KF5JMD WebSDR History (2013-current)

2013-2016

Thanks to the Developers

Many Thanks to Pieter-Tjerk de Boer PA3FWM for development of the WebSDR Software and to Tony Parks, KB9YIG (Fivedash.com) for all his work on the Softrock Kits many years ago now.

How I got started with WebSDR

Since I was a kid in the 1970's through the 1990's I was into Electronics, Radio, and Computers and a bit of SWL (Short Wave Listening). In 2013 I got interested in WebSDR, and SDR in general. I was a licensed Amateur Radio Operator since 2011, and was just getting started in HF. At the time Softrock Kits from Fivedash.com were all the rage. I bought a RX/TX Ensemble and both of the Receiver Ensembles using the Si570 Oscillator, one for HF and one for LF.

I had so much fun building those and using them that I bought 5 or so of the Softrock Lite II Receiver kits, the ones that used a Crystal and were very simple, they were only like $15 each or something super inexpensive. I wanted to build a WebSDR Server to use with those receivers.



Softrock Lite II Receiver Kits from Fivedash.com (About $11-$15 each) in my first WebSDR Server

Here is a QSO Today Podcast Interview 4Z1UG did with Tony Parks KB9YIG in June, 2015.

These Softrock Receiver kits used Crystal Oscillators with Divider IC's to set the center frequency for RX, so I had to find/order a lot of different Crystals from Mouser Electronics and try them to get the Frequency Range I wanted. These kits were intended for the CW/Digital Modes portions of each band, but I wanted the Phone Mode portions, so I had to get different Crystals till I got it right. I eventually did get them where I wanted them and bought a couple Asus Xonar DX PCI-E Soundcards capable of clean low noise 192K or so of Bandwidth for each Receiver. That was kind of expensive, but there was no other way to do this, until later when the Modifications to the WebSDR Software to support rtl_tcp and RTL-SDR type USB Dongle Receivers with around 2Mhz of Bandwidth, which I later transistioned to in 2017.


Asus Xonar DX PCI-E Soundcard 192Khz almost $100 each

I mounted the Softrocks in a Metal Enclosure and built a simple HPF on the input from the Antenna because I had High Power (like 25KW) AM Broadcast Stations only Miles away that were causing all kinds of nasty images up the band into the Ham Bands.



During this time period, I had also added a couple RTL-SDR USB Dongles, but only for 2 Meters and 70cm bands, using full wave Copper Loops I made from Copper Tubing as Antennas, mounted on a pole about 25ft up. Later on I bought Nooelec Ham it up Upconverters and converted the entire WebSDR to using RTL-SDR USB Dongles with the Upconverters for all HF Bands and removed the 2M/70cm from the server, as noone really used those, everyone was interested in HF Bands only it seemed.

Antennas

During the first years of the WebSDR there was only one antenna, it was a very simple homebrewed with 50 feet of speaker wire and a 9:1 UnUn.



Waller County Radio Club

Sometime around 2013-2014 I started a Local Radio Club along with several other Hams/CB/SWL'ers from Waller County. We had our own UHF Repeater, and weekly Nets, and participated in ARES, and had a fairly active Facebook Group. The first 2-3 years was pretty active, but then many of the Hams either moved away, had to put Radio Hobby to the side for Life stuff, or went Silent Key. With little support to keep the Club going, it basically shut down. The WebSDR kept the name Waller County Radio Club WebSDR. Things changed in the Houston Area after around 2014. For example, the WebSDR on both 2 Meters and 70cm had all the Houston Area Repeaters in there, and for the first couple years, those repeaters were super active. By 2015, Interest was lost or something, and most all of those repeaters went silent or barely got use. It's like Ham Radio was really popular for about 10 years starting in Mid-2000's and by 2015, Interest had dwindled severely.

2017-2022

In late 2016/early 2017 I purchased Nooelec Ham it up Upconverters and Nooelec SMArt TCXO USB Dongle Receivers and retired the old Softrock Lite II Receivers. The frequency flexibility, and band coverage (now 2Mhz per band with the RTL-SDR's vs 192Khz with the Softrock Lite II's) did come at a price. That price was reduced sensitivity. The Softrock Lite II's were WAY MORE sensitive and less noisy than the Upconverter/RTL-SDR Receiver combination. At one point I almost took it all back down to go back to the Softrocks, but decided to just work on making better antennas to help band-aid the performance loss of the Upconverter/RTL-SDR's. Also the Softrocks sounded MUCH better, much better audio than the RTL-SDR's. Overall it was a real dissapointment changing to the RTL-SDR's, but the Pro's outweighed the Cons, and I stuck with the RTL-SDR's. I did keep the original box with the Softrocks still setup and the Sound Cards, maybe one day I will use those again on an alternate server for Retro purposes LOL.




Nooelec Ham it Up Upconverter



Nooelec SMArt TCXO RTL-SDR USB Dongle Receiver

Summer 2018 Disaster Struck, Literally

In August of 2018, my shack took a direct lightning strike on an IMAX 2000 Antenna that was mounted up on a pole about 30 feet, but the coax was just dangling at the bottom of the pole not hooked up to anything. The IMAX 2000 antenna was blown into 100's of bits of busted fiberglass scattered all over the place. It completely annihilated that Antenna. It was a very intense Thunderstorm, lots of rain and lightning. I guess it got into the Mains power also because there were burn marks across from the Main Breaker in the panel to the panels front metal cover. It was really bad. It took out pretty much ALL of the WebSDR equipment. All the Receivers, Upconverters, USB Hub, and the Servers Ethernet Port and Network Switches, all of them.



By mid-Fall 2018 I had replaced most of the WebSDR equipment and got an old PCI Ethernet card for the Server and had it all back online.

Antennas 2017-2022

I upgraded the Antennas several times throughout 2017. By Fall of 2017 there was an 80 Meter Dipole, and a 40/30/20M Fan dipole, and a 3 Element Yagi for 10/11 Meters.



Peformance was back on par with the original compromise antenna and Softrock Lite II Receivers. It took full size Dipoles for each band for the Upconverter/RTL-SDR Receiver combo to equal the Softrock Lite II's on a Compromise Antenna! At least it was functional now.

The 10/11M Yagi was a big hit with the CB DX Crowd on the WebSDR. Watching who was listening where, the 11M band was as popular as the 80M and 20M bands.

Sadly it was all about to come to an end, as big changes were coming for the Property there in Waller County.

2022-Current Gatesville, TX

The property in Waller County belonged to my parents. They retired, and had a nicer, larger piece of land they wanted to retire to, 120 acres on the Lampasas River in Lampasas County, TX. The 18 acre place in Waller County because of Urban Sprawl, was worth more money than the 120 acre place in Central Texas. They sold it and moved. I moved near them, to a cheap house in the City of Gatesville, TX about 35 mins from their place. They are in their 70's and 80's in the middle of nowhere. I wanted to be close until they got their new house built and settled. So far so good. Eventually I may setup a WebSDR at their place. It is inherently RF Quiet there, and Antenna size is not an issue with 120 acres of land. That's way WAY off in the future, they don't even have good Internet Service there yet, I am trying to help them with that. Once the Internet Service is acceptable for WebSDR use I may setup a Server there, maybe it would be a good case to setup the super sensitive Softrock Lite II's that I retired, but kept.



Gatesville, TX Current Location of the WebSDR looking South, nothing between here and Fort Cavazos (formerly Fort Hood) Military Base

Somerville, TX WebSDR?

In the process of moving, I bought (before prices shot up! It's worth more than double what I paid for it + the cost of moving the building and the cost of improvements I did to it in 2022 already) a Lot in a small subdivision at Lake Somerville. It has some nice trees on it, is near the front of the Subdivision and for the most part is RF Quiet. I moved the building that the WebSDR and my Ham Shack was in onto that lot. The building is 400sqft and is in perfect condition even though it was built in 2005-2007.

There is no power there. I am going next week to buy some used Solar Panels and build a Solar/Battery/Inverter Off Grid 1000 watt system there that I can run a lightweight computer like a Raspberry Pi or Laptop or SFF PC with Linux, and some type of Internet Access device (undetermined yet) so that I can put cameras there, and be able to control/monitor the power system there, and MAYBE a small WebSDR Server. It may be Winter before it's all done, but that is the plan, at least it will be cool weather and if the Solar system is RF Noisy I will have plenty of time and patience to take it apart and RF Noise Proof it. All of the WebSDR stuff could run off of DC, but the Solar Charge Controllers, PWM or MPPT are going to be RF Noisy, almost guarantee that. Eventually I want to move onto this property, but it's alot of development and $$$ away from me doing that. So for now the Main KF5JMD WebSDR will remain in Gatesville.

In all honesty, the Somerville place was an Investment for me. If I find a more Rural place that is larger for a price I can't pass up, I will sell that place in Somerville for a nice profit.



The Lot near Lake Somerville 2022 preparing for moving the building there

If you made it this far...

Back to the KF5JMD WebSDR

Congrats if you read it all. I did this History page as much for myself as for you guys. As I stumble across old pics, or schematics, etc I may update this page from time to time. Will be adding more Radio and WebSDR related pages to the site as I get time.