Brooklyn Bike Generator -- Want one!

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

The New "Gold Standard" in QRSS Grabbers

Bill 

I just discovered Scott Harden's "QRSS Plus" grabber aggregator...

http://swharden.com/qrss/plus/

Check it out - it is the new "Gold Standard".

73, Paul

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

An Interesting Idea for Checking Crystal Filter Passbands

Today at 9:37 AM

Hi Bill,

Just listened to your last soldersmoke blog with reference to xtal filter checking using a DDS and scope. What do think of this idea to check filter performance?

http://www.qsl.net/7n3wvm/Fil_Meas.html

 Logical, relatively easy to build and NO digital electronics to deal with. 

Best 73

Rick G6AKG

PS keep up the great work, love the Blogs.

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

Slide Show of BITX 17 Build

As I was building this rig, I periodically stopped and took a picture of the board.  I think the resulting slide show is kind of fun.  Check it out:  There is a button to launch the slide show.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/106886073@N04/sets/72157637045750216/

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

Book Review: "Bunch of Amateurs" by Jack Hitt

The title held a lot of promise, but the subtitle ("A Search for the American Character") hinted at the main problem that I had with the book:  the author (perhaps driven by his editor) seemed to be struggling to prove that there is some uniquely American elements to amateur science and technology.  Early on, Mr. Hitt, makes the preposterous claim that "the rest of the world doesn't have amateurs."  He goes on to write that "In Europe and on other continents, the word hints at class warfare... Amateurs may be taken seriously, but, almost by the power of the word, are kept in their place: isolated outside some pre-existing professional class, some long-standing nobility.  In America, amateurs don't stay in their place or keep to themselves."   

What a load of rubbish!  This claim directly contradicts what many of us have been finding out in the quintessentially amateur world of amateur radio:  as we travel around the world (in person, or via the ionosphere) we find, all around the globe,  guys who have followed shockingly similar paths to ham radio.  From Sudan to Switzerland, from India to Indiana, the story is much the same.  And I'll bet you'll find similar similarities in just about every serious sci-tech hobby (astronomy, photography, etc.).  To claim that there is something fundamentally exceptional about amateurism in the U.S. is, I think, ridiculous.  Mr. Hitt should have spent some time looking at the amazingly diverse and vibrant world of British amateur science and technology.  That alone would have prevented him from straying into these silly claims of American amateur exceptionalism. 

But, all that aside, there is a lot of interesting material in the book.  I liked his description of John Dobson and the amateur telescope builders.  And, somewhat surprisingly, Hitt's description of the DIY Biology movement (these guys are playing with genetics and cooking up new organisms) seemed to capture very well the creative joy and satisfaction that amateurs find when working (just for fun) on their projects.  I was kind of surprised when I found myself identifying with the DIY Biology folks. Their basement labs sounded a lot like our radio shacks.   

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

BITX BUILD UPDATE #17 Arv's Discrete AF AMP

I've been kind of cheating with the audio output from my BITX17:  I've been using one of those little battery-powered computer speakers.   It sounded fine, but hey, this is supposed to be a homebrew project right?  I've already noted my ideological objections to the use of the LM386 CHIP.  The files of the BITX20 yahoo group provided a very promising and completely discrete AF amp circuit by Arv Evans, K7HKL.  I used a 2N3906 and a 2N3904, with a 2N2222 driving them. It works like a charm.    Not a bit of feedback or motor-boating.  It sounds great.  I've already had a contact with it:  Jack, W7YUM is a builder of big amplifiers out in Salt Lake City.  He seemed very impressed with the BITX concept so we may have a Utah BITX in the works. 

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

Words of Wisdom (on Amplifier Stability)

From "A Simple SSB Transceiver"  by Ashhar Farhan:

"What if your transmitter is unstable?  Don't curse your fate.  All transmitters start out as unstable beasts. Relax."   Farhan goes on to provide some good pointers on how to tame the beast.  

I've had very good luck with the PA in the BITX  -- very little cursing of fate on this project. 

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