SONY AN-1 WIDE RANGE ACTIVE ANTENNA LW/MW/SW

This morning I put up a Sony AN-1 Wide Range Active Antenna on my roof for shortwave listening. Saturdays are great for antenna work since I have a 5 day work week. The antenna is a wide range active antenna with a frequency coverage of 0.15 ~ 30MHz and has a controller box in the shack side which powers a preamplifier for the antenna, there is a switch which can deactivate the amplifier on the controller (-20dB when switched off). The preamplifier in housed in the antenna module and is a FET. I decided to install it in a horizontal position facing due North to gain coverage of Eu and Stateside.
The AN-1 is no longer made by Sony, it was replaced with the AN-12 which is basically the same antenna which I believe is also no longer available also, but may be available as NOS from some places. These antennas fetch between US$138 to $170 (Postage not included).
The roof side antenna houses the amplifier and a telescopic whip which is just 1.5 M long when fully extracted. It is powered by a 9V adapter or the equivalent in pen light cells. It is very easy to install and I had the antenna installed and up and running inside of 15 minutes.
Today, daylight DX was not particularly good as DX stations were few and suspect that propagation is not too good, so I was not able to do much of an acid test and compare it with my full sized passive vertical, but from the few stations that were present ,it do quite a good and decent job at pulling the stations in although there was obviously a bit more noise and fading when compared to the vertical. This was connected up yo my Lowe HF-150.

The true acid test will come this evening when I will listen to the night time DX and compare the differences with full sized antennas. Will report more.

However the AN-1 is a nice handy antenna to have around. If you can find an AN-1 or AN12, it may be worth considering to get one as a back up antenna for your listening system. There was also an AN-102 indoor active antenna made bu Sony.

There is also a whip antenna coupler for use with the AN-1, this slips over the whip antenna of the portable radio and connects via a cable to the antenna controller, so this is indeed a very versatile antenna.

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Portable Cans: Sound MAGIC P20.

The Sound MAGIC P20 portable headphones are the latest entry from Sound MAGIC, but these are different from their normal products. They are not ear buds but collapsible portable cans that fit over your ear and are the first of their kind from Sound MAGIC.

SPECIFICATIONS Driver: dynamic (30mm neodymium magnet) Frequency range: 15~22000 Hz Impedance of 1kHz / 0.18v: 35±15%Ω DC Resistance: 32±10% Ω Sensitivity: 100±2 dB at 1KHz/mW Cable length: 1.2 m Connection: 3.5 mm Net Weight: 61 g ACCESSORY Extension Cable Warranty Card EVA hardcase Impressions: More later after auditioning and burn in.

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Digital Technology Professional 3.5" Color LCD Monitor and Digital Satellite Finder

Detailed Product Description

3.5 inch TFT LCD Satellite Finder - Model: CY70350

The Digital Technology 3.5" Color LCD Monitor and Digital Satellite Finder is a professional grade piece of equipment. The installation of satellite TV receiver systems by professionals requires a tailored and dedicated apparatus, it is based on the actual installation works for each satellite's needs tot set up satellite television receivers properly, LCD image display, and high-brightness LED digital control signal quality parameters and high-performance integrated lithium polymer battery are all integral. User-friendly and designed for outdoor carrying and use for satellite TV receiver systems engineering and technical personnel requiring to install special equipment will find this piece of equipment indispensable. As with instrument grade equipment the housing is aluminium and tilt bails are provided for easy viewing.

Just connect up an appropriate parabolic dish antenna and LNB. This is one of my favorite pieces of equipment. There is also a selector for video output or video input and it doubles up as a minature color monitor. Very useful.

Specifications:

Main parameters: TFT 3.5 "（73*51mm）
Battery pack: DC 7.4V 4000mAh (built-in)
A/V output: Video RCA/S-Video;Audio RCA left/right/stero channel
Input voltagen: DC8.5V
Input impedance: 75 Ω(Type F)
Input frequency: 950-2150 MHZ
Input level: -65 ~-25dBm
Threshold: 4.1 dB
Demodulation: QPSK
Video decode: ISO/IEC 13818-ZMP @ML NTSC/PAL
Audio decode: ISO/IEC 13818-3Layerl & 2
Size: 165 * 125 * 80 mm
Weight: 810 g (including battery pack)

Features
3.5-inch TFT LCD
Has English menu
Built-in lithium polymer batteries, for an external power source, can work for longer than three hours
AV output function, signal quality by the Dual Screen, LCD and digital display
Aluminum case for sturdiness
Small size. light weight. easy to carry

Package Contains
1 x 3.5" Digital Satellite Finder (Include Rechargeable Battery)
1 x Wireless Remote Control
1 x Adaptor
1 x User Manual

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1928 Transmitter Tuning

Ross Hull's QST article documents a lot of experimentation done to understand the behavior of self-excited oscillators. Whether Hartley, Colpitts, TPTG or TNT Hull concluded that all of them behave about the same and the same tuning guidelines apply to all of them. In summary, any self-excited oscillator should be run at only about half power in order to produce at acceptable signal.

After the transmitter is on frequency and running at full plate voltage:

1) Tighten the antenna coupling as much as possible. In the case of my transmitter this meant moving the antenna coil until it almost touched the tuning coil. At maximum antenna coupling tune antenna loading for maximum output and note this "maximum output".

2) Back off antenna coupling to 75% maximum power (watts) or 85% output current (RF Amps) retuning antenna loading along the way.

3) Once you are at 75% power (or 85% RF current) output, detune antenna loading by adding capacitance to reduce output another 75% power (or 85% RF current). After detuning check your signal. In some cases Hull found that detuning antenna loading worked best if capacitance was reduced rather than added.

Hull plotted frequency vs load capacitance. His curves show a fairly steep curve around resonance and then they flatten out. When a self-excited oscillator is peaked up for maximum output any changes in antenna loading will have a maximum impact on frequency. At this tuneup point an antenna swaying in the wind (changing the load that the transmitter sees) will have a maximum impact on the signal frequency. Detuning the output the oscillator away from peak output moves the operating point to the flatter part of the frequency vs load capacitance curve. Antenna sway will have less impact.

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1928 Transmitter Signal Quality

Ross Hull's August 1928 QST article, "Overhauling the Transmitter for 1929", is a great article for anyone interested in putting a late 20s/early 30s self excited oscillator on the air. This includes the Hartley, Colpitts, TPTG and TNT transmitters used in the AWA Bruce Kelly 1929 CW Party. In the words of QST, this "is, we feel, one of the most important articles ever published for the radio amateur. Let every amateur study it most carefully, and apply its information, for it contains salvation for 1929." It can be found by searching the QST magazine article archives at http://www.arrl.org/.

Ross Hull's major point is that the poor signals legal in 1928 will no longer be acceptable in 1929. He further states that the main problem is the "men pushing the keys". How 1929 transmitters are tuned up makes a big difference in signal quality. The actual transmitter required to meet 1929 standards can be fairly simple. To prove his point he describes the one I built, a "simple -- in fact crude -- rig...capable of performing quite creditably". He even goes on to say that he anticipates some "raspberries" over the crudity of his simple transmitter.

Transmitter features helping signal quality include a heavy tank coil/circuit, mounting the tube so tuned circuit heating is minimized and high tuning capacity/low inductance. Ross Hull emphasizes that the inexpensive hardware features he's listed combined with proper tuning over come lots of the frequency shift introduced by marginally filtered or unregulated B+ supplies, antennas swaying in the wind and components heating up. Simple 1929 transmitters don't need to "splutter, wobble, creep and rattle across great slices of the bands".

In fairness, I still find that moderate winds causing antenna sway does introduce some FMing, but my signal is acceptable. Hull, in fact, states that a DC (T9) note is extremely uncommon and rather unpleasant. He much prefers a more "musical note" that we might rate T8. Given proper tuning that's about where mine is: a sweet, musical, T8 signal. Also keep in mind that this transmitter design does not address other "creature comforts". It is microphonic requiring it to be placed on a table separate from the operating position, hand capacity is a problem and bandspread, such that there is, is barely adequate for getting on frequency. These could be addressed in a more expensive design but their solution is not required in order to archive "any reasonable [signal quality] standard set for 1929".

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Some Favs.

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1928 Hartley Coils

Pictured are my 80 and 40 meter tank coils. Ross Hull made a strong point in his QST article that these coils need to be able to handle a lot of current (5 amps of RF for this design), be mechanically stable and tune with as much capacitance as possible.

These coils were wound out of 1/4" OD copper tubing. A piece of 2 3/8" OD pipe was used for a winding form. Once a coil was wound I installed it and then adjusted the turn spacing so that the bottom edge of each band fell close to maximum tank tuning capacity.

While shopping for copper tubing I found that tubing wall thickness varied brand to brand. For best current handling and mechanical stability I bought the heaviest/thickest I could find.

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Falling For You by Colbie Caillat.

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External Speaker for HF-150: Altec Lansing BXR1220.

Up till now I have been unable to find the matching SP-150 speaker unit for the Lowe HF-150, so I added the passive radiator of the Altec Lansing BXR1220 as an external speaker to the receiver. I choose it because of it's reasonable response for speech as well as fairly decent reproduction for music.

Frequency Response: 180Hz to 20KHz

Maximum Sound Pressure Level (SPL) : 80dB

Crossover : None

Shielded : Magnetically Shielded

High Frequency Driver : Diameter 2" (5.1cm)

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Fun Magazine Covers

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Lowe 150 System.

The following photo is an update of my Lowe 150 system which shows the HF-150, PR-150 and remote control system all housed in a small rack for the whole system:

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2SC1946 28 Watts FM-broadcast (87,5-108MHz) rf-amplifier

2SC1946 28 Watts FM-broadcast (87,5-108MHz) rf-amplifier

All component values are drawn on the .comp and .silklayer bitmaps, with the following
exception(s);

1.- all four (4) coils (in the lowpass filter section) are:
3.5 turns, 8 mm DIA., 1.2 mm CuL closewound i.e. no wirespacing.


Notes

CuL = magnetwire, enameled copper wire, insulated (rigid) copper wire e.t.c..
(Note: 2 mm equals approx. to #12 A.W.G
1 mm equals approx. to #18 A.W.G
1.2 mm equals approx. to #17 A.W.G
0.8 mm equals approx. to #20 A.W.G
0.3 mm equals approx. to #28 A.W.G.)

(I) all diameters are measured from the inside of the coils, i.e. 'internal' diameter.
(II) make sure to mount the rf-transistor on a appropriate heatsink and use some thermal
heatsink compound between the flange of the transistor and heatsink!
(Thermal resistance heatsink at least 6°C/W.)
(!) by the way, it's always smart to study the 2SC1946 datasheet for additional
information

(C)2006 by Harm (Helix, Inc.). The Netherlands.

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FM Circuit Transmitter boster 2SC1971 & 2SC1946A RF-amplifier

2SC1971 & 2SC1946A RF-amplifier

Coil data:

L3, L7      = 5 Turns, DIA. 6 mm, Wire 1 mm CuL (spaced) on one end of the coil (to the
              power supply line) place a ferroxcube bead of approx. 3 mm diameter.
L2, L6      = 2 Turns, Wire 0.4 mm CuL on ferroxcube bead
L4, L8      = VK200 wideband choke
L1, L9, L10 = on pcb
L5          = 2 Turns, DIA. 7 mm, Wire 0.7 mm (spaced)

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TTI TSC3000R Wide Band Handheld Receiver.

A relatively new product is the Korean made TTI Wide band handheld receiver model TSC3000R:


Click on the photos of the catalog below to enlarge the specifications, an interesting piece of equipment.


Impressions:


The radio is a nice palm size package and well built, it is RoHS compliant. It comes packed with a nice desktop charger stand (instead of the usual wall wart adapter, nice touch!) with wall wart transformer, SMA antenna, lanyard, earphone, Li-ON rechargeable battery. It does look quite attractive in it's charger stand on the desk and so much more professional.

The box as can be seen is quite minimalist, a plain brown box with very simple printing. Expense has been spared which is actually good since most of us do not care about the boxes after unpacking. Nevertheless the internal packing is very expertly thought out with individual small boxes for each component adding protection and overall strength to the overall package.

Functions:
	1300 Memories
	44 Banks (Variable Memory)
	Maunal Memory (1000)
	Auto Memory (200)
	Programmed Scan Memory (50)
	Dual Watch Memory (50)
	Scan/ Search
	Squelch Adjustment
	Numeric Keyboard
	Mode Change (AM/ NFM/ WFM)
	Tone Refection Cloning Reset (Fall/ Partial) Replaceable Antenna

Electrical Specification
General Specification
	Frequency Range : 150KHz ~ 1309.995 MHz
	Variable Step(5,6.25,8.33*,9**,10,12.5,15,20,25,30,50,100,500KHZ)
	Size (H x W x D) : 98 mm x 62.5 mm x 32.6 mm (w/o Antenna)
Power Supply
	DC 9V/500MAH(1900MAH BATTERY PACK)

Charging of the initial battery took about 3 hours for full charge., the LED runs red color when charging and will switch to green color when fully charged. Functions of the buttons are fairly user friendly and I was able to navigate around without first having to refer to the users manual. The manual was adequate in instruction but a bit awkward in reading.

As to be expected reception and operation for frequencies about 50MHz was adequate with the supplied SMA rubber duckie antenna. For reception of MW to HF this is not adequate unless you are in wide open spaces or on top of a hill. A separate telescopic whip would be necessary to improve upon HF reception.

I have not yet tried it with a large external antenna and suspect it may overload the front end, but to be fair that remains to be seen. I need to get a SMA to BNC or SMA to PL259 adapter in order to test it with external antennas. It would be worthwhile if the manufacturer included such adapters as part of the standard package. Selectivity and sensitivity from 30MHz > is very good and I was able to pick up signals very easily. More Later!


Portable Antenna Choice:

I will be using a Diamond SRH-789 shortly with this receiver to see what improvements can be further made to the overall reception.

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