Searching for the Sputnik Schematic

Mike, AA1TJ, has launched (!) yet another intriguing project. See below. In an effort to come up with the actual Sputnik schematic, I have thrown down the geek gauntlet to our fellow nerds at sci.space.history:

Greetings Space Historians!
We are a group of radio amateurs and we probably rival you in our
technical geeky-ness. We are now involved in an effort to re-create
and put on the airwaves replicas of the 20 MHz transmitters used in
Sputnik 1. (We will use the amateur radio 21 MHz band).
We are trying to find a schematic diagram for the transmitter. Can
you help us? Thanks.

------------------------
Gentlemen,

Arnie, CO2KK, told me last night that as a 15 year-old boy he'd made
it into the newspaper by picking up Sputnik's signal on his Hammarland
Super-Pro receiver.

Don Mitchell - a physicist now retired from the Bell Labs - also wrote
last evening to ask if I knew of a schematic diagram for the two
transmitters used on Sputnik-1. Mr. Mitchell maintains an informative
web site on the topic of Sputnik. Here, for example, is the link to
his page on the first of the series of "Travellers" to be lofted into
orbit in late 1957 into 1958.

http://www.mentallandscape.com/S_Sputnik1.htm

To the best of my knowledge the schematic for what may be the most
famous QRPp transmitter has never been published. It's a shame,
particularly as it would have been great fun to build an approximate
replica for use on the ham bands

However, I woke up this morning wondering why should we allow the lack
of an original schematic to stop us when there's plenty of descriptive
evidence available? "Spaceflight Magazine," for example, published a
wonderful article on the 50th anniversary of Sputnik. The story was
pieced together from original documents over a period of 20 years. You
may read the article here

http://faculty.fordham.edu/siddiqi/writings/siddiqi_sputnik_history_2007.pdf

"The two D-200 type radio transmitters operated on frequencies of
20.005 and 40.003 megacycles at wavelengths of 15 and 7.5 m. These
transmitters (which obviously used vacuum tubes) each had a power
intake of 1 watt and provided the famous “beep-beep-beep” sound to
Sputnik. The signals on both the frequencies were spurts lasting 0.2
to 0.6 seconds, and carried information on the pressure and
temperature inside the satellite; one set would transmit during the
“pauses” of the other."

"Despite objections from just about everyone, Gringauz insisted that
PS-1 carry a high frequency transmitter (the 20.005 MHz transmitter
operating in the decameter waveband) in addition to the VHF
transmitter (which had been commonly used on Soviet ballistic
missiles). ...In the end, Gringauz won over his opponents, partly
because everyone agreed that a high frequency
transmitter would ensure that the radio transmissions would be heard
around the world. The transmitter hardware was built by one
of Gringauz’ youngest engineers, Vyacheslav Lappo..."

>From other sources we know the transmitter used vacuum tubes rather
than transistors. This site mentions that when the received signal
level was quite strong, the presence of a back-wave while the other
transmitter was keyed could be noted.

http://www.amsat.org/amsat/features/sounds/firstsat.html

The RF oscillator, at a minimum, must have been free-running. So,
we're talking a vacuum tube crystal-controlled oscillator and a PA
having an input power of 1 watt. They may have used a PA driver stage,
or perhaps a frequency multiplier stage. If they did use a multiplier
then it must have been allowed to free-run as well. But given the
battery drain considerations, I would have done my best to reduce the
number of vacuum tube heaters, or filaments to a minimum. As such, I
think there's a fairly good chance this was a simple, MOPA design
(oscillator-> PA).

I found what might be a photograph of the transmitter on page 26 of
the December 1957 issue of the Soviet "Radio Magazine." Perhaps our
Russian speaking group members can confirm this and provide us with
other clues appearing in the article text? The magazine can be
downloaded at

http://publ.lib.ru/ARCHIVES/R/''Radio''/

Click-on ''Radio'',1957,N12.[djv].zip. The "zipped" December issue
appears in DJVU format. Don't miss the nice Sputnik cover art.

This re-post talks about the center-fed Vee dipole used (the 15m
transmitter used the 5.8meter dipole) among other things.

http://hamradio.mybb.ru/viewtopic.php?id=625

Getting to get the point, this morning I woke up thinking about how
plentiful vintage Russian military tubes are these days. Remember how
inexpensive US military surplus used to be? That's how it is right now
with Russian components (and the characteristics of some of these
tubes are simply amazing). All I can say is get 'em while they're hot,
as it surely won't last forever.

It also came to me that Expanded Spectrum Systems sells an HC49
crystal cut for 21060kHz for two and a half-bucks each.

Finally, I remarked to myself that propagation-wise, 15m may well be
open for business come the 54th anniversary of the launch of Sputnik-1
next October the 4th.

You've probably guessed by now what I'm going to propose. We have
plenty of time to throw together a simple 15m CW vacuum-tube
transmitter having an input power of 1w or less. We could use any
tubes that we like but I'm going to build mine using 1950's vintage
ex-Soviet devices. I plan to power mine with one or two of those
ubiquitous 12V sealed-lead-acid batteries. I'll VXO my crystal and
I'll let it free-run during transmit; both for historical reasons and
to improve the signal quality.

Perhaps some of the antenna gurus here would lend a hand by modeling
and testing something akin to the original 70 degree Vee dipole? Would
this be a practical antenna?

I propose that beginning on "Sputnik Day" we launch our 1 watt Sputnik
clones on 15m CW. Instead of calling CQ, our call could be along the
lines of "Beep_Beep_Beep_Beep_Beep_Beep de AA1TJ". In other words, six
letter E's followed by our call sign. Given that I can barely organize
the socks in my underwear drawer, perhaps someone skilled at
organizing events would take up the cause?

One more thing. Poking around on Google last night, I was struck by
how many people remarked that the experience of Sputnik had changed
their lives. Some decided to become engineers, scientists or amateur
radio operators. I didn't know it at the time, but Sputnik changed the
way that I was educated. Not only did this little QRPp transmitter
make a tremendous impact on the world, but radio amateurs were front
and center. It seems appropriate that we should commemorate this
extraordinary day in the history of QRPp.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CHaJDuq6tBM

(they were seeing the orbiting booster stage rather than the satellite)

Sputnik Mania...the complete film in two parts (warning...contains
some political "button-pushing")Greetings Space Historians!
We are a group of radio amateurs and we probably rival you in our
technical geeky-ness. We are now involved in an effort to re-create
and put on the airwaves replicas of the 20 MHz transmitters used in
Sputnik 1. (We will use the amateur radio 21 MHz band).
We are trying to find a schematic diagram for the transmitter. Can
you help us? Thanks.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8jI5RBRWIOE

If I happen to learn more about the original transmitter I'll be sure
and post it on my blog or web site. I found particularly interesting
the fact that WWV interrupted some of their 20MHz transmissions in
order to accommodate Sputnik's signal; a gentlemanly thing to do

As for the possibility of an event along these line, any comments or
discussion is most welcome. I plan to make a start on my little
Sputnik sender upon my return from vacation in July.
Greetings Space Historians!
We are a group of radio amateurs and we probably rival you in our
technical geeky-ness. We are now involved in an effort to re-create
and put on the airwaves replicas of the 20 MHz transmitters used in
Sputnik 1. (We will use the amateur radio 21 MHz band).
We are trying to find a schematic diagram for the transmitter. Can
you help us? Thanks.
Ha...I just received several fairly good-quality color photos of the
original Sputnik transmitters! At first glance it looks as though they
used two subminiature pencil tubes! The quartz crystal looks very
similar to our HC-18/u package. The RF portion is very simple in
appearance. In fact, it reminds me of something you'd find in a 1950's
ARRL Mobile Radio Manual! ;o)

The fellow who sent these apparently has a contact with one of the
original Sputnik (non-electronic) hardware designers; who is said to
be "still very much alive." My contact is going to make an inquiry
with his Russian contact about the transmitter.

Very cool...

73/72,
Mike, AA1TJ

Sputnik 40 Launched from MIR in 1997

Bill,
I'm new to SolderSmoke, and have made it up to episode 135. around episode 130  you entered a "space" phase that I enjoyed. With Sputnik being mentioned, I thought I would send you a recording of Sputnik 40 that I made on November 23, 1997. I used a home made turnstile antenna and an HT.

73,
Jeff Tucker
W9TLT

Listen to Jeff's recording here: 

http://soldersmoke.com/sputnik97.wav

Sputnik 40, also known as Sputnik Jr, and Radio Sputnik 17 (RS-17), was a Franco-Russian amateur radio satellite which was launched in 1997 to commemorate the fortieth anniversary of the launch of Sputnik 1, the world's first artificial satellite. A 4-kilogram (8.8 lb) one-third scale model of Sputnik 1, Sputnik 40 was deployed from the Mir space station on 3 November 1997. Built by students, the spacecraft was constructed at the Polytechnic Laboratory of Nalchik in Kabardino-Balkaria, whilst its transmitter was assembled by Jules Reydellet College in Réunion with technical support from AMSAT-France.

Sputnik 40 was launched, along with a backup spacecraft and the X-Mir inspection satellite, aboard Progress M-36 at 15:08 UTC on 5 October 1997. A Soyuz-U carrier rocket placed the spacecraft into orbit, flying from 1/5 at the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan: the same launch pad used by Sputnik 1. Progress M-36 docked to Mir on 8 October, and the satellites were transferred to the space station. At 04:05 UTC on 3 November, during an extra-vehicular activity, Sputnik 40 was deployed by cosmonauts Anatoly Solovyev and Pavel Vinogradov.

On 4 November, the day after it was deployed, Sputnik 40 was in a low Earth orbit with a perigee of 376 kilometres (234 mi), an apogee of 382 kilometres (237 mi), an inclination of 51.6 degrees, and a period of 92.13 minutes.The satellite was given the International Designator 1997-058C, and was catalogued by the United States Space Command as 24958. It ceased operations on 29 December 1997 when its batteries expired, and subsequently decayed from orbit on 21 May 1998. The backup satellite remained aboard Mir, and was destroyed when Mir was deorbited on 23 March 2001.

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Royal Order of the Sputnik Clone Chasers

Kettering Group, UK

From the Chief Designer (AA1TJ):

Fellas,

I came across an online blurb for the recent book, Sputnik: The Shock of the Century, by Paul Dickson; a worthwhile read, judging from the introduction and first chapter.

http://www.sputnikbook.net/intro.php

"Someone brought out a shortwave radio, and soon a beeping noise filled the room. A Russian scientist, Anatoli Blagonravov, confirmed it was Sputnik. "That is the voice," he said dramatically. "I recognize it." John Townsend Jr., one of the scientists at the party, recalled watching Blagonravov: "I knew him quite well, and I could tell that he was a little surprised and quite proud. My reaction was 'Damn!'"

And so an abstraction now had a voice. It also had a name - Sputnik.

Many of those at the party adjourned to the Soviet Embassy's rooftop, attempting to view Sputnik with the naked eye. Several of the American scientists drifted over to the American IGY headquarters in Washington, where they began speculating on what impact the satellite would have. They feared that the American people would be disappointed.

It also dawned on them that they had better start tracking the satellite's orbit. They got in touch with the American Radio Relay League in West Hartford, Connecticut, asking its 70,000 members-all "ham" radio operators-to lend a hand and help track the Sputnik. In less than twenty-four hours, reports on the satellite were coming back to the National Science Foundation, where a temporary control room had been established. Eventually, these hams and other amateur and professional trackers would consider themselves part of a great international fellowship known as ROOSCH, or the Royal Order of Sputnik Chasers."

That's right guys...ROOSCH...the Royal Order of Sputnik Chasers. And to think that fifty four years later a second great international fellowship would rise from the ashes...ROOSCCH, or the Royal Order of Sputnik Clone Chasers! ;o)

(BTW, October 4, 1957 is an important date in American history for a second reason. On that evening the first episode of Leave it to Beaver made its debut.)

...............................................

I thought we should also at this point remember the intrepid lads of the Kettering Group, pictured above. (Some of those dudes look like they would have been right at home in "Leave it to Beaver.") For more info on their amazing Sputnik adventures go here:
http://www.svengrahn.pp.se/trackind/getstart/oldcyts.htm
and here
http://www.svengrahn.pp.se/trackind/trackin1.htm#KEttrack

Check out "SolderSmoke -- Global Adventures in Wireless Electronics"
http://soldersmoke.com/book.htm

Sputnik Party 2012 Soapbox

Poster by Steve "Snort Rosin" Smith

3 October from AA1TJ:

Here's an admittedly late reminder that the Sputnik Party begins
tomorrow (4 October). I've been preoccupied with non-hobby concerns in
recent months but I did manage to throw something together for the
event.

My transmitter follows the lines of the 10mW, battery-powered, RF
beacon that was carried into orbit in 1958 by "Vanguard 1." You may
recall this is the one Premier Nikita Khrushchev characterized as "the
grapefruit satellite."

My present build uses essentially the same circuitry and componentry
as did an earlier, 20m version; details of which can be found at

http://aa1tj.blogspot.com/2012/06/vanguard-1-satellite-transmitter.html

The 15m version drives a 44m end-fed wire with 30milliWatts.

The receiver that I built for the event is essentially a "Q-multiplier
-> detector" type regenerative job. However, the Q-multiplication is
accomplished by a parametric amplification using a quartz-crystal
controlled pump. I thought it would be historically appropriate given
that parametric amplifiers were all the rage in the late 1950's.

I put together the keying and R/T changeover circuitry this morning.
When it appeared that "all systems were go" I began sending CQs on
21.060MHz. The band, or at least that portion of the band (the
receiver only tunes from 21.060 to 21.064MHz), seemed rather quiet,
but my 6th call netted a "dit dit dah dah dit dit." Resending my call,
I was very pleased to hear HB9DCL come back to me from just outside of
Zurich. The reports were 579/339. Frank was running 5W to a log
periodic antenna. I sure hope this is a sign of things to come!

I hope to be at the key by 1300Z tomorrow. Although my little
"grapefruit" only puts out 30mW, folks running "Sputniks" made from
ex-Soviet subminiature "rod tubes" should be at least two S-units
stronger. A number of European stations will be operating this year
and at least one station that I know of will be QRV from Japan. Just
listen for the beeps and give them a call!

Thank you,
Mike, AA1TJ

.......................

04/10/12  ( first day)

dear friends &Sputnikers

today a Belgian "sputnik clone" crossed the pond

first hit

15:22 with N0UR a 2 x sputnik "solid" QSO

Jim wrote: Thanks QSO, here is how you sounded in MN

( in attach)

16:00 second hit with AA1TJ , Mike "the inventor of all this Sputnik madness" hix 3 

this time a bit more difficult but at last we could manage to exchange reports,

between the QRM and noise at last got confirmation , 

Mike's sigs  here where 339 but still copyable

all OK with my 559 sigs then suddenly some other sputnikers came on the scene and I lost Mike

nevertheless

with my 60 years again excited as a young boy

as we made some history today hi x 3

will take a picture

for the moment a complete mess as the DC/DC invertor inside the sputnik  broke down

lost the very early contact with UA1CEG suddenly no more power in the SPUTNIK-cabine LOL

had to drag my new testbench power supply (still under construction )

or  lot of things to fix for those lausy 700 milliwatts hahahaha

73 to all

Jos

ON6WJ

.................................

News flash...Sputnik worked Vanguard across the pond. I just sent this
letter to some of the guys

Dear Friends

I won't forget this morning's QSO with ON6WJ anytime soon! As he
beeped/called CQ I could hear him riding on waves of QSB. I kept
hoping he would end on the top of the wave. It happened one time and
Jos sent "AA1TJ?" but by the time I re-sent my call we were back in
the trough of the wave. He started calling again and once again I
crossed my fingers. Finally it happened, he ended on top of a
particularly strong peak...and sure enough, he copied my callsign. It
took more effort to exchange the reports but we eventually did it! He
confirmed my 559 and I did the same for my 339 report. It must be true
that anything worthwhile doesn't come easy, because the more difficult
the QSO the more I seem to enjoy it! I copied Jos' info: "SPUTNIK PWR
700mW = ANT 3EL YAGI" perfectly on my tiny receiver. Just as amazing,
he copied my 30mW transmitter made from one PNP Germanium transistor
dating from September of 1959. Needless to say, I'm a happy camper
today. Merci Beaucoup, Jos.

Just above my operating frequency I heard PA0PJE sending "CQ Sputnik."
You had a beautiful signal here, PJ! It was easily S6 on the peaks. My
transmitter frequency trimmer adjustment is buried in a rat's nest of
wires which I didn't dare stick my hand in so early in the day.
However, if I hear you again I will definitely risk it.

Thanks Carlo/IZ4KBS and congratulations on your Russian QSO. Any
contact all with this simple stuff is reason for a celebration!

...and now back to the Hobbit Hole for another dose of QRPp.

73/72,
Mike, AA1TJ

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Sputnik Replica Transmitter, an "Error" in the Sputnik Schematic, and Why 20.005 MHz?

Mark K6HX pointed me to very interesting Hackaday article on Frank PA3CNO's Sputnik transmitter replica.  As blog readers will recall, we went through a period of Sputnik-mania a few years ago:  http://soldersmoke.blogspot.com/search?q=sputnik  Chief Designer Comrade Mikhail Rainey AA1TJ sent me some of the Russian tubes (like those pictured above). 

The Hackaday article pointed to our post reporting that Oleg RV3GM had found the schematic:

http://soldersmoke.blogspot.com/2013/04/sputnik-schematic-found.html   Stefan reports that PA3CNO found "an error" in the original Soviet schematic:

http://www.radio.cc/post/Franks-power-supply-for-sputnik    A mistake you say?   HAH, I say!  Hah!  This must have been part of a sinister commie plot to prevent the capitalist imperialists from ever being able to reproduce the glorious transmitter of the Soviet people.  They almost succeeded. 

Just kidding.  

In the course of looking through our old Sputnik posts, I came across a question I posted:

I have a question: OK so the crafty Soviets picked 20.005 MHz for some good reasons: Being so close to the WWV freq, it would be easy for hams and SWLs to find it with precision. In the November/December 2007 issue of "Break In" (from NZ -- thanks Jonathan-san!) ZL3DW notes that this frequency selection would allow a receiver set to exactly 20 MHz to "produce an audio tone plus or minus the Doppler shift without ever going through zero beat." But zero beat with what? Most of the receivers out there would not have had BFOs, right? So the Soviets wouldn't have been using ordinary CW, right? Were they using AM, with the beeps produced by an audio oscillator modulating the carrier? 

Was their diabolical plan to use WWV as the BFO for those using ordinary AM SW receivers?   If so, a 5 kHz separation from WWV seems to be too much right?  Especially when the Doppler shift on approach would push the frequency up a bit. Maybe they just chose this freq to make it easy for listeners to find -- just a bit above WWV.  Comrade Rainey surmised that they were keying the PA stage -- the oscillator "backwave" was at times audible on the ground.

What do you think Comrades?

DSW and 73.

Buy a Real Sputnik Satellite! Let's Put Sputnik Back in Orbit!

Only 85,000 Euros (that's the opening bid).  But hey, it comes with the receiver pictured on the right.  I guess that's so you can listen to the beeps. 

Here's the description: 

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

Laboratory Test Model of "Sputnik 1 EMC/EMI", 1957
1:1 scale test model of the satellite "Sputnik-1", serial no. "0K6-1/004/1957", with built-in transmitter (including modern 12-volt power supply), polished stainless-steel sphere, consisting of two threaded hemispheres of approx. 23 in. diameter with two pairs of antennae of 95 in. and 105 in. at an angle of 35 degrees to the axis, on stand with O-ring, stand approx. 59 in. high, stand and model together approx. 79 in. high, accompanied by a Tesla Maj 620A radio receiver, manufactured in Prague c. 1956, restored working condition, including replacement of the silver-zinc battery with a modern alternative and a new metal casing for the electronic transmitter. Note: Built at the Experimental Design Bureau-1 (OK?-1/OKB-1) factory, also known as S.P. Korolev Rocket and Space Corporation Energia, Koroljow, Soviet Union, in 1957, shortly before the launch of Sputnik-1. - An impressive artefact from the dawn of the space age, of which few models are known. - Provenance: From the collection of Dr. Frank Malina, USA/CSSR.

Start Price: EUR 85.000

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

I'm a bit suspicious of the "modern 12-volt power supply,"  the "modern alternative" battery and the "new metal casing for the electronic transmitter."

Here's the link to the auction: 

https://www.the-saleroom.com/en-gb/auction-catalogues/auction-team-breker/catalogue-id-breker10030/lot-9c87007d-f0ff-4414-9663-adc200690819

Here's my suggestion:  Musk or Bezos or Branson should buy this thing, fix it up a bit, and put it back in orbit.  So we can listen to it again. I know a version of this was done back in 1997.  But I think we should do it again, this time with the actual test model. 

Here are the earlier SolderSmoke blog posts about Sputnik and Sputnik-related projects: 

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

Steve Silverman sent the auction posting to me.  Thanks Steve. 

It just so happens that earlier in the week I was out at the Air and Space Museum facility near Dulles Airport, where I saw this flight backup of the Vanguard satellite: 

AA1TJ: Hiking through Austria, Thinking about Sputnik

The Hero of the Hobbit Hole and Poet Laureate of QRP, Michael AA1TJ and his wife Vicki are hiking through Austria these days. Michael is on the air with a rig powered by one D-Cell battery. Now, I'd like to tell you guys that through some MIRACLE of electronics he sent us this video via that D-Cell rig, but it's not April 1. And even if it were April 1, I'd be reluctant to use that as my gag because, given Michael's high level of operating and technical skill, there is always the risk that he'd find a way to do actually do it!

Anyway, as he makes his way between ancient Roman signal towers and picturesque Austrian villages, Michael has been thinking (as you do) about the schematic diagram of the radio transmitter on the Sputnik satellite.

Gentlemen, we need this diagram. And it is not (GASP!) available on the supposedly all-knowing internet.

Here is Michael's message:

Hi Bill,

I've been thinking about "Sputnik Day" while hiking this past week or ten days. Bill, I think we've really got to do this. Many thanks for your help so far...the Kansas Connection is very tantalizing! I know you have a lot on your plate but if there is anyway you could move things along with the Kansas possibility it would be fantastic.

If we approach the museum in a professional manner...pointing out the historical necessity for properly documenting what they have, I can't see how they could refuse us. Next, we would need to assemble a team of technically competent (and appropriately diplomatic) amateurs to go in to photograph the transmitter and trace the schematic.

All the best to you and the family. Again, I think Sputnik Day could really fly...it has every aspect you could ask for...big history, home brew, QRP, contesting...

Any help or ideas from you would be most appreciated.

Tschuess, Mike, AA1TJ
Sent from my iPad

Is there somebody out there in Kansas who could take charge of this project? I agree with Michael: Essentially three steps:
1) Write to the Kansas Cosmodrome museum seeking permission to examine the innards of the satellite.
2) Once permission is granted, one or two guys could go and take detailed photos of the transmitter and gather as much data as possible about the rig.
3) From these pictures, we could trace out the diagram.

Not only will we have what we need for Michael's Sputnik Day construction project, but we'll be making a real contribution to radio history.

We don't want multiple approaches to the museum, so maybe it would be best for anyone who is willing to do this to contact me first.

This should be fun!

Sputnik Madness! But was it CW? or AM?

Our worldwide team of Sputnik enthusiasts continues to seek out the elusive schematic diagram of the spacecraft's 20 MHz transmitter. American, Cuban, Russian and German radio amateurs are involved. Recently Bruce, KK0S, visited the Kansas Cosmosphere in an effort to get a look at the innards of Sputnik's "flight spare." The picture above is his -- it shows the Sputnik antenna connection. (More pictures from Kansas here: http://s747.photobucket.com/albums/xx120/trader_vic/Kansas%20Cosmosphere/)
There was bad news and good news from the visit: The bad news was that the spacecraft on display was a hollow sphere. The good news is that the internal parts --including the transmitter -- might be in storage someplace, just waiting for our reverse engineering. Stay tuned (to 20 MHz!).

Speaking of which, I have a question: OK so the crafty Soviets picked 20.oo5 MHz for some good reasons: Being so close to the WWV freq, it would be easy for hams and SWLs to find it with precision. In the November/December 2007 issue of "Break In" (from NZ -- thanks Jonathan-san!) ZL3DW notes that this frequency selection would allow a receiver set to exactly 20 MHz to "produce an audio tone plus or minus the Doppler shift without ever going through zero beat." But zero beat with what? Most of the receivers out there would not have had BFOs, right? So the Soviets wouldn't have been using ordinary CW, right? Were they using AM, with the beeps produced by an audio oscillator modulating the carrier?

Here is a update from our Chief Designer, Comrade Mike, AA1TJ:

I currently have a prototype for a simple "Sputniker" transmitter on the bench using a 1sh29b in the oscillator and a 1p24b working as the PA. As in the original, the input DC PA power is 1watt. The crystal-controlled oscillator uses an inexpensive ESS 21.060kHz xtal. So far, all systems are GO.

BTW, here's an example of how inexpensively these lovely little tubes may be purchased. Oleg, RV3GM, and his pals might be able to do even better.

Although there are only so many ways one can build a two-tube, crystal-controlled MOPA transmitter, we'd still very much like to nail down the original transmitter circuitry. Bruce, KK0S and Peter, DL2FI are following up leads to that end.

Once we're a bit further along I'm hoping that someone will step-up to produce a kit. Actually, last evening someone raised their hand to ask if a kit were already available.

Dasvidania,
Mike, AA1TJ

Getting Ready to Listen for Sputniks

October 4 is approaching and I DO NOT have a homebrew Sputnik transmitter in the works. I hang my head in shame. AA1TJ sent me the parts, but they went to one of my many APO or FPO addresses, so I suspect they are orbiting around the Azores, or London, or Lisbon, or Rome. I'm sure they will reach me eventually.

But I have come up with a way to participate in this historic event even without a homebrew replica transmitter: I will be listening for the Sputnik transmitters, and I will be doing so with a receiver of that era, a receiver that could have been used by some earnest teenager eagerly tuning for the beeps of the overhead RED MENACE. Like the intrepid young man in the picture. What a great shot! Wow, that's Roy Welch W0SL, then W5SLL! When I got into satellites in the Dominican Republic in 1994, the first tracking program that we used was Orbits II... by Roy Welch. We loved that software. From the AMSAT page: "Roy and his two-year-old daughter would put the radio speaker in a window and then go outside and listen to the strong signals while they watched the third stage booster tumbling end over end like a bright pulsating star as it passed over in the evening sky."

I will be using a Hammarlund. Moore's "Communication Receivers" says my HQ-100 was made between 1956 and 1960. PERFECT! (Mine was probably in the Dominican Republic on October 4, 1957.)

By the way, I got into the old Electric Radio magazines again, reading some more of Lew McCoy's wonderful reminiscences. He reports that during the Sputnik period he -- and apparently others -- were asked by their Uncle Sam to use their skills to monitor Soviet space activities.

Let the beeping begin! (Sputnik signals recorded by Roy Welch:
http://www.amsat.org/amsat/features/sounds/Sputnk1b-144.ra)

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"Spine Tingling" Sputnik Recordings From 1957

Doug, W8NFT, sent me this booklet and copies of the recordings that came with it. Below you will find links to the booklet itself and the two mp3 files. Note that the signals were captured using an HRO receiver. Side A is a "re-creation" of the launch ("spine tingling in its realism!!!!") Side B is an actual recording of the sat's iconic beeping.

http://soldersmoke.com/Sputnik Booklet.PDF

http://soldersmoke.com/Sputnik Side A.mp3

http://soldersmoke.com/Sputnik Side B.mp3

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Listening for Sputniks, Watching a Satellite

I felt like a junior high school kid yesterday, rushing into the shack, firing up the old rigs, anxious to tune in some special stations. It was Sputnik Anniversary Day! 15 meters was still in pretty good shape at 2315 UTC. On the trusty Drake 2-B I could hear W1AW's code practice session a bit above the Sputnik frequency of 21.060 MHz. All of a sudden WA5TCZ was booming in, calling CQ Sputnik! OM Darron later e-mailed and let me know that he wasn't running a replica rig -- like me, he was looking for them.

This morning, inspired by all this space activity, I pulled out my newly cleaned and collimated telescope and took a tour of the skies of Northern Virginia. Jupiter is very bright in the East (I could see the Galilean moons in my finder scope!) Mars is in the West, but is too far away for any detail to be seen in my 'scope -- it is just a little red disk. I had to go out into the street to position the 'scope for the great nebula in Orion. At 1023UTC the International Space Station flew over -- I watched it disappear into the sunrise. A good morning indeed.

I have a suggestion: Can the Sputnik event be extended through the weekend to give more people the chance to tune in these magnificent rigs?

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9 Volt Superhet with Russian Sputnik Tubes

Wow! Now that's what I call a Manhattan breadboard! Joe Sousa has an excellent article on a broadcast band superhet that he built with Russian rod-type tubes, the same kind of tubes that flew in Sputnik.
http://www.radiomuseum.org/forum/sputnik_9v_superheterodyne_tube_radio.html
Lots of other great homebrew projects on this site also. Thanks to Bob, WA1EDJ, for alerting us to this.
Joe's research may be of use to those radio fiends among us who are feverishly building their Sputnik transmitters. October 4 is almost upon us! Onward Fellow Travelers!

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Sputnik!!! SolderSmoke 138!!!

Today is Sputnik Anniversary Day! Michael, AA1TJ, and his intrepid international band of solder melters will be putting their homebrew Soviet-parts rigs on 15 meters! I will be listening with my HQ-100. This is all discussed on SolderSmoke 138, which I have just uploaded:

http://soldersmoke.com/soldersmoke138.mp3

October 4, 2011
A Meteor and Jupiter: Cosmic Birthday Present!
Sagan's Pale Blue Dot -- Lots of interesting radio info
On the cover of "Hot Iron"!!!!
The HW-7 Philosophy and Way of Life
Sputnik Anniversary
Getting my 2B back on 17
Preparing for a return of sunspots and 17 meters
Raiding Radio Shack (for 2N2222s!)
The Autumn SPRAT
MAILBAG

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Sputnik QSL from the Soviet IGY Committee

I like the reminder of Sputnik's IGY connection. This is from an article by John Foley. W7ETS, in the October 2007 issue of QST. Be sure to read the translation in the caption.

Yesterday Billy and I were at the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum's Dulles Airport center. (We volunteer to take visiting relatives to the airport IF we get to go to the Smithsonian afterwards.) We checked for Sputniks. Nyet. I think they have one on display in the main Air and Space building.

I was thinking that listening to a signal from a spacecraft should be part of the Sputnik event. The packet 2-meter signals from the International Space Station are probably the easiest to receive these days.

Check out "SolderSmoke -- Global Adventures in Wireless Electronics"http://soldersmoke.com/book.htm

AA9IL's Sputnik Tube, Altoids Tin Transmitter

November 24, 2023

Hello Bill

I have just built an tested a 20 meter “Sputnik” transmitter. It uses two Soviet era “rod” tubes and is fixed tuned to 14.060 MHz.  I was able to compress the design to fit in an Altoids tin. The plate tuning capacitor was replaced with a fixed capacitor value closest to the variable for peak power out. Plate voltage is 90 volts and I key both the oscillator and PA via the B+ line. Power output is around 200mW and my first test transmission from the Chicago area was picked up 864 miles away on the east coast via the Reverse Beacon Network. It was definitely Joy of Oscillation and Joy of Transmission!

73, Mike

AA9IL

EN52

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

Mike's rig has been heard by many Reverse Beacon Network stations: 

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

November 29, 2023

Bill: 

I started a QSO with AC2C in Ellicott, MD who responded to my CQ but the band dropped (20m)

But that’s a good start and I’ll keep at it!  So, yay!

73 Mike

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

Here are some earlier blog post on rigs using Soviet rod tubes: 

https://soldersmoke.blogspot.com/search?q=Sputnik+tubes

Sputnik Rigs Cross the Pond, Cambridge to Cambridge

The Chief Designer, Michael, AA1TJ, alerted us to this wonderful post on Roger, G3XBM's blog:
http://g3xbm-qrp.blogspot.com/2011/09/sputnik-across-atlantic-today.html
We clearly see the spirit of the International Brotherhood of Electronic Wizards in Roger's comment: "Nice to think that valves used in missiles aimed at each other in the Cold War end in bringing friendship and joy. CW is a wonderful mode if you want simple equipment capable of DX." Indeed. Well done!

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Sputnik Schematic Found!



We were searching for this last year.  Oleg, RV3GM, finally found the schematic for the transmitter in the Sputnik satellite. 

ftp://ftp.radio.ru/pub/2013/04/55.pdf


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ON6WJ's Sputnik Rig

I think Jos's rig is magnificent. He is getting the high voltage for the tubes from a cheap (3 Euros!) 12 Volt to 120 Volt DC/DC inverter that he picked up via e-bay. (I think you can see the inverter board to the left of the headphone jack.) He runs it from a 12 volt gel cell. The little battery is for the filaments. He gets about 700 mw out, and had a very solid 15 minute QSO with Jim, W1PID yesterday. FB Jos!

More Sputnik news (with some audio from the original) tomorrow.

DSW to all!

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Russia, Vermont, Sputnik, Old Parts

When I heard of the terrible floods in Vermont, I thought immediately of OM Michael, AA1TJ (aka Comrade Mikhail, the Chief Designer) and his underground hamshack. I heard this morning that Michael is high and dry, up at his mountain top lair (the TV transmitter). Here is an update on the Sputnik project:

Fellas,

This morning DL3PB was kind enough to bring Peter, DL3JIN's recent work to my attention.

http://dl3jin.de/sputnik1_tx.htm

I think you will agree that Peter has made a beautiful job of it! He not only used Russian tubes (valves), he even had a 21.060MHz Russian-made quartz crystal on-hand. Many of the passive components appear to be ex-Soviet surplus as well. His front panel really shows great spirit. With 96Vdc on the PA anode he's seeing an RF output power of 650mW.

It should be great fun come October 4!

73/72,

Mike, AA1TJ

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