Podcasting since 2005! Listen to Latest SolderSmoke
Tuesday, July 23, 2024
Some Pictures of SolderSmoke Shack South
Sunday, July 21, 2024
SolderSmoke 252 Audio Podcast is Published
The delay was caused by my being at SolderSmoke Shack South and not having an Audacity audio editor in my ancient Chrome book. Thanks to Dean KK4DAS for doing the editing, and for stripping the audio from the YouTube video. I am getting a better computer so things should be back to normal soon.
Here is the link to the audio podcast:
http://soldersmoke.com/soldersmoke252.mp3
Saturday, July 20, 2024
Are Hackers the Future of Amateur Radio? Thoughts from Lex PH2LB
Hello Bill and Pete,
On hackaday there is a post with the question : Are Hackers the future of amateur radio?
See: https://hackaday.com/
Most of all, aside from the question if hackers are the future of amateur radio, lets enjoy our great hobby and when you like to melt some solder . . . Just do it.
73 from PA
Lex PH2LB
Thursday, July 18, 2024
SolderSmoke Podcast #252 -- First Podcast from SolderSmoke Shack South
-- This is the first podcast from SolderSmoke Shack South: Eastern tip of Island of Hispaniola. Cap Cana, DR, 70 feet up, 1 mile from Mona Channel. Seventh floor shack with view of the ocean. Antennas: Dipoles for now, maybe Moxons or Hex later. STARLINK
- The San Francisco case against me. One guy thinks we DESERVE prosecution! Get off of my lawn!
Like the library cop on Seinfeld: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D9tP9fI2zbE
But one fellow wrote letter to the mayor asking for leniency. Proposes "Bill Meara Day in SF." FB! I fell victim myself this year: Mike WU2D got me with WA1HLR on SSB video. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NLvCNJ_OnEc
-- Dean: Fighting a spur in the sBITX. Filters?
-- Dean: Exploring Class A, Class AB and the RD06HHF1
-- Dean: Extensive work on getting flat gain from FETs up through 10 meters.
-hh- Dean and Bill: OIP3 measurement and setting the bias on an RD06HHF1
-- Pete: Discovers for all of us "RF Man" In spite of all the CB stuff, he is the THE MAN! On YouTube:https://www.youtube.com/@rfmanchannel6915
-- Pete fixes Dean's relay chattering problem: SUBTHRESHOLD CONDUCTION! Yikes!
-- Pete's refurb and rejuvenation of the Drake Twins,
-- MXM news. New docs, and ads from WD5L. All on the blog. 7030 crystals. Why MXM? Chuck Adam's mods, Joh DL6ID's questions about VFO. Yes! VFO from RX. Was Bruce Williams an early Swan Designer?
-- Weird paradox with 25 MHz filter: Low profile xtals have higher Q, but produce more rounded passbands. Why? I note that Minima's 20 MHz filter also had curved passband.
-- Allison's wisdom on filters at higher frequencies. The importance of physical layout. Diodes in the dark! It is indeed more difficult up there. But don't let the perfct be the enemy of the good!
-- Is Bill the only one to ever build a 10-15 Dual Bander using a 25 MHz crystal filter. Why? Farhan's Minima has a 20 MHz 6 pole QER crystal filter. And it too had a rounded passband. But it tooc WORKED.
-- Did my receiver sound tinny due to rising frequency response of uBITX Rev 4 amp? Yes! So I put in a TJ DC RX Af amp.
-- Bill BLOWS UP a Tiny SA Ultra. Ooops. But quickly got a new one from R&L Electronics. Very, very useful. I knew 25 MHz IF rigs were inferior, but by how much? How much was the carrier suppressed? Which filters worked better? What was the opposite sideband rejection. TinySA permitted measurement and comparison.
-- Bill quit 15 meter SSB (for a moment) and went to the 1.22 nanometer band with a Wilson Clound Chamber. Videos on the blog.
SHAMELESS COMMERCE: Thanks to new Patreon sponsors. I am sending some additional video content to the sponsors.
MAILBAGg
-- Thanks to Bob Crane W8SX for FDIM interviews. I will get them out!
--Wes -- W7ZOI has a new TIA amp with variable gain on his web site: https://w7zoi.net/
-- Geoff N6GWB's Rad Receiver https://soldersmoke.blogspot.com/2024/04/the-rad-receiver-from-n6gwb.html
-- Dave K1KA sent Ensemble RTX SDR parts. Thanks Dave.
-- Chuck Adams AA7FO provided good background on my MXM rig, including the meaning of MXM (1990) . Again, great to hear from Chuck, a true homebrew hero.
-- Gerardo HI8P collecting info on the other HI8P, my friend Pericles (SK)
-- Alvin N5VZH picked up a Silktronix CB VFO. What to do?
-- Jorgen SM4WWG listening from Sweden, and making PCBs. FB!
-- Mike WN2A Wondered about opposite sideband rejection of MXM. Not great.
-- George WB5OYP loaned me a book from Elmer Bucher. THE Elmer? https://k9zw.wordpress.com/2020/01/24/on-the-origins-of-elmer-a-reasonable-theory/
-- Wes W7ZOI, Farhan VU2ESE -- Thanks for help on filter issue. Thanks too to Alan W2AEW and G3UUR
-- Josh G3MOT -- Nice message of support in our "struggle" with SF authorities. Going portable to Vancouver island in August. VE7/G3MOT
-- Paul VK3HN -- Antipodean solidarity. Thanks Paul.
-- Rogier PA1ZZ -- great input and help. Thanks
-- Tony G4WIF reminded me of G3ROO's parasets. See Blog
-- Pavel CO7WT His experiences (building, freezing, heating) the VFO in the Jaguey DSB rig.
-- Grayson KJ7UM Sent latest ER with his Collins 51S-1 story. Thanks Grayson.
-- Allison KB1GMX Commiserating on higher freq crystal filters. Thanks Allison
-- Wes W4JYK Notes that Dewey, Cheatam and Howe are based in SF. Can they help with sticky sticker problem?
Monday, July 15, 2024
15/10 SSB Rig On-The-Air from HI7
Sunday, July 14, 2024
Electromagnetic Waves -- Sir Lawrence Bragg -- Royal Institution (Video)
Wednesday, July 10, 2024
A Paraset and the Heathkit SG-6 Signal Generator (Video)
Mike WU2D put out this nice video (above) about whether or not he should part out his Heath SG-6 signal generator, using the parts in a Paraset construction project. I faced a similar question years ago:
https://soldersmoke.blogspot.com/search?q=SG-6
I just solid stated the SG-6. I was influenced by Farhan and the drinking straws that he picked up with his kids at a McDonalds in Hyderabad.
As with the QF-1, I say to Mike: GO FOR IT OM! You need those parts for other projects. Don't feel bad about the SG-6. But keep that switched coil assembly -- it is quite useful.
Ham Radio Workbench: Stuffing Digital Stuff Into Poor Old Boatanchors
At one point they are laughing at old magic eye tubes! They wonder if there is a digital way of recreating this tube in digital form. Sorry fellows, that has already been done:
https://hackaday.com/2023/04/12/the-eyes-have-it-with-this-solid-state-magic-eye/
Even an analog guy like me spotted that one.
Here is the show:
https://workbench.libsyn.com/hrwb-213-radio-rejuvenation-with-dan-quigley-n7hq
But hey, like I always say: To each his own. I'm sure many people like this approach. It is just not for me.
Sunday, July 7, 2024
Will KI4POV on QSO Today with Eric 4Z1UG
https://www.qsotoday.com/podcasts/KI4POV
Will has appeared on this blog and podcast before:
https://soldersmoke.blogspot.com/search?q=KI4POV
There were a lot points in Eric's interview with Will that resonated with me:
-- Will told about how his very understanding and perceptive wife KNOWS when a homebrew project is not going well. Yea, we have the same situation here!
-- Will mentions the wisdom of Wes Hayward, Doug Demaw, and Pete Juliano.
-- Eric mentioned that there is a bit of his own blood in most of his homebrew projects. One slip of he screwdriver is often enough. My projects also often have a bit of my A+ in them. This adds soul to the new machine.
-- Will spoke of S-38s and HW-8s. I have both these devices here with me in the Dominican Republic. I have used both of them here.
-- Will mentioned the magic that comes when you listen with a receiver you built yourself. Yes.
-- NanoVNA. Yes, very useful.
Lots more great stuff in this interview. Thanks Eric and thanks Will.
Thursday, July 4, 2024
Electronic Toys and Their Influence on Us
Sunday, June 30, 2024
Progress Report Video on the SolderSmoke Shack South
The new shack is coming together in HI7 land. I will need a shelf for the test gear -- I am looking for something thatcan sit on the main workbench -- the wall behind the bench is drywall and won't support any weight. I will have to get some plywood to protect the nice woodwork. I have melted some solder already -- I had to fix the little magnifying lamp -- it felt good to get back in the game.
The AM radio station that was providing background music was from just across the Mona passage -- they were in Cabo Rojo, Puerto Rico. My S38-E shows the frequency as being a bit above 700 kHz, but as with most things S38-E, this readout is suspect. Can anyone tell me the call sign of this station?
I have been using the homebrew 15-10 rig, but only in receive mode so far.
I am also doing some VHF scanning, using a Realistic Pro-36 scanner that Bob KD4EBM gave me. So far I am picking up aircraft approaching Santo Domingo from the East. I have the maritime calling freq also programmed in and hope to hear some ships at sea. Thanks Bob.
Dino asked about astronomy. As you can see in the video, the Orion telescope is ready to go, but we are in rainy season here, so the skies aren't too great right now. They will be better in the winter.
Hurricane Beryl is approaching, but current projections are for it to pass to our south on Tuesday. The eye of the storm is not expected to hit this island.
Thursday, June 27, 2024
How Starlink Survived May's G5 Solar Storm
I know there are some readers who dislike Starlink, but I think the technology is interesting. This morning I saw an article about how the Starlink constellation survived the May 2024 G5 solar storm. Note the references to "collision avoidance" and "ion thrusters." Give the devil is due! This is all pretty cool.
https://www.pcmag.com/news/spacex-heres-how-starlink-satellites-weathered-mays-major-solar-storm
Wednesday, June 26, 2024
ANOTHER Great Workshop
Tuesday, June 25, 2024
Field Day with Farhan, his Family and an sBITX Near Hyderabad, India
Farhan and his son Rayyan with an sBITX
The SolderSmoke crew thought it had a tough time this Field Day: Pete N6QW had hoped to do something, but was stymied by hot California weather. Dean KK4DAS had even worse weather. Bill HI7/N2CQR was at a remote QTH with an HW-8 and a wire antenna -- he managed just ONE contact (W7RN in Nevada on 15 CW). But none of us had as much trouble as our friend Farhan had. In his account of Field Day in Hyderabad, we see an intrepid ham standing up against the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune that Field Day often throws at true radio amateurs. Here is Farhan's Field Day story:
-----------------------------
You asked for it, so here it goes...
Monday, June 24, 2024
Some Really Amazing Test Gear
Thursday, June 20, 2024
The Starlink Constellation
Tuesday, June 18, 2024
Amazing Homebrew from Japan -- 7L4WVU's All Homebrew Station
Monday, June 17, 2024
1,280 Antennas at 12 GHz -- How Starlink Works
Saturday, June 15, 2024
Sticker Madness, HI7, April 1
Our friend Lex astutely focused on the date of the release of our report about legal prosecution by the City of San Francisco. The truth is that we made almost all of this up. We did put a sticker on a lamp post at Haight and Ashbury. Dave AA7EE did visit the site and report that the sticker had been removed. But all the rest was made up. We did catch several people in this annual April 1 joke. Unfortunately, not everyone who was taken in was outraged by the city's supposed action. In fact, we got one e-mail SUPPORTING the prosecution. This fellow said, essentially, that we were getting what we deserved, that we should take this as a life lesson, and stop with the sticker-vandalism. He was serious. Jeez. APRIL FOOL! We will talk more about this in the next podcast.
I know the podcast has been delayed by a lot, but I am still getting things set up here in HI7 land. I hope we will soon be podcasting with particpation from California (N6QW), Northern Virginia (KK4DAS), and the Dominican Republic (HI7/N2CQR).
Happily, my Dominican ham radio license came through -- I will be HI7/N2CQR for the next year. At some point I hope to take the Dominican exam and get a real Dominican call.
Lex has been our main point of contact in Europe on sticker distribution (aka VANDALISM!). Lex writes:
Hello all,
Shocked to hear about the "Legal action against Soldersmoke" in podcast :
https://soldersmoke.blogspot.
Which could mean a few things :
- some official is trying to make a career and he will be very busy because there are a lot of stickers in San Fransisco to remove.
- somebody did remove the sticker because they are highly collectable and somebody at soldersmoke HQ saw a opportunity to made one of the best april fools jokes in soldersmoke history pulling the listeners (and readers) leg.
- somebody use photoshop and made one of the best april fools jokes in soldersmoke history pulling the listeners (and readers) leg.
Looking at the release date of the soldersmoke podcast 251, IMHO #3 is the most possible with #2 as a good second. When #1 is the real reason, that sucks big time :-( (so I'm hoping for the april fools joke outcome)
My XYL and I are just back from a holiday to Berlin and aside of the architecture, visiting a large number of museums and historical exhibitions, there was one place on my personal list I wanted to visit : the "Teufelsberg".
Lex PH2LB
home : http://www.ph2lb.nl/
twitter : https://twitter.com/lex_
call : PH2LB
"Life's like a role playing adventure. You
need to solve the puzzles first before
they let you go to the next level."
Friday, June 14, 2024
Greetings from Low Earth Orbit
Saturday, June 1, 2024
Farhan Talks Radio Tech at SolderSmoke HQ (EAST) (TWO VIDEOS!)
Wednesday, May 29, 2024
2014 "Off the Shelf" Regen Comes Off the Shelf (Two Videos)
Walter KA4KXX spotted an error in the schematic of my 2014 "Off the Shelf" regen receiver: The source resistor on the MPF-102 should be 2200 ohms, not 2.7 ohms. See:
https://soldersmoke.blogspot.com/2014/09/schematic-for-off-shelf-regen.htmlMonday, May 27, 2024
Ham Radio in China -- Interesting info from 高大伟 David Cowhig
David Cowhig (aka WA1LBP, aka Gao Da Wei) was Hambassdor for 73 Magazine on Okinawa when I held a similar "position" on the island of Hispaniola. David is a real Asia hand, and is fluent in both Mandarin and Japanese. He is uiniquely sitated to provide info on ham radio in China. In a recent post he provides this info, and describes how we may soon be hearing from ham Taikonauts in space:
https://gaodawei.wordpress.com/2024/05/22/2024-ham-radio-in-china-soon-chinese-hams-in-space/
Thanks David!
Sunday, May 26, 2024
A Really Cool Homebrew Computer
Saturday, May 25, 2024
Pete Juliano's Amazing Videos -- 318 of Them!
Friday, May 24, 2024
Version II of 15-10 Rig -- Updates on Bal Mod, AF amp, and RF Amp, DX
Version II of the 15-10 rig is mostly done. I did a lot of work on the AF amp, balanced modulator, Mic amp, carrier oscillator, and filter. Dean KK4DAS and I continue to test and measure the RF power amplifier. I describe the brutally simple, non-sequenced T/R switching arrangement, and the spread-out open air construction style.
Version I of this rig is on its way to the Dominican Republic. Version II will stay in Virginia. I have already worked a lot of SSB DX with this rig, including, Thailand, Taiwan, China, India, Kenya, Australia, American Samoa, and others.Thursday, May 23, 2024
Charlie ZL2CTM's New Receiver
Thanks Charlie! Be sure to check out the rest of his YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@CharlieMorrisZL2CTM
Wednesday, May 22, 2024
Rigs on Vertical Boards -- Then and Now
Tuesday, May 21, 2024
Laser Communication in London 2007 -- a Pointer, a VW Solar Panel, and Radio Kismet
Friday, May 17, 2024
Band Imaging Rigs (Receivers and Transceivers) -- Video from WA7MLH
Thursday, May 16, 2024
A Light-beam QSO in Hollandia, Christmas 1944
Christmas, 1944
In a wartime world the singular and exclusive camaraderie that exists in the hobby of amateur radio results in so many unexpected and coincidental meetings between good friends, who have previously never seen each other, as to make such happenstance fairly commonplace. But I boast a tale in which time, place and circumstance combined to cause a similar occurrence to be most extraordinary.
The Liberty ship El Segundo Ruiz Belvis lay at anchor in the murky waters of Humbolt Bay, New Guinea, on a tepid tropical night in '44. In the absence of the moon, the Dipper and the Southern Cross scintillated bewitchingly. On the shore, the lights of the army base of Hollandia burned steadily in contrast to the varipowered signal blinkers which intermittently pieced the opaque darkness throughout the harbor. The latter were visual communication between ships and shore plus an admixture of ship-to-ship chatter, official and otherwise. There was an underlying tense tinge to the atmosphere and the stillness was broken only by the sharp staccato of the Belvis' blinker shutters as the signalman transacted port business with the powerful land station.
This was rendezvous. Our Liberty, with scores of army personnel aboard, had here become a unit in the formation of a huge convoy. Crammed into holds, on hatches and into every available nook and cranny of the steel deck, we were Leyte-bound. Stifled, sweaty and hungry on our two meals per day, we wore out deck after deck of pinochle cards and read every available piece of literature over and over again. It was almost a month since we had left Sansapor, scene of our last operation. We were exuberant in the knowledge that we were soon to leave New Guinea.
Christmas was but a few days away and we had had no mail for weeks. Men leaned languidly on the rail and thought of home while others dreamed of the same in their cramped quarters. The circumstances certainly made this Yuletide one to be long remembered. Nevertheless, all that would feature this day for us would be a possible piece of priceless turkey added to the usual dehydrated viands. Just another dragging equatorial day to be piled atop hundreds of others like it.
It was ten o'clock. I was wide awake; only my eyes were tired. Presently, I found myself detachedly reading the blinkers which poked their focused fingers indiscriminately about the bay. My quarters, in the cab of a 399, were on the port rail amidships and afforded a good view across the water. I became absorbed in various bits of chatter between nearby vessels. It struck me that QRM was quite heavy tonight—a sort of an optical 80 meters. I saw one of the lights sign off with a "73." This was interesting as among the host of merchant marine signalmen, hams are spread pretty thinly. I seized my M-1 torch and focused an insipid beam in the direction of that ship. I sent CQ CQ CQ K. A ham call sign is a cumbersome thing to handle with a blinker. Furthermore, I had no faith in the DX powers of my 3-volt flashlight bulb. I was therefore elated when a bright interrogatory sign beamed forth, aimed obviously in my direction. Contact! True, it was outside the hambands, but band divisions in the microwave region are indefinite anyway.
I was still dubious as to whether my man was an amateur. Rather than complicate matters immediately, at this speed of 8 words per minute, I began in the language of the layman: HELLO PAL WHERE YOU FROM? K. Back in an agreeably rhythmic style came: R TULSA OKLA NAME IS HAL K. The given name and place struck a subconscious inner chord vaguely. Next, I blinked: GE HAL IM ROD FROM CHGO K. There was a pause. He reoriented his beam to compensate for tidal drift and then startled me with: W9BRD DE W5EGA K.
The night quickly took on an exhilarant aspect as we lapsed into ham vernacular, spiced with many Morse slaps on the back. Hal Frank was no other than an old c.w. crony of mine. We had heckled each other on 80, 40 and 20 a countless number of times in the prewar days. In memory I was hearing again that beautiful swing and T9X sledge-hammer signal off his three-element rotary. We discovered mutual ham friends and we exchanged much welcome information and recounted bygone days. He was quite amazed to learn that I was behind a mere GI flashlight (with low batteries at that). The QSO continued far into the night—the next and the next.
We seemed destined to rot in our anchorage. The convoy movement was postponed from day to day. However, this Christmas season took on a much different aspect for me as arrangements were made and, at 0900 Christmas Day, my friend, Wilbur Kuure, W9YNY, and I debarked unsteadily down the ladder and made our way across an undulating swell to the Liberty ship Chittenden. There, we met Lt. Hal Frank, W5EGA, personally, for the first time. We all agreed that it was quite a small and bizarre world that December 25th.
Verbal reminiscences cluttered the air within W5EGA's exceedingly neat cabin for several hours. Shelves in his quarters were lined with excellent reading material including many late QSTs. Compared to our situation aboard the Belvis, Kuure and I thought this a bit of heaven.
We were thoroughly acquainted by the time we appeared in the officers' mess. As the cuisine took shape before us and disappeared into our eager gullets, my army pal and I felt somewhat sorry for our less fortunate buddies on the home ship. But such is life. We had, in nautical terms, a "Little Roundhouse," consisting of a generous helping of everything on the menu. We swept our plates clean to Hal's amusement. I remember, most distinctly, the dessert of apple pie and ice cream.
Nightfall found Kuure and me "back to earth" on the Belvis after a most delightful Christmas Day. According to plan, we blinked a "goodnight and thank you" to W5EGA through the twilight. That was our last QSO of that series. Not long after that we weighed anchor and headed for our next stop on the long road back home. Our holiday was over, a new year had begun and there was still a war to be won.
From S/Sgt. R. H. Newkirk, W9BRD, "Christmas, 1944" QST, January 1946, pages 25 and 102. |