next visit, power supplies for ham radio demo

general
#1

Hi all,

I'm visiting Prishtina again after OSCAL and I've started having
discussions with some people about some possible events and activities
that I could support.

One possibility is a more elaborate ham radio demonstration but this
requires a power source for the transmitter.

Does the hackerspace have a 12V DC power supply capable of 25A or more?
Or is there a deep-cycle battery, such as an AGM or gel-cell, rated for
25Ah or more?

If I can bring parts for constructing a HF antenna, would anybody be
interested in installing it at the hackerspace? It could go inside the
loft or in the garden. It could be a fixed installation or it could be
temporary, so people can take it to events.

Regards,

Daniel

#2

Hey Daniel,

Does the hackerspace have a 12V DC power supply capable of 25A or more?

Or is there a deep-cycle battery, such as an AGM or gel-cell, rated for
25Ah or more?

We have a lot of ATX power supplies,I don’t know if any of them can provide 25A alone

but regardless of that I’m sure we can combine two or more to produce the desired amps.

Thanks,

#3

12v*25a = 300watt

Or you may borrow from the people who sell alarms and rfid doorlocks …

#4

http://www.smarttronik.com/index.php?id_product=2291&controller=product&id_lang=2

#5

Thanks for this feedback, unfortunately ATX power supplies are switch
mode and for ham radio we need linear power supplies or batteries.

I've launched a crowdfunding campaign[1] to raise money to buy some
batteries and other parts. I'd like to see anything we buy divided
between the different groups in the region, e.g. if we can buy 2
batteries, one could stay in Tirana and another could go to Prishtina.

Can anybody help promote this?

Can anybody help find local shops with things like this in either
country? If people donate money we will need to buy the stuff quickly.

For example, the type of battery I use myself is Varta LA60 but for use
at events I would recommend a bigger battery like the LA105:

The other thing that is really big and unlikely to be transported by an
airline is a portable mast for raising an antenna.

The cable we need is RG-213, about 30 meters long with PL-259 plugs.
This is a heavy cable and would use my entire baggage allowance so I
can't bring one with me.

The QSL cards are like a postcard and we need to find a local printing
company to make them.

Regards,

Daniel

1.

#6

Hi Daniel,

Would we need a license to operate this radio?

Arianit

#7

You can use the antennas to receive without any license

You can only transmit when somebody with a license is in the
hackerspace. I have a full license and my callsign is VK3TQR so people
can use transmitters whenever I visit.

If anybody in Kosovo wants to apply for a license you can contact ARKEP:

http://www.arkep-rks.org/?cid=2,235

For people in Albania, you can contact AKEP to get the license:

https://akep.al/kontakte

Most callsigns (like VK3TQR) are personal but you can also ask ARKEP for
a "club callsign" for the hackerspace.

Regards,

Daniel

#8

Hi Daniel,

I will meet radio amateurs organizations on Thurs. I will invite them to the meeting for a presentation.

In the meanwhile, I found RG-213 cable and PL-259 plugs here http://www.loging-ks.com

I would buy the smaller battery for now since we don’t have any radios of our own.

How long should the mast be? Maybe we can use something from the house in place of this.

We can print those cards next door, just send the file to me.

Cheers!