Clocks, CRTs, HV supplies: Eric has The Knack!

Nice interview by Jeri Ellsworth.  This fellow definitely seems to have the Knack.  At the end of the video he shows a high voltage supply that he is WEARING AROUND HIS NECK! 

Here's Eric's site: http://tubetime.us/


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 Worthy Cause: Help Save the ISEE-3 Spacecraft!

http://www.rockethub.com/projects/42228-isee-3-reboot-project-by-space-college-skycorp-and-spaceref

Here is an excerpt from the above website:


Our plan is simple: we intend to contact the ISEE-3 (International Sun-Earth Explorer) spacecraft, command it to fire its engine and enter an orbit near Earth, and then resume its original mission - a mission it began in 1978. ISEE-3 was rechristened as the International Comet Explorer (ICE). If we are successful it may also still be able to chase yet another comet.

Working in collaboration with NASA we have assembled a team of engineers, programmers, and scientists - and have a large radio telescope fully capable of contacting ISEE-3.  If we are successful we intend to facilitate the sharing and interpretation of all of the new data ISEE-3 sends back via crowd sourcing.

Time is short. And this project is not without significant risks.  We need your financial help. ISEE-3 must be contacted in the next month or so and it must complete its orbit change maneuvers no later than mid-June 2014. There is excitement ahead as well: part of the maneuvers will include a flyby of the Moon at an altitude of less than 50 km.

Our team members at Morehead State University, working with AMSAT-DL in Germany, have already detected the carrier signals from both of ISEE-3's transmitters.  When the time comes, we will be using the large dish at Morehead State University to contact the spacecraft and give it commands.
Thanks to Dave, WA8JNM, for the heads up on this. 
 
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

AA1TJ Crosses the Pond with 10 milliwatts

From a Facebook Post by Mike, AA1TJ:

Made 7 contacts with this tiny transceiver on 20m CW today with an RF output power of 10milliWatts. Five were stations in Georgia (GA QSO Party). The 6th was a regular QSO with a guy in Mississippi.
I answered a DX station calling CQ at 2230Z. Hearing nothing in response, I sent my call sign a half-dozen times anyway. More silence. As I was reaching for the knob to QSY he suddenly returned my call! ...Carlos, CT1BQH northeast of Lisbon, Portugal (that's him in the second photo). I was only 329 on his end but we kept it going for three minutes!

FYI: the transmitter (top circuit board) begins with a 3.58MHz ceramic resonator VXO (a 2N706 from the early 60's). That drives a push-push frequency doubler built around another 1960's-vintage, 2N2644 (obsolete stock from atop Mt. Mansfield, kindly given to me by Rich at Vermont Public Television). On receive, the 7MHz energy is routed via a DPDT relay (the orange rectangle) to the sub-harmonic (Polyakov) mixer located on the lower board. One stage of AF amplification is provided by a 2N333 that came off the GE assembly line in November of 1958. The DPDT relay is keyed directly. On transmit the 7MHz energy feeds a second push-push frequency doubler to produce 10mW at 14MHz (all spurs -35dBc, or less, with only the output resonator). The relay also switches the antenna between the transmitter and receiver.
Gosh, that was fun!

CT1BQH

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

Bert's Pititico (PY2OHH) Rig (Video)

Bravo Bert!  

http://wf7ihomebrew.wordpress.com/2014/04/13/a-listen-on-40m-with-the-1-transistor-pititico/

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

DSB Transceiver with Only 3 Transistors

Wow.  Looks like something Peter Parker would really like.  This one was sent to me by Stephen, G7VFY.  It comes from Japan:
http://www.cqpub.co.jp/hanbai/books/15/15061/15061_p.180-181.pdf

From this book:-

http://www.cqpub.co.jp/hanbai/books/15/15061.htm

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

"That 70s Show": Steve "Snort Rosin" Smith Restores a 70's era Tuna Tin 2

Hi Bill,

Your recent stories about your TT-2 and original TT-2 "mojo transfer" prompted me to resurrect my TT-2 'resto' project. 

The attached photos show my 70s era TT-2 obtained for $5 from a QRP-L member.  This is how I received it and you can see that it's almost a duplicate copy of the original, complete with 'phenolic' substrate PC board material and hand-scrawled traces. 

I have collected most of the components necessary to convert it to a look-alike of Doug Demaw's 1976 item.  I already have 1 or 2 of the proper Radio Shack RF chokes but lack one more to have the complete set and I'm about to grab some original Radio Shack 276-1617 transistors.  The rest of the missing/incorrect parts I can drag out of the ever expansive Snort Rosin junque box. 

By hand selecting the two transistors for max. power gain I hope to eek 300 mW out of the thing.

Anyway, hope you enjoy the shots and I'll send more when it's finished.

73.......Steve Smith WB6TNL
          "Snort Rosin"

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

PY2OHH's New Super-Minimalist (11 Component!) QRPp Transceiver

Wow!   Check out the latest rig from PY2OHH, the Wizard of Sao Paulo,

http://py2ohh.w2c.com.br/trx/pititico/pititico.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

Pete Friedrichs' Amazing Books, Projects, and Guests

H.P. "Pete" Friedrichs is the author of two books that belong on our book shelves: "Voice of the Crystal" and "Instruments of Amplification." http://www.hpfriedrichs.com/mybooks/mybooks.htm

This morning I got a nice e-mail from Pete.  He's been listening to the podcast.

His e-mail caused me to revisit his web site.  Lots of minimalist homebrew gold there!

Check out the collection of projects sent to Pete from all around the world by readers of his books: 

http://www.hpfriedrichs.com/guestgallery/guestgallery.htm

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

QRPp Model Planes

Michael, AA1TJ, alerted me to this very interesting hobby.  The video is really beautiful.

http://floatdocumentary.com/documentary

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

Parachutist's Helmet-Camera Images Falling Meteorite

Just because it is pretty cool.  Also, we like parachutes, meteorites, and Norway.

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

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

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

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!

 



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