Test of HB-1B for Digital Modes.

 For a few years I have had the HB-1B transceiver.

This is a small sized 5W CW transceiver capable of operating on 80-40-30-20m with CW. It does not transmit on 60m. 

The receiver covers 3.2 - 16MHz, and the RX mode can be set to USB/LSB on 40, 30 and 20m. For some obscure reason it only runs LSB on 60 and 80m. The variable CW filter can be set to receive in the full SSB bandwidth, so I thought this could be used for digital modes without problems.

The set runs with a headphone only AF output, so the AF attenuator I used with the higher end rigs (with speaker output) provided an insufficient signal to the computer sound input, no surprise. 

In any case, this makes the receiving setup simple for the frequencies the HB-1B is capable of. I was a bit worried to see if the frequency stability would be sufficient for WSPR monitoring.

I have run tests with 20m WSPR, and 20-30-40m FT8, and the system works very nicely with sufficient frequency stability. The fact that the transceiver draws only 80mA at receive, makes it a decent candidate for this kind of monitoring, until some receivers with lower power consumption have been made. 

Because my main interests are in the higher HF range, like 10m, and also in VHF/UHF, the initial receiver for the International Beacon frequency of 28200kHz could be reached with a simple down converter, using a 19200kHz crystal oscillator that I have, a diode balance mixer, and a 28MHz preamp should be sufficient for using the HB-1B as a 9MHz IF. Then a "real" 9MHz IF/detector/AF amplifier and filter can be built later. I suspect that the full receiver for 28200 could draw as little as 20-30mA, depending on the power consumption of the 19200 oscillator.

When that is done the HB-1B other types of monitoring can be done, both on 10m, e.g. with a 22MHz canned oscillator as converter LO, covering 10m - or other oscillators for covering the following bands:

30MHz: 40MHz monitoring

40MHz: 50MHz monitoring

60MHz 70MHz monitoring

The 10m monitor with a "base" frequency of 6.000MHz

the 40, 50 and 70MHz with a "base" frequency of 10.000MHz

Each converter should draw less than 30mA.

The 50MHz monitoring could initially be done with an older 3-band Tokyo Hy-Power hand held (like in holding a building brick ;) ) that runs 40-15-6m, since it draws about 120mA in receive mode. 

All this "power saving" happens because I want to run most of my station with solar power (maybe not possible in the deep of winter, then it will be assisted by mains power charging the batteries in low-tariff hours), and because some of it will run unattended 24/7, and other stuff just running when I am awake and at home.