Just go to http://soldersmoke.com. On that archive page, just click on the blue hyperlinks and your audio player should play that episode.
http://soldersmoke.com
The world of the SolderSmoke podcast and blog are -- and will remain -- G rated. But occassionally our discussion of ham radio technology causes us to bump up against some racy topics. This happens VERY rarely, and that rarity probably says something about ham radio. We have noted the alleged attractive power of Pete Juliano's French beret. There was that April 1 story about the new SolderSmoke cologne ("chicks dig it!"). Jean Shepherd was a man of the world -- our discussions of him sometimes bring us a bit closer to the prurient boundary line. We occassionally mention the lifestyle of the Dos Equis man. But mostly, we stick to the circuitry. This morning I came across a character that I hadn't been aware of: Private (later Corporal) Hogarth. He was the theme of a series of ads run by the Hallicrafters Company during World War II. They were trying to sell their EC-1 broadcast receiver (essentially an All American Five). Their advertising theme was, essentially, "chicks dig it."
I want to start out by saying that this is NOT my fault. I have been TRYING to do QRP things. Remember my recent Tuna Tin 2, Herring Aid 5 rig? I am aware of the ever-present threat of expulsion from the QRP HoF. We all remember what happened to poor Pete back on April 1, 2017. But sometimes people just deliberately put temptation in your path. That is what happened this week. Our old friend Rogier KJ6ETL (formerly known as PA1ZZ) sent me the very LARGE chunk of aluminum that you see in the picture above. Look at that thing. It is practically begging to be turned into a very QRO push-pull amplifier. At first I told myself that it would be impossible to tap the big heat sinks on the sides. How would I get the drill in there? But then I realized that I can just put the threads in from the outside. I can almost smell the machine oil. And the heat sink compound... Thanks lot Rogier. This is all your fault.
I worked AD0RW, AC9PD, VE3ZBM and WB5YYM on 7277 kHz around 2345 Z Sunday 10 Sept 2017. BITX ops gather on that frequency on Sunday nights at around 7 pm local time. The station above is the impressive all HB 40 meter station of WB5YYM. That's a 49er on the left, and a BITX40 on the right. The amp in the middle has 2 IRF510s. HB mic too. FB
Hans Summers' QRP Labs has an amazing new rig -- The QCX -- that is chock-full of features and FB technology. Hans has long been one of the most innovative guys in ham radio, and this latest rig is one of his most amazing creations. Like Farhan's BITX40 Module, this new rig is priced in the 50 dollar range. Hams who are paying many thousands of dollars for their "radios" should be asking themselves a question: Could I be having much more fun for far less money? This rig is in big demand and there is already a waiting list, so place your order now if you want to work on this during the winter. Here is the link: http://qrp-labs.com/qcx.html
QCX Features:
Easy to build, single-board design, 10 x 8cm, all controls are board-mounted
Professional quality double-sided, through-hole plated, silk-screen printed PCB
Choice of single band, 80, 60, 40, 30, 20 or 17m
Approximately 3-5W CW output (depending on supply voltage)
7-16V recommended supply voltage
Class E power amplifier, transistors run cool… even with no heatsinks
OK QRPers, it is time to explore another power source. Enough of the nails in lemons and all that mess. It is time to go NUCLEAR! Check out the motor in the video above, then look at the video below for more info on how the nuclear battery was made. Who will be the first to QSO with homebrew nuclear power? Or has it happened already? Mike Rainey -- this seems like the perfect project for you OM.
Oh and by the way, in the course of reading up on this, I learned that we once used PLUTONIUM to power pacemakers. Check it out:
SolderSmoke Podcast #199 is available. http://soldersmoke.com/soldersmoke199.mp3 2 September 2017 The Eclipse. The Floods. Sawdust Regen gets John Henry off to a good start. Voltage regulators as audio amplifiers The return of the Simple-ceiver (Direct Conversion) Ceramic Resonators 3D OLEDS iPhone Boxes as rig enclosures Electric Radio on Frank Jones 17 Meter Contacts MAILBAG
"SolderSmoke -- Global Adventures in Wireless Electronics" is now available as an e-book for Amazon's Kindle.
Here's the site:
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B004V9FIVW
Extreme geomagnetic storm effect on 10m
-
Although I follow space weather with some interest it's rare to see it
reported in the general news. Recently I repaired my 10m band dipole which
had been ...
ReturnLoss of UHF series adapters
-
This article reports a simple but robust measurement of the ReturnLoss of a
pair of UHF adapters from 1 to 501MHz. Load selection To measure ReturnLoss
of ...
Solar Noise on the 28 MHz band - 10th May 2024
-
*10th May 2024:* I had the radio turned on in the background this morning
and I noticed a large burst of noise from the sun. I had the SpectrumLab
softwa...
An Inline RF Step Attenuator for QRPp Work
-
I don’t need to explain the attraction of low power operation; if you’re
reading this, the chances are that you are already a convert. I’ve been
operating ...
A 51S-1 Restoration Story
-
I came across my Collins 51S-1 in a big junkyard in Ankara, Turkey around
2012. It was in a pile with a lot of other electronic scrap, probably from
one o...
New QRP Cluster Online From OM0ET and OM6APN
-
By DX EXPLORER
DX EXPLORER
Paul OM0ET and Peter OM6APN recently launched a new cluster dedicated to
QRP operations. Have a look and I hope you will enjoy...
3D Printing The Hadley 114mm Newtonian Telescope
-
Yes, we’re building a 3D Printed Newtonian Telescope called Hadley. It’s
being printed in PETG and in the video below, I give a quick tour. My build
isn’...
3D printed project boxes
-
I have been busy with some other things that have kept me away from
electronics projects for quite a while. Now I can get back to them, but
realize I n...
Daylight Again – An all Analog Radio
-
What’s all this? In 10 seconds, A high performance, 7MHz, 5 watt SSB rig
Draws just 24 mA of current 90 dB dynamic range, 80 dB close-in dynamic
range 3D ...
Adding Enclosure to your sBitx Boards Order
-
The early buyers of the sBitx board set who bought it for $270 USD might
want to also add the enclosure (box) for in the kit. What you will now get
is a f...
Digi-chirp! Digital synthesis of ‘nostalgic’ CW
-
The bottom ends of 80, 40 and 20m are not what they used to be. For
starters, the busiest part is the digital segment where computers talk to
computers – l...
-
A Simple Speech Processor
(For QRP/SSB Homebrew Transceivers )
Over the last few weeks I had been thinking to build a small AF speech
processor to add to...
A New Look for your uBitx!
-
Adding a "Cool Blue" Display to your uBitx!
The standard "green background" with black lettering frequently reminds me
that I suffer from Chronic seasickn...