Amazing Homebrew/Boatanchors QSOs on 40 --Six solder melters in a row!

Al W8VR

After a day of happy tinkering with the Direct Conversion receiver I've been working on, I turned off the soldering iron and got on 40 meter SSB with my BITX Digi-Tia. 

First -- Steve W4IJ came back to my CQ.  Steve is a boatanchor enthusiast and has written for Electric Radio magazine.  FB. 

W4IJ Boatanchors

When Steve signed off, I got into a contact with Pete W8NBO.  We had spoken before and he had told me of a homebrew transmitter he'd built as a kid.  This time I asked for details: It was a 6AG7 oscillator to a 6L6 amplifier.  He ran it with an S38 (brave man!).  He described what must have been a very painful effort to hack (literally) the needed holes in the transmitter chassis using just a spike, a hammer and a file.  I told him this brought back my memories of similarly painful chassis work (mine was for a power supply for a Heath HW-32A).

At this point we were joined by Arnie, W2HDI.   Arnie's rig is in Stowe Vermont, but he was running it remote from the South of France where he and his wife were celebrating their 50th wedding anniversary.  Arnie shared with us memories of similar chassis pain -- his were related to an external modulator that he built for a DX-40. I think he said that all he had was a hole punch and a file.  Oh, the humanity! 

Then Al W8VR joined the conversation.  Al said that he's been in the game so long that his early rigs were built using cigar boxes as chassis.  I pointed to a connection:  I noted that my BITX rigs are enclosed in what could be considered cigar boxes.  Al's QRZ page picture has a magnificent AM rack rig that he said was actually built twice.  There is also an HRO-60 in the picture.  FB. Check it all out at Al's web site.  Click on the mic for the write ups, the key for the pictures.  http://www.w8vr.org/

Then Dennis K0EOO called in.  Holy Cow!   Dennis and I spoke not long ago.  You may recall my enthusiastic write up of his beautiful 1974 SSB rig: 

http://soldersmoke.blogspot.com/2017/08/k0eoo-homebrew-ssb-in-1974.html

and

http://soldersmoke.blogspot.com/2017/08/more-on-k0eoos-amazing-homebrew-ssb-rig.html

This was almost too much.  Rarely will you spontaneously come across so many hams who have melted so much solder.  FB. 

Icing on the cake:   When I returned to the bench, I fired up the DC receiver and heard Mike KN4EAR talking about his BITX40.  I switched to the Digi-Tia and gave Mike a call.  He reports making many contacts with his rig. FB. 

TRGHS. 

Beautiful QSL by Jeff Murray K1NSS

Here's a reminder of the amazing art work of Jeff Murray K1NSS. 
You can have him draw a QSL for you:   Go here:
https://www.jeffk1nss.com/hamgraphics/

Jeff writes: 

Well, I got as far as high school intermediate algebra and then I saw a squirrel.

Thank goodness others like Ken N2WWD were paying attention and went on to surf gravity's rainbow of flight dynamics, all in a day's work and play for rocket scientists. Tandem surfing and professional activities somewhat aside, Ken is also actively involved with ARISS, i.e. Amateur Radio on the International Space Station, the group guiding ham radio operations aboard ISS. So Kelvin cool to work with Ken on this New One, with Ken cooking up a special Easter Egg for all you galactic hitchhikers!

What might I draw with you?https://www.jeffk1nss.com/hamgraphics/

Jan's FB Slovakian SMD TIA Boards

Hello,

I have put up my SMD version of the TIA amplifier boards online, in case

someone wants it. The files are here:

http://janoc.rd-h.com/archives/574

and direct OSHPark order link:

https://oshpark.com/shared_projects/2V9cuV1M

73!, Jan

Peter Sripol Takes Off In His Homebrew Airplane

Termination Insensitive Amp Boards from VU3ZMV -- Eagle Files

Bill: 

Here are the eagle file data for the TIA, that I love to use as incorporated in Farhan's ubitx.

The TIA , I tried to realise two such on a double sided pcb measuring less than an inch.

 It mounts one TIA on each side.  I suppose one could simply homebrew.

It has provision for 5 pin berg (male right angle) and would be easy to plug into the main board. We may not need PTH except the connector. We can use bare pins soldering on either side.

Here are the eagle files I created.

Sarma's TIA Board

Sarma's TIA schematic

regards
Sarma

 vu3zmv

The Ham-Radio Thermatron Roots of Silicon Valley

Hack-A-Day had an excellent piece on tubes and Silicon Valley this week.  Makes me want to get the book "Secret History of Silicon Valley." 

https://hackaday.com/2017/11/02/silicon-valley-was-built-on-tubes-of-glass/ 

Note above the Klystron prototype mounted on a wooden board.   These guys clearly had THE KNACK. 

Another Source for BITX Amp Boards - AG4ZP

Thanks for sharing (the infor on the modular BITX boards). I actually had a similar idea a number of years ago and designed a small PCB for the ubiquitous BITX amplifier design. I have the project shared on OSH Park and you can get three of them shipped for $5.

The project is shared here.
73,
Ryan AG4ZP

https://oshpark.com/shared_projects/6mnfQQ6e