SolderSmoke Podcast #172: Pete's New Rig, Bill's BITX 2040,Crystals, MMM, SNA jr.,Portable SDR, KX3!, W7ZOI at a 'fest, BANDSWEEP!

Pete and Ben's LBS Receiver 

SolderSmoke Podcast #172 is available

http://soldersmoke.com/soldersmoke172.mp3

16 February 2015

Bench Reports: 
Pete under the gun to finish SSB transceiver project. NEW VIDEO: 
http://youtu.be/hbLXW0sHTFo 
Bill fixes his BITX 2040 Oscillator (Bandsweep!) 
Next: LP filter for 120 watt amp.
Bill's 13 dollar Chinese freq counter (Blue! With anti-wobble tape!)  
Bill's next rig:  Chipped to the Max, DDS, SBL-1s, plug in filters! 
Radio Shack going under and JAN no longer making crystals.
Mighty Mite Project:  Let's get them DONE! 
An easy way to get Q or ESR measurements on crystals? 
SI5351 as a crystal substitute. 
DuWayne's Scalar Network Analyzer lights up the internet!
The Portable SDR rig -- Pete almost goes to the dumpster! 
Report from the cutting edge:  Pete's new Elecraft KX3. 
MAILBAG:  Meeting W7ZOI and WA7MLH at a hamfest.
Instant Messaging with Farhan 

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

World Radio Day! Article with Farhan

The Hindu did a nice article on World Radio Day.  They wisely featured someone with a true case of The Knack, someone with a strong emotional connection to radio and radios:  our friend Farhan.  

http://www.thehindu.com/features/metroplus/thank-you-for-the-radio/article6886601.ece


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

This Kid has THE KNACK TO THE MAX! And is in the International Brotherhood of Electronic Wizards! (VIDEO)

Oh man, we've all been there in one form or another.  The struggle, the frustration, then, THE TRIUMPH!  I love when his mother drops the plate.  
Thanks to John KC0BMF

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

A Sweet Little Poem for Valentines Day

I was alone and all was dark 

Beneath me and above 
My life was full of volts and amps 
But not the spark of love 

But now that you are here with me 
My heart is overjoyed 
You've turned the square of my heart 
Into a sinusoid 

You load things from my memory 
Onto my system bus 
My life was once assembly code 
It's now like C++ 

I love the way you solder things 
My circuits you can fix 
The voltage 'cross your diode is 
much more than just point six 

With your op-amps and resistors 
You have built my integrator 
I cannot survive without you 
You're my function generator 

You've changed my world, increased my gain 
And made my math discreet 
So now I'll end my poem here 
Control, Alt, and Delete

You might not want to actually use any of that poetry today.  
Sent in to us by Bob Crane, W8SX


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

SPARK FOREVER! George and Tommy Build a Spark Rig

It has been a while since I visited the Amateur Logic TV site.  When I looked in last week I found George and Tommy building a spark transmitter.   Pretty cool!   The sparks begin to fly at about about the 23 minute point in this video.  Very interesting.  Way to go guys!  

SPARK FOREVER! (You will see that emblazoned on the QSL cards of REAL old timers. They were railing against those newfangled Continuous Waves.  There is a lesson in there for me... )  

More AmateurLogic here: http://www.amateurlogic.com/downloads.htm

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

Pete and Ben's "Let's Build Something" Reference Page

Lots of tribal knowledge here!  That's the direct conversion receiver that forms phase 1 of Pete and Ben's "Let's Build Something" project.  Arduinos!  Si5351s!   AD9850s!  And it will morph into an SSB transceiver.  Check it out: 

http://www.jessystems.com/LBS_Detail.html

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

REALLY AMAZING! The Portable SDR Project! 42 Hours Left To Save It!

Holy cow!  Look at that rig.   The whole HF spectrum.  AM,  CW,  SSB,  Digital Modes, Waterfall display,  GPS.  It may even have a Vector Network Analyzer!   (Deep breaths Pete Juliano, deep breaths!)

Michael KE7HIA is trying to get this project going via a Kickstarter campaign.  He needs to get to $60,000   He currently has about $47,000 pledged.  There are only 42 hours to go:

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1703258614/psdr-pocket-hf-sdr-transceiver-with-vna-and-gps   

Wow, this rig would have been great for my Double A DR DX-pedition! 

Features:

• Coverage from 0 to 35MHz
• Waterfall display that lets you see radio signals
• Receives AM, USB (Upper Side Band), LSB (Lower Side Band), and Morse code (CW)
• Modulates USB and LSB signals
• Variable bandpass filter

Hardware:

• Powerful ARM processor
• Color LCD display
• Dual DDS frequency Synthesizers
• Quadrature Sampling Detector & Exciter
• Digitally controllable instrumentation amplifiers
• Morse Code key (the "Giblet" on the bottom right corner of the enclosure)
• Magnitude & Phase measurement chip (for VNA and antenna analysis functions) with Impedance Bridge
• Dual SMA connectors, smartphone style earphone/microphone connector, and USB port
• GPS
• Built in Microphone and Speaker
• Internal Lithium Polymer battery with charger and high efficiency switching regulator
• MicroSD slot
• Pads for grabbing raw I/Q signals, both in and out.

Things it will be able to do with your help:

I designed the hardware to be capable of the following, but I can't write all the software myself. Please note that I can't guarantee when or if these functions will be added, or that they will work as desired.

• Work as a full Vector Network Analyzer (VNA)
• Work as a spectrum analyzer
• Cover more modes, including digital modes and image modes
• Work as an emergency location beacon
• Antenna Analyzer
• Frequency Synthesizer
• Media player
• E Reader / Picture viewer
• Have improved audio
• GPS Mapping navigation device
• High end ARM development board
• USB control of any features, including the possibility to operate the PSDR remotely. The USB port supports USB On-the-Go, making it possible to connect keyboards or other devices. Firmware updates will also be possible over USB.

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