Lights and TV during blackouts! My Inverter ($69)

People have been asking about the DC to AC inverter that I have been using during the now frequent power outages (5 in the last two years, two of them since July 2012).  With it I can easily keep the lights on in the house and even run the TV.  Not bad for $69.  Here it is:

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Solder Smoke Podcast #147 -- Hurricane Sandy Edition

Hurricane Sandy backup station at N2CQR

SolderSmoke Podcast 147 is available for downloading: 
http://soldersmoke.com/soldersmoke147.mp3
October 29/30 2012
Hurricane Sandy on the way
Thanks for birthday wishes 
Einstein -- a very nice fellow with a bit of the Knack
Rocket project update
808 key chain cameras (thanks for the Amazon support!) 
Audio output transformer for Barbados Barebones RX
Mighty Midget RX -- breaking it, fixing it (with help from friends)
Freq counter connection to Tek scope  
Halli S-38E -- How to avoid electrocution?
The HQ-100's anti-drift alarm clock 
Book Review:  "Instruments of Amplification" by H.P. Friedrichs (5 Soldering Irons!) 
BANDSWEEP: 20 meter SSB via DC receiver on hurricane day
Report on outcome of the hurricane -- inverter saves the day (really the night)
MAILBAG (a big one).    

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All OK at SolderSmoke HQ

Hurricane Sandy went through here yesterday. We had a lot of water and wind.  Power went out at about 7 pm, giving me the opportunity to display my technological prowess by deploying my 1.1 kilowatt DC/AC inverter.   It worked very well -- we had lights and TV, and were the envy of the neighborhood.  We all went to sleep on the ground floor -- trees are the real hazard here.  We were very pleased to be awakened by the lights coming back on at 1:20 am.  Three cheers for Dominion Power!   I hope listeners in the storm's path had it as easy as we did.    

Podcast #147 will be a special Hurricane Sandy edition.  I should have it out in a day or so. 

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

Waiting for Hurricane Sandy

That vortex off North Carolina is Hurricane Sandy, and it is heading right for us.  It should make landfall tomorrow, perhaps in Southern New Jersey, perhaps closer to us (the location of the landfall of the eye doesn't matter much -- the wind field has a radius of 300 miles!)   It could really mess things up  --- lots of water, lots of wind, and it will collide with a cold front moving in from the west.  Yuck.   There is a good chance we will lose power.  I have pulled out my trusty Heathkit HW-8 and my solar-charged gel cell battery, so I am ready to go.  Good luck to all those in the storm's path.   

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

Good News From Ireland!

Hi Bill,

I'm not sure what's in your sacrificial solder but it sure is good stuff!!!

I received my results today and I'm very very pleased to say I passed.

Now I can finally set my mind to building a shack...

I'm going to celebrate by ordering one of Tim Walford's excellent looking beginner kits and I've just started building Tony Park's Ensemble RXTX.

I'm not sending in my cert just yet though as I want to pass my morse test first.

Thanks again for the kind support, I'm sure it got me a good few percent on the test!!

Also thanks to Steve Smith WB6TNL and his words...

"Thousand of people have taken this examination and passed. There is no reason why I cannot also pass."

He was right!

Also I hope Dave passed, unfortunately I didn't get to meet him at the exam, hopefully we'll figure out how to contact each other, it'd be good to have a newly passed fellow ham to share ideas with.

Regards, or should that now be 73 :),

Chris

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

"Zen and the Art of Radio Telegraphy"

OM Carlo Consoli, IK0YGJ, has produced a nice book on radio telegraphy.  Very much in the spirit of the International Brotherhood of Electronic Wizards, he has made it available in Italian, English, French and German.  I have started a refresher language course in Italian and intend to use Carlo's book as reading material for the course (my instructor will be sympathetic because her son is a radio amateur).  Who knows, I may be able to improve my Italian and my CW at the same time!    

Check it out:  http://www.qsl.net/ik0ygj/enu/index.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

The Joy of Tinkering at RIT

Our Dayton corrrespondent Bob Crane, W8SX, sent us this. Thanks Bob!

http://www.edn.com/design/test-and-measurement/4396825/The-Joys-of-Tinkering?cid=EDNToday

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

Something Different: Stop Action Movies

The stop-action film Frankenweenie is hitting the theaters here. Its mad scientist/workshop theme seems to have some Knack relevance. This morning I found this five minute film called "The Maker." I thought you guys would like it. I also liked the video (below) about some of the homebrew gear that they used to make The Maker.

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

Harv's Hallicrafters HT-37: A Thing of Beauty

Good Evening Bill,

Well with sore fingers, I’m glad to report that the upper deck of my newly acquired HT-37 is complete. (see enclosed photos)

Mice had a small party in this radio but aside from the numerous corrosion spots and few frayed wires,  the task of restoring was not too over whelming.

I have had my trusty Soldering Iron in high use mode lately.

All but the final tubes have the Hallicrafters logo stamped on them.

I had to replaced the Final Tune Capacitor C55 and have gone through all the modifications done to this radio during its 52 years of service.

The previous owner added an internal Antenna Relay (grey transformer near rear of deck.) and replaced the Mic connector with a Drake style phono jack. (I guess that’s acceptable.)

Now I’m onto the re-capping of the lower deck, De-ox the tube sockets and switches. Finally, the replacement of the rectifiers with solid state devices.

I’m documenting all the details just in case there is another solder melting soul out there that wants to restore their HT-37.

With some tender care, it should last another 50 years.

Bill, Keep on learning, Keep on burning (solder that is!)

73’s & Enjoy

Harv -=WA3EIB=-

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

My Mate for the Mighty Midget

Al, W1UX, asked for a picture of the receiver that I used to listen to his dulcet tones this morning.   Here you go Al.    Here is an article on the project: 

http://www.gadgeteer.us/erart.htm

Above is the Mighty Midget RX paired up with a DX-60 and a VF-1 (circa 1998)


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

W1UX

Now THAT'S a ham shack! My Mighty Midget receiver allowed me to listen in this morning to Al, W1UX, and friends on 75 meter SSB. One of Al's AM operating positions appears above.  Note the DX-100.  And the R-390 (want one).  And the Tek 465. I've been a big fan for years.  Check out Al's boatanchor web site:    http://www.tinyradio.com/boatanchor01.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

Mighty Midget RX on a Key Chain

The key chain device will soon be carried to 1200 feet by our new rocket.

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