SolderSmoke Podcast #159: Hamfests, Herring Aids, and Tuna Tins

 

SolderSmoke Podcast #159 is available.

 



http://soldersmoke.com/soldersmoke159.mp3

April 1, 2014
Vienna Wireless Hamfest
BITX Talk
W1REX speaks
Tuna Tin 2 Mojo Transfer Ceremony
After 38 years -- finishing my Herring Aid 5 receiver
Feedback, Phasing Dots, Rotational Sense, and Oscillation (or not)
Motorboating (when you don't want to)
Building my Tuna Tin 2 with parts from W1REX
On the air with Tuna Tin and Herring Aid
More Minimalist Meanderings:
An (Almost) All Altoid Crystal Radio!
Tek 465 dies (again) :-(
MAILBAG

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First Contact with Herring Aid 5 AND Tuna Tin 2

Ah, it was a good morning in the N2CQR shack!  Last week I ran into fellow ham David Cowhig at work.   I was regaling him with tales of Herring Aid and Tuna Tin derring-do.  Oh the stations I had heard with the receiver!  And the stations that I'd worked with the transmitter!   Then David asked the question: "Yea, but have you worked anybody with the receiver paired up with the transmitter?"  Uh, no.  Not yet. 

 

Well this morning I took care of that.  7040 kc.   1115 UTC.  W4ELP was calling CQ.  He wasn't too strong, and I wasn't sure if we were on the same side of zero beat (that's what happens with direct conversion -- you get all the sigs in two places on the dial) but I took a shot at it.  And he heard me! 

 

Here's the icing on the cake:  This was his SECOND QSO with my Tuna Tin 2!  Ed had been contact #4 when I was running the TT2 with the Drake 2B.   After exchanging reports he asked "Bill ARE YOU STILL ON THE TUNA TIN?" 

 

The rig (TX AND RX) is pictured above.   Close-up of the receiver appears below.  And below that is a picture of Ed, W4ELP, in his Georgia shack.  Note the HW-8.

 

Thanks Ed! Thanks David!

 



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Harv's DDS Function Generator

Nice looking DDS function generator Harv!  Glad to see the HT-37 in the background. (And it appears well protected -- is that some sort of digital shielding to protect it from the bits and bytes?) The eraser buttons are a nice touch. Good luck with the Minima!

Hi Bill,

 

Well I have nearly completed my DDS Function Generator as I prepare to construct the Minima.

 

The Function Generator was a necessity for the bench so I can tackle Tweaking and Troubleshooting my work.

It is housed an aluminum box and completely self-contained.

My objective was to have the choice, to either lay the unit flat on the work surface or stand it on a shelf for easy reading while seated.

The Generator has both a  DDS and HF-ECG output.

The buttons are fashioned from White Pencil Erasers since finding proper buttons for the membrane keypad beneath was difficult.

 

I have obtained a set of Farhan’s Boards for the Minima but will begin my effort with a Manhattan Style Construction so I can perfect my choice of parts.

The soldering iron is heating and I’m ready for a new and exciting challenge.

 

Happy Solder Melting Everyone!

 

Harv -=WA3EIB=-

Albq., NM.

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

Remotely Controlled Stations on the Internet

Now for something completely different!  

I  find myself talking fairly often to hams who are using remote transceivers.  The operator will be in say, Michigan, with the rig in Florida.  Some of them are using the online system:

http://www.remotehams.com/

I signed up and downloaded the software.   It works very well.  Many of the stations are closed to outsiders, and some of them don't let you transmit, but it is fun to listen from remote locations.

This morning I hooked up the Tuna Tin 2 and was able to hear my 200 mW signal through AI4W's receiver in Kentucky. 

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

Hackaday Goes to Shanghai

http://hackaday.com/2014/03/24/the-gathering-shanghais-hackaday-community/


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

VU2JN's "Transistor Transmitter from India"

VU2JN

VU2INJ's very interesting blog led me to a wonderful 1967 QST article by VU2JN.  Check it out.  Necessity truly is the mother of invention and -- as is the case with our beloved BITX -- we see that in the design of this transmitter.  I love how the speaker was left in the cabinet and used as the microphone.  Check it out:

http://vu3inj.blogspot.in/2014/01/tribute-to-vu2jn.html

More on VU2JN (who very clearly merits "Homebrew Hero" status):

http://shipwreck1.hopto.org:8080/projects/hamprojects/VU2JNArchive/

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

The Really BIG Discovery (Cosmology, Gravity Waves, Inflation)

The signals that were announced this week are a bit outside our normal frequency range, but this is a REALLY BIG discovery so of course, it needs to be covered by SolderSmoke Daily News. I liked this info-graphic from space.com. It is worth looking at. Note the line "The universe continues infinitely outside Earth's Hubble volume."

http://www.space.com/25075-cosmic-inflation-universe-expansion-big-bang-infographic.html

Source SPACE.com: All about our solar system, outer space and exploration.
Source SPACE.com: All about our solar system, outer space and exploration.

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

A Short Video on my Herring Aid 5

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

The Ladybird TRF (Regen!) Receiver

http://www.mds975.co.uk/Content/trfradios02.html

My feelings about regenerative receivers and their possible connections to the nether-world are well known.  But the receiver described on this beautiful British web site is almost enough to make me change my mind.  Thanks to Stephen, G7VFY, for alerting me to this (and to so many other great sites!)   I also find myself forced to give regens another chance because George Dobbs, G3RJV, was the original source of this design.  It comes from a book he wrote in 1972.    I love the wooden bread-board construction.  Thanks Stephen!  Thanks George!



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

The Wizard of Sao Paulo

It has been about 4 years since Miguel, PY2OHH, has been mentioned in this blog.  That's too long!  Miguel has churned out an impressive series of homebrew rigs, the latest of which he calls the Baita Tche.  Does that name look familiar?  It is a play on words using slang from Southern Brazil.  "Baita"  means big or enormous.  "Tche" means "you."  Together they sound sort of like BITX!  Miguel has been building BITX rigs and rigs (like Baita Tche)  similar to Farhan's rig.  Here is his page on Baita Tche:
http://py2ohh.w2c.com.br/trx/baitatche/baitatche.html

Here is his home page with a LONG (almost JF1OZL-ish!) list of projects:
http://py2ohh.w2c.com.br/

Here's his YouTube channel:
http://www.youtube.com/user/py2ohh

Here's a Photostream of some excellent Brazilian homebrew:
 http://www.flickr.com/photos/py2jcm/2066764415/in/photostream/

Muito obrigado Miguel!

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

Farhan's RM386 RF Amplifier

An RF amplifier inspired by a quest for an AF replacement for the LM386.  I like it!  Check it out:

http://www.hfsignals.org/index.php/RF386


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

Herring Aid Motorboating STOPPED!

FIXED!   Following up on suggestions from Tony Fishpool and from Roy Morgan, I put a 10 ohm resistor between the two supply lines and put 100 uF caps to ground at either end of the resistor.   I can now operate the receiver at high AF gain (no problem running a speaker) without the KLUDGE of two power supplies.  The RX sounds great.    I will soon match it up with the equally awesome Tuna Tin 2 for 1976 QRP EXTRAVAGANZA. 

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