Podcasting since 2005! Listen to Latest SolderSmoke
Wednesday, March 15, 2023
Listen to Pete Juliano on His Daughter Gina's Podcast -- Pete Discusses Rock Music and Life
Tuesday, March 7, 2023
SolderSmoke Podcast #244 PETE IS BACK! TR-7, CK722, BFR106, HP8640B, High-School Receiver, 10 Min TX, MAILBAG
http://soldersmoke.com/soldersmoke244.mp3
Video version at:
(118) SolderSmoke - YouTubeWednesday, February 22, 2023
The Transistor at 75, and the Raytheon CK722 (Pete's First Transistor)
https://www.eejournal.com/article/the-transistor-at-75-the-first-makers-part-1/
Part 4 is especially interesting to us because of the N6QW-CK722 connection:
Raytheon: Raytheon started making vacuum tubes in 1922. During World War II, the company made magnetron tubes and radar systems. Raytheon started making germanium-based semiconductor diodes in the 1940s and, just months after BTL announced the development of the transistor in late 1947, started making its own point-contact transistors using germanium salvaged from Sylvania diodes. After attending the 1952 BTL transistor symposium and licensing the alloy junction transistor patents from GE, the company quickly started making germanium transistors including one of the most famous transistors of that generation, the CK722, which was simply a rejected commercial CK718 transistor with downgraded specs for the hobby market. (Jack Ward has created an entire museum around the Raytheon CK722 PNP transistor.) Raytheon exited the semiconductor business in 1962.
Here are all of our blog posts on the CK722:
https://soldersmoke.blogspot.com/search?q=CK722
Here is our post on Pete Juliano's CK722:
https://soldersmoke.blogspot.com/2015/03/pete-juliano-homebrwing-with.html
Wednesday, December 14, 2022
Faust Gonsett and the SB-33 in 1963
- It is a hybrid rig using Germanium transistors –the transistor was only 15 years old
- The Mechanical band switching showed the strong use of mechanical assemblies
- The small size was simply amazing
- The Bi-lateral circuitry predates any Bitx circuits.
- The urban legend was that a team of illuminati were involved in its design (Don Stoner is one name that pops up)
- The Japanese were a quick study and the FTdx100 in 1967 is a result, only better.
- Many are still around in shacks. I have three
Gonset was well known for innovative designs – the Gooney Box is another example. Look at all of his compact mobile equipment.
The next point – the final owner of SBE was Raytheon thusly the next generation of SDR Radio Equipment for the US Air Force can trace its pedigree to the SBE-33.
This was the appliance box of 1963. I saw my 1st SBE-33 (August 1963) when likely you were in the 2nd Grade and I was headed off to Midway island.
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Saturday, December 3, 2022
SolderSmoke Podcast #242 Mars, New Hams, Direct Conversion, SDR Console, Proficio, PSSST, 8 meters, A BIG MAILBAG
SolderSmoke Podcast #242 is available
Audio podcast: http://soldersmoke.com/soldersmoke242.mp3
Video: (362) SolderSmoke Podcast #242 December 3, 2022 - YouTube
Travelogue:
Mars at opposition. Not as good as 2020 (see charts below)
SSSS Prep
Hearing aids and high frequency loss.
AirPods as hearing aids.
Out in the Shenandoah with a Baofeng.
Success among TJ High School students.
Satellite in space?
PARTSCANDY
Bill's Bench:
Direct Conversion Receiver: IT IS ALIVE! EVEN IN LTSPICE
PTO works very well.
Diode ring -- really needs a diplexer, Radio Marti.
AF amplifier simplicity.
But WHY can't you listen to DSB on a DC receiver? Now I know.
How does a diode detector work? Is the envelope real? Is it square law?
The benefits of writing... 1967 and 1966 articles on PTOs and 2Qs.
Shameless Commerce Division:
-- MOSTLY DIY RF! NEWS FROM PORTLAND! Get your free Michigan Mighty Mite.
-- YouTube Goal Reached. Thanks! Keep watching. Subscribe!
-- Keep buying from Bezos using the link on the right-hand column of the blog page.
-- Become a Patreon sponsor! Left hand column of blog page.
-- I have ads on the blog page, but I have configured to avoid troublesome ads -- dating sites, etc.
Pete's Bench
-- Stepper motor, LCD and Arduino for my little DC RX?
-- SDR Console
-- PSSST, BOMS, Schematics and spoon feeding...
-- Proficio SDR by Multus
-- 8 meters?
Mailbag
-- Alan Yates VK2ZAY now also W7ZAY PTOs, trivial motors, a broken ankle...
-- Dhaka Jack AI4SV formerly of Cyprus, Madagascar and Northern Virginia. has moved to France!
-- John WB5OAU/K5MO An old friend. FMLA as "Glowbugs Noir"
-- Dale Parfitt W4OP on the Homebrew 2Q from 1967
-- Nick M0NTV Glue Sticks, PTOs, DC receivers and AM breakthrough testing.
-- Todd K7TFC suggests “cool” names for DC RX PT Cruiser? PT109? PT73?
-- Levi replacing Selenium diodes in a Globe VFO. I am not alone!
-- Juanjo EC5ACA wants to build DC RX . FB.
-- Dave designed a discrete LM386. Picked up by Jenny at HackaDay. Can you build this?
-- George Zaff. HamRadio Workbench Spiritual Brother of SolderSmoke.
-- Alain F4IET -- Still building DC receiver. FB. Sorry I got the call wrong.
-- Drew N7DA Building Pixies with 3D forms.
-- Toni G6XMO in Sheffield getting a 3D printer business going: https://www.whizz3dparts.co.
-- Chuck KE5HPW restoring an old SW-54. Pete is skeptical.
-- Lex and Jesse like Colin's placement of WYKSYCDS sticker on his Homebrew rig.
-- Jim KI4THZ joined the Vienna Wireless Society -- FB on the faculty at GMU
-- Tony G4WIF suggested mechanical counter for DC RX PTO freq readout. I have some in the junk box.
-- Our old friend Jonathan-san in W0XO now a Patreon sponsor. Origato!
-- Thomas K4SWL sent him video of Tiny SA watching Vatican Radio sign off for the day.
-- Farhan and Chuck Penson liked blog post about Heathkit Digital Rig SS-8000 1978!
-- Ed KC8SBV working on DC receivers -- I recently used the Peppermint Bark box he sent.
-- Old friend Bob KD4EBM on the linearization of the R-390s. Hard to homebrew one of those!
-- George from VWS trying to figure out how (if?) Marconi got his coherer to work DX...
-- Steve EI5DD sends Connaught Radio news: https://www.docdroid.net/
Won’t have another Podcast until the new year so Happy Holidays to all! Merry Christmas, Happy New Year!
Tuesday, November 15, 2022
Amazingly Cool MONTV Video on Direct Conversion Receivers with Glue Stick PTOs
Thursday, October 6, 2022
How to Tap an Aluminum Heat Sink: Pete Juliano Shares Tribal Knowledge
Wednesday, September 21, 2022
Nick's "Shelf-17" Al Fresco Homebrew Transceiver -- Frank Jones Would Approve!
Tuesday, September 6, 2022
Michael AG5VG Builds a Sub-Harmonic Receiver and Moves it to Higher Bands
Good Evening Bill,
Thursday, August 18, 2022
Pete N6QW's First SolderSmoke Podcast
Tuesday, July 19, 2022
Putting a Real LC VFO in My Ceramic-Resonator, Direct Conversion 40 Meter Receiver. LC JOVO! (Video)
The VFO circuit comes largely from W1FB's Design Notebook page 36. I followed most of the conventional tribal wisdom on VFOs: NP0 caps, often many of them in parallel. Air core coil (in my case wound on a cardboard coat hanger tube).
Saturday, July 2, 2022
A Double Sideband Transmitter from France -- F4IET's "Master Robert"
Wednesday, June 29, 2022
Details on Pete N6QW's Wireless Set
Monday, June 27, 2022
Pete N6QW's Hybrid Wireless Set -- A Thing of Beauty, with Thermatrons
Wednesday, June 8, 2022
SolderSmoke FDIM Interview: Jack Purdum W8TEE on the Challenges of Decoding CW by Software
In his interview with SolderSmoke correspondent Bob Crane, Jack Purdum made some very interesting comments about the challenges of decoding CW with software. He notes that W1AW's code practice CW is perfect, but that below 18 wpm, they deliberately insert a "Farnsworth Delay" that increases the spacing between words -- this complicates automatic CW decoding.
Jack also talked about the distinctiveness of different CW operators. Jack noted that W1AW has no real "fist" in this sense: "It has the personality of a stick!"
Jack mentioned that Pete Juliano had been reading book on SDR radios that Jack and Al Peter recently published: https://www.amazon.com/Software-Defined-Radio-Transceiver-Construction/dp/B09WYP1ST8/ref=sr_1_1?crid=2KPYAMPOW5P6J&keywords=DR.+Jack+Purdum&qid=1654598559&sprefix=dr.+jack+purdum%2Caps%2C40&sr=8-1
Here is our correspondent Bob Crane's interview at FDIM 2022 with Jack Purdum: http://soldersmoke.com/2022 W8TEE.mp3
Tuesday, June 7, 2022
SolderSmoke FDIM Interviews: A BRAVE HAM! Grayson Evans KJ7UM Presents a 50 Watt Amplifier to THE QRP GROUP!
Wow, talk about walking into the lions' den! Grayson Evans, author of "Hollow State Design" and guru of all things thermatronic, went to FDIM and made a presentation TO THE QRP GROUP on how to build a 50 watt amplifier with a 6146 thermatron. In New York that would have been called chutzpah. The QRP ARCI guys seem to have tolerated this QRO-heresy; I'm not so sure the zealots over in G-QRP would have been quite so tolerant.
Grayson gave a nice shout out to SolderSmoke's Pete Juliano.
And he offered some sage advice to those who live in fear of high voltage: "Don't touch anything with high voltage on it." Words to live by my friends. He even managed to call those who shy away from high voltage "wimps." This was all very reminiscent of the unforgettable safety advice he offered in his August 2021 interview on Ham Radio Workbench: "Try not to swallow anything, and don't sit on the thermatrons." I mean, who can argue with that?
You can listen to Bob Crane's interview with Grayson here (about 6 minutes total):
http://soldersmoke.com/2022 KJ7UM.mp3
Check out Grayson's Hollow-State Design Book 3rd Edition: tinyurl.com/hollowstatedesign3
Check out Grayson's technical blog:kj7um.wordpress.com
Friday, May 20, 2022
500 WYKSYCDS IBEW Stickers Arrive in Europe! Order yours today! Free!
Lex PH2LB in the Netherlands has gone the extra kilometer for the IBEW. When he saw the stickers that had been placed in New York City, he asked for the design. I sent him the files that Jesse N5JHH (designer of the stickers) had sent to me. Very quickly, Lex had 500 of these stickers printed up and ready to go (see above). His shack now serves as a veritable beachhead in Europe for the IBEW and the CBLA. Thank you Les!
Les has even set up an on-line order form for those who seek to assist in the noble campaign to spread the word about our cause:Saturday, May 7, 2022
SolderSmoke Podcast #237 is available: TV Show! No! W9YEI's 1939 TV. 1712 Rig. HQ-100. New SDR Rig and Book. JF3HZB's VFO Digital Dial. FIELD DAY! PSSST. MAILBAG
SolderSmoke podcast #237 is available: http://soldersmoke.com/soldersmoke237.mp3
Travelogue -- New York City! Stickers!
And about that trip to Los Angeles for the SolderSmoke Cable TV show...
Well, it fit in well with SolderSmoke's UNFORGETTABLE appearance on the Oprah book club.
And TechieTatts? Daughter worried about listeners rushing to get tattoos -- A risk we were willing to take.
https://in.pinterest.com/padmakumar10/techie-tatts/
This episode is sponsored by PartsCandy. GREAT test leads: https://www.ebay.com/usr/partscandy
Bill's Bench
Tracking down Johnny Anderson's 1939 or 1940 homebrew TV receiver.
https://soldersmoke.blogspot.com/search?q=Anderson
Working with Joh DL6ID.
Jean Shepherd's January 1973 description.
FlickLives web site and Steve Glazer W2SG have lots of info on Shep and his friends.
Internet allows us to look at TV articles that were being published.
We've concluded: Probably 1939 or 1940, using an RCA 913 1 inch CRT tube.
Lots of ideas from IRE Journal, QST, and Gernsback magazines.
Quite an achievement! Amazing how much pre-war TV progress there was.
17-12 rig
All boxed up and working DX!
Figured out how to display both 17 and 12 on the same LED. https://www.youtube.com/watch?
Drain protector for speaker cover. Copper tape to cover horrible cabinet making.
I think I need a Hex Beam.
Hammarlund HQ-100
Needed some maintenance.
I started to look more closely at it.
Got the Q-Multiplier to work -- it really adds a lot on CW.
Makes me feel guilty about all the QF-1s...
Using the 100kc calibrator with a 455 kc crystal as a BFO,
keeping Q multiplier below oscillation point.
Moved the BFO switch to the front panel. Helps a lot.
Need to fix the S-meter AVC circuitry.
Much more sturdy than the S-38E.
S-38E 1957-61 $54.95 5 tubes. AC/DC.
HQ-100 1956-60 $169 10 or 11 tubes. Power supply, regulator.
You get what you pay for.
Pete's Bench
Jack Purdum and Al Peter's new SDR rig and book (featured on the SS blog Amazon ad).
JF3HZB's beautiful digi VFO.
Backpack antenna for Field Day?
Pipsqueak Disaster -- Too simple?
Peashooter Eye Candy.
Build Something Different.
MAILBAG
James W0JKG CBLA -- Others are building MMM too!
SM4WWG // Jörgen Wonderful message. Joined GQRP. No longer "wrong."
Dennis WC8C Libraries for Max2870 board.
Jack NG2E Progress on the Right to Repair movement.
Jim K9JM Someone cutting into our business with Solder candles!
Chuck WB9KZY Correctly identified the location of the IBEW sticker. As did Dan Random.
Dave Bamford (who lives nearby) suitably impressed.
Farhan wrote to us about a video on Don Lancaster. Homebrew keyboards! Yea!
Dean KK4DAS QRP to the Field. HB2HB 40 SSB QRP I feel virtuous.
Todd K7TFC likes my ingenious use of the drain screen as the speaker protector on the 17-12 rig.
Todd had good thoughts on granular approach to homebrewing as seen in the Don Lancaster video.
Lex PH2LB HORRIFIED by my reverse polarity protection circuit. This is a touchy subject! (as is WD-40!)
Rogier PA1ZZ sending great info on SWL and numbers stations.
Jesse N5JHH -- The guy who made the IBEW stickers -- Liked the NYC stickers.
Steve N8NM has a new antenna article on his blog: https://n8nmsteve.blogspot.
Randy AB9GO Agrees -- Can't GIVE old 'scopes away.
Dino SV1IRG Liked the 17-12 rig videos.
Steve Hartley G0FUW Murphy's Law of Enclosures.
Ralph AB1OP FB on the 17-12 Rig.
Roberto XE1GXG --Our correspondent in Guadalajara. Petulant, irritable people on the computer scene.
Have some gear looking for a good home: Tek 465 'scope from Jim AL7R W8NSA. SBE Transceivers. Windsor Signal Generator. Let me know if you are interested and can either pick up or arrange shipping.