Make your own Android - transceiver interface cable for FT8 etc

[@davidportch8837]

so clever Peter...making radio more accesible for sure... really interesting...many thanks as always...

[@Steve-GM0HUU]

👍Thanks Peter. Very glad you stressed the importance of attenuating signal going into the mic input. Unfortunately, I see/hear quite a lot of horrible FT8 signals where I reckon operators are overdriving tbeir transmitters. The golden rule is that your Tx should not be applying ALC when transmitting digi modes. Monitor your transciever ALC when on Tx and reduce signal into mic input until there is no ALC reading.

[@johnham9256]

X marks the hot spot...another great idea thanks Peter

[@G4KDXlive]

Band comparisons very interesting

[@VU3ZNL]

My suggestion is thath you can also put a 600:600 audio transformer to make it even better

[@owenvinall9970]

Another thing for me to try thanks.

[@markusm.lambers8893]

Peter, why don't you use the mini-DIN plug, to connect the FT-817ND to your Android device? Just switch to the 'RTTY' or the 'digital'-mode in your FT-817! You don't need so much 'attenuation' to the different passes, to the microfon and the speaker! You can 'listen' to the stations, or 'mute' them with your volumen-control. and you have allways a constant and perfect audio-signal, on the 'signal-cable' to your android-phone or tablet. And there will be no 'problems' with 'interfering microfon-talk-over', ... ! You can still connect your microfon to your radio, and listen to the 'anoying FT-8 signals' if you want to do, ... ! I used a similar device, (homebrew) to 'connect' my old FT-817(non ND!) to my Rasberry-Pi 400! Instead of a 'direct' connection to the phone, I 'isolate' the lines, with two 600Ohm transformers. (Very very small ones, out of an old landline-telefon) That helped a lot, to 'break' a 'ground-loop' problem , having strong multiples of 100Hz-tones, all over the 'modulation'! (very big 'BUZZZZZ'! As loud, as the 'modulation' was, ... !) And it works like a charm, ... ! (I used a serial-port, to connect the 'RS-232' to the radio, to make 'CAD' possible, so I had no VOX-control needed!) I hope you can participate from my suggestion! Sorry for my bad English, it's not my native tounge, ... ! 72/73 de Markus - db9pz - (JN39fq 5km/3miles east of LX)

[@MeineVideokasetten]

Hey. The TRX is running on VOX mode?

[@vk3ye]

yes

[@cthoadmin7458]

What's the law on this? Can I just keep FT8 running 24x7? Does the station have to be attended?

[@Steve-GM0HUU]

I don't know what the VK license conditions are. I am in the UK and not entirely sure what the situation is. The UK license conditions were written in days before FT8 software that allowed unattended automatic operation. The conditions do mention unattended operation in relation to beacons. I wonder if some UK amateurs may be operating FT8 (WSPR and other modes) unattended on the basis that they are NOT beacons. Beacons are transmit only. However, FT8, WSPR, etc. is being used for 2-way transmit and receive communications. My personal take on it is that I do not leave FT8, WSPR etc. unattended but treat them much the same as modes like CW or phone. In Peter's case, in this video, he appears to be keeping a regular eye on things and I would argue this is good, responsible practice and not really unattended. Unattended for me would be leaving the equipment for anything longer than a few minutes. I think the spirit of the license conditions are that you monitor your transmissions and can reasonably quickly cease them if required to do so. I suppose this also applies to beacons which are being monitored by those receiving them where the operator responsible for them can be contacted to shut them down if causing undue interference.

[@cthoadmin7458]

@@Steve-GM0HUU Yes, I don't think anyone's going to bother too much provided you take reasonable care that your station doesn't interfere with anyone else. I've always thought running a station like this for an extended period would be a good way to investigate propagation changes over time.

[@markusm.lambers8893]

Unattendent use of FT-8 and other type of 'modulation' to achieve 'long distance' - DX - contacts, is not HAM-radio anymore! It's a 'fake'! It is an 'automated station', no OP - OM/YL needed, to make your (the) QSO! (*) This is not fair, it is no amateur-radio in any way. When this happened, two computers are 'talking', ... where is the human thing in it? There is no OP necessary in any way! Where is the 'friendship' going, the human factor? Going to work, or for a walk, and 'doing a 5-band DX' in an hour? Or, working 'DX-CC' in less then a week, only switch on the computer an the TRX? There is no 'honor', to do this kind of thing! No! - That's not Ham-spirit, in either, or the other way. It's a pitty, that some people use the system, to 'fake' good HAM-radio practice, and also 'fake' the results as there own work! It's not the work, and not the results, they claim to made in HAM-radio, it's only a 'fake' they do, ... ! Please, let us alter the rules to a new and good standard, not to 'prefare' those 'faking-QSO' making 'friends'! This is not the 'real deal'! Friends are honest to each other, and not making 'this kind of deals'! They make a 'real' contact, or erease it from the log, if there is any doubt in the way! (*) -The QSO - The 'holy gradle' of Amateur/HAM-radio operations! The 'best' you can give, the 'best' you can receive! Like a 'clean' and 'beautiful' business-card, you can show to you 'partners', all around the world! - Like your QSL-Card. - Sorry for my bad English, it's not my native tounge, ... ! If there is something, I write or say wrong, please be so kind, and take, my disclaimer or advice, ... and be a little passioned. 73/72 de db9pz (Markus) - JN39fq 5km/3miles east of LX

[@markusm.lambers8893]

@@MI7DJT I am only telling the (my) truth, ... that's all, ... ! It's what I am standing for, ... my understanding of the problem, what it is today. No really HAM-radio any more, only a 'fake', ... ! No 'real people' behind, ... only a computer, no human beeing.

[@bassmanjr100]

​@markusm.lambers8893 Good to know there are sad hams out there looking out for us to make sure we are using our radio licenses 'properly' meaning they way they want us to use them. Let's not discuss beacons or WSPR, which is used exactly the way you say is not ham radio. I've got an idea, you do ham radio the way you enjoy it and let others enjoy it the way they enjoy it. Unless actual regulations are broken, to each their own.

[@DirtyPlumbus]

This is really good, but most phones these days don't have any jacks.

[@TheArtofEngineering]

Buy a "burner" phone just for this! Cheap as chips.

[@DirtyPlumbus]

@@TheArtofEngineering yeah, none of the ones I have kicking around have jacks. I'll have to poke around on the web. Might be a bit difficult to get ahold of in America. Ebay is probably my best bet.

[@Steve-GM0HUU]

Maybe you could rig up something using a Bluetooth transmitter and receiver. You can even get off the shelf Bluetooth CAT dongles for FT-817/818. A bit messy and complicated compared to a cable. When I last upgraded my phone, I made sure it had a 3.5mm jack but that was a couple of years ago. As you say, most new phones don't have them. Having to charge devices and mess about with Bluetooth settings when you used to be able to just plug something into your phone. Apparently is called progress? 🤔

[@DirtyPlumbus]

@@Steve-GM0HUU Lol. Yeah, I get the feeling progress has been redefined to mean more profit. It seems not even batteries are standardized nowadays. I miss the days when we knew to keep things simple and waste less.

[@tmmlrd]

My wife's phone has just micro-USB but I found a cheap adapter to use jacked headphones through the micro-USB. The same should work for FT8, too, I presume.