Serving the worldwide community of radio-electronic homebrewers.
Providing blog support to the SolderSmoke podcast:
http://soldersmoke.com
Listen to Past Episodes
Just go to http://soldersmoke.com. On that archive page, just click on the blue hyperlinks and your audio player should play that episode.
http://soldersmoke.com
None of those store-bought parts for Jeri Ellsworth! Once again she makes us all look like a bunch of pathetic appliance operators. I like the "harvesting of Germanium" from a 1N34. And I found very interesting her comment about "early hobbyists" cracking open 1N34's and turning them into transistors by adding phosphor-bronze collectors.
This all makes me want to fire up my Fool's Gold crystal radio. WFAX is right down the road...
I have a feeling that home made transistors weren't quite as rare as people might think in the 50s and early 60s. An old friend of mine, sadly now a silent key talked about making them, and it being one of those "crazes" that sometimes propogate around school and colleges, though how the information was passed around, I'm really not at all sure - word of mouth I guess.
Also worth going back to the father of the integrated circuit (usually regarded as being Jack Kilby, but there were precursors, and like most of that sort of invention, had parallel strands) and looking at what he did - that could almost of been done at home by an enterprising amateur.
In response to popular demand, "SolderSmoke -- Global Adventures in Wireless Electronics" is now available as an e-book for Amazon's Kindle.
Here's the site:
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B004V9FIVW
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For the print version:
For shipping from a printer in the U.S. (probably better for N. American buyers) Click here: SolderSmoke USA Version
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For shipping from a printer in the UK, Spain, or the USA (probably better for UK and other European buyers)
Click here: SolderSmoke EU Version
The two versions are identical, except for a minor difference in the paper used. That's why the prices are a bit different.
Bill's OTHER Book (Warning: Not About Radio)
Click on the image to learn more
W4HBK's QRSS Grabber: The Amazing Pensacola Snapper (Live!)
WTB - Heathkit Mohawk RX-1
-
I am in search of a Heathkit RX-1 in reasonable condition to mate with a
mint Apache and SB-10.
Let me know what you have.
73's
Gary
K0GWA
Improved Mightier Mite!
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All homebrewers have tremendous egos, and I'm no exception. But, if you've
got half a brain and N6QW points out a potential problem with your design,
you ...
EclipseMob’s August 21 experiment
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(Source: The Washington Post) On Aug. 21, as the moon passes in front of
the sun and casts a shadow across the United States, millions are expected
to gaze...
A New Line of Transceivers ~ DifX
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Return of the Simpleceiver Plus!
8/23/2017 ~ Audio Amplifier Time.
I am starting the project with the audio amplifier as it is "my process".
You can s...
A 630m Maritime Adventure
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*HAKUNA MATATA*It may not have been the *YASME* but the recent voyage of
the *HAKUNA MATATA* had all of the radio fun that one might ask for during
the mi...
CW adapter for HBR4HF and BritX
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This design using Atmel ATTiny13 microcontroller with 1KB flash, this flash
is more than enough to handle the duty to generate 700Hz tone and handle
PTT de...
New 3D Printer Project
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|My poor little 3D printer has been busy for the last week or so printing
parts for its big brother. The AM8 design is based on a bunch of mods to
the Ana...
Sticker Shock
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CW keys cost too much, or do they?
I read various forums and blogs for the same reason you might be reading
this one. I'm always interested in learning mor...
VXOs-Simple Minimalist's Signal Sources.
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With the recent advancement of technology, the availability and
accessibility of stable signal sources has become within reach of an
average radio home bre...
UHF Travels
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Many amateur experimenters stay in the familiar comfort zone of HF. A small
number venture into VHF, and even fewer devote time designing, building and
o...
Volca Sync DIY
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A few weeks back Cameron (yes - the Cameron who started all this
synthesizer nonsense) came into the office with a neat little toy. It was
the Volca Keys A...
Posts
I have a feeling that home made transistors weren't quite as rare as people might think in the 50s and early 60s. An old friend of mine, sadly now a silent key talked about making them, and it being one of those "crazes" that sometimes propogate around school and colleges, though how the information was passed around, I'm really not at all sure - word of mouth I guess.
ReplyDeleteAlso worth going back to the father of the integrated circuit (usually regarded as being Jack Kilby, but there were precursors, and like most of that sort of invention, had parallel strands) and looking at what he did - that could almost of been done at home by an enterprising amateur.
Uh oh Bill, moving holes! But after reading SSGAWE, we all know how it REALLY works, don't we!
ReplyDeleteCool!
ReplyDeleteHmmm... Can't wait to see AA1TJ build a transmitter out of one of these!
ReplyDeleteI'm loving Solder Smoke so far!
ReplyDelete