SolderSmoke Podcast #136

http://soldersmoke.com/soldersmoke136.mp3
August 7, 2011
Travelogue: New York City
A Stroke of Luck: Lightning strikes Rome HB DC DSB WSPR rig
It's an IGY thing: Recreating the Sputnik Transmitter
ArisSAT-1 deployed. Audio Clip (Can anyone decode the SSTV in this clip?)
Summertime SPRAT -- ZL2BMI rig and the mysteries of the '602
A writer for "The New Yorker" builds a radio
June Smithsonian Magazine has a lot of Knack
Electric Radio on AM selectivity, Japanese, and the sibilant S problem
Gathering Drake 2-B Serial numbers for use with German Tank Equation
Amazon breaks into oscillation on "Atoms to Ampere" prices
MAILBAG

Our book: "SolderSmoke -- Global Adventures in Wireless Electronics"http://soldersmoke.com/book.htmOur coffee mugs, T-Shirts, bumper stickers: http://www.cafepress.com/SolderSmokeOur Book Store: http://astore.amazon.com/contracross-20

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 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

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

SolderSmoke Podcast #135 FDIM SPECIAL!

Please click on the little mail symbol down below to forward this blog post to friends who might be interested in the podcast. Thanks!

http://soldersmoke.com/soldersmoke135.mp3
June 26, 2011
Bike riding, composting... what next?
Lightning kills the WSPR rig
New finder for old telescope
------SPECIAL FOUR DAYS IN MAY INTERVIEWS BY BOB CRANE W8SX:FEATURING:
Joe Taylor K1JT (Nobel Prize Winner -- FOR PHYSICS!)! Plumbing Defined Radio! Steve WG0AT: Fly Fishing, Retirement, Goats, YouTube, and Amateur Radio!
George Dobbs, G3RJV! And more! ----- Drake 2-B updates: WARC and 160 Dial Templates,
Drake 2B Serial Number Math Estimate Project (Using German tank method) Michael AA1TJ's Sputnik 1 Project
Putting the Shack back into RadioShack

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!

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

SolderSmoke Podcast #104

http://www.soldersmoke.com

1 April 2009
Rome Marathon
Billy climbs Vesuvius!
Fixin' up old Toshiba laptop
Solar Power from Donuts and Tea!
Eldon's MEPT ET Phone home machine
More Catalan minimalism: The MOSquito
Book:  Thunderstruck! Marconi history
SPECIAL ECHOLINK QSO WITH NIGEL, M0NDE
MAILBAG:
Paul M0XPD new homebrewer, Funster 40, Paraset, and SDR
Preston WJ2V on REAL solder vacuum pumps
Ted AA5CK keys MEPT with iduino
Ken KG6PO on obit of TV pioneer Thomas T. Goldsmith
Art W2HQQ: "Man of High Fidelity" lacks knack
Scott KD5NJR on Sputnik 4, NASA comms
Alan W2AEW Don't smother MEPT oscillators! Books
Steve GOFUW Old Book recommendation. Building WARC rig
Jacki (XYL of KL7R) says hello from volcanic Alaska
Jeff KO7M  Why FSK on QRSS?
Jim AL7RV Sends WSPR care package.  (Thanks!)