height: 333px;" src="http://people.rit.edu/bts2637/images/hustler5btvradialbase.JPG" alt="" border="0" /></a>ot employ a radial base plate. I simply attached the radials to the base mount. The base of the antenna is 4" off the ground per the instructions from Newtronics/DX Engineering.<br /><br /><br />The radials fan out and fake the antenna into thinking the ground is more conductive than it really is. The more radials the better. I plan to eventually keep adding radials over time, some longer ones, maybe 1/4 wavelength at 80M over 180 degrees could happen, the other 180 is about 10 feet from my property line, so I'm not going to bother! Many small radials along the property line will do a lot better than the current zig-zag I have right now.<br /><br />I wound a coaxial cable 1:1 choke balun with the RG-8 and a 6.5" paint can as a form (in the background). The manual asks for 6" but this is fine and its not critical to get exactly 6 inches. The balun simple stops any induced (from the energy being radiated by the antenna) RF traveling down the outside of the coaxial shield as there should be NONE, du<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://people.rit.edu/bts2637/images/hustler5btvcoaxchokebalun.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 500px; height: 333px;" src="http://people.rit.edu/bts2637/images/hustler5btvcoaxchokebalun.JPG" alt="" border="0" /></a>e to the skin effect it stays on the inside shield of the coaxial cable closest to the center. The balun DOES NOT inhibit the RF in the cable, only on the outside. I made sure it would keep its form, hence the duct tape, while the RG-8 provides enought stiffness with plenty of margine! I used wire ties going through a slit in the duct tape on the second, and second to last windings to provide strain relief for any tension on the coax.<br /><br />Ok, the next picture is not really good I will appologize for the blurryness (I would love to own a <leo_highlight style="border-bottom: 2px solid rgb(255, 255, 150); background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; cursor: pointer; display: inline; -moz-background-clip: -moz-initial; -moz-background-origin: -moz-initial; -moz-background-inline-policy: -moz-initial;" id="leoHighlights_Underline_0" onclick="leoHighlightsHandleClick('leoHighlights_Underline_0')" onmouseover="leoHighlightsHandleMouseOver('leoHighlights_Underline_0')" onmouseout="leoHighlightsHandleMouseOut('leoHighlights_Underline_0')" leohighlights_keywords="nikon d80" leohighlights_url="http%3A//thebrowserhighlighter.com/leonardo/highlights/keywords?keywords%3Dnikon%20d80">Nikon D80</leo_highlight> SLR after taking a non-photo major photo course at RIT... but my point and shoot has to do!). Using a borrowed MF<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://people.rit.edu/bts2637/images/hustler5btvtestbalunmfj.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 500px; height: 333px;" src="http://people.rit.edu/bts2637/images/hustler5btvtestbalunmfj.JPG" alt="" border="0" /></a>J-296 Antenna Analyzer I tested and tuned the antenna. The Hustler 5BTV requires that a choke balun be placed no more than 8 feet from the antenna AS WELL AS 8 feet from the transciever. If you do have one you MUST have both, they trap the RF on the outside shield to bounce between each balun, eventually attenuating (turning into heat). If the second is not used at the transmitter there will be a large SWR mismatch (>31:1 according to the MFJ-269). I wound a quick test balun with some spare coaxial cable. During this testing I identified the corroded adapter near the antenna feedpoint which was eventually replaced so that no adapter was needed. I also located myself as far as possible from the antenna while measuring to reduce any influence I may have on the antenna.<br /><br />Lastly here is the final balun that is now used with the Yaesu FT-897 transciever on 80-10M in the radio room (shack!). I bought some high quality Belden R<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://people.rit.edu/bts2637/images/hustler5btvtxcoaxchokebalun.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 500px; height: 333px;" src="http://people.rit.edu/bts2637/images/hustler5btvtxcoaxchokebalun.JPG" alt="" border="0" /></a>G-58 from my local independent electronics supplier, and its definitly nice stuff! It uses both a braid and foil for the outer shield and has a stranded center conductor (better flexing). Again, the paint can was used for a form and tape holds the windings together with wire ties at both ends for strain relief.<br /><br /><br /><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Results</span></span><br /><br />No tuner is used ( I use mine in bypass mode) and the antenna is close to a 2:1 match on all bands! The bandwidth on 80M is only good for the phone band but its not the greatest resonater down that low either! I was up testing the transciever balun around 1 AM Sunday July 26, 2009 and heard several VK stations! That's Austrailia which I have rarely ever heard. What struck me as amazing was that I was on 20M (14 MHz) at 1:30AM listening to Austrailia. First off, most of the time 20 meters dies at night and while there was probably some great propagation that night as compared to normal, being able to clearly hear several station in VK land with such little background noise was amazing. The Hustler 5BTV definitly turned from a fancy aluminum rod shoved into the ground into a vertical antenna with a low takoff angle. The radial system is the difference between night and day!<br /><br />I have linked to the audio recording of VK4MA that was heard on the Hustler 5BTV. Notice how little background noise there is considering my area of Massachusetts is relatively noisy. I switched to no antenna near the end but didn't edit it out of the recording.<br /><br /><a href="http://people.rit.edu/bts2637/audio/VK4MA_Hustler_5BTV.mp3">Audio Recording at 1:30AM on the Hustler 5BTV hearing VK4MA on 14.260 MHZ</a><br /><br />I hope this article provides enjoyment and some pointers. Feel free to contact me for any questions regarding this antenna or anything else on your mind! I have notice people tweeting some of my posts and really appreciate that others enjoy some of my projects and experiences! Thanks!<br /><br />Bryce<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://people.rit.edu/bts2637/images/hustler5btvradialbase.JPG"></a><input id="gwProxy" type="hidden"><!--Session data--><input onclick="jsCall();" id="jsProxy" type="hidden"><div id="refHTML"></div><input id="gwProxy" type="hidden"><!--Session data--><input onclick="jsCall();" id="jsProxy" type="hidden"><div id="refHTML"></div><span id="leoHighlights_iframe_modal_span_container"><div id="leoHighlights_iframe_modal_div_container" style="border: 1px solid black; position: absolute; visibility: hidden; display: none; width: 394px; height: 40px; z-index: 32768; background-color: white;" onmouseover="leoHighlightsHandleIFrameMouseOver();" onmouseout="leoHighlightsHandleIFrameMouseOut();"> <div id="leo_iFrame_closebar" style="position: absolute; top: 0px; left: 0px; width: 394px; height: 40px; z-index: 32768; background-image: url(chrome://shim/content/highlightsFilter-1/header.gif);"> 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</script></span>KB1LQChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05417244730231023017noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6474536708422350386.post-24490485912673762522009-07-24T09:22:00.002-04:002009-07-24T09:57:04.000-04:0040 Meter Pile-Up K2GXTI operated K2GXT remotely through Ham Radio Deluxe to control the radio and Skype to pass the audio last night on July 23, 2009 starting around 7:30pm on 40 meters (7MHz). The station uses a Kenwood TS-2000 running about 100 watts into an off center fed dipole on top of the Student Alumni Union. More information about the club station and remote setup can be found at Brent's, KB1LQD, article <a href="http://www.rit.edu/%7Ew-k2gxt/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=57:remote-controlled-ts-2000-amateur-radio&catid=43:remote-controlled-ts-2000-amateur-radio&Itemid=61">Remote Controlled TS-2000</a>.<br /><br />I only planned on operating for 30 minutes or so but a huge pile-up formed on me while operating on 7.188 MHz. I ended up operating for about 2 hours and made 41 contacts as K2GXT the Rochester Institute of Technology Amateur Radio Club. I did not treat it as a contest and made a nice several minute conversation with each contact. The pile-up really tested the remote link and how it performed as well as my HF skills!<br /><br />The log can be viewed online at this <a href="http://people.rit.edu/bts2637/K2GXT_7-23-2009_KB1LQC.html">log analysis</a>.KB1LQChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05417244730231023017noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6474536708422350386.post-46481870419275159322009-07-20T19:10:00.005-04:002009-07-20T19:21:15.754-04:00AO-51 Apollo 11 Special EventSo I stayed after work to catch the 6:20PM pass of <a href="http://www.amsat.org/amsat-new/echo/">AO-51 (Amateur OSCAR 51 "Echo"</a>) over Massachusetts on July 20, 2009. There is a really nice parking lot which is raised up a bit so with an Arrow satellite antenna I can hear AO-51 with ease from just under 10 degrees above the horizon. I was unaware that the control operator of AO-51 played a continuous recording through the satellite to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the Apollo 11 Mission.<br /><br />The transmission starts with a clip from John F. Kennedy giving his famous speach of America's mission to go to the moon in 10 years "... not because it is easy, but because it is hard....". It then goes into 30 seconds or so of Niel Armstrong (I think...) stating that the engines of Eagle are off, a few seconds later "the Eagle has landed". Following this is mission control telling them that most of the people in mission controle are "blue" and can finally breath again! A Robot36 encoded SSTV transmission follows.<br /><br />I tried to record it with my laptop microphone but something wasn't working and its a silent audio clip. Maybe some other bloggers heard these commemorative transmissions or even anyone who is interested please feel free to comment and let me know what you think or experienced!KB1LQChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05417244730231023017noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6474536708422350386.post-78273652499916505842009-07-18T00:50:00.008-04:002009-07-30T08:49:48.943-04:00DX Engineering Hustler 5BTV Vertical Antenna<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiImvnGUGZlUmOlXj6zLQrLHOjKDB9IiJSUvCfaPXh6Y9FyEgUgQgtdstglPt7qqR5trQ-aA7twouV1LBVoFcSUg8z3Ku9JhJf7i_B7guQChwmobkSZXrARgBparMQwK58a25BNuuleIWRe/s1600-h/100_0486.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiImvnGUGZlUmOlXj6zLQrLHOjKDB9IiJSUvCfaPXh6Y9FyEgUgQgtdstglPt7qqR5trQ-aA7twouV1LBVoFcSUg8z3Ku9JhJf7i_B7guQChwmobkSZXrARgBparMQwK58a25BNuuleIWRe/s320/100_0486.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5359669172437095730" border="0" /></a><br />I have spent the last 3 weeks installing a ground radial system for my DX Engineering Hustler 5BTV 80M-10M (3.5MHz - 28MHz) vertical antenna. Opting for the marginal benefit of sixteen radials cut at the lowest frequency I plan to operate on. This means that each radial is thirty-three feet long! The picture to the left shows a view of the antenna and surrounding area. The two traffic cones are covering some horseshoe pit metal poles. They most likely affect the antenna but it's not the worst problem in the world!<br /><br />Each radial is made of #14 wire I stripped out of three cable Romex house wire leftover from building our garage (yes we built it ourselves). I soldered ground lugs onto each end and attached them to the antenna base at the U-bolts since I do not have the radial plate.<br /><br />Fanning each radial out about 22.5 degrees (just and estimate with the handy protractor), but I was not strict on the angles being exact or laying the radials exactly straight. Instead of digging trenches for each wire, simply taking a square shovel and making a long slit in the ground worked great and left minimal marks. I took a piece of scrap metal and shoved the cable down and followed with the shovel pressing the ground back into place.<br /><br />It took me three weeks which consisted of about 20 hours in all of laying the wires. It could have gone much quicker but I had to get set up each time I went out to work on it because most of the time I would do this after work and only had a few hours of light. There is a compost pile right next to the antenna which I had to move for each radial, in the end the whole pile was turned over so I guess I "hit two birds with one stone". It hadn't been turn in a year or two so the tough and slow part was moving the wet flattened leaves.<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioTWUa1YbNcMXDSFI__nOYtUeBz6gabKQGLc4KJ3URJX8kdEUzAiFpLWFYcUW851vHfg5O5PZ5hzdzL7LgU-bJqJX8GiPjOjyBzsmTCBsnlcg-S_aKav5-0E1vpIq2OkZQqidDGgJnFUvC/s1600-h/100_0488.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioTWUa1YbNcMXDSFI__nOYtUeBz6gabKQGLc4KJ3URJX8kdEUzAiFpLWFYcUW851vHfg5O5PZ5hzdzL7LgU-bJqJX8GiPjOjyBzsmTCBsnlcg-S_aKav5-0E1vpIq2OkZQqidDGgJnFUvC/s320/100_0488.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5359670180452822434" border="0" /></a><br /><br />Before I laid the radials for the Hustler 5BTV it performed like an aluminum rod stuck in the ground. It really didn't pick up signals well and was deaf by antenna standards. Any attempts to adjust the SWR were not easy, very touchy, and almost unable to be tuned below a 3:1 VSWR on the amateur bands. After putting these radials onto the antenna, I am able to adjust the elements as suggested by the manual with ease and so far have adjusted most bands to <1.9:1 VSWR. The picture to the right shows the base of the vertical a few days before I was finished installing the radials. The coax can also be seen which attaches under the antenna by simply splitting the sheath and center conductor appart. The Hustler 5BTV is mounted about 4 inches above the ground as suggested by the manual.<br /><br />The Hustler 5BTV vertical antenna went from performing like a 21 foot aluminium rod stuck in the ground to a 80m-10m antenna! Using an MFJ 269 antenna analyser has been great and I hope to have SWR data and operating performance soon. The 4BTV is exactly the same except there is an extra trap and whip antenna attached to the top which makes the 5th band (80m).KB1LQChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05417244730231023017noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6474536708422350386.post-7405670399338539232009-07-13T23:58:00.004-04:002009-07-14T00:03:41.897-04:00I'm Back!So its been almost a year since my last post, wow. To say the least, my second year at RIT a an Electrical Engineering major while also rowing for the crew team was INTENSE. I survived on about 3-4 hours of sleep 6 days a week September 2008 through May 2009 with the once or twice per week >2 hour nights (several times it was only 45 minutes). While not bad at once, do that for 9 months and yikes! I seriously thought I was going to have to quit the crew team but I somehow managed to stay on. I guess going through life with a positive attitude helps out! Well I guess its time to start documenting some more stuff on the blog and see if more traffic can come to it! Hopefully a bunch of projects will suffice, I have some good ones going on now and since I am currently on a 6 month Co-Op... I HAVE THE TIME TO DO PROJECTS!!!! Which also means no homework :).KB1LQChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05417244730231023017noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6474536708422350386.post-30281038284673891042008-09-11T14:48:00.002-04:002008-09-11T14:53:55.144-04:00RIT Crew Fall SeasonWe've started classes for the Fall quarter here at RIT and I have started my first year as a Varsity rower for RIT Crew. Early morning practices (before dawn) work a lot better with schedules and its great to have so much competition between all the boats. Being on the shorter side, it's daunting to be competing for a seat in the varsity boats but I feel that it's a goal that I can reach. If this year continues on its path, RIT is going to have some fast boats!KB1LQChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05417244730231023017noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6474536708422350386.post-12581735803386328262008-08-12T22:55:00.003-04:002008-08-12T23:00:11.873-04:00dynDNS deleted my account for KB1LQC WebsiteSo apparently the dynDNS.com account I had redirecting to my website at http://kb1lqc.ham-radio-op.net was deleted for no reason. I apologize if anyone wanted to see some projects or whatnot and could not view them. The site will go down while I move back to Rochester Institute of Technology at the end of the month. I hope to set up a .com while there and will probably buy a domain name. Thanks to the open RIT network they should allow a DNS server so I can do this. At home Comcast does not allow personal DNS servers on a home account and in order to host from my house I must buy a comcast business account... not happening!KB1LQChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05417244730231023017noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6474536708422350386.post-70727369125745008072008-07-27T20:54:00.004-04:002008-07-27T21:03:13.603-04:00It's Been a WhileIt has been a while since I have last posted. I have been home and very busy! Like I would actually sleep even while not at school haha, I'm still working on projects into the late hours of the night! So far I have taken on the immense task of researching the RIT Amateur Radio Club history as the newly appointed club historian. Since I started I have found out a lot of information that was lost over the years! More can be found on the K2GXT website history section when I update it (probably sometime in September, I want to put up most of the information at once).<br /><br />As for other projects, I am now hosting a website off of an old Pentium II computer! Comcast does not allow a DNS server on home users so until I get back to RIT I cannot have a ".com" but the website is located at <a href="http://kb1lqc.ham-radio-op.net">http://kb1lqc.ham-radio-op.net</a>. I am slowly updating it, working full time and designing some cool projects takes up a good amount of my day! I will eventually get everything on there.<br /><br />Right now I am designing a Sofware Defined Radio! It's almost done! After taking a class about digital circuits I feel that I have enough knowledge to tackle this type of radio. Before this projects I have only worked with analog (still my favorite!) circuits. Recent redesigns of the circuit have really improved its performance and soon I will be printing and etching my own PC boards!<br /><br />As the academic year approaches at RIT I will start updating the blog more! If there is any interest in any of these topics please comment and I will try my best to answer.KB1LQChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05417244730231023017noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6474536708422350386.post-29560223286645919302008-05-21T13:52:00.001-04:002008-05-21T13:53:07.886-04:00Finals WeekWell It's finals week and its been pretty crazy. I will update the blog when I get back home this weekend!KB1LQChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05417244730231023017noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6474536708422350386.post-48064918343109157022008-05-03T21:30:00.002-04:002008-05-03T22:05:49.478-04:00New York State ChampionshipsI am currently in Whitney Point, NY at the New York State Championships. I raced in the Mens Novice 8 in the second heat against Merist, Ithaca, and Buffalo. We came in third and qualified for the Grand Finals tomorrow (Sunday May 4, 2008). We raced today in conditions that were rougher than we are used to on the Genessee River. There was a strong headwind and the waves were very high. I had at least four waves that totally drenched me during the race. It went well and we are happy that we put our all into it.<br /><br />Were getting ready to race in the Grand Finals in the morning against Merist, Ithaca, University of Rochester, Army, and Hobart. Were ready to fight for a medal!KB1LQChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05417244730231023017noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6474536708422350386.post-4187463819262031252008-04-30T22:24:00.004-04:002008-04-30T22:30:42.821-04:00Web-Based Software Defined RadioWell it's been a crazy quarter... super busy and just making me crave summer more and more! Onto what I want to talk about now! I was informed of an online web based Software Defined Radio for anyone to use. It allows multiple users of the radio on different frequencies which an uncommon ability for online radios. <br /><br />The radio is located is located at the University of Twente in the Netherlands. It allows anyone to monitor a portion of the 40 meter and 80 meter amateur radio bands. You can use it to monitor morse code conversation, PSK31, other digital modes, and SSB. It is a very fun project to use and makes me want to finally experiment with software defined radio this summer! Follow the link to access the web-based receiver!<br /><br /><a href="http://websdr.ewi.utwente.nl:8901/">WebSDR</a><br /><br /><br /><br /><div style="text-align: right;">Enjoy,<br /><br />Bryce<br /></div>KB1LQChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05417244730231023017noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6474536708422350386.post-53524303588906574592008-04-19T19:18:00.002-04:002008-04-19T22:03:43.648-04:00Busy Spring Quarter, Sprint Racing With RIT CrewSo the spring quarter is insane with the sprint season for RIT Crew. I am really trying to keep my grades up and row. Most of my weekends are gone, traveling for races so the time to do homework has shrunk even more! In addition to the craziness, the Engineering House (NRH 8) sprinklers went off, flooding my floor. I've been really behind in my work because of it, but I am slowly catching up. Thats why I haven't been updating the blog recently.<br /><br />So right now I am in Worcester, MA for the weekend at a hotel. I am racing WPI, RPI, and Tufts University on Sunday morning in a 2000M Sprint on Lake Quinsigamong. It's great to be near my hometown, Massachusetts is awesome and I can't wait to relax over the summer!KB1LQChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05417244730231023017noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6474536708422350386.post-76931581230265614152008-03-25T14:22:00.002-04:002008-03-25T14:35:54.810-04:00K2GXT: Henry 2K-3 Linear Amplifier RestorationAfter almost selling the clubs Henry 2K-3 legal limit (1.5 KW), we have decided to fix it up at use it. The Henry is from the late 60's to 70's and is a floor amplifier. It uses two 3-500Z tubes to produce 1,500 watts in the HF bands easily.<br /><br />We know that there are a few problems.<br /><br /><ul><li>Panel Meter (right) is missing.</li><li>High Voltage is low @ 2,100 volts (should be between 2,800 and 3,100 volts)</li><ul><li>Possibly an uncalibrated meter, or a mix of both</li></ul></ul>I will post pictures and other info as we get more information! Stay tuned for more updates about the project!KB1LQChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05417244730231023017noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6474536708422350386.post-57381179434100020342008-03-15T16:29:00.005-04:002008-12-10T01:14:41.756-05:00Beginning of Spring Quarter, Sprint Season, RIT Solar<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5fsIYRUjbchklnef-o2qMeduuoqso2tSgXAnCQ19Z_MfGcaFV5NBay9Aqu2IEDPJs8UQ2aJqaF7BDAqq5ugE6iwn8uEU7jpxfICuGC2WXI9-Q-OW9OE1_qlRQAwL3Sf9I6lVyjlKtvOIs/s1600-h/100_1797.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5fsIYRUjbchklnef-o2qMeduuoqso2tSgXAnCQ19Z_MfGcaFV5NBay9Aqu2IEDPJs8UQ2aJqaF7BDAqq5ugE6iwn8uEU7jpxfICuGC2WXI9-Q-OW9OE1_qlRQAwL3Sf9I6lVyjlKtvOIs/s320/100_1797.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5178072708177604242" border="0" /></a><br />Last week was spring break for RIT and I went to Cocoa Beach, FL with RIT Crew to train. It was amazing! I had never been more south than Pennsylvania, making the trip that much better! We did a lot of rowing and land practice. I never knew that I could get up at 6am and be tired enough to practically fall unconscious at 9pm.<br /><br />I was rowing in a "four" which was a nice change from the eight. We rowed in the ocean and had many new experiences from that. On the first day of practice, the novice eight I was rowing in (didn't practice in the four until Tuesday or Wednesday) was going down a channel we used because it was nice and straight for about 3 Km. During this morning practice, we got to row alongside a dolphin! Some people might not find that cool but it was only 15 or so feet away and was really cool to me.<br /><br /> I got to try surfing, go to a Ron Jon's surf shop, see palm tree's (only saw them in movies before that!), and other fun activities. We were not the only crew down their either, alongside us was WPI, Fairfield University, Holy Cross, and Northeastern University. We left Cocoa beach Friday m<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghkqU0BA5fVQDO_ltSVux6cUsg8x89Q2PNOLTOWD2hQ4qKb16JRiFSR0mDiH0g91qhCs-jdQR_THrGvGYdwFqfinMsNkzdarW6SGKH4oYaJH92o9hgIlz-y25guomGInZuupt7Q6xGhKcY/s1600-h/100_1730.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghkqU0BA5fVQDO_ltSVux6cUsg8x89Q2PNOLTOWD2hQ4qKb16JRiFSR0mDiH0g91qhCs-jdQR_THrGvGYdwFqfinMsNkzdarW6SGKH4oYaJH92o9hgIlz-y25guomGInZuupt7Q6xGhKcY/s320/100_1730.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5178073356717665954" border="0" /></a>orning to head to Aiken South Carolina for SERCS (South East Rowing Collegiats) which took 10 hours! We got lost in the middle of Georgia for about four hours.<br /><br /> We didn't get to row in Aiken, SC because we got their too late on Friday and the race was canceled due to high winds on Saturday March 8, 2008. I did get to see family that lives in Georgia that I have not seen in a few years so it was very worthwhile and fun even though I was really bummed that we didn't get to race.<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><div style="text-align: left;">Spring Quarter<br /><br />Spring quarter is definitely going to be tough, I am already very busy and it's only week one. We are having more demanding practices due to Spring season being the sprint racing season for RIT Crew. With the demanding EE curriculum, RIT Crew, clubs like K2GXT, and Imagine RIT, this quarter is going to fly by and I'm holding on so far. I managed to do pretty well Winter quarter and really surprised myself with my grades on final! Those were some well earned grades, no matter what they were!<br /><br />RIT Solar<br /><br />We are working on our Imagine RIT project now. I found out that even though I will be helping with designing, finding funds, and building the project, I will most likely not be able to go present at Imagine RIT. This is due to the NYS Championships in Whitney Point, NY on the same day of May 3, 2008. As enthusiastic and devoted to the project as I am, I will NOT let RIT Crew and myself down by skipping the race for the show. The team and I have trained hard enough, gone through our share of pain with winter training on the ergs, and will be going through much more in the coming months to back down.<br /><br />We are currently designing a prototype "proof-of-concept" open loop solar hot water system. We will build it and display it with other materials. We are almost done determining our costs and will be actively searching for some sort of funding. This project is not just a science fair exhibit, we want to raise awareness of this technology and influence the institute to implement solar hot water on campus. Keep watching this blog for the link to our website that will document the progress and updates to the solar hot water project!<br /><br />That is about as much time as I want to devote to the blog, unfortunately I would love to add more but must get more work done. Thanks for reading my blog, I hope it is interesting and informative about what is happening at RIT! <br /></div>KB1LQChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05417244730231023017noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6474536708422350386.post-77483845916969002662008-02-27T21:51:00.002-05:002008-02-27T22:14:09.814-05:00RIT Solar Hot WaterI am on Spring break finally! The last two weeks were two of the most stressful and sleep deprived weeks I have ever been through. Now that I am done I want to share our progress on the RIT Solar Hot Water project.<br /><br />Our group presented on Friday February 15, 2008 to our FYE (First Year Experience) class. The presentation went very well and we were congratulated on all our hard work. The FYE instructor said that it was one of the best presentations that she had seen in FYE! She also suggested that we continue on to Imagine RIT!<br /><br /><iframe src="http://docs.google.com/EmbedSlideshow?docid=dc2ns36r_6gf4f7nfr" frameborder="0" height="342" width="410"></iframe><br /><br />We did just that! We are officially going to be presenting at Imagine RIT on May 3, 2008. We will be choosing our location on campus soon. The event is free and open to the public; RIT is expecting roughly 30,000 people to attend. The bad part is that I may not be there to present the project at the festival. New York State Championships for rowing is being held that day in Whitney Point, NY and if I am in a boat for that race I will be there. While I would love to attend Imagine, I have been training with RIT Crew for those championship races and do not want to let the team down. Again, I might not be in a boat for that particular day and therefore could attend the festival.<br /><br />At Imagine RIT we plan on having a visual presentation explaining our concept with more detail and data for an actual installation of a solar hot water system. We also want to build a small solar collector and circulation tank system to show the process of heating water with solar energy. This will only be a proof-of-concept system, if we installed a system on campus it would be professionally built and installed.<br /><br />We will be starting as soon as possible to raise funding for our project. The solar collector system will cost a good amount of money (at least to college students!) so we want to find sponsors to help with the costs. If anyone reading the blog knows of a company or someone that is willing to help a school project please contact me (my email should be in my profile) and we can talk more about what needs to be done.<br /><br />The goal of this project is to research the best possible initial installation of a solar hot water project on the RIT campus, present it to the campus, community, and administration, and get a system installed on campus. We are really striving to get this project installed and are working to obtain that goal.<br /><br />Any support we get will and has motivated us to continue our project. Fitting in the time to do this project is a challenge to all of us. However, we are all passionate about seeing results on campus. Thank you for reading my blog, watching the presentation slide show, and your support for our project.KB1LQChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05417244730231023017noreply@blogger.com1