Archer Beacon ON THE AIR!

[IRONARCHER]

I will give that a try on my next beacon build. I may just be pushing it a bit too hard.
Thanks for the advice.
73

[Teotwaki]

Congratulations on the beacon build! It's a lot of fun to build solar powered gear to emplace in the wilderness. I heard Archer a little while ago on the KFS omni kiwi. Will email for the e-QSL card

Comments:

For protecting your solar panel wires try this metal braid which worked well for my little dataloggers:  https://www.ebay.com/itm/302205006382?ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT&_trksid=p2060353.m1438.l2649

It will expand quite a bit in diameter. I use a metal snake pushed through the braid and tape my wires on the end then pull it back through. A little bit of camo paint on the braid tones down the shininess. The biters and nibblers have never bothered wires protected by this stuff as I think the braid exterior gets pretty rough after expanding.

Instead of wires through drilled holes I would go to BNC bulkhead connectors with a rubber washer. 
https://www.ebay.com/itm/194146492059?hash=item2d34085e9b:g:afEAAOSwN4Bgp8bx
You can use the BNCs for the DC power from the solar panels too.

Then seal the external connectors with a self fusing tape like this
https://www.harborfreight.com/10-ft-x-1-in-self-bonding-super-tape-61414.html

[Teotwaki]

I sent you an email for a QSL e-card and forgot to ask for a schematic. What voltage do your solar panels put out open circuit and what current at short circuit? Or do you know the maximum power point (MPPT) figure? What are you using to upconvert the battery voltage to 12 volts?

[IRONARCHER]

Teotwaki-
Thank you for the suggestions! Now that I think about it I actually have some grounding cable on hand that should be sufficient. I wish I would have thought of that before emplacement hahaha.

Part of my initial design requirements were to keep cost as low as possible and reduce complexity (i.e. possible failure points). The prototype of the design used waterproof BNC bulkheads but I eliminated them because I only had a couple on hand and didn't want to order more. I also didn't like the idea of adding a friction connector into the mix with the inevitability of corrosion and increased resistance. I figured soldering the coax directly to the output of the lowpass filter was the simplest and most foolproof way of getting the RF where it needs to be. To be fair though, transporting a beacon with the 64' antenna and 49:1 unun "hard attached" is a pain.

The next iteration of Archer V2 will more than likely use sealed bulkheads for all connectors. Silicone caulk is great but is hard to work  with (messy) and looks ugly. I like my projects to look neat even if they are intended to be abandoned and never be seen by human eyes hahaha.

For power, I used off the shelf (Amazon) parts. The solar panels are waterproof epoxy encapsulated with convenient solder points. It's advertised specs are actually pretty darn close to reality. I've used them in several projects and I'd recommend them as a cheap option.

https://www.amazon.com/ALLPOWERS-Battery-Charger-Encapsulated-130x150mm/dp/B074TYH68Z/ref=pd_bxgy_img_1/142-1809823-9436651?pd_rd_w=fKdMy&pf_rd_p=fd3ebcd0-c1a2-44cf-aba2-bbf4810b3732&pf_rd_r=2T00CBMNVVKVMEM51B4B&pd_rd_r=1c580608-9c63-48f4-96d1-6d0298f9fc7f&pd_rd_wg=fhi76&pd_rd_i=B074TYH68Z&psc=1

For solar control, battery management , and to step up the voltage to 12v I used this module based off TC4056. Simple, easy, replaceable, and comes in a pack of 6 for 13$. The output voltage is variable up to 27v but I wouldn't go much past 12v. Cant beat it for the price though.

https://www.amazon.com/AITRIP-Lithium-Battery-Charger-Adjustable/dp/B08GWTBD3T/ref=psdc_10967761_t2_B091F5PTY2

Your eQSL card will be in your email shortly. I very much appreciate the tips and I will probably use some of them in my next design.

One more thing, what do think the best option is for desiccant and moisture elimination inside your outdoor electronics projects? I had the thought of putting rice or DryZair desiccant in the free spaces of the beacon but ended up just using a small packet. Should I have done something different?

Thanks

[Teotwaki]

Those battery charger/voltage boost boards are pretty nice. i may buy some to play with.

I never worried about adding desiccant.  I've used mini Pelican type cases and watertight bulkhead connectors plus California doesn't get much rain, lol. I have had some boxes get snowed on and never had a problem with moisture ingress. Depending on where in the N/W your beacon site is you could have more concerns than I do. Still, a watertight case is watertight and shouldn't need desiccant.

[IRONARCHER]

I love those little boards, they allow you to use random salvaged lithium batteries for projects and allow fore USB and/or solar charging. One thing to note is that they don't provide low voltage protection. Not a big deal but I added a separate board to prevent low voltage damage to my beacons battery. 
Good idea on the pelican cases. I have a couple on hand but don't want to put holes in them at the moment haha.
Dang it... now I have to go order some more cases and bulkheads!
Just curious, what model pelican case did you use?

[Heathkit]

Hi IronArcher,

I've used rubber grommets sealed with good ol' RTV silicone (I think GE sold out to DAP for the line. It's the clear stuff). A dollop before putting it on the case to seal the case to grommet, let that cure, then feed through the wires and squeeze a bunch in and let it cure. Typical survival was 5 years on the rain coast of Cascadia for my antenna baluns.

The SOFT rubber grommets, like from Digikey, The typical harder ones from auto stores UV eats like popcorn.

73's

[DYGradio]

Archer popped up very strong at 03:39 UTC, very chirpy and difficult to tell for sure what is being sent but I am sure this is it. Then it has faded somewhat on subsequent transmissions but is still in there. 03:45 UTC 27 JUN 2021.

Nice to have a new one to watch for! Welcome IronArcher!

[Teotwaki]

Definitely on the air and super strong into the KFS Omni  http://69.27.184.58:8073/

That's definitely mangled Morse and if you look at a strong signal on the waterfall display you can make out the letters ABK

[Heathkit]

That's definitely mangled Morse.....

You know.... I listened to it for an hour last night and found that it reminded me of a loon call. Very relaxing with that image in my head 

[Teotwaki]

Applause for anyone who attempts to build a beacon let alone gets out in the boondocks and deploys one. There is no "How To Build Pirate Beacons" book to reference and in a lot of cases you just make a decision and see how things play out. From there the experience gained will sustain and shape future construction activities.

[Teotwaki]

Again it's super strong into the KFS Omni  kiwi

[Teotwaki]

Fair signal on the KFS omni

[Heathkit]

Archer just rocks it!

It's the only beacon I can hear pretty much 24/7, even from home QTH. It peaks S8 on the far north Canadian SDR's as far as Manitoba. It's actually fairly weak on the US KIWI SDR's.

I haven't heard any 8-megger in weeks and the noise levels have swamped any hope of hearing a 4-megger.

Keep up the great work, Archer!

[Heathkit]

Is Archer QRT? I haven't heard it on any SDR for 24H