Tracy Kidder, author of Soul of the New Machine, dies at age 80

 

He was a great writer.  His books are inspirational.  Thank you Tracy Kidder. 

Obit:   

https://www.nytimes.com/2026/03/25/books/tracy-kidder-dead.html?unlocked_article_code=1.XVA.hssv.-OA5DxfI4WPv&smid=url-share

SolderSmoke Blog Posts about Tracy Kidder and his books: 

https://soldersmoke.blogspot.com/search?q=Tracy+Kidder

The Green Hornet -- My Visual and 10 meter Beacon from the Dominican Republic

This all started a LONG time ago when I built a "Lil Slugger" CW transmitter, designed by Doug DeMaw. The schematic appears below -- it appears in both the W1FB Design Notebook, and his QRP Notebook.  

Last year I decided to put it on the air from the Dominican Republic.  Mike WN2A sent me a programmed PIC chip to key the beacon.  I just connected the output of the keyer to the base of the Lil Sluggers keying transistor.  This transistor just switched the transmitter's driver transistor on and off. 

In the course of messing with this device (and trying to get it to work with a 2 meter beacon) I managed to release smoke from Mike's keyer.  Fortunately, Mike had sent the schematic and I was able to tell that it was probably just the PNP transistor at the very end of the keyer circuit.  I have some 2N3906s on hand.  I replaced the suspect part and Bob was my Uncle.  I consider this a "good repair" -- I had to identify the fault, and then replace the part to make the device work.  

Then came the fun part.  The visual part.  I used the keying transistor from the Lil Slugger to drive a super bright green LED from LighthouseLEDs.  I had in my DR junk box the parabolic mirror from an old car spotlight (the kind you'd plug into the cigarette lighter).  That mirror became the mount for the LED.  Before I got the thing going this year, I had to remove some of the window coating that keeps the UV out of the house.  Unfortunately it was also keeping some of my beacon's photons IN.  It had to go.  I used my wife'd hair dryer to take the coating off.  As you can see, the visual beacon is now really bright.  So far, only one neighbor has noticed the green flashing light.  So far, we have heard from no ships at sea.  But we are hopeful.  Pete N6QW warns of possible cruise missiles.  I am prepared to live dangerously.  

This video shows the set up from inside the shack, during the daytime: 

The ten meter beacon has been doing well and is showing up on the Reverse Beacon Netwok (K1RA and NU4F).  I will improve the antenna and this should strengthen the signal even further. 

SDR vs. HDR -- Are analog hams Troglodytes, stuck in a rut, resistant to change, and all that ?

 

The above paragraphs appeared in a very good ham radio club magazine.   I had some comments on it which I shared with the author and the editor.  In light of our recent discussion of the ARRL Clean Signal Initiative, I thought that it would be useful for me to post these comments here. 

 

I think the author misses an important point:  The ability of radio amateurs to homebrew their equipment.  I know from experience that it is difficult to homebrew traditional analog SSB equipment

 -- I am running analog SSB gear from two separate 

locations.  But here is the key:   With traditional analog gear,  homebrewing of the gear can be done.  Not so with SDR gear.  

Sure, hams can do their own software (but usually this is limited to the software experts).  I suppose that AI will let people vibe code their own SDR software, but I suspect that most hams will not do this.  Even if they did, software development is a very different activity than is homebrewing of analog hardware.  

And as for the hardware, I suspect that we are rapidly approaching the point where this will come down to the placement of two (maybe one!) chips in their sockets.  One ADC chip, one FPGA chip (programmed by an FPGA expert) and you are essentially done.  Again, you are talking about a device that is radically different from a homebrew SSB analog transceiver. I can build an analog SSB transceiver, I really can't build an SDR transceiver.  

I have problems with your claims that SDR is inherently more sensitive than traditional analog rigs. Maybe if you go FT8, but not with SSB.  As for selectivity, well some of my rigs have homebrew 10 pole crystal filters.  The skirts are very nearly vertical. 

Finally, related to all of the above, is the commercial/SDR  vs. homebrew/analog issue.  If we go down this supposedly superior path, all of the rigs used by "amateur" radio operators will be commercially produced.  They will be much like the Iphone in my pocket.  And amateurs will have as much of an emotional connection to their "rigs" as I do to my Iphone:  ZERO.  

The article portrays the users of analog gear as old Troglodytes, resistant to technological change.  I just don't think this is accurate.  Some of us stick to the older analog gear because it is possible to really understand it, and it is possible to really homebrew it.  That, I think, is very valuable.  

73   Bill  Hi7/N2CQR

G-QRP 2025 G2NJ Trophy

Thanks to G-QRP for selecting us for this prestigious award.  This was for our efforts with the SolderSmoke Direct Conversion Receiver.  

The ARRL's 2025 Technical Service Award

 

The ARRL's "Clean Signal Initiative" -- Does the ARRL Now ASSUME all Transmitters are Manufactured?

 

Will, KI4POV alerted us to this -- we've been reading about it for some time.  I have always found it worrisome.   Here is why:   ARRL -- an organization that has its roots in HOMEBREW radio -- seems to be adopting standards that will discourage radio homebrewing. They seem to be pushing for transmitter cleanliness standards that can only be met by advanced,  SDR-based, manufactured radios. 

I realize that the number of hams who actually build their own SSB gear is shockingly small.  Many of us eschew SDR architecture because of its complexity, and because much of it is based on CPU, ADC, and FPGA chips that, well, are manufactured by some distant company, and are NOT homebrewed by us. 

I am sure the Iphone in my pocket will meet or exceed the ARRL's Clean Signal Initiative standards. But should this be the model that radio amateurs follow?   Is the ARRL -- with its badges! -- moving us closer to FCC standards that will -- in effect -- outlaw things like non-SDR architecture, LC oscillators, and homebrew crystal filters?  What about older boatanchor gear?  Will the new standards be applied to my Hallicrafters HT-37?  Or my DX-100?  And what about the homebrew CW gear that is sometimes (all too rarely) heard on the ham bands?  These "rigs" (they deserve that title) often use (GASP!) tubes.  It seems that under the ARRL's CSI, all of these kinds of rigs will have to go.  They will all have to be replaced by properly-badged SDR mystery boxes from overseas manufacturers. Get out your credit cards guys, and put away the soldering irons! A new day has dawned, brought to you by the ARRL CSI!    

I can hear the howls of complaint already:  Bill is such a trolodyte.   He is opppsed to progress.  He is in favor of dirty signals.   He would have been with those defiantly proclaiming "SPARK FOREVER!"  He refuses to embrace progress and get with the CSI program.  

Well, if the new program does -- in effect -- lead to the prohibition of simple, homebrew circuitry by radio AMATEURS --  if it does move us ever closer to the day when the only way to meet purity standards is via a manufactured SDR mystery box, I am opposed to that.  I prefer homebrew rigs. 

Here is the latest on this ARRL initiative: 

https://www.arrl.org/files/file/QST%20Binaries/April%202026/Spatta%20Clean%20Signal%20Initiative.pdf

Space Hints from the Dominican Republic in 1994

Check out the article in the link below.  I too got a QSL from RS-10! 

https://www.gadgeteer.us/SPAHINT.HTM

The 2 meter portion of the Ray-Gun appears below.  I still have the elements. 

Solar Powered Drone from South Africa

 I've been flying a DJI 4K Mini drone here in the Dominican Republic, so I am interested in the whole drone thing.  The technology involved is pretty amazing, with many of the drones featuring GPS tracking systems, onboard compasses, and inertial (gyroscopic) stabilizers.  This in addition to high resolution, stabilized cameras, look-down landing cameras, and obstacle avoidance systems.  Oh yea, if you lose sight of the 249 gram drone, you can just hit the HOME button and it will miraculously fly to its start point and land.  Wow.  

This fellow in Capetown takes things quite a bit further. I like his solar-powered drone.  He has a really cool workshop.  There is something for everyone here:  He uses 3-D printing, carbon fibers, and computer assisted design tools.  And he does a lot of good-old soldering.  I really like his portable wind meter.  I will get one for this very windy location in the Dominican Republic. 

Audio Amplifier Stage Template and Handout: SolderSmoke Direct Conversion Receiver by N7HPR

 

Above is Steve N7HPR's template for the audio amplifier board, the board that gave a lot of people a lot of trouble.  But it SHOULD have caused a lot of trouble!  It is the only gain stage in the receiver -- it provides at least 80 db of gain.  It deliberately uses no feedback -- we did it this way to keep the circuit simple.  So if you let too much of the output find its way to the input, this amplifier will turn into an oscillator.  Then you will have to tame it. And almost all builders did. This was a valuable lesson:  All amplifiers aspire to be oscillators.  They have to be denied the Barkhausen criteria. 

Above we see the placement of Rex's Me pads, and the transformer. (Note that Steve DOES ground one of the output pads.)  I think that Steve's layout was really good -- it sounds like they did not have a lot of the feedback and motorboating problems that were reported by others.  This is a good reminder of the importance of careful layout. 

Here is Steve's handout: 

Steve's messages have caused me to reflect a bit on this project.  I will try to write about this in the days ahead.  

Thanks Steve. And thanks to all the builders. 

SolderSmoke Direct Conversion Receiver: TOROIDS! Steve N7HPR's Handouts on the BP Filter and the Mixer/Diplexer

 

------------------------------------------

Winding the trifilar toroids was the hardest part of building the mixer board, and with the high school students, I admit to chickening out.   Instead I prepared about 17 of them using a batch from Hyderabad (wound by the seamstresses!) that Farhan left me.  Here is  how we did it: https://soldersmoke.blogspot.com/2023/02/progress-report-high-school-students_25.html Steve's use of wires of different colors is a good idea.  It helps to keep track of the different wires.  

We often hear that winding toroids is a show-stopper for many would-be homebrewers.  This should not be the case.   Winding the coils is not difficult.  

The Diplexer came from Roy Lewellan W7EL's optimized QRP Transceiver.  Dean and I were struggling with the suppression of signal from Radio Marti on 7335 kHz.  When we added Roy's diplexer, it seemed to help knock down Radio Marti.  

We too used the NanoVNA to tune the BP filter.  I remember this as one of the more pleasing moments for the students. 

SolderSmoke Direct Conversion Receiver-- N7HPR Handout #1 -- The VFO

 

I like the way Steve N7HPR did this:  First, that he had a working receiver on display to serve as a prototype.  Second, that he asked the students to come up with their own Manhattan board designs and third, he provided templates that would allow them to properly place their Me Pads. 

We did some of these things with the high school students.  We definitely had a prototype on display, and they looked at it a lot.  We did ask them to deisgn their own Manhattan boards -- as I recall, the response to this was uneven at best.   The templates are a good idea that we did not try with our group build.  

One big advantage of building the VFO first -- the students get something of the Michigan Mighty Mite sensation.  They have successfully built a source of RF, a transmitter!  We had one of the students move around the room with his oscillator (battery powered) turning it on and off as he listened to the tones from a DX-390 receiver.  This is very similar to the demonstration that Marconi did with the very first radios.  

More tomorrow.   

Thanks again Steve.

Steve N7HPR Describes the Group Build of 10 SolderSmoke Direct Conversion Receivers

Group Build of the SolderSmoke Direct Conversion Receiver Challenge

By Steven Bible, N7HPR

Andrew Johnson Amateur Radio Club and Greene County Makers, Greene County Tennessee

The main goal for the group build is hands-on learning. Each of the students are working on their amateur license. Three are working on their Technician, one General, and the remainder on their Extra. The extra exam has a great deal of detailed technical knowledge and the SolderSmoke Direct Conversion Receiver Challenge is a great vehicle for teaching many of these technical details.

Several in the group have experience soldering thru-hole components on a printed circuit board. However, Manhattan style construction was new to them. It would add a valuable skill to their toolbox. The question, from an instructor’s point of view, was how to ease them into this skill before taking on a much larger project? The answer was to first build a smaller project to introduce the students to this unique construction style. I chose Allen Wolke’s W2AEW YouTube video on building a buffered Colpitts crystal oscillator. The added benefit was teaching the oscillator questions on the amateur exams.

#123: Build a crystal oscillator from schematic thru prototype construction and

testing – DIY [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=blalAktxFoI]

In the video, Allen shows how to identify the nodes on a schematic and use them as the

pads on the PCB. From this I came up with a teaching method where the students study

the schematic and sketch on a handout how they plan to assemble the board. I

designed and 3D printed a template for the student to trace onto the PCB with a pencil.

They would superglue MeSqares onto the squares of the template, and the circles were

suggestions of where to ground components to the PCB. This gave them the mental

exercise to reason how to take a schematic and turn it into a prototype. Building the

oscillator was an excellent introduction and helped lead the students into the larger

DCR Challenge.

PCB Template. Students sketch the template onto the PCB.

Over the course of eight weeks of 2-hour classes, the students built the four blocks of

the Direct Conversion Receiver. I designed and laser cut a baseboard from 1/8-inch (3

mm) Baltic Burch plywood where the students could mount the four blocks of the

receiver. This provided the students some structure in assembling the receiver.

We started with the VFO block first. The most challenging thing was winding the PTO

form. But everyone managed. Other challenges were poor solder joints and missing

connections, which were easy to remedy. They became excellent teaching points.

I also noticed that students would look at the (what I called) the prototype Direct

Conversion Receiver that I built to show everyone what it would look like in the end. As

it turned out, this was a valuable part of the group build. Students would take photos of

the prototype so that they could gain a better understanding of the construction of the

receiver.

As students completed their VFO, I would test it using an oscilloscope demonstrating to

them what and how an oscilloscope works and the signals coming from their VFO.

The second block was the Band Pass Filter. This block had easier transformers to wind

compared to the mixer. This allowed a gentler introduction to toroid winding. To aid in

the identification of the windings, I purchased red and green enameled wire that had a

poly-coat that was easy to remove using a blob of solder on the soldering iron. Overall,

this was a simple block for the students to assemble. As students completed their Band

Pass Filter, I connected it to a nanoVNA and allowed them to tune the filter. Another

great teaching moment introducing them to filters and vector network analyzers (VNA),

all if which are on the General and Extra exams.

The third block to be assembled was the Mixer. This had a little more challenging

transformer with the trifler windings. I purchased enameled wire in three colors: copper,

red, and green. The copper-colored wire was coated with enamel which required

scraping to remove. The red and green was the poly-coating the students were familiar

with from building the Band Pass Filter.

The three colors allowed the students to identify the primary (indicated with a dot on the

schematic) and secondary sides. The schematic showed the location of the colors and

the MeSquares they were to be attached to. This alleviated much of the confusion that

can occur with connecting trifler windings (see DCR Mixer Handout.docx).

The forth block was to assemble the Audio Amplifier. By this time the students have

developed their knowledge and skills to assemble the one block that had the most

components. Assembly went smoothly; however, we would have the occasional

misplaced component, bad solder joint, etc. This was the case throughout the build, but

they were welcomed as excellent teaching moments.

When the entire Direct Conversion Receiver was assembled, we would test them first

using a tinySA in signal generator mode and inject a 7.1 MHz carrier. We would tune the

PTO to tune down to 7.0 MHz and up to 7.3 MHz. We had to add an inductance in

series with the PTO to accomplish this range. This took some trial and error. There was

some troubleshooting to be done to find an error or two. Finally, we connected the

receivers to a loop antenna and listened to on-the-air signals. It was not the best

antenna setup, but it gave the students confidence that their receivers were working.

The amateurs in the group took theirs home and hooked them up to their station

antennas to listen further. Each reported good reception.

The Soldersmoke Direct Conversion Receiver Challenge was an excellent group

project. The students learned a great deal from the hands-on experience. W2AEW’s

buffered Colpitts crystal oscillator video was perfect for introducing Manhattan style

construction. Creating a kit of parts, 3D printed templates, handouts, and laser cut base

gave structure to the group build and minimized construction errors. Having a fully built

receiver (that I called the prototype) for students to refer to proved extremely valuable.

Building as a group provided an encouraging environment where the students would

assist each other and share teaching moments (what to do, what not to do). Finally,

there were many teaching moments that helped solidify knowledge and skills and there

were many direct references to the questions on the Technician, General, and Extra

exams. The goal of the group build was met!

Many thanks to the SolderSmoke team for an excellent project!

73, Steve N7HPR

Thanks Steve!  More to follow -- Steve's handouts on the construction of each stage are really great. 

 Stay tuned!