Pride Radio Group VK Kits
VK Kits is an initiative to lower cost and complexity in entering the amateur radio hobby in Australia. Kits are provided when available to VK Pride Radio Group members who cannot afford to purchase the equipment themselves.
Along with the physical kit we plan on providing instructions on how to use and experiment with the equipment. We provide a list of hardware here for those who wish to purchase the equipment themselves.
Applying for a kit
Kits are available for free provided you meet the following criteria:
- Member of Pride Radio Group (free membership)
- Reside in Australia
- Recently passed your first amateur radio exam
- Unable to financially purchase the equipment
If you believe you meet these criteria, contact Michaela Wheeler at Pride Radio Group.
Included Equipment
Baofeng DM1801 (running OpenDM1801)
DM1801 is a low budget 2m/70cm receiver that can do both FM and DMR. This opens up the possibility for basic repeater usage, satellite and digital voice.
To alleviate concerns over spurs and harmonics being a cheap radio, each one is tested prior to being shipped on a spectrum analyser. We also provide our own 12v plug pack which complies with Australian standards.
OpenGD77 project includes support for this radio (OpenDM1801) and it's flashed before sending out. This provides all the functionality for a user to get started without the need of a computer for programming.
Source : AliExpress
RTL-SDR Blog v3
What better way to get started exploring the radio waves than with an RTL-SDR. Loads of exploration can be performed using the RTL-SDR making it a staple component.
RTL-SDR blog version was chosen as it's high quality, low price and the ability to use for HF listening. The antenna kit is used as it provides a starting point for listening to signals
Source : RTL SDR Blog
NanoVNA
NanoVNA is an inexpensive tool for testing antennas and experimenting with filters.
Source : AliExpress
MMDVM Hotspot
We wanted a way of getting new members onto Pride Radio Group nets, and given we have a DMR radio what better way than using a HotSpot.
Configuring hotspots is a little tricky, so look out for future documentation on how to walk through this process.
Source : AliExpress
APRS-K1 Cable
Being able to interface a radio with a computer or phone is a lot of fun. 1200 and even 2400 baud packet radio is attainable by connecting a handheld radio to a phone, not to mention fun with SSTV
Source : AliExpress
RF Filter Demo Board
These little demo boards contain a bunch of different filters that can be used with the NanoVNA to explore their purpose and real work implementations. They don't cost much so they were an easy addition to make
Source : AliExpress
SMA pigtails
An SMA pigtail for building a custom antenna. With the included tookkit, and VNA this should be enough to get on the air with a home built Yagi, or JPole
Source : AliExpress
Toolkit (inc, Multimeter, Soldering iron)
We are providing a small toolkit that includes important tools for experimenting:
- Wire strippers
- Side cutters
- Soldering Iron
- Multimeter
Source : Altronics
Projects and Experiments
Easy
- First Contact - Make a radio contact on a local FM repeater
- SSTV - Slow Scan Television - sending pictures via radio
- APRS - APRS - sending positioning and short messages via radio
Medium
- RF Demo Board -Explore how filters work using the RF Demo board and a NanoVNA
Hard
TODO
These tutorials haven't been written yet. Reach out if you want to help :)
- Decoding [pagers,digital voice, radiosondes, multimon-ng, noaa sats]
- SDR basics
- SOTA / simplex contacts
- APRS to ISS
- APRS using a phone
- Operating satelittes
- Building a Yagi antenna for satellites
- DMR basics
- Hotspot configuration
Contact details
For all details regarding the kits contact Michaela Wheeler from Pride Radio Group.