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
Happy Arduino Day! Pete's Belthorn III Transceiver (with cool color display) Bill's BITX 20 (that used to be a BITX20/40) AD9850 DDS added to Barebones Superhet Jean Shepherd on Parasitic Oscillations, Obsession, and Madness Simple Test Gear for the Homebrewer Digital Oscilloscopes and their amazing capabilities Dongles and other great stuff in SPRAT 162 The BIG St. Patrick's Day Solar Flare VK6MV's Amazing Rhombic (+) VK7XX (Dos Equis!) A Bit of BITX History Pete going KX3 QRO
A good IF is 8.192mhz with a 15.360Mhz LO can be done using crystal for LO (Use two in super VXO).
Order of equipment obtainium...
Decent soldering iron/station Good multimeter (ohms, Volts, amps). AADE LCII parts is not parts.. measure them. Frequency counter simple is good, to 50mhz atleast Scope, a good one. Rigol adds a lot to capability.
Oh a spec analyser is just that if you add a tracking generator now you can do SNA(scalar network analyser).
However... The one device I use is dirt simple. A 50 uA meter, two diodes in voltage doubler and two caps. Whatsitdo, RF detector. The diodes are right on the back of the meter. One cap is across the meter and the other is from the diodes as a "probe". If the meter can be moved there is RF, if an amp with no input moves the meter its oscillating, if the oscillator doesn't move the meter its defunct. It was my first RF measuring tool some 50 years ago and I still use it.
I am a longtime listener and look forward to your podcast each month! I had to comment on Pete's crystal radio project. When I was six or seven in the fifties, my dad and I built a crystal radio and had the same issue... not enough gain. Dad suggested we build a transistor amplifier. As you told the story, somehow I knew that you too would say you used a beautiful metallic purple-blue Rayteon CK722! My amp was in a clear plastic box and I loved showing my friends the cool, magic "transistor". Now, back to my K2, KX3, Raspberry Pi and Arduino!
73, Mike, W8NWA (My dad's first call from the 30s)
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
***************************************
For the print version:
For shipping from a printer in the U.S. (probably better for N. American buyers) Click here: SolderSmoke USA Version
-------------------------
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!)
The Radio Shack • Conundrum
-
Did a test on an SP mic element of ~80 ohms DCR.
Edit: Test invalid.
Back to the drawing board.
.................
Statistics: Posted by golfguru — Thu Oct...
SDR-2017: Assembly, First Light and Audio Tweaking
-
Receiving AM Broadcast station - note the IBOC "sidebands".After lots of
"noodling", I'm finally getting to the fun part: Putting it all together.
Touchi...
LF Tests From WH2NXD / NI7J
-
For those of you with an interest in amateur LF work, you may be interested
in the upcoming WSPR test transmissions from Ron, WH2XND / NI7J, located
in ...
Vibroplex Bug Vari-Speed
-
How Slow Can You Go ?
My friend Kurt (N4KJK) has loaned me his Vibroplex Original Deluxe Bug.
Shiny, Indeed!
Vibroplex Original Deluxe Bug with Vari-Speed ...
Simpleceiver Plus SSB Transceiver ~ A new DifX
-
A Move to the Simpleceiver SSB Transceiver
The first steps to the Transceiver Configuration.
10/16/2017 ~ Response to some questions.
The Ghost in the ...
Gaelic WSPRs
-
I was fortunate to spend a week on the banks of Loch na Deasport on the
Isle of Lewis and (as previously advertised) I decided to throw out some
WSPR signa...
HBR10HF and HBR4HF front panel face lift
-
HBR10HF facelift : *. Additional phone jack *. Additional key jack *.
Additional pc audio in and pc audio out *. 5cm Aluminum rotary knob for
freq dial HBR...
Ergonomic BITX Enclosure -- 3D Print
-
*Wow, Michael's amazingly cool BITX enclosure looks like you could use it
to ask Scottie to beam you up. *
*Put an end to those freakish contortions -- 3D...
Two Essential Add-ons For Bitx and Other QRP Rigs.
-
In this post I am going to discuss two very simple but very essential
add-ons for Bitx and other similar type of QRP sideband rigs. These two
add-on module...
UHF Travels
-
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...
Posts
hi, pete, and juliano
ReplyDeletei would love to add aerial analyzer like one designed by VK5JST in the list of test gear
nice treatment of soldersmoke #174
regards
sarma from India
Bummer of the Bitx40.
ReplyDeleteA good IF is 8.192mhz with a 15.360Mhz LO can be done using crystal for LO (Use two in super VXO).
Order of equipment obtainium...
Decent soldering iron/station
Good multimeter (ohms, Volts, amps).
AADE LCII parts is not parts.. measure them.
Frequency counter simple is good, to 50mhz atleast
Scope, a good one. Rigol adds a lot to capability.
Oh a spec analyser is just that if you add a tracking generator now you can do SNA(scalar network analyser).
However... The one device I use is dirt simple.
A 50 uA meter, two diodes in voltage doubler and two caps.
Whatsitdo, RF detector. The diodes are right on the back
of the meter. One cap is across the meter and the other is from the diodes as a "probe". If the meter can be moved there is RF, if an amp with no input moves the meter its oscillating, if the oscillator doesn't move the meter its defunct. It was my first RF measuring tool some 50 years ago and I still use it.
Allison
Sinc L/C = VFO and Crystal = VXO..
ReplyDeletehow about DDS chip = DXO?
Bill & Pete,
ReplyDeleteI am a longtime listener and look forward to your podcast each month! I had to comment on Pete's crystal radio project. When I was six or seven in the fifties, my dad and I built a crystal radio and had the same issue... not enough gain. Dad suggested we build a transistor amplifier. As you told the story, somehow I knew that you too would say you used a beautiful metallic purple-blue Rayteon CK722! My amp was in a clear plastic box and I loved showing my friends the cool, magic "transistor". Now, back to my K2, KX3, Raspberry Pi and Arduino!
73, Mike, W8NWA (My dad's first call from the 30s)