Hi Gang,
If you're headed to Dayton this year, stop by for a visit at the new "Homebrew
Round-up" area in the North Arena. I'm planning on being there Friday and
Saturday and will bring along a couple of StationPros (both the SP-I and
SP-II)for you to inspect. Under Hamvention rules, I can't take any orders, but
I'll be happy to answer any questions.

The Homebrew Roundup is a new Hamvention feature this year, for hams to display
their latest creations. It in a block of tables (nos. 179,180,191,192,203 and
204)at the East end of the North Arena, adjacent to the loading dock area. If
I'm not at my table, I'll probably be with my buddy Jerry K8RA at his exhibit,
No. 244. CU there!
73,
Jim W8ZR

> I'm thinking about making the Mouser parts list available on my StationPro
website, in advance of taking orders for my "semi-kits."

Sounds like a great idea.  Or, perhaps post it in the files section of this
group.

What will be included in the "semi-kit'?

How does one "get in line" ?

73,

Lyle KK7P

Hi All,
In response to several requests, I've uploaded the pre-filled-out Mouser Order
forms for both the SP-I and SP-II to this Yahoo group. The files are in the form
of Excel Spreadsheets. To order parts, one just cuts and pastes the part numbers
and quantities into the Mouser on-line order form (at www.mouser.com)

If you're sure you want to build a StationPro, I'd advise getting a jump on the
crowd by getting your orders into Mouser early. That will minimize any problem
of having to wait for backordered parts. By the way, members of this Group will
be first in line for my "semi-kits." presently scheduled for shipping in
mid-to-late June. As a ballpark, figure about $400 total cost (my semi-kits plus
Mouser order) for an SP-I and about $600 for an SP-II.
73,
Jim W8ZR

Thanks, Jim. Placed the SP-1 parts order. Just a few items on b/o. Looking
forward to building the project.

73,
Ed - K6CTA

Hi all,
Two items: First, I'm headed off to Dayton tonight, so be sure and hunt me down
at the Homebrew Roundup. I'll have both the SP-I and SP-II set up and operating
for inspection, and I'll also be monitoring 145.670 MHz if I'm in the flea
market.

Second, I heard from the technical editor of QST that their publication schedule
has slipped a bit and my StationPro article will now appear in the August issue
(which comes out in mid-July). Evidently, with everybody at QST gearing up for
Dayton, their production people have fallen behind in getting the drawings
finished. Rather than make everybody wait, however, I'll plan on going public
with my StationPro website around July 1, or possibly earlier.
73,
Jim W8ZR

Hi all, I'm back from Dayton and greatly enjoyed demoing my StationPros in the
new "Homebrew Roundup" area. It was fun to attach faces to some of the hams who
have followed these updates. The weather was great, though attendance was
definitely lower than, say, ten years ago. (This is a topic for another day, but
Hara Arena has become so shabby, with inconvenient parking, and cutbacks in
airline scheduling, that many hams are reluctant to make the trip. I so wish
D.A.R.A. would move the Hamvention to the nearby Ohio Fairgrounds in Columbus,
which has great facilities, excellent nearby hotels and restaurants, easy
accessibility, etc. Until they do, are at least move the Hamvention to more
accomodating facilities, I think attendance will continue to dwindle.) I posted
a couple of photos on the StationPro update page on my website of Yours Truly
chatting with friends Tom Salvetti KC3NF, my enclosure guy at Ten-Tec, and Joel
Hallas W1ZR, who is QST's technical editor and who assures me my StationPro
article is on track for this August's issue. Both are great hams and strong
supporters of the amateur community.

I had about a half dozen visitors ask if the StationPro was suitable for SO2R
contesters. I'm not very knowledgable about  SO2R, but I believe the answer is
no, since SO2R requires the ability to monitor two frequencies at once, with
separate antennas. It wouldn't be hard to design that capability into a
StationPro-like device, but that would be a rather involved project. Maybe for a
future date....
73,
Jim W8ZR

I enjoyed seeing the Station Pro being demo'ed by Jim.  I wasn't able to
stick around long enough to chat with him, but did drop by the demo area
twice on Saturday to see it.  This is going to be a nice project!

73,

Lyle KK7P

--- <<<In stationpro@yahoogroups.com, JAMES HEYE <james_heye@...> wrote:
  The only part still in limbo� are 2 RCA jacks (part # 161-4219E). Anyone who
has a source for these parts�please send me a email or post the information on
the group.>>>>

They are available from Digikey.
73,
Ed - K6CTA�

Ed, be sure and check the pinout on the dual RCA jacks from Digikey (you can
download the data sheet from Digikey). I may be remembering wrong, but I vaguely
recall that those jacks may require a different PCB pattern than the Mouser RCA
jacks.  I tried to specify multiple sources for as many StationPro components as
possible, but I had trouble finding duplicate sources for some of the RCA jacks.
It seems that every manufacturer's PCB-mount jacks require a unique PCB pattern.
Fortunately, they're a popular item and Mouser has many on order.
73,
Jim W8ZR
________________________________________
From: stationpro@yahoogroups.com [stationpro@yahoogroups.com] On Behalf Of
e_j_schuller [eschuller@...]
Sent: Monday, May 24, 2010 4:11 PM
To: stationpro@yahoogroups.com
Subject: [stationpro] Re: Station Pro II Parts

--- <<<In stationpro@yahoogroups.com<mailto:stationpro%40yahoogroups.com>, JAMES
HEYE <james_heye@...> wrote:
The only part still in limbo  are 2 RCA jacks (part # 161-4219E). Anyone who has
a source for these parts please send me a email or post the information on the
group.>>>>

They are available from Digikey.
73,
Ed - K6CTA

--- <<<In stationpro@yahoogroups.com, 4CX250B <4cx250b@...> wrote:
check the pinout on the dual RCA jacks from Digikey >>>

Jim...

    The 2 part numbers that appear to have the correct pin-out dimensions
are  - CP-1435-ND and CP-1433-ND.

Hi gang,

A couple of items:  First, I received the page proofs for my QST writeup
yesterday, so it's still on track for the August issue, which should start
appearing in about a month. If you haven't ordered parts from Mouser yet, I'd
recommend you do so before the article appears in order to minimize any
backordering problems.

Second, if you're building an SP-I, be sure and check the errata sheet from the
"downloads" webpage, because I inadvertently left a 1K resistor and a 1N4005
diode off the SP-I Mouser order form. The download page now has the corrected
order form. (The SP-II order form is fine, with no omissions.)

Third, I've received several inquiries about possibly modifying the SP-II for
remote control operation. Paul W9AC has successfully modified his SP-II for
remote control over the internet and has promised to writed up his modification,
which is quite elegant. Paul found an inexpensive ($35) embedded web control
interface PCB which mounts inside the SP-II enclosure, and is connected to the
internet through a second RJ45 jack which he added to the rear panel. A very
slick job.

Fourth, a couple of hints on finding hookup wire, if you don't already some in
your junk box.  The assembly manual calls for short lengths of 22AWG stranded
wire, which is the most common type. For my own SPs, I used teflon insulated
wire, which I like because the insulation doesn't melt when soldering. It's
pricey if bought new, but one can frequently find it in various colors at
hamfests or on eBay. (Multiple colors are convenient, but not necessary.)
Another source of hookup wire is to buy a length of multicolored computer ribbon
cable and peel off the strands, as needed. And yet another source is to strip
the jacket off a length of multi-conductor cable.

Lastly, I've been working on my StationPro website, and presently plan to
publish it around July 1. I'll send out a notice when it's up and running.

Thanks to all who have emailed me reporting on their kits. So far, everything
seems to be going smoothly. And of course, you're encouraged and welcome to post
your experiences and suggestions on this site.
73,
Jim W8ZR

----- Original Message -----

From: w8zr_santa_fe

To: stationpro@yahoogroups.com

Sent: Saturday, June 05, 2010 9:05 AM

Subject: [stationpro] StationPro Update

 

Hi gang,

A couple of items: First, I received the page proofs for my QST writeup yesterday, so it's still on track for the August issue, which should start appearing in about a month. If you haven't ordered parts from Mouser yet, I'd recommend you do so before the article appears in order to minimize any backordering problems.

Second, if you're building an SP-I, be sure and check the errata sheet from the "downloads" webpage, because I inadvertently left a 1K resistor and a 1N4005 diode off the SP-I Mouser order form. The download page now has the corrected order form. (The SP-II order form is fine, with no omissions.)

Third, I've received several inquiries about possibly modifying the SP-II for remote control operation. Paul W9AC has successfully modified his SP-II for remote control over the internet and has promised to writed up his modification, which is quite elegant. Paul found an inexpensive ($35) embedded web control interface PCB which mounts inside the SP-II enclosure, and is connected to the internet through a second RJ45 jack which he added to the rear panel. A very slick job.

Fourth, a couple of hints on finding hookup wire, if you don't already some in your junk box. The assembly manual calls for short lengths of 22AWG stranded wire, which is the most common type. For my own SPs, I used teflon insulated wire, which I like because the insulation doesn't melt when soldering. It's pricey if bought new, but one can frequently find it in various colors at hamfests or on eBay. (Multiple colors are convenient, but not necessary.) Another source of hookup wire is to buy a length of multicolored computer ribbon cable and peel off the strands, as needed. And yet another source is to strip the jacket off a length of multi-conductor cable.

Lastly, I've been working on my StationPro website, and presently plan to publish it around July 1. I'll send out a notice when it's up and running.

Thanks to all who have emailed me reporting on their kits. So far, everything seems to be going smoothly. And of course, you're encouraged and welcome to post your experiences and suggestions on this site.
73,
Jim W8ZR

---

No virus found in this incoming message.
Checked by AVG - www.avg.com
Version: 8.5.437 / Virus Database: 271.1.1/2917 - Release Date: 06/04/10 06:25:00

If you've not ordered your Mouser parts yet for either the SP-I or SP-II, please
be sure to download and use the latest order form (5/11/2010) from the website.
The new order form has a revised part number for J501, an RJ45 connector that
mounts on the RF relay PCB. The new Mouser part number for J501 is
571-6116202-1.

Here's the reason for the change. The old part number was actually a substitute
for an RJ45 connector that I initially used. Unfortunately, Mouser ran out of
stock on my initial connector and had to backorder it with a long delivery time.
I therefore specified a substitute connector. I checked the pinout of the
substitute to make sure it was the same as the original. However, I learned
yesterday (thanks to a builder) that the mounting tabs and case dimensions of
the substitute are slightly different from the original, and it doesn't fit
quite right into the PCB pattern and enclosure cutout. It can be made to work
(see below), but isn't as nice a fit as my original. Now Mouser has the initial
one back in stock (by the thousands), hence the changed part number.

If you've already ordered the wrong connector, but haven't built your kit yet,
you can use the connector by clipping off the metal side tabs (which aren't
needed). You may also have to file the enclosure cutout slightly (about.010")
along one edge so the connector will mount vertically. Alternately, I'll be
happy to send you the correct connector at no charge, if you email me. It'll
take a couple weeks, however, since I'm out of town for a week visiting family
and also have to order several of the replacement connectors.  I'm sorry for the
error. I hope it's the last!
73,
Jim W8ZR

 

Hi Torrey,

So far as I know, Mouser doesn’t have a minimum order requirement. That’s a big reason I prefer Mouser to Digikey. (The other reason is that Mouser’s parts search engine is much more user-friendly, in my opinion.) Don’t bother ordering a new J501.  I ordered a bunch of them yesterday and will send you one gratis when they come in. It was my fault for not checking the dimensions of the other connector more closely. I’m visiting friends in NY this coming week, and will send the connectors out as soon as I get back.

 

By the way, when your order arrived from Mouser, did the D-Sub (DB-25 and DB-9) connectors have jack screws attached to them?  When I ordered my connectors, they came with jack screws, but I heard today that some have come without them. If that’s Mouser’s practice now, I’ll add jack screws to the parts list. (I think Radio Shack also sells them; at least it used to.)

73,

Jim W8ZR

 

---

From: stationpro@yahoogroups.com [mailto:stationpro@yahoogroups.com] On Behalf Of Torrey Mitchell
Sent: Sunday, June 13, 2010 5:44 PM
To: stationpro@yahoogroups.com
Subject: RE: [stationpro] StationPro Update -- Important

 

 

This is slightly off subject.  I went to order the new Mouser part for J501.  The website added the new part number to my Station Pro II project.  All the non-backordered parts have already been shipped to me.  If I go to checkout, it wants to charge me again for the almost $300 for the project parts in addition to the new J501 part.  If I try a different approach and order the part individually, I'm not offered the chance to check out...I suspect I have not met the minimum order requirement.

I'm guessing that others have had the same frustration.  I'd love to have insight from "Mouser pros" among you.  I'll call Mouser later this week if the web procedure remains an enigma to me.

 

Thanks and 73,

Torrey N9PY

 

From: stationpro@yahoogroups.com [mailto:stationpro@yahoogroups.com] On Behalf Of w8zr_santa_fe
Sent: Saturday, June 12, 2010 10:19 AM
To: stationpro@yahoogroups.com
Subject: [stationpro] StationPro Update -- Important

 

 

If you've not ordered your Mouser parts yet for either the SP-I or SP-II, please be sure to download and use the latest order form (5/11/2010) from the website. The new order form has a revised part number for J501, an RJ45 connector that mounts on the RF relay PCB. The new Mouser part number for J501 is 571-6116202-1.

Here's the reason for the change. The old part number was actually a substitute for an RJ45 connector that I initially used. Unfortunately, Mouser ran out of stock on my initial connector and had to backorder it with a long delivery time. I therefore specified a substitute connector. I checked the pinout of the substitute to make sure it was the same as the original. However, I learned yesterday (thanks to a builder) that the mounting tabs and case dimensions of the substitute are slightly different from the original, and it doesn't fit quite right into the PCB pattern and enclosure cutout. It can be made to work (see below), but isn't as nice a fit as my original. Now Mouser has the initial one back in stock (by the thousands), hence the changed part number.

If you've already ordered the wrong connector, but haven't built your kit yet, you can use the connector by clipping off the metal side tabs (which aren't needed). You may also have to file the enclosure cutout slightly (about.010") along one edge so the connector will mount vertically. Alternately, I'll be happy to send you the correct connector at no charge, if you email me. It'll take a couple weeks, however, since I'm out of town for a week visiting family and also have to order several of the replacement connectors. I'm sorry for the error. I hope it's the last!
73,
Jim W8ZR

Hi Gang,

The last Back Order was received from Mouser on Monday.  Now I guess
it's up to me to get'er done.

73, John, K2TQN