EMRFD Joy of Oscillation (Part 1)

Guys:

I have been catching up on the last few SolderSmoke podcasts after
that little QSO Today diversion.  I wonder how many others did the
same thing?  I have really enjoyed these recent 'casts.  Lots of
fantastic HB content.  Funniest moment was when Bill described his
post-project workshop as looking like the aftermath from an electronic
barfight.

I took a new ham up on a SOTA activation last year.  Then about a
month ago, he said that he wanted to do HF HB.  He said he had been
googling and found so much that he didn't know where to start.  I told
him that I'd be interesting in doing a beginner HF HB project with
him.

I could have pointed him to LBS, et al.  I could have pointed him to
the Michigan Mighty Mite.  I did neither.  I pointed him to:http://web.cecs.pdx.edu/~campbell/EMRFD1dot34.pdf  Note the name of
the document.  I pointed him also to:http://www.arrl.org/files/file/Product%20Notes/chapter_1.pdf 
(Did you guys know that chapter was online and free?)  We scaled to 20m and
kitted parts for this.  And parts for a 4th transistor PA for serious
QRO.  :-)

Two others joined us building for 40m.  Check out the attached photos
of the first 3.  The joy of oscillation was experienced by all.

After testing each oscillator, and borrowing from an article KK7B ran
in CQ VHF, I told each that he had to ID every 10 minutes.  Even
though nobody was going to hear these signals a few hundred yards
away.  (But it sounds loud on a shortwave portable a few inches away!)
 I even wrote out the dots and dashes for a couple of them.

Next stop:  to have everyone find a curbside TV discard, rip out some
parts, and get on 5 meters!  Haven't we gotten it back now, after the
transition to digital TV?   :-)

OK, maybe the next stop is to add some gain stages and experience the
joy of communication.  The joy of QSO-ification?  The joy of
EM-radiation?  :-)

Best regards,

Drew
kb9fko

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