Monthly Archives: May 2018

Analysis: DVB-T2 Australian Television Networks Test Transmission

Posted on May 30, 2018 by lui_gough

As I’ve been quite busy lately with work and job hunting, I really haven’t had much time to watch TV or look at the signals on the air. In fact, I’ve not had enough time even to look at Twitter, … Continue reading →

Posted in Computing, Radio, Telecommunications | Tagged , , , , , | 2 Comments

Challenge: Send a Fax Without a Landline or Fixed-Line Internet

Posted on May 26, 2018 by lui_gough

A week ago, a friend approached me about sending off a fax. Despite the march of technology, this particular form had to either be mailed back (taking a few days and costing a decent amount of money) or faxed. My … Continue reading →

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Analysis: Mains Power Quality – Voltage, Frequency & Crest Factor (10-19 May 2018)

Posted on May 26, 2018 by lui_gough

A little more than two weeks ago, I was sitting at home in front of my computer going about my business as usual, when suddenly … the lights flicker, everything around me made an intermittent 50Hz buzz like morse code … Continue reading →

Posted in Electronics | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

Satellite Signal Analysis: What if you have no loop-out port?

Posted on May 26, 2018 by lui_gough

A number of people had expressed interest in the past in examining satellite signals from broadcast satellites using SDRs. While my normal advice is to use a regular satellite card to power the LNB and do the DiSEqC selection duties … Continue reading →

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Review, Teardown: TBS 5220SE Universal TV Tuner USB Box

Posted on May 26, 2018 by lui_gough

Recently, I embarked on an adventure to scan the C-band satellites in the sky. Unfortunately for me, my TBS 6925 tuners are both rather unwell and my Prof Revolution S2 8000’s are not doing much better by showing similar “bursts” … Continue reading →

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Review: SanDisk Ultra Dual Drive m3.0 128Gb USB Flash Drive

Posted on May 20, 2018 by lui_gough

It doesn’t happen very often, but once in a while, I need a new USB flash drive. This time around, I was looking for something cheap, of reputable make and 128Gb capacity. Interestingly, looking around my local computer shop, the … Continue reading →

Posted in Computing, Tablet, Telecommunications | Tagged , , , , , | 1 Comment

Event: CeBIT Australia 2018 Exhibition (15-17 May)

Posted on May 17, 2018 by lui_gough

It’s become a ritual – every year, around this time, CeBIT comes to Sydney and I pay them a visit. It’s always a privilege to be able to walk around the expo to see who’s around, what’s new and catch-up … Continue reading →

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Project: Generic Electronic 57 LED Hourglass Kit (TJ-56-205)

Posted on May 11, 2018 by lui_gough

I couldn’t help myself, so once I finish one kit, it’s often straight onto another. This kit was sold as an electronic LED hourglass and was a little more expensive at AU$3.07 including postage. Compared to local suppliers, this is … Continue reading →

Posted in Electronics | Tagged , , , , , | 5 Comments

Project: Generic 18 Red LED Flashing Love Heart Kit (TJ-56-30)

Posted on May 11, 2018 by lui_gough

Another day, another classic kit. It seems that LED heart-shaped displays are a timeless novelty, so after building a multi-coloured chasing heart and a breathing heart, why not a flashing one? For just AU$1.68 including postage, I managed to score … Continue reading →

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Teardown: Generic Wall-Mountable Passive PoE Midspan Injector

Posted on May 10, 2018 by lui_gough

For a lot of modern networked devices, Power over Ethernet (PoE) is a big convenience, allowing the one cable to power a remote device (be it an access point, camera, etc.) and supply the data connectivity to it. While there … Continue reading →

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Project: Unbranded Generic NE555+CD4017 SMD LED Chaser Kit (YL-117)

Posted on May 10, 2018 by lui_gough

I had a little time this evening, so I thought, why not crack open a kit? After all, I did buy a stack of cheap eBay kits to keep me amused and give me something to write about … so … Continue reading →

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Tested: eX-power 75Wh Laptop/USB Power Bank (16-19V Output)

Posted on May 10, 2018 by lui_gough

Not very long ago, I salvaged a pair of eX-power laptop power banks, but it didn’t come with any output cables. As a result, I was only able to test the USB power output on them, which was underwhelming in … Continue reading →

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Project: EQKit HBL-22 Breathing Green LED Heart Kit

Posted on May 9, 2018 by lui_gough

I just can’t help myself, so I grabbed another kit off the pile and decided to build it. This is yet another “cheap” kit from eBay intended for educational use. This particular kit is an EQKit HBL-22 “breathing” LED heart … Continue reading →

Posted in Electronics | Tagged , , , , , , | 6 Comments

Project: Unbranded 38 x 5mm LED DIY Lamp Kit

Posted on May 9, 2018 by lui_gough

Trawling eBay listings for some more cheap kits to build resulted in some rather interesting discoveries. The kit in question was a 38 LED do-it-yourself LED lamp kit for AU$1.47. At that price, I thought I’d jump on it despite … Continue reading →

Posted in Electronics, Lighting | Tagged , , , , , | 1 Comment

Project: Generic Chinese Electronic LED Windmill Kit

Posted on May 9, 2018 by lui_gough

I’ve always been someone to enjoy constructing electronics kits from a young age. Even though I’ve become more experienced at soldering and more knowledgeable about electronics, I still find constructing new kits therapeutic and enjoyable for a bit of weekend … Continue reading →

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Repair: Xiaomi Redmi Note 2 Power Button

Posted on May 8, 2018 by lui_gough

I bought my Xiaomi Redmi Note 2 back at the beginning of 2016 and it’s served as both my data-phone (browsing, data SIM) for a year and as a phone-phone (calls, SMS) for the remainder. It was good value when … Continue reading →

Posted in Radio, Telecommunications | Tagged , , , , , | 1 Comment

C-band Sats – Part 9: 172E Eutelsat 172B, 180E Intelsat 18, 177W NSS 9

Posted on May 8, 2018 by lui_gough

In the final installment, I look at the three easternmost satellites with signals receivable in Sydney, namely Eutelsat 172B, Intelsat 18 and NSS9. Owing to their positioning and the markets which they serve, the latter two are circularly polarized and … Continue reading →

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C-band Sats – Part 8: ~154E Mystery?, 166E Intelsat 19, 169E Intelsat 805

Posted on May 8, 2018 by lui_gough

By now, we’re at the satellites which are pretty much at the highest elevation in Sydney. Owing to the fact that satellites aren’t covering the entire belt, even though we’ve only looked through about 50% of the arc, it covers … Continue reading →

Posted in Satellite, Telecommunications | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

C-band Sats – Part 7: 142E-150E (?) Unidentified/Mystery Satellites

Posted on May 5, 2018 by lui_gough

The last post ended on a semi mystery at around 140°E which I believed to be Express AM5. A look at the Lyngsat satellite chart shows that there aren’t any known C-band satellites between 138°E Telstar 18 and 166°E Intelsat … Continue reading →

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C-band Sats – Part 6: 134E Apstar 6, 138E Telstar 18, 140E Express AM5 (?)

Posted on May 5, 2018 by lui_gough

The satellite-hunting story continues (thanks to a little more free time), this time looking at Apstar 6, Telstar 18 and what I believe to be Express AM5. These spectrums were taken during the period of 24th-26th March, but I’ve only … Continue reading →

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C-band Sats – Part 5: 125E ChinaSat 6A, 128.5E LaoSat 1 (?), 132E Vinasat 1

Posted on May 1, 2018 by lui_gough

This part of my satellite hunting adventure looks at ChinaSat 6A, what I suspect to be LaoSat 1 and Vinasat 1. 125°E ChinaSat 6A ChinaSat 6A has a very similar role to ChinaSat 6B, carrying a large number of carriers … Continue reading →

Posted in Satellite, Telecommunications | Tagged , , , , | 3 Comments