Podcasting since 2005! Listen to Latest SolderSmoke
Friday, September 16, 2022
Fixing Up An Old Homebrew Rig -- Barebones Superhet and VXO 6 Watter
Tuesday, August 23, 2022
SolderSmoke Podcast #156 -- November 4, 2013 -- Interview with Peter Parker VK3YE of Melbourne, Australia
Special hour-long interview with Peter Parker, VK3YE
-- Early experiences with radio
-- CW
-- DSB Gear
-- Simple gear, and gear that is TOO simple
-- VXOs, Super VXOs and Ceramic Resonators
-- Building receivers
-- Chips vs. Discrete
-- Making the leap to SSB
-- The Knob-less wonder and the BITX
-- No need for a sophisticated workshop
-- Advice for new phone QRPers
Peter's Blog: https://vk3ye.com/
Peter's YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/user/vk3ye/featured
Monday, July 4, 2022
Ciprian Got His Ticket: YO6DXE (and Romanian Mighty Mite FIXED!)
Ciprian writes:
Thank you so much to you all... and thank you SolderSmoke for always writing about my learning in homebrew gear. I did finally got my license... just waiting for the paperwork to arrive. But now I'm finally YO6DXE ( DX Explorer lol ). I did found my issue with the power... it seems that it's from the cheap BD139 that doesn't seem to work as expected. I get about 500mW with a 2n2222. So I ended up making another version of the transmitter that I'm really happy about. 73 to you all DE YO6DXE.
SolderSmoke posts about Ciprian: https://soldersmoke.blogspot.com/search?q=Ciprian
Ciprian's QRZ.com page: https://www.qrz.com/db/YO6DXE
Ciprian's blog: https://dxexplorer.com/
Ciprian's YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/c/DXExplorer
Sunday, June 26, 2022
ZL2BMI Double Sideband QRP Transmitter in SPRAT #191
Very cool that SPRAT had a Double Sideband (DSB) transmitter article in its current issue (#191 Summer 2022). The author is DSB guru Eric Sears ZL2BMI,creator of the famous ZL2BMI DSB QRP transceiver.
I think DSB is a great way to break into homebrewing for phone. Building a DSB transmitter is a LOT easier than building an SSB rig. The DSB transmitter can then be converted into a DSB/Direct Conversion transceiver.
Here is a link to 75 SolderSmoke blog posts about DSB (keep on scrolling, keep on hitting the "older posts" button): https://soldersmoke.blogspot.com/search/label/DSB
Here are a bunch of blog posts that mention ZL2BMI: https://soldersmoke.blogspot.com/search?q=ZL2BMI
Thank you Eric, and thanks to G-QRP.
Tuesday, June 14, 2022
Hans Summers G0UPL Wins FDIM 2N2222A Power Out Challenge -- 4.1 Watts from Two 2N2222As
Monday, June 13, 2022
SolderSmoke FDIM Interview with Keith W. Whites -- Teaching Electronic Design to EE students using a QRP Transceiver designed by Wayne Burdick
I told Keith Whites that I had struggled to understand the Gilbert Cell and the NE602, the device that lies at the heart of the rig used in both courses: The NE-602 Gilbert Cell Mixer used in Wayne Burdick's NORCAL 40A. Here is how I came to understand the device: https://soldersmoke.blogspot.com/2021/11/how-to-understand-ne-602-and-gilbert.html
Here is Bob Crane's interview: http://soldersmoke.com/2022 Whites.mp3
Here the slides that Keith used at FDIM: http://soldersmoke.com/2022 Teaching NorCal40A.pdf
Keith's students obviously got a lot out of this course. Keith has kindly offered to make his course notes available to those who need them.
Thanks to Bob Crane, Keith Whites, David Rutledge and Wayne Burdick.
Friday, June 10, 2022
SolderSmoke FDIM Interview: Adam K6ARK and his 2.6 gram Mini-Pixie SMD Transceiver
I liked how Adam recorded in the field the CW from his rig, I also liked his key (!) and his EFHW antenna and "tuner." Adam's ability to cope with no CW sidetone was also admirable.
Adam's YouTube channel is here: https://www.youtube.com/c/K6ARKPortableRadio
Thanks to Adam and to Bob Crane.
Sunday, May 15, 2022
"Dream It - Make It" -- Rich WB4TLM, Mrs. Filoramo, and C.F. Rockey W9SCH (aka The Rock)
Wednesday, March 23, 2022
First Ever Contact on 12 Meters: Homebrew, QRP, SSB, DX (Video)
There is a LOT of soul in this new rig. Here is a partial list of contributors:
-- Overall BITX design: Farhan VU2ESE
-- Termination Insensitive Amplifiers (TIA): Wes Hayward W7ZOI and Bob Kopski K3NHI.
-- TIA boards from Todd K7TFC
-- ASK-1 Mixer from Armand WA1UQO
-- VFO design parameters from Joe Carr K4IPV (SK)
-- VFO stability ideas from Frank Harris K0IYE and Mike Murphy WU2D.
-- HT-37 Tuning Capacitor bought from e-bay at suggestion of Pete Juliano N6QW.
-- Pine board base of the rig: Frank Jones (SK) W6AJF's preferred building technique.
-- DTC Band-Pass filter circuits from Han Summers G0UPL.
-- Low pass filter values from G-QRP web site.
-- Idea of using RD06HHT instead of IRF-510 in the final: Pete Juliano
-- Heat sink from Chris KD4PBJ
-- Trifilar Toroids used in many places from Farhan VU2ESE.
Thanks to all. 73 Bill
Thursday, March 3, 2022
Sunday, February 6, 2022
FLASHBACK: The Herring Aid 5 Direct Conversion Receiver and Frank Jones (Video)
Saturday, February 5, 2022
Thomas K4SWL -- SOTA Activation on Bearwallow Mountain, North Carolina (video)
Friday, February 4, 2022
Barefoot Ham Radio -- PA2OHH's Wonderful Web Site
Barefoot technology or simple, non-professional radio technology and real Barefoot power or harmless QRP power, that is what you will find here. There are some complex designs but many designs are simple radio amateur circuits. They will never be used professionally!
These simple circuits and rigs can give you much fun: home brewing, portable activities during holidays, etc.
Batteries and inverted V dipole antenna's with a fishing rod as the center support are all you need to make many QSO's.
Much fun!
Barefoot technology and Barefoot power can give you much fun, but is not perfect... There are disadvantages like VXO control instead of a VFO, direct conversion receivers that receive both sidebands and simple frequency displays that are not so easy to read. But working with such simple equipment is often more exciting than working with a much better commercial transceiver.
Perhaps that you cannot believe that you can make many QSO's with QRP power of only 1 watt. Indeed, some practice is needed in the beginning so do not give up too soon. Every boring standard QSO becomes an exciting experience with QRP power!
--------------
Check out Onno's site: https://www.qsl.net/pa2ohh/
Thursday, December 2, 2021
Peter Parker VK3YE Inducted Into QRP Hall of Fame
Thanks to VK3HN for alerting me to this.
Wednesday, September 8, 2021
SST -- QRP On The Beach
Wednesday, August 25, 2021
Video: E. Howard Armstrong and Early Radio
Sunday, July 4, 2021
Romanian Mighty Mite and Ciprian's Knack Story
Tuesday, June 29, 2021
Jack NG2E's Pebble Crusher
Check out NG2E's Pebble Crusher homebrew transmitter. Doug DeMaw would be enormously pleased.
Jack will no-doubt have this 250 mW rig on the some peak along the Shenandoah Valley, handing out QSOs to SOTA fans.
Jack's blog page has a really nice video on this project:
https://jackhaefner.blogspot.com/2021/06/pebble-crusher-40m-xmtr.html
Monday, June 14, 2021
Santo Domingo Shack on 12th Floor Balcony -- SST QRP CW