SolderSmoke Daily News -- Ham Radio Blog: Juliano -- Pete

Showing posts with label Juliano -- Pete. Show all posts

Sunday, June 15, 2025

A Nice Quick HW-101 Restoration Video

This video is almost enough to get me to work on my old HW-101.

Pete N6QW has been working on an HW-32A monobander. Some of the info in this video might be applicable.

Sunday, June 8, 2025

Phil W1PJE, Director of MIT's Haystack Observatory, visits SolderSmoke East, Talks Radio with N2CQR and KK4DAS

We were very pleased that Phil W1PJE was able to visit yesterday. Phil is the Director of MIT's Haystack Observatory. He is very knowledgeable on topics related to space and space technology. He is also a member of the SolderSmoke Direct Conversion Receiver Hall of Fame. We talked about the history of the Haystack Observatory, famous antennas (dishes), and about the SolderSmoke Direct Conversion receiver project. It was a lot of fun talking to Phil. We managed to shoot this video with him. Thanks Phil and thanks Dean.

Thursday, May 29, 2025

SolderSmoke Podcast #260 FDIM, Hollow State Design, Pete's Bench and the Shelf of Shame, Direct Conversion Project News, How Best to Preserve this Blog?, Dean's Bench and the Desk of Despair, Bill's Bench and the Garage of Grief, MAILBAG

SolderSmoke Podcast #260 is available:

Audio version: http://soldersmoke.com/soldersmoke260.mp3

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

Quote from the Old Miltary Radio Net: "Being on the leading edge is great, but sometimes being on the trailing edge is more fun." Indeed.

Heard from an Australian on the Southern Cross Net: "My antenna needs a lot of Viagra!"

News from Dayton/Xenia/FDIM: Dayton Xenia. Again, we didn't go. But Bob Crane W8SX was there and got a nice interview with Grayson, Hans, and Farhan. We are presenting these and more. Michigan Mighty Mite Revival at FDIM! Jeff W9TH.

Farhan's review of Hollow State Design: I am compelled to set aside the future of my family and to orphan my cats to resume work on the 250v power supply that I built last year. Inshallah, Allah favors those who favor thermatrons! Grayson's book is imbued with deep experimental insights and littered with gems. You have to read it over and over to find new things each time. It goes into my reference shelf in the lab." Buy it here: https://www.ermag.com/product-category/books/

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PETE'S BENCH:

Pete working on JF3HZB dial. Send Pete a Heath mono-bander!

MHST on shelf of shame? Even the great ones have to take a break every so often. On the importance of taking a break. Ernest Rutherford 1917 and all that: https://soldersmoke.blogspot.com/2025/05/on-importance-of-taking-break.html

Channelized 40 meter rig. Heard in Arizona by Andy KB7ZUT on a HOMEBREW SSB Reciever. Very rare. SWL HB2HB.

Pete: Thumb broken as a Novice? Early episode of Fat Finger Syndrome?

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

DC RX NEWS:

Quote from N6QW: "The radios do not build themselves!"

Alan W2AEW finishes Direct Conversion Receiver. And even he worries about feedback!

Phil W1PJE MIT receiver (with cool MIT stuff). Coming to see us!

KN6FVK's Barkausen-Be-Gone Spray :https://soldersmoke.blogspot.com/2025/05/john-kn6fvks-fb-homebrew-soldersmoke.html

Indian hams working DC RX. VU2JXN Ramakrishnan, VU2TUM Puneit Singh, Ashish N5ASD, building one in Bangalore with 3D printed form from Scott, KQ4AOP. Ramakrishnan is planning on building a second receiver with his daughter. On June 22, 2008 in SolderSmoke #86 we reported on the birth of Ramakrishnan's daughter. This is that same daughter! See: https://soldersmoke.blogspot.com/2024/01/long-time-soldersmoke-supporter.html How to get a PTO form in India. A tip from Ramakrishnan: "I got the 3d printing done via https://robu.in with 1:1 size. After uploading the stl, I received it by post in 5 days or so."

German students of Andreas DL1AJG. and Canadian students of Daniel VE5DLD.

Receiver built in Singapore! 9V1/KM7ABZ

John M0XJA reports 8 members of his club are building this receiver.

Chuck N4AVC got his PTO coil form 3D printed at the local library. For free! FB!

Few admit to being fooled by April Fool story. But still, inspirational. VK3HN was going for a few seconds -- SOTA AI chatbots? John West liked the 85th harmonic threat.

What next after DC RX? Choose carefully! Don't bite off more than you can chew.

Do some mods! Build something else! And remember to be a homebrew Elmer. Help someone else build the receiver.

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SHAMELESS COMMERCE DIVISION:

Check out the SolderSmoke blog on the WayBack Machine. The blog, not the podcast. www.soldersmoke.blogspot.com Would this be a useful backup if Google were to pull the plug on blogspot? Is the format OK? Is the template recoverable? How best should we backup the SolderSmoke blog?

Be a Patreon SolderSmoke Sponsor! Please subscribe to the YouTube channel! Buy your Amazon stuff through our link. Buy stuff from Mostly DIY RF.

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DEAN'S BENCH:

Dean has completed his Mythbuster: https://kk4das.blogspot.com/2025/05/kk4das-mb-20-transceiver-complete.html Plexiglass top!

Diode switching.

Dean: Build of the SDR receiver. Microscope required?

____________________

BILL'S BENCH:

VK6JDW and HCJB in the Kimberly.

The stages of separation: Shack, Garage, Car trunk: HP-8640B and HAMEG scope saved from garage. HP-8640B repair. HAMEG Modulation Monitor.

=================

MAILBAG

-- Wouter ZS1KE. Thinks Soviet spies COULD homebrew. Hamilton KD0FNR concurs. Agent Sonya and Soviet Spy homebrew. Copacetic Flow. I dunno....I dunno...

-- Hamilton KD0FNR grew up in New Mexico, supports my idea of Starlink deorbit. See : https://www.kallmorris.com/columns/goodness-gracious-green-balls-of-fire

-- Adam N0ZIB Heard my 10 meter beacon from the DR. 28,233.5 MHz On now.

-- Rick N3FJZ Great memory Direct Conversion messages.

-- John KN6FVK had fun with DC RX. Tattoos on Board. We need a high sign! Like the Little Rascals.

-- Adrian M7EFO DC RX builder in GQRP. FB.

-- Steve KW4H Kits not the same as homebrew, but old Boatanchor kits have value.

-- Mike WU2D -- Old buddy Charles Kitchen SK.

-- Craig -- Some really nice feedback on Hack-A-Day re DC RX and Dean's videos.

-- Peter VK3TPM proposes a certificate for SolderSmoke DC RX Honor Roll.

-- Michael WN2A used a 3 inch reflector from Northern New Jersey. Edmunds Scientific "Space Conqueror"

-- Phil W1PJE and Mike WN2A lament that our eyes don't pick up radio frequencies. This would be a great troubleshooting tool! I can SEE the IMD! Perhaps some tin foil hats?

-- John WPE9IRS SW listener! Heard my beacon. Many SWLs switching to tuning in ham stations.

-- Peter VK3YE found a homebrew 160 meter double-sideband transciever at a hamfest. He also found "Solid State Basics for the Radio Amateur -- A QST Anthology" NOT SSDRA. But good!

-- Peter VK2EMU From the Southern Cross (I took a picture of it in the DR!) Building the DC RX!

Ramakrishnan VU2JXN

Tuesday, May 27, 2025

Chuck N4AVC's FB SolderSmoke Direct Conversion Receiver: "I enjoyed the build and testing."

Chuck N4AVC's use of the frequency counter in his digital multimeter is pretty cool and innovative. And it is nice to have yet another receiver in Virginia; he is down in the Richmond area. And of course the Sharpie callsign tattoos on the wooden board are really nice.

Chuck writes:

Completed!!! For Pete: "She ain't pretty, but she sure can cook!". Thanks Bill and Dean, I enjoyed the build and testing. It's funny, the audio oscillates on an older 9v battery, but is clean on the 9.5v bench supply. Going to put Bill's mod on the inductor to make tuning a little finer and spread the boards out a little more. I used the double sided boards I had and there is some interaction between the boards.

Congratulations Chuck! Welcome to the Hall of Fame!

Monday, May 19, 2025

Honorable Mention: Andreas DL1AJG's THREE SolderSmoke Direct Conversion Receivers for Biologists

Andreas DL1AJG was another of those intrepid hams who, in the dark of winter 2023 took up the SolderSmoke Direct Conversion Receiver Challenge in order to test our receiver (before we pushed high school kids to build it). Andreas came to the task with a lot of useful teaching experience. At the time he was an academic biologist and had been teaching a course called "Applied Electronics for Biologists." See:

https://soldersmoke.blogspot.com/2022/08/can-biologist-fix-radio.html

Some of Andreas's students

I put these receivers in the "Honorable Mention" category only because they deviated a bit from the basic schematic: they used an indoor ferrite antenna, had an RF amplifier ahead of the mixer, and did not use a transformer in the AF amp. But they are very clearly the SolderSmoke DC receiver, they succeeded in inhaling RF, and Andreas and his students built them to help us.

Here is the schematic they used:

Click on the image for a better view

Here is an e-mail exchange I had with Andreas when the scholatic dust had settled in June 2023:

Dear Bill,
Please my apologies for my late update on our DCR project. We started with the course in the semester break and once the semester started only a handful of students were able to finish their receiver. A long shelf of shame ....

Here is what we've got so far (those were finished at the end of April already). 3 nice DCRs completely sufficient to copy CW indoors without additional antennas starting from late afternoon. Strong stations can be heard all day. I found that coupling some 6m of wire with one or two windings to the ferrite core can boost the signal dramatically but can also increase noise.

The PTO is based on your design (Bill Meara N26QR & Dean KK4DAS) which was sparked by Farhan (VU2ESE) , except that I've swapped the FET for a NPN. The input amplifier and antenna is from the JUMA active ferrite antenna by Matti Hohtola (OH7SV), the band pass filter is from Hans Summers (G0UPL), the mixer and the headphone amplifier is inspired by Pete Juliano (N6QW), you told me that the diplexer (as well as the whole DCR idea) is attributed to Wes Hayward (W7ZOI) and the perfect schematics of Rick Scott (N3FJZ) where crucial to get me started in the first place. I enjoy keeping track of original sources, as I would do in science. This shows that even little achievements are based on the ideas of many other great people - and this is nothing to be ashamed of.

This was a lot of fun! Thank You!
Best and yours sincerely,
Andreas

Wow, the direct conversion re-engineering of education continues, this time at graduate-school level with biologists in Munich! Amazing.

Andreas points out that his group was also plagued by semester-related problems that caused many additions to the German shelf of shame. Let's hope that someday soon these builders will come to their senses and join the ranks of those who have finished their homebrew projects.

Looking at the schematic (above) of Andreas's project, there are a couple of significant differences from ours:

-- Their AF amp used a transformer-less push-pull design. We had considered this but abandoned it thinking that it would be too complicated to explain the workings of this circuit to our students.

-- Most significant, is Andreas's use of a ferrite rod antenna and an RF amplifier. I think a simple 33 foot quarter wave antenna (with a ground or a counterpoise) might work better. But hey, to each his own! The important thing is that a number of these receivers were successfully built. They look beautiful.

Congratulations to Andreas and the successful Munich homebrewers!

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

Thanks to Andreas DL1AJG. Welcome to the Hall of Fame.

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

Join the discussion - SolderSmoke Discord Server:
https://discord.gg/Fu6B7yGxx2

Documentation on Hackaday:
https://hackaday.io/project/190327-high-schoolers-build-a-radio-receiver

SolderSmoke YouTube channel:
https://www.youtube.com/@soldersmoke

Tuesday, May 13, 2025

On the importance of taking a break.

Thomas K4SWL has a good post about the importance of taking a break from radio. Following up on this, I noted that "taking a break" is often a good way of finding a solution to a difficult problem. I noted that I have confirmed this -- it has worked for me. Pete Juliano N6QW recently announced that he is taking a break from the MHST project. That is a good idea. A solution will likely emerge.

I noted that there is some evidence backing up our suspicion about the benefits of breaks. I earlier shared some comments from Harry Cliff's excellent book, "How to make an Apple Pie from Scratch."

https://soldersmoke.blogspot.com/2024/04/cloud-chamber-finale.html

Harry also wrote about the usefullness of taking breaks. In 1917 Ernest Rutherford was having trouble understanding the presence of some hydrogen nuclei. Harry writes:

"Again, he was forced to put his work on hiatus to go on a mission to the United States in the summer of 1917, but it turned out to be one of those useful breaks when stepping away from a problem lets your mind slowly work out the problem in the background. When Rutherford got back to the lab in September he had the answer..."

There are many other examples.

So, if you get stuck, take a break!

Thursday, February 27, 2025

Derek N9TD's SolderSmoke Direct Conversion Receiver -- With a Double Sideband Transmitter

Derek N9TD was another of the early builders of the Direct Conversion receiver; he has done really magnificent work. He is an Electrical Engineer, and you can see in his work (and in the email below) the tension that exists between the desire for simplicity and the urge to improve. In the above photo, for example, we see that Derek had already gone ahead with the installation of an RF gain control. We also see his use of a steel screw and an outboard coil in series with the PTO coil. All of these mods are fine -- I have used all of them. We just advise newcomers to build the basic receiver first, then put in mods from there.

Derek has gone the extra mile (many miles in fact) by building a Double Sideband transmitter to go along with his receiver. We know many will want to do this. Our advise remains: Build the basic receiver first, get it working, then do the mods, perhaps culminating in the build (as Derek did) of a Double Sideband transmitter and the creation of a DC-DSB transceiver.

Here is a video of just the receiver in action.

Note that the DSB transmitter circuitry is on the board:

And here is Derek demonstrating a phone contact with the resulting DC-DSB transceiver:

Derek wrote:

Bill,

Let me introduce myself, I am a recent electrical engineering graduate from Purdue and a long-time listener of the podcast. I want to thank you and Pete for being one of the reasons I chose to pursue my degree in the first place. I'll admit that in the more difficult stretches of getting my degree, I often pulled out the podcast to be reminded of the fun that can be had with radio and electronics.

Until recently I had to hang my head low along with the majority of the other 'appliance operators' out there having never built anything with my two hands that can be used to pull signals out of the ether.

I am no stranger to building projects, PCBs, and melting solder but I usually chose to either stick to the dreaded digital domain or focus on antennas, filters, and other ancillary equipment. The logic being that I like to have a "known good" radio for the shack and that I would focus on other equipment to supplement the radio. I still follow this logic when I want to contest and we all know that antennas are well worth the effort, I've just finally had enough of being an appliance operator and have your podcast to thank for the extra push.

I had been following the original effort of the TJ DCRX with interest from the start and earmarked this project as one I would like to build based on its inherent simplicity and good performance. However, the demands of school and a recent (at the time) abortive attempt to build an AM superhet with an SA602 the year prior made me (I got as far as feeling the joy of oscillation but regretfully petered out after that) put this one the backburner for about two years until December 2024.

By coincidence, I independently decided to start this project just before your show with the HRWB folks and the gauntlet being thrown down, which has spurred many to build this receiver. It has been great to see the extra coverage on the receiver, and the commentary has been very insightful for someone trying to build this for the first time and with as many of the "improvements" as possible.

For better or for worse, I'm the type of guy who wants to understand the "why" behind all the design choices and, from there, try to incorporate as many lessons and improvements as possible to make the "best" version possible. I'm not saying I make the best version of anything, but it's just a quirk of the way I think and justify doing a project. It always has to be "this and some additional improvement;" otherwise, I would decide against doing it.

Rambling aside, I ended up building the DCRX, adding the RF attenuator from N3FJZ's website, and incorporating the lessons you learned after experimenting with improving the tuning on the PTO. I added an external series inductor wound on a dowel rod and used a zinc-coated steel screw as opposed to brass. I found that this gave solid tuning performance across 40m and was easy enough to tune in CW or SSB signals (after 3D printing a large knob for the PTO bolt). Alan W2AEW's video on mixers was a great tutorial to use to verify that my mixer was mixing. With the radio assembled I was treated to the joy of hearing my receiver breathe in the sounds of 40m for the first time last weekend and even managed to copy some Croatian DX during last week's contest. As Farhan said to do, I have spent the last few days enjoying the receiver and figuring out its quirks before moving on to the next step.

The only "issue" I have noticed is that I still get some AM breakthrough despite tuning in the bandpass filter. The problem is very noticeable if I accidentally put my finger on the wires going to the AF gain pot. If I do that the AM station is the only thing I can hear. This makes me think the problem is after the bandpass filter and more investigation is needed. Maybe using coax on the control lines to shield it will help? Regardless I am impressed with how well the receiver sounds, the stability of the oscillator, and the effectiveness of the simple audio amp....

Again thank you and Pete for your work on the podcast and for helping inspire countless homebrew radio operators!

73s,

Derek N9TD

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

Thanks Derek. And thanks for helping other hams get the 3D printed PTO coil forms that they needed.

For more information on how you too can build the receiver:

Join the discussion - SolderSmoke Discord Server:

https://discord.gg/Fu6B7yGxx2

Documentation on Hackaday:

https://hackaday.io/project/190327-high-schoolers-build-a-radio-receiver

SolderSmoke YouTube channel:

https://www.youtube.com/@soldersmoke

Wednesday, January 15, 2025

The 10 meter Beacon at HI7/N2CQR (and reception reports)

Above is the 10 Meter beacon at HI7/N2CQR.

The first one to hear the beacon was Dean KK4DAS in Northern Virginia, within hours of it going on the air. Here is Dean's recording of what he saw and heard:

Later, Mike WN2A heard it. Pete N6QW in California may have heard it too. A number of stations are reporting reception via the Reverse Beacon Network (RBN): It is being picked up almost daily (gray-line?) by Rico DF2CK who has an amazing station in Germany. K1RA in Warrenton Virginia (also an amazing receive set-up) is also picking up the station. W3OA in North Carolina is also hearing it and reporting by RBN. TI7W in Costa Rica has also heard it. Sadly, RBN is kind of clunky with beacons -- it seems to obstinately insist that I am in Northern Virginia.

Rico DF2CK writes:

Hi Bill,

thanks for info. 3 Watt can be loud on 10 if condx are good :)

The west direction skimmer setup on 10 m is a 6 el Yagi into a SDR with
AD9255 adc and XC7Z020 fpga.
A design by Pavel Demin which I am testing for a while now.

Enjoy the Caribean, here its minus 2 C and boot high snow.

73, Rico
DF2CK

Check out Rico's amazing station here: http://df2ck.de/

Andy K1RA wrote from Warrenton (Northern Virginia):

Hi Bill

Cool on spotting your beacon. With good conditions I'm surprised you're not being heard elsewhere.

I'm running a multi-band, multi-mode skimmer for CW, FT8, FT4, WSPR & JS8CALL continuously and simultaneously covering 160m-6m, 24x7 with Redpitaya SDRs and KiwiSDR/RaspSDRs

https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1NPwjQe1am2Ym5GMV8L2V8fnQ_W9J0EbH/edit?usp=sharing&ouid=103988113912782027869&rtpof=true&sd=true

15 minute map view through PSKreporter here:

https://pskreporter.info/pskmap.html?preset&callsign=k1ra&timerange=900&hideunrec=1&blankifnone=1&hidepink=1

73 & good DX'ing!

andyz - K1RA

Monday, January 13, 2025

SolderSmoke Podcast #256: HNY SKN, LA Fires, Barkhausen! Southern Cross, Homebrew vs. Kits, AN762 Kit, Woe, Beacon, ARRL Kids, SDR Build, DC RX videos, Pete Hacked! Power alternatives, KWM4, Mailbag

A Tale of Woe!

SolderSmoke Podcast #256 is available:

Audio: https://soldersmoke.com/soldersmoke256.mp3

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

Travelouge: From the DR.

Happy New Year!

Fires in LA.

Dean: Breaking the Barkhausen criteria.

Seeing the Southern Cross for the first time in 30 years.

For all three of us: The SolderSmoke Homebrew Challenge. And assembling a kit. https://soldersmoke.blogspot.com/2025/01/some-history-of-homebrew-ham-radio-from.html

https://soldersmoke.blogspot.com/2025/01/the-magic-that-only-comes-from-radio.html

https://soldersmoke.blogspot.com/2025/01/steve-g0fuw-talks-homebrew-and-kits.html

________________________________

Bill's (Southern) Bench:

-- SKN with QCX given to me by Bob. Thanks Bob!

-- Finishing up the AN762 .1kW amplifier. Socketry and relays. Working well.

-- A tale of woe: Some difficult troubleshooting on the 15-10 rig. Intermittent oscillation. Naturally I blamed the TJ DC RX AF amp. Spent a lot of time working on that amplifier. But problem always returned. Started looking at output from carrier osc/BFO. Waveform weird. Then weirdness disappeared and so did the whooping. So I rebuilt the entire carrier osc/BFO/ mixer board. Went back to singly balanced 2 diode mixer. Used LTSpice for the oscillator amp.. No more whooping. Turning the diodes on and off but not quite 7 dbm... Should I be concerned?

-- A 10 meter beacon! 28.233 Please listen. Send e-mail reports. Thanks to WN2A.

-- Antenna thoughts. Getting a tripod.

The HI7/N2CQR 10 meter Beacon

_______________________________

SHAMELESS COMMERCE! Mostly DIY RF! Lots of useful kits and boards there. I have used their TIA boards. Todd K7TFC is one of us. FB store.

Become a SolderSmoke patron. We need the help. Homebrew is under seige! We are one of the few sites, blogs, podcasts that are promoting it! Help us!

Buy stuff from Amazon and E-bay using the links on our sites.

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

Dean's Bench:

-- ARRL kids day -- Exhausting.

-- VWS Makers SDR receiver build.

-- High School DC RX Build news. How to watch the videos.

_______________________________

Pete's Bench:

-- Hacked!

-- Power Alternatives.

-- Thermatron Finals

-- KWM-4.

__________________________

Mailbag

Dave Newkirk W9BRD (son of Rod). Great comments on homebrew radio. And a great picture.

Derek N9TD built the DC Receiver. FB Derek!

Peter VK2EMU at 39C in Australia. HOT!

Drew N7DA -- Some great comments on kits vs. homebrew.

Tommy SA2CLC has a nice video about fixing the cavity resonator in his HP8640. Respect!

Ben KC9DLM sent good presentation from India: https://github.com/kholia/talks/blob/master/Dhiru_My_RF_Homebrew_Adventures.pdf

Scott KQ4AOP and Derek N9TD offering to 3D Print PTO coil forms. FB!

Donnie WA9TGT on the beautiful signals from DC receivers.

Chuck KE5HPY's FB Altoids DC receiver.

Todd VE7BPO: POPCORN ELECTRONICS IS BACK! Thanks Todd. And thanks Vasily!

Jim KA4THC has his uBITX on the air and is making contacts!

Farhan VU2ESE fond memories of homebrew dinner with Wes and other HB Heroes (on the blog).

Charlie ZL2CTM -- About his new Pelican Case SSB rig.

Walter KA4KXX. All new hams should build a transmitter.

Buzz W3EMD A nice QSO on 10 and then a shout out to the Old Military Radio Net

Stations that heard my beacon and reported to RBN

Friday, December 27, 2024

Derek N9TD's Magnificent Build of the TJ Direct Conversion Receiver

I think it is magnificent. Derek N9TD fought his EE tendencies and recognized that the perfect can be the enemy of the good. So he went ahead and built this receiver pretty much as we intended it to be built: Four stages: BP filter, PTO, Diode Ring Mixer, Super-simple AF amp.

He went several steps further and added a fixed coil to slow down the tuning and keep it in the 40 meter band. He added an RF gain control. And he went with a steel (vs. brass) screw. But these are all things that I myself have done. (We still advise people to build it the simple way first.) FB Derek.

The challenge is still out there. The gauntlet has been thrown down. Derek's completed project shows us that this project is entirely do-able. Do it!

Derek wrote:

Bill,

Again thank you and Pete for your work on the podcast and for helping inspire countless homebrew radio operators!

As a thanks for reading through this long email, I'll leave you with some photos of my build as a reward.

73s,

Derek N9TD

Wednesday, December 18, 2024

Happy Birthday to Pete Juliano, N6QW

Pete Juliano

Excellent husband and father.

Vietnam veteran who went into harm's way for his country.

Master homebrewer.

A great cook.

A wonderful friend.

A great co-host of the SolderSmoke podcast.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY PETE!

Friday, December 13, 2024

SolderSmoke Podcast #255 -- Accept the HB Challenge!, DeMaw SSB, Brilliant TR-3, Tube Talk, Ground Truth, Tales of Woe, SDR RX, Pico Balloons, MAILBAG

Mythbuster II -- 20 meters only

SolderSmoke Podcast #255 is avalable:

Audio: http://soldersmoke.com/soldersmoke255.mp3

Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c54qiITMxwM

-- First: Happy Holidays! I have on a Santa Claus hat!

-- December 18. Pete completes another orbit. Happy Birthday Pete. Please send him birthday greetings.

-- Bill was on Ham Radio Workbench: https://soldersmoke.blogspot.com/2024/11/bill-n2cqr-appears-as-guest-on-ham.html Our challenge to HRWB. Gauntlet thrown down... OUR CHALLENGE HAS BEEN GRACIOUSLY ACCEPTED! We now extend the challenge to the entire SolderSmoke community: Build one of these: https://hackaday.io/project/190327-high-schoolers-build-a-radio-receiver

Homebrewing is not for the faint of heart! Accept the challenge! Build stuff!

Our question: Did Doug DeMaw ever build an SSB transceiver? Starting in September 1985 he wrote a five part series on an SSB TRANSMITTER for QST. But he prefaces it by asking, "Why would anyone build an SSB transmitter today?" He says it would be fun "for the experience and understanding it would provide." But not for use, you see... And it is not a transceiver.

Bill's theory about DeMaw, SSB,CW and sideband inversion: He was a CW guy so sideband inversion did not really matter. He could get it wrong and still make it work.

Pete's Bench:

Brilliance and the TR3. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2C-eYB8yFzg&t=13s

A tale of woe. Done in by a light bulb.

Thanksgiving dinner and SSB transceivers. https://n6qw.blogspot.com/2024/11/11292024-how-to-homebrew-thanksgiving.html https://www.pastapete.com/

Hybrid plans: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zKUjHZMf3Fs&t=5s

Dean's Bench:

Travelogue – Falcon 9 Launch

Building a homebrew T Match tuner for the end-fed long wave – sourcing the parts, winding the coil – taps, testing

VWS Makers Projects

SDR Receiver Project – starting in January

VWS Pico Balloon – Traquito - Traquito - WSPR Pico Balloon

Revisiting the 10M DSB rig

Soldersmoke listener challenge – build a DCR with KK4DAS – overview then one board a week

SHAMELESS COMMERCE DIVISION: Mostly DIY RF. Please subscribe to our YouTube Channel. And use the Amazon link on our blog. Become a Patron via Patreon (on the blog). SolderSmoke is now on Blue Sky and Threads -- follow us or at least like us there. Please turn on automatic downloads on your podcast app -- most podcast apps will only store a few episodes. This will help bump the numbers, which will improve visibility. Please give the show five stars and, if possible, a nice review on your podcast service, That will help with the discovery rate for people looking for new podcasts.

Bill's Bench:

Is "The Ground" a Myth? ARRL VP says Ground is a Myth: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KdX-978tvkY. Bill disagrees. Helicopter story. Refrigerator story. Original single wire telegraph system. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Single-wire_earth_return

Front Panel and Freq Counter for the Mythbuster II.

Another Tale of woe: A mysterious audio problem on the 15-10 II rig. Done in by.... Duh! Comparing sideband suppression with Mythbuster I. Differences in Hfe? Notes on Mythbuster II build.

TinySA Ap -- A cure for Fat Finger Syndrome? : http://athome.kaashoek.com/tinySA/Windows/ How to get and load the Ap (you might want to start watching at 1:11) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zu4X5dyUlpo&t=2s General info video on the TinySA Ultra: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6C24RnYNOWQ&t=1143s

For the DR shack -- I got a Swan SWR-1A on E-Bay.

MAILBAG:

-- Scott KQ4AOP trying to track down the DeMaw SSB transceiver mystery. On the DC Receiver: This was my first receiver build and, it was great fun. When you finish the build and prove you are able to tune through the band, you are welcomed into the secret society! The build is the initiation.I am happy to print and ship the PTO if needed.

-- Bill WA5DSS has built a High School Direct Conversion Receiver!

-- Grayson KJ7UM liked the 1971 video on old THERMATRON AM radios: https://soldersmoke.blogspot.com/2024/11/basic-radio-circuitry-1971-film.html

-- Chris KD4PBJ sent nice electronic care package.

-- Walter KA4KXX is honored that Dean named his dog for him (Walter was just kidding)

-- Thanks to Bob W8SX for FDIM 2024 interviews.

-- Tony G4WIF insomnia driving him to podcasts. Amazed by quantity of food eaten on Thanksgiving.

-- Nice comment from Trigger about the podcast.

-- Clint says "valves" when he means THERMATRONS. Kindly asks about "Oooo Thats Awesome"

-- Eric 4Z1UG faced with a new challenge. Get well soon OM.

-- Sam WN5C and his Chat GPT AI Elmer.

-- Paul VK3HN on using AI for electronic design. I dunno... Apocalypse Now in the DR?

-- Tommy SA2CLC FB old military gear on QRZ site. Helps with HP8640B repair.

-- Mike WN2A nice comments on Chappy Happy's FB Tezukuri DC RX https://soldersmoke.blogspot.com/2024/11/tezukuri-and-chappy-happy-amazing.html

-- Allison KB1GMX. Good info on ground truth.

-- Phil W1PJE Had to throw out 15 test leads. Fake wire!

--Todd K7TFC Thoughtful comments on AI and ChatGPT, Help with TinySA Ap

-- Steve KW4H Boatanchor guy. Likes that we often scratch our heads trying to understand.

-- Nick M0NTV built a 40 meter DC receiver: https://soldersmoke.blogspot.com/2024/12/a-40-meter-direct-conversion-receiver.html

-- Dave AA0KU asks about CCI amp (AN762) Also woking on Drakes.

-- Jack (Dhaka Jack!) F4WEF/AI4SV Good thoughts on how to bolster SolderSmoke's ratings.

--Tobias thinks the decline IS ALL HIS FAULT!

-- Tony VE7JUL building a TJ DC RX. Go Canada! Dean says: 3D print PTO former at 110%

-- Jim KI4THC getting his uBITX on the air.

10S November 23, 2024 1517Z SV1AER Kostas in Athens. Said a very sincere “Oh my goodness! Congratulations! That is not a very common thing!” when I told him rig was homebrewed. Nice fellow. Great response.

Monday, November 25, 2024

Pete N6QW Has Hybrid Rig On-The-Air

A thing of beauty on a wooden board. Pete's post:

https://n6qw.blogspot.com/2024/11/11252024-1st-dx-with-40m-hybrid-rig.html

"Them that know can make it go!" Indeed.

Pete talked about the history of this rig, and especially of the Thermatron portion of it, in the most recent episode of the SolderSmoke podcast:

https://soldersmoke.blogspot.com/2024/11/soldersmoke-254-audi-and-video-versions.html

Thanks Pete!

Wednesday, November 13, 2024

SolderSmoke #254 (Audio and Video Versions): Australian Hex Beam Eaters, Fake Wires, Hybrid Rig, Antennas, Mythbuster II Transceiver, Mailbag

Hex Beam Eater

November 13, 2024

SolderSmoke Podcast #254 is available:

Audio Version here: http://soldersmoke.com/soldersmoke254.mp3

Video Version here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZiZwWY1CQgI

Opening: Disturbing news from Australia! VK5RS reports that his Hex beam was EATEN by Cockatoos! So stop whining about your HOA problems, OK? It could be much worse!

FAKE WIRES FROM CHINA! Oh no! Even the wires? There is a good video from Mattias. I have it on the SolderSmoke blog. https://soldersmoke.blogspot.com/2024/11/clip-leads-made-with-fake-wire-buy-good.html Important to note that Parts Candy doen't have this problem. Buy your test clip leads from our sponsor, Parts Candy. Link in the column on the right or go to partscandy (that's one word).com

Bill's appearance on the Ham Radio Workbench. (Bill made some overly harsh comments about radio rejuvenation, and was trying to make amends.) But now we throw down the gauntlet. WE CHALLENGE the HRWB guys to build -- to homebrew - our TJ DC RX. They will experience JOO, JVO and the elite status that comes with having built their own ham radio receiver. And if they go on to build a 10 minute transmitter, they can use it for CW contacts. Like on POTA (Thomas!)

Anniversary approaching: In August 2025 we will mark 20 years of the SolderSmoke podcast. And we have already passed TEN YEARS OF JULIANISMO! Pete joined the podcast on May 26, 2013. Thanks Pete!

Question for the group: Which SSB transceivers did Doug DeMaw build?

Pete's Bench: Thermatron-Transistor Hybrid Goodness. https://n6qw.blogspot.com/2024/10/blog-post_20.html

Dean's Bench: The new Hex Beam (watch out for Cockatoos!) Now that Dean and I both have Hex Beams, we plan on pointing them at Southern California in an effort to talk to an elusive RADIO GENIUS. Stay tuned!

Dean's Hex Beam -- A Thing of Beauty

Also homebrew random wire with T match tuner for attic. RF Burns!

SHAMELESS COMMERCE: Please link to our blog and podcast! Please become a Patreon supporter (I have been posting special content there). Be sure to make use of the great boards, parts and kits available at Mostly DIY RF. Still use the Amazon link on the SolderSmoke blog page.

Bill's Bench: The new Mythbuster II (20 meters only). Built in about 3 weeks. On-the-air, while still on the bench! Worked Euope and South Africa QRP. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6o9QerQ7jzg

Getting another CCI amp for the Dominican Republic.

MAILBAG:

-- Paul VK3HN, talks about the nice sound of the Mythbuster II's receiver, and a new QRP rig from Dave Benson K1SWL.

-- Rick N3FJZ sent some very kind words in support of the SolderSmoke podcast. Thanks Rick.

-- Chris KD4PBJ sent us a very nice message. Thanks Chris.

-- Kevin from Belgium sent a nice blog post in support of SolderSmoke.

-- John WB4BTL spotted his old call (from 1974) in my Novice Log.

-- Dave KD2E spotted his Novice call in my Novice log: WN2TBB. He also saw a good friend WN2EHE.

-- Mehmet who has the awesome and useful WEBSDR of NA5B helped me with a Facebook problem. Thanks Mehmet!

-- Mike WN2A asked about the Yaesu FT-101 9 MHz VFOs.

-- Phil W1PJE (from MIT!) writes about old broadcast radio shows. And some really nice words of encouragement.

-- Grayson KJ7UM sent kind words of encouragement, and great background on hybrid rigs.