Shortwave Echo Mystery on Yet Another SW Station. What is this?

A few weeks ago I noticed a strange echo on Radio China International's signal.  If you scroll down a bit you can see my YouTube recording of the problem.  On one of the SWL lists, there was speculation that this problem was the result of a flaw in the RCI digital studio gear.  But then a few days ago I heard it again on RCI -- surely the tech-savvy Chinese would not have let this kind of problem persist for weeks.  

Today I heard the same effect on a very different SW station -- this one an the 24/7 fire and brimstone broadcast that appears at many points on the dial.  The effect is very similar to what I heard on RCI.  

So OK all your shortwave gurus:  What is going on here?

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"Off the Shelf" Regenerative Receiver

I call it the "Off the Shelf" Regen because the base on which it is built is scrap lumber from a recent shelf building project.  Also, all the parts came out of the junk box.  

6-10 MHz, AM, CW, SSB, Data.   4 transistors, no chips.   


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

SolderSmoke Interview on ICQ Podcast

Colin and Martin of the ICQ Podcast were kind enough to invite me in for an interview.  I really enjoyed our talk.  We covered a lot of ground, everything from podcast history, to regens and BITXs and Arduinos.  I think SolderSmoke podcast listeners will enjoy this.  Thanks Martin!  Thanks Colin!  Here it is:

http://icqpodcast.com/download-the-show/2014/9/7/series-seven-episode-eighteen-bill-meara-n2cqr-07-september-2014


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

Ed's Awesome Workshop

Wow, there is a lot of workshop wisdom in this video.   This is also a reminder that there are a lot of very cool people in the FDNY.   Ed is an EMT/Firefighter.  

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

Arduino CW Sender by KK6FUT and N6QW

The next time Pete and I get together on SolderSmoke, we'll talk about Arduino.

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

Sometimes the Receivers Seem to Almost Self-Assemble

I've been building shelves for my wife.  So I end up with all these nice pieces of pine, just the right size for the base of a breadboard receiver and a very sturdy cabinet to surround it.   Then I find in the junk box two nice variable caps and this old pill bottle coil (with tickler!) that I wound in 1998; I figure they will resonate from around 5 - 15 MHz.  Then Jeff Murray, K1NSS does that poster about Dave Richards, AA7EE (scroll down) in which he mentions the virtues of a National Velvet Vernier reduction drive -- I have one of those too.  And then there is the copper-clad board (from AL7RV/W8NSA) that would be perfect for the front panel.  You see where this is going, right? My friends, I am once again on the road to shortwave regeneration.  It will have an Armstrong detector with throttle cap.   

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Youth, Short Waves, and the Invigorating Properties of Regen Receivers

Oh man, when I saw this I just had to put it on the blog.  The artist is Jeff Murray,  K1NSS, the genius behind Dashtoons.   Dave Richards AA7EE is, well, the OC!  

So not only have we learned that regen receivers are NOT demonic, we now see that they have health enhancing properties!  Like all that antioxidant stuff!  This is great.  I'm feeling younger already.  

Regen on my friends!     

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