Happy New Year everyone! Our friend Rogier PA1ZZ sent this to me. I'm sure there are parts of it that people will disagree with, but the overall message (BUILD THINGS!) is, I think, right for this group. Thanks Rogier!
Showing posts with label Knack Stories. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Knack Stories. Show all posts
Thursday, January 1, 2026
Tuesday, October 21, 2025
"Rig Here is Homebrew" -- The Joys and Sorrows of Building your own Rigs
This is kind of a re-run. I came across it today on YouTube and thought it was pretty good. So here it is again.
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Dean KK4DAS asked me to speak to our local radio club, the Vienna Wireless Society. It was a lot of fun. I talked about my evolution as a homebrewer, some of the rigs I made, the moments of joy, and the tales of woe. You can watch the presentation in the video above.
I was really glad to be able to explain in the presentation the importance of people like Pete, Dex, Farhan, Wes, Shep and even Dilbert.
I was also pleased to get into the presentation the N2CQR sign that Peter VK2EMU made for me. Thanks Peter!
Here is the URL to the YouTube video (also above):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=3414&v=VHSr-v4QO7Q&feature=emb_logo
And here are the PowerPoint slides I used:
https://viennawireless.net/wp/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/VWS-presentation-Rig-here-is-homebrew.pdf
Sunday, August 3, 2025
Paul K9ARF -- SolderSmoke and a Knack Story
Bill:
Having been an occasional Solder-Smoke listener, I recently purchased your book "Solder Smoke Adventures" to read during vacation. Previously I limited reading material to technical material, but I retired two years ago and can now allow myself to read stuff just for fun. I devoured your book.
I found you and I to be kindred spirits, seeking to understand the mysteries of electricity and electromagnetic waves as we follow life's path. We're close to the same age, you're a couple years my senior.
My fascination with electronics began as a boy when my Dad and I put together a crystal receiver as a Cub Scout project. I fondly remember my father scrambling up on the roof to string a long wire as an antenna, and then listening to the Cubs ballgame in the earpiece. No batteries required!
I exhibited "knack" tendencies later as an early teen. At a local estate sale I picked up some magazines teaching basic TV repair, and a box of parts that previously was a portable B/W TV. My family was amazed when I resurrected that little TV set.
My career path went into audiovisual interests - I heard broadcast engineers made a lot of money, so I went to Milwaukee Area Tech College electronics communications program. The students there ran UHF channel 36 alongside the professionals running TV channel 10 (both pbs affiliates). On the way to getting your 1st class "phone" license, we learned 2way radio (2nd class). I found that repairing things was far more fun than pushing buttons in Master Control, so I ended up working in 2way.
While attending MATC, I met some guys who were hams - and they invited me to my first-ever hamfest. Wow. A gathering of electronics enthusiasts, many who also have "the knack". I purchased a couple of old books cheap, not knowing this would steer my life in the future: the antenna book and a 1970s radio amateur handbook, both from ARRL. Reading these books, I was intrigued by people who design and build their own equipment - the ultimate in coolness!
I guess what really kept me interested in reading your book is your desire to understand the basic building blocks of electronics - how does it work? This mirrors my personal experience. Though I have formal electronics training, my schooling was aimed mostly at troubleshooting, finding the malfunction. The understanding of why the components in a circuit are the values specified and how they produce the desired output was, like you, a lifelong learning process I still work on today.
My adventure into Amateur Radio was delayed by life activities: marriage, a house, and a child. It didn't help that I never met any hams in rural north Wisconsin. I finally met an amateur who was a VE, and Radio Shack study materials had me on the way in 1990-91.
I tested in early '91 and passed the Novice, Tech, and 5 wpm code - the VE knew that I was a career radio tech, and at his urging I passed the General written test too. My initial call was N9KQX (a horrible cw call). The next months had me work on my code speed and study the Advanced material, and later I became KF9GQ.
At that test session, I sat alongside a gentleman who was taking his 20 wpm code test (wow). A few months later he was one of my interviewers as I applied for a new job - Radio Tech for the Electric & Gas utility in Green Bay. I believe my ham radio hobby helped me land that position, which I held 30 years to retirement.
When the vanity call sign program started, I changed my call to K9ARF "amateur radio fun" (yes, I like dogs...) or "analog radio fan" - life must include a sense of humor.
In my years as a ham, I have done quite a bit of homebrewing, from repeaters and accessories for my station, to test gear and complete transceivers. My proudest projects were building W7ZOI's spectrum analyzer and a multiband KK7B based phasing transceiver using AA0ZZ's DDS synthesizer kits.
I want to thank you and the other solder smoke guys for what you do. Hopefully I will someday have an opportunity to meet you in person to share a cold beverage, laugh and tell stories of molten solder variety. Keep up the good work!!
73 de K9ARF Paul, Green Bay, Wisconsin
Saturday, May 17, 2025
MIT's Haystack Observatory and Dr. Herb Weiss
We are really privileged to have among us (and in the SolderSmoke Direct Conversion Hall of Fame) Phil Erickson W1PJE. Phil is the Director of the MIT Haystack Observatory.
Phil writes:
Hi Bill, Dean, and Pete,
I surfed over today to Soldersmoke and noticed you had put up a very nice film from the 1960s made by MIT "Science Reporter" on the DSKY design for the Apollo Guidance Computer.
In the same vein, you might enjoy viewing something from the same era on the Haystack 37m telescope / radar in its early mid 1960s days:
The video features Dr. Herb Weiss who is still with us at nearly 106 years old (he visited a couple years ago).
Herb built the observatory for its original ballistic missile radar / satellite imaging mission and was involved in early MIT microwave radar development.
"Growing up in Elizabeth, New Jersey, Herb liked gadgetry. As a teenager, he became a ham radio operator and built a primitive television set at the same time NBC was trying to get its first signal on the air. His shop teacher was so impressed by Herb’s genius that he contacted MIT, which invited Herb to attend the college.
He spent the bulk of his career developing radar when there was none in the United States. He joined the Radiation Lab at MIT, which was just being established to support the war effort during World War II, designing radars for ships and aircraft. In 1942, when England was in the throes of its air war with the Nazis, Herb went to England and installed radar in planes with a novel navigation system that he and a team had designed for the Royal Air Force. He later spent three years at the Los Alamos, New Mexico, laboratory improving instruments for the A-bomb. After seeing the need for a continental defense network against the Soviet missile threat, he returned to MIT to build it. If not for Herb, there also likely would be no MIT Haystack Observatory, a pioneering radio science and research facility."
As you can see from above, Herb is also a ham:
"Weiss:
Okay. I was born in New Jersey, and my first acquaintance with electronics was about the age of 12 or 13. We had a battery-operated radio, which didn't work, and I asked around about what do we do about it. They referred me to a man two blocks away, who was a radio ham it turned out. So I carried this monster with the big horn and, I guess, the dog sitting on the speaker to his house. We went down in the basement, and I was just fascinated. I was hooked right then and there. A year later I became a radio ham at the age of 13, 14 and literally have been in the field ever since, until I retired. I was fortunate enough to go to MIT as an undergraduate, and most of the people I ran into of that vintage didn't really have a hands-on feeling for electronics. By the time I got to MIT, I had built all kinds of things, including a TV set. Then it turned out that NBC was just trying to get their TV set on the air in New York on top of the Empire State Building."
https://ethw.org/Oral-History:
--
Herb and his wife Ruth had another career after MIT as a wind power pioneer and he is still an avid sailor:
One of our inspirations, and it came from building ham radio sets as a youngster. Enjoy the history.
73
Phil W1PJE
----
Phil Erickson
Phil Erickson
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I would really like to get more info on Herb's homebrew TV receiver. His was significantly earlier than the one described by Jean Shepherd.
Thanks Phil! And thanks Herb!
Paul 9V1/KM7ABZ's FB SINGAPORE SolderSmoke Direct Conversion Receiver
Wow, I had been feeling a bit discourged about the slow-down in receiver completions, then I woke up this morning and found this e-mail from Singapore. My faith in ham radio was restored. Welcome to the Hall of Fame Paul. You get extra credit for doing it from far-off and exotic Singapore.
Paul includes in his "proof of life" video not only some Malaysian SSB and some CW, but also some very close-by China Radio International. FB Paul.
I also liked the way Paul used the local library to burn the schematic of the receiver burned into the board upon which it was placed. And the library also 3D printed his PTO coil form.
And ET confirmed Proof of Life! FB!
Be sure to check out the really nice build description in Paul's blog and Github page (links below):
Paul writes:
Hi Bill, Pete, and Dean,
I've finally made a "proof of life" video for you, plucking some CW, voice and shortwave signals from the 40 and 41m bands here in Singapore. What fun this was, and I am amazed at how well this works, even from the confines of my 15th floor apartment.
Thank you so much for laying down the challenge - it came at just the right time for me, rekindling my enthusiasm and electronics and radio. It even encouraged me to finally get my license - I'm newly minted general class KM7ABZ (yet to get a 9V1 conversion license for my home here in Singapore). I can honestly say that listening to the SolderSmoke and Ham Radio Workbench podcasts since 2018 or so was worth *at least* 50% on the exam... somehow I already knew a bunch of stuff by pure osmosis!
Everything went pretty smoothly with the build. The only real issue I had was adding some caps to tame persistent motor-boating in the audio amp. Other than that, the build follows the official SolderSmoke schematic and parts selections.
I used the laser cutters at our local library to cut and etch a custom base. The library is a great resource: it’s also where I printed the PTO former.
To get on the air from my apartment in Singapore, I’m using an MLA-30 Active Loop antenna, with a PLJ-1601 frequency counter attached to the PTO to take some of the guesswork out of tuning.
I used the laser cutters at our local library to cut and etch a custom base. The library is a great resource: it’s also where I printed the PTO former.
To get on the air from my apartment in Singapore, I’m using an MLA-30 Active Loop antenna, with a PLJ-1601 frequency counter attached to the PTO to take some of the guesswork out of tuning.
All the details of my build are published at https://leap.tardate.com/
Cheers,
Paul
KM7ABZ from 9V1 land______________________________
Join the discussion - SolderSmoke Discord Server:
Documentation on Hackaday:
https://hackaday.io/project/
SolderSmoke YouTube channel:
Wednesday, February 26, 2025
Scott KQ4AOP Built the SolderSmoke Direct Conversion Receiver, and Listened to his FIRST EVER Ham Signals with it
Scott KQ4AOP's build of this receiver is especially noteworthy, becasue he used the receiver to hear the very first ham radio signals he ever received. I don't think any of us can make a similar claim.
Scott wrote: "Those first sounds were my first time ever hearing any Amateur Radio first hand!" You can see Scott's deep commitment to homebrew: "I want to build my own gear for 40m. I want to learn morse code. I want my first contact to be on my own gear." Wow Scott, the building of the receiver is the hard part, and you have already done that. I think you are well on your way. In the video above you can watch Scott tune the entire 40 meter band and a bit beyond. You hear CW at the low end. Then FT-8. Then SSB. Up just above the top of the band I think you can hear our old nemesis Radio Marti. And this powerful broadcaster is NOT breaking through on the rest of the band. FB Scott. Congratulations.
Check out this blog post and the comments:
Scott has also exhibited true ham spirit by 3D printing PTO coil forms for those who need them. This has helped many other hams build the receiver: https://soldersmoke.blogspot.com/2025/01/scott-kq4aops-pto-coil-forms-for-high.html
Thanks Scott
For more information on how you too can build the receiver:
Join the discussion - SolderSmoke Discord Server:
Documentation on Hackaday:
https://hackaday.io/project/
SolderSmoke YouTube channel:
Thursday, February 15, 2024
More Inspiring Mail! Another "First Ever Receiver was Homebrew"
Frank's Lowfer Beacon Receiver
It was great to hear from someone else who, like Scott KQ4AOP, heard his very first signals on a homebrew receiver. That is a really wonderful way to start. Frank's first receiver was built around the NE602 chip. I had trouble understanding this IC but I finally cracked the code:
https://soldersmoke.blogspot.com/2021/11/how-to-understand-ne-602-and-gilbert.html
The picture that Frank sent is of a more recent project, this one a Lowfer receiver that picks up signals from beacons.
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Hello Bill,
I just wanted to message you and tell you I really enjoyed your book Soldersmoke. I've been listening to the podcast as well. On the latest one you mentioned a fellow who heard his first ham radio signals on a homebrew receiver, and that's how it was for me as well! There were lots of articles about using the NE602 in the electronics magazines back in the day. I put one of the circuits together and it worked pretty smoothly... I eventually got my ham radio licence (KC8JJL) sometime in the 90's. The first time I met a ham was when I showed up to take the test!
I don't do much transmitting these days but I still love to listen and tinker. Here's a picture of a direct conversion LF receiver I put together... It uses an NE602 and is varactor tuned. It only covers from around 300Khz to just over 400khz but there are still a few beacons I can hear in MI and WI.
Frank James
Tuesday, January 2, 2024
Long-time SolderSmoke supporter Ramakrishnan VU2JXN Interviewed on QSO Today
I think we got our first e-mail from Ramakrishnan way back in 2006. At the time he was VU3RDD. On June 22, 2008 in SolderSmoke #86 we reported on the birth of Ramakrishnan's new harmonic. In this interview with Eric 4Z1UG we hear of Ramakrishnan's daughter (the same harmonic) getting her ham license and working with her dad on electronic projects. Ramakrishnan has been with us for a long time!
It was very cool to hear Ramakrishnan talk about the Lamakaan convention, the BITX 40, and the book The Electronics of Radio. There was a nice mention of SolderSmoke and Pete.
Listen to the interview here: https://www.qsotoday.com/podcasts/vu2jxn
Thanks Ramakrishnan! Thanks Eric!
Tuesday, December 5, 2023
The Beginning of MY Radio Life...
Unlike Pete (see below), I don't have any cool pictures of me in front of an early station. But in the picture above, there I am, at the Thanksgiving table in 1973 age 15. I was on the air by this date, on CW as WN2QHL. Armed with a Lafayette HA-600A and a DX-40, I was tearing up the ham bands, especially 40 meters. Look at the tension in my face, the grip of my fist... I just wanted to finish that turkey and get on the air! But no, I had to have Thanksgiving dinner.
I recently realised that I have been a ham for more than 50 years. Is there an HCWA?
This and the recent movie from India led me to think about the timeline of my early radio days:
-- Christmas 1972. Santa brings me a Lafayette HA-600A general coverage receiver. With jeweled movements. Age: 14
-- April 27, 1973. Novice Ticket becomes effective. WN2QHL. Age 14.
-- July 19, 1973. First contact (with Elmer WN2NEC). Age 14.
-- February 1 and 2 1973. A grumpy old-timer calls -- during the Novice Roundup! -- to tell me that I'm putting harmonics onto the 20 meter band. I get scared and go off the air. Geez! I probably just needed to retune the tank circuit. Age 15.
-- February 23, 1974. I go back on the air with a DX-100. Age 15.
-- March 5, 1974. I take the General Class exam at the FCC office in New York City. I pass. Age 15.
-- April 11, 1974. I buy the Drake 2-B from WN2NEC. This revolutionizes my radio life. Fifteen meter contacts become possible. Age 15.
-- April 13, 1974. I work ZL2ACP on 15 meter CW. I wake up my parents to tell them. Age 15.
-- April 21, 1974. END OF NOVICE OPERATION. Apparently we were still working under a one year limitation on Novice operation. Could the expiration date have been marked on the license?
At this point the FCC screwed up and sent me a Technician License instead of a General Class License. My father got on the phone to Gettysburg and straightened this out. Thanks Dad. So I was only a Technician for a few weeks.
-- April 9, 1974. General Class License effective. I become WB2QHL, a man of substance. Age 15.
-- May-June 1974. I acquire a Heathkit HW-32A 20 meter SSB transceiver from the Crystal Radio Club. But I have to build the power supply from an old TV. Somehow, I survive. Age 15.
-- June 11, 1974. First contact with the HW-32A. Age 15.
-- November 9, 1974. Last contact with the HW-32A . Age 16.
-- March 15, 1975. First contact with my Hallicrafters HT-37. Age 16.
Above is my only photo of my teenage ham radio station. I can date it via the QSL card above the map. I still have that card. I worked W7RUK on March 25, 1975. That contact was on 20 SSB, but when this picture was taken I was on CW (the key is plugged in, not the microphone).
-- June 1976 I graduate from High School. Age 17.
-- I was active and on the air through the summer of 1976.
-- July 1976 -- QST article on the Herring Aid 5 receiver. I try to build it and fail. Age 17.
-- October 1976 -- I depart for Army Basic Training.
Pete Juliano, Field Day, 1959. With a DX-100B and (gasp!) a QF-1.
Saturday, December 2, 2023
"My Radio My Life" A Film about Radio Enthusiasts
My Radio My Life | Trailer | 4K from Makarand Waikar on Vimeo.
Wow! VU2DTR is presenting a film about radio made by her mom VU2RBI. They are showing it in Bethesda, Maryland today.
Trailer above, summary below: This looks really great. I hope we can see the whole film on-line soon!
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Set in the 21st century, the film revisits the golden era of radio in, when it was the dominant, popular, and only source of entertainment, news, and knowledge.
Being a medium that is heard across national borders, the radio has been instrumental in expanding horizons and enriching the lives of generations. Besides giving companionship to individuals, the radio brought families together and inspired people to make life choices.
Radio continues to enthrall people with its evolving nature and the sentiments associated with it.
Tuesday, November 21, 2023
Mr. Carlson's ART-13 Transmitter (with Dynamotor)
Here we have a really cool video from Mr. Carlson. In it he reveals (admits!) to what we already know: HE IS A HAM RADIO OPERATOR. FB Mr. C!
You can see that he is a true ham, with a true case of THE KNACK, when you see his reaction to the inside view of the ART-13. He seems to gasp as he notes that there is a lot of "RF goodness" in that box. There is a vacuum relay, a bread-slicer capacitor, there is even a variometer. And lots of good, big THERMATRONS. Only a true ham, a true Knack victim can recognize this RF goodness.
The Dynamotor that goes with this transmitter is really interesting to me. I have been hearing these things whining in the background (audible noise, not a signal defect) on many early morning (Saturday 3885 kHz) of the Old Military Radio Net. I can often hear the dynamotor of Buzz W3EMD as he transmits from Rhinebeck, New York. It was great to see the inside of this device.
Back in 2017, Hack-A-Day took a look at Dynamotors:
There are several good ART-13/BC-348 pictures on W3EMD's QRZ page:
I was especially taken by the handwritten frequency chart on the front panel of the ART-13. This reminded me a lot of the handwritten readout that I have been using on various rigs, including (most recently) the 15-10 SSB transceiver. I hope Paul focuses on this paper-and-pencil frequency chart; it is nice to step away a bit from the glowing numerals of San Jian.
Mr. C points out that the ART-13 was the transmitter that was paired up with the BC-348 receiver. He will be working on both in the weeks ahead.
Thanks Mr. Carlson. 73 OM.
Thursday, October 5, 2023
A Cuban Knack Story, and a Pandemic (SITS!) SSB version of the DSB Jaguey Rig -- Viva el Cacharreo!
First, the Knack Story. Andy CO2AFV clearly has The Dilbert Disease:
Hello my name is Andy. I had an interest in Ham radio before knowing that existed. While I was a child my entertainment was building quartz oscillators that later I tried to receive on neighbors' and friends' radios. One day I succeeded in modulating two of them and I finally established a conversation with a friend about 200 meters from my home!!!
Andy with his FB HB rig
Here's a description of a version of the 7 MHz Jaguey transceiver that Andy built during the pandemic. It looks to me as if he took the Jaguey DSB rig and added a 455 kHz filter with an additional mixer to turn it into an SSB rig. So he is generating the SSB at 455 kHz, and mixing it with a VFO running at around 6.8 MHz. The sum output would put you in the 40 meter band; the difference output at around 6.35 MHz could (mostly) be knocked down by a bandpass filter. I think the Cuban Radio Federation Web Site gets it a bit wrong -- the purpose of the filter is probably to eliminate the unneeded sideband, not really to suppress parasitics.
Federation of Radio Amateurs of Cuba Published: September 17, 2020 Viewed: 2352 Comments: 12
Radio Transceiver CO9BIA 455 A construction carried out in times of Pandemic by its author, Andy Fernández Valdespino (CO2AFV).
Cuban radio amateurs continue to accept the challenge of isolation caused by the incidence of COVID-19, but this does not mean they paralyze their activities. Such is the case of Andy Fernández Valdespino (CO2AFV), who for more than four months has been working on the development and construction of a new transceiver, the CO9BIA 455, a device that already works perfectly in the 7 MHZ Band.
Andy, who is technical secretary of one of the Havana Radio Clubs, has to his credit the construction of two Jagüey-type radio models, as well as several types of interfaces for programming and Digital Modes; and various prototypes of antennas, among other elements that make up its constant “cacharreo” activities, as we say in our language.
He has now completed and tested a new model that he has named with the callsign of his Radio Club, CO9BIA, and the model 455 is due to the use in this prototype of a filter of the same capacity. Asked about the details and other construction bases of this radio, whose transmission and reception tests using only outputs from the driver were carried out on September 14, Fernández Valdespino pointed out that his objective was to build a portable QRP equipment, of very large proportions. small, that it would be capable of being operated in the 40 meter band on both sides, by incorporating an improved VFO from the traditional Jagüey, but this with some modifications, and that the radio in question would work powered by a 7-inch battery. .2 volt, the same ones that come with most of the “Handy” used by radio amateurs.
To complete the “portability” characteristics of the new radio, the possibility of exchanging antennas has been incorporated, and a very light variant of the telescopic type can also be used, just over one and a half meters long. Andy explained that for the development of the new equipment, he was based on studies that he has been doing on some of the characteristics of the Jagüey, a direct conversion radio with very good sensitivity, but that does not have good selectivity, so in the conditions of the current solar cycle, its behavior is not optimal. In Jagüey, the signals, after being modulated, do not pass through any band-pass filter, which causes many “spurious” signals to be released into the ether, which represents an obstacle to be solved in order to incorporate a linear that can increase its output power. All of this, the creator assures, was taken into account for the construction of this new design. For example, in the transmission step, in the CO9BIA 455, the microphone signal is mixed, pre-amplified, filtered and re-amplified, until it is delivered to the 455 kHz filter, to finally be mixed with the VFO signal; and as a result of these steps, the sum and subtraction of these mixtures is obtained, which are in the order of 6 and 7 MHz. As a final result, after these signals are injected into the input bandpass filter, only one output is obtained of 7 MHz, whose operating segments are carried out through the use of the improved VFO. Given these characteristics, with which spurious signal outputs are reduced or eliminated, in this new radio it is feasible to add a linear that can raise the power to approximately 7 watts, which would adjust to the power conditions described above.
This experienced “clunker” says that for the development and construction of this transceiver, three fundamental aspects were combined: the first, applying the experiences of having built other radio models, to ensure that the new prototype could be built by any radio amateur. with minimal knowledge of electronics, using recycled components and materials. Secondly, he used and adapted parts of the construction schemes of a radio project called LU3DY, from the Argentine Radio Club “Almirante Brown”; and finally, the adaptation of some parts of the traditional Jagüey, such as the VFO board and circuit. Although, as already explained, the radio works,
Andy Fernández is immersed in the construction of a small linear amplifier similar to the ARARIHNA project, by a Brazilian radio amateur, as well as making final adjustments to what is already a reality: the conclusion and final adjustments of the new CO9BIA 455 Transceiver, a portable QRP device for the 40 meter Band, developed in these times when we must all stay at home, to protect ourselves from COVID-19.
By Luis Enrique Estrada Hernández (CO2BK) FRC Information System Coordinator
Circuit details.
The VFO Board
Here is the web site of the Federation of Cuban Radio Amateurs that describes Andy's work:
And I learned a very useful Spanish word through this: "Cacharreo" is a Spanish word that means to tinker with something in an attempt to fix, mend, or improve it.
Thanks Andy! And thanks to Trevor for alerting me to this great project.
Monday, October 2, 2023
"Sunburst and Luminary" author Don Eyles was a Ham, a Hacker, and a user of Plywood who Understood Juju
-- As a kid, Eyles took a summertime shop class with W4LRO. Eyles himself went on to get his ham license -- he was K4ZHF and was active for a while on the 40 meter and 6 meter bands.
-- He writes of how the Apollo software acquired more "juju as labor and logic were poured into them." Juju.
-- He describes the electronics lab in the MIT Instrumentation Laboratory: "If you had a private project you could sometimes get some simple milling done for a smile, and you could scrounge the odd resistor or capacitor... On the second floor there was a small "hackers shop" with a drill press, metal shear, a bending brake, and a few hand tools which was open to anyone, including software engineers. That was the first use of the term "hack" in a technical context, that I can recall hearing. I took the term as referring to the sometimes messy process by which perforations of suitable sizes were made in the aluminum boxes, or chassis, that were used for constructing electronic devices." Indeed. We hack.
-- After describing the first integrated circuits, Eyles looks back at high school and notes that he and a friend, "after learning about truth tables, James Chambers and I had experimented with similar devices composed of relays mounted on a piece of plywood." Plywood.
More to follow on this book.
Sunday, September 24, 2023
The Art of Electronics #7 -- Paul Horowitz on Ham Radio, and on SETI (audio)
Above is a seven minute audio podcast in which Paul Horowitz talks about ham radio and SETI.
Saturday, August 19, 2023
Valveman -- The Story of Gerald Wells
Don't be deterred by the annoying test patterns at the start of this video. Just skip past them. The rest of the video is quite good. Or you could just click on this link and avoid the first 83 seconds of test pattern: https://youtu.be/Y8w6iwaAGJ4?
Gerald Wells has been mentioned on this blog before, but I don't think we've ever presented the full documentary on this fellow. Here it is. Gerry is clearly one of us: a radio fiend, obsessed (as he admitted!) with wireless, a victim of THE KNACK.
George WB5OYP of the Vienna Wireless Society got to meet Gerald Wells and visit his museum. George alerted me to this video. Tony G4WIF also was able to visit Gerry and his museum.
The documentary is full of interesting stuff, and is, in itself, a Knack Story. Wells mentions the Crippens murder so well described by Eric Larson in "Thunderstruck." It was this crime that brought radio to the center of public attention.
Monday, December 26, 2022
A Blast from the Past: TR on Homebrewing (sort of)
"It is not the critic who counts; not the ham who points out how the homebrewer stumbles, or where the builder of rigs could have built them better. The credit belongs to the ham who is actually at the workbench, whose hands are scarred by solder and metal and glue; who strives valiantly; who errs, whose amp oscillates again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming; but who does actually strive to build his rigs; who knows great enthusiasms, the great devotions; who spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the best knows in the end the triumph of homebrew achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid operators who neither know victory nor defeat.”
Saturday, July 2, 2022
A Double Sideband Transmitter from France -- F4IET's "Master Robert"
The Radio Gods seem to be steering us toward Double Sideband. A few days ago I got an e-mail from Alain F4IET. We had him on the SolderSmoke blog two years ago, talking about his French backyard pandemic Field Day. His recent e-mail reminded me of his very fine homebrew DSB transmitter, which is his only rig and with which he has worked the world.
The rig is named for the fellow -- Robert F6EUZ -- who is Alain's teacher from the local radio club.
Alain's rig was shown to the world in the G-QRP club's Winter 2020 issue of SPRAT (SPRAT 185). Once again, let me note: If you are not subscribing to SPRAT, you are just WRONG. Join G-QRP and start receiving SPRAT: http://www.gqrp.com/join.htm
Alain gives some nice shout-outs to Pete N6QW, Charlie ZL2CTM, and Basanta VU2NIL, all of whom provided advice and counsel on this project. So think about it: the Master Robert rig was built in France under the guidance of a French Elmer, with advice from hams in the U.S., New Zealand, and India, and was featured in journal of the British QRP club. That, my friends is the International Brotherhood at its best.
As I read about Alain's rig, I found myself thinking about the Direct Conversion receiver projects underway around the world. The Vienna Wireless Society's Maker Group, is, for example, building a simple DC receiver. It would be relatively easy to pair up a rig like the Master Robert with a DC receiver (the VFO could be the only stage common to both transmit and receive) to make a simple phone transceiver. That kind of rig was my first phone transceiver. Alain reports that he is currently working on a second version of the Master Robert. It will be a transmitter-receiver (TRX) and will be used in SOTA operations.
Alain's description of his transmitter is a lot of fun: http://www.f4iet.fr/mdwiki/#!master_robert.md
I especially liked his comment about how the other phone stations never knew he was on DSB: http://www.f4iet.fr/mdwiki/#!dsb.md I had similar experiences out in the Azores with my DSB rigs.
Here is Alain's main page: http://www.f4iet.fr/mdwiki/#!index.md
Alain's QRZ.com page: https://www.qrz.com/db/F4IET
Here is the Master Robert schematic from GQRP: http://www.gqrp.com/Maestro_Robert_Cct.pdf
Here is a link to the 76 DSB posts on the SolderSmoke blog (keep scrolling down!):
Friday, May 27, 2022
"Hobby High" from the Lamarkaan Radio Club and The Hindu magazine
This is a really nice look at hobbies and their role in life. It is very relevant to discussions of The Knack.
Many of the quotes resonate with me, especially those about how hobbies -- in our case ham radio -- provide an important source of enthusiasm. I remember an old timer in Rome telling me that at age 85, he jumped out of bed each morning, heading to the radio shack with enthusiasm.
I'd add that ham radio adds elements of permanence and continuity in our lives. For many of us, we've been working on radios since our early teens. I have in my shack gear that I've had for almost 50 years! Amidst the vicissitudes of life, it is really nice to have things with this kind of permanence.
Thanks to Atanu Dasgupta of the Lamakaan Amateur Radio Club of Hyderabad for alerting me to this article. OM Atanu wrote:
My friends, acquaintances and members from my extended family often ask me how I spend my time and keep myself busy throughout the day. When I say I pursue a hobby called Amateur Radio (Ham Radio) and I spend more than 8-10 hours in a day for that purpose, I don’t find many takers. Many of them feel that I must be earning handsomely by devoting my energy and time as seriously as pursuing a regular work-from-home regime for some corporate entity. Sometimes even my domestic help express doubts, albeit in a decent manner, about my devotion to something in life without any financial gain and expect a wage-hike for them against my ‘extra earning’. After all how can a hobby (pastime) can keep someone so engrossed physically, mentally - on the computer, over thick books/ magazines , on the work table at the radio shack, on the floor for some odd metal works, on the rooftop with antennas, over the Radio-on-air, over phone etc - without some pecuniary benefits? Recently a brilliant essay by Himani Datar on ‘hobby’ in the Hindu Magazine (https://www.thehindu.com/.../hobby-high/article65375392.ece ) has been very impressive and appears to be a savior to all concerned like me. The essay brings out all in favour of all hobbies and hobbyists and I feel more confident now about my course of engagement on a long-term basis.
Atanu's Shack
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:Les is making the stickers available for free -- all you need to do is pay the postage.
Please be sure to send us pictures of the stickers after they have been placed.
And let's not forget that the quote on the sticker is from Pete Juliano, N6QW.
Here is one that recently showed up in Blacksburg, Virginia (zoom in on the green utility box):
And here is Lex's very interesting site, with his Knack Story: https://www.ph2lb.nl/blog/index.php?page=history
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