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Monday, October 20, 2014
Has AA1TJ Joined the FMLA?
I have learned that esteemed homebrewer Michael Rainey, AA1TJ, recently whipped up a 56 MHz, quarter-wave, helical coaxial resonator (BTW: the spoon is also homebrew). Hmm, 56 Mhz. Or perhaps we should say MegaCYCLES? Michael claims this device is for a low phase- noise VFO, but I find the frequency selection highly suspicious. The last time I heard of that frequency it had to do with an underground group set up by the late (or not so late) Frank Jones.
Here is all the info on Frank's Five Meter Liberation Army.
http://www.sunflower.com/~brainbol/frank/
A man of the '30s awakens one night in the '90s (episode 13) with a new mission: recapture 56-60 mc. He forms a Five Meter Liberation Army from his mobile home in a Barrio trailer park run by Tom Joad of Steinback's Grapes of Wrath (episode 9), and soon draws a decidedly uncolorful bodyguard (episode 7). A six foot tall half Mexican stockbroker named for Ayn Rand makes him rich and a demonic white ferret and a half-siamese cat become his familiars. (episodes 10 and 9). The leader of all this, called only "Frank," settles down in the narrator's basement to be joined by Maj. Armstrong (episode 8), Hiram Maxim (episode 23) and one-time pals Carl and Jerry from the 1950s Popular Electronics (episode 25). His huge 1940s sedan, with contemporary plates, is immune from police (episode 13 et seq) and his breadboarded electronic creations recall those distant days when a ham built his own rig and could "fix a radio." Of course all this is crazy. No one builds anything anymore and the other things Frank stands for, like self- reliance, tolerance and a generally Boy Scout viewpoint are simply out of step. Frank knows that too (episode 20), but he does not care. If you're standing in the middle of the road and see a big brown Frazer coming at you, you better jump - one way or the other.
VIVA EL FMLA! VIVA!
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
Labels:
Jones -- Frank,
Rainey -- Michael
Sunday, October 19, 2014
Tribal Knowledge Video: Putting Screw Threads in Aluminium
http://youtu.be/LuqliWT1k5A
Thank you Giovanni Manzoni, whoever you are!
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
Labels:
Juliano -- Pete,
video,
workbench
Friday, October 17, 2014
Author Walter Isaacson was a Radio Amateur
This is the guy who wrote the biographies of Einstein, Steve Jobs, and Ben Franklin that I've been talking about on the podcast. President of the Aspen Institutes, former Chairman of CNN and editor of Time Magazine. And, as I learned today, a former ham radio operator. In his new book, "The Innovators," he writes:
"My father and uncles were electrical engineers, and like many of the characters in this book, I grew up with a basement workshop that had circuit boards to be soldered, radios to be opened, tubes to be tested, and boxes of transistors and resistors to be sorted and deployed. As an electronics geek who loved Heathkits and ham radios (WA5JTP) I can remember when vacuum tubes gave way to transistors."
When I told Billy about this, he said, "No wonder you like his books so much!" Indeed. Walter has THE KNACK. I'm enjoying his book, "The Innovators."
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
Labels:
books,
Knack Stories
Thursday, October 16, 2014
A Different Kind of Workshop
Sometimes it is good to take a break from the electronics and look at how people are making other things. I've been working on the heat sink for a 140 watt solid state amplifier, so this fellow's comments about working with metal kind of resonated with me.
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
Wednesday, October 15, 2014
SW Echo Theory Confirmed By a BBC Engineer
BBC Relay Station Singapore
Hi Bill,
I heard your description of the echo on your podcast and
before listening I knew the cause - but I think you know that now!
Yes, it's from two separate transmitters, and quite common,
though not usually noticed.
It has nothing to do with path length differences - the
longest round-the-world echo via the ionosphere is only about 0.15 seconds - so
anything more has a different cause.
It's from the audio feed to the transmitter. Your regen
receiver picked up two transmitters on different frequencies. It was very
noticeable before transmitters used digital land-line feeds, just analogue and
satellite.
On a BBC SW frequency (forget the which one now) one tx was
in UK and the other in Singapore, on the same frequency with the same programme
to completely different service areas. When propagation was right and listening
in Europe, the UK signal fed by analogue audio from Bush House came first and
the Singapore tx came with two geostationary satellite delays later, plus the
tiny bit of UK-Singapore ionospheric path difference.
Now it's worse because there are all sorts of digital delays
via land-line and satellite, although using the same frequency for the same
service in not common.
In the UK Absolute Radio on AM medium-wave has multiple
transmitters (mostly 1215 kHz and 1197 kHz) on the same frequency which are
audible at night. If you listen carefully you can often hear multiple (up to
FOUR!) echoes from different transmitters all being fed by different internet
feeds/satellite links with varying delays.
As an ex-BBC engineer, I can tell you that in the old days
not only were these AM medium-wave group stations all synched to within 0.05Hz,
but the phase of the modulation was adjusted so all tramsitters were modulating
in phase! Now the commercial boys have taken over most of these syched groups,
not only are the frequencies all over the place, but the modulation isn't even
time delayed to match, let alone synchronized! Some even put diferent
commercials in the breaks so if you're geographically between stations you get
a complete, unlistenable-to mess. Apparently these days that's ok.
Why did we bother...?
Anyway, I hope this adds to and confirms your findings.
73,
Ian Liston-Smith, G4JQT
(A grumpy old retired BBC Engineer)
Labels:
Short Wave Listening,
Singapore,
UK
Tuesday, October 14, 2014
Swedish Mighty Mite
A thing of beauty! Check out the key!
What a great diagram. Schematic included!
Remnants of mine
Steve "Snort Rosin" Smith's
More on all this:
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
Labels:
minimalist radio,
QRP,
Smith--Steve,
Sweden
Monday, October 13, 2014
Thomas KK6AHT's Pacificon Minima Presentation: Noodling! And Maxima Inspiration!
Thomas has posted his slides and (MOST IMPORTANT) the audio of his presentation. Just click on the BIG ORANGE play arrow below the slides. You folks will love this:
http://www.sarfata.org/2014/10/Minima-Presentation-at-Pacificon/
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
Labels:
Farhan,
Hamfests and Flea Markets,
Minima
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