Showing posts with label Tubes. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Tubes. Show all posts
Saturday, July 25, 2026

Someone Else Used the FT-101 VFO Box -- JA9MAT in Japan

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Look at that!   The VFO from the venerable (1970s!) Yaesu FT-101 lives on, not only in Northern Virginia, but also in its country of origin,...
1 comment:
Friday, July 24, 2026

A Homebrew X-Ray Machine from North Macedonia

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It has been a long time since we saw anything like the X-ray machine described in CL Stong's classic book "The Amateur Scientist....
Friday, July 10, 2026

The Nuvistor, Thermatrons, RCA, Patents, the Rise of Asian Competitors (and my Parks Electronics 2 Meter Converter)

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Asianometry always does a great job with this stuff, although I find myself grimacing when he speaks positively about Sarnoff.  Nevertheless...
2 comments:
Thursday, June 18, 2026

The RT-6 and RR-6 Motorola "Spy Set"

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I don't know if this rig really qualifies as a "spy set" but it nevertheless is very interesting.   It is a tube rig, designed...
3 comments:
Monday, June 8, 2026

Pete N6QW's "Last Ditcher" CW Thermatron Rig -- Frank Jones would approve. A new installment of the FMLA series?

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I like this rig.  Perhaps I like it too much.  I find myself plotting to build it myself.  I mean, I have tubes.  I have a bunch of old part...
1 comment:
Sunday, June 7, 2026

Helge LA6NCA's Norwegian Paraset

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This is a very cool video.  I even liked Helge's creative use of AI for the narration.  It was amazing that this old rig still works.   ...
4 comments:
Friday, May 29, 2026

A Quick Review of "Open Circuits" by Eric Schlaepfer and Windell H. Oskay

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Wednesday's post about this book caused me to pull it off my shelf and to take another look. Highlights from the SolderSmoke perspectiv...
Sunday, May 24, 2026

CuriousMarc Repairs the French Oscilloscope of His Youth -- ACHTUNG!

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It was very cool to watch CuriousMarc go back and repair the French Oscilloscope that he used as a kid.  I was reminded of my work on a Tek ...
Sunday, May 3, 2026

Radio Receivers -- 1942 Training Film -- Crystal Sets to Superhets

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This 17 minute film provides a good but simplified description of the state of the art at the start of World War II.  --  The description of...
6 comments:
Tuesday, April 28, 2026

Homebrew Cylindrical Variable Capacitors: What the Steering Wheels are Controlling in Danny's Regen Receiver

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Grayson KJ7UM asked a very good question about Danny ON1MWS's regen receiver :  What were those two very cool "steering wheels...
Thursday, April 9, 2026

ANOTHER AMAZING Homebrew Station -- This one from Belgium -- ON1MWS

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  Those large "steering wheels" on the regen rig caught my attention, and I'm glad they did, because they led me to the sites ...
7 comments:
Saturday, December 27, 2025

The Coastwatchers -- Their Rigs and Their Islands

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  AWA Teleradio 3BZ used by coastwatchers during the war Source: Australian War Memorial (P01035 .006) Here is a great site about the AWA 3B...
1 comment:
Wednesday, December 24, 2025

A VERY Interesting Old "Steam Punk" Homebrew Thermatron Rig -- Can You Suggest A Home for this Rig? (Video)

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Oh man.  They got me at the breadboard, but there was so much more:   -- A mercury switch --  A homebrew variometer -- A reading lamp -- A s...
1 comment:
Thursday, August 7, 2025

SolderSmoke Podcast 261: Travel, AI-Apocalypse, ARRL Award, Amplifiers (with Claude) , Transcoms, Smoke released in DR, QRP, CW, MAILBAG

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SolderSmoke Podcast #261 is available for download:  Audio:  http://soldersmoke.com/soldersmoke261.mp3 Video:   https://www.youtube.com/watc...
5 comments:
Tuesday, July 29, 2025

The Guy with the USB-powered X-Ray Machine -- The Identity of the Project 326 Builder

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This morning a comment came in from Hong Kong/Shenzhen that explained who Project 326 is and why he was saying "tubes" and not ...
2 comments:
Friday, July 18, 2025

Britain's EF-50 Valve (Tube, Thermatron) in WWII

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Thanks to Rogier PA1ZZ for sending us this. 
2 comments:
Wednesday, May 21, 2025

Grayson Evans KJ7UM Interview at Four Days in May at the Dayton Hamvention 2025

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  LISTEN TO THE INTERVIEW HERE:  http://soldersmoke.com/KJ7UM at Dayton 2025.mp3 Grayson said quite a lot in this short 4 minute interview: ...