Just go to http://soldersmoke.com. On that archive page, just click on the blue hyperlinks and your audio player should play that episode.
http://soldersmoke.com
Farhan posted this message and the above video to Facebook today (I have the video cued up to around the 5 minute point): We are all set for the launch of ExseedSat... There are two tiny switches at the bottom of the satellite that keep the satellite switched off while it stays in it's container. Once the satellite is ejected, the switches are released and the satellite wakes up. There are 36 satellites on this launch, some belong to close friends in the satellite fraternity. We wait for all the satellites to drift out and after 45 minutes, the antennas are depolyed and we will start beeping signals home. Here is a test of that process. You can skip to the fifth minute to watch the antenna depoly . I really like the tape measure antenna. This recalls the earliest OSCAR satellites. And let's not forget that OSCAR 1 also launched from Vandenberg. So there a lot of good tradition flying with Farhan's bird. Press reports indicate a launch time of 1:31 pm Eastern time today. I think you can watch it live through the video window below. Or try this link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wq8kS6UoOrQ
I walked into the shack this morning hoping to read good news about the InSight landing and the impending launch of Farhan's satellite, but instead I found this message from Farhan in a police station. This is really absurd and disheartening. Someone (not Farhan!) altered the Indian flag and put it into an image of Farhan's CubeSat. So with 24 hours to go before the launch, our friend Farhan finds himself in a police station.
Stay strong Farhan! You have a lot of support around the world.
I understand the launch of Farhan's CubeSat has been delayed a few days. That's the way it works in the rocket launch biz --patience is required. In the meantime, I've been practicing with my receive system. Today at 1000 local the Max Valier satellite flew to my west. It rose 78 degrees above my horizon to the W NW. I left my three element quad pointed in that direction and waited for the satellite (which had been launched from India) to fly through its pattern. The CW beacon was quite strong, very visible and audible through my RTL-SDR dongle and HD-SDR software. You can see it and hear it in the video above. There is something quite charming about this very personal Morse message coming down from orbit and then passing through all that digital technology. More info on the satellite:
"Max Valier Sat" is an amateur satellite built in cooperation by:
"Max Valier" High School in Bolzano/Bozen (Italy)
OHB System AG from Bremen (Germany)
Max Planck Institute for Extraterrestrial Physics from Garching (Germany)
Its main payload is an X-Ray telescope devised and made by MPE. Data generated by this detector will be transmitted, together with housekeeping data, over an amateur radio link with frequency 145.860 MHz.
A second payload is an amateur radio beacon transmitting a message in Continuous Wave. The beacon's frequency is 145.960 MHz
"Max Valier Satellite" was launched by the Indian Rocket PSLV-C38 on June 23, 2017 at 9:29 am IST (05:59 am CET) from Satish Dhawan Space Centre.
SpaceX will live-stream the launch as well on their YouTube stream. Also - this will be the first SpaceX booster to fly three times, and the first to launch from all three SpaceX pads.
http://w7zoi.net/dcrx68.pdf Farhan and Pete WB9FLW alerted me to this wonderful article by Wes Hayward, W7ZOI. I guess my interest in DC receivers must have been noticed by the Google algorithm because I am bombarded by ads extolling the virtues of "Zero IF." Hey Google -- I'm already a believer! I was converted by W7ZOI's 1968 article in QST. And my belief in the technique has been greatly reinforced by his November 2018 50th anniversary article. There is so much good stuff in Wes's look-back piece. The travails of trying to write for QST are presented very well. And we learn that none-other-than Doug DeMaw himself is responsible for the use of the word "presence" in describing amateur radio audio. This article has inspired me to take a new look at the DC receiver I built last winter. Mine needs some work. I think it is kind of deaf. It could probably benefit from a diode ring detector. But it already has presence. http://w7zoi.net/dcrx68.pdf Thanks Wes. And thanks to Farhan and Pete for the heads up.
"SolderSmoke -- Global Adventures in Wireless Electronics" is now available as an e-book for Amazon's Kindle.
Here's the site:
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B004V9FIVW
Bill's OTHER Book (Warning: Not About Radio)
Click on the image to learn more
Where are the readers of SolderSmoke Daily News?
Pete Juliano N6QW
SolderSmoke Co-Host and Master Homebrewer
Dean Souleles KK4DAS
With beret and with a Michigan Mighty Mite in hand
Local ham catchup including Peter, VK3YE
-
Yesterday, in a Melbourne park, I had the pleasure of a catch up with a
bunch of old friends. Ham Radio Home brew hero, Peter, VK3YE, was there and
of cour...
Re: Receiver Mica Disease
-
You might be seeing the effects of bad silver-mica capacitors. Apparently
silver can migrate thru the mica insulation forming little fingers
(dendrites) wh...
HRWB 225 - QRP Radio Design with Jonathan KM4CFT
-
In this episode we meet Jonathan Kayne, KM4CFT, the designer of a very
popular new QRP radio called the CFT-1. Jonathan shares his journey from
concept ...
QRP HomeBuilder rebrands to Popcorn Electronics
-
Greetings Friends! Well, it's time to re-imagine QRP HomeBuilder. I'm
going back to the beginning and rebranding as Popcorn Electronics. This was
the si...
The November - December 2024 SARC Communicator
-
*Another BIG issue*
The final issue of the year. The November-December Communicator, digital
periodical of Surrey Amateur Radio Communications is now avail...
Hollow-State Design, 3rd Edition
-
Hollow-State Design, 3rd Edition is available from: Lulu Press:
tinyurl.com/hollowstatedesign3 eBay: search for “hollow-state design”
Electric Radio bookst...
I Finally Bought My Dream Airplane
-
Aviation has been a love of mine since I was a very little person. Living
in Nevada, seeing posters and ads for the Reno Air Races, specifically the
Texa...
2000 47pF Caps ...
-
An unexpectged package arrive in the mail today. Did you ever wonder what
2000 47pF NP0 capacitors look like? Thanks to John, AB2XT I will never run ...
New QRP Cluster From OM0ET and OM6APN
-
By DX EXPLORER
DX EXPLORER
Paul OM0ET and Peter OM6APN recently launched a new cluster dedicated to
QRP operations. Have a look and I hope you will enjoy...
Daylight Again – An all Analog Radio
-
What’s all this? In 10 seconds, A high performance, 7MHz, 5 watt SSB rig
Draws just 24 mA of current 90 dB dynamic range, 80 dB close-in dynamic
range 3D ...
Digi-chirp! Digital synthesis of ‘nostalgic’ CW
-
The bottom ends of 80, 40 and 20m are not what they used to be. For
starters, the busiest part is the digital segment where computers talk to
computers – l...
SMA Torque Wrench for the NanoVNA (uncalibrated)
-
I have been using SMA connectors on most of my projects, and have
occasionaly gotten a slightly different reading than I had expected. Using
the NanoVNA, ...
40m SSB Tramping Rig
-
Please see my YouTube channel for details of the build.
http://www.youtube.com/c/CharlieMorrisZL2CTM
*2N3904 Antenna Amplifier (initial)*
Voltage gain is ...
Modifications to the Dayton/FDIM-2019 Antuino
-
The Dayton Antuino has sub-optimal performance. This is a short note on
improving it to an 80 db range of measurements. The trouble with Antuino
2.0 (the o...
Raduino as NBFM TX
-
Here is a neat, 30 minute hack for your Raduino to turn the Si5351 into a
pretty stable, solid NBFM transmitter. The hack is to add a varactor diode
in ...
QRP Labs shop!
-
[image: Shop]
All QRP Labs kits may be ordered online securely at the shop, with PayPal
payment.
*Click here to visit the shop!*
*Click!*
*Shop! Order...
will carry a live feed of the launch