Professional Documents
Culture Documents
CQ Datv100
CQ Datv100
Editorial............................................................. 2
News & World Roundup......................................3
All about DVBT2................................................ 8
Touchscreen using ANNEX BASIC..................... 11
DownEast Microwave 10 GHzPreAmplifier
Product Review.............................................. 19
From the vault..................................................23
Information......................................................25
Production Team
Ian Pawson G8IQU Trevor Brown G8CJS
Terry Mowles VK5TM Jim Andrews KH6HTV
Contributing Authors
Jim Andrews KH6HTV Trevor Brown G8CJS
John Hudson G3RFL
Jim Ian
I am sorry to see the demise of CQDATV. Ian, Trevor and Well, it has been an interesting time in the ATV magazine
Terry have put together a very slick, professional, electronic world. Most of the ATV magazines, both printed and
magazine documenting the events of our ATV hobby. electronic, have gone to the great bitbucket in the sky and,
sad to say, CQDATV is joining them.
However, I have full sympathy for the "burnout" factor. In
the past I was the editor of club newsletters for a couple of We have had a lot of readers for each issue, but, sad to say,
ham clubs. When readers fail to provide material, it becomes not many authors. So we have been forced to find content by
increasing harder to put out a quality publication month after scouring the Internet for suitable material, a situation that
month. can't continue.
I am a bit of a newcomer to CQDATV. Ian asked me to join The ePub and PDF versions of this magazine were created
them in the fall of 2018. That same year, I had started a using combinations of:
newsletter for our Boulder, Colorado, USA ATV group of about
20 hams. I wrote some articles directly for Ian and he also
picked up articles from our club newsletter which he felt
deserved wider circulation.
Well, the result was we ran way over our allotted 1/2 hour
time slot and totally screwed up Peter's schedule. I take full
responsibility for the screwup. I should have had our group
do a "dryrun" on our own ATV net ahead of time to find out
we needed to severely tighten up our presentations. I wish
Peter would have exercised his program director prerogative
and simply turned off our TV feed to him.
Peter Cossins VK3BFG, Friday night opening address Bob, WB0NRV, has discovered a really low cost receiver for
DVBT that actually works on the amateur 70cm and 33cm
The video is presently archived on YouTube at Ian, VK3QL's bands. It is made by Pantesat and the model number is HD
site: https://tinyurl.com/2pvyjvj3 99T2.
It is recorded in four parts of lengths: 1:31, 1:20, 5:36 & It is sold on EBay for a ridulously low $13.69 + $3.39
0:17 hours. Mick, VK3CH, has written an excellent summary shipping from China.
CQ-DATV 100 - Final - October 2021 Page 5
Bob brought it by KH6HTV's QTH recently to be checked out.
We were able to easily program it successfully in the same
manner as with the more expensive ($50) GTMedia
receivers. Unlike the GTMedia V7 Plus for both DVBT & S,
this receiver is strictly for DVBT. The receiver is quite small
as seen in the above photo.
HiDes Firmware Issues Everyone's contribution is required to enrich it with news and
information. Each contribution can be sent by email to
We have a major problem with equipment now coming from [email protected]
HiDes in Taiwan. Often times it is being shipped with Low
Latency firmware installed. HiDes is trying to sell to the
drone market and long latency (i.e. delay) with digital video Continued on back page...
DVBT2 basics
Note on OFDM
This evolution should occur in much the same way that has
occurred between DVBS and DVBS2.
When the digital terrestrial HDTV service Freeview HD was The earliest introductions of T2 have usually been tied with a
launched in December 2009, it was the first DVB T2 service launch of highdefinition television. There are however some
intended for the general public. As of November 2010, DVB countries where HDTV is broadcast using the old DVBT
T2 broadcasts were available in a couple of European standard with no immediate plans to switch those broadcasts
countries. to DVBT2.
Source: https://tinyurl.com/3bhnufnd
Sad this is the last issue of the CQDATV magazine and I will
do my best to conclude this article, or at least get it to a
point where it can control the Robot Camera and pave the
way for the development of interfaces for other equipment in
the shack. CQDATV the magazine may be resting, but the
download site and our Facebook site will remain active and
open for developing this and other ideas. It would help if you
joined our Facebook or mailing list or both, then we can
contact you should the CQDATV magazine be resurrected.
I have redrawn both diagrams and indicated the TFT Touch Now back to the I2C bus and a return to the Robot Camera
screen and I2C bus connections. There may be other versions which was part of the GVG project that first appeared in CQ
of this module so take care. All the pins are printed with their DATV 88.
functions; the print is small, and the pins are multi
functional, but there is a lot of help available on the net. Just This uses a custom servo module (SG90’s) and an interface
ask Mr Google to show you some ESP 32 modules and you module based on the PCA 9685 chip. This module connects to
will soon find yours. the ESP 32 using the I2C interface. It works just as well on
an ESP 32 as it did on the ESP8266, (note the SDA and SCL
The challenge of this technology was never hardware are on different I/O connections), so the software commands
interconnects, it was always going to be software and yes, we now use GPIO 21 and 22 instead of 4 and 5.
have walked into one or two challenges. One was the PDF
version of our magazine, I wanted to push the value of an Unlike the SPI bus, I2C modules all sit at unique addresses
electronic magazine to the hilt as I feel it is the way to go, and respond to commands sent to their specific address
with its green credentials, https links and now cut and paste which is carried on the I2C bus. All we have to do is discover
of software. We have been bitten a little with that last feature which address the device is located at. We do this by
in that the PDF version does sometimes corrupt the software. scanning the I2C addresses with a software routine. This
The eBook version does not present that problem. won’t tell us what the device is, only that there is an I2C
device responding at that address. If you have multiple
Fortunately, this clever friendly software points to lines with devices, then you can individually remove them and see
syntax errors and although the errors don’t always show which address disappears.
most times a quick retype of the syntax error line will cure it.
Once this process has be completed and the save button Because the PCA 9685 module supplies the motors in the
pressed then you have a troublefree version of the code SG90 modules I have stopped drawing power from the ESP
stored as a text file inside the ESP 32. 32s and pressed a regulated PSU into service for the servo
motors. I covered most of this in the GVG project in CQDATV
The splash screen in CQDATV 99 can easily be edited to call 88, so this is just a recap. If you want to start controlling
any programme stored in your ESP 32 memory. This makes it hardware with a Touch Screen, then you need to have some
function perfectly as an opening screen, taking you out to hardware and this inexpensive module was ready to hand. I
any programme you desire, but you will have to customise have put this project together so far with plug and socket
any existing software with a return button in order to get leads.
CQ-DATV 100 - Final - October 2021 Page 12
I have managed to leave my soldering iron out of the
equation! The new challenge is to write some ANNEX BASIC
that will control this new hardware configuration.
Once you have it connected then you need to check that the
I2C bus is working and the easiest way is to do this is to run
the I2C scanner software. This is the same as we used for the
ESP 8266 in the GVG project, but the setup pins are no
longer 4, 5. The ESP 32 uses pins 22 and 23 and these are
not physical pins on the module they refer to GPIO outputs.
Note: the PC 9685 has a separate side connection that The power for the module
powers the SG90’s and is connected V+ which in turn
supplies the red row of the connectors. Vcc +3v3 and is V+ is the power for the red row of connectors. The Vcc (3v3)
supplied by the ESP 32 and powers the onboard interface can be provided by the ESP 32. The Vcc is more demanding
chip only. and needs to be an external power supply.
CQ-DATV 100 - Final - October 2021 Page 13
number between 100 and 500 which is the position you want
the SG90 to rotate to. So, varying it between 100 and 500
when a touch screen pad is pressed will pan the camera
screen. You can repeat this with 'socket 1, b' and varying 'b'
will tilt the camera.
You can also add additional cameras to the other sockets and
expand the software.
pca9685.setup &h40, 55
pca9685.setfreq 55
pca9685.pwm 0,a
load3: ext:
let pan3=a wlog bas.load "/splash.bas"
let tilt3=b end
CQ-DATV 100 - Final - October 2021 Page 16
That leaves work to do interfacing kit to the remaining I will leave you with some helpful links, you are never on
buttons on the splash screen, but unfortunately there won’t your own, there is a lot of help out there.
be a CQDATV 101 next month! I will keep on with adding to
the software and Ian will update the software downloads Sorry to say goodbye and I hope that reading CQDATV has
page. Mike is investigating a PCB to hold all the kit together. brought some enjoyment. It has been a pleasure to write for,
This will become available and again I can only urge you to and a chance to work with, a brilliant and supportive
join our mailing list and our Facebook page. The R&D will production team.
continue and if we can find a way to kick start CQDATV we
will be able to contact you. In the meantime, let me leave Annex forum https://tinyurl.com/4hdxwc28
you with the links where you can find help and improvements
as others above me develop projects for this clever module. ESP32 connections https://tinyurl.com/ykcnt6vy
The last thing is to make the Splash screen autorun, this is ESP 32 help manual https://tinyurl.com/vfkpchu8
an entry in the Config menu. The splash screen will the
appear at switch on and the PC is not required other than to Annex tool kit download https://tinyurl.com/bbea9u9n
provide +5v down the USB connection. If you supply this (The password for the zip file is annex )
power from an external source via pin 19 on the 38pin
module or pin 15 on the 30pin module and the USB PCA9685 modules https://tinyurl.com/sbw6baca
connection is not required. There will be a WIFI connection
should you wish to edit the software. SG90 https://tinyurl.com/hdbxtka9
This is a brief look at a TFT control and a specific interface to Pan and tilt head https://tinyurl.com/yfhbn3ty
the CQDATV Robot Camera. It is software controlled project
and is the other side of a door some engineers wish to keep ESP32s (38 pin) https://tinyurl.com/ukwncp2y
firmly closed. The choice of ANNEX BASIC was used as a
gentle way of opening the door and trying to entice you
through. There are more complex languages around but
BASIC has been around along time and was written to try
and help people through that particular door.
DEM provides a very nice kit. It comes with a well written set
of assembly/test instructions. All of the various tiny parts
come in a sealed plastic tray which is well marked to ID the
contents. The mechanical parts for the enclosure are well
made.
At the center of the 3cm ham band, 10.25GHz, S21 = 20dB, Jim, KH6HTV, Boulder, CO
S11 = 13dB and S22 = 6dB.
The 12V fan I chose came from CPC and was designed for
use used on PCu/P and cost just over £7.
Data sheets