SolderSmoke Podcast 262: Hybrid Wireless, 100 Watt Amplifier, Antipode VK6, Tropo DR to PR?, Mixers, MAILBAG

SolderSmoke Podcast #262 is available: 

Audio only: http://soldersmoke.com/soldersmoke262.mp3

Video:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QSUyE4IaHFw&t=61s 

Intro: 

-- We are over 100 on the Direct Conversion Receiver Builds.  We talked about the receiver project at the GQRP convention.  Video on the blog.

-- G4 Geomagnetic storm November 11-12.  Messed up my computer.  Blackout in the DR?  

Pete: 

-- USMC Birthday. Having served alongside them they have my deepest respect. Veterans Day. 

-- Think about supporting those without a job this Thanksgiving. Cash to various organizations is best.

 -- 50 Hz off frequency -- What does that mean if you tune by ear and not by mouse/waterfall?

--  The Hybrid Wireless is on the air. A unique build and not often seen.

Dean:  

-- Progress on the HOMEBREW MOSFET amplifier.  Claude helped. 

Dean's 100 watt amplifier

SHAMELESS COMMERCE DIVISION:  Mostly DIY RF.   Become a SolderSmoke Patron.  Buy stuff from Amazon through the link on this blog (in the right side column). 

Bill:  

Bill's antipode from Virginia

-- VK early in the morning.  Also E51MWA and FW5K.  All homebrew SSB. My antipodes. VK6ACF Charley 11,629 miles.  Might be my most distant station worked. 

-- Preping for VHF in HI7.  Can I kerchunk Boricua repeaters with Tropo?  See: https://soldersmoke.blogspot.com/2025/09/puerto-rico-dominican-republic-tropo-on.html

-- Bill's mixer obsession. Grayson's HSD Chapter 12. The importance of knowing "the paticular go of it." EMRFD Chapter 5. 

-- The new look for the SolderSmoke blog. 

MAILBAG:  

-- Todd VE7BPO -- Doing well. 

-- Grayson KJ7UM on the loss of Jim Tonne W4ENE.  Gone, but through his writting, continuing to contribute.See: https://web.archive.org/web/20220429224036/http://tonnesoftware.com/appnotes/demodulator/EnvelopeDemodulators.pdf

-- Camden is a 23 year-old blind ham who is looking for some homebrew help. He lives in Pleasant City, Ohio, about an hour east of Columbus.  Can you help him? camden@bopp.net

-- Dale Parfitt into the QRP Hall of Fame!  The Radio Gods Approve! 

-- Paul VK3HN -- Bricolage, Cacharreo, Artilugio, and Jugaad.  SA612 going obsolete. 

-- Mike WN2A Mixers and all that. Tropo.  "Greetings from the National Radio Noisy Zone!" (NJ) 

-- Peter Marks VK3TPM -- SolderSmoke template help -- Digital HF Voice

-- Walter KA4KXX -- A great book by L.B. Cebik

-- Bob KD4EBM  -- The Bob Pease Analog Troubleshooting book. Pease quote: "My favorite programming language is solder," 

-- Cor PA3COR  Difference between mixers and adders

-- Mike WA3O  I still have his HW-7.  Amazing water-cooled amplifier.   VK3MO.  

-- Samuele IU2QBW     An Italian Homebrewer  https://soldersmoke.blogspot.com/2025/10/a-wonderful-homebrew-direct-conversion.html

-- Pil Joo VA3GPJ  Experimenting with TIA amps. 

-- Farhan VU2ESE -- USB and LSB LC filters -- Applicable for crystal filters too? 

-- Rogier PA1ZZ Thanks for the great videos! 

-- Captain Mike  KX4WC   Aeronautical Mobile --Santiago, Chile to Panama!  With Mike WA3O and Ian VK3MO:  https://soldersmoke.blogspot.com/2025/11/vk3mo-and-wa3o-brotherhood-of-ham-radio.html 

-- Dave AA7EE  A completely AI SolderSmoke? "Open the pod bay doors Hal." 

-- Pat W3RGA heard my 1 watt HI7 beacon.  Thanks Pat. 

-- Patrick Voets -- A Belgian living in the Netherlands -- supports our defiant NIMCEL position! 

-- Brian "Moses" Hall K8TIY, Father of Robert of "Crank it in Robert" fame.  Check out the video.  Young Robert appears around the 45 minute point:  https://youtu.be/Xqs2Ihucr6I?t=2730

-- Will Harris KI4POV -- an esteemed homebrewer -- asks about using 75 ohm coax. I say yes, Pete tells him how to do it right. 

SolderSmoke Homebrew Direct Conversion Receiver Hall of Fame Update: 101 Completed + 7 Honorable Mentions: Total Receivers Built: 108 (As of January 10, 2026, 1019Z)

 Please let us know if you spot any errors, or if we have inadvertently missed anyone.  Don't worry about being late to the game -- the challenge continues.  All of the info is still available (see below). 

As of January 10, 2026 1019Z:

So far 101 completed receivers, and 7 honorable mentions.  Total Count:  108.       Receivers built in 17 countries.   

NE3U (KY4EOD)  Matt 

KQ4AOP       First ham signals ever heard! 

N9TD             Derek

AC3NG          Ryan

VK3TPM       Peter Marks  

W4KAC         Ken 

W4KAC         Ken built a second one! 

N2EPE           Erik

VA3NCA        Wayde    

KI5SRY          Mark -- Gears on PTO screw

 

KA1MUQ       Frying pan receiver

AA1N              Adam

ZL1AUN         Aaron -- Using SSB transmitter -- New Zealand

W8UC             Never before homebrewed. 

VK4PG           Phil -- Nice case, "really pleased"

G7LQX           Working well, video of CW and SSB.  -- England

KE2AMP        John     Spring on PTO screw -- great

N9SZ              Steve  nice receiver

KD9NHZ        Piotr  Nice one

KE8ICE          Calvin, Very cool receiver. 

 

WV3V              Jayson!  Got it done!

GM5JDG         Martin.   -- Scotland 

KF8BOG          Jim:  A long struggle, but success.  

Chris Wales    Fantastic video.  -- Wales

YD9BAX         Wayan! Homebrew transformer!  Indonesia

N0NQD         Jeff 

WN3F              Roy -- Made new stickers! 

AB5XQ            Bill  

KB7ZUT          Andy  

AA1OF            Jer

VictorKees        Holland

KC9OJV           John -- Manhattan-style convert

WZ5M              1, 2 or maybe even 3 receivers!

K1KJW             Jim in Vermont

KC5DI              Dallas -- friend of WZ5M

Gary                 Australian -- Wooden PTO form

LU2VJM          Juan in Argentina  -- Argentina

K1OA               Scott "Most fun in 50 years"

KC9DLM         Ben -- Had EFHW problems

PH2LB             Lex  Yellow, Glue Stick -- Netherlands

AI6WR             David

G6GEV            Dave (It was a blast!) 

KC1ONM        Wayne  MakerLabs NH

KB1OIQ          Andy    MakerLabs NH

KA1PQK         Jay       MakerLabs NH

W1TKO           Mike    MakerLabs NH

K5KHK            Karl

SM0TPW         Mikael  -- Sweden

KI7LKB           Brian (coat hanger tube)

M6CRD            Chris

W2DAB           Dave in NYC

W4JYK            Wes of VWS

KA4CDN          Mike of VWS

M7EFO             Adrian 

VK5RC             Rob

KD8KHP          Dave

VK1CHW         Chris

KA0PHJ           Brian

W0IT                Louis

W1PJE             Phil

W2AEW           Alan

KN6FVK          John (Barkhausen-Be-Gone Spray) 

VU2JXN           Ramakrishnan -- India

AA0MS            Doug 

9V1/KM7ABZ   Paul  --  Singapore

VK2BLQ          Stephen -- Australia

N3FJZ              Rick

Daniel               VE5DLD  -- Canada

Student 1          Student of VE5DLD

Student 2          Student of VE5DLD

Student 3         Student of VE5DLD

K7WXW          Bill 

NK3H               Mitch

KN4ZXG         Ted

WA1MAC        Paul

N4AVC             Chuck 

K3IY                 Kevin

N6ASD             Ashish in Bangalore

W1DSP             Rick

WD4CFN         Steve

KM5Z             Mike

KF5DAN         Dan

Fritz                 Fritz

N9OK              Joe

WA5DSS         Bill 

K0GDB           Grant

G0JNR            Shane Glow-in-Dark Coil Form

KK7BCO        Tobias

K2BVR            Bob

Robert              Sutton

K5YFO           Dave (Texas) 

KD4PBJ          Chris

KN4GAH        Chris -- EE perspective

F1GMA           Philippe  -- France

W2TEF            Todd

EI9ITB            Karl  -- Ireland

VU2TUM         Puneit Singh

AA7EE             Dave Richards

KI5VIR            Jay

CT7AXD       Graham -- Promoted from Honorable Mention!

G3MOT           Josh

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

Honorable Mentions: 

*AA7U            Steve No PTO

*VK7IAN        Ian -- No Manhattan boards -- Tasmania

*KC1FSZ        Bruce's build on a PC board

* DL1AJG      Andreas -- Germany

* Matthew      Student of DL1AJG

* Arash           Student of DL1AJG 

*KA4KXX     Walter -- FB 20 Meter version

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

Candidates for the Hall of Fame: 

SA5RJS              Rasmus

KA9TII               James

AA7FO              Chuck 

VA3ZOT           Tony  Surface Mount -- Honorable Mention? 

AB2XT             John (Done, just need the video)

KO7M              Jeff (Piper Cub)

For more information on how you too can build the receiver: 

Join the discussion - SolderSmoke Discord Server:

https://discord.gg/Fu6B7yGxx2

 

Documentation on Hackaday:

https://hackaday.io/project/190327-high-schoolers-build-a-radio-receiver

 

SolderSmoke YouTube channel:

https://www.youtube.com/@soldersmoke

Puneit Singh VU2TUM's FB Homebrew 40 meter SolderSmoke Direct Conversion Receiver

It was really good to see Puneit Singh finish this receiver project.  He overcame many difficulties, including a lot of travel and an acute shortage of time, but he got it done. Congratulations Puneit Singh and welcome to the Hall of Fame. 

Puneit is also a CW man -- we hope he pairs this receiver up with a simple CW transmitter and makes some "fully homebrew" contacts. 

 

A Visit to the U.S. National Radio Astronomy Observatory (and the surrounding Quiet Zone)

Because my kids went to college in the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia, I sometimes found myself asking Google Maps how long it would take to get to the radio astronomy observatory at Green Bank, West Virginia.  It looked close on the map, but as these two guys found out, it really was quite far away.  So we never made the trip.  I am glad that these guys did. See the video above. 

Look, I am a former member of the SARA, the Society of Amateur Radio Astronomers.  I am a huge fan of the Parkes Radio Telescope in Australia, the focal point (!) of the movie "The Dish."   I also have on my shelf the book, "Big Ear Two -- Listening for Other Worlds" by John Kraus W8JK:  

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_D._Kraus.  I am really interested in this stuff.  

This video was a really nice look at the observatory and at the surrounding area.  I may have to try again to get out there: 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Radio_Astronomy_Observatory

 

VK3MO and WA3O - The Brotherhood of Ham Radio

Ian VK3MO and his daughter Rachel in 2006

I have known Mike WA3O for many years -- he sent me his HW-7 QRP transceiver, which I proudly display in my shack.  I have also had several contacts with VK3MO, going back to at least 2002.  I ran into both of them on 20 meters from the Dominican Republic on September 2, 2025 when KX4WC/AM was flying from Chile to Panama.  This was a very cool contact.   WA3O made it even cooler by sending this email about his connection to Ian VK3MO.  Mike writes:    

On another note. VK3MO . I heard Ian talking one afternoon about Pittsburgh. After he cleared with his QSO I called him and asked about it and he said his daughter was visiting Pittsburgh to check out a university (Duquesne). So I gave him my email and phone number in case anything should arise. We met up with his daughter and took her to dinner and she and my wife went to Niagra Falls. About a year after that his daughter went to that university and on many occasions we got together for a meal and to hang out.

 Ian and his wife did come to visit and we got to meet them . I also kept a morning 40 meter schedule with Ian every day.  Ian has STACKED ROMBIC antennas (one at 140 ft and one at 70 ft) so he was a massive signal most days. Ian was very grateful to have us available, just in case.

  His daughter is an accomplished violinist and got us tickets to the opera where she was in the orchestra. 

  Then Covid hit and she was just finishing finals so, we packed her up and got her to the airport before they closed the Australian boarders.

 

All from the brotherhood of ham radio.

73's  Mike WA3O 

VK3MO's 20 meter monoband array w 200 foot rotating tower

He also has STACKED RHOMBICS for 40 meters 

WA3O's Water-Cooled 1.3 kW amp using MOSFETS

More pictures at https://www.qrz.com/db/WA3O

Jim Tonne -- W4ENE -- SK -- Does anyone have his 2012 Envelope Demodulator Article?

 

Some sad new arrived this morning via QRZ.com and the AM Window:   Jim Tonne W4ENE has passed away: 

https://www.legacy.com/us/obituaries/name/james-tonne-obituary?id=59587279

https://forums.qrz.com/index.php?threads/jim-tonne-w4ene-sk.969255/

Jim was a prolific software developer for radio amateurs.  He was the source of the Elsie program used by so many of us. 

I had a very useful e-mail exchange with Jim in 2022 about envelope detectors.  Much of the exchange was about a 2012 article that Jim wrote on this subject.  I was looking for it just today.  Unfortunately Jim's software business (and his websites) are all apparently tied up with the executor.  I can't access them. 

Does anyone out there have a downloaded copy of Jim's 2012 article on Envelope Demodulators that they could send to me? 

http://www.tonnesoftware.com/appnotes/demodulator/EnvelopeDemodulators.pdf

It is a tribute to the contributions made by a radio amateur that even after his passing people are scrambling to find his articles and his software.   Condolences to Jim's family. 

Another GREAT Book -- L.B. Cebik, W4RNL's "Seven Steps to Designing your Own Ham Equipment" - 1979 - FREE!

Thanks to Walter KA4KXX for alerting us to this gem of a book.  L.B. Cebik is best known as an antenna guru.  I did not know that he also did a book on the homebrewing of rigs.  

Here is the URL: https://archive.org/details/sevenstepstodesi0000cebi/page/n2/mode/1up  Just click on the "borrow" box and you can look at the whole thing.  Thanks too to the Internet Archive for preserving this important piece of ham literature. 

I was a bit apprehensive when I saw "designing" in the title.  We have talked about how, all too often, modern hams seem to challenge the homebrew nature of our rigs by asking if we had "designed" it ourself.  "Well," I answer,  "I did not invent the Colpitts oscillator, nor the common emitter amplifier, nor the superheterodyne receiver... But I did build this rig myself."  I worried that OM Cebik might have been plunging us into this design debate way back in 1979.  

But no need for worry.  His definition of "design" is quite expansive:  

I have not read the whole thing yet.  I hope that others will go through it and highlight for the group the parts that they find to be the best.  Please put your thoughts in the comments section below. 

Thanks again Walter.

Dale Parfitt, W4OP, Inducted into the QRP Hall of Fame

I was really pleased to confirm that Dale Parfitt, W4OP, was inducted into the QRP Hall of Fame in 2025.  It would have been a travesty to leave him out.  

I met Dale on the internet years ago.  After homebrewing one myself, I had found on the internet a version of Doug DeMaw's Barebones Superhet receiver using a FAR printed circuit board.  Years later, I was having a bit of trouble with it.  I think was probably trying to change the band from 20 meter to 17 meters or something like that.  There was this guy named Dale who was helping me a lot.  After a while, he said something like, "Hey, wait a minute.  That receiver board you have sounds very familiar.  Wait!  That's the receiver that I built!"  It was.  I was working on a receiver that Dale himself  had built. 

It turns out that I have told this story many times on the SolderSmoke blog.  (That's what happens when a story is good, and when the blog is OLD!)  Many other W4OP adventures appear on the blog (including a water-cooled EME anteanna, and reception of Mike Rainey AA1TJ's Vanguard replica transmitter).   Check out the W4OP posts on the SolderSmoke blog here: 

https://soldersmoke.blogspot.com/search?q=W4OP

And be sure to listen to Eric Guth 4Z1UG's interview with Dale:  

https://www.qsotoday.com/podcasts/w4op

Congratulations on the QRP Hall of Fame induction Dale.  It was richly deserved and makes membership in that group all the more meaningful.  

"Troubleshooting Analog Circuits" by Bob Pease

 

I used to say that at a hamfest, you should get three things:  1) some parts 2) a tool, and 3)  a book.  I thought I had maxed out on books.  Until Bob KD4EBM sent me this one.  I made room for it. 

Just consider some of the chapter headings and sub-headings:

 

-- The Philosphy of Troubleshooting. 

-- Quashing Spurious Oscillations

-- Oscillations Crop up

-- Roundup of "Floobydust:" Loose ends that don't fit elsewhere

-- Real circuits and real problems

-- Experts have no monopoly on good advice

-- Learn to recognize clues 

-- When computers replace troubleshooters, Look Out

-- Understanding diodes and their problems

-- Identifying and avoiding transistor problems

Sadly Bob died in 2011. But his good advice and wisdom lives on: 

https://www.qsl.net/n9zia/pease/index.html

Get this book:  https://www.amazon.com/Troubleshooting-Analog-Circuits-Design-Engineers/dp/0750694998

About Our New SolderSmoke Blog Template

About 17 years ago, when I set up the SolderSmoke blog, I wanted three columns.  Google Blogger/Blogspot didn't seem to have one, so I expanded my search.  I ended up using an external (to blogspot) template.  All was well until recently the SolderSmoke blog started to look kind of strange.  

I consulted with Peter VK3TPM.  He looked at the code and concluded that it was probably a problem with the external template.  He suggested just changing the template to one that is provided by Google Blogspot.   I didn't want to get into a lot of digital troubleshooting and fruitless calls to help lines, so that is what I did.  

The new template seems to work well.  There are (kind of) three columns.  I kept most of the widgets from the old blog.  I cleaned it up a bit.  I think it looks pretty good.  

Thanks Peter for the good advice. 

Two Spanish Words Useful for Homebrewers: Cacharreo and Artilugio

Luis EA5BRE

Both these words came up during a very nice conversation that I had this morning with Luis EA5BRE on 20 meter SSB.  I told Luis that I had first heard "cacharreo" from Cuban hams who had apparently done a lot of it.  I recently heard "artilugio" being used in a podcast from Spain; they were using it to mean a "gizmo" or a "contraption."  All of us do a lot of "cacharreo" and we build a lot of "artilugios." And we have all done some weeping as a result of our artilugios (see below). 

Google AI says: 

The Spanish word cacharreo refers to the act of tinkering or fiddling with something, often in an attempt to fix, modify, or improve it. It is an informal, colloquial term derived from the verb cacharrear.  This activity is typically done in an amateur way, not by a professional. 

Common uses of cacharreo:

Hobbies and DIY: It is used to describe hands-on hobbies like tinkering with electronics, computers, cars, or audio equipment. For example, a video about "hifi systems" was described as a "Ruta del Cacharreo".

• Minor repairs: It can refer to attempting to fix a broken household item. For instance, "Estuve cacharreando con la TV, pero sin éxito" translates to "I've been fiddling with the TV trying to fix it, but to no avail".
• General fiddling: It can also be used in a more general sense to mean "messing with" or handling something without a clear purpose. For example, "¡Deja de cacharrear con el refrigerador!" means "Stop messing with the fridge!". 

The roots of cacharreo

The word is related to cacharro, which can refer to a variety of items, including: 

• A piece of junk or old, useless object
• A broken-down car
• A cheap gadget
• A cooking pot or dish 

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

Artilugio is a Spanish noun referring to a device, gadget, or contraption. The word is often used informally or with a slightly pejorative or humorous connotation, suggesting that the object is unnecessarily complex, strange, or difficult to use. 

The term can also refer to a trick or ruse used to achieve a goal. 

Common translations include:

• Gadget: A small tool or device with a specific function.
• Contraption: A machine or device that looks strange or complicated.
• Gizmo: An informal word for a gadget or device.
• Gimmick: A trick or special feature used to attract attention.
• Contrivance: A mechanical device, or a clever plan or scheme. 

Etymology
The word artilugio is thought to have an ironic origin, combining the Latin words ars ("skill" or "art") and lugere ("to mourn" or "weep"). The combination humorously implies a device that, despite being "artful," is so complex that it might make one "weep" out of frustration. 

2025 ARRL Technical Service Award

 

Thanks to the ARRL for the award.  It is much appreciated.  Thanks too to all the people who built this receiver.  There are more than 100 of them and they come from all around the world.  We hope that they will go on to become homebrew Elmers, and help others to discover "the magic that emerges in a room full of solder smoke, and that only comes from a receiver that you have built yourself." 

And special thanks to Bruce KC1FSZ for nominating us for this award. 

"Rig Here is Homebrew" -- The Joys and Sorrows of Building your own Rigs

This is kind of a re-run.  I came across it today on YouTube and thought it was pretty good.  So here it is again.  

 -------------------

Dean KK4DAS asked me to speak to our local radio club, the Vienna Wireless Society.   It was a lot of fun.  I talked about my evolution as a homebrewer, some of the rigs I made, the moments of joy, and the tales of woe.   You can watch the presentation in the video above. 

I was really glad to be able to explain in the presentation the importance of people like Pete, Dex, Farhan, Wes, Shep and even Dilbert. 

I was also pleased to get into the presentation the N2CQR sign that Peter VK2EMU made for me.  Thanks Peter! 

Here is the URL to the YouTube video (also above): 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=3414&v=VHSr-v4QO7Q&feature=emb_logo

And here are the PowerPoint slides I used: 
https://viennawireless.net/wp/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/VWS-presentation-Rig-here-is-homebrew.pdf

Karl EI9ITB's FB SolderSmoke Direct Conversion Receiver -- First Receiver Built in Ireland

Congratulations to Karl EI9ITB for the successful completion of his SolderSmoke direct conversion receiver.  Above you can see Karl's receiver inhaling SSB on 40 meters.  We also got a nice CW video.