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
I heard about this video while trying to track down information on John Stanley Anderson's 1939 television receiver. "Patrolling the Ether" is kind of hard to find. It is not really on YouTube. But there is a good BARC Vimeo video about WWII RDF efforts that includes at the end the full "Patrolling the Ether" video.
Thanks to BARC and to Brian Harrison for putting this together.
In the video, they discuss the invention of the Panadaptor by Dr. Marcel Wallace F3HM during World War II. I set up a very crude Panadaptor using Wallace's principals:
I REALLY LIKE THIS RIG.
IT IS LIKE A MAGIC CARPET THAT CARRIES MY VOICE ACROSS THE SEAS.
Cutting Display Hole sets off smoke alarm.
Reverse Polarity Protection.
IF and Crystal Filter at 21.470 MHz 50 ohms! TRGHS!
Amp for VXO Carrier Oscillator/BFO.
Mic Amp from uBITX.
Transmit/Receive switching from mic connector.
VFO: NO DIE CAST BOXES! HT-37 Variable Cap, Frequency Shift.
BP filters from QRP LABS designs (G0UPL).
TIA amp boards from K7TFC.
Needed RF amp to hear band noise.
BITX40 PA design, but RD006HHF1 instead of IRF510.
Should I run receiver input through LP filter?
Frequency Readout Story: How to use one San Jian counter on two bands.
John Stanley "Johnny" Anderson -- son of John E. and Beda Klarin Anderson, natives of Sweden -- was born on July 19, 1918, in East Chicago, Indiana. He grew up at 6813 (formerly 1439) Arizona Avenue in Hammond, and graduated from Hammond High School a couple of years ahead of American humorist and writer Jean Shepherd. In his WOR radio broadcast of January 24, 1973, Shepherd told of how Johnny was an expert ham who was way ahead of the other kids in town, and how he first saw television demonstrated by Johnny in his basement. Johnny in fact held amateur radio license W9YEI at the time.
After graduation from Hammond High, Johnny went to work as a chemist at the local steel mill. On April 11, 1941, Johnny enlisted at Fort Benjamin Harrison in the U.S. Army, serving through WWII until November 27, 1945. On June 4, 1955, he married Jane H. Vanstone.
Johnny later moved to Munster, Indiana, and continued working at Inland Steel, where he held a variety of technical positions. He passed away on January 29, 1984, at the emergency room of Hammond's St. Margaret Hospital after suffering from neurogenic shock. At the time of his death, Johnny was an electrical technician at Inland Steel's quality control center. He was buried at Elmwood Cemetery in Hammond. From: https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/173124396/john-stanley-anderson
The Flick Lives web site has an interesting letter that Johnny wrote to his friend Paul Schwartz (W9KPY) in mid 1941. Schwartz is frequently referred to by Jean Shepherd. Schwartz was killed in World War II.
In the letter, Johnny also references another mutual friend who Shep often mentions: Boles (W9QWK).
It may have been something like this 1947 receiver. But with a smaller CRT.
Hack-A-Day has an article about early (1930s) television. I was immediately reminded of a January 1973 Jean Shepherd show on WOR New York in which Shep talks about a kid in his neighborhood who built a very early television receiver. You can skip to about the 18 minute mark for the homebrew radio and television stuff.
In the 1973 show, Shep identifies the builder as John Anderson. The Flicklives web site lists the hams who lived around Shep in Hammond Indiana. Among them is John Stanley Anderson W9YEI. That's him.
Shep was born in 1921 and in the show he says this all took place when he was 16 or 17. So that would place these events around 1938. We see that on February 2, 1939 W9XZV -- the experimental station of Zenith Chicago -- went on the air with television. In August 1940 W9XBK, the experimental TV station of WBKB Chicago went on the air. That station was the one Johnny Anderson used to demonstrate TV to Shep and other friends.
Once again, Shep really captures the spirit of homebrew radio and the way it really captivates teenagers. He also explains -- very well I think -- the difference between true homebrew radio and kit building.
I really wish we had more details or pictures of W9YEI's TV receiver. I tried looking in the IRE Journal, but I couldn't find anything. Anyone have more info on this receiver or ham homebrew TV projects from the late 1930s?
This is the second time that Todd K7TFC has sent in a comment that is so good that it gets elevated to the main blog page. When I was typing yesterday's post about how WD-40 had restored life to the hard drive in my old Tandy 1000 computer, I knew that this would stir up anti-WD-40 sentiments. I'm grateful that Todd weighed in with such a thoughtful response.
What can I say? I was young and foolish. I thought WD-40 was the answer. Now I know better. I have can of DeOxit D5 on my shelf. I only use the WD-40 on my bicycle.
I think even the Pope would argue his pee has already served its only real purpose: to remove unwanted substances from the body. WD-40 is useful for that purpose as well--it's pretty good at dissolving and blasting away dirt and grease from tools, hardware, or small mechanisms. That's no doubt why it worked to get your hard-drive spinning again. As a lubricant, though, it is deeply flawed.
If you have nothing else at hand, it can also substitute as an penetrating rust buster. The purpose its developers intended is coded in the name itself: "WD" stands for water displacement, and its very good at doing that. It's not so good at many of the other uses to which it's commonly put.
A very-long time ago, I worked at a company that made its own PCBs, and they had some very-precise NC machinery (programmed with punched tape in those days) for drilling and routing the boards. After a series of baffling and costly shutdowns, the culprit was discovered and WD-40 was banned entirely from the plant. The plant-maintenance guy and janitors couldn't even have any.
It was found that once completely dry, the oils and waxes in it would slowly polymerize (as they were intended), leaving behind a sticky film that protected from moisture and rust just fine, but it gummed up precision machinery. The Chief Production engineer (my father) got the company brass to ban WD-40 entirely.
Why ban it from even plant-maintenance and janitorial work? Because you couldn't keep the PCB-production crew from resorting to it in a "crisis" if they could find any at all in the building. It meant they weren't careful enough to keep the proper lubricants in stock. You could either fire them for their shade-tree-mechanic mentality, or you could ban WD-40.
Needless to say, I've kept my congenital anti-WD-40 animus alive all these years, but I do have a can I use for cleaning and water-displacement purposes. When tempted to use it otherwise, though, the memory of my father sniffing the air suspiciously for its distinctive odor flashes in my head, and I reach for something else. --73, K7TFC
Last month I was talking to Ira VP2EIH on my new 1712 SSB rig. Ira is interested in satellites. Talking to him caused me to dig up some old material about satellite operations. Here is a 2003 QST article about working the satellites from the Azores:
Regarding the usefulness of WD-40, during my time in the Azores John EI7BA once told me that WD-40 is, "the Pope's pee!" Apparently that is high praise in Ireland. It is indeed good stuff.
Messias CU2BJ is a Silent Key. I hope Ray CU3GC, WL7CDK is doing well.
Lin is in Hong Kong. What a great job she does with very simple tools. Notice how she casually mentions that for those parts that have been lost, she will make them herself. Three cheers for Lin!
This video reminded me of the people in Santo Domingo 25 years ago who rewound the transformers and RF chokes from my HT-37. These parts still work.
Chuck KF8TI recently told me that when he was a Peace Corps Volunteer in the Philippines (1965-1967) he visited a transformer re-winding shop there, seeing piles of insulation and wire on the floor. Apparently business was good!
PARTS CANDY out of Chicago produces quality test leads for your bench. The guy who runs the company is Carlos, and he is one of us. He is an electronic tinkerer. See the ad on the left hand column of the SolderSmoke blog. Just click on the picture of the test leads and you will be taken to Carlos's ebay store. Go for it.
Mailbag
Walter KA4KXX in Orlando -- Diodes in BITX Bilats -- Why? Farhan says To prevent reverse junction of off transistor from conducting and clipping waveform.
Tony G4WIF -- Audio test gear and G3ROO paraset
Todd K7TFC Pine boards, TIAs and 12 meters
Dean KK4DAS Ceramic Variable Oscillators on 40. Juliano Criteria?
Mike WU2D VFOs and Temp compensation. ARC-5s
Chris KD4PBJ A really nice parts care package -- Thanks Chris!
Steve M0ECS. Inspired by SS, moved something off the Shelf or Box of Shame.
Jason KD2RKN Building a DC receiver. It is all our fault.
Chris Mannon in Indiana joining the CBLA
KC4GMH is listening!
Ed N2XDD has been armed with a 3.579 MHz crystal.
Harvey Wa3EIB working on his museum
Tim AG4RZ is BACK IN THE SOLDERSMOKE!
Fred KC5RT -- an old friend -- recommends Bangood RF sig gen for 88 bucks.
Shlomo 4X4LF listening and homebrewing from a Kibbutz in Israel.
Chuck KF8TI was a Peace Corps Volunteer in the Philippines.
PARTS CANDY out of Chicago produces quality test leads for your bench. The guy who runs the company is Carlos, and he is one of us. He is an electronic tinkerer. See the ad on the left hand column of the SolderSmoke blog. Just click on the picture of the test leads and you will be taken to Carlos's ebay store. Go for it.
Mailbag
Walter KA4KXX in Orlando -- Diodes in BITX Bilats -- Why? Farhan says To prevent reverse junction of off transistor from conducting and clipping waveform.
Tony G4WIF -- Audio test gear and G3ROO paraset
Todd K7TFC Pine boards, TIAs and 12 meters
Dean KK4DAS Ceramic Variable Oscillators on 40. Juliano Criteria?
Mike WU2D VFOs and Temp compensation. ARC-5s
Chris KD4PBJ A really nice parts care package -- Thanks Chris!
Steve M0ECS. Inspired by SS, moved something off the Shelf or Box of Shame.
Jason KD2RKN Building a DC receiver. It is all our fault.
Chris Mannon in Indiana joining the CBLA
KC4GMH is listening!
Ed N2XDD has been armed with a 3.579 MHz crystal.
Harvey Wa3EIB working on his museum
Tim AG4RZ is BACK IN THE SOLDERSMOKE!
Fred KC5RT -- an old friend -- recommends Bangood RF sig gen for 88 bucks.
Shlomo 4X4LF listening and homebrewing from a Kibbutz in Israel.
Chuck KF8TI was a Peace Corps Volunteer in the Philippines.
"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
Re: Another vote for the LP100A
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