Because the market for batteries to charge phones and laptops is so much larger
than the market for batteries we 12V output, all the innovation in batteries
is happening on batteries that have USB-C Power Delivery output. There are many
vendors and lots of products with different characteristics. If you want to use
these batteries with amateur radio gear that takes 12V, or that requires an
unusual voltage (my UV-5R battery charger wants 10V input), you have to:
- buy this cable from Adafruit which
asks the USB-C device for 12V
- connect it to a small buck converter or boost converter to get the voltage that you want
- live with the losses and heat of the buck/boost converter
Now there is another option, the PockedPD.
This small device allows you to choose the voltage you want, and it requests
that voltage from the connected USB-C power source. You need a modern USB-C power source
that supports the Programmable Power Supply mode from USB PD 3.0 and later. As you
would expect, there are many USB-C power sources that comply with this standard.
Instead of bucking or boosting the voltage from USB-C, this device just asks
the USB-C for exactly the voltage that you want. Very clever.
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The Citrus Belt Amateur Radio Club
in San Bernardino, CA organizes an annual
Route 66 On The Air Special Event.
This year's event started on Sep 6 and runs through Sep 14. A bunch
of clubs are operating stations along the route, from Santa Monica
to Chicago, using special event call signs. There are several mobile operators,
including one in a small plan who will be flying over the route. The club
website has all the details, including lists of participating clubs and cities,
schedules, frequencies, a log sheet, and the criteria and procedure to
request a certificate or decal for participation in the event.
〰〰〰
Zero Retries is an independent newsletter promoting
technological innovation in and adjacent to Amateur Radio. Published by Steve and Tina
Stroh, it's the weekly newsletter to read if you are what Steve calls a NewTechHam.
NewTechHams wanna build handheld SDRs that can do DSTAR, AllStar,
or any other digital mode with just a software update. NewTechHams are as comfortable
with a Raspberry Pi as they are with a 2m HT. NewTechHams want to design repeaters that
use digital timeslicing so a repeater doesn't need a big duplexer or multiple frequencies.
If any of this sounds interesting to you, you should be subscribed to this free
email newsletter.
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