Just go to http://soldersmoke.com. On that archive page, just click on the blue hyperlinks and your audio player should play that episode.
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First -- Happy Boxing Day to all our UK and Commonwealth friends. Oscar 11 is a UK-built amateur satellite launched in 1984. It has been dead (well, almost dead) for many years. But when the sun shines on the solar panels, it wakes up and transmits. I've been able to hear it and -- more usefully -- see it on my RTL-SDR HD-SDR receive system. My antenna is my re-born (from the Dominican Republic) three element homebrew 2 meter cubical quad (see pictures below). I'm sorry the video is a bit out of focus, but you can clearly see the trace of the signal from the satellite. Realize that my HD-SDR software is about 10 kHz off calibration. You can see the Doppler shift, and you can see the signal fading in and out as the old satellite tumbles through space. Any ideas on what the other signals seen off to the side are? Is anyone else listening for Oscar 11? https://amsat-uk.org/satellites/telemetry/uosat-2-oscar-11/
Following my own advice to prepare for Straight Key Night, I tried to fire up my venerable Hallicrafters HT-37 transmitter. It didn't work. I quickly determined that none of the oscillators were working, so my troubleshooting focused on the power supply. Sure enough, the choke in the low voltage power supply is open. That's bad. I briefly considered giving up on this old rig. I don't really like working with tubes anymore. And this thing is very heavy -- a real beast. DX-100-like in its heaviness. It can be hazardous to your health just moving this thing around. Opening up the case is not easy. And there are nasty voltages in there.... But I have had this transmitter since 1973 or 1974. I have fixed it many times, in several countries. I got it from a member of the Crystal Radio Club when I was a kid. There are parts given to me by Pericles, HI8P in the Dominican Republic. I used it to transmit through Russian satellites. That transmitter is like an old friend. I just can't give up on it. So I need to replace or repair the choke. Is there anyone out there who has a junker out in the garage or some other source of L25? Or does anyone know of a business that could rewind the choke. Please let me know. I have decided to leave the rig on the bench until I get this thing fixed (it is too heavy to move multiple times!) It it Hallicrafters Part Number 056-300259. L25 -- 9 Henries at 135 ma. Help!
SolderSmoke Podcast #208 is available: http://soldersmoke.com/soldersmoke208.mp3 15 December 2018 Pete and the California fires Bill goes to Brooklyn 2 meter simplex A return of the trivial electric motor Audio from Mars HF Conditions -- a real mixed bag Pete looks back at 2018 -- The Year of the SSB Transceiver -- Lessons Learned Hans Summers, the QSX and the virtues of SDR W7ZOI's DC Receiver Retrospective The 1972 Solar Flare and the Vietnam War SHAMELESS COMMERCE: Buy your gifts through the Amazon link to the upper right. Consider SolderSmoke the book as a gift. Visit Pasta Pete's for cooking ideas. Don't Build It! Sage -- but unexpected -- advice from Pete. Straight Key Night approaches. Book Reviews: --"What is Real?" (Quantum Physics) -- RHdb by K6LHA. Movies "Bohemian Rhapsody" "First Man" (Not yet!) MAILBAG: Steve G0FUW Ed KC8SBV
I feel a moral obligation to put these projects on the blog every time I see one. It just seems like the right thing to do. Great work on the Pilotron. Great workshop video also.
I agree completely with the e-mojis. Wow! Cool! I love it! Hans Summers is a genius. This is almost enough to make me get with the program and embrace SDR. Hans has done what seemed to have been impossible: true homebrew with SDR.
How long will it be before NASA starts getting critical comments on the audio quality, along with very confident statements about how to change the audio settings on the menu? Well, at least they have "presence." The Elser Mathes Cup awaits a winner!
Today's SpaceX Falcon 9 launch of Farhan's Exseed Satellite was really spectacular. Congratulations Farhan! Really inspirational stuff. Now we wait to hear the bird. If I have loaded the orbital information correctly, I should have my first chance this evening. I have my antenna positioned.
"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
Master Homebrewer
Dean Souleles KK4DAS
With beret and with a Michigan Mighty Mite in hand
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