Beacons This page is getting too big - it needs to be split
The Bell Hill Microwave Beacons

Details of the GB3SCC Frequency Locking hardware

The Next Generation of Amateur Beacons for the 21st centuary
How we can use modern technology to make beacons more useful, add versatility and ease the approval / licensing issues.
Powerpont presentation, first given at the RSGB HF Convention October 2006 .
Updated for the Flight Refuelling ARS Talk, December 2007

Beacon Timestamp
Adding a timestamp to beacon transmissions to allow automatic QSLing and verification of reception.
Supporting software BCTMSTMP.ZIP

DDS based VHF Beacon Driver
Design and construction of the AD9852 based driver used on the new GB3VHF 144MHz beacon.
A multipurpose VHF beacon driver module capable of transmitting in CW, RTTY and JT65 modes

WSPR Beacons
A 16F628 PIC, AD9852 DDS and Motorola-Oncore GPS module make up a Driver for generating WSPR signals. Message and frequency data needs are prepared off-line and blown into the PIC for a standalone source.
Includes utilities for running WSPR.EXE (see Joe's website ) to generate tone data and then convert to a form for direct import to PIC assembler.

The WSPR Coding Process Encoding and generating WSPR messages.

NEW ! Self-contained programme for generating WSPR symbol data. GENWSPR.EXE
Download and run from a command line - for example 'GENWSPR G4JNT IO90 33
Unlike WSPR.EXE, this prog is not fussy about upper/lower case data in its entry, and flags an error message if you try to enter the wrong number of parameters. This is my first play with C-Coding and is the result of a lot of time spent learning the language; I took some code found on the web that encoded WSPR data ('fraid I can't remember where or who to credit!) and added the rest. It gives the same answers as Joe's software does, and also cures a bug in WSP2INC that generates an incorrect final pair of symbols Please report any bugs or errors found.
In line with the new 'JNT policy, and pending my possible future desire to try to earn money without kow-towing to an employer, I'm not going to give away all my source code free of charge from now on. sri, folks!

JT4 Symbol to PIC Conversion Utility
Generate JT4 Symbols for a PIC JT4 message keyer

JT4_Coding_Process.pdf
Encoding and generating JT4 messages.
Click for larger image

BCNKEYER.ZIP PIC based beacon keyer module. CW messages, Programmable pauses, Tx/Rx control, The module can be re-programmed over an RS232 link and no PIC programmer is needed to change the data.
Now completely redesigned for 12F629 PIC. Includes PCB Layout.

Now available - Complete made up modules, programmed with a message of your choice.
Price £10 or 13 Euro includes post and packing --- Paypal accepted, ac.talbot [at] btinternet [dot]com

DTMF Remote Controller
DTMF Remote control over a telephone line.
This article was first published in Radio Communication in August 2001

5MHz Beacons
Design and construction of the 5MHz beacons GB3RAL, GB3WES and GB3ORK
This article was first published in Radio Communication June/July 2005

VHFBeacons.zip PIC Code for driving VHF Beacons such as GB3VHF.
Includes the code for generating JT65 from prestored data generated by JT65CODE.ZIP
and reading Motorola compatible binary data from various GPS modules

DDSBeacons.zip Utilities for programming DDS soures for use in beacons - calculating frequency codes, formatting JT65 symbols from JT65CODE.
New, now includes VHFBCNCalcs.exe with WSPR programming data"

HFBCN02.ASM PIC Code for driving the 5MHz beacons GB3WES and 'ORK
Includes the code for reading NMEA data from various GPS modules.

PCBCN - For controlling a timed personal beacon using a PC. Specifiy the timing repeat interval, offset from the hour in minutes and seconds and the Tx duration in seconds. At the right time, the DTR and RTS lines of the requested COM port will repeatedly activate a beacon transmitter for the duration.
No Bells, No whistles, just a simple timer. Stand-alone executable and VB6 Source code.

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