SolderSmoke Podcast 263: DR-PR, UM, DCRX, SKN, Design, PSSST, W7ZOI, FT-101, HW32A, VK, HST, AMP, MAILBAG

Pete Juliano N6QW

February 23, 2026

SolderSmoke Podcast #263 is available for download: 

Audio:  http://soldersmoke.com/soldersmoke263.mp3

Video:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fn164glxQ6s

Opening 

May 26, 2014, coming up on 12 years! That was the 1^st podcast where Pete N6QW was interviewed by Bill in Podcast #161,  which means 102 podcasts ago. 12 Years of Julian-ismo.  Thanks Pete!  

What to build?  Question faced by VWS Makers Group and by Charlie of RedSummit RF.   Regen?  Test Gear?  Simple oscillator?  

But did you DESIGN it yourself?  What does that even really mean? Barrie Gilbert in Jim Williams' book:  https://soldersmoke.blogspot.com/2025/12/homebrew-you-say-but-did-you-design-it.html

Grayson KJ7UM on a podcast -- Make it your own way.  Copper Clad and Glue!  Manhattan style! "BUILD SOMETHING!:  Tube testers not necessary.  OK to call thermatrons "vacuum tubes."  No ruling on calling them "valves" yet. 

Pete:  

-- When hams were hams -- Turning a Heath monobander into a tribander

-- Simple SSB

-- W7ZOI rigs

-- The Yaesu FT-101

SHAMELESS COMMERCE DIVISION:   Mostly DIY RF!   Patreon!   But no more Amazon.  We do not want to help Bezos make more money. Even if this will cost us.   So please,  consider a donation or a Patreon sponsorship instead.  But no more Amazon through SolderSmoke.  

Bill:   

-- Dominican Republic to Puerto Rico on 2 meters -- status report. 

-- Working Australia on 20 meter SSB in the morning. 

-- The SpiderWeb net. 

-- The Hubble Space Telescope -- an old friend

-- One contact on Straight Key Night (Dean reminded me).  I worked NB1U on 20 meters with QCX from KD4EBM. 

Dean: 

-- The University of Michigan ant the Direct Conversion receiver project.  

-- Boxing up the amplifier.  A tale of woe.  Identifying oscillations.  A QSO with the Dominican Republic: https://soldersmoke.blogspot.com/2026/02/a-qso-with-dean-kk4das-northern.html 

 Travails with other homebrew gear... Trying to find a working transceiver.

AI assisted repair of Bitx40 PA in my Mythbuster 

VWS club station update, tendency of Flex and other SDR makers to not release even basic technical information.

MAILBAG: 

Ian VK3MO  Huge antennas, big signal, friendship with WA3O https://soldersmoke.blogspot.com/2025/11/vk3mo-and-wa3o-brotherhood-of-ham-radio.html

Bob KD4EBM  2 meter propagation info

Todd K7TFC  -- Mostly DIY RF

Mike K6STR  Worked Pete on 40, building for CW and SSB on 2 meters

Grayson KJ7UM    German Avionics,  MMM Origin.  Old Steampunk Homebrew rig: https://soldersmoke.blogspot.com/2025/12/a-very-interesting-old-steam-punk.html   

Phil  W1PJE   Forrest Mims III     Mims's sad denial on climate change. 

Ciprian  YO2DXE         Heard the SAQ Alternator  see: https://soldersmoke.blogspot.com/2025/12/alexanderson-alternator-on-172-khz.html

Tom NS6T:  Very useful azimuth map with grey lines: https://ns6t.net/AzShadowMap/experimental.html

Walter KA4KXX -- 20 meter Direct Conversion Receiver.  FB Walter! 

WN2A Mike   Dos Equis man is BACK! https://soldersmoke.blogspot.com/2026/01/hes-back-dos-equis-man-most-interesting.html

KB4HG Rhett:  On USB on the Old Military Radio Net with a PRC-74.  Want one! 

Saw the Hubble Space Telescope Again this Morning

Skies were brightening at 0626 local.   And there were a lot of clouds.  But HST appeared right on  schedule, and I saw it between the clouds as it passed overhed.   There should be even better passes in the morning during the next two days. 

The Mahbood Radio Service Company of Hyderabad, India

Our friend Farhan sent this today.  It is really beautiful and captures very well the magic of radio.  Thanks Farhan. and thanks too to Mohammad Moinuddin of the Mahbood Radio Service. 

“Before television and smartphones, Hyderabad listened to the world through radios. And in those days, my father ensured that the city stayed tuned in.

My father, the late Shaik Mahboob, founded Mahboob Radio Service in 1933 in Dabeerpura. At a time when radio was still a luxury, he began selling and repairing sets for households across the Old City. In 1948, after Hyderabad’s accession to the Indian Union, he shifted the shop to its present location in Chatta Bazar, where it continues to stand even today.

Interestingly, he did not begin with radios. In the late 1920s, he was involved in the PVC pipes trade. But as radio technology slowly entered Indian homes, he recognised its future and transitioned into the business of radio sales and repairs. That decision shaped our family’s destiny.

Like my father, my brother and I grew up surrounded by valves, wires, and wooden cabinets. After school, we would sit beside him, carefully observing how he handled brands like Murphy, Philips, Bush, Marconi, and later Sony. Those were the golden years of radio in Hyderabad.

Among our customers were prominent families of the city. We even serviced radio sets for the palace of the last Nizam, Mir Osman Ali Khan. Payments would arrive in a sealed lifafa — a gesture that felt both formal and special. In those days, radio wasn’t just entertainment; it was how people heard news, music, cricket commentary, and the world beyond their homes.

Over time, technology changed. Transistors replaced valve sets. Then came television. Now, smartphones have taken over. Radio sets are no longer common in households. Many shops that once repaired them have shut down.

My brother, who shared this passion with me, is no more. But I continue to open the shutters of our shop every morning. People still travel from different parts of the country — some carrying radios that are older than me — hoping to restore a memory. I repair them not just as machines, but as pieces of someone’s past.

Today, in my late seventies, I sit at the same wooden table where I learned this craft as a boy. Because this is not merely a business, it is continuity. It is a responsibility.

On World Radio Day, my only wish is that people remember the warmth of gathering around a radio set. I also hope today’s radio jockeys continue to create thoughtful and meaningful programming. Because radio is not outdated — it is timeless.  As long as I am here, Mahboob Radio Service will remain tuned in.”  

– Mohammad Moinuddin, Mahboob Radio Service

A QSO with Dean KK4DAS (Northern Virginia to Dominican Republic)

Dean KK4DAS was checking out his new homebrew solid state 100 watt amplifier.  We were talking about it on the phone, then we decided to give it a try on the air.  Above is the Dominican end of the QSO.  It was great to talk to Dean on the air.  Below is how the QSO looked and sounded from Dean's QTH in Northern Virginia:

 

 Next we need to bring Pete into the conversation so that we can have an All-SolderSmoke QSO.  

Early Hacking with an IMSAI 8080 -- "War Games" (1983) Scene with Matthew Broderick and Ally Sheedy

Some computer history here, and it is old enough (1983) to fit into the SolderSmoke theme.  Plus it appears that the young fellow has a shack (of sorts) and uses it to impress a girl from his biology class.  Finally, we know the IMSAI guy has an important YouTube channel...