SolderSmoke Podcast #143 is available:
http://soldersmoke.com/soldersmoke143.mp3
Cappuccio the Flying Retriever
Kite Flying (no injuries this time!)
April 1 getting more and more difficult
Turtle Wax and Telescope Maintenance
Titan's Orbital period
NJQRP's Amazing "Chat with the Designers"
QRP-Tech and A-QRP
Billy's workbench and computer build
Sony Vaios goes toes up (really)
Digi modes make me grumpy
Kick Panel rig gets a receiver
The Joy of Belden 1671A
I want to bulild a BITX 75/20!
Solar Flux when I was born (300+)
SPRAT 150! Congrats!
Jason NT7S and his new OpenBeacon QRSS kit
BONANZA!
MAILBAG
Our book: "SolderSmoke -- Global Adventures in Wireless Electronics"
http://soldersmoke.com/book.htm
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Monday, May 7, 2012
Saturday, May 5, 2012
Hans Summer's Homebrew 'Scope
The picture right away gives you a sense of the depth of this project, and of the guy who completed it. One of my biggest mistakes in the UK was missing the opportunity to meet Han Summers, G0UPL. Check out Han's Homebrew 'scope project, and be sure to look around his site for other, similar adventures:
http://www.hanssummers.com/tinyscope.html
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
Labels:
oscilloscope,
Summers-Hans,
test gear,
UK
Friday, May 4, 2012
Alan Sends Video Through HIs 'Scope
Who needs plasma screens! Real hams get their video on the screens of Tektronix oscilloscopes!
Good one Alan! Glad to see that you made it onto Hack-a-Day with this one!
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
Labels:
oscilloscope,
video,
wolke -- Alan
Wednesday, May 2, 2012
Kick Panel Progress; Podcast Delay
I'm kind of behind on podcast production, but once again I have a good excuse: I've been melting solder. I decided to finally finish the Kick Panel DSB rig that I started building back in London. It is built on a kitchen cutting board purchased in a Dyas store in Windsor. The cabinet is fashioned from an aluminum kick panel for a door (a pub door!).
I originally intended this to be just a transmitter (for use with my trusty Drake 2-B) but it is so easy to add a direct conversion receiver to a DSB rig that I just threw together a version of the NE-602 LM386 Neophyte receiver and hooked it up to the 75 meter VFO. It sounds great. I love DC receivers. They seem to connect you directly to the ether. And now I'll have a complete 75 meter DSB station in one box.
This morning I tested the balanced modulator (singly balanced with two diodes). DSB is being generated. All I have to do now is put a little 6 db pad between the modulator and the amplifier chain, then work on the antenna a bit and I should be on 75. The amplifier chain dates back to the period when Mike, KL7R, and I were using LTSpice to design amps....
I was very pleased to include in this rig a part that Michael, AA1TJ, sent me: I have a little 10.7 MHz IF can in the front end of the RX. A cap allows it to tune in 75 meters. Thanks Mike!
I hope to get a podcast out this weekend (if the computers cooperate -- the Sony Vaios "light bulb-repaired" laptop finally gave up the ghost last weekend.)
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
Labels:
AA1TJ,
DSB,
KL7R,
Rainey -- Michael,
SolderSmoke Podcast,
UK
Tuesday, May 1, 2012
SolderSmoke Lexicographer
Mike, AA1TJ, is the QRPoet Laureate, but I think we can now officially name Steve Silverman, KB3SII, our official SolderLexicographer:
Hi Bill
Here is an interesting possible explanation for the term LID:
'It's a term that goes back to land based telegraphers, before radio was even used. Some say it has to do with placement of a tobacco can or lid to enhance hearing the telegraph sounder. Such things were apparently trademarks of the poorer ops.'
So there you, using a tobacco can sounder "hearing aid" defined you as a LID, as in using the lid of the can to tune your RIT. But in telegraph location with lots of QRM, such as in a major telegraph office or along side of a noisy train track, the lids enabled an operator to distinguish his sounder from the background clicks and clacks. The Car Talk guys would love this explanation.
73
Steve
KB3SII
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
Labels:
radio history
Monday, April 30, 2012
The Idea Factory
Hello Bill,
I think you will like a new tech history book about Bell Labs. The name of the book is The Idea Factory and the author is Jon Gertner.
Here's a neat example of what's in the book from page 85:
"Atoms
within semiconductors bond easily with a number of other elements.
Scaff and his colleagues knew that when they cut n-type silicon (atomic
number 14) into smaller pieces on a power saw, for instance, they could
smell something they were sure was phosphorus (atomic number 15). None
of the measurement equipment could pick up the taint, but their noses
could."
How
cool is that? The book is full of this kinda of stuff and it details
the early lives of those involved in Bell Labs.....anyway I find Idea
Factory a page turner and I think you will enjoy it.
Another "abstract" from page 38:
"The
young Bell Labs recruits had other things in common. Almost all had
grown up with a peculiar desire to know more about the stars or the
telephone lines or (most often) the radio, especially their makeshift
wireless sets. Almost all of them had put one together themselves, and
in turn had discovered how sound could be pulled from the air."
73
Herb/WR9H
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
Labels:
books,
radio history
Sunday, April 29, 2012
Revenge of the Electric Car
My wife and I watched this on PBS last night. Really interesting. You guys will like it. There's Elon Musk and his car named for Nikola Tesla! There's a guy named "Gadget" who is part of a worldwide movement of electric car homebrewers. Yes, this one's for us!
I'm sorry that Hulu probably won't let folks outside the USA watch this. Maybe see if you can access the video via other systems.
http://www.hulu.com/watch/322022/revenge-of-the-electric-car
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
I'm sorry that Hulu probably won't let folks outside the USA watch this. Maybe see if you can access the video via other systems.
http://www.hulu.com/watch/322022/revenge-of-the-electric-car
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
Saturday, April 28, 2012
"Analog Man" by Joe Walsh
Very cool to have world famous rocker and fellow boatanchor enthusiast Joe Walsh singing about the virtues of analog.
What next?
An ode to 60/40 solder?
Some troubleshooting blues?
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
Labels:
digital logic,
music,
video
Thursday, April 26, 2012
Marconi Archive
Brian, G0NSL, alerted us to this very interesting archive on Marconi:
http://markpadfield.com/marconicalling/museum/html/archivehome.html
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
Labels:
Marconi-Guglielmo,
radio history,
web sites
Sunday, April 22, 2012
Club 465
I mentioned on the podcast that a generous friend sent me a Tektronix 465 scope. It now seems like every day I'm discovering new and interesting things about this magnificent piece of gear. I've also discovered that there a LOT of guys out there who are loyal and enthusiastic users of Tek 465s. George Heron, N2APB, and Joe Everhart, N2CX, have been putting out an excellent podcast called "Chat with the Deigners." They recently talked about oscilloscopes with our friend Alan Wolke, W2AEW: http://www.njqrp.org/ teamspeak/Apr10.html
George mentioned that he has a 465. Our friend Farhan, VU2ESE, is using one. Who else is in Club 465? Send us your names!
Preston. WJ2V, up in the Big Apple sent me a very interesting message about a feature of the 'scope that I was unaware of. Thanks Preston!
Bill,
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
George mentioned that he has a 465. Our friend Farhan, VU2ESE, is using one. Who else is in Club 465? Send us your names!
Preston. WJ2V, up in the Big Apple sent me a very interesting message about a feature of the 'scope that I was unaware of. Thanks Preston!
Bill,
I am caught up and just listened to number 142. The
podcasts continue to be new and interesting each issue. I too have a
465 workhorse in the shack. I have one suggestion that will turn it
into an even more valuable instrument. Note that you have an amplified
output in the back with the vertical signal presented at a BNC
connector. This is made for connection to a frequency counter. In
fact, some of the military versions of this scope came with a frequency
counter. If you have a counter in the shack, just connect it to the
vertical output in back of the scope. This will faithfully report the
frequency of any wave you see on the screen. Since the signal is
amplified, the counter will be able to read small signals in receiver
stages, while you view them on the scope. Amazingly helpful in setting
up and troubleshooting receivers. I leave
a dedicated counter connected to the 465 all the time, as it enhances
the usefulness of the scope many times. I also am lucky enough to have
an early Steve Weber ("Melt Solder") SASA II device available for
connection to the scope whenever needed. This is a 100 MHz spectrum
analyzer adapter, with a built-in calibrator. It gives a great view of
the output of transmitters. But, of course, you can see the quality of a
clean sine wave with just the scope. The SASA II will just help you to
see where in the spectrum the junk is coming from. Sadly, I don't
think Steve made more than about a hundred of these terrific kits.
Also, it did not have provision for a tracking generator, which would
have made it an ideal instrument for designing and checking IF filters.
Steve and I talked about this, and he said he might revisit this
someday.
As to seeing your QRP (or even higher) signals on
the scope, of course you would not connect a transmitter to the input of
the scope--that would burn it out in short order. But a proper
bypass/attenuator connected to a proper 50 ohm pass-through termination
at the input to the scope would give the ability to see why your SWR
meter is showing an abnormally high SWR with your homebrew transmitter
that's generating spurious stuff. There is a very practical article for
building the two pieces you need on simple PC board "cabinets" (more
like half-cabinets) in the wonderful Drew Diamond books, I think in
volume II. These simple devices will give you the ability to see what
you're doing with your transmitters, using the scope--
72,
WJ2V
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
Labels:
Farhan,
frequency counter,
oscilloscope,
troubleshooting
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