We have lost our spiritual leader: George Dobbs G3RJV, SK

Yesterday we received the very sad news that George Dobbs, G3RJV has died. 

I think it is no exaggeration to say that with George's passing, we have lost our spiritual and  philosophical leader.  The founder of the G-QRP Club and Editor of our beloved SPRAT journal, George took his strong technical skills and his talent for writing and combined it with the wisdom about life that came from his religious vocation. He was a prolific writer and speaker, and in all his work you will find a unique combination of the technical and the philosophical.  Not only did he teach us how to build our own rigs, but he taught us why we should build them.  

We talk a lot about tribal knowledge -- George was definitely the source of much of that.  But he went beyond that and also became a major source of what we can call tribal wisdom.  He was one of our tribal elders. Instead of speaking to the tribe around a roaring fire, George spoke to us through SPRAT, through articles in other ham magazines, through his books, and through his talks at rallies and hamventions, many of which have been preserved in YouTube videos.  George's friend Tony Fishpool sent us the one embedded below. 

We are of course very sad to see George go, but we can all take comfort in the fact that he will -- through his writings and through his recorded talks -- remain with us. For years to come people who feel a strange urge to build their own radio equipment will find themselves reading George's work or listening to recordings of his melodious voice.   They will find there not only the needed technical information, but also the encouragement and tribal wisdom needed to carry on.  There will be a bit of George Dobbs in all their rigs.  In that way G3RJV will stay on the air.  And I know that George would be delighted by that.  

73 G3RJV.     

Viking Rigs Save the Day!

I attribute the success to the Times Sequence Keying.  And, of course, to the analog VFO.  

Thanks again to Jeff Murray. 

SolderSmoke Podcast #210 Boatanchors, Magnetostriction, VFOs, AM, CW, SSB, Mailbag

2 March 2019 

SolderSmoke Podcast #210 is available: 

http://soldersmoke.com/soldersmoke210.mp3

Alexa, Marie Kondo, berets, and ham radio

Bi-Coastal Boatanchors
BATTLE CRY: The Vintage SSB Preamble! "We are NOT ashamed!" 
Bill's HT37 and Drake 2B 
Pete's National National NCX-3  TRGHS
Mechanical Filters
Magnetostriction
Why did Collins go with mechanical vice crystal filters? 
The foam deterioration syndrome in mechanical filters.  Sad. 
Please send any unwanted Mechanical Filters to Bill. 
BONUS QUESTION:   Look at the filter below.  What is different/special about this one?

Pete's antenna trouble
Pete's FB amplifier troubleshooting
Recent improvements in the uBITX finals
Pete's design for a VFO for Bill (and an indoor antenna tuner!)

Bill's VFO for Pete:  HRO dial and gearbox driving a rotary encoder

Guido PE1NNZ puts the QCX on SSB
"The Secret Life of Machines -- Radio"
HB HRO dial from DL6WD
WA1QIX's USB D-104
"The High Frequency Oracle" 
DeMaw's LC filter receiver
Godzilla and Ham Radio
Bill's poor quality SSTV images from space (what happened?) 
Listening to AM on an SSB receiver
Mixed feelings about CW 

MAILBAG
M0KOV's mom took him to the doctor due to THE KNACK. 
M0JGH getting married (ALWAYS LISTEN TO PETE!) 
Jac's FB Receiver

What is different/special about this one?

An Update on Jac's Homebrew Receiver

About four years ago we posted a report on the FB homebrew receiver of Jac KA1WI     Here is the original report:
https://soldersmoke.blogspot.com/2015/09/jacs-homebrew-receiver-video.html

As most of us do, Jac has continued to work on his creation.  He sent me an update:

Bill:

Basically I have finished it, from a tentatively working model to a more definitive set. For example there are three IF filters, LSB, USB and CW switched by relays grounding the un-used filters.  The AGC was optimized for a good sound. So was the multistage audio circuit, avoiding unnecessary filtering which in my opinion masks the sound of some very good sounding transmissions, not to mention the terrible ones.

The front end works very well, with a SBL-1 DBM terminated with a low noise 2N5109. You notice it when a strong signal is nearly covering the weaker one you are listening to and it remains readable without loosing strength! No many receivers can do that, either because poor front end, noisy LO or bad AGC or all of the three. Not with this receiver!  

The BP filter bank is not my design but removed from a German receiver from the early 1970’s I had to align it to specs and it works pretty well, although I would have preferred  to use a tunable pre-selector. I am planning another set with three IF 9mHz filters which will include a pre-selector for optimum image rejection. I hope. 

In general I am happy with the set, despite the birdies of the DDS, most of them well under the level of most received signals. I wsh I could build a simple PLL to clean up the DSS LO signal. It is worth exploring issue as I see new VCO designs are available. I could try at least one ham band for starters, a PLL covering 350 kHz locked to the DDS,  instead of 2-30 mHz covering, should be feasible. 

Have more videos of the set I will send to you. 

73s de Sac

KA1WI

Note how well you can hear the band's noise floor when the antenna is reconnected in the third video.  

The Shortwave Radio Audio Archive

Dig out those old tapes and make a contribution to the archive. Lots of good stuff in there.  The Sandinista recording from 1979 was quite something.  Radio Moscow's Mailbag brought back Cold War memories.    Check it out: 

https://shortwavearchive.com/

An Awesome Radio Painting from Germany

Awesome radio art.  Thanks to Jeff Murray and K9YA Telegraph for the alert.  Info on the artist here: 

https://weimarart.blogspot.com/2010/06/max-radler.html?fbclid=IwAR3FNwwrH6aTOzA-8hG9KGJm4pbbTE_cK7McD9QnYV7TD9Ha0F-rAVHusMs

Shortwave Radiogram

On 18 Feb 2019 I talked to Kim KD9XB on 40 meter SSB.  Kim -- who is retired from the Voice of America -- told me about a really interesting retirement broadcast project of his. "Shortwave Radiogram" uses a variety of amateur digital modes to transmit what are essentially text and image bulletins.  The really cool part is that Kim uses commercial shortwave broadcast transmitters to get his programs out. He uses transmitters in the U.S. and in Europe.   Listeners around the world tune in via shortwave (sometimes through WEB-SDR receivers) and then use FLDIGI or similar software to read the messages. You can see one of the radiograms being received in the video above.  There are more like it on YouTube.

Kim's site has more information, including his broadcast schedule on his web site:
http://swradiogram.net/ 

All of this reminded me of our old idea about putting the SolderSmoke podcast on a commercial shortwave transmitter.  I have my eye on the Bulgarian station... Stay tuned.  

Thanks Kim!