Armand's 2-B (X3)

Good morning Bill!,

Let me start of by letting you off the hook (a little anyway), by saying that I no longer hold you responsible for the escalating values of the Drake 2B. After acquiring one, cleaning it , recapping and tweaking it, it's pretty clear that the 2B doesn't need anyone to sing its praises. It sings pretty well all on its own! Having said that, I really have to thank you for nudging me into finally getting one for myself. After a lot of searching I finally found one that was in not too bad shape for its age. I also found two others that were in less than working condition. For a while I was troubled as you were about having more than one Solid State Design. Is it really ethical for someone to have more than one 2B? Fortunately I can rationalize with the best of them. It's obvious that I will only own them for a while and am saving them from the scrap heap. Maybe we could start a 2B rescue organization?

Also thanks for the WARC and 160M tuning template - much appreciated!
The serial numbers for these sets are

2599, 5149, and 12038

Will be neat to get an estimate for the final count. Good luck!

Also wanted to mention that I really enjoyed SolderSmoke "the book". Will there be a second volume? Enough for now.

Keep the solder flowing and the podcasts and blogs comming.

Thanks again,

73's

Armand WA1UQO

p.s. If you have an extra set of crystals for a 2B that you would be willing to part with, let me know.

Sale on Books 20% Off!

Save 20% on SolderSmoke -- The Book. http://soldersmoke.com/book.htm

More on Merrill Budlong, W1MB

K1KT's recent e-mail alerted me to the interesting life story of Merrill Peckham Budlong, W1MB. Wow! What a guy! Killed a Great White Shark with a spear gun! Homebrewed his own diving gear! Insisted that the hams he was Elmering actually UNDERSTAND the circuitry! And -- most importantly -- he was obviously a very good person.

We don't run many obits here on SolderSmoke, but even though he passed away four years ago, we thought it would be a good idea to reprint W1MB's. His story can be an inspiration for us all.

Bob, W1YRC, wrote this about him: He was responsible for launching a great many Amateur Radio careers in Rhode Island. He was uncompromising in his teaching and demanded that all his students understood why a circuit performed its function or why it was essential to know how to solder correctly. He was respected and loved by hundreds of hams that knew him.

Here is a para from his obituary:
An active, athletic man, as a teenager Mr. Budlong made his own surfboards and sailing kayaks. In high school and college he was on the wrestling teams, played trumpet in dance bands, and was a lifeguard at Bonnet Shores. He graduated from Cranston High School in 1931 and from the University of Rhode Island in 1935 with a bachelor's degree in business. He was a member of Phi Mu Delta fraternity and Phi Kappa Phi honor society. During World War II, he held a second job at Kaiser Shipyard in Providence. As an avid amateur radio operator (call letters W1MB) and proficient Morse Code operator, he enjoyed contacting radio hams throughout the world. He founded the Fidelity Amateur Radio Club, which met for more than thirty years at his home. He was a Major in the R.I. Civil Air Patrol and a director of the New England Wireless and Steam Museum. Mr. Budlong was an alumnus of Fidelity Chapter DeMolay in which he was a Chevalier. He was a member of the Narragansett Bay Wheelmen and, into his 70s, participated in bicycle races and 100-mile rides. He was often seen riding his bicycle around Edgewood and Pawtuxet Village. He was a pioneer skin diving and spear fishing enthusiast. In the 1940s he built much of his own equipment before it was commercially available. In 1964 he speared a ten foot great white shark in Narragansett Bay. He was also a frostbite sailor, member of the Edgewood Yacht Club, and member of the Coast Guard Auxiliary.

Read the comments that people attached to his obituary: http://www.legacy.com/guestbook/providence/guestbook.aspx?n=merrill-budlong&pid=91256424&cid=full

Merrill Budlong's Drake 2-B

Hi -

I just listened to Soldersmoke 134 and was delighted to hear the reading from Peter Doherty, W1UO.

I first met Peter just before his transcendent 2-B experience. He joined the Fidelity Amateur Radio Club, then K1NQG, of Cranston, RI, which was started by Merrill Budlong (SK), then W1QLD, later W1MB, in 1958. Merrill had a 2-B at that time, so I am almost certain Peter was referring to Merrill's receiver.

Peter received a bachelor's degree in English from the University of Rhode Island. He was an adventurer. After college, we briefly worked together at Merriam Instruments, which was owned by Robert Merriam,W1NTE. (Bob is the founder and curator of The New England Museum of Wireless and Steam in East Greenwich, RI.) Peter soon got wanderlust. He loaded his backpack and took a 1 year trot around the globe. I was astouded when I got a Nepalese postcard from him! Since then he helped deliver vessels from the east coast to Seattle via the Panama canal, worked at the Voice of America, worked in marine electronics in Port Townsend, Washington, and has worked for at least two communications equipment manufacturers. I'm sure he had many other adventures.

The Fidelity Amateur Radio Club is still alive and doing well. Some of the original members are still active with the club, but most of us are gray/bald, fatter, and move slower, but we still love the hobby and appreciate what Merrill did to get so many of us started in our careers. Since Merrill's passing his callsign was transferred to the club and we used it this past Field Day.

Keep up the good work! We ARE listening!

73,

Ken Tata

K1KT

Beautiful Shot of Three of Saturn's Moons

(Photo from NASA, text from New Scientist)

A study in contrasts, this photo captures three illuminated moons as a darkened Saturn looms in the shadows. Only the planet's rings are visible but its shape can be traced from the way it partially obscures its rings and one of its moons.

The large foreground moon is Rhea at 1528 kilometres across. Nearly a third of Rhea's size, sunny Enceladus is on the right. Dione, at 1123 kilometres wide, rounds out the trio to the left with a night-cloaked Saturn obstructing part of it.

The photo was taken by NASA's Cassini spacecraft in April. Cassini has been exploring Saturn's 62 known moons since it reached the ringed planet in 2004.

Copthorne's Heathkit HW-8

Here's evidence that I am moving ever further along the ham radio hippie trail: This week as I was browsing through the 1970's era columns of Copthorne MacDonald, I came across this gem about our beloved Heathkit HW-8. (The photo is of Cop's rig.)

http://infoark.org/InfoArk/Sustainability/Mother%20Earth%20News/70/MEN_CD/mendemo/dcd/047/047-040-01.htm

Inspired, I connected mine to my salvaged and solar-charged gel-cell battery and made a number of contacts on 40 meters. It was all really groovy.

Peace, Bill

WOW! The Reverse Beacon Network

In the European dispatches of Mike AA1TJ I saw mention of this new thing called the Reverse Beacon Network. Then SPRAT shows up in my mailbox (HOORAY!) and I see mention of the RBN there. So this morning I figured I'd give it a little test: I called CQ on 40 meters using my Heathkit HW-8. WOW -- it didn't take RBN long to get me! See above. That's after only about 3 minutes of CQing.

This is a really amazing and innovative development. The network makes use of "skimmers" that use Software Defined Radios connected to the net to search for CQs. When they hear one, they automatically post the info on the web. It is sort of like WSPR, but it is aimed at ordinary CQ calls. Fantastic. Check it out. You will like it!