Universal VXOA new episode of the SolderSmoke podcast is now available:
http://soldersmoke.com/soldersmoke140.mp3
January 9, 2012
-- Santa Claus: Ice Skates, Brownie Box Cameras, and Piper Cubs
-- On the air with 17 Meter Azores DSB rig
-- Seeking balance (with antennas)
-- 23/24 recycling of Azores SSB Rig: Adding Soul to the Old Machine!
-- Attacked by my own soldering iron!
-- RG-174, swarf, and other insidious threats to the homebrewer
-- Inspiration from QRP Quarterly
-- G3RJV validates the D-104
-- T/R admonition from the 1973 Handbook (words to live by)
-- The Woz on electronics and teenage social isolation
-- BANDSWEEP: Straight Key Night at WA6ARA
-- MAILBAG
Our book: "SolderSmoke -- Global Adventures in Wireless Electronics"http://soldersmoke.com/book.htmOur coffee mugs, T-Shirts, bumper stickers: http://www.cafepress.com/SolderSmokeOur Book Store: http://astore.amazon.com/contracross-20
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For those devilish strands of cut coax braid, I propose the term "Murphy's whiskers".
ReplyDeleteOutstanding episode, Bill, fully packed with homebrewed goodness. Thanks and 73!
Great show Bill! Could Mike's Murphy's whiskers can be salvaged to make delicate connections to surface mount parts?
ReplyDeleteThe SKN band scan illustrates a point about the beauty of listening from a quiet location. The smallest imperfection in signals can readily be detected. Many also miss out on a homebrew receiver - anything from a good regenerative (sorry!) to a simple superhet (eg BitX) lacks the AGC, noise blanking, DSP, harsh filters and thus the strangled sound of black boxes. An amateur's experience is not complete if they haven't listened from a quiet location on a HB set.
Amen to 1973 ARRL (the source of my first HB tx). Having bad TR stuffs up your timing and thus ability to work stations. It's nearly as detrimental to QRP success as crystal control.
73 & best wishes for the new year
Peter VK3YE
Bill - forgot to add something re your mention of workshops.
ReplyDeleteMay I pass on a maxim, related by the late VK2XBR to an ABC TV audience (late 1980s/early 1990s).
"There are two types of shacks - shacks that are a pigsty, and those where nothing happens".
For full effect I recommend the video - it's at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C6Xif9hd2Ps
It also contains an answer to the question: "why does a ham man blind himself with science?"
Hi Bill,
ReplyDeleteRe: S/S 140:
No trees in my yard that would support a wire but some of my neighbors have 80' palms in their front yards. From time-to-time I gaze upon them with bad intent, imaging wires going from the top of each one down to my shack.
Soldering irons: I got my first temp.-controlled soldering station at work back in the early 70s. I can never go back. I damaged too many circuit boards soldering with less capable irons. These days I prefer production-class stations such as Hexicon and Edsyn.
I've heard from across the pond that the Metcal is superb.
Finally, my adopted granddaughter from Ukraine says that Polyakov is pronounced "pole-yah-cough".
73 and Do svidaniya.......Steve Smith WB6TNL "Snort Rosin"