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
First -- Happy Boxing Day to all our UK and Commonwealth friends. Oscar 11 is a UK-built amateur satellite launched in 1984. It has been dead (well, almost dead) for many years. But when the sun shines on the solar panels, it wakes up and transmits. I've been able to hear it and -- more usefully -- see it on my RTL-SDR HD-SDR receive system. My antenna is my re-born (from the Dominican Republic) three element homebrew 2 meter cubical quad (see pictures below). I'm sorry the video is a bit out of focus, but you can clearly see the trace of the signal from the satellite. Realize that my HD-SDR software is about 10 kHz off calibration. You can see the Doppler shift, and you can see the signal fading in and out as the old satellite tumbles through space. Any ideas on what the other signals seen off to the side are? Is anyone else listening for Oscar 11? https://amsat-uk.org/satellites/telemetry/uosat-2-oscar-11/
Following my own advice to prepare for Straight Key Night, I tried to fire up my venerable Hallicrafters HT-37 transmitter. It didn't work. I quickly determined that none of the oscillators were working, so my troubleshooting focused on the power supply. Sure enough, the choke in the low voltage power supply is open. That's bad. I briefly considered giving up on this old rig. I don't really like working with tubes anymore. And this thing is very heavy -- a real beast. DX-100-like in its heaviness. It can be hazardous to your health just moving this thing around. Opening up the case is not easy. And there are nasty voltages in there.... But I have had this transmitter since 1973 or 1974. I have fixed it many times, in several countries. I got it from a member of the Crystal Radio Club when I was a kid. There are parts given to me by Pericles, HI8P in the Dominican Republic. I used it to transmit through Russian satellites. That transmitter is like an old friend. I just can't give up on it. So I need to replace or repair the choke. Is there anyone out there who has a junker out in the garage or some other source of L25? Or does anyone know of a business that could rewind the choke. Please let me know. I have decided to leave the rig on the bench until I get this thing fixed (it is too heavy to move multiple times!) It it Hallicrafters Part Number 056-300259. L25 -- 9 Henries at 135 ma. Help!
SolderSmoke Podcast #208 is available: http://soldersmoke.com/soldersmoke208.mp3 15 December 2018 Pete and the California fires Bill goes to Brooklyn 2 meter simplex A return of the trivial electric motor Audio from Mars HF Conditions -- a real mixed bag Pete looks back at 2018 -- The Year of the SSB Transceiver -- Lessons Learned Hans Summers, the QSX and the virtues of SDR W7ZOI's DC Receiver Retrospective The 1972 Solar Flare and the Vietnam War SHAMELESS COMMERCE: Buy your gifts through the Amazon link to the upper right. Consider SolderSmoke the book as a gift. Visit Pasta Pete's for cooking ideas. Don't Build It! Sage -- but unexpected -- advice from Pete. Straight Key Night approaches. Book Reviews: --"What is Real?" (Quantum Physics) -- RHdb by K6LHA. Movies "Bohemian Rhapsody" "First Man" (Not yet!) MAILBAG: Steve G0FUW Ed KC8SBV
I feel a moral obligation to put these projects on the blog every time I see one. It just seems like the right thing to do. Great work on the Pilotron. Great workshop video also.
"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
Bill's OTHER Book (Warning: Not About Radio)
Click on the image to learn more
Where are the readers of SolderSmoke Daily News?
Pete Juliano N6QW
SolderSmoke Co-Host and Master Homebrewer
Dean Souleles KK4DAS
With beret and with a Michigan Mighty Mite in hand
Famous Collins Transceiver in Apocalypse Now
-
by Dan Robinson We have seen so many great receivers and other equipment
appear in movies, it’s surprising that this one may have slipped by our
Radios in ...
Re: Balanced linked tuner turns ratio
-
After a careful re read of your post, is this the topology desired?
No tuning on the secondary implies the secondary reflected Z will also be
complex and ...
Radio Old Timers Club AGM
-
The Radio Old Timers Club annual general meeting and lunch was well
attended by members of MRARC. Peter VK3RV, Jen VK3WQ, Ray VK3ACR and Peter
VK3TPM atten...
N7HQ
-
Episode 518 - Dan Quigley - N7HQ Dan Quigley, N7HQ, is a true veteran in
the world of ham radio and technology. Like many of us, Dan's passion for
radio ...
Homebrew sBitx - Fldigi
-
Homebrew sBitx - Fldigi
Now that I have the hardware tamed I'm turning my attention to some of the
more itnteresting and useful features of the sBitx. ...
The Belka-DX and an AM BC Band High Pass Filter
-
My, how time flies. This is a post I have been meaning to write for nearly
3 years now. Back in late 2018, after a search for a small portable SW
receiver,...
Finding Your Best Crystal Radio 'DX Diode'
-
Over the past few weeks I’ve had time to examine many dozens of diodes,
mostly germanium, in my crystal radio diode collection. Many of them were
remove...
Broadcast Band AM Radio
-
See the YouTube series for more information:
http://www.youtube.com/c/CharlieMorrisZL2CTM
Buffer Amplifier
Low Pass Filter
IF Ampli...
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 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...