VA2NM's Michigan Mighty Mite (with Tuna Tin LPF!) (video)

Bill,

  Here is my contribution... After managing to somehow get my hand wound transformer to melt a pill container, I used my Dad's hand made, circa 1950 transformer and got it working on a 1.4 MHz xtal and also on 3.58 MHz with a colour burst xtal.  A re wound coil on the remaining unmelted pill container worked on 40 meters. I succeeded in getting my Mighty Mite working on three bands.  My father would have been pleased, as this was kept aside all this time and now has been put to use. He had built the coil while working part time in post World War II England at the GEC labs in U.K.

Thanks for the motivation! I'm going to move forward and clean up the 80 meter signal and see how far it goes on the reverse beacon website.

The coil form was about 80 turns on a 1 inch diameter with a 20 turn secondary that I used for the center tap portion by joining both bottom ends.  Then I wound an 10 trim secondary, loaded up with a 50 ohm resistor to tune up (capacitor fully opened up) on 3.58 MHz in the video, and the audio coming from my receiver tuned to the 3.58 MHz signal.

Regards,
Nigel Maund

EMRFD Joy of Oscillation (Part 1)

Guys:

I have been catching up on the last few SolderSmoke podcasts after
that little QSO Today diversion.  I wonder how many others did the
same thing?  I have really enjoyed these recent 'casts.  Lots of
fantastic HB content.  Funniest moment was when Bill described his
post-project workshop as looking like the aftermath from an electronic
barfight.

I took a new ham up on a SOTA activation last year.  Then about a
month ago, he said that he wanted to do HF HB.  He said he had been
googling and found so much that he didn't know where to start.  I told
him that I'd be interesting in doing a beginner HF HB project with
him.

I could have pointed him to LBS, et al.  I could have pointed him to
the Michigan Mighty Mite.  I did neither.  I pointed him to:http://web.cecs.pdx.edu/~campbell/EMRFD1dot34.pdf  Note the name of
the document.  I pointed him also to:http://www.arrl.org/files/file/Product%20Notes/chapter_1.pdf 
(Did you guys know that chapter was online and free?)  We scaled to 20m and
kitted parts for this.  And parts for a 4th transistor PA for serious
QRO.  :-)

Two others joined us building for 40m.  Check out the attached photos
of the first 3.  The joy of oscillation was experienced by all.

After testing each oscillator, and borrowing from an article KK7B ran
in CQ VHF, I told each that he had to ID every 10 minutes.  Even
though nobody was going to hear these signals a few hundred yards
away.  (But it sounds loud on a shortwave portable a few inches away!)
 I even wrote out the dots and dashes for a couple of them.

Next stop:  to have everyone find a curbside TV discard, rip out some
parts, and get on 5 meters!  Haven't we gotten it back now, after the
transition to digital TV?   :-)

OK, maybe the next stop is to add some gain stages and experience the
joy of communication.  The joy of QSO-ification?  The joy of
EM-radiation?  :-)

Best regards,

Drew
kb9fko

2 Attachments

German Mighty Mite works Venice on 40 (video)

In spite of being a bit off frequency, sTef,  DL1FDF (aka VY1QRP) has been inducted into the Color Burst Liberation Army.  Congratulations sTef!  Normally we would requite operation on 3.579 MHz, but sTef has been granted special dispensation because 1) he doesn't have a 3.579 MHz rock, 2) our stock of this crystal has been depleted, and 3) he actually made a contact with this rig, working II3ICZ in Venice.  FB sTef.  If anyone has a color burst crystal for sTef, please let us know.    

sTef writes:

I would like to say „Thanks" to both of you for your ongoing inspirations in soldering and homebrewing.  After 15 years out of ham radio it were you two guys who got me back into the world of -> SOLDERSMOKE. Thanks for that.And belive me been away for 15 years and now getting back into it feels a sometimes a little bit too "digital“ …. ARDUINO or NOT TO ARDUINO ? This is the question….

Anyway…

So what could be more sophisticating than having a MMM ready on the work bench and answering a CQ call on 40m with that thing and be heard. 

Yes, the first QSO today with my MMM was for you both.

I worked the Italian Radio Station II3ICZ. I was 559 into Venice with 0.5 watts from the MMM into my full-size triple leg for 40m.

Alan Wolke W2AEW Builds a Michigan Mighty Mite (Video)

We are honored to induct Alan Wolke W2AEW into the Colorburst Liberation Army.  And for his valiant effort to build and explain a MMM Low-Pass filter, he is immediately promoted to the rank of CBLA Two Star General.  Congratulations General Wolke.

As is the case with all of  his videos, this one has already had an impact far and wide.  Ian writes from far-off Western Australia:

Jan 27 at 6:19 PM

G'day Bill,Just in case none of your other correspondents have brought it to your attention, here is a great video W2AEW has put up showing really clearly the positive effect of a low pass filter on the output of the Michigan Mighty-Mite.

It made me appreciate the benefits of an LPF more fully. It's always been clear to me that the harmonics would get rolled off, but in my head I hadn't made the connection between that and the improvement to the beautiful smooth sine wave that we are working towards.

Anyway, I thought you, and your mate Steve "Snort Rosin" Smith may be interested.

Thanks to you and Pete for Soldersmoke, I'm sure you're responsible for keeping the flame alight in many a ham.

73,Ian VK6MIB

And Steve "Snort Rosin" Smith, the guru of low pass filters, observes:

Of course, to work properly in the land down under, the inductors must be wound in the opposite  direction as those in the Northern Hemisphere :-P .

Seriously, there is a lot to be learned from the lowly Mighty Mite especially regarding impedance matching; not to mention LC circuits, link coupling, amplifiers, oscillators, etc. .  What fun!

73.......SR

SolderSmoke Podcast #183 Pete's B'day, Simple-Ceivers, Binaural Bliss, 160 or Bust, GOOD BEHAVIOR, MAILBAG

Bill's Frankenstein R2 receives 7 MHz signal and generates I and Q outputs

SolderSmoke Podcast #183 is available. And it is GOOD!

http://soldersmoke.com/soldersmoke183.mp3

20 December 2015

-- Foxes in the Backyard
-- Pete completes another orbit
-- Simple-ceiver Success!
-- Frankenstein Receiver: IT IS ALIVE!  AND BINAURAL!!!
-- 160 Meter AM OR BUST!
-- Fun on 40 AM -- Lots of Multi Elmac AF-67s!  Who knew!
-- The Amateur's Code, and violations thereof.
-- Negative Frequencies? I don't think so.
-- Capacitor Offer from our Secret Benefactor: EXPANDED ELIGIBILITY
-- Projects for 2016: Pete goes Raspberry Pi, Bill goes DX-100
Mailbag:
-- Croation Creation
-- Salvadoran 2B
-- N3FJZ's Homebrew QSL
-- WA7HRG's LBS-ZIA-Simple-Ceiver Mashup Rig
-- KC0IZR turning VCRs into Mighty Mites in NOVA
-- AB1YK Starting with DC RX, going BITX
-- G8GNR puts Mighty Mite on AM!
-- G3ZPF Modulates THE SUN (Amazing)
-- VK3YE's Simple Superhet
-- Grayson in Turkey drools over KG7TR's Octalmania
-- N7REP reaches for the Zantac because of Arduinos and Surface Mount
       

Modulated Michigan Mighty Mite?

This suggestion from across the pond is a bit "out there."  In fact, for me it brought to mind the famous line from the Noel Coward song about who goes out in the mid-day sun...  This does seem like an endeavor for our stoic British cousins.  You'll need a very stiff upper lip to AM modulate a Michigan Mighty Mite!  Peter's observation about the "SSB kilowatt nerds" resonated with me and reminded me of the reaction I got when I tried to put a DSB rig on the air in London.   But hey, go for it Peter!   Please let us know the results.   For those who are rock-bound in the CW portion of the band (like 3579) this might be something fun to try using a dummy load -- just to see if you can send an AM  Mighty Mite signal across the shack.

Hi Bill,

Your recent Soldersmoke thoughts re. MMMites have been niggling my imagination; I think radio should be fun, educational, simple and cheap, to encourage young folks to get a license and "appliance users" to melt some solder.

Mike Rainey (AA1TJ) and Jim Kearman (KR1S) have done superb work in reducing RF circuits to a functional minimum... so egged on by a certain Mr. Bill Meara, I'm looking at modulating a MMMite Tx on 80m and building the simple Rx to go with it. I chose 3615kHz as it's a frequency UK VMARS (Vintage Military Amat Rad Soc) use for A.M. - the SSB kilowatt nerds who think the sky will fall down if A.M. corrupts the ionosphere have accepted a few enthusiasts firing a watt or ten of A.M. skywards. I blame you want to say thanks for setting my mind in this direction.

See how this sounds: modulate a MMM by inserting an electret mic capsule (2 terminal type) between the transistor base and ground,  not forgetting the RF choke from the electret capsule output to the base bias 10k resistor, to avoid the xtal feedback signal being absorbed in the electret...

Yep, that's it: job done, the MMM now produces A.M. as the base current, fed by 10k from the +ve rail in the original MMM, is now partially shunted to ground by the electret capsule. I'll adjust the base bias resistor to get 50% "no speech" carrier and good mod. depth. I'm trying to avoid a mic amp stage; keeps it simple & sweet. If I can get 500mW in total, that's ~ 100mW in each sideband - on a good day with a following wind, on 80m that should go a mile or twenty.

Which leaves a drop dead simple Rx to design - somebody has done similar, HERE, You got it: an LM386 audio amp as a regen Rx. I had considered the ZN414 TRF Rx, or it's modern equivalents, but they are nowhere near as common as an LM386, or as cheap. IF it works on 80m...! Or, I could try an xtal controlled regen Rx, as per Mike / Jim's designs. Either which way, I'm sure I can find a cheap, simple and effective Rx - but if you know of any.....?

Cheers Bill, TTFN!

Peter Thornton G6NGR

YAMMM! Yet Another Michigan Mighty Mite! From KC0ZIR in Northern Virginia

Bill,

Thank you for the podcast and the loads of tribal knowledge from you and Pete! I recently started going through the SolderSmoke backlog, and I am just getting to the Colorburst Liberation Army episodes. I had some crystals for 40m laying around, so I started reading up and winding on a film canister.

Later, I thought I'd hop up the current episode of the podcast while I work, and I heard you guys talk about another push for the Michigan Mighty Mite. I happened to be salvaging bits from an recycling-pile VCR at the time, and I came across this crystal with a familiar label: 3.579545. The radio gods have spoken, so I will be winding a new coil for 80m.

I heard you mention the anonymous benefactor, but I have some aluminum foil, and I plan to brew the cap as well, there are a few options here: http://www.instructables.com/howto/variable+capacitor/

I thought I'd tell you a quick story anyway, because I just want to be a part of the fun. When I was little, our radios all had retractable antennas, and the TVs all had rabbit ears or loops. I would spend nights trying different materials and orientations to try and get better signal. At one point, I ran as much wire as I could in my brother's room (he had a big garage-sale cabinet tv), and we were getting channels from all over the place. We knew when each channel would be showing reruns of Star Trek, so we could catch an episode or two almost every day of the week. We even got some channels that I thought were only available on satellite. I had read in my box of Popular Mechanics magazines that some dish setups re-broadcast their signal on VHF/UHF frequencies with low power, I always suspected that's what we were picking up. 

I didn't know much (or really anything) about the theory behind antennas at the time. I'm still a bit hazy, like with the 75 ohm / 50 ohm cable thing. I thought resistance was a function of length, how can different lengths of coax be the same ohm rating?

Anyway, I just wanted to let you know I'm new to homebrewing, and you guys are a big part of that!

73,

Dan, KC0ZIR

Northern Virginia (a little to the left of you, it sounds like)

..............................

Excellent Dan! 

Getting the 3.579545 MHz rock out of a dead VCR definitely adds mojo to the rig.  Indeed, TRGHS! Thanks for sharing your Knack Story.   I hope to meet up to you, perhaps at the hamfests of Northern Virginia.  In my capacity as Grand Poohbah and Arbiter of Capacitor Eligibility, I hereby deem you  ELIGIBLE for a variable capacitor.   Our secret benefactor will be contacting you.  

73  Bill   

Colchester Mighty Mite

GM Bill,

So, I got round to making my Michigan Mighty Mite!

The crystal arrived almost safe and sound, thanks to the USPS’ mail crusher. Perhaps they think that because email and packets can be compressed they can do the same with parcels? (the photo really doesn’t do it justice - the orange area is a large dent…):

No 2 son, Cameron (12), got involved - The extremely neat tank coil is his handywork :

And so to the video: Not only does it oscillate on the correct frequency as shown here, it also has the added bonuses of oscillating around 21.5Mhz (which is the number my frequency counter gives - which caused a great deal of head-scratching on first smoke), and muting the FM broadcast receiver on 96.1MHz on the shelf 3 feet away!. The dummy load is the 3w metal film resistor suspended in mid air.

You might notice more resistors in the circuit itself than the diagram calls for. I chose to have 2 x  20K resistors in parallel to produce a single 10K resistance that could handle .6W. And the poor old 27R .3W resistor got really hot and discoloured before rapidly increasing its resistance ( !! ), so I used 4 (2 serial pairs in parallel) to handle the current. They still get hot, but survive. And the 2N2222a has a bulldog clip heatsink.

Please excuse the uncorrected error at the end of the CQ call!!

This is the second transmitter I have ever built - the other one is a 30m Hans Summers QRSS kit which you also get the ‘blame’ for :-)

Thank-you, Bill. Keep up the good work.

73’s de G7TAT, Colchester, England.

SolderSmoke Podcast 182: Bears! MMM Update, On Pete's Bench, 160 AM Dreams, MAILBAG

N6QW Selfie

SolderSmoke Podcast #182 is available

http://soldersmoke.com/soldersmoke182.mp3

Travelogue:  In Shenandoah with BEARS!

Michigan Mighty Mite Update and a Generous Offer (with conditions).

BENCH REPORT:

-- Pete's Ten Tec Conversion using LTSpice

-- Pete's Simple-ceiver

-- My CB to 10 conversion plans

DREAMS OF 160 METER AM:   KB3SII, N2CQR, N6QW Building for Top Band

Raspberry Pi Nightmares

Homebrew to Homebrew (HB2HB) Contacts

Elser Mathes Cup -- We have some competition!

QST, "The Radio Art,"  and The Channelization of HF Bands

WA5BDU Nick Kennedy on QSO Today  Podcast

Ed Walker of "The Big Broadcast" was a ham:  N3HFT

MAILBAG:  A Letter from Turkey: Tubes and R-390s

Si5351:  G4GXO says give it a go!

W2DLH's 20 meter Mighty Mite

N2CQR & N6QW,

 

I ran across a reference to the SolderSmoke book and read through it very quickly.  Through the book, I discovered the SolderSmoke podcast and have been enjoying every minute!

 

I just want to thank the two of you for the inspiration and new motivation I’ve found in a hobby I’ve loved for 25 years!  I’ve never tried homebrewing anything but that’s about to change.

 

It took me a while but we have oscillations on or about 14.060 MHz!

http://youtu.be/AUms45rwm84

I adjusted the circuit to use resistor divider biasing of the 2N2219 and changes to the biasing and coil to accommodate the 20m crystal. Also the only cap I had that worked was a 10-50pF trimmer. Aside from my placing the crystal in the wrong point in the circuit because I wasn't paying attention, this Michigan Mighty Mite needed minimal tweeting. The antenna is a 50 ohm resistor which the KX3 heard very well with its attenuator in line. 

 

Now my problem is that I listen to SolderSmoke in the car and it's bad form to take notes and drive at the same time. Also, I find myself wanting to experiment with all of the ideas from the podcast at once...  If I build your LBS in modules, Pete, then I can experiment later and swap circuits to my hearts content.

 

One question for now...where is a good source of plentiful, inexpensive crystals?

 

Thanks again, guys!

 

Darryl Hambly, W2DLH

- - - - - - - -

Grid DM78pu

G-QRP 15014
QRP ARCI 15138
SKCC 10990
- - - - - - - -http://www.qrz.com/db/W2DLH

Waco Mighty Mite Mojo!

Eric:  Wow, great news from Waco.  JOO indeed!  And I really liked the WAY you did it, liberating crystals and wire from old TVs.   That definitely adds mojo to the Waco M^3.  Bill

 

Hello Bill,

  My name is Eric Melling KD0OXY. I have, as of tonight, officially passed selection for the CLA. My Michigan Mighty Mite began oscillating tonight between 1830 and 1900 CST and I am ecstatic about it! My foray into home brewing began mid-2011 when I obtained my general class ham license (I took Technician and General at the same time taking advice from my late grandfather). The first radio I ever purchased was the Pixie II kit and boy was that frustrating. I meticulously assembled the kit and worked very hard to stuff the transceiver, volume control, options to use the on-board key or a straight key, and maybe an on-board speaker or phones.  But, to my chagrin, I was treated to the sweet wafting smell of the magic smoke long before ever getting on the air. I eventually did get on the air with my aforementioned grandfather's VHF/UHF HT and until recently, this has been the extent of my Ham career.

 

  But on the advent of my starting an MA in applied linguistics at a school in Dallas (hour and a half from home in Waco) and the rekindling of my electronics knack occurring near- simultaneously with my discovery of the SolderSmoke Podcast, I decided to give it another go. First, I got the old pixie kit to oscillate and then ripped it apart for parts to another project (non-radio). Then I procured a second Pixie kit from ebay and built that. It oscillated right away! Still no contacts; my CW is... improving.

 

  All this to say that I still had an itch that wanted scratching Enter: The Color Burst Liberation Army! Not only could I truly build something from scratch, I could follow my true calling and de oppresso liber some crystal. So I pulled some 30 (or so) gauge magnet wire from an old CRT. I had wound and rewound my coil three times (and unfortunately, the third one looks the worst) for 80m then 20m (far fewer turns) and back to 80m with N'JOO (No Joy of Oscillation) in any configuration. I am using a polyvaricon pulled form an old AM/FM transistor radio, the Mitsumi PVC-2FX which has 82 pF, 140 pF,  20 and  40 pF sections which I have wired in parallel giving me ~0-282 pF of range? And finally, I was using a MPS A42 NPN transistor. I had to run some resistors in parallel and some caps in series to get the right values, but I eventually got it all together and looking pretty smart on a 1" x 1.5" piece of perf board. Alas! Nothing!

 

  I was poking around at the circuit and realized that when I keyed the transmitter, the coil would get really hot right at the tap. I still don't know why that was, but I figured it was a good sign as it meant something was happening. I also was getting plenty of pops and clicks on the receiver. Anyway, to make a short story long, I decided that the dark mark under the transistor was a bad sign, found an NTE 123 and plugged it in instead. And oh what a wonderful day to hear the first warblings of my very first all scratch built transmitter hitting the airwaves! And here is the video: https://youtu.be/yq2M1ryMkII

  

  Probably more than you wanted to hear, but there it is. I do plan to build an SSB transceiver someday (hoping sooner than later). I feel you and Pete and your podcast have really set me out on the right foot! I hope to HB2HB with you soon!

  Sincerely,

    Eric KD0OXY

Psst... I know a guy with some caps.... Variable caps... Real beauties.... But only for Mighty Mites.

Feast your eyes my friends.   That is 400 micro-microfarads of variable capacitance.  (400 picofarads for you sophisticated young folks.)   A benefactor interested in expanding the ranks of the Color-Burst Liberation Army has stepped forward to make us an offer that is hard to resist:  He will send ELIGIBLE recipients one each of these fine electronic components for the cost of postage (approximately 6 bucks in the USA). 

He has specified that ELIGIBILITY is limited to those who need this part to build or complete a Michigan Mighty Mite.   And I have been appointed "Grand Poobah and Chief Arbiter of Capacitor Eligibility." 

So here is the deal:  Send me an e-mail telling me about your planned or stalled Michigan Mighty Mite project.  Include some information about your personal "Knack Story"  -- tell us why you share in this strange compulsion to build a largely useless 250 mW 3.579 MHz oscillator.   If I find your plans believable and your Knack Story compelling,  I will recommend you for a capacitor.  Purely aspirational MMM projects and obviously fabricated Knack Stories will not make the cut.

Supplies are limited, so act now! 

Stuart AC9LZ's Mighty Mite

FB Stuart!  Great work.  Pete is sending you info on a Low Pass filter that will clean up that harmonic-rich signal. 

Brazilian Minimalism: The Curruira Transmitter

Miguel PY2OHH is the Wizard of Sao Paulo. This morning I was looking at his wonderful web site and came across this little rig.  It seems a bit simpler than our beloved Michigan Mighty Mite.  And the folks down in Brazil had several of these on the air and made contacts with them.  FB.  Miguel hints they may turn this rig into a transceiver. 

Here is the Curruira:

http://py2ohh.w2c.com.br/trx/curruira/curruira.htm

 

 

The rig is named for this little bird: 

 

 

SolderSmoke Podcast #181 Of Dongles and DX-100s -- SDR vs. HDR, Music & Art, 2B, HB2HB, Noise, The Martian, VK3YE's New Book

Two RTL SDR Dongles in front of a DX-100 Transmitter

SolderSmoke Podcast #181 is available:

http://soldersmoke.com/soldersmoke181.mp3

17 October 2015

-- Our audience IGNORES Pete's guitar intro!
-- Pete on QSO Today Podcast.
-- Part 97, The Radio Art and International Goodwill.
BENCH REPORTS:
-- Pete connects his new beam to the KX3.
-- Pete puts the Bell-thorn on 20.
-- Simple-ceiver update.
-- Pete's new drum machine: http://makezine.com/2015/10/15/learn-electronics-worlds-oldest-drum-machine/
-- Bill fights noise in the DIGI-TIA.
-- Bill fights power-line noise (and wins!).
-- Drake 2B, skirts, reduction drives, and tuning rates.
-- Warming up (with!) the DX-100.

-- N2CQR -- N6QW  First Ever HB2HB QSO.

-- On 40 AM with an HT-37
-- Listening to Chinese CubeSats.
-- SDR Dongle as a bandwidth checker.

-- SDR and the Future of Homebrew Radio.

-- Bryan's LBS Receiver.
-- Dean's First Ever QSO with his HB rig.

-- 32 Mighty Mites Completed

-- The Martian -- Did Mark Watney REALLY have the Knack?

-- MAILBAG:
Peter Parker's New Book
Sparks from Ron Sparks
Armand's 1Watter
Rogier's  pyro machine
BIG boxes from Tim KI6BGE
Mikele's ZIA and N6QW rig collection
SPRAT 141 and SPRAT 164

Saskatchewan Mighty Mite (Video)

 

Bill and Pete,

Tonight I have had my first experience with the joy of oscillation!   I'm so happy to have my M3 oscillating!  This was a great first project and look forward to seeing if I can't build a lowpass filter to go with it.  As you recommended Bill, I reconfigured my initial board to make things much more compact thus keeping the lead length short.  For the coil, i used a 1.25in wooden dowel and it worked great!  Here are a few photos.  Thanks a lot for the crystal!  Video will be coming soon.

Looking forward to Pete's 40m transceiver project.  Keep up the great podcast!

Daniel

VE5DLD

 

 

Mighty Mite with Homebrew Capacitor Made from Two Cans (video)

Paul Hodges, KA5WPL, didn't have the variable capacitor called for by the Michigan Mighty Mite schematic.  So in the true spirit of the International Brotherhood of Electronic Wizards, he rolled his own!  He used two empty aluminum cans and some electrical tape.  Wow,  that's really cool Paul. 

You have truly earned you membership in the Color Burst Liberation Army, and for the capacitor I award you the prestigious Brass Figlagee with Bronze Oak Leaf Palm.

An Enthusiastic Recruit for the Color-Burst Liberation Army



Hey Bill and Pete

Man, I am loving the podcast! 

It is absolutely what I need, and what ham radio needs today!!!

I am at about episode 168 trying to catch up.

I would really like to build a Mighty Mite.

In fact, going on the record,  

I AM GOING TO BUILD THE MICHIGAN MIGHTY MITE.

If you have any crystals left could you please send me one.

I've got a 9 year old boy that's home schooled and I want to make this electronics hobby a stepping stone to a higher learning experience. 

I got in to ham radio to learn electronics and somewhere along the line I just learned how to send and receive CW and how to pass multiple choice question tests. Somehow along the way I lost my love of radio. I still have a nice modern day rig, but it has no "soul". I heard that comment in one of your episodes and it really rang a bell with me and when it rang I said,

 "Oooh, that's Awesome! "

I want a radio experience with soul!

I think that maybe why folks still use CW. It's a mode with soul. I know you champion SSB, but home brewing a CW transmitter and receiver has got to be a truly soulful experience.  And its one I intend to have as one of my own.

 I too want to enjoy the "Joy of Oscillation ".

With you guys inspiring me, I am sure this will be a wonderful adventure. 

THANK YOU! THANK YOU! THANK YOU!

For your guidance and inspiring work in the field of homebrew radio.

Sincerely,

Paul Hodges

KA5WPL 

P.S.

The chemistry of you 2 guys on the show REALLY remind me of Click and Clack. You guys really work well together! 

PLEASE DON'T STOP!

73

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

Paul:  Consider yourself inducted.   There are, however, some conditions:

1) You MUST build the MMM and make it oscillate (thus experiencing the JoO).

2) You MUST send a picture or (better) a video of your MMM in operation.

3) You have to give me permission to put your e-mail (below) on the SS blog.

4) You have to send me your address so I can issue you a for-real SS 3.579 crystal (with mojo).

Deal?  73  Bill

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

Deal,

I'll do my best to get video, at the very least I'll get pics.

As for making it actually oscillate, well if the "radio gods" let it be then I'll be having some good vibrations going on in the shack. Hope to have it going before first snow...of 2015...

Also, being inspired as I am, I made a CW contact with 5 watts since I emailed you last. 

Thanks for helping me get the fun and excitement and the adventure back in to ham radio!

Sincerely,

Ka5wpl

P.S.

Please send a card if you have one with the crystal. 

PPS  Also why not initial it if you've got a small enough pen :)

73

----------

Paul's Knack Story is here: http://www.qsl.net/ka5wpl/

Our book: "SolderSmoke -- Global Adventures in Wireless Electronics" http://soldersmoke.com/book.htm Our coffee mugs, T-Shirts, bumper stickers: http://www.cafepress.com/SolderSmoke Our Book Store: http://astore.amazon.com/contracross-20

Colin's Tuna Tin Mighty Mite (Video)

You will remember Colin as the builder of that beautiful BITX20 that he first used from his backyard and later used with great success from a hilltop in Northern England.  In this video we see Colin demonstrating his Michigan Mighty Mite.  Lots of soul in that little machine!   Colin notes that this rig worked well from the start.   The Radio Gods were obviously pleased by his use of a tuna tin as the chassis.  I think they also liked the MePads from W1REX and the Tek 465 'scope.   And of course the T-shirt was obviously a key element in Colin's success.  

Here is that beautiful BITX, now equipped with an internal speaker:



Our book: "SolderSmoke -- Global Adventures in Wireless Electronics" http://soldersmoke.com/book.htm Our coffee mugs, T-Shirts, bumper stickers: http://www.cafepress.com/SolderSmoke Our Book Store: http://astore.amazon.com/contracross-20

KC2THY's Mighty Mite - A Thing of Beauty

Bill,

I have been a listener of the Soldersmoke Podcasts for several years now and I have worked my way through most of the back episodes of the podcast. It is terrific production and has taught me so much about radio electronics. I have also read all of your books. Thanks for what you do for this hobby.

Attached is a photo of my recently completed Michigan Mighty Mite.  The FFT function in my scope confirms a good clean signal and it sounds great when I listen to it on another radio. I am sure that the photo depicts one of the worst looking MMMs to date. I built it on a solderless breadboard as I have never built anything using Manhattan or ugly construction techniques. It was a great introduction to very basic homebrew electronics.

Thanks again,

John Stockman, KC2THY

Morristown, NJ

Our book: "SolderSmoke -- Global Adventures in Wireless Electronics" http://soldersmoke.com/book.htm Our coffee mugs, T-Shirts, bumper stickers: http://www.cafepress.com/SolderSmoke Our Book Store: http://astore.amazon.com/contracross-20