A Really Interesting Workshop Video -- Please comment!

My posting of this video should clearly demonstrate the I am not a Ludite (one d), and that I am not opposed to technological change.   I mean, look, Will has a Pick-and-Place machine.  He has 3D printers.  He has microscopes.  I will likely never have these things in my shacks. But he has them, and uses them, and does a great job of explaining them.   

I was also attracted to the video by the 12'x8' size of this shop.  This rougly matches the sizes of both my Virginia and my Dominican Republic shacks.  

I really liked the way Will built this shack.  Many good ideas are in there.  I especially liked his choice of flooring, and his ceiling mounting of video camera and microphone. 

Like I said, lots of good ideas here.   What did you find useful in the video?  Please comment below. 

My AI QSL Card: Wood Boxes, a D-104, Books, a 'Scope, the EB-63A, Guapo, our Sticker, and a Cup of Coffee! KK0S's Cards

Inspired by the ZL2BNE card sent to me by VK3HN, and the excellent question from Walter KA4KXX,  I endeavored today to create a QSL card that was sort of like that of OM ZL2BNE.  

I kind of like the result: 

-- We have the wooden box rigs.  I am working on one of them.  (That happens a lot!)

-- There is a D-104.

-- We see the EB-63 .1kW Linear. 

--  There are books on the shelf:  SSDRA, EMRFD and SPRAT in a binder.   And we see a book by Hayward.  

-- There is an oscilloscope.  

-- There is a nice map of Northern Virginia and my Maidenhead Grid Square. 

-- We see Guapo, and a cup of coffee. 

-- We also see the SolderSmoke sticker. 

Here is how I did this:  

I used https://www.canva.com/  You have to select the AI option.  Then I told it I wanted it to look like the ZL2BNE card (I sent them a copy).  At that point you have to start modifying what the AI comes up with.  You have to do this many times until you get it sort of right.  

Please send me your results! 

Here are a couple of QSLs that Bruce KK0S did with ChatGPT: 

WA4CHQ -- A Virginian QRPer and Homebrewer

    

This guy had a Drake 2-B,  Heathkit DX-35 with VF-1, and an FT-101EE.   He builds homebrew rigs.  He sailed from England to Virginia on a reproduction of a 1607 ship. 

He notes that Wes W7ZOI was and is his mentor. FB OM.  

Check out his QRZ page:  https://www.qrz.com/db/WA4CHQ 

A QSO with Dean KK4DAS (Northern Virginia to Dominican Republic)

Dean KK4DAS was checking out his new homebrew solid state 100 watt amplifier.  We were talking about it on the phone, then we decided to give it a try on the air.  Above is the Dominican end of the QSO.  It was great to talk to Dean on the air.  Below is how the QSO looked and sounded from Dean's QTH in Northern Virginia:

 

 Next we need to bring Pete into the conversation so that we can have an All-SolderSmoke QSO.  

A Visit to the U.S. National Radio Astronomy Observatory (and the surrounding Quiet Zone)

Because my kids went to college in the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia, I sometimes found myself asking Google Maps how long it would take to get to the radio astronomy observatory at Green Bank, West Virginia.  It looked close on the map, but as these two guys found out, it really was quite far away.  So we never made the trip.  I am glad that these guys did. See the video above. 

Look, I am a former member of the SARA, the Society of Amateur Radio Astronomers.  I am a huge fan of the Parkes Radio Telescope in Australia, the focal point (!) of the movie "The Dish."   I also have on my shelf the book, "Big Ear Two -- Listening for Other Worlds" by John Kraus W8JK:  

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_D._Kraus.  I am really interested in this stuff.  

This video was a really nice look at the observatory and at the surrounding area.  I may have to try again to get out there: 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Radio_Astronomy_Observatory

 

Heard on the Old Military Radio Net: W4SVA

 

So there I was, early Saturday morning (earlier here -- we are one hour ahead of the East Coast) listening -- as I do -- to the Old Military Radio net.  3385 kHz  AM. I use the K3FEF Web SDR in Pennsylvania.  I heard a station that sounded familiar: Chris W4SVA.  He said he was in the Shenandoah valley and was receiving on an R-390A and transmitting with a homebrew rig.  I kind of remembered talking to a guy with a station like that.  I searched through the SolderSmoke blog.  No joy.  Then I remembered it was probably a log entry.  There he is, W4SVA.  Here is his QRZ page:  https://www.qrz.com/db/W4SVA  I was almost certainly on the K2ZA DX-100.  

Here's my log entry:  

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12 August 2018

75AM W4SVA Chris in the Shenandoah, 15 miles south of Harrisonburg.  Very FB.  AM guy.  Building rack-mount rig.  Lots of HB stuff.  Sent him the Shenandoah rocket pictures.

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I also heard Buzz W3EMD from the Hudson Valley -- the dynamotor was clearly audible. FB Buzz. 

Thanks Chris. And thanks again to John Zaruba for the DX-100.