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Monday, December 19, 2016
India's Successful Mission to Mars (Video)
NPR's "Science Friday" produced this very nice video on India's successful mission to Mars. Really nice.
Labels:
India,
Mars,
space program
Saturday, December 17, 2016
SolderSmoke Podcast #192 FPM Rig, BITX Module Madness, HRO Al Fresco, Boatanchor Day, Mailbag
SolderSmoke Podcast #192 is available:
http://soldersmoke.com/soldersmoke192.mp3
N6QW COMPLETING AN ORBIT TOMORROW!!!! Happy Birthday Pete!
Shortwave Woes: Deception and Disappointment!
Voice of Vietnam! But it is from Cyprus Creek S.C.
Radio Athmeeya Yatra in Punjabi! but it is in Nauen Germany. Yuck!
Sort of like these 9 cents per minute on-line relay ham stations. Yuck I say!
You know you are a hardcore homebrewer when a near empty can of Deoxit makes you nervous, so you order more, just in case.
Bench Reports:
Pete:
FPM FPM FPM!!! Tell us about it!
BITX 40 Module in Juliano Blue
Explaining the BITX 40 to the local club.
CULTURE SHOCK! Plug and play vs. Hardcore Homebrew.
Bill:
An EXTROVERTED BITX 40 Module
QRO with 24 volts on the Drain: 20 watts out. Heatsink upgrade, Chris KB4PBJ Thanks.
Analog Readout -- Dymo tape and a Sharpie arrow
REVERSE POLARITY PROTECTION Where the perfect is the enemy of the good enough.
HRO no longer AL FRESCO Boxed up. Thanks Armand. Thanks Tim Sutton. Still working on AM receiver. Not inhaling very well.
Boatanchor Day: Fixed HT37 and hurt my back. Really. Got 160 meter station going. Changed ball bearings on CW key.
Next project. Another BITX 40, but perhaps for 160, 75 and 60 with Si5351 and plug-in filters.
Sideband History: THE SIDEBAND SUZY AWARD. Pete deserves this. I say we revive it.
LEX: Al Fresco. And Tim Walford calls them "Blackbox rigs" not "rice boxes"
HB2HB contacts. Often with guys who built their linear. I say that counts Too!
MAILBAG
Labels:
BITX40Module,
Farhan,
Juliano -- Pete,
radio history,
SolderSmoke Podcast,
SSB
Thursday, December 15, 2016
The Nauen Transmitter Station (Germany)
There is a lot of radio history in this shortwave transmitting station. I came across it tonight with my BITX DIGI-TIA rig. It was on 7.215 MHz transmitting in Indian (South Asian) languages. But alas, the signals were not from distant India (home of the BITX!). Instead -- as often happens these days -- the signals were from a relay station. In this case they came from relatively nearby Germany, from the Nauen transmitter site.
Check out the Wikipedia page:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nauen_Transmitter_Station
Labels:
BITX DIGI-TIA,
Germany,
India,
radio history,
Short Wave Listening
Wednesday, December 14, 2016
NO3M's Amazing Homebrew 1934 Single Signal Superhet
Jim AB3CV reminded me this morning about the work of Eric NO3M. Jim was pointing out that breadboard construction need not be ugly and that Eric's work is the proof of that. Indeed.
Almost one year ago, I worked Eric on 160 meters. He was using one of his beautiful breadboard rigs:
Jim's reminder sent me once again to Eric's site. I see he has been melting a lot of solder, and to very good effect. In just three weeks he built the magnificent 1934 QST "Single Signal Superhet" pictured here.
Eric has a great series of articles on this project, with excellent pictures and videos:
Bravo Eric!
Labels:
Old radio,
Superhet receivers,
Tubes
Tuesday, December 13, 2016
Beauty and the Beast: Pete's Beautiful BITX 40 Module and My Ugly Version
As the proud owner of what has to be one of the world's UGLIEST BITX 40 Modules. I feel somehow qualified to declare Pete's version of this rig to be one of the world's most beautiful. His is resplendent in Juliano Blue -- mine has no paint at all. His features glowing numerals -- mine has nothing but Dymo stickers and an arrow drawn with a Sharpie marker. Bravo Pete!
Labels:
BITX40Module,
Juliano -- Pete
Sunday, December 11, 2016
Great Homebrew Interview on "QSO Today"
This week Eric 4Z1UG has a really nice interview with Jim Veatch WA2EUJ. Jim is the three time winner of the ARRL Homebrew Challenge. There is a very interesting discussion of Arduinos, SDR, the technology behind automatic antenna tuners, and even some Raspberry Pi. Jim's first receiver was a Halli S38 and his first rig was a Heath HW-7.
Listen here:
http://www.qsotoday.com/podcasts/WA2EUJ
Thanks Jim. Thanks Eric.
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