Podcasting since 2005! Listen to Latest SolderSmoke
Monday, April 28, 2025
Curiousity Rover on Mars as Seen from Orbit
Sunday, April 27, 2025
Brian KA0PHJ's CBLA SolderSmoke Direct Conversion Receiver
Brian KA0PHJ finished his receiver in early March, and has been adding mods ever since. He hopes to build another one for 80 meters and to use it with his Michigan Mighty Mite.
VIVA EL CBLA! VIVA!
Brian writes:
Bill,
FB Brian! Congratulations!
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Documentation on Hackaday:
https://hackaday.io/project/
SolderSmoke YouTube channel:
Building a Helio in Alaska from 75 year-old Blueprints
Chris VK1CHW's FB SolderSmoke Direct Conversion Receiver -- With A Very Innovative Homebrew PTO Coil Form
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Documentation on Hackaday:
https://hackaday.io/project/
SolderSmoke YouTube channel:
Saturday, April 26, 2025
Dave KD8KHP's FB SolderSmoke Direct Conversion Receiver
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Documentation on Hackaday:
https://hackaday.io/project/
SolderSmoke YouTube channel:
Rob VK5RC's FB SolderSmoke Direct Conversion Receiver. MDS?
Friday, April 25, 2025
Adrian M7EFO's FB SolderSmoke Direct Conversion Receiver
I work as an electronic technician and tech support for a small company.
My rig is a Xeigu G90 with a home made dipole cut for 20 metres and 40 metres and run QRP at 5-10 watts, 5 watts FT8, I'll save the kilowatts for boiling the kettle! I'm using an old PC server power supply.
The shack computer is a Raspberry Pi3 Raspberry Pi400 (Stolen Borrowed from my daughter). I am surprised at how well my set up works. Sometimes.
I am a member of the GQRP club and have started building some kits and homebrew in the Manhattan style.
Currently studying for my UK Intermediate licence with Bath Based Distance Learning.
Thursday, April 24, 2025
The Copasteic Flow Blog -- German UHF Mobile CW Through a Geostationary Satellite, Agent Sonya's Homebrewing, More
It is always good to be reminded that someone out there is listening and reading, especially when it is nice folks like Hamilton and his family. These are the people who built the TouCans rig that was (is?) suspended above San Francisco at the center of a dipole antenna.
Following posts on the SolderSmoke blog, Hamilton has been monitoring the CW activites of a German ham who sends UHF CW signals through the sunroof of his car to the QO-100 satellite in geostationary orbit. See above. Very cool. Listen live to the satellite here:
https://eshail.batc.org.uk/nb/
Also cool is Hamilton's analysis of Agent Sonya's ability to homebrew a 1930s era CW station that could be used to communiate with Moscow Center. Hamilton believes she could do it. I have my doubts. But the discussion is a lot of fun.
Check our their blog:
https://copaseticflow.blogspot.com/
Thanks to Hamilton and his kids!
Tuesday, April 22, 2025
A New Distance Record with an ESP-32 Module? Sort of. A cool video from HB9BLA.
It was nice to watch a video from Andreas again. And to be reminded of the presence in geostationary orbit of QO-100. Really sad that we STILL have no equivalent over the United States.
Andreas engages in a lot of the kind of digital wizardy that I have learned (because of my own shortcomings) to stay away from. Still, this is a very interesting experiment, with lots of focus on antenna gain and path loss at UHF. I plan on again listening to QO-100 via the website. Thank you Andreas!
Monday, April 21, 2025
SolderSmoke Podcast #259 FCC ban of DC Receivers. Pete and Stickers, Mouse Knob, MHST. DC RX Update. Dean and SDR RX, Mythbuster Transceiver, Frequency Counter. Bill's Shack -- Suburban Renewal, Boatanchor Removal, DJI Drone . MAILBAG
Video Version: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RslKbpBuYDI
Audio Version: http://soldersmoke.com/soldersmoke259.mp3
Reports of FCC action against Direct Conversion receivers. Outrageous! They are going to prosecute Dean and Bill. The 85th harmonic was apparently interfereing with Starlink satellites over Melbourne Australia, Bali, New Zealand's North Island, the UK, Sweden, Holland and Argentina. Who knew?
Here's the question: How many paragraphs of this post did you read before you realized this was an April 1 thing? C'mon, please let us know. Bill falls for one or two every year. This year he believed that Warren Buffet really had bought Tesla. So, don't feel alone. Fess up.
Travelogue: Pete's trip to Los Olivos. DMV Real ID Blues. Going back to San Francisco? Pete, we have some new stickers...
Pete's Bench: MHST progress. Raspberry Pi. VWS. Transceiver. K7TFC's Mouse Knob.
Dean and Bill update on the SolderSmoke Direct Conversion Challenge: 56 receivers built. And 56 is a lot! Info and especially Dean's videos are still up on the Discord server and on YouTube. Not to late to build! All builders should try to encourage at least one other person to build this receiver. In this way, builders become Elmers and homebrewing can spread. Others have already done this -- you can do it too! W4KAC built a second one for a friend. WZ5M built one, helped a friend do a second, and a third one may be on the way. MakeIt Labs in Nashua, NH is responsible for 4 DC receivers. See all the completed receivers here:
https://soldersmoke.blogspot.com/search/label/DC%20RX%20Hall%20of%20Fame
Once you have the receiver going, start the mods! Front panels! Antennas! Better tuning! Si5351s! DSB transmitters! Tell us about your mods.
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Dean's Bench: SDR Receiver project. 20 meter Mythbuster build (a thing of beauty). Homebrew Frequency Counter. Balloons!
Bill's Bench: Suburban renewal. New floor, new paint, got rid of a lot of junk. New operating table from Husky. DX-60, DX-40, VF-1, and maybe even the Lafayette HA-600A receiver have to go. Many books and magazines too. Lightening the load! But keeping the DX-100, HQ-100, HT-37 and, of course, the Drake 2-B. Boatanchors station. Beacon operations.
Bought a new DJI Drone, but will use it in the Dominican Republic (not here!). And I got my Drone TRUST Certificate.
Mailbag:
Dave W2DAB doing Manhattan building on the island of Manhattan!
Rich K2GJ (ex WA0CGM) -- Nice ham radio memories of his HT-37. Thanks Rich.
Wes W4JYK -- A VWS DC receiver.
A nice note from Farhan VU2ESE.
Todd K7TFC -- Simple vs. Complex
Paul WA1MAC Gluestick 80 meter QRP
Armand WA1UQO Regen receiver highlighted by AA7EE
Dave AA7EE -- FIGHT BACK AGAINST THE FCC! Build the DC Receiver!
Rogier PA1ZZ Many great videos, including one on Heathkit
Bruce KC1FSZ -- Nominated us for ARRL award. Thanks Bruce.
Bob KD4EBM-- Looking into Polar Modulation. https://qrp-labs.com/qmxp/ssbbeta.html
Peter VK2EMU -- Thought of Peter when I briefly took down the N2CQR sign he made.
Victor HI7S -- 46 km away from my place in the DR. Says I won the lottery... He is right.
Jim KI4THC Got his Extra ticket. Congratulations Jim.
Kirk NT0Z -- On Kits, Hombrew, and the influence of Russian Homebrewers.
Were Russian spies taught how to homebrew their own spy radios?
Saturday, April 19, 2025
Agent Sonya -- Did Soviet Spies Really Homebrew Their Rigs?
Friday, April 18, 2025
A Homebrew Crystal Filter Shaped Like the Desired Passband -- by Andy KB7ZUT
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