Wednesday, December 31, 2025

Is the Veritasium Guy Retiring? Google says SolderSmoke is "Low Value Content."

›
I have been a fan for many years.  His comments on the vile influence of the algorithm and AI are right on target.   Google recently informe...
5 comments:
Saturday, December 27, 2025

The Coastwatchers -- Their Rigs and Their Islands

›
  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:
Thursday, December 25, 2025

Alexanderson Alternator on 17.2 kHz Copied by YO2DXE in Romania

›
  On December 1st 1924, the 20kW Alexanderson Alternator with the call sign "SAQ" was put into commercial operation with telegram ...

The AN/PRC-74 -- A Covert Contact, An Analog Synthesizer, A Benefit of Channelization, and a Good Thing about Band Noise

›
I have a sentimental tie to this older military transceiver, for several reasons:   -- This was probably the transceiver that we hauled into...
2 comments:
Wednesday, December 24, 2025

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

›
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:
Tuesday, December 23, 2025

Pete N6QW Asks Copilot about Homebrew vs. Store Bought

›
Copilot is remarkably perceptive.   This AI-generated message really explains very well the differences between homebrew and store bought ge...
4 comments:
Sunday, December 21, 2025

Frank Jones W6AJF on Homebrew, Thermatrons, and VHF

›
We are in the Dominican Republic now. I thought SolderSmoke blog readers would like the introduction to Frank Jones W6AJF's VHF handbook...
2 comments:
Saturday, December 20, 2025

Bricoleur -- "Someone Who Fixes Stuff with Whatever he Finds Around"

›
A short time ago Paul VK3HN told us about the term bricolage. It seemed to capture much of the homebrew spirit.  This morning I heard Van Ne...
1 comment:
Friday, December 19, 2025

Why 3.579 MHz for Old Color TVs? The Origins of the CBLA

›
As the Commanding General of the Color-Burst Liberation Army, I have often wondered why so many of these 3.579 MHz crystals were made.  Heck...
Thursday, December 18, 2025

Happy Birthday to Pete Juliano N6QW

›
  That, my friends, is the look of a steely-eyed homebrewer taking a break from the soldering iron by belting out a few noodled chords for S...
11 comments:
Tuesday, December 16, 2025

Arduino, Adafruit, Open Source, Qualcomm, and all that

›
This is not really my thing, but the changes to 60 meter rules recently caused me to crack open some older Arduino/Si5351 and AD9850 VFOs, s...
5 comments:
Friday, December 12, 2025

15 kHz of 60 meters FINALLY Liberated! But Watch Out for the 9.15 Watt ERP Limit

›
My 60 meter rig in 2017 Here's a reminder of how long this took:  When Bob KD4EBM alerted me to the ARRL announcement that 15 kHz of the...
8 comments: