Need a speaker to give a talk to your ham club or microcomputer club? Below are some topics that I’d be happy to present and discuss at local club meetings.
Firmware Development on Arduino and ATtiny HW Platforms using Microchip MPLAB X IDE
I’m no expert on MPLAB X IDE, but I’ve gotten past most of the common initial stumbling blocks to get started debugging code with it. I show others how to get up to speed on the basics of using MPLAB X IDE using the ATmega328P Xplained board, a $9 board that is substantially similar to an Arduino Uno and *includes* an on-board In-Circuit-Emulator (ICE) with break-point debugging. If there’s interest I can also show how to use MPLAB X IDE with AVR Curiosity Nano boards.
Short Range Ebay UHF RX/TX Data Modules
On Ebay there are an abundance of sub $3 transmitters and receivers for 315 MHz and 433 MHz data transmission, mostly using ON-OFF transmitters (just like CW!) and super-regenerative receivers. These devices can easily be controlled with Arduino and Raspberry Pi processors to transmit and receive telemetry and other data over a short range. I give an overview of how I used them in my own applications as well as the pitfalls to avoid.
Radio Selective Calling
Selective calling is somewhat counter-culture for ham radio, since hams rely mainly on voice calling on repeaters or net frequencies. Yet radio selective calling has always been a special interest of mine. I describe several basic selective systems that have been used in the commercial services that may be of interest to hams. They include tone dial pulse (dating back to the first radio telephones), Motorola Quik-Call II (two tone pagers), DTMF (Touch-Tone), SITOR B and even CW. FYI, back in the day AT&T’s Maritime HF ship-to-shore radio stations used both CW and SITOR B for selective calling on HF radio channels.