http://soldersmoke.com/soldersmoke244.mp3
Video version at:
(118) SolderSmoke - YouTubeServing the worldwide community of radio-electronic homebrewers. Providing blog support to the SolderSmoke podcast: http://soldersmoke.com
http://soldersmoke.com/soldersmoke244.mp3
Video version at:
(118) SolderSmoke - YouTubeSolderSmoke Podcast #248 is available for download:
Audio: http://soldersmoke.com/soldersmoke248.mp3
Travelogue: Trip to the Dominican Republic 3-9 August. Thinking about the M0NTV video on mixers...
Solder Smoke Shack South is almost done. I am thinking about workbenches, operating tables and antennas. How high should an electronics workbench be? Table height? Or workbench (woodwork) height?
My son and I went to see "Oppenheimer" Trinity test scene very cool. They wanted to see if the gadget would work!
Is the SolderSmoke blog completely archived on the WayBack Machine? Please check and let me know. Thanks.
Bill's Bench:
-- I've been working a lot of DX with the homebrew rigs: Indonesia, Australia, Japan, Hawaii. Lots of fun. 15 meters has been especially good. But the rigs still need work:
-- M0NTV's video got me to put TinySA to work. I found that output from dual banders could be improved. Spurs and harmonics. Yuck. I need more TinySA -- ordered the TinySA Ultra.
-- Allison KB1GMX helped a lot. EB63A amp was unstable, especially on 10 meters. Higher frequencies are harder! Tightened up shielding, negative feedback, and bypassing. This all helped, but I found that I needed to take the higher frequency LP filters out of the amplifier box. W3NQN filters are better, with steeper skirts and better 2nd harmonic rejections. NanoVNA proving very useful. https://www.gqrp.com/Datasheet_W3NQN.pdf
-- Also worked on the Bandpass filters for these rigs. Farhan's comments on skirts of different filter configurations. Some are "LSB" filters (with steeper skirt at the highest freq) and some are "USB" filters (with the steeper skirt at the lower frequency) See diagrams on the blog page. So I built USB new filters for 12 meters and for 10 meters.
-- Phase Noise rears its ugly head again. See blog posts.
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SHAMELESS COMMERCE DIVISION:
Mostly DIY RF getting ready to release PsssT kits. Target date: December 18, 2023 (E Howard Armstrong's birthday). https://mostlydiyrf.com/
Amazon Search box seems to have died. I can't get it back. Can anyone tell me what happened? (There seems to be "explanations" from Amazon about this, but they are written in a strange language that I cannot follow.) Something similar happened with the Google Ads on this blog page. Apparently you can't have ads both on YouTube and blogger.
But hey, there is Patreon for those who want to support the podcast and blog.
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Pete's Bench
An S-meter for Bill?
6BA6 Mania!
QRP SSB with 6BA6
Shirtpocket rig re-build
Mailbag:
Walter KA4KXX has a great article about homebrewing in the September 2023 QCWA Journal.
Steve KC1QAY -- Has joined the CBLA. I sent him a 3579 crystal. He built a MMM and experienced JOO. And Allison KB1GMX is in his local radio club. TRGHS.
Ajay VU2TGG in Pune, India -- launching a high school receiver effort.
Denny VU2DGR The Wizard of Kerala: https://soldersmoke.blogspot.
Joe VK4BYER working with kids a remote Australian community. FB.
Todd K7ZF -- Wants to get into homebrewing. Advised him to start small.
Dean KK4DAS: Fixing Hallicrafters Worldwide RX. Ciudad Trujillo! Got question from Mark in the VWS Makers Group: HOW DOES Michigan Mighty Mite REALLY Work. See blog.
Trevor Woods -- Info on Super Islander Mark IV made in Cuba from old CFL bulbs. FB.
Bob KD4EBM sent me some great stuff: Sony SW receiver, QCX Mini. Made a CW contact with the QCX. Felt virtuous -- it is going to the DR. Thanks Bob.
Peter KD2OMV: One of the guys I worked with the ET-2 transceiver. Great to hear from him.
Armand WA1UQO Richmond area radio museum? https://www.youtube.com/watch?
Mike WN2A -- Sent me a great care package with lots of toroids. A lifetime supply! Thanks Mike!
Nate KA1MUQ got his Doug DeMaw receiver going after 38 years! FB. Been there, done that!
Tony: G4WIF Liked Valveman video about Gerald Wells. He visited him! https://soldersmoke.blogspot.
Dean KL7MA Bill talked to him on 15 SSB. He had worked Wes W7ZOI! FB!
N6QW's Analog CW QRP Transceiver |
SolderSmoke Podcast #236 is available!
http://soldersmoke.com/soldersmoke236.mp3
Winterfest! Many Boatanchors. Lots of old good analog test gear. Talk with Dean KK4DAS. Met up with Armand WA1UQO and Charles AI4OT.
SolderSmoke Podcast #247 is available:
Audio Podcast: http://soldersmoke.com/soldersmoke247.mp3
Bill’s Bench:
The 15-10 Dual Bander.
n 10
pole crystal filter at 25 MHz.
n G3UUR,
Dishal, AADE and all that..
n Testing
woes. Looked bad. But it was a bad test cable. Duh.
n VFO
(Colpitts) at around 3.5 MHz.
n Buffer
blues: Bad J-310s. Beware!
n Variable
cap from a Heath Q Multiplier
n A
bit of a black art – competing goals. Freq coverage, etc.
n BFO
needed an amp to turn on the diodes in the balanced modulator
n TIA
amps. SIX dual direction TIAs. 18 transistors.
n On
a pine board (like Frank Jones)
n Will
use the N6QW all discrete AF amp.
n Maybe
an RD16 in the final?
n Will
build a second one for the DR.
Shameless Commerce: Mostly DIY RF and the PSSST kit. Todd K7TFC reports: “The P3ST is on
track for Lee Deforest's birthday release (August 26th). I'm going to send out
another newsletter on July 4th, and I'll give some details on P3ST development.”
Results of Todd’s Survey.
Pete’s
Bench
n
FT-8 on the KWM-1!
n
Presentation to the ham club.
n Why the Icom 7300 is the anti-thesis of homebrew.
MMAILBAG:
-- SPRAT 195 Summer 2023, in the
mailbox. A happy day at N2CQR
-- Armand WA1UQO sent a wonderful book about Faraday and Maxwell… And told
me Jim K8OI was heading to our area. I
met Jim at the VWS Field Day event.
FB. Thanks Armand.
-- Tony G4WIF sent Father’s Day greetings.
-- Alvin N5VZH asking about electrolytics for his 2-B. Hayseed Hamfest!
-- John AC2RL replacements for the IBEW.
We need to start over!
-- Steve “Snort Rosin” Smith WB6TNL was in the area. Sorry I missed him.
-- Joh DL6ID helping us to track down origins of a homebrew receiver
Grayson saw in Berlin.
-- Grayson KJ7UM was in Europe visiting his wife’s relatives. But I think he is back in the USA.
-- Walter KA4KXX sent a QRP HB family portrait.
-- Wouter ZS1KE sent info on surface mount soldering.
-- George Zaff KJ6VU Ham Radio Workbench – re-runs! Recommended audio
processor. Let me know how it sounds.
-- Michael AA1TJ Great to hear
from him.
-- Alan Wolke W2AEW on the toroids
he used in Diode Ring video.
Thanks Alan!
-- Dean KK4DAS, AI and SWR meter project
And new lexicon word:
Hamsplaining.
-- Bob N7SUR -- Let me know we are semifinalists in the Hack-A-Day prize!
This is the Direct Conversion receiver that Dean and I have built. We plan to have students at a local high school build it, starting in early February. We would like to have some others build it, to make sure that the design is re-producible without problems.
Please build this receiver! But we ask that you build it exactly as per the schematic above and below. Innovation can come later -- for now we just want to make sure this thing works, that there are no errors in the schematic, and that it can be built by the students with minimum woe. Thanks in advance!
Dean or others with 3D printers may be able to supply the plastic form for the PTO inductor.
We know of one other builder, but he is having some trouble. We would like to confirm that this design is sound.
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Here is a larger image of the schematic (click for a full view):
Here is a larger image of the schematic (click for a full view):
http://soldersmoke.com/soldersmoke239.mp3
TRAVELOGUE:
James
Webb Space Telescope. Mars returning to
opposition in early December.
BILL'S BENCH
Hex Beam K4KIO - on roof – TV Rotor – 20-17-12 Lots of fun.
Working Japan regularly, Australia, South Africa on long path 17,000
miles. 52 countries SSB since July 11.
VFOs and Temp stabilization.
Dean KK4DAS found my ceramic resonator VFO for DC receiver drifty. He
was right. So I built a real LC Colpitts
VFO. Got me into temp stabilization. A new hobby!
An obsession. HT-37 and Ht-32
parts. Ovens? WU2D’s second VFO video. Understanding thermal drift and how to
address it. Split stator caps. Cut and
try.
Built a Polyakov DC Receiver. https://soldersmoke.blogspot.com/2010/03/polyakov-plus-dual-band-receiver-with.html Lauser Plus. Lauser = Imp or Young Rascal! DK2RS. He used a ceramic Resonator VXO at 3.58 MHz. Mine works great on 40 with VFO running 3.5 -- 3.65 MHz. See schematic below.
On 40 AM with DX-100 and MMMRX. DX-100 died.
12BY7 VFO buffer went bad. How
common is failure in this tube type? Nice QSO with Tim WA1HLR about the DX-100.
Got my Dominican license: HI7/N2CQR! SSSS on the way. Thanks to Radio Club Dominicano and INDOTEL.
Getting more active in the Vienna Wireless Society.
BOOK REVIEW:
"The
History of the Universe in 21 Stars” by Giles Sparrow. Written during the pandemic. Published by Welbeck, in London. https://www.amazon.com/History-Universe-21-Stars-imposters/dp/1787394654 Also:
From “Atoms to Amperes” by F.A. Wilson available for download. See blog.
SHAMELESS COMMERCE DIVISION:
Todd K7TFC getting ready to launch “Mostly DIY
RF.” I used his TIA boards in my 1712
rig. He will have boards like this and
much more. Stay tuned.
I need more viewers on YouTube. They want 4,000 hours IN A CALENDAR
YEAR! Please watch!
FARHAN’S NEW “DAYLIGHT AGAIN” RIG. Analog.
VFO. Comments, observations. We need to get him on the podcast. Maybe two shows: SDR and HDR.
PETE'S BENCH
Time very limited. But still sharing lots of tribal wisdom.
Wireless set with tubes!
Tool recommendation – Air compressor
Farhan VU2ESE – Speaking of big antennas “Whenever
I look at the huge construction cranes in Hyderabad, I always think how one
could make 160m, 4 element yagi using it as a boom..”
Todd K7TFC in Spain, spotting Log Periodics in Madrid.
Andreas DL1AJG: Can
Biologists fix Radios?
Janis AB2RA Wireless Girl.
Expert on Hammarlunds. And was my
first contact with the Tuna Tin 2. She too was HB!
Peter Parker VK3YE on Owen Duffy VK1OD
Lex PH2LB on homebrew radio
Would this really be homebrew? Mail from H-A-D article on FM receiver
F4IET a DSB rig from France
Ciprian got his ticket YO6DXE
Josh G3MOT sent us a good video about the Vanguard satellite
and IGY.
Dave Wilcox K8WPE bought Chuck Penson’s Heathkit book.
Rogier -- So many great articles and links from PA1ZZ
Bill AH6FC Aloha.
Retiring. Wants to build. Mahalo!
Grayson KJ7UM Working
on an Si5351. Gasp.
Mike KE0TPE viewing YouTube while monitoring 6 meters. He will have a lot of time to watch!
Chris KD4PBJ spotted Don KM4UDX from VWS FB
Mark WB8YMV building a superhet. Having trouble with 455 kc IF can filter.
Walter KA4KXX Great comment on the Daylight Again rig.
Ramakrishnan Now VU2JXN was VU3RDD. Found lost Kindle with SolderSmoke book on it. Building SDR rig from junk box. Trouble with the LM386.
Pete, Farhan and Tony: Shelves of Shame