Young Jean Shepherd Gets Hung-Up On Ham Radio

Oh man, we've all been there:  OBSESSION with ham radio.  Shep went over the top and didn't sleep all weekend when his homebrew transmitter was finally neutralized and started to put out a decent signal on 40 meter CW.  

One of my favorite lines in this episode is about how, before the neutralization, the transmitter had had so many parasitics that it would continue to transmit for two hours AFTER Shep turned it off, "and all on the wrong frequencies."  

I found this while searching for other Shep references to Johnny Anderson, the guy who built the TV receiver.  Please let me know if you know of any other Shep references to Johnny. 

Here is the program.  Skip ahead to 20:50 

https://www.radioechoes.com/?page=play_download&mode=play&dl_mp3folder=T&dl_file=the_jean_shepherd_show_1963-03-07_hung_up-ham_radio.mp3&dl_series=The%20Jean%20Shepherd%20Show&dl_title=Hung%20Up-Ham%20Radio&dl_date=1963.03.07&dl_size=8.87%20MB

EXCELSIOR!  

"Patrolling the Ether" WWII Video on Radio Direction Finding Efforts

I heard about this video while trying to track down information on John Stanley Anderson's 1939 television receiver.  "Patrolling the Ether" is kind of hard to find.  It is not really on YouTube.  But there is a good BARC Vimeo video about WWII RDF efforts that includes at the end the full "Patrolling the Ether" video.  

Here it is:  

https://vimeo.com/415926991

Thanks to BARC and to Brian Harrison for putting this together. 

In the video, they discuss the invention of the Panadaptor by Dr. Marcel Wallace F3HM  during World War II.   I set up a very crude Panadaptor using Wallace's principals:

https://soldersmoke.blogspot.com/2019/05/diy-waterfall-quick-and-easy-panadaptor.html

LA6NCA Designs and Builds a Very Hybrid 80 Meter Transmitter (Si5351 and a 12A6 Tube) (Video)

Helge LA6NCA put out a really nice video explaining how he designed and built an 80 meter transmitter. 

I like how he put the Si5351 and the Arduino chip in what looks like a slightly expanded FT-241 crystal box.  Nice.  

I like the box and the chassis.  

I like his testing/tuning technique.  

The homebrew capacitor was a very nice touch.  

Where can I get some of those coil forms?  

And of course, the R-390 receiver adds a lot of mojo to the shack. 

Helge's web sites document an enormous number of great projects:  

Helge's page on the 12A6/Si5351 transmitter: https://www.la6nca.net/homebrew/tx_12a6/index.htm

Helge's main site:  http://www.laud.no/fykse/index.htm

Thank you Helge! And thanks to Hack-A-Day for alerting us to this. 

VK3HN's Amazing Summit Prowler 9 Homebrew Transceiver - A Masterpiece of Miniaturization (VIDEO)

I was wondering what Paul VK3HN was up to. Now we know: the Summit Prowler 9 transceiver. 

This is yet another amazing rig by Paul, with GREAT documentation.   

I was impressed by those bandpass filters.  I will try to do something similarly robust on my 17/12 rig. 

Paul's miniaturization of this rig is really astonishing.  I would go nuts trying to keep it this small. I just couldn't do it. 

Look closely at the boards he uses.  They look like printed circuit boards, but with all the components and all the soldering on one side.  This is very smart -- this makes it easier to troubleshoot and to change components.  

I was glad to see at least one NE-602 in there.  FB. 

The video is above.  Check out Paul's blog for more info: 

https://vk3hn.wordpress.com/2021/02/27/sp-9-a-compact-five-band-ssb-cw-qrp-transceiver/ 

Thanks Paul!

Straight Key Night 2021/2022 (Videos) -- Happy New Year!

I made a few contacts on 40 meter CW using my old Hallicrafters HT-37 and Drake 2-B. 

Happy New Year to all!  73   Bill 

On 17 meter CW from Santo Domingo with a uBITX

We are up on the 12th floor of a building in Santo Domingo. I brought my uBITX and managed to check in as baggage a 16-foot crappie fishing pole. I figured I needed to get the 1/2 wave antenna away from the building -- last time I was here I was unable to make any contacts from this location with the antenna stretched along the balcony. Last time I was QRP with an SST transceiver. 

The fishing pole worked well, but I operated with fear that it would fall or that the neighbors would complain). Today I got on 17 CW with the uBITX (more power than the SST), put it on 17 CW and promptly worked W4A, a special events station commemorating E. Howard Armstrong.  Turns out that today is Armstrong's birthday.  TRGHS.  

On the Reverse Beacon Network my CQs were heard by KO7SS in Arizona (very cool skimmer station at 8100 feet!) and by W2NAF (interesting operations in Antarctica, Svalbard and Virginia Tech). 

SolderSmoke Podcast #233: PIMP, Boatanchors, Novices, MMM, Heathkits, DC Receivers, Mailbag

SolderSmoke Podcast #233 is available. 

http://soldersmoke.com/soldersmoke233.mp3

Travelogue: Cape Cod. SST. Marconi Site.

The WFSRA:   The World Friendship Society of Radio Amateurs.

Pete's Bench:

The Pimp.
The NCX rig.
The Collins.
The many DC receivers built worldwide.
The parts shortages are real! Several key radios on hold. Si5351 sub.
Talk to G-QRP convention

Bill's Bench:

FT-8. Not for me. I tried it.
Novice Station Rebuild.
Globe V-10 VFO Deluxe.
Selenium rectifier removal CONTROVERSY?
Not crazy about my Novice station. Not crazy about CW. 
Mate for the Mighty Midget. Again. 
Mike W6MAB -- Detector problems LTSPICE Check
One more mod for MMM RX. Ceramic filter at 455.
Dropped screw inside tubular cap on Millen 61455 transformer. 
Talk to the Vienna Wireless Society
Thinking of a Moxon or a Hex beam.


BOOK REVIEW Chuck Penson WA7ZZE New Heathkit Book. http://wa7zze.com

Mailbag

-- New SPRAT is out! Hooray!
-- Todd K7TFC sent me copy of Shopcraft as Soulcraft. FB.
-- Dean KK4DAS building an EI9GQ 16 W amp. FB.
-- Jack NG2E Getting close on Pete's DC receiver.
-- JF1OZL's website is BACK!
-- Tony K3DY sent link to cool books. 
-- Sheldon VK2XZS thinking of building a phasing receiver.
-- Peter VK2EMU has joined the WFSRA. FB!
-- Ned KH7JJ from Honolulu spotted the Sideband Myth in the AWA video.
-- Chris M0LGX looking at the ET-2, asks about the variometer.
-- Pete Eaton Nov 64 anti HB rant in november 1964 QST. Wow.
-- Josh Lambert Hurley spreading FMLA stickers in the UK. FB
-- Stephen VE6STA getting ready to melt solder.
-- Got a great picture of Rogier PA1ZZ back on Bonaire.
-- Farhan reading the manual of Hans's new digital rig.
-- Paul G0OER wonders if FMLA getting ready to move on 5 meters.

Some Initial Thoughts on FT-8

 -- This is really interesting technology.  Three cheers for Joe Taylor and colleagues.  This mode would obviously be very useful for fast, weak signal contacts as are needed on meteor scatter or EME. 

-- FT-8 does give you the chance to work DX that would have been difficult on other modes. 

-- Chinese hams showing up on FT-8 -- more than other modes. 

-- I think FT-8 is good for hams who just want to have a lot of "contacts." It is definitely not for the rag-chewer. 

--  I find it it kind of cold and antisocial.  More like a computer game than ham radio. A bit like sending  short text messages on a cell phone. 

--  I think FT-8 contacts are in some ways more meaningless than a "59!" contest exchange -- unless you look, you don't even know the report you got,  nor do you know the report you sent. 

--  For me it is more impersonal than CW.  But at least we let the technology decode the characters instead of having to memorize dot and dash sounds.  In a phone contact you can hear the other person's laugh.  In a CW QSO, you hear him key "HI HI."  FT-8?  No laughter at all. 

-- With PSK Reporter, FT-8 gives you a good feel for how propagation changes during the day. But it is kind of like 2-way WSPR.  As with WSPR, it is -- at first -- fascinating, but then it loses its charm. Yes, everyday you are heard in Belgium. 

-- It seems to be getting kind of crowded.  The passband for FT-8 contacts is often full, and it is hard to find an open space.

-- There is little opportunity for the homebrewer.  I hooked it up to my homebrew transceivers and had a small bit of fun using a 2N3904 as a switch triggered by the RTS signal for T/R.  But that's about it. 

-- I get the sense that the ham himself is not really needed in FT-8.  This mode seems like it could easily be automated or run by an AI.  Just tell it to go out there, make a lot of contacts and log them.  Maybe prioritize the DX you "need."  Has this already been done? 

--  After a session with FT-8, I had a really nice 17 meter ragchew SSB QSO.  That SSB contact left me happy.  The FT-8 session was a bit like spending time on social media or a video game.  It left me edgy.  FT-8 made me appreciate phone even more.

But hey, to each his own.  A lot of people really like FT-8.  I hope they have fun. 

Mythbuster Video #7: Bandswitch, Reverse Polarity Protection, CW with Clarifier Offset

I have the speaker mounted on the front of the board. I kind of like it like that. I now have a bandswitch, and reverse polarity protection (no more living dangerously for me). That Yaesu VFO clarifier circuit might prove useful should I decide to give this rig CW capability. I once again find myself thinking that I might never put this in a metal box. Frank Jones had the right idea.

SolderSmoke Podcast #231 -- Travel, SST, Mythbusting, Filters, TIAS, NanoVNAs, DC RX in SPRAT, Drake A Line, Spillsbury, STICKERS! Mailbag

SolderSmoke # 231 is available: 

http://soldersmoke.com/soldersmoke231.mp3

Annual Field Day Special Edition

Travelogue:   To the Dominican Republic! 

New dog -- Meet Guapo (see below). 

A great Father's Day for Pete and Bill.  I got a TinySA. 

Pete got some cool chick magnet glasses (see below).  

Watch out Newbury Park! 

Bill's Activity

SST Transceiver. Took it to Dominican Republic.

Made only one contact, but QRP-QRP. 

Not a lot of CW activity, and not a lot around 14.060. 

A lot more FT8 visible on the NA5B WebSDR.

That might be better for this kind of operation.  

I might try SST CW out today from the backyard. Field Day!

Fired up my 20 meter DSB NE602 rigs.  Made two contacts.  

Still trying to fully understand the NE602 Gilbert Cell.  Lots of mystery in there. 

Building "The MythBuster."  75/20 with sideband inversion.  

10 pole 5.2 MHz filter.  Used Dishal and AADE. 

Used NanoVNA to see the passband. 

G3UUR for crystal parameters.

Cohn Constant K topology. 

Also used NanoVNA to check input and output impedance on the TIA amps I will use around the filter. 

Pete's activity: 

Article on DC receiver in SPRAT. FB response. 50 receivers under construction.   

Work on Drake A Line.  

Jim Spillsbury. 

------------------------------

The N5JHH IBEW SolderSmoke stickers (see above and below).  How we will use them. 

Mailbag:

N2SVD

K8ITY

Tom (Junkbox receiver)

N0ZIB (Curse you, SolderSmoke!) 

DL6ID

N2NLY

VK2EMU

ZS1KE

AF7O

NG2E

VU2ESE

OK1RP

N5JHH

Jean Shepherd on CW, and Strange Propagation -- QRP!

From 1965.  Great CW stories from Shep.  QRP!  Shep running 2 watts on 20 CW, working DX. 

He discusses shortwave listening,  and predicted that CW shortwave listening would become more popular (sorry about that Shep). 

It was real hoot to hear the 1965 public service ad from NYC Mayor John Lindsey. 

The Kazoo CW was a bit hard to copy OM. 

Santo Domingo Shack on 12th Floor Balcony -- SST QRP CW

June 2021.  We were in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic.  At this point we were in a 12th floor apartment in the center of the city.  I would take my SST 20 meter CW transceiver and EFHW antenna out on the balcony.  I made no contacts from this location, but one of  my CQs was picked up by K9TM on the Reverse Beacon Network (see below).  All the other RBN spots were the result of calls from the eastern tip of the island. (Click on the RBN image for a clearer view.)

 

QRP - QRP Contact from Dominican Republic

It took some brass pounding on my homebrew key, but on May 28, 2021 I made a real QSO from the eastern tip of the island of Hispaniola.  KJ4R came back to my CQ near 14.060 MHz. I was running just 1-2 watts from my SST transceiver to an end-fed half wave antenna. Ed KJ4R was in South Carolina running 5 watts, also to an EFHW antenna.  TRGHS.  Thanks Ed.  And thanks to Bob Scott KD4EBM and Wayne Burdick N6KR.

VK3HN's Homebrew 30 Meter SST QRP Transceiver

It turns out that many people homebrewed SST rigs.  Here is Paul VK3HN's version.  Really nice. 

https://vk3hn.wordpress.com/2016/12/27/summit-prowler-two-a-scratch-built-30m-cw-transceiver-wilderness-sst-for-sota/

AA7EE's Amazing Homebrew SST QRP Transceiver

 

Look at that rig.  It is truly a thing of beauty.    

I was very pleased to see Dave AA7EE's comment on my SST rig.  This caused me to search his site for his SST article.  And wow, it is an SST treasure trove.  Lots of discussion of the circuit and mods. And Dave's usual wonderful photography and videography. 

Check it out.  

https://aa7ee.wordpress.com/2016/09/09/a-scratch-build-of-n6kr-and-wilderness-radios-sst-for-20m/

Thanks Dave! 

The SST QRP Transceiver

 

Click on the schematic for a better view

Bob KD4EBM recently sent me an amazing package of radio goodies.  Included was a little metal box not much larger than a deck of cards.  It is a 20 meter SST transceiver designed by Wayne Burdick N6KR during the late 1990s.  This transceiver is built around three NE602 Gilbert Cell mixer chips.  It arrived in my shack as I was struggling to understand the Gilbert Cell.  TRGHS.  It also put me back on the path of QRP CW righteousness.    Thanks Bob.  Thanks Wayne. 

I e-mailed Wayne Burdick (now of Elecraft fame) to tell him I was now using the rig he had designed so long ago.  Wayne e-mailed back, saying that the SST was the smallest "real" radio that he had ever designed.  SST stands for Simple Superhet Transceiver. 

I've been using the SST every day for the last week or so.  It is a pleasure to operate.  I'm using it with the key from India that Farhan brought for me.   It is truly QSK -- the receiver stays on when I transmit.  I've never used a QSK rig before and I can now see the big advantage that this provides:   When I am responding to a CQ, I can immediately hear if the other guy put out another CQ or respond to someone else -- I can stop calling at that point.  My first contact with it was with F6EJN.  Again, TRGHS. 

I made two small mods to the SST:  I added 1 uH to the RFC in the VXO; it  now tunes 14.053 -- 14.063.   And I took out a noise blanker that had been installed. Removing the noise blanker left an ugly hole in the front panel which I promptly filled with a completely cosmetic machine screw. 

Here's the manual:

https://qrpbuilder.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/sst_manual_042217.pdf

The Homebrew Spirit of the Radio Amateur

I just liked this picture.  It seems to capture the pride and satisfaction that comes from getting on the air with homebrew gear. It's obviously a simple QRP station, but it is all homebrew.  And -- from the QSL cards on the wall -- we can see that he has had some success with it.  The map on the wall is of the United States and the QSLs are from the east coast and the mid-west, so my guess is that he's probably on 80 or 40.   FB OM.  

My Hodgepodged Morse: Audio Tone into the Mic Jack Creates J2A not A1A. BASTA!

In SolderSmoke podcast #229 Pete and I were discussing my rather flaky effort to turn the Hodgepodge BITX40 Module into a CW rig by injecting keyed 700 Hz audio into the mic jack (see video below). We got some very helpful responses from ND6T and VK2EMU:  

Hi Bill,

You mentioned generating CW by modulating SSB: Collins did that in their

first SSB transceivers, I believe, as did SGC, but the results were less

than optimal. The problem is that you are involving the audio chain and

modulator. You know from experience how difficult it is to maintain low

intermod there and the tone is no exception. So we end up with lots of

spurs within the filter passband and then also have the opposite

sideband suppression less than perfect. If you check your transmitted

signal with a spectrum analyzer or SDR you can easily see the nasties.

Listening to a CW signal thus generated makes it obvious unless it is

buried way down in the noise. It IS a valid CW signal (not MCW) since it

is (almost) a single signal. However, in actual operation it doesn't

work very well.

I know because I have done that. I bought one of Farhan's original

BITX40 boards and wanted to put it on CW. I ended up injecting a keyed

signal from one of the spare clocks on the Si5351 into the RF amplifier

chain (thus avoiding the above stated problems) but still had garbage

from the audio and IF stages. I fixed that by shorting out that signal

during transmit by a transistor to ground. That was documented on your

BITXhacks website: http://bitxhacks.blogspot.com/2017/02/ and on my

website: http://www.nd6t.com/bitx/CW.htm . It has been a while, eh?

...

Don, ND6T

--------------------------------------------------

Hi Bill and Pete,

With putting an audio oscillator into you hodgepodge radio, your transmission is not the same as a standard CW rig.

If we have a transmitter as described in the ARRL handbooks from the 1940's or 1950's, (or even the Michigan Mighty Mite) it is a crystal oscillator and maybe a PA tube. By keying either the oscillator and/or the final PA on and off, then we can send Morse code as ICW Interrupted Continues Wave. If we check the list of emission designators, we have A1A.

However, if we feed a tone into a SSB transmitter, then we have J2A.

At the other end it may sound the same, but because it is created in a different way, it has a different designation. 

A quick look at Part 97 shows that J2A and J2B are classed as CW, so you are in the clear. However, if you put a tone oscillator into an AM signal to send CW, then that would be classed as A2A and not classed as CW, but as MCW. MCW can be used on 6 meters and above, but not HF.

SITS.

73 de Peter VK2EMU

-----------------------------------------------------------

So I say BASTA with the J2A!  If I want to go CW, it's all A1A for me.  I dusted off my Fish Soup 10 and am now back on 40 CW with 200 mW.... A1A all the way! 

 

Straight Key Night 2021 at SA2CLC in Sweden

Wow, check out the FB gear of Tommy SA2CLC in Sweden, in use on Straight Key Night 2021. There is some German WWII gear,  a BC-348,  a homebrew transmitter, and some FB QRP kits. 

More on Tommy SA2CLC here: https://www.qrz.com/db/SA2CLC 

The culvert under the road for coax to the antennas is very cool. 

FB Tommy!  A belated HNY to you OM. 

Putting the Quarantine Hodgepodge Rig on CW (Video)

Putting this rig on CW posed a real Hodgepodge challenge: What did I have laying around that would let me do this? Then I remembered: Years ago I built a little 750 Hz audio tone generator. So I pressed that into service. I also needed a sidetone so I built a little RF-actuated circuit that turns on a piezo buzzer when I go key down. And I put a little DC monitoring device (recommended early in 2020 by the Ham Radio Workbench podcast) between the power supply and the rig. There is more to do! Stay tuned.