SolderSmoke (The Book) Reaches the Oregon Coast

Wes, W7ZOI, took the book with him on vacation and sent along this shot from the Oregon coast. I told Wes that I was really nervous when I saw his e-mail in my in-box. The book has sections about my "understandings" of various aspects of electronic theory. I worried that the e-mail would reveal that these were all "MIS-understandings." I was very relieved that wasn't the case! Wes provided an interesting bit of ham radio history/trivia: Around page 169, I have the iconic picture of Wes out in the winter woods somewhere, with a homebrew QRP rig in his hands. I remember seeing this picture as a kid. I found it inspirational: a stoic homebrewer, using his invention to communicate from out in the hostile wilderness. In his e-mail, Wes tells me that in that photo, he was actually in contact with another station. It was Lionel, VE6WG, up near Calgary. This photo was taken by K7IUN. Thanks Wes!

VE7NSD: The Knack, personified

We've occasionally provided photos that seem to capture the essence of "The Knack." Here is another one. This is Stephen, VE7NSD, operating from his trailer out in the wilds of British Columbia. I found Stephen's story to be really inspirational. His first receiver was a Gillette Blue Blade! His first QSO was with Beaverton, Oregon! He took typing in 9th grade (the only boy in the class!) so that he could copy CW faster. Here is an excerpt from his QRZ.com page:

I started playing with radios in Roseburg, Oregon when I was ten. My Dad’s prospecting buddy Cliff, had been a Radioman in the USN and turned me on to building a crystal set using a Gillette Blue Blade for the detector. I built it but had no headphones and ordered some from the Allied Radio catalog. I felt like it took about 6 years for them to arrive, but it was probably more like 6 weeks. When the headphones finally came the xtal set didn’t work and so I started learning troubleshooting. Eventually, it worked fine and I experimented with a hunk of galena my Dad had in his rock collection.

From there Cliff gave me circuits for regenerative receivers and I built a few but none of them ever produced a usable output. All of my SWL listening had to be on the big console radio in our living room.

I can’t remember how I came to have an Arc 5 receiver for 80M, but that was my first real radio. It was probably a gift as I had no money except what I got from my paper route and all of that went to pay for the bike I used to deliver the papers. I started going to local ham club meetings and Bob Reese, W7TUI, became my mentor.

I read a copy of How To Become a Radio Amateur and started collecting parts to build the single 6V6 transmitter on the orange crate slat chassis. All of my parts had to be scrounged from the radios, TV’s and other electronic gear that was given to me. I built the power supply on a home bent chassis. I got it to work on out-of-band xtals but it had a mean chirp. W7TUI showed me how to add a VR to the power supply to feed the screen grid in the 6V6 and that cleaned up the chirp.

I was licensed as WN7VTZ in 1952 at age 12. My first QSO was with Beaverton, Oregon, with less than 10 watts input and feeding a random wire with no ATU. I suspect that there wasn’t much radiated power from that lash-up. Another buddy in Roseburg was licensed at the same time I was and we contented ourselves with cross-town QSOs.

I was the only boy in my grade 9 typing class. But, I was glad I learned to type. I could copy CW quite fast, much faster than I could write. The first time I sat down to my typewriter, put on the headphones, and put my fingers on the keys it was like magic. When my ear heard a di dah, my left little finger pushed a key. Di dah dah dah and my right index finger pushed a key. I could just sit there and watch the message appear on the typewriter paper. No effort required!

Read the full story on his QRZ.com page: http://www.qrz.com/detail/VE7NSD

And check out his Wilderness Workbench site (complete with a real moose skin):

http://www.qrpedia.com/book/200812/wilderness-workbench-ve7nsd

SolderSmoke Podcast 113

http://www.vixen.co.jp/English/info/news_e.html

http://www.soldersmoke.com

August 9, 2009
The Ponticelli Astronomical Observatory and QRP Station
Mystery Sound -- Can you ID?
Even Farhan Fries Transistors
Google marks Tesla's birthday
Adventures with Google Ads
Spotting the Space Station from Rome (and from London)
Arthur C. Clarke's version of MAILBAG
Mystery beeps in SS111?
MAILBAG

Space Hackers Video: IT'S BACK!!!!!

Hope this one doesn't get taken down. Great stuff from Turin, back in the day!

http://www.ch73.net/player.php?id=347&table=1&ln=nl

Tom's Receiver with Hybrid Cascode IF

I really like Tom's videos (and the receivers that are in them). Thanks Tom!

Micro-watt WSPRing by Gene, W3PM

Hi Bill,

As you know by your experience using 20 milliwatts, Weak Signal Propagation Reporting (WSPR) is an excellent mode to experiment with low power. A QRPp experimenter can received near instantaneous automated reports over the internet from hundreds of stations throughout the globe.

During the last few days, I have been experimenting on 30 meters with output powers as low as 20 microwatts. No one has spotted my 0.00002 watt signal yet, but K8CXM has spotted my 50 microwatt signal at a distance of 553 KM at 2332UTC, 05 AUG 09.

I used a 100 mW GPS timed beacon with a step attenuator to an indoor doublet for all the tests. All equipment is homebrew and the output power is verified with a HP-432A Power Meter. If you look in the WSPR on-line database the power is reported as 0.100 watt because it was too difficult to pull out and reprogram the beacon’s PIC controller chip for each change of power. In any case, there are no provisions to report power levels below 1 milliwatt to the WSPR database.

Other noteworthy spots:
100 uW - K8CXM, 2252UTC, 05 AUG 09, 553 KM
200 uW - AI4SA, 0530 UTC, 02 AUG 09, 333 KM
500 uW - NJ0U, multiple spots 31 JUL & 01 AUG 09, 716 KM
500 uW - K1JT, 1440 UTC, 31 JUL 09, 1215 KM
500 uW - W3HH, 1240 UTC, 31 JUL 09, 764 KM
5 mW - VK6DI, 2232 UTC, 05 DEC 08, 17,858 KM

A 6.5 meter auto tuned vertical with 50 ground radials was used for the VK6DI report. The vertical is disguised as a birdhouse support because I live in an antenna restricted neighborhood.

Of course all the credit goes to the receiving stations that no doubt live in a very quiet RF environment. The reports do not represent any records, but they may be of interest to other QRPp experimenters. .

Gene W3PM

Sabina QRP Station and Astronomical Observatory

This year, in an effort to get the kids out of Rome, we rented a summer house out in the Sabine Hills, a beautiful area just one hour north of the city. The picture shows a typical scene from the region. I brought out my HW-8, a gel-cell battery, my VW solar panel, the pi-network antenna tuner I picked up at the Trastevere flea market last winter, and about 50 feet of AC zip cord. I threw the wire into a tree and was able to tune up on 20 and 40. First station worked was near Catania, in Sicily (close to where we stayed last month). Also worked Germany and Bulgaria. I hope to use one of the tall Roman pines (like the one in the picture above) to support a vertical wire.

I also have my telescope out at the summer place, and we used it last weekend to look at Jupiter. I couldn't see the recently discovered scar, but we got great views of the clouds, and the four Galilean moons. More to follow...

Chuck Penson -- Heathkits, Nukes, and QRP

Back in my days as an anchor-ologist (a fan of old, heavy "Boatanchors" radios), I frequently consulted Chuck Penson's wonderful book about Heathkits. I was glad to see that he has developed an interest in QRP and is going to speak at CactusCon. Here is what the AZ Scorpion web site had to say about Chuck:

Chuck has a background in industrial archeology and a passion of the history of science and technology, with a special interest in nuclear weapons. He recently retired from the University of Arizona and now spends his time as the historian for the Titan Missile Museum in Green Valley Arizona. He is the author of two books: "Heathkit--A Guide to the Amateur Radio Products" and more recenty "The Titan II Handbook: A Civilian's Guide to the Most Powerful ICBM America Ever Built."

Penson has been a ham radio operator since 1966 and currently holds an advanced class license. His other interests include renewable energy, astronomy, hiking and pizza. He lives with his wife, Kathryn, at their off-the-grid ranch in the desert west of Tucson.

Arizona Scorpions and CactusCon

A message to QRP-L from Paul Harden, NA5N about this event almost had me seeking flight reservations. It really sounds great. Wish I could go. But wait! A virtual visit is possible, because they plan on providing live video streams of the presentations. And last year's talks are also available. Go Scorpions! Check it out:
http://www.azscqrpions.org/CactusCon2009.htm

Shep: UHF and Deep Space Communications

On this one, it takes a while for Shep to get to the radio stuff, but it is worth the wait. Or you could fast forward to around the half-way point (but in doing so you will miss the commercial for Miller High-Life, and Shep's discussions of Monolopy and the Game of Love).

http://ia310115.us.archive.org/2/items/JeanShepherd1965Pt1/1965_04_15_Radio_Signals.mp3

Shep: CW, Conrad, Lake Erie Swing, QRP ops (2 Watts on 20)

April 13, 1965. Jean Shepherd discusses Morse Code, propagation, the Signal Corps and a QRP adventure on 20 Meters. You guys will love this one. Thanks to Bob, N1BE for sending this along. More tomorrow.

http://ia310114.us.archive.org/2/items/JeanShepherd1965Pt1/1965_04_13_Code_School.mp3

SolderSmoke 112

http://www.soldersmoke.com/soldersmoke112.mp3

July 26, 2009
Jean Shepherd comments on solder smoke
Back to Sicily
Apollo 11
Hans Summers' Heroic Homebrew Grenadian QRSS Adventure
Regen progress (they ARE possessed)
Knack-related maladies
Amateur astronomer discovers scar on Jupiter
A reading from SolderSmoke (the book)
MAILBAG

Smoke on the way

SS 112 has been recorded. I'm out in the Sabine Hills right now but
should be able to upload around 2000 UTC tonight.

Homebrew Telescope Finds Earth-sized Scar on Jupiter

Wow! Amateur astronomer Anthony Wesley in Australia was the first one to see this new scar on Jupiter. Reminds me of the Shoemaker-Levy 9 comet impact back in 1994. I saw the results of that strike direct from my front yard in the Dominican Republic using a Tasco 4 inch reflector. (The story of that adventure is in the book, "SolderSmoke -- A Global Adventure in Radio Electronics.") Exciting stuff!

Icing on the cake: The discovery was made with a HOMBREW telescope! Here is the web page of the fellow who made the discovery:
http://jupiter.samba.org/
I really enjoyed reading his account of the discovery.

Here is a news article about the event:
http://www.cnn.com/2009/TECH/space/07/24/hubble.jupiter.scar/index.html

Apollo 11

I was 10 years-old and totally involved with the mission. Armstrong
was my hero. I kept a scrapbook (still have it). There is an
interesting Italian angle: Collins was born in Rome. His dad was with
the US Embassy. Glad to see Buzz is doing well. There is a great story
in the book Moondust about his dealings with an obnoxious reporter. I
think Buzz handled it perfectly.

No Smoke Today

I'm away from Rome this Sunday morning. We are back in Sicily. I can't
generate a podcast on this Blackberry!I hope to get the next
SolderSmoke out next Sunday. 73 from sunny Sicily. Bill

Taming the Beast: Progress on the One FET Regen Rig

I went back to work on the ET-1R, my relay-based version of the single FET transceiver (check the index on the left under Minimalist Radio for more on this). The contest this weekend (was it CQ WW DX?) gave me plenty of signals to tweak the receiver with. I finally got the RX in the right freq range, and I have a nice banset/bandspread arrangement with two variable caps. I attacked the dreaded hand capacity issue via the use of non-conducting attachments to the capacitor shafts (one is the cap from a pen, the other is a piece of wood from a clothes pin).

The slaughter of innocent MPF-102s has ended (some victims are visible on top of the SPRAT). The culprit was NOT voltage spikes from the relay coil (although that might have contributed). Instead, what was happening was that I had the gate voltage set way too high on the transmit side. Whenever I powered up the rig, it was for an instant in the transmit mode (before the relay kicked in). The high voltage jolt on the gate was enough to kill the FET.

You can see the transmitter tucked in behind the relay. It moves my SWR meter on key down, so I'm confident I can get at least one QSO (perhaps across Rome) with this rig. Then, I intend to retire it. It will probably be a few years before I forget the pain and decide to build another minimalist regen rig.

Into Space (almost) with the Basic Stamp

L. Paul Verhage has been a leader in the edge-of-space balloon game for a long time now. This morning, Hack-A-Day led me to a site that has an on-line version of his book, and a collection of his balloon and Basic Stamp articles for Nuts-and-Volts. Inspirational stuff.

Here it is: http://www.parallax.com/tabid/567/Default.aspx

Clayton's Cool Solar QRSS Rig, WA5DJJ, TESLA!

Clayton (who is NOT crazy) has put together a really neat solar-powered QRSS rig with the two wires for the dipole antenna sticking out the ends of the transmitter box. During the testing phase he went the extra mile by first freezing the circuit into a block of ice and then heating it up in an oven. I guess he really wanted a wide range of temperature data! Clayton's web site on the project is very interesting and very well done. Check it out:
http://clayton.isnotcrazy.com/mept_v1

In other QRSS news, David, WA5DJJ, just back from vacation, fired up his QRSS rig only to discover that there are no grabbers on in North America. What's up with that? Can someone out there help out OM DJJ?

Did you guys see that Google is today marking Tesla's birthday. Clearly there are some Knack vicitms in the Google-plex.

The End of Field Day... and SDR

Deon, K6WH ZS1ACP has been having a great time with Software Defined Radios and stealth vertical antennas in San Diego. His blog site has this great shot of what the band (was it 40?) looked like at the moment that Field Day ended. Check out Deon's blog:
http://capesafari.com/hamradio/SDR/SoftRockLite.html