The SolderSmoke Podcast Archive
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Bill - N2CQR's homepage is http://www.gadgeteer.us
Pete N6QW's page is: http://www.jessystems.com/
Here is a link to the RSS feed:     http://www.soldersmoke.com/soldersmoke.rss

This is now the archive site for the SolderSmoke Podcasts. 

It will be updated periodically, but new podcast episodes will be announced 

via the blog:  http://soldersmoke.blogspot.com

SolderSmoke Podcast #238 is available:

June 17, 2022 

http://soldersmoke.com/soldersmoke238.mp3

TRAVELOGUE:  

Cathartic decluttering:  Bill preparing for future winter travel to Dominican Republic.  Will build SolderSmoke Shack South.  Dividing everything up:  Rigs, parts, tools, supplies, antennas, test gear.  Everything.  

OUR SPONSOR:  Parts Candy.  https://www.ebay.com/usr/partscandy  Premium quality test leads! Hand cut, hand crimped, hand soldered, these will become your new favorite test leads GUARANTEED!
PETE'S BENCH:

-- Cycle 25 better? – Out here on the left coast – it is not evident
-- Chiquita Banana and the US Navy in early ‘wireless” operations.  Why RCA was created by the US Navy in 1919.
-- Update on the MAX2870 –someone has written the code to make it work with the Raspberry Pi and the QUISK SDR software
-- Field Day prep

SHAMELESS COMMERCE DIVISION:
 
Bill needs your help:  
-- Please watch his YouTube videos.  The longer the better!  Success based on hours watched. Great to have on while you are working in the shack. Just go to YouTube and search for the SolderSmoke channel. Or:  SolderSmoke - YouTube
-- Please put links to the SolderSmoke blog on your websites and blogs. 
-- How to USE the SolderSmoke Blog: Propagation, shopping, other sites... 
-- Please put comments under the articles on the SolderSmoke blog.  We like comments and dialogue. 

BILL'S BENCH:

-- Repair of the Sony ICF SW1 shortwave receiver.  Bad electrolytics.  Number Station receiving device? 
-- HQ-100   Q-Multiplier. BFO Switch. AVC.  Noise Limiter limitations.  Dave K8WPE: Old Radio Lessons.
-- MMMRX: Detector circuit. Alignment. Muting. On the air (40 AM with DX-100) 

MAILBAG: 

-- Bob Crane W8SX -- Great interviews at FDIM. On the SolderSmoke Blog. Thanks Bob! 
-- Dave Bamford W2DAB -- Stickers on the Upper East Side of Manhattan.  FB Dave! 
-- Farhan VU2ESE:  LADPAC software now available through W7ZOI' site.  
-- Lex PH2LB: Stickers in a Netherlands pub.  
-- Dave K8WPE Michigan Mighty Mite links.  Old Smoke idea. On the SolderSmoke blog. 
-- Rich WB4TLM was in the electronics class of CF Rockey W9SCH. FB. 
-- Dean KK4DAS Working on  his dad's HQ-170A. VWS maker group on mixers. 
-- Grayson KJ7UM -- Mixology article in ER. 
-- Pete Eaton -- Farhan's new analog rig: Daylight again!  Standby for more info from Farhan. 
-- Will KI4POV New HB Al Fresco single conversion superhet.  FB. 
-- Alvin N5VZH. Shep's "I Libertine."  Yes.  I laughed, I cried,  It changed me. 
-- Chuck KF8TI.  Mr. Wizard!  
-- Steve N8NM on the mend after some routine maintenance. 
-- Ben AB4EN is listening and likes the podcast -- Thanks Ben. 

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SolderSmoke podcast #237 is available:  

May 7, 2022

http://soldersmoke.com/soldersmoke237.mp3

Travelogue -- New York City!  Stickers!
And about that trip to Los Angeles for the SolderSmoke Cable TV show... 

Well, it fit in well with SolderSmoke's UNFORGETTABLE appearance on the Oprah book club.
And TechieTatts? Daughter worried about listeners rushing to get tattoos -- A risk we were willing to take.

https://in.pinterest.com/padmakumar10/techie-tatts/

This episode is sponsored by PartsCandy.  GREAT test leads: https://www.ebay.com/usr/partscandy

Bill's Bench

Tracking down Johnny Anderson's 1939 or 1940 homebrew TV receiver.

https://soldersmoke.blogspot.com/search?q=Anderson
Working with Joh DL6ID.
Jean Shepherd's January 1973 description.
FlickLives web site and Steve Glazer W2SG have lots of info on Shep and his friends.
Internet allows us to look at TV articles that were being published.
We've concluded: Probably 1939 or 1940, using an RCA 913 1 inch CRT tube. 

Lots of ideas from IRE Journal, QST, and Gernsback magazines.
Quite an achievement! Amazing how much pre-war TV progress there was.  

17-12 rig
All boxed up and working DX!
Figured out how to display both 17 and 12 on the same LED. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kAmmFZyFu8w
Drain protector for speaker cover. Copper tape to cover horrible cabinet making.
I think I need a Hex Beam.

Hammarlund HQ-100
Needed some maintenance.
I started to look more closely at it.
Got the Q-Multiplier to work -- it really adds a lot on CW.
Makes me feel guilty about all the QF-1s...
Using the 100kc calibrator with a 455 kc crystal as a BFO,
keeping Q multiplier below oscillation point.
Moved the BFO switch to the front panel. Helps a lot.
Need to fix the S-meter AVC circuitry.
Much more sturdy than the S-38E.
S-38E 1957-61 $54.95 5 tubes.  AC/DC.
HQ-100 1956-60 $169  10 or 11 tubes.  Power supply,  regulator.
You get what you pay for.  


Pete's Bench

Jack Purdum and Al Peter's new SDR rig and book (featured on the SS blog Amazon ad).
JF3HZB's beautiful digi VFO.
Backpack antenna for Field Day?  
Pipsqueak Disaster -- Too simple?
Peashooter Eye Candy.
Build Something Different.

MAILBAG

James W0JKG CBLA -- Others are building MMM too!
SM4WWG // Jörgen  Wonderful message.  Joined GQRP.  No longer "wrong."
Dennis WC8C Libraries for Max2870 board.
Jack NG2E  Progress on the Right to Repair movement. 
Jim K9JM  Someone cutting into our business with Solder candles!  
Chuck  WB9KZY Correctly identified the location of the IBEW sticker.  As did Dan Random.
Dave Bamford (who lives nearby) suitably impressed. 
Farhan wrote to us about a video on Don Lancaster.  Homebrew keyboards!  Yea!
Dean KK4DAS  QRP to the Field.  HB2HB 40 SSB   QRP  I feel virtuous.  
Todd K7TFC likes my ingenious use of the drain screen as the speaker protector on the 17-12 rig. 
Todd  had good thoughts on granular approach to homebrewing as seen in the Don Lancaster video.
Lex PH2LB HORRIFIED by my reverse polarity protection circuit.  This is a touchy subject! (as is WD-40!)
Rogier PA1ZZ sending great info on SWL and numbers stations.
Jesse N5JHH -- The guy who made the IBEW stickers -- Liked the NYC stickers. 
Steve N8NM has a new antenna article on his blog: https://n8nmsteve.blogspot.com/
Randy AB9GO Agrees -- Can't GIVE old 'scopes away. 
Dino SV1IRG Liked the 17-12 rig videos. 
Steve Hartley G0FUW Murphy's Law of Enclosures. 
Ralph AB1OP FB on the 17-12 Rig. 
Roberto XE1GXG --Our correspondent in Guadalajara. Petulant, irritable people on the computer scene.

Have some gear looking for a good home:   Tek 465 'scope from Jim AL7R W8NSA.   SBE Transceivers. 
Windsor Signal Generator.  Let me know if you are interested and can either pick up or arrange shipping.  

 

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SolderSmoke Podcast #236 is available!

April 1, 2022

http://soldersmoke.com/soldersmoke236.mp3

Winterfest!  Many Boatanchors.  Lots of old good analog test gear.  Talk with Dean KK4DAS.  Met up with Armand WA1UQO and Charles AI4OT. 

Pete's Bench: 

-- Looking for help in software development for MAX2870 board.  
-- Tapped Capacitance Impedance Matching
-- The Pea Shooter (See N2USD's version in videos
 below).
-- Tribal Knowledge on Making Enclosures

Bill's Bench: 

-- 17-12 Band Imaging SSB Transceiver.  It works on both bands. 
-- Plan for Glowing Numerals (N6QW has been there and done that!)
-- WU2D's videos on VFOs.  
-- Temperature Compensation:  HT-37 capacitor.  FT-101 VFO,  even in the ARC-5 receiver! 
-- Trying to get more rigorous about receiver design.  Gain distribution, IMD, Dynamic Range, etc. 
-- Do I need a true RMS audio voltmeter?  Or can I get the same info from freeware audio spectrum analyzer and soundcard?
-- 6EA8s replace 6U8s in MMRX 

SHAMELESS COMMERCE DIVISION:   We have a sponsor!  

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. 

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SolderSmoke Podcast #235 is available for download: 

February 9, 2022

http://soldersmoke.com/soldersmoke235.mp3

Travelogue:

6 weeks in the DR for Bill
One contact on uBITX. More SW listening.
Repaired my Chrome Book in Santo Domingo!
Christmas Present for All: James Web Space Telescope launch

Bill's Bench
-- Understanding the NE-602 (see blog post)
-- Thinking about a 17/12 dual bander.  Looked at old G3YCC Tx for circuits... 
-- Using Spurtune08. WB9KZY found it.  In the LADPAC zip file here:
https://web.archive.org/web/20091222012628/http://w7zoi.net/emlad08_123.html
-- Then Put G3YCC Acores SSB TX back in operation
-- Put W4OP Barebones Superhet on 17 with NE602 down converter.
-- Netting and audible spur problems 
-- Now working many stations with this old "split" TX/RX

Pete's Bench
-- The Peashooter
-- Dean's VWS build of your DC RX
-- Building a SSB Transceiver Doc
-- Homebrew Crystal Filters
-- The shrinking of the PSSST
-- PSSST on Hack-A-Day

Bad Dead Soldering Stations
-- My X-Tonics 4000 dies.   But it left behind a great box with ample socketry. 

Mailbag: 
AA1TJ Mike Rainey --- Again in the Hobbit Hole! 486 kc RX
Thomas K4SWL -- Radio Astronomy and the Raspberry PI 
WC8C Dennis Invite to the L'Anse Creuse ARC   FB  Fun
Todd K7TFC got boosted at Tektronix Beaverton Ore.  
What happened to Chuck Adams K7QO?  His work taken off the net.
W1MJA ex WN2RTH 
N7DA worked W7ZOI in Sweepstakes.  FB
Kirk NT0Z formerly of ARRL HQ
Farhan VU2ESE was up in the Pench Forest, trying to spot a Tiger! 
We spoke to Farhan's Lamakaan ARC in Hyderabad.  QO-100 beam down! 
Dean KK4DAS's 16 watter.   On SS blog
Scott WA9WFA  Bad 6U8s?   Ordering 6EA8s
Bruce KC1FSZ Peppermint Bark gift box
Mike WU2D:  Book by Frank Harris on Homebrew radio
Bob Scott KD4EBM So many good ideas and links 
Rogier PA1ZZ sending parts packages -- Thanks Rogier

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SolderSmoke Podcast #234 is available: 

November 17, 2021

http://soldersmoke.com/soldersmoke234.mp3

Roots of SolderSmoke: The "Click and Clack" of ham radio? 

Influences: Jean Shepherd, CarTalk, Shortwave stations.

Steve "Snort Rosin" Smith WB6TNL?  No. Steve "Aching Sinus" Smith WA6SOC  
 

Pete's Bench:
PSSST Super Simple SSB -- 7 Transistors. Switching IF Module: 

PSST Details:  https://www.n6qw.com/PSSST_20.html
DC RX.
KWM-1 Resurrection "Shame Shelf".
How to make things work:

http://n6qw.blogspot.com/2021/10/how-to-make-things-work-tribal.html
Diode Switching or Relays?

(Why the T/R diodes in the BITX 20 amplifiers?)
National Receiver.

Bill's Bench
Farhan's Talk to RSGB got me thinking of VHF 2 meter AM.
2 meter Benton Harbor lunchbox madness. SuperRegens Super Strange.
I broke my Maplin AF Sig Gen in the process. Fixed it.
Playing with MMMRX again. Put in 6 kHz ceramic filter. Sounds great SSB and AM.
Swept IF with noise, TinySA, and NanoVNA. Need better noise gen.
Mod to listen with TinySA (on blog).
Thinking of 17 meter /12 meter Dual-Bander IF around 21.4, VFO around 3.41 Mhz. Thoughts?
Sweeping double half lattice filter from Swan 240.  UGLY.  

MAILBAG:
--- ROOTS OF MAILBAG: Radio Moscow, Havana Cuba, HCJB, others.
-- Thomas K4SWL of the SWL Post: Could have been worse! Stairbag?

-- MY NOVICE LOG -- Heard back from ex-WN2RTH ex-WN2FLK ex-WB2RKK.
-- Drew N7DA worked Wes W7ZOI in Sweepstakes. FB.
-- Peter VK2EMU The movie Frequency and the Magic of Heathkits. Good, but not that good!
-- Thomas KK6AHT! Our old friend. Minima! Now has a young son! FB
-- Chuck WA7ZZE Saw QST profile. Sympathizes with Two-er trouble.
-- Tim M0CZP. Spell corrector. Vatican Diodes. Infallible!
-- Ramakrishnan VU3RDD Working on a NORCAL and a noise cancellation arrangement.
-- Skip NC9O said I was 40 Hz off on 17. But he had a reason to KNOW!
-- Steve K9NVD Glad he's a listener.  
-- Bob KY3R Novice Nostalgia. Should he use 75 watt bulb for dummy load? Yes! 
-- Todd K7TFC Video about why solder smoke goes into the face.
-- Anthony VU3JVX  Homebrew Antuino. I ask for help in moving freq to 450 kHz.
-- Jack NG2E Building Pete's DC RX.
-- Scott WA9WFA HBR-13 and MMMRX.
-- Stephen 2E0FXZ also got a FT-101 VFO.
-- Bob K7ZB on the air with 56 mW and a big antenna.
-- Dean AC9JQ Retired.
-- Allan WA9IRS Right to Repair update.
-- Farhan Invited us to Lamakaan ARC, Dec 11 or 12. Will be on QO100 Satellite Live! 

-- Many suggestions about my Apollo 11 Time Capsule. Still looking for ideas.

Happy Thanksgiving to all who celebrate this holiday!

------------------------

SolderSmoke Podcast #233 is available. 

October 13, 2021

http://soldersmoke.com/soldersmoke233.mp3

Travelogue: Cape Cod. SST. Marconi Site.

The WFSRA:   The World Friendship Society of Radio Amateurs.


Pete's Bench:

The Pimp.
The NCX rig.
The Collins.
The many DC receivers built worldwide.
The parts shortages are real! Several key radios on hold. Si5351 sub.
Talk to G-QRP convention

Bill's Bench:

FT-8. Not for me. I tried it.
Novice Station Rebuild.
Globe V-10 VFO Deluxe.
Selenium rectifier removal CONTROVERSY?
Not crazy about my Novice station. Not crazy about CW. 
Mate for the Mighty Midget. Again. 
Mike W6MAB -- Detector problems LTSPICE Check
One more mod for MMM RX. Ceramic filter at 455.
Dropped screw inside tubular cap on Millen 61455 transformer. 
Talk to the Vienna Wireless Society
Thinking of a Moxon or a Hex beam.


BOOK REVIEW Chuck Penson WA7ZZE New Heathkit Book. http://wa7zze.com


Mailbag

-- New SPRAT is out! Hooray!
-- Todd K7TFC sent me copy of Shopcraft as Soulcraft. FB.
-- Dean KK4DAS building an EI9GQ 16 W amp. FB.
-- Jack NG2E Getting close on Pete's DC receiver.
-- JF1OZL's website is BACK!
-- Tony K3DY sent link to cool books. 
-- Sheldon VK2XZS thinking of building a phasing receiver.
-- Peter VK2EMU has joined the WFSRA. FB!
-- Ned KH7JJ from Honolulu spotted the Sideband Myth in the AWA video.
-- Chris M0LGX looking at the ET-2, asks about the variometer.
-- Pete Eaton Nov 64 anti HB rant in november 1964 QST. Wow.
-- Josh Lambert Hurley spreading FMLA stickers in the UK. FB
-- Stephen VE6STA getting ready to melt solder.
-- Got a great picture of Rogier PA1ZZ back on Bonaire.
-- Farhan reading the manual of Hans's new digital rig.
-- Paul G0OER wonders if FMLA getting ready to move on 5 meters.

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SolderSmoke Podcast #232 is available -- Crank it in Robert!

August 27. 2021

http://soldersmoke.com/soldersmoke232.mp3

Featuring a guitar intro by Pete "Bluesman" Juliano,  playing his own composition: "Juliano Blues." 
 

Upcoming GQRP convention and the N6QW rig
Frank Jones and the FMLA -- Possible Victory?
IBEW Stickers:  NASA, Johns Hopkins APL....
Cycle 25 Lookin Better Today:  SFI 93   SN 47
 
Pete's Bench:
Toobular!  A Tube Transmitter
SR-160
Simple SSB rigs around the world! 
KI7NSS's Pacific 40
 
Bill's Bench
The Mythbuster and the Struggle Against the Urban Legend
W2EWL's Cheap and Easy SSB
W4IMP's IMP. Articles in ER by Jim Musgrove K5BZH and Jim Hanlon W8KGI
The Spirit of Homebrew SSB. From Electric Radio K5BZH December 1991
Reduced Front End Gain on the DIGITIA
Back on 17!  HP3SS sells HBR receiver to Joe Walsh
Maybe another Moxon?
 
SHAMELESS COMMERCE DIVISION
 
Test Gear
NanoVNA -- Alan W2AEW helped solve mystery of why NanoVNA not providing accurate readout of circuit impedance.  Over driving.  Need attenuator. 
TinySA -- Limited Resolution Bandwidth.  But you can listen with it!  See video on blog.
 
MAILBAG
-- Google Feedburner to end e-mails from the blog :-(
-- Paul VK3HN -- TIA AGC? Farhan and Paul looking into options 
-- Ciprian's Romanian Mighty Mite
-- Dino KL0S SolderSmoke GIF and graphical presentation on sideband inversion
-- Allison KB1GMX helped me on 24 volts to IRF 510 issue.
-- Dave K8WPE Wabi Sabi and Martha Stewart. And thanks for parts!  40673s!
-- Steve N8NM building a 17 meter rig with 22.1184 crystals in a SuperVXO and a 4 MHz filter.  
-- Dean KK4DAS restoring an old Zenith.  One hand behind your back OM. 
-- Pete Eaton debating SSB or DSB for 17.  Go DSB Pete!
-- Richard KN7FSZ a FB HBer.  Asked about my solid-stating of Galaxy V VFO.  
-- Walter KA4KXX on benefits of no-tune BP filters like Farhan's   FB. 
-- Jack 5B4APL on Time Crystals and Homebrewing in the 4th dimension.  FB OM!  
-- Moses K8TIY listens to the podcast with his young son Robert.  Crank it in Robert! 
-- Farhan and the SBitx on Hack-A-Day
-- Also Tom's receiver from junked satellite rig on Hack-A-Day
-- Todd K7TFC sent in beautiful message about the spirit of homebrewing. On the blog.
-- Grayson KJ7UM was on Ham Radio Workbench with George Zaf
-- AAron K5ATG running a uBitx with a  homebrew tuner and antenna.  Hope I can work him 
-- Heard Mike WA3O last night on 40 DIGITIA.  Water cooled amplifier

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SolderSmoke # 231 is available: 

June 26,, 2021

http://soldersmoke.com/soldersmoke231.mp3

Annual Field Day Special Edition

Travelogue:   To the Dominican Republic! 

New dog -- Meet Guapo (see below). 

A great Father's Day for Pete and Bill.  I got a TinySA. 

Pete got some cool chick magnet glasses (see below).  

Watch out Newbury Park! 

Bill's Activity

SST Transceiver. Took it to Dominican Republic.

Made only one contact, but QRP-QRP. 

Not a lot of CW activity, and not a lot around 14.060. 

A lot more FT8 visible on the NA5B WebSDR.

That might be better for this kind of operation.  

I might try SST CW out today from the backyard. Field Day!

Fired up my 20 meter DSB NE602 rigs.  Made two contacts.  

Still trying to fully understand the NE602 Gilbert Cell.  Lots of mystery in there. 

Building "The MythBuster."  75/20 with sideband inversion.  

10 pole 5.2 MHz filter.  Used Dishal and AADE. 

Used NanoVNA to see the passband. 

G3UUR for crystal parameters.

Cohn Constant K topology. 

Also used NanoVNA to check input and output impedance on the TIA amps I will use around the filter. 

Pete's activity: 

Article on DC receiver in SPRAT. FB response. 50 receivers under construction.   

Work on Drake A Line.  

Jim Spillsbury. 

------------------------------

The N5JHH IBEW SolderSmoke stickers (see above and below).  How we will use them. 

Mailbag:

N2SVD

K8ITY

Tom (Junkbox receiver)

N0ZIB (Curse you, SolderSmoke!) 

DL6ID

N2NLY

VK2EMU

ZS1KE

AF7O

NG2E

VU2ESE

OK1RP

N5JHH

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SolderSmoke Podcast #230 is available for download

May 15, 2021

http://soldersmoke.com/soldersmoke230.mp3

N2CQR was down for maintenance 

A few words about April 1

The Ingenuity helicopter

China lands on Mars

Brood X Cicadas arriving in NOVA 

Pete's Bench

The Dentron Project

The Spillsbury Tindall SBX-11A

KK4DAS and the Simple SSB Group Build

TenTec mods

Shack Mystery solved.  Maybe 

Changing the channels at age 9 

Bill's Bench

Why LSB below 10 MHz? The "SSB Legend" Rig

WU2D RTL-Dongle Up converter

Understanding the Gilbert (Jones) Cell

SDRSmart  RTL-SDR.com V3 Dongle 

VK3HN and 2 meter SSB

Jack NG2E, MMM and the 10 minute transmitter

KD4EBM sends me SST by Wayne Burdick. DX!  

A new computer 

Mailbag: 

MM0ACN

VK2EMU

N5VZH

VE3KZJ

HS0ZLQ

AD0JJ

VK8MC

KK0S

VE3VVH

KB3SII

WA9WFA

M0NTV

W2DAB

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Soldersmoke Podcast #229 is available: 
March 20, 2021

http://soldersmoke.com/soldersmoke229.mp3

--  G2NJ Trophy is awarded to Pete Juliano, N6QW. 

 -- Get your vaccine shot as soon as you can!  

-- More from "Conquering the Electron" by Derek Cheung. 

-- Bad fire in the chip factory.  Such a shame.  Sad!  I had NOTHING to do with it.  I was home that day.  I can prove it.

 -- Bezos is not such a bad guy.  Turns out he is a space-geek.  

 -- Perseverance was the big space news.  Very cool.  

Pete's bench:

Raspberry Pi vs. Microcontrollers

Treedix display

Conversion of the Dentron Scout

CW rigs?

6L6 on a wooden chassis

SHAMELESS COMMERCE DIVISION-  

I NEED TO BUILD UP TIME VIEWERS VIEW MY VIDEOS: So please watch!

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC20TcdWSSFliMhg3k2A1a5w

--  Our Patreon sponsors get an early look at our YouTube content.  So please, consider

becoming a Patreon sponsor.

--  Please continue to use the Amazon search engine on the blog page (upper right).   

Bill's bench: 

Hodgepodge:   

-- BITX40 Module.  

-- Ramseykit Amp. 

-- San Jian counter,  

-- CW using 750 Hz oscillator. 

-- RF-actuated piezo buzzer.  

-- SDR!  SDR using PC and tablet.  

-- Checking the output with SDR.  

-- Moving the carrier osc frequency.  

 Also, I put the Fish Soup 10 back on the air.  Nice contacts under 200 mw.

Up next:  A rig for 80/75 and 20 meters.  Single Conversion.  Using VFO from a Yaesu FT101 that runs 8.7 – 9.2 Mhz.   Quiz question:  What IF should I use?

MAILBAG

Mark Zelesky sent me wood tokens with power and Ohm's law formulae.  Thanks!

Scott WA9WFA Built a really nice Mate for Mighty Midget RX – getting it going!

Tryg EI7CLB found board of his George Dobbs Ladybird RX.  Rebuild it OM!

Tom WX2J – We talked about “No lids, no kids, no space cadets” nastiness.

Nick M0NTV about sideband inversion.  I like the simple rule about subtraction.

Jonathan M0JGH – Always listen to Pete.  Got married, has mixing product. Leo?

Mike AE0IH.  Dad used a BC-348 in the service. Looking for one.  FB.

Adam N0ZIB – “Silent Shep” site --- with some ham radio shows I had not seen.

Walter KA4KXX in Orlando has a similar subtraction problem with San Jian counter.

Bill N5ALO sent me a really nice KLH speaker.   I’m using it now.

Jason N2NLY – interested in building SSB transceiver.  One step at a time OM…

Trevor in Annapolis sent xcsd cartoon that really hit home. 

Farhan is doing OK in India, diligently protecting his family from the virus.  

Peter VK2EMU also doing well.

Dave AA7EE Casually killed a DC receiver in Hollywood, and disposed of the remains. 

Charlie ZL2CTM doing great things with simple SSB.  Blogpost.

Phil VK8MC in Darwin sends article on "Mend not End" battle against planned obsolescence.

Bob KY3R re my SDR adventures, asked if I’ve had a recent medical/psychiatric evaluation. 

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Soldersmoke Podcast #228 is available: 
January 26, 2021

Of course, no travel.  But vaccines are here so maybe soon we can leave our shacks.

In the meantime:

I’ve been playing chess against AI bots on chess.com.

Netflix recommendation:  The Bureau.   From France. A review from NPR: 

https://www.npr.org/2020/06/22/881642358/addictively-suspenseful-thriller-series-the-bureau-will-keep-you-on-edge

A reading from "Conquering the Electron."  Germanium vs. Silicon.

Bill’s Bench:

The KLH Model Twenty-one II.  Acoustical Suspension.  First receiver WITH A PILLOW!  Bad speaker? Blown AF amp finals.  Hot heat sink.  VBE Multiplier. Desitin.

Tony Fishpool’s recommended LM386 boards.  10 for 11 bucks.  Nice.  They work.  Pictured in the Amazon ad at the upper right of the SolderSmoke blog page.

Putting a digital display on the Lafayette HA-600A

Test gear trouble.  My Radio Shack multimeter getting flaky.  I many need something better.  Auto ranging? My beloved Maplin AF generator died – will have to fix. I need that thing.  Probably a bad chip.  Good thing they are socketed.

I almost forgot about SKN!  But I remembered and I made one contact with the HT-37 and Drake 2-B.    

Pete’s Bench:

Presentation to RSGB on Homebrew.

TenTek Troubleshoot.

Swan 240?  Looking nice.

SDR adventures.

MAILBAG

Bill N8ET sent me some really nice Showa 9 MHz 8 pole crystal filters. 

Kevin AA7YQ Smoke jumper!  Building a hybrid SDR.HDR rig.  Launched blog. FB

Nick M0NTV working on similar HDR/SDR project.  Great video.

Grayson KJ7UM Hollow State Design – Launched a new blog.  Very FB!

Thomas K4SWL of SWL Post blog.  Kearsarge Mountain Transmission system.  And recent events.

Peter VK2EMU Poetry.  CW poetry.

Pete WB9FLW looking at DSB rigs…

Drew N7DA  Feels not like a real ham because he hasn’t built a quad from bamboo. Which type of landscape bamboo is best for antennas?

Ryan Flowers of MiscDotGeek.Com blog is also watching the Tally Ho YouTube videos of Leo Sampson. Wants to put a WSPR beacon on the Tally Ho. 

Joe KF5OWY  Working with diode ring mixers, trying to see the mixer action on his ‘scope. 1 and -1!

Jim AB9CN sent a cool idea about how to do a 20/17 Moxon.

Roy GM4VKI – I thanked him for his article in SPRAT about putting a 2n3904 on the output of an NE602 10P mod.  Brilliant.

Roger Hayward Told him that I really liked his Dad’s recent web site updates.

Farhan – Jokingly cursed me for showing him the Oscillodyne regen of Hugo Gernsback and Jean Shepherd.  “Now I will have to build this!”

--------------------------------------------------------------------------
SolderSmoke Podcast #227 is available: 
December 15, 2020
Travelogue

Mars is moving away.  Jupiter and Saturn close in the sky.  And the Sun is back in action – Cycle 25 is underway.  Also, the earliest sunset is behind us.  Brighter days are ahead.

Book Review:  “Conquering the Electron”   With a quote from Nikola Tesla. 

No real travel for us:   Hunkered down.  Lots of COVID cases around us.  Friends, relatives, neighbors.  Be careful.  You don’t want to be make it through 10 months of pandemic only to get sick at the very end.  SITS: Stay In The Shack. 

Pete's Bench and Tech Adventures:  

 Backpack SDR  keithsdr@groups.io

 Hermes Lite 2

 Coaching SSB builders

 G-QRP talk  

 A new source for 9 MHz crystal filters

 Bill's Bench: 

Fixing the HA-600A Product Detector.  Sherwood article advice. Diode Ring wins the day.  Fixing a scratchy variable capacitor.  Studying simple two diode singly balanced detectors.  Polyakov.  Getting San Jian frequency counter for it.

Fixing up the 17 meter BITX.  Expanding the VXO coverage.  Using it with NA5B's KiwiSDR. 

Resurrecting the 17 meter Moxon.  But WHY can't I nest the 17 meter Moxon inside a 20 meter Moxon?  They do it with Hex beams.  Why so hard with Moxons? DK7ZB has a design, but I've often heard that this combo is problematic.  Any thoughts?   I could just buy a 20/17 Hex-beam but this seems kind of heretical for a HB station.

Suddenly getting RFI on 40 meters.  Every 50-60 Hz. Please tell me what you think this is (I played a recording).  

MAILBAG:  

Dean KK4DAS’s Furlough 40/20

Adam N0ZIB HB DC TCVR

Tony G4WIF  G-QRP Vids.  Video of George Dobbs. 

Grayson KJ7UM Collecting Radioactive OA2s. Why?

Pete found W6BLZ Articles

Rogier KJ6ETL PA1ZZ lost his dog.  And we lost ours. 

Steve Silverman KB3SII -- a nice old variable capacitor from Chelsea Radio Company. 

Dave K8WPE thinks we already have a cult following.

Dan W4ERF paralleling amps to improve SNR. 

Jim W8NSA -- An old friend. 

Pete Eaton   WB9FLW    The Arecibo collapse 

John WB4GTW old friend... friend of: 

Taylor N4TD HB2HB  

And finally, we got lots of mail about our editorial.   No surprise: Half supportive, half opposed.  Obviously everyone is entitled to their opinion.  And we are free to express ours.  It’s a free country, and we want it to stay that way. That is why we spoke out.

Yesterday the Electoral College voted, finalizing the results.  All Americans should be proud that the U.S. was able to carry out a free and fair national election with record turn out under difficult circumstances. And all loyal Americans should accept the results. That’s just the way it works in a democracy.

We are glad we said what we said. It would have been easier and more pleasant to just bury our heads in the sand and say nothing.  But this was a critically important election and we felt obligated as Americans to speak out.  We'd do it again. And in fact we reserve the right to speak out again if a similarly important issue arises.  

------------------------------------------------------------

SolderSmoke Podcast # 226 

October 31, 2020 

http://soldersmoke.com/soldersmoke226.mp3

----------------------------------

About the U.S. election

------------------------------------

Mars:  Setting early, will have to shift to evening observation.  Weather has been poor. 

Sunspot Cycle 25 is underway -- SFI 78, SN 32  

The Gliessberg cycle

Pete's Bench:  #49,  #50,  uSDX,  Hermes Lite

Bill's Bench: HP8640B,  Global Specialties Corp 6000 counter, Lafayette HA600A.

MAILBAG:

Peter VK2EMU Sent me copy of 1947 Handbook.  Thanks Peter

Brad W1BCC Spotted 10 S-38s for 80 bucks on Craig’s list.  What’s going on here? 

Dale K9NN sent both Pete and I care packages with very cool part, including DG Mosfets

Stuart ZL2TW sent me Les Moxon’s Antenna Book.  TRGHS. Moxon will be back! 

Alvin N5VZH got his receive converter with a little Tribal Knowledge from SS. 

GM4OOU The Bitsy DSB rig from Scotland

Peter VK3YE DSBto DC incompatibility SOLVED

Paul VK3HN's Digital SWR and Power Meter and Low band AM TX VFO/Controller FB Videos. 

VK2BLQ alerts us to article about Jac Holzman of Elektra Records. 

AA0ZZ great message on assembler language and writing software the hard way. 

-------------------------------------------

SolderSmoke Podcast #225 

Septermber 19, 2020

http://soldersmoke.com/soldersmoke225.mp3

Mars,  West Coast smoke.

Pete's Activities: 
-- DC receivers.
-- CW offset
-- GQRP talk
-- The uSDX project
Bill's Bench
-- Sliding into the Vintage Test Gear Cult:  HP8640B . 
-- Fixing up and figuring out Radio Shack DX-390 receivers.  
-- 220 to 110 on a few remaining devices.     
-- Got myself a Dremel-like rotary device.  
Tech News: 
-- ARRL/TAPR Convention:  SDR project from Walla Walla University students.   Intuitive explanation for why desired and image freqs in a mixer come out with very useful phase differences.  
-- Chuck Adams' Amazing Lab Notebook.   Includes a simple circuit to measure resistance and Q in crystals.  FB. 
MAILBAG: 
-- Dino KL0S  SITSing in his shack, homebrewing 9 MHz filters  FB Dino.  Airborne! 
-- Dave NT1U sent us the famous 1968 QST Article by W7ZOI re DC RX.  
-- Ron K0EIA listening to SWBC staions with uBITX.  
-- Ted AJ8T  Korguntubes making a 12AX7 equivalent.  
-- Joel N6ALT sent me a nice DX-390 manual.  Thanks Joel
-- Bob KD8CGH alerted us to the uSDX project -- story on the blog. 
-- Craig AA0ZZ Sent a great message with insights on computer code -- I will put up on the blog. 
--Tracy KN4FHX reports on optimistic prognosis for SolarCycle 25.  Some chickens may have to be sacrificed.   
-- Stephen M0OMO Thanks SolderSmoke for rekindling interest in this hobby. 
-- Paul VK3HN  has a cool new rig -- The Prowler -- check it out
-- Steve N8NM working on his Sunbeam car -- Pete already knew about the carburetor synch problem.  N6QW knows everything. 
------------------------------
SolderSmoke Podcast #224
August 1, 2020

--The launch of Perseverance Mars probe With Ingenuity Helicopter. 
--China’s Tian Wen 1 on its way – Radio Amateur Daniel Estevez EA4GPZ is listening to it!  
--Sci Fi Books:  Mars Trilogy by Kim Stanley Robinson.  No skip on Mars :-(
--We have some sunspots!  SFI now 72 and the Sunspot number is 23.  

Bill's bench: 
--Conquering Ceramic Spurs in Q-32   Roofing filter -- sort of 
--NE602 for a Q-75 converter – Gilbert Cell.  
--Measuring low power levels out of NE602.  Antuino better than 'scope . 
--NanoVNA   Really cool stuff.  SDR in there. 
--Building a 455 kc LC filter from QF-1 rubble. Using LTSPICE, Elsie... 
--Reviving my Bicycle AM radio – The “All Japanese 6” 
--Understanding L Network impedance matching. 
--Bill’s new resistor kit from Mouser. Thanks to Drew N7DA.  

SHAMELESS COMMERCE:  PATREON, AMAZON SEARCH.  THANKS

Pete's Bench: 
--Lockdown Special 
--BPF work on SDR Rig
--I U W I H 

Mailbag
VK3HN Summit Prowler 7
VK2EMU “The Stranger”
SM0P  HB uBITX in Dubai
AE7KI  Worked him in VK from London
ON6UU  EA3GCY’s 4020 rig
KA4KXX A Simpler Mighty Mite
W9KKQ M19 DMR
KD4PBJ Radio Schenectady
W3BBO 12AU7 Regen
KE5HPY Another 12AU7 regen
N5VZH Ne602 Converter
KY3R Wall Art
G4WIF  Spectrum Analyzer in your pocket
W2AEW  Talks to UK Club
KK0S Sent 455 Kc IF cans
KL0S Making 9Mhz filters
VU2ESE  Diving into simple SDR schemes
Dean KK4DAS  Amateur Radio Astronomy
 

-
SolderSmoke Podcast #223

27 June 2020
Quarantine Field Day!   
Ironically, THIS YEAR we are both participating
Pete's FD Plan, Bill's FD plan 

Talking to Clubs: 
Pete's talk to the Cedar Valley Iowa Club
Bill's talk to the Vienna Wireless Society

Pete's Bench
DDC SDR
Ideas from the Summer SPRAT
Mean Well Voltage Regulator

SHAMELESS COMMERCE DIVISION: PATREON.   SS is an  SV DELOS WANA-BE!
We got our very first Patreon Patron!  Jonathan Magee from the UK!  Upper Left on the blog.
Continue to use our site for your Amazon purchases. 

Bill's Bench
NanoVNA
Understanding L Networks
+/- 6kHz Ceramic filter for Q-31
Lobes, Nulls and WSPR

Miscellaneous: 
Farhan's feedback Amplifier Video
British Antarctic Broadcast heard (sort of)

MAILBAG:
Mauro VA6BRO liked the SolderSmoke book.  Thanks Mauro
Tryg in Galway Ireland is listening.  Hope to get you the signed books Tryg. 
Michael N4MJR suggested that I use N2 Corona Quarantine Radio as my phonetics.  I dunno... 
Ed DD5LP has been helping us get SS rebroadcast on a German SW broadcast station. Stay tuned! 
Rogier PA1ZZ in California sent an e-mail about the Don Lee Broadcast System.  Thanks Rogier!
Rick KE3IJ  Silver Skirt on his 2B also. W3GOO did it.  Rick traded his Commodore 64 for the 2B.  Yea! 
Walter KA4KXX has a simplified circuit for the MMM!  From UK
Peter VE1BZI thank us for the tribal knowledge.  Dipolo Crilolo
Peter VK2EMU Wee need someone to make the Constructor Crusader badge. 
Scott KA9P sent us the Amateur Wireless cover from 1934 with the Constructor Crusader thing. 
John GM4OOU Built lockdown rig.  we want pictures! 
Jerry KI4IO  His version of the Sproutie by AA7EE   FB 
Adam N0ZIB built a MMM
Wouter ZS1KE in South Africa -- comparing notes on Drake 2-Bs
Randall KD5RC wants to get started in HB. 

-

SolderSmoke Podcast #222

May 23, 2020
No travelogue but… SolderSmoke Almanac!

Memorial Day in U.S.

End of Ramadan so Eid Mubarak! 

#222 marks SIX YEARS of Julian-ismo.  He started on SS 161.  Thanks Pete. 

Thanks to all who sent good wishes on Billy's graduation.  
He heads to Boston and the lab in a week or so.  Very proud. 
------------------------------------------
Bill was on Ham Radio WorkBench Podcast  
----------------------------------------- 

PETE'S WORKBENCH
-- Antenna Ideas -- Don't Buy that $165 dollar dipole!  It is just wire!   
-- THE PHASING RIG. Does this point to a need for meditation?  
Or at least some temporary disengagement? Tribal wisdom from Pete. 
-- DEAN KK4DAS's rig.  The Furlough 40.  Troubleshoot.  Tribal knowledge. 
-------------------------------------------

-- SHAMELESS COMMERCE DIVISION:   AMAZON BOX -- SEARCH FOR ANYTHING OU WANT THERE.  
-- PLEASE PUT COMMENTS ON THE SOLDERSMOKE BLOG POSTS. 
-- PLEASE CHECK OUT THE SolderSmoke YOUTUBE VIDEOS. 
------------------------------------------

BILL's WORKBENCH
--  Shortwave dials and exotic locations.  Java!  
-- Galaxy V VFO Project. Series-tuned Colpitts.  
-- DRAKE 2-B.  Hayseed Recap. Put the skirt back on the old rig.  Reduction drives?   

SHOPPING BAG: 
I got a replacement for the Xtronics 4000 soldering station.  Yaogong worked! 
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B078WB9Z2R/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o02_s01?ie=UTF8&psc=1  
Ordered screws and stuff from McMaster -- Came very fast! 
Working on a resistor kit from Mouser. 

MAILBAG: 
VK2BLQ's Phasing RX with an HRO dial.  Cool Retro.  
Adam N0ZIB -- Cool station.  TFT screen Aluminum welded box. FB. 
Karl G7AFT    BITX 40 doing USB and LSB by changing the VFO freq.  Pete's trick! 
Jerry KI4IO  out in nearby Warrenton.   Hope to be able to meet up soon. 
Keith N6ORS's Hot Mustard Phasing Board. 
Mike N5GTF'd FULLY INDOOR Quarantine Receiver.  Need a slogan for the antenna!
Nick M0NTV's Bread Bin 80 Quarantine rig
Bruce KC1FSZ   Quarantine 10 -- Brave man in solar minimum. But I hear 10 is opening.
Talking to Grayson Evans KJ7UM  TA2ZGE about Collins 9.9 MHz transformers.
Talking to Alan Wolke W2AEW about Drake 2-B stuff  Was there a reduction drive?
Paul VK3HN about Ceramic filter spurs.
Peter VK2EMU notes no animals were harmed in the making of my videos.  But many electrons were agitated. 

-
SolderSmoke Podcast #221

25 April 2020

Obviously no travelogue.   QUARANTINE.  SITS.

Good news:   Lawyers at Dewey Cheatham and Howe report that SolderSmoke will NOT 
be taken off the net for brazen promotion of the S-38E receiver.
Also some good news on the FT8 vs. FT-FAKE issue.  That report itself was fake.  

PETE’S PROJECTS:

Phasing SSB
And what’s this about a tube CW rig?
Dean KK4DAS builds Pete’s Simple SSB rig. Quarantine Rig: The Furlough 40.  See: https://kk4das.blogspot.com/

SHAMELESS COMMERCE DIVISION:  NEW AMAZON LINK IN THE UPPER RIGHT SIDE OF SOLDERSMOKE BLOG. .

BILL’S BENCH:

QUARANTINE PROJECT:    Q-31 AM SW Receiver.  April 4 through April 19.   15 days of fun.   Learned a lot. 
Need to pay attention to total gain.  Need to measure.   Not always easy.  My resistor-based technique.
AM detection can be more difficult than SSB/CW detection.  Germanium diodes make a big difference.
But…I don’t have to build a BFO, because these signals bring their own beat frequency.
455 CAN BE PROBLEMATIC AS AN IF – image response, making impedance matching transformers tough at those 
low frequencies.   But WIDE filters available.  
LM386 AF chip make a LOT of audio.  Hard to reproduce these great results. 
Great stuff you can listen to on 31 meters (9.4 –10 MHz):
-- DX WaveScan
-- WRMI Rock and roll
--  VORW music show
--  Radio Nacional De Espana (Madrid)
--  China Radio International  soap operas and Confucius philosophy lessons.
--  China Radio International Chinese Lessons.
--  Radio Greece
--  Radio Republica (France)
--  Radio Havana Cuba
--  Radio Saudi Arabia
--  WBCQ – They advised listeners to fix up an S-38 during quarantine! !!!!!!!
--  WWV

SHOPPING BAG -- THINGS TO GET:

-- Great source for hardware (screws, nuts, bolts and more):  McMaster-Carr   https://www.mcmaster.com/ 

-- Thermax RGS316 coax.   Great stuff.   Thanks Jim  In some ways better than Belden 1671A https://soldersmoke.blogspot.com/2012/03/murphys-whiskers-shaved-with-belden.html

-- Copper Clad board:  Pete’s boards use CEM 1. CEM 1 is low-cost, flame-retardant, cellulose-paper-based laminate with only one layer of woven glass fabric.
https://www.ebay.com/itm/18-pcs-Copper-Clad-Laminate-Board-Single-Sided-4-x-6-CEM-1-060-2-oz/311756276147?ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT&_trksid=p2060353.m2749.l2649

-- BEST TEST LEADS: https://www.ebay.com/itm/BEST-TEST-LEADS-PERIOD-Hand-Soldered-MINI-CLIP-Version-32-16AWG-Ultra-Flexible/233519356767?ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT&_trksid=p2060353.m2749.l2649

NEED/WANT: 
-- Thermaleze magnet wire.  First encountered in QRP GUYS EFHW tuner kit.  Very FB
http://www.amidoncorp.com/thermaleze-coated-magnet-wire/
Resistor kits
NP0 cap kit
Replacement Iron for XTRonic 4000 Iron.
RIGOL PROBES Why do we burn through so many of these?

MAILBAG:
-- Eric 4Z1UG Episode 300 Special
-- Farhan working on ventilators. Special thanks to Dr. Gordon Gibby KX4Z. 
-- Jonathan-San working out of new shed in Seattle
-- Grayson reminds us of the Fran Lab: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCMLgHbpJ8qYqj3CkdbvC0Ww
-- WRMI likes SolderSmoke
-- Peter VK2EMU continues to build his amplifier.  But it is NOT for 50 MHz.  It does have 6 different meters on the front panel.  But it is not a 6 meter rig!
-- Rich K7SZ – “now look what you’ve done”   Fixing up an S-38
-- Rich WD3C  Provided some great SWL links:
https://www.short-wave.info/ if you move the green dot to your location it will predict what the signal strength would be at your location and will also allow you to search by station, language, frequency, etc. 
Thomas Whitherspoon, https://swling.com/blog/  Another, https://shortwaveschedule.com/ and of coarse https://www.hfunderground.com/board/index.php all the pirate broadcasters show up here. 
-- Paul KL7FLR amazing S-38E diagnosis from afar. Paul's toroid tool (more to follow on this). 
 

SolderSmoke Podcast #220

April 1, 2020

Hunkered Down.  StayInTheShack:  SITS!  Flatten the Curve!  It is working.
Teaching English again – via Zoom.  Kids completing the school year remotely.  

BILL'S BENCH

-- Finishing up on the S-38Es.
-- I wrote up my alignment, isolation and dial string experiences.
-- SWL  WRMI Radio Miami International on 39 meters 9.4-9.9 MHz.  Rock and Roll.
-- S-38E work is causing me some serious legal problems.  They are threatening to take down our sites and our podcast.   Google has put a CEASE AND DESIST ORDER on my blog:   Check it out http://soldersmoke.com/CEASEANDDESIST.JPG
-- S-38E caused me to want to get my HRO dial receiver on the SW broadcast bands with a good AM detector.  
-- Next up: Hayseed Hamfest cap for my Drake 2-B.  And I have an idea on how to easily broaden it for AM:  Tap the 455 kc output on the Q multiplier jack.  455 AM detector to audio amp. 

SHAMELESS COMMERCE DIVISION

PETE’S BENCH
AD9833
Phasing Rig Project
DEAN’S PROJECT – Step by step.  Trouble shooting.  Understanding.  Receiver triumph.  FB.

MAILBAG

Jack 5B/AI4SV doing well in Cyprus
Daniel SA7DER listens during commute in Sweeden.
Peter VK2EMU building a 6 meter amp.  With Tubes
Jim WA8ZHN  says there are still 7751 Novices on the books.   FB.

Mike WB2BLJ modding his BITX – having a lot of fun.
Fred KC5RT – Great idea on isolation transformer in my S-38E.  
Jerry Palsson: S-38C's curves vs. S-38E's exotic places.  Java. 
Krakatoa East of Java
The Year of Living Dangerously

Anonymous mail:  FT-8 DX -- Are these contacts legitimate?

-
SolderSmoke Podcast #219
14 March 2020
SPECIAL CORONA VIRUS EMERGENCY EDITION
We thought it would be nice to put out a special edition of the podcast to help listeners keep up their morale during this difficult time.  So we’ll do our regular kind of show, but we’ll try to emphasize things you can do to stay busy and keep up morale while stuck at home.
BILL’S BENCH (and operating position)
--NOVICE RIG ROUNDUP.  NRR.  Continues through this weekend.  Lots of fun.  Cool rigs worked:  Jon WS1K’s "Scrounger."   Greg AA8V’s 6X2 superhet.  And WN4NRR. 
-- S-38 MANIA.  My S-38E story.   Bought parts.  Bought a junker.  Fixed the first one then used the parts to fix the junker. Now I have 2 S-38Es. 
-- Got capacitor kit from Hayseed Hamfest.  FB.
PETE’S BENCH
Hilbert Transforms
AD9833 glued onto a Nano
Teesny and Radig and ZL2CTM
PWKSCDS 
More Mint
SOME THINGS TO DO DURING COVID 19 CRISIS
Sampson Boat Company Tally-Ho videos. https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCg-_lYeV8hBnDSay7nmphUA
WebSDR  NA5B  http://na5b.com:8901/
Revive an old boatanchor
Get back into shortwave listening.
Get on the air—make some contacts! 
Take a walk.  Get some exercise.  Listen to SolderSmoke and other podcasts when you walk.
Cook something from the famous Pasta Pete web site. http://www.pastapete.com/
Help someone who needs help.
MAILBAG
QSP – What a cool magazine!  Pete and I both have articles in there.
Hot Iron – great new issue also.  Lots in there.
Tony Fishpool G4WIF  Words of Wisdom on the NanoVNA.
-
SolderSmoke Podcast #218
24 February 2020
Flying drones with Billy.  Amazing tech out there.  In the 50 buck range with video cameras and facial recognition and tracking.  Check out Air Pix.
Bill's Bench: 
Active CW filter in uBITX. 
Hi-Per-Mite from 4 State QRP.  Easy to do. Works well. 
uBITX to 5 W level. 
S-38E adventure.  
Replaced antenna input coil BUT -- it came from an earlier S-38 and doesn't resonate. 
So I bought a junker on e-bay and will take the E model coil out of that one. 
Had to re-string the dial!  And add rosin to it from Maria's old violin. 
BFO was not working.  Bad buzz sound. 
So:  Re-cap, Re-tube, Re-string, Re-align, Re-build power supply.  
Shortwave sounds good.  Nice to hear music coming from our machines.  
SHAMELESS COMMERCE DIVISION:   Please use the Amazon Search Box in the upper right hand portion of the blog.
Pete's Bench
A teensy-weensie explosion and fire
Mint!  Kl7FLR
60 Meters
Cheese    Microscopes
Peaberry
Radig
California hams using online SDR receivers for local nets.  
News You Can Use!
J-310s in LTSpice
MAILBAG
K5HCT August via Regen and YouTube
Doug WB5TKI and his wife read "Us and Them."
Rich K7SZ finally following SolderSmoke Podcast.  Welcome aboard Rich. 
Rick KD4KRA  His son was one of the kids in the MIR-Classroom contact that I monitored around 1993...
David AD8Y  Read SolderSmoke Book.  Similar Knack story.  Shared 1978 story:  Homework net on 75 meters.
Paul KL7FLR Tapping and other tribal knowledge. 
Dave K8WPE   Says I'm fortunate to have a supportive wife.  So true.
SPECIAL REQUEST:   IT IS VERY DIFFICULT FOR US TO KNOW HOW MANY PEOPLE ARE LISTENING TO THIS.  SO PLEASE, SEND AN E-MAIL TO SOLDERSMOKE@YAHOO.COM   JUST SAY THAT YOU LISTENED TO PODCAST #218 AND TELL US HOW YOU LISTENED TO IT (ITUNES, DOWNLAD FROM BLOG, STITCHER, PODBEAN, WHATEVER...  THANKS
-
Soldersmoke Podcast #217
1 February 2020
Travelogue!  Dominican Republic trip.  uBITX on the Beach.  EFHW.  LiPo Battery.  First contact of the new year. 
Bill's Bench Report
Following up on proposed uBITX mods: 
-- Put pot on sidetone line from Raduino to keep the sidetone a bit quieter. 
-- Fixed the key -- pounding brass
-- Will install 4 States QRP Active AF filter. 
-- Need to reduce power on CW to 5W
-- Stereo to mono headphone adapters. 
-- Turning off display and mic amp circuit not really worth it -- they don't pull much current. 
Pete's Bench Report: 
ELMAC Power Supply project 
1930s era transmitter? 
Teensy and SDR
PETE'S IDEA ABOUT GETTING LSB AND USB FROM BITX40
KWM-2 suggestions
Back to Bill's Bench:
Working on HRO-ish Receiver. 
Bad SBL-1  
Got idea for wider ceramic filter from Paul VK3HN
Ordered parts from Mini-kits in Australia.  They sent 6kc filters. 
Bruce KK0S sent me some 10 kc filters too. 
Installed 6 kc filter with L network matching networks.  Works great. 
Also installed Infinite Impedance Detector that Paul used. 
Needed some additional amplification ahead of the IID, so I used one stage of BITX amp. 
Works great. I can tune full 40 meter band AND 49 meter SW band.  Radio Romania, China, Radio Marti, Brazil, South Carolina. 
Beefed up the shielding to cut down on AM detection.
MISCELLANY
-- AM and DSB in LTSpice
-- Duly Noted:  Paul  VK3HN's RIG:  "THIS MACHINE KILLS KILOWATTS"  
Kanji YC3KNJ's QRPesso Expresso Coffee in the field
-- The DANGERS of powerful magnets. 
MAILBAG: 
--KK4DAS Dean doing great things.   MMM heard at Penn State.  Where is the rest of the CBLA?
-- Thanks to Don for kind donation to the SolderSmoke cause
-- Dale BA4TB -- First SolderSmoke feedback from China.  Thanks Dale!  
--Steve Silverman:  Sideswipers and bugs were made to handle "carpal tunnel of the day"  So do I need a keyer for casual CW work? 
-- Peter VK8VWA on the limited knowledge gained from kit building. Listens to podcast while walking on the beach in Australia. 
-- Allan Hale -- Clothes Pins as Toroid holders.  Yes!  More Clothes Pins   Wild Woody Keys from Dave Ingram 
-- Pete WB9FLW  100 Watt Amp from WA2EUJ  
-- Dave Wilcox K8WPE   A medical question:  Does the Michigan Mighty Mite work differently depending on what kind of medicine was in the pill bottles used for the coil form?  Good question Doc!   Dave suggest that putting CBD on the coil or the crystals.   Anything to mellow out the ham bands... 
-
Soldersmoke Podcast #216 
http://soldersmoke.com/soldersmoke216.mp3
21 December 2019
HAPPY HOLIDAYS TO ALL! 
Pete's Bench 
Sprat Article
BITX 40 Fun
ZL2BMI Rig
Paraset.   Three tubes!  Almost an ET-3!
Bill's Bench
ET-2 Adventure over,  Rig on the wall
Final QSO count. 20   3 "random" 
Last QSO with AA8OZ
Lessons learned:  100 mW not the problem. Crystal Control cramps your style. 
N0WVA regen amazingly effective.
Tried for the Sunrise Net.  Walter sent me some crystals.  
On to the uBITX. 
Accidentally wiped out calibration and BFO settings. 
Had to do recalibration and reset BFO. 
Learned a lot about the rig. 
How they did CW and how they do it now. Shift TX?  Or shift RX?  Or just shift BFO on RX? 
How all the signals end up as upper sideband.  Only one BFO freq.  Very cool. 
TalentCell 12 V Lithium Ion 3 AmpHour battery. Size of a deck of cards. 
Inspired by Peregrino -- I ordered EFHW Tuner from QRP Guys. 
Homebrew Straight Keys
Antuino upgrade 
SMT soldering. 
Back to Arduino Nano and the IDE.  
A very cool tool. 
Antuino filter analysis.
Version 6 of uBITX out.
The "Watt Meter" DC power meter.  Very useful.  8 bucks.  LINK:
https://www.ebay.com/itm/Digital-DC-combo-Meter-LCD-Watt-Power-Volt-Amp-RC-Battery-charging-Analyzer-M/152339793114?fbclid=IwAR0u9SlZi2Dm6zOJyZt4fDTu7w_pjBIEYD_FiNfLymxtQUbMjcNHjfB17P0
SPRAT, balloons and hardcore homebrew hydrogen. 
MAILBAG
VK3HN's AM receiver.  I ordered 6kHz 455 kHz filters from Australia. 
Dean's MMM
Peter VK2EMU   Hertz not hertz. 
Ben KC9DLM LTSpice YouTube Videos
Steve Silverman  Electroluminescent Receiver Kit
Lyndon N0LFX back to listening.  FB OM
Steve M0KOV built a pill bottle variometer.  Did you get the regen going? 
Anthony VU3JVX   FB HB uBitx.  Looking for a job in Bangalore. 
Allison KB1GMX  Great to hear from her
Leif WB9IWT -- helped me trouble shoot my uBITX (BFO was low)
Mike EI0CL  old buddy from Azores days.  Recognized his voice on 20.  Great QSO.  
SolderSmoke Podcast #215 25 November 2019

http://soldersmoke.com/soldersmoke215.mp3

Happy Thanksgiving! 
Transit of Mercury
Book Reviews 

Bill's Minimalist Adventures:
-- 15 Contacts with the ET-2 
-- Ethical issues:  Is spotting yourself OK?  OK to use TWO FETs? 
-- Using Reverse Beacon Network
-- How to keep receiver on the right frequency
-- N0WVA's receiver sounded better, so I built a second N0WVA receiver
-- Regens reach back to Edwin Howard Armstrong's 1912-1923 breakthrough
-- Regens are fun, but they are not good projects for new builders. 

-- Pull out those Michigan Mighty Mites and listen for yourself via on-line SDR receivers.

Pete's Projects: 
"WHEN YOU KNOW STUFF YOU CAN DO STUFF!"
-- Left Coast SSB -- "The Paesano" -- To be featured in December 2019 SPRAT. 
-- Pete's KWM-4 on The Collins Collectors Net
-- Pete builds an N0WVA regen -- just in time for Sweepstakes CW Saturday! 
-- Arduino IDE Library trouble
-- uBITX 6.0? Fake News? 

No more BITX40 Modules.  Long Live BITX40 HOMEBREW! 

BITX-101.   Intriguing but on second thought, no.   

MAILBAG

Steve Silverman:  Lexicon:  "Audible Modes." 
Felipe CU2BD   Old buddy from the Azores
Michael Rainey AA1TJ:  Come back Mike!  The ionosphere needs you! 
Jack Welch  AI4SV is in 5G land  (Cyprus, not the cell phone thing). 
Walter AC4IM is at the San Vito Solar Observatory in Italy.  DO SOMETHING WALTER! 
Kostas SV3ORA has an amazing homebrew web site.  Thanks Kostas! 
Mike KC6SAX -- How to deal with the frustration of HB projects that don't work. 
Paul KL7FLR -- Pete is 7 Hz high. 
Keith W3ISZ  sent his photo of the Transit of Mercury.  
-----------------
SolderSmoke Podcast #214
4 November 2019 (shockingly late!)

http://soldersmoke.com/soldersmoke214.mp3

The visit of Farhan to Northern Virginia
"I heard this guy from Southern California on 20..."
Fire Report from Pete

Pete's Bench Report
"When you know stuff, you can do stuff!" 
The CRAP rigs 
Old Boatanchors -- the Swan 120  with SUPER STABLE ANALOG VFO! 
Ten Tec rigs dial cord replaced with Chinese digi sig counter 
Pete's 500 mW encounter with a QRO curmudgeon
The ZL2BMI Challenge has Pete building crystal filters
The Left Coast Loafer CW rig 

Bill's Bench Report

ET-2 Refinements
N0WVA's Regen Receiver 
Going from ET-1 to ET-2
J-310s vice MPF-102
100 mW from a single J-310
Receiver kind of deaf -103 dbm MDS
10 contacts so far in 9 states 
THREE contacts yesterday.
Worked Wisconsin - 633 miles on 92 mW 
We are at sunspot minimum. 
"Rage, rage against the dying of the light." 
Simplicity is the real reason for CW 

IDEA:  Get those Michigan Might Mites on the air! 
Use Reverse Beacon Network to see if you are getting out 
Use SDR receivers to make contacts

MAILBAG
DL1AJG
KC6SAX
W9VNE
KA4KXX
N0WVA
Zl2BMI
AJ6BD  
---------------------------
SolderSmoke Podcast #213 is available. 

http://soldersmoke.com/soldersmoke213.mp3

7 September 2019

The dire consequences of our summer absence. 

50th PODCAST WITH OUR FRIEND PETE! 
THREE CHEERS FOR PETE! 

Pete's Bench Report

-- Transceiver Count:  FORTY!  
-- SDR RADIGS 
-- Colorful OLED screens
-- Pilgrims and Paisanos -- "Left Coast Homebrew SSB"
-- Pete builds a CW transceiver (see picture above)


Bill's Bench Report: 

-- Going minimalist
-- Tuna Tin 2 + Herring Aid 5 = Fish Soup 7 (and later 10)
-- My QRPp QSO with K1PUB overheard in Canada
-- Glen Yingling's ET-1 
-- Bill attempting a single transistor transceiver

SPACE NEWS

-- Antuino's Cubesat Origins. Farhan's Antuino Mods
-- Apollo 11 Anniversary
-- Possibly the best space book ever:  "Carrying the Fire" by Michael Collins
-- Chinese microsat sending eclipse pictures from the moon
-- LightSail 2 success
-- India has spacecraft in lunar orbit. 

Eric Sears ZL2BMI and Dino Papas KL0S on "QSO Today" Podcast

MAILBAG: 

ZL2PD's Sugar Cube VFO
N8WQ gets free samples
N5RWF Getting started, wisely wearing beret
VK2EMU Australian Ad for Collins Filters
W1PJE on new LDMOS PA transistors
KA4KXX Al Fresco 75 meter SSB rig with model plane engine mufflers!  

Forgot to mention:  W9TH still has manuals for whover owns Drake 2-B #4215.  Check your serial number! 

-------------------------
SolderSmoke Podcast #212 is available: 

http://soldersmoke.com/soldersmoke212.mp3

22 June 2019

CONGRATULATIONS TO PETE:  Licensed 60 years today

 
Pete Juliano during Field Day, 1959
Sideband Engineers Models 33 and 34 -- Thanks Pete! 
Hans's QSX SDR Rig at Dayton-Xenia and FDIM
W8SX FDIM interviews

Pete's SDR Projects -- Update

The Peregrino SSB transceiver in the summer SPRAT

Why no rare earth cell phone speakers in ham projects? 

My HDR "waterfall" project

Farhan's Antuino
Cubesat origins
RF Lab in an box
SWR, PWR, SNA
Superhet receiver with ADE-1 at front, and log IC at the output
Adapters (SMA to BNC) help
DON'T BLOW UP THE INPUT RESISTORS (LIKE I DID!) 
My dirty DIGITIA -- Denial, then acceptance
FFT 
Useful programs:  SPURTUNE and ELSIE
A better bandpass filter for the DIGITIA 
The importance of a good test set up with Antuino

Manassas Hamfest: WA1UQO, W4WIN, AI4OT

MAILBAG: 
KG7SSB
WA3EIB
VK4PG
W3BBO
Jeff Tucker -- Who owns Drake 2-B #4215? 
KN4BXI
KC5RT
K3ASW
----------------------
27 April 2019

SolderSmoke Podcast #211 is available

http://soldersmoke.com/soldersmoke211.mp3

Pete NOT quitting podcast!  Malicious code case RESOLVED! 

Ambiguity and the Digi-Analog Divide

Edwin Howard Armstrong biography 

SPAACE! 
   Apollo 11 50th Anniversary
   Oscar 100 in Geostationary Orbit.  Why can't we have one too? 
   Farhan puts AISAT in orbit.  FB!  
   Space is difficult
   SSTV from the Space Station

Pete's bench report. 

Vintage Sidebanders
    Recording of Midwest Vintage SSB "tune up session" 
    Vintage rigs that sound bad
    Distorted views on "distortion" 

Bill fixing old Bose Wave Radio

NOT GOING TO DAYTON.  AGAIN!  But SolderSmoke rep will be there

75 meter secrets of success (timing is everything!) 

MAILBAG

Steve N8NM sends me FB National Dial
Steve N8NM aspires to complexity -- enough of this simple stuff!
Dave W2DAB goes to Columbia U session on Armstrong, sends FB book. 
Jim W4JED -- reports of QCX sideband a bit exaggerated.  Where is Allison? 
Rob Powell wins beret challenge.  VK2TPM and VK2BLQ also win. CONGRATS!
Colin G3VMU sends nice 1930s radio picture
Alan WA9IRS sends diagram of digi radio signal flow.  CLEAR AS MUD! 
Chris KD4PBJ Grandmother worked at Hammarlund. 
Steve NU0P sends info on Art Collins and the Apollo moonshots. 
------------------------
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
--------------------
SolderSmoke Podcast #209 is Available: 

13 January 2019

http://soldersmoke.com/soldersmoke209.mp3

An HT-37 "With Presence!"  Even on CW!  A Straight Key Night Story
Saving a much-loved HT-37 
Drake 2-B Alignment
Tweaking the Mate for the Mighty Midget
Fixing a Deaf DC Receiver
A Wobbly National HRO-ish Gear Box 
Minimum Discernible Signal Tests
Pete's Festive Holiday Transceiver in a Bottle

Movie Review:  "First Man"  Neil Armstrong goes to the moon. 

Safety Tips for 2019:  Fuses, Hard Drives, Flu Shots. 

MAILBAG: 
Dave G6AJW builds Pete's Sudden Transceiver
Rogier KJ6ETL builds a new shack
Steve N8NM Helps save the HT-37
Jim AL7RV W8NSA builds Parasets
Dave AA7EE puts a beacon on the air -- Please Listen! 
Jan OM2ATC builds and documents an Si5351 VFO
Bruce KC1FSZ Homebrew's a BITX
KB1GMX's Tip on IRF-510 Oscillation Prevention
Ryan W7RLF Homebrews a DC Receiver

Listening to August K5HCT from the East and West Coasts on 40
Tim WA1HLR rebuilding his 1968 transmitter.  
----------------------------
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 
-------------------------------------------
SolderSmoke Podcast #207 is available: 
27 October 2017

http://soldersmoke.com/soldersmoke207.mp3

-- Giants of Radio
-- Pete on 15 Meters
-- Bill on 60 Meters with the uBITX
-- Pete's Sudden and Heath Filter Transceivers
-- Cubesats to orbit!  To the moon!  And to Mars! 
-- Bill rebuilds his 2 meter "Ray-Gun" Quad (for Farhan's Cubesat)
-- Homebrewing Variable caps and stockpiling NP0
-- My "by ear" Minimal Discernible Signal Technique
-- Thoughts on Direct Sampling SDR and the Radio Art
MAILBAG
-- A request for feedback from GQRP
-- G4WIF reports G3ROO on UK TV with spysets
-- VU3XVR builds FB rig from EMRFD
-- M0KOV Charter member of the 3 Scratch-built BITX club
--KD4PBJ's PTO Turtle DC Receiver
-- AB1OP builds Pete's LBS receiver and gives us a new acronym: SITB
-- KD4EBM -- Thanks for the scanner Bob!   
-- A possible sponsor from California... 

-- Pete's dream neighborhood...
---------------------------------
SolderSmoke Podcast #206 is now available: 
2 September 2018
http://soldersmoke.com/soldersmoke206.mp3

-- SolderSmoke resumes after a busy summer.

-- We did a portion of #206 via Skype at the GQRP Convention.  Thanks to Steve G0FUW for setting this up.  A portion of our participation appears at the end of the podcast. 

-- Pete's SDR Rig and his new involvement with WSPR and FT-8

-- The allure of SDR and the pitfalls of complexity. 

-- Bill's 135 foot Doublet, 75 AM, 60 USB and 30 Meter CW. 

-- Plans to change the IF of Bill's HRO dial receiver. 

-- Thinking (again) about sold stateing the HW-101. 

--  Hans Summers, QCX and QSX rigs.  

MAILBAG: 

Ralph builds Pete's LBS receiver.  FB!
 
-----------------------
June 23, 2018

SolderSmoke Podcast #205 is available:  

http://soldersmoke.com/soldersmoke205.mp3

-- Summer solstice.  Mars Observations.  Graduations.  Internships.  Fathers Day.

-- Antenna Angst:  Pete's tribander and Bill's Moxon.  Insulation and resonance?

-- Pete's work on color displays. 

-- Bill goes back to fix up older projects:  

-- Fixing the Frankenstein Phasing RX.  Found an open choke!

-- Tightening up the HRO Dial. 

-- Achieving Juliano Criteria stability on a BITX20 VFO. 

-- Lexicon additions:  "Scratch Built"  "Hardrock Radio"  

https://english.stackexchange.com/questions/39551/where-does-the-saying-made-from-scratch-originate

-- PastaPete:  http://www.pastapete.com/

MAILBAG: 
Bob Crane W8SX Corrspondent at FDIM
Ralph AB1OP  Building LBS
Bruce KC1FSZ  Digital Pot
Jason W5IPA uBITX in Juliano Blue
Rogier KJ6ETL  ON THE AIR WITH A uBITX
Special thanks to Tim Walford for 25 years of Hot Iron.  
--------------------------- 
SolderSmoke Podcast #204 is available! 

http://soldersmoke.com/soldersmoke204.mp3

5 May 2018

April 1 Recap -- We thank you for your support! 

Pete's Rig on Cover of SPRAT 174 

uBITX Mania

uBITX Dual Conversion Design

uBITX Gettng more out of the Arduino/Si5351 combo

uBITX KD8CEC's amazing software

uBITX Future Possibilities

uBITX On-the-Air Experiences, with CW too! 

MAILBAG

KD8CGH's Hyderabox -- THERE ARE TWO! 
QSO with N1AW's cardboard uBITX
DuWayne on QSO TODAY
Jack 5R8SV -- Radio Gods NOT Happy
Jack Purdum W8TEE -- Thanks OM
Charles AI4OT
Chris KB4PBT 15 inch telescope
John WJ0NF Reading SolderSmoke
Ken W8KTP Ordering a uBITX 
Darren KG7KOI  Listening
Gary AK4NA  New Word:  "Cabinetize" FB OM! 
SolderSmoke Pocast #203 is (FINALLY!) available: 
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
http://soldersmoke.com/soldersmoke203.mp3

24 March 2018

--The reasons for our delay. 
Winter, Computers, College, Family Trees, Lawyers....

-- Winterfest 2018 
-- Pete launches 2018    THE YEAR OF THE TRANSCEIVER
    http://n6qw.blogspot.com/
-- SDR -  Satan's Digital Radio?  
-- Direct Conversion Receiver Projects
-- Mixer Musings 
-- A Thailand Troubleshoot 
-- Nor'Easter knocks out Bill's Moxon -- An appliance replacement? 
-- Homebrew Electret Mics.  Seriously.  
-- uBITX Build with Rogier
-- Civilized Crystal Testing
-- Baofeng! 
-- DRAGNET

-- MAILBAG
KD4PBJ's REGEN 
N6ORS's SDR rig
Mike Rainey's DX-100
----------------------------------------------    
SolderSmoke Podcast #202 is available: 

http://soldersmoke.com/soldersmo

13 Jan 2018

Opening music from Shel Silverstein and Dr. Hook and the Medicine Show.  
On the Cover of the Rolling Stone or  On the Cover of SPRAT magazine.
Travelogue and Weather Report
-- Bill's trip to the Dominican Republic.  SWL on the beach.  Return to the ice box.  
-- Dramatic events in California. 
-- Reading Chinese Sci Fi with lots of radio in it.  "The Three Body Problem" by Cixin Liu
Straight Key Night.  IN QRP MODE THANK YOU.  With nephew Jeffrey.  Annual event -- worked Jim W1PID  friend of Mike Rainey.  
Steve Murphy and Jeff Damm on QSO Today.  FB. 
Oh your rig is homebrew?  "It must be propagation." 
ER Reading about G3UUR
Hams avoiding 60 meters due to 100 watt limit.  SAD. 
Bill's Bench:    Continuing series on the Ceramic Discrete DC receiver.   Described  the oscillator and the AF amp.  Next we will do the Mixer.   The most interesting stage. Nephew John Henry and niece Helena visiting today. 
Pete's bench.  uBITX adventures.   
The K1BQT IC transceiver. 
The Vector Board building technique.  See http://n6qw.blogspot.com/
MAILBAG
Paul KA5WPL  Looking for project with his son.  Sawdust.  Thanks again  Steve Silverman.
Chris Waldrup OM PBJ thanks for the gift
Pete in contact with Sven Johnson
Chuck KE5HPY sent us picture of fashion model with boatanchors in background  Grayson recalled 73 magazine covers...
Pete WB9FLW        Bilateral  SBE-33 ad  "with inherent stability"  That's the best kind!
Bruce KK0S experimenting with AF amps for the DC receiver
John KE5ETX Attempting CBLA
-----------------------------------
SolderSmoke Podcast #201 is available: 

9 December 2017

Santa Juliano

Forest fires, snow storms, and an earthquake. 

Santa arrives from Hyderabad -- uBITX in the house. 

Radio history.  First transtalantic amateur contacts. 

Bill's International Brotherhood Ceramic Discrete Direct Conversion Receiver Project. 
-- Goals -- Build your own receiver.  Really.  From scratch.  No cheating. 
-- How to get started.  Get parts and tools. 
-- Stage by stage. 
-- VFO first -- maybe build two. 
Bill built two already
-- Nephew is testing the first one. 
-- Polyvaricon limitations. 
-- Varactor limitations
-- Variable cap limitation.  
MEETING THE JULIANO STABILITY CRITERIA

Understanding the F5LVG mixer

Pete goes to the dark side with an SDR receiver. 
Pete's 800 Watt Amplifier gives him trouble. TRGHS. 

People in the News
Cliff Stoll -- Still Passionate about Electronics
Peter Parker -- VHF/UHF  By the Bay
Yardley Beers -- Early SSB with "The Black Rose"
John Kraus -- Moonbounce without the Moon. 

MAILBAG
 
-----------------------------------
SolderSmoke Podcast #200 -- TWO HUNDRED!!!!-- Is available
14 October 2017

http://soldersmoke.com/soldersmoke200.mp3

-- Old friends on 17 meters.  

-- Another Knack Nobel in Physics.  

-- Hans Summers' QCX transceiver:  $50 IS THE NEW 10 GRAND! 

-- New Bands!  630 and 2200 Meters.  BIG ANTENNAS! 

-- Nuke Powered QRP.  No joke! 

-- The Challenge of UHF.  Not for the faint of heart. 

-- Reginald Fessenden, Father of Phone. 

PETE'S BENCH REPORT:   The New Simple-ceiver.  Soon to be a Transceiver. 

BILL's BENCH REPORT:  Discrete, Direct Conversion, Ceramic Receiver in iPhone Box.  

THE EDUCATIONAL PORTION OF TODAY's PROGRAM:  
HOW TO TROUBLESHOOT A HOMEBREW RECEIVER. 

MAILBAG. 
 
------------------------------------
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 Podcast #198 is available. 
29 July 2017
Sign on a beach store:  SHACK-TACULAR! 
Noticed that EB63 amp was getting hot. Why?  
TT2, Herring Aid5, Farhan's Key:  QRPp and CW!  See?
D-104 lore -- Reading from Bill Breshear's (WC3K) ER article
Astatic  crystal/ceramic element -- disappointingly flimsy
Electret-ing it.  The G-Spot (see picture above)
Walery KB2FIV sent crystal mic element and piezo buzzer (reverse for mic!) FB
HW-8 AF filter Center Frequency Problem.  IT'S TRUE!  Fixed!  Finally. 
Shack re-org at N2CQR
Got Steve Silverman's HP 8640B Sig gen on the bench.  Required reinforcement
Pete's new DIFX
LM373 rigs.  Perhaps with that CA3020 Pete sent me. Chips Ahoy! 
Juliano Yellow? Origins of Blue?  Juliello? Julionyx? 
HB Crystal Filter Capitulation? Don't give up Pete --  just dish the Dishal!
Ceramic VXOs?  K.P.S. Kang
Crystal testers by G7WKE and Dino KL0S.  Impressive. 
Antennas and BITX40 modules.  Antennas are important.
Bill's new Baofeng HT on 440.
Fixing my Sony SW7600GR
MAILBAG
Steve Silverman alerts us to NYC radio row now in the Bronx.
Tony G4WIF on the cover of SPRAT -- Getting the Don Cameron award. FB 
Armand WA1UQO points out that the Berryville hamfest is coming up... 
Thomas KK6AHT F4HDQ writes in. 
On the air with W8NSA
--------------------------------------
SolderSmoke Podcast #197 is available:
June 17, 2017
Up in NYC, met Dave W2DAB. got Steve Silverman's HP 8640B Sig Gen.
Farhan's visit to SolderSmoke HQ
Got me a TEK1401A Spectrum analyzer
Farhan at "Geekfest" @W7ZOI   http://w7zoi.net/Farhan-visit.html
BITX40 Modules.  5,000 already.   1,000 a month.
The BITX pronunciation problem. 
QRP Hall of Fame.  I suspected April 1 reprisal!    "I am unworthy" 
Dusting off my Tuna Tin 2, Herring Aid 5 and Farhan's key from India.
The Manassas Hamfest:  OLD crystal gear.   20's and 30's stuff. Leon Lambert RX and Philmore Fixed Crystal Detector. 
 Reminder of how YOUNG the radio art is.
RELATED:  Bell System 1953 Transistor Documentary.  11 year old Pete and his CK722.
Bought some good stuff from Charles AI4OT.
Armand WA1UQO gave me a big collection of Electric Radio.  So much history and HB wisdom in there. Frank Jones and Lafayette Radio.  Jim Lamb and 1930s SSB.  
Is the CK-722 the source of Pete Juliano's affinity for Juliano Blue?
Was Wes Hayward already using Juliano Blue?
"Your rig sounds real good for a homebrew rig!" 
"Well, your rig sounds pretty good for a Yaesu!"
Related topic: Going over the Waterfall:  The SDR Superiority Syndrome.  Feathering.
ARRL Arduino Book   by Popiel.    Very nice.  Right level.  Lots of good info.
BENCH REPORT:
Pete's Dishal Dystopia --  Is the perfect TRULY the enemy of the good enough?
Bill's  NE602 RIG: 
Replaced OLED.  Blue one seems noisier.  Shielded it with  copper flashing.
Made me yearn for bigger boxes WITH A HOOD!
DOCUMENTING WITH LTSPICE
MAILBAG:
Special Thanks to our correspondent in the Dayton Xenia Metropolitan area -- Bob Crane W8SX.
Jack Welch, AI4SV 5R8SV -- Our Man in Antanarivo -- Sent me a GREAT BOOK "I, Libertine" by Frederick R. Ewing.   EXCELSIOR!
Bruce KC1FSZ https://www.qrz.com/db/kc1fsz  Building Scratchbuilt BITX.  On the way put the VFO where the BFO should go and had a DC RX.  FB
Greg, VK1VXG   Suggestion for WA8WDQ on Arduino serial plotter
Ben KC9DLM  Mercury PTO.  In a syringe!   No thanks! Maybe add some high voltage and selenium.  And a radium dial!  Yea!
KY3R's metalized cigar boxes!  FB On Blog.
Richard WB2PEF has revived his Doug DeMaw 8P6 rig.  FB.  But bothered by PTT thump.
Update on Dave AA7EE (from Mike KC6SAX)

-------------------------------

SolderSmoke Podcast #196 is available. 
5 May 2017

http://soldersmoke.com/soldersmoke196.mp3

Shenandoah Rocket Launch -- With video!
 
Pete and the QRPARCI HOF: We thank you for your support! 
Note the strange seasonality of these kinds of events... Always in the Springtime...
April is the cruelest month. Especially the FIRST DAY!  
Feel Tech Follow-up -- the DC blocking cap issue.
 
HBTV?  Roku Challenge? 
 
A tube of Desitin?  Why?
SDR Misadventures. 
SDR on a tablet  Just like WA7HRG
Pi Day   More RaspPi Linux observations  TOO HARD
The problem of Si5351 and updated libraries -- old sketches don't work!
My SDR question: If we go with direct sampling, no need for I and Q at front end  No image problem, right?  But why is there often a digital I and Q in the direct sampling receivers?
BITX MODULE
Getting RF in through the DDS jack.
Electric Radio:  Reading from the history of SSB.  And from the T.O.M. article
Joe Carr K4IPV : Homebrew Hero from Falls Church Va.  Any more info on him?
Pete's newest DifX
Pete's new digital scope.
Bill's NE602 RIG, Epiphyte History.
He put AADE crystal filter impedance match circuits in backward  That's why he needed RF amp. Duh.
The perils of a crowded box 
Building RF amp board (BITX Module design) for the NE602 rig.
NE602s do not put out a lot of power. uW
BITX Module Amp circuits very stable.
Chassis as the heat sink.
Mic amp?  We don't need no stinkin' mic amp!  But yes, we do. 741 on the way.
Parts on e-bay very expensive!  Back to the hamfests. On to Manassas!
Congrats to Tony Fishpool G4WIF, who received the Don Cameron, G4STT, Award for an outstanding contribution to low power amateur radio at the RSGB AGM meeting in Cardiff.

MAILBAG

---------------------

SolderSmoke Podcast #195

http://soldersmoke.com/soldersmoke195.mp3

We’ve got a problem:   Pete Juliano and the QRP Hall of Fame  :-(  PLEASE HELP!

BENCH REPORTS
Pete Releases Smoke (wiring harness)
Pete's DifX on 60
Architecture and Dual Conversion (uBITX:   uses ALL THREE clocks on the Si5351)
The Big Kahuna
ON HACKADAY with Philco SB100 SEE!  QRP!!!!!
BITX60
Cap Stack Hack mod (with leads)
Let the smoke out of an Si5351 (shorted output) Several actually.
(Same day delivery zone for Amazon -- but no drones or parachutes yet.)
Installed scanning switch
Observations on 60.  All the weird bands have a 6 in them: 160, 60, 6
The good:  100 watt limit, wire antennas 
The bad:  Kind of cliquish-- like 75, not much of a CQ band.  Channels.  Not much activity.
Met Josh KE8CPD on 40.  BITX 40!
TRIBAL KNOWLEDGE:
Socketry:  How to keep BNC jacks from spinning loose?
Do you heat shrink?
Feel Tech Sig Gen might not have blocking cap at the output.
Speaking of which, when I spoke of the Ne602, I mostly meant blocking caps, not bypass caps.
How come they don't have a cable TV channel devoted to radios?  They have HGTV? Why not HBTV?
REPORT FROM WINTERFEST
Bad weather.  Tailgaters wimped out!
Combined forces with Armand WA1UQO.
Met up with Charles AI4OT.
Acquisitions:  1/4 phono jacks, carbon mic, vero board, disc caps, weather radio,
LARGE collection of Electric Radios from Armand.  Wow.
Electric Radio notes:   1st Fifty Years of Sideband 1991 articles by Jim Musgrove K5BZH
Why LSB on 75? -- so AMers couldn't follow to top of band
W2, W6, W8s liked phasing, W3, W4, W0 more into filter rigs.
Early SSB guys turning on carrier and talking AM hams into SSB RX.
Kelvinator Refrigerator rigs.
A reading on the homebrewing of SSB rigs.
Tony Fishpool on QSO Today!  Pete mentioned prominently.
Good Hacks from ND6T on BITXHacks,   Stockton Bridge
MAILBAG

----------------------------------

SolderSmoke 194

http://soldersmoke.com/soldersmoke194.mp3

March 4, 2017

BIG NEWS:   uBITX from Farhan
BENCH REPORTS
Pete: Recycling Old Boards
Working on Arduinos and advanced displays
Bill: SDR Adventures and Misadventures.
RTL-SDR is fun.  Built HB front end.  
HDSDR under Windows is fun and easy.
Thought about Raspi3, 7 inch touch screen, Linux, software YUCK.  
Followed advice of Ken G4IIB and got a 50 buck tablet with Google Play. 
Who needs tiny OLEDs?  Use a 7 inch tablet as your display!
Building a Ceramic Resonator for the HRO  455 kc filter
The value of doing something different. 
Boxed up my NE602 OLED rig. 
OLED noise and ACTIVE decoupling.
NE602 and MOSFET tips
LEXICON:  
OTD   Obsessive Tinkering Disorder  G6LBQ
"A Thing of Beauty"  
Source of Tombstoning term:  Don ND6T.
Ken G4IIB’s extremely smooth audio.
ON THE AIR:
On AM on 75 and 40.  Fun.  Old Military Radio Net and "The Lonely Guy Net" on 75 Saturday morning.
Good old 17 meters. Open at mid-day
HB2HB on 40 with W0PWE.
Listening on 60
Hambrew magazines disappeared, but are back now.
EMRFD Classic Edition available
New Posts to BITX HACKS
MAILBAG:
Gloves follow-up. Not a good idea.
VK3YE’s QRP by the Bay event  and a new book!
Colin M1BUU achieves Mountaingoat status
Martin A65DC JoO MMM in the UAE
Tom NY2RF Editorial with mention of JoO!
Lots of Al Fresco rigs: W8LM BITX on a board, Brad WA8WDQ DC RX, KA4KXX Al Fresco OZ DSB
ON6UU DSB from Spain via Belguim
Hugh ZL1UEM SMALL Si5351 OLED
Cookie Tin rigs VK2EMU’s Biscuit Tin DC RX,  WA7HRG’s Popcorn rig
VK4FFAB FB LTSPICE intro
Ken G4IIB’s BITX adventure (with VERY smooth audio.  How smooth? We can’t say.)
VU2XE’s BITX with a CAD box
G0ETP’s shockingly beautiful SDR receiver
Alan W2AEW on the mend with broken ankle.  His videos are a treasure trove of tribal knowledge.
----------------------------------
SolderSmoke 193  

28 Jan 2017

Report from Pete on BITX 40 Session with California radio club.
Update on the BITX40 Module Revolution
-- Check out the BITXHACKS page.  Send in contributions.
-- BITX20 mailing list very active.
-- Raduino!
-- Interview with Farhan with W5KUB --   Eliminating the commercial gear.
-- BITX 40s on the beach in Australia.  FB
Bench Reports:
Pete:
-- Color Displays!
-- KWM-4
-- OLED MADNESS!
Bill: 
-- Fixing up the old HT-37   HT37 to HT37 QSO with W1ZB
-- Dabbling in VHF with Ramsey Aircraft band receiver.  NOT FUN.
-- Going all IC with Si5351 OLED NE602 rig.
-- BANDSWEEP
-- OLED Noise and the Active Decoupling solution.
Using LTSPICE as a diagnostic or understanding tool.
Of Waterfalls, Homebrew Rigs and Casual Critics on 40 meters. Words of Wisdom from W8JI.
LEXICON:  HAYWIRE   TOMBSTONE    BIKESHEDDING from Todd K7TFC
Some great recent interviews by Eric 4Z1UG:
Ian G3ROO  Origins of ROO   Regen at age 8
Hans Summers G0UPL     Balloons!   NO COMMECIAL GEAR
David White WN5Y          ELECTROLUMINESCENT  RECEIVER EXPLAINED
Rob Sherwood NC0B 
MAILBAG: 
Chris KD4PBJ's BITX 40 with improved stability
Jerry W0PWE built a DIGITIA!  Very nice.  Worked Keith N6ORS and heard me! TRGHS
Mike AB1YK's Al Fresco Scratch built BITX.  But give that LC VFO another chance Mike!
Steve N8NM 30 meter rig with salvaged CB LC VFO. FB
Keith N6ORS Franken SDR rig with parts from the 1980s.  FB
SKN Bandscan from Mike WA6ARA  I worked W1PID Jim!
What is Mikele up to?
Rocking Johannesburg and Kirghizstan via local repeaters:
--------------------

SolderSmoke Podcast #192 is available:

December 16, 2016

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

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

SolderSmoke Podcast #191

November 6, 2016

SolderSmoke Podcast #191 is available:

http://soldersmoke.com/soldersmoke191.mp3

TRAVELOGUE AND FAMILY DOINGS:   Pete son's wedding, Billy's Birthday, Gonzalo safely home in the Dominican Republic, MORE BEARS IN THE SHENANDOAH WOODS

BIG NEWS:  EMRFD LIVES ON!   Three cheers for Wes and for Tom Gallagher of the ARRL.
BENCH REPORTS:
PETE:   FPM Rig.  Some Halli history.  A TRUE RIG!  Working Japan. 
             WITH 600 WATT LINEAR AMPLIFIER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
               New FEELTECH  Sig Gen.  
BILL: Farhan's BITX Module
           Built to Mod, built to get you started in homebrew
           Very impressive.  BITX in miniature.  But completely recognizable.
           REMARKABLY stable.
           Farhan personally checking each one.
           Ladies collective doing toroids.  DONATION money bought them some Diwali candies!
           VFO Drift:  Will NP0 SMD caps and lower current help enough?
           My Analog VFO -- BANDSWEEP
QRPppppppppppp  with REX's Hamfest Buddy.   Thanks Rex and Bob Crane.
HB2HB with KW4KD
MAILBAG
Jan's Netherland Mate Mighty Midget
Charlie's Kiwi DSB
Steve, Donald Fagan, and Jean Shepherd
Rob VK5RC repairs Tek Tube 'scopes
Colin M1BUU Si5351 superhet
Denis Klipa and NRL 3538
Jonathan M0JGH Wizard of Wimbledon Matchbox rig
JH8SST Simpleceiver
Peter Parker Vk3YE Reviews Book
Peter GW4ZUA Welsh LBS
Michael Rainey helping hobbyist in Germany with tuning forks.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

SolderSmoke Podcast #190:

September 24, 2016

http://soldersmoke.com/soldersmoke190.mp3

Pilgrims' Progress:  Inspiring words from G3RJV
BENCH REPORTS on JUNKBOX RIGS:
Pete describes his beautiful 40 meter blue transceiver (video above)
Bill describes his "Armand HROish" receiver
BANDSWEEP!
Bill needs small (yellow slug) 455 kc transformers.
We need a good user-friendly 40673 SPICE model.
SEND US YOUR BENCH REPORTS!
The BD139 transistor
Ferrite Core Matching Transformers
QSO Reports:  Getting on the air with HB rigs
Bill's new FeelTech Signal Generator
MAILBAG

........................................................

SolderSmoke Podcast #189

August 6, 2016

http://soldersmoke.com/soldersmoke189.mp3

Billy in Europe.  Bill in Virtual Reality. 

Great News:  Little Gonzalo is "all clear."  Thanks for the help.

BENCH REPORTS:
Pete paints the rigs blue. 
Pete's FET amplifier project with FET switching and key pad
Using an Si5351 for CW offset and QSK.

Bill working on VFO for a rig built around HRO dial and gear box.
HRO gears seem a bit loose.  What should I do?
The search for an Imperial Whitworth.
For variable caps, brass is better, but two bearings beats brass.

QSO REPORTS
Pete having fun with homebrew rigs.
Bill works K3MRK, WA3O, W4OP, W1VLF and N6ORS

MAILBAG:
Dallas CBLA
Conventional Current Flow Controversy
"I regret ever listening to your podcast!"
LCR recommendations

......................................

SolderSmoke Podcast #188 is available.

July 2, 2016

http://soldersmoke.com/soldersmoke188.mp3
Audio "sparkle" 
Bench Reports:
Pete: Blue Rig, Amplifier Project, LBS and Simpleceivers around the world
Si5351s in the new Elecraft KX2
Bill: 
Mighty Midget Mate 6U8 RX Refinement
Using a Millen 61455 IF can
Broad, but beautiful. But not as nice as PA3GSV's
Tweaking a VFO the old fashioned way
Reduction Drive Re-works.
A Confession:  Using Amplified Computer Speakers
Back to the lipsticked pig.  Pete convinces Bill to fix the S38-E
dial cord.  
Manassas Hamfest Report. 
Field Day. 
Mysteries: 
Who is WV2YAU 
Who sold Bill the hombrew SWR meter at Manassas? 
MAILBAG

**************************

SolderSmoke Podcast #187:
May 21 2016

http://soldersmoke.com/soldersmoke187.mp3
Second Anniversary of Pete Juliano's arrival on the SolderSmoke Podcast.
Dayton and FDIM underway 
Bench Reports:
Pete:
-- Repurposing old Circuitry
-- Pete's small Display
-- New Transmitter
-- LBS in Japan and at Dayton
Bill:
-- S38-E   The lipstick has worn off.
-- Reduction drive for the Mighty Midget's Mate
-- Back to the Barbados Barebones Receiver:
    Which LO to use for 40 Meters with a 5 MHz IF? 
    Sideband Inversion and "Lower Sideband" filters.
    Eradicating WWV with parts from AA1TJ
    Improving VFO stability
    A bandspread/bandset arrangement with fixed caps
    Soul in the Old Machine
"The Amateur is FRIENDLY..." 
MAILBAG

*******************************

SolderSmoke podcast #186

​April 9, 2016

-- April 1 WireWrapRap Rap-up.  Feedback from participants.
-- Bench Reports:
   - Pete talks about his Raspberry Pi SDR DSP rig.  
   - Bill talks about on his Mate for the Mighty Midget Receiver and his R2 Frankenstein.
-- A story from Pete's youth: Cruising the "Miracle Mile" with a Heathkit "Ten-er."
-- Why do we need more RF amplification (in receivers) on 20 than on 40?
-- Have you ever tuned the BFO freq in a superhet by the "sound of the noise?"  
-- A visit to Washington by Jonathan W0OX and family.
-- Bill goes to Winterfest Hamfest with Armand WA1UQO
-- Pete on the importance of balance (in life).
-- Great interviews on QSO Today: Peter Parker, Grayson Evans, and Ashhar Farhan.
-- MAILBAG:
- Paul Darlington M0XPD has a new book about life, travel, and the Dayton Hamvention.
- Michael AA1TJ QRV with a tuning fork at its 2,000th harmonic.
- Jonathan M0JGH living dangerously with homebrew QRP in Italy.
- Ben KC9DLM JoO with MMM
- Stefan DL1DF needs 3.579 MHz rock "with mojo." We have it for you OM.
*****​*************************

SolderSmoke Podcast #185 
22 Feb 2016
http://soldersmoke.com/soldersmoke185.mp3
Travelogue:  550 feet above Washington DC
Bench reports
Pete:  Simpleceiver update.  Adventures in Raspberry Pi SDR.
Bill:  A daring but failed attempt at divide by 2 I&Q.
Audio Mods on the Hammarlund HQ-100.
Dual Digital Readout for the AM station.
SPECIAL FEBRUARY ANTENNA DISCUSSION
Why we build antennas in February.
Why hams should concentrate on antennas.
The importance of noodling.
Pete's beam project.
Pete's Lazy H.
The pernicious influence of automatic antenna tuners.
Bill's Ray Gun Antenna.
Bill's Moxon and his 160 inverted L. 
MAILBAG
Tom Gallagher NY2RF (new ARRL Exec VP).
Mike Rainey AA1TJ on the air with a unijunction transistor.
Dale W9DKB sends me 160 meter book.
Alan Wolke W2AEW builds a Mighty Mite.
Daniel HK4DEI builds a DSB rig in Medellin.
Chris KD4PBJ modulates an AD9850.
Charlie ZL2CTM Builds a Teensy Superhet.
Jim W8NSA -- a Tek 465 goes toes up.
Thomas KK6AHT has roof, needs antenna!
Grayson TA2ZGE homebrewing crystal filters in Ankara.
Ian G3ROO and I had QRP QSO in 2001!
Steven G7VFy sent me a box of VALVES.
Frank KM4AXA repairs a rig and thus adds SOUL to the machine.

*******************************************

SolderSmoke Podcast #184 http://soldersmoke.com/soldersmoke184.mp3
16 January 2016
-- The Radio Amateur is BALANCED
-- Pete exhibits CLEAR symptoms of Dilbert's disease!
-- Santa brought me a 160 meter antenna
-- Ground Radial systems large and small
-- Clip lead L network
-- ON THE AIR ON 160!
-- AM contacts
-- SKN 160 CW with sidetone from the DX-100 transformer
-- Stations with character and personality on 160 AM
-- Pending projects for the AM station
-- R2 phasing receiver Trials and Tribulations 
-- Bill's Astatic D-104 goes into rebellion
-- Ramsey Kits closing down
-- SPRAT 165,  Sidetone,   M0XPD's VXO
-- "The Martian"  movie 
-- Little Gustavo is doing well.  Thanks to all.
-- MAILBAG (an especially good one)

SolderSmoke Podcast #183  http://soldersmoke.com/soldersmoke183.mp3
20 December 2015
-- Foxes in the Backyard
-- Pete completes another orbit
-- Simple-ceiver Success!
-- Frankenstein Receiver: IT IS ALIVE!  AND BINAURAL!!!
-- 160 Meter AM OR BUST!
-- Fun on 40 AM -- Lots of Multi Elmac AF-67s!  Who knew!
-- The Amateur's Code, and violations thereof.
-- Negative Frequencies? I don't think so.
-- Capacitor Offer from our Secret Benefactor: EXPANDED ELIGIBILITY
-- Projects for 2016: Pete goes Raspberry Pi, Bill goes DX-100
Mailbag:
-- Croation Creation
-- Salvadoran 2B
-- N3FJZ's Homebrew QSL
-- WA7HRG's LBS-ZIA-Simple-Ceiver Mashup Rig
-- KC0IZR turning VCRs into Mighty Mites in NOVA
-- AB1YK Starting with DC RX, going BITX
-- G8GNR puts Mighty Mite on AM!
-- G3ZPF Modulates THE SUN (Amazing)
-- VK3YE's Simple Superhet
-- Grayson in Turkey drools over KG7TR's Octalmania
-- N7REP reaches for the Zantac because of Arduinos and Surface Mount

SolderSmoke Podcast #182 http://soldersmoke.com/soldersmoke182.mp3

November 22, 2015
Travelogue:  In Shenandoah with BEARS!
Michigan Mighty Mite Update and a Generous Offer (with conditions).
BENCH REPORT:
-- Pete's Ten Tec Conversion using LTSpice
-- Pete's Simple-ceiver
-- My CB to 10 conversion plans
DREAMS OF 160 METER AM:   KB3SII, N2CQR, N6QW Building for Top Band
Raspberry Pi Nightmares
Homebrew to Homebrew (HB2HB) Contacts
Elser Mathes Cup -- We have some competition!
QST, "The Radio Art,"  and The Channelization of HF Bands
WA5BDU Nick Kennedy on QSO Today  Podcast
Ed Walker of "The Big Broadcast" was a ham:  N3HFT
MAILBAG:  A Letter from Turkey: Tubes and R-390s
Si5351:  G4GXO says give it a go!

SolderSmoke Podcast #181 http://soldersmoke.com/soldersmoke181.mp3

17 October 2015
-- Our audience IGNORES Pete's guitar intro!
-- Pete on QSO Today Podcast.
-- Part 97, The Radio Art and International Goodwill.
BENCH REPORTS:
-- Pete connects his new beam to the KX3.
-- Pete puts the Bell-thorn on 20.
-- Simple-ceiver update.
-- Pete's new drum machine: http://makezine.com/2015/10/15/learn-electronics-worlds-oldest-drum-machine/
-- Bill fights noise in the DIGI-TIA.
-- Bill fights power-line noise (and wins!).
-- Drake 2B, skirts, reduction drives, and tuning rates.
-- Warming up (with!) the DX-100.
-- N2CQR -- N6QW  First Ever HB2HB QSO.
-- On 40 AM with an HT-37
-- Listening to Chinese CubeSats.
-- SDR Dongle as a bandwidth checker.
-- SDR and the Future of Homebrew Radio.
-- Bryan's LBS Receiver.
-- Dean's First Ever QSO with his HB rig.
-- 32 Mighty Mites Completed
-- The Martian -- Did Mark Watney REALLY have the Knack?
-- MAILBAG:
Peter Parker's New Book
Sparks from Ron Sparks
Armand's 1Watter
Rogier's  pyro machine
BIG boxes from Tim KI6BGE
Mikele's ZIA and N6QW rig collection
SPRAT 141 and SPRAT 164

SolderSmoke Podcast #180 http://soldersmoke.com/soldersmoke180.mp3
19 September 2015
PROJECT REPORT:
Pete's Antenna Project:  The Joy of Rotation!
Simple-ceiver
Bill fixes Digi-Tia (after breaking it)
Shack Configured for Winter (DX-100)
Working (a little) on the Drake 2-B
SolderSmoke words we forgot to mention:
Noodling
The Radio Gods
The Radio Art
The Grand Poobah
Magic Smoke
Lud(d)ite Curmudgeonism
SDR and the Homebrewer
"QSO Today" Interviews
Lady Ada interviews Paul Horowitz of "Art of Electronics"
SHAMELESS COMMERCE:  Book still free!
Start your Amazon purchases at our blog page.
Book Review:  "The Martian"
Great QSOs with W5NDS and AE5RM
MAILBAG

22 August 2015

YESTERDAY MARKED 10 YEARS OF THE SOLDERSMOKE PODCAST

-- A clip: The first minutes of SolderSmoke #1

-- A trip down SolderSmoke memory lane.

-- The SolderSmoke lexicon -- words and phrases we use (a lot).

BENCH REPORT

-- Pete's antenna project.

-- Pete's new Blog:   http://n6qw.blogspot.com

-- Bill's big amplifier problem fixed thanks to Allison KB1GMX.

-- Six digit freq readout with an Altoids case.

THE Si5351 PHASE NOISE CONTROVERSY

-- ALL oscillators make noise.

-- Keeping things in perspective:  It is 100 db down!

-- Observations and tests from LA3PNA, NT7S, and K0WFS:

http://k0wfs.com/2015/08/21/si5351-phase-noise-and-thd-tests-using-an-agilent-e4402b-spectrum-analyzer/

http://nt7s.com/2014/11/si5351a-investigations-part-7/

-- Try it, you'll like it!  The benefits trying things on real rigs.

NEWS

Interviews on "QSO TODAY" with Eric 4Z1UG.

Horrible band conditions.

Looking at Saturn with telescope.

MAILBAG

Another recruit for the CBLA:  Paul KA5WPL.

Ron G4GXO on Bell-Thorn and Eden9 SSB rigs.

Rupert G6HVY on Kon Tiki radio and Mr. Spock.  

Mikele's Croation BITX rigs.

Dean AC9JQ's TIA.

Bryan KV4ZS will build an LBS receiver.

Dave Anderson give Pete good antenna advice.

Steve Smith moves in from the garage.

Pete has built  12 SSB transceivers.  Intervention time?

SolderSmoke Podcast #178 http://soldersmoke.com/soldersmoke178.mp3

18 July 2015
Anniversaries:
Pete Juliano -- One year with the podcast
BITX20 -- Ten years of homebrew fun
SolderSmoke Podcast:  Ten years of podcasting
Bench Report:   Pete's ZIA and LBS II
Bill messes around with old microphones
Looking ahead:
Pete plans antennas
Bill lusts after ladder line (spurred on by Farhan's new blog)
On the Air Reports:
Pete on 20 with ZIA and LBSII
Bill having fun on 40 (even with the Spectral Purity Police)
Bill tries rock-bound QRPp.  It is hard.  (Spoiled by QRO BITX luxury)
Bill's verdict:  BITX40 with Yaesu filter, Si5351, and TIA best of the 3 rigs.
Catching Cubesats with Pete's SDR Dongle
Digitizing old paper logs (and finding a lot more HB rigs)
Interviews with Eric 4Z1UG on QSO Today Podcast
FDIM interviews by Bob Crane
Peter Parker's review of DSB kit
MAILBAG:
Parts from W8NSA
Colin's tuna Tin Mighty Mite
Dean's Tiny Tia
Bryan's MMM dreams
Armand braves the heat at the Manassas Hamfest 

SolderSmoke Podcast #177 http://soldersmoke.com/soldersmoke177.mp3

13 June 2015 
-- PETE JULIANO INDUCTED INTO THE QRP HALL OF FAME
-- Bench Reports:  Bicoastal Bilateral Success:  A Tale of Two Tias
    Only 3 TIA rigs in the world?  It depends...
    Relay improvements in the BITX Builds
    Straightening out amp problems
    The many uses of copper foil
    No phase noise or bleed-over troubles
    Plug-in filters
    Adjusting TIA amp gain on RX and TX (too much is not good!)
    Getting the BITX to work with the CCI amp
    Allison wisely prescribes 3 db pads 
    Curing hum by moving the power supply (duh!)
-- Farhan's New Minima -- Crying out for an Si551?
-- Mike KL7R's Web Site is Back (thanks to W8NSA)
-- SolderLex: Rigs or Radios?  We go with Rigs
-- A ham rite of passage:  Build a Dipole!
-- What does your shack look like at the end of a project?
-- MAILBAG 
    The CORRECT pronunciation of Belthorn
    Multiplication and Division by 4
    W8NSA, Vietnam, a Transoceanic and a 9V Battery 

SolderSmoke Podcast #176   http://soldersmoke.com/soldersmoke176.mp3
16 May 2015
Bench Update:
Pete releases some magic (amplifier) smoke
Pete's new termination-insensitive transceiver makes first contact
Bill goes Yaesu (well, just a filter)
Juliano Mill-Pad boards
Termination Insensitivity is not a personality disorder!
Flip those Bilat Boards!  Pete's cool technique for bilat building
Bill's project notebook and stage testing
Installing the W6JFR EMRFD SBL-1 Bal-Mod Mod
AREA 5351:  Myths, Urban Legends, and Conspiracy Theories about the Si5351
A Rule of Thumb for Sideband Inversion
Dongle Madness and the Dangers of Dongle Modification
What is a dongle?
24 Mhz to 1.7 GHz right out of the box
Modification for 0-29 MHz
Tapping the IF of a Drake 2-B
Getting another one for VHF-UHF
Dongling Meteors, Satellites and Airplanes
SPRAT cover AD9850 in 1988!  Three cheers for SPRAT (and QQ and QST).
Elecraft's new Rig
 

SolderSmoke Podcast #175 http://soldersmoke.com/soldersmoke175.mp3
18 April 2015
-- Some enhanced audio testing (Mellow, with Presence!)
-- Pete's trip to Fake-shu-out, China
-- My visit to the National Academy of Sciences
--Bench Reports:
   Pete's JBOM Re-born
   Bill's plans for a new SSB Transceiver
-- Arduino Woes   BASTA!!!!!!!!!!!
-- Si5351 VFO/BFO development 
-- Chuck Adams, Tribal Knowledge, and Muppet boards
-- KX3 QRO?
-- What antenna for Pete?
MAILBAG
 

SolderSmoke Podcast #174 http://soldersmoke.com/soldersmoke174.mp3
March 28, 2015
Happy Arduino Day!
Pete's Belthorn III Transceiver (with cool color display)
Bill's BITX 20 (that used to be a BITX20/40)
AD9850 DDS added to Barebones Superhet
Jean Shepherd on Parasitic Oscillations, Obsession, and Madness
Simple Test Gear for the Homebrewer
Digital Oscilloscopes and their amazing capabilities
Dongles and other great stuff in SPRAT 162
The BIG St. Patrick's Day Solar Flare
VK6MV's Amazing Rhombic (+)
VK7XX (Dos Equis!)
A Bit of BITX History
Pete going KX3 QRO
 

SolderSmoke Podcast #173 http://soldersmoke.com/soldersmoke173.mp3
7 March 2015
Bench Report:   Pete's Progress on the Let's Build Something Rig:
http://www.jessystems.com/LBS_Detail.html
Ben's cool case for his LBS rig
Bill's Tale of Woe:  QRO troubles with the BITX 40
    -- QRO amplifier taking off on 40 (but not 17)
    -- Criticism and public humiliation on 40
    -- Troubleshooting
    -- Suggestions from Allison
    -- A sad realization about my VFO frequency selection
    -- Exorcism needed
    -- Pete suggests a digital solution
    -- Wow, my 'scope has an FFT!  Almost a spectrum analyzer!
    -- Some thoughts on trouble shooting
    -- On the meaning of "BASTA!"
The Spring 2015 Issue of Hot Iron http://www.walfords.net
More on Pete's KX3
Encouraging other hams to build

SolderSmoke Podcast #172 http://soldersmoke.com/soldersmoke172.mp3
 16 February 2015
 Bench Reports: 
Pete under the gun to finish SSB transceiver project. NEW VIDEO: 
http://youtu.be/hbLXW0sHTFo 
Bill fixes his BITX 2040 Oscillator (Bandsweep!) 
Next: LP filter for 120 watt amp.
Bill's 13 dollar Chinese freq counter (Blue! With anti-wobble tape!)  
Bill's next rig:  Chipped to the Max, DDS, SBL-1s, plug in filters! 
Radio Shack going under and JAN no longer making crystals.
Mighty Mite Project:  Let's get them DONE! 
An easy way to get Q or ESR measurements on crystals? 
SI5351 as a crystal substitute. 
DuWayne's Scalar Network Analyzer lights up the internet!
The Portable SDR rig -- Pete almost goes to the dumpster! 
Report from the cutting edge:  Pete's new Elecraft KX3. 
MAILBAG:  Meeting W7ZOI and WA7MLH at a hamfest.
Instant Messaging with Farhan 

SolderSmoke 171: http://soldersmoke.com/soldersmoke171.mp3 

January 31 2015
http://soldersmoke.com/soldersmoke171.mp3
Bench Report: 
Pete's Small Screens (in Color!) 
Si5351s
Bill's Graph Paper Frequency Readout
Bill's Broadened Barebones Barbados RX.  DIGITIZED! 
Another AD9850 DDS using M0XPD Kanga UK Shield
New 13 dollar Color Display (Prettier than Graph paper!) 
Pete and Ben's Article in QRP Quarterly Available free here: 
http://www.qrparci.org/qqsample/qqsample.pdf
The DEEP SPIRITUAL REWARDS of DC Receivers 
The Importance of Good Power Supplies
SPRAT Article on HW8 Design Error
Latest Edition of Hot Iron
Elecraft KX3 -- Has one of the best receivers in the world  

SolderSmoke 170http://soldersmoke.com/soldersmoke170.mp3

January 11, 2015

http://soldersmoke.com/soldersmoke170.mp3

Bill's Double A, DSB, Dipole, Dominican DX-pedition.  
             Living the "How's DX?" Dream
Seeing the Southern Cross with Soviet Binoculars
Pete goes remote 
SI5351 a chip with a lot of potential
Pete's experiments with Nokia LCD displays 
Michigan Mighty Mites around the world
               The Postal Stream Roller
Steve Silverman's very kind variable cap offer
MOXON modeling with EZNEC
Aspirations for 2015

SolderSmoke 169

December 6, 2014

-- 25 crystals "deployed"  to new Colorburst Liberation Army recruits
-- OBJECTIVE:  For now, just oscillation 
-- Using the Reverse Beacon Network (when time comes to transmit)
-- W2DAB's Mighty Mite: trials, tribulations, triumphs (and karma)
-- Explaining the Mighty Mite (all 7 parts)
-- Minima IF evolution -- up to 25 Mhz? 
-- Chuck Adams and "Experimental METH"!!!!!!!!!!
-- Different kinds of Arduinos
-- Si5350s and amateur experimentation
-- First menus, now KEYPADS! 
-- The launch of Orion
-- N2CQR/HI  Beach Portable DSB on 20
-- Video review:  "The Wanderers"

 

SolderSmoke 168

November 4, 2014

The benefits of software inefficiency.
Don't throw a wet blanket on computer baby steps.
DDS-ing Pete's old boatanchors and Bill's BITX. 
Bill's DSB amplifier woes: a JBOT unfairly scorned.
Getting ready for solar-powered beach DSB.  
Michigan Mighty Mite Crystal Offer -- FREE ROCKS!
Tribal knowledge: Beware of mistakes in published schematics!
QRO update: Working Japan on 17 meters. 
Happy Thanksgiving! 
 

SolderSmoke 167

3 November 2014
Who the heck is Giovanni Manzoni?
Pete's Bench Report:
     "Let's Build Something"  Project
      Arduinos and Si5351s
Bill's Bench Report:  140 watt Amplifier Completed!
      Low Pass Filter Design with the ELSIE Program
      Samlex Power Supply
     How I almost blew it up!
     The new amp and the lids in the FT4TA pileup
Tribal Knowledge!
"Nature abhors a vacuum (tube)!"  "The Innovators" by Walter Isaacson.
Carter, WA9DNF, REALLY knows which end of the soldering iron to grab!
Meeting with Thomas, KK6AHT.  The two electronic cultures.
Interviews by Chris, KD4PBJ, at Two Days in Huntsville:
     Glen Popiel, KW5GP, Author of "Arduino for Ham Radio"
     John Henry of TenTec
     Steve, WG0AT 

SolderSmoke 166

October 4, 2014

Bench Report:  Pete working on Direct Conversion Receivers.  
Bill on his 2B and on 20DSB rig, and an M0XPD/Kanga DDS kit, and a 140 watt amp. 

GETTING STARTED IN HOMEBREW:
Start simple:  Build an oscillator. Make it oscillate!
Gather tools, simple test gear, and books. 
Try to understand what you build. 
Build a direct conversion receiver.  
Don't fear the toroids! 
Be patient.  This is not Plug and Play. 
Build a DSB transceiver. 
Little tips: 
Protect variable caps. 
Use heat sinks. 
Use reverse polarity protection. 
Don't breathe the solder smoke! Ventilate your bench.

China Radio International Mystery Solved.  
Book Recommendation:  "International QRP Collection" by Dobbs and Telenius-Lowe
MAILBAG

SolderSmoke 165

September 13, 2014
Workbench Update:  Bill's "Off the Shelf" Regen,  Pete's Boatanchors
Mysterious Echos on Shortwave Signals.  Solve the Mystery.  Please. 
Microcontrollers -- What they can do for you.
Small world:  As a kid, Pete was neighbor of "Digital Dial" N3ZI 
NEWS FLASH: Arduino creator Massimo Banzi was a ham!  
Born in a bar, cheaper than pizza:  The Italian origins of Arduino
Arduino CW generators
No coding skills needed
Arduino + AD9850 = Signal Generator or VFO
Arduinos in the Minma
What the heck is a Shield?
SolderSmoke Mailbag

SolderSmoke 164

August 16, 2014

ANCIENT TRIBAL KNOWLEDGE -- TUBE AND TUBE-LIKE RADIOS
Workbench Updates: 
-- Pete's Arduino Keyer Project
-- Bill Builds (and LIKES!)  a REGENERATIVE RECEIVER
-- The Joys of Regen Shortwave Listening
-- Grayson Evan's Tube (Thermatron) Book
-- Book review:  "The Joy of X"  (It's about math).
-- Shameless Commerce:   A Plug for Bill's Book
-- Pete discusses tube projects
-- Making your own enclosures from Home Depot flashing
-- Amplitude Modulation
-- Compactrons, Nuvistors and other unusual tubes
-- BANDSWEEP:   Radio Havana on Bill's new regen 


 

SolderSmoke 163

Saturday July 26, 2014
Part III with Pete Juliano:  Tribal Knowledge -- Sideband Sidecars
-- Moxon Update "A Thing of Beauty"
-- Pete is Building Peter Parker's Knobless Wonder
-- Ladder Filters
--Construction Practices for SSB rigs
-- Essential Test Gear
-- Junk Box development and parts storage
Next time:  Tubes, Valves, Termatrons, Firebottles. 
Thanks to Bob Crane and the FDIM musicians for this episode's musical opening. 
 

SolderSmoke 162  

June 21, 2014
Part II of our interview with Pete Juliano, N6QW

 
-- Bill's Moxon Monstrosity
-- Amplifiers and Exorcisms (See slideshow link on the blog)
-- Varactor tuning
-- Polivaricon capacitors
-- The challenge of building small rigs
-- Heat, layout, components and VFO stability
-- "No frills" as a building philosophy
-- The future of Bill's Heathkit HW-101    
 
We still have a lot more to talk about.  Stay tuned for Part III!

SolderSmoke 161

26 May 2013
Homebrew Single Sideband -- An Interview with Pete Juliano, N6QW


-- Pete's background:  55 years in radio.  Boatanchors AND Arduinos. 40673 Mosfets.  Guitar!
-- A personal transition from CW to phone.
-- The importance of passing on "tribal knowledge."
-- What you need:  A library, tools, test gear and a junque box.
-- A new word in the homebrew lexicon:  Pete explains "noodling."
-- One stage at a time!
-- The attractiveness of standard circuit blocks (that work!)  
-- The importance of IF selection.
-- Building your own crystal filters is easier than ever.
-- Thinking (early) about the enclosure.
--VFOs, VXOs, and (gasp) Direct Digital Synthesis
Thanks Pete! 

SolderSmoke 160

Bob Crane, W8SX, was out at the Four Days in May event and did an excellent series of interviews with the guys who made presentations: -- Harold Smith, KE6TI    Many Ways To Homebrew; Chris Testa, KD2BMH  Battery Powered Software Radios -- Having your cake and eating it, too;   George Dobbs, G3RJV The Classic World of the Regenerative Receiver;  Gary Breed, K9AY  Why Does My Rig Have a Receive Antenna Jack?;  Craig Behrens, NM4T The Great Arduino, JT65 and Rebels Caper -- High adventure with new radio paradigms;   Dave Cripe, NM0S  PoW QRP

SolderSmoke 159

April 1, 2014
Vienna Wireless Hamfest

BITX Talk
W1REX speaks
Tuna Tin 2 Mojo Transfer Ceremony
After 38 years -- finishing my Herring Aid 5 receiver
Feedback, Phasing Dots, Rotational Sense, and Oscillation (or not)
Motorboating (when you don't want to)
Building my Tuna Tin 2 with parts from W1REX
On the air with Tuna Tin and Herring Aid
More Minimalist Meanderings:
An (Almost) All Altoid Crystal Radio!
Tek 465 dies (again) :-(
MAILBAG
 

SolderSmoke at WinterFest Hamfest

Presentation on BITX rigs at Feb 2014 Hamfest

SolderSmoke 158

January 20, 2014

MLK Day. Tough winter.  Shack heated by Heathkit.

BITX 20/40 Almost done:

Bandswitching arrangement.

VFO construction using spreadsheets.

2N2222s wired in backwards! (CBE not EBC! Who knew?)

Other amusing building errors.

Crystal filter evaluation -- the G3UUR method.

Sweeping a filter with an Arduino DDS.

Building a BITX in LTSpice.

New Rigol 'scope (now 100 MHz).

Tek 465 REBORN!

QRP HATERS -- They are out there!

MAILBAG.

BITX 20/40 dual band bandsweep

SolderSmoke 157
December 27, 2013
-- Santa Report:  Rigol Scope at SolderSmoke HQ.  Kites at VK3YE.
-- Project updates:   Bill's BITX 40/20 build. 
-- Peter finishing up BITX40  (in a big box)
-- BITX 17 (5 watts SSB) works JA, ZD7, ZS!
-- The mystery, elegance, and gentleness of phasing SSB
-- Phasing explained in 1970 ARRL SSB book
-- Phasing SSB: From Hallicrafters HT-37 to SDR
-- The SP5AHT Phasing Rig
-- I & Q for you:  The Binaural Experience
-- Direct Conversion receivers and Software Defined Radios
-- Simple DC receivers plugging into sound cards 
-- The joy of receiver building
-- 145 MHz aircraft bounce across the The Great Australian Bight  
HAPPY NEW YEAR TO ALL!

 

SolderSmoke156
November 4, 2013
Special hour-long interview with Peter Parker, VK3YE
-- Early experiences with radio
-- CW
-- DSB Gear
-- Simple gear, and gear that is TOO simple
-- VXOs, Super VXOs and Ceramic Resonators
-- Building receivers
-- Chips vs. Discrete
-- Making the leap to SSB
-- The Knob-less wonder and the BITX
-- No need for a sophisticated workshop
-- Advice for new phone QRPers

 

 SolderSmoke 155

October 14, 2013  (Delayed Back-to-School edition)
Topics covered:

-- BITX Beauty -- Building a BITX17
-- VFO woes, and the wisdom of Doug DeMaw's love for crystals
-- Why does a 55 year old man NEED clear nail polish varnish?
-- How the VFO KILLED the Tek 465
-- Trying to fix the Tek 465 (not for the faint of heart)
-- New products:  Justin Beiber Duct Tape, bifocal safety glasses,
magnetic reading glasses, Ward Silver's new book
-- Backwards British Bike Brakes
-- MAILBAG 

SolderSmoke 154

 August 11, 2013
-- Alligators!  Real Alligators! (see picture below -- look closely)

-- Ten meter beacon project (with Arduino and Reverse Beacon Network)
-- Telescope repair:  Chap Stick as lubricant, and the perils of macular pucker!
-- HW-101 saved from cannibalism!
-- The Wonders of WSPR and our need for instant feedback and gratification.
-- QST Review of SolderSmoke, The Book.
-- MAILBAG


SolderSmoke 153

June 22, 2013 
Manassas Hamfest
Building a Balanced Modulator in LTSpice
Peter Parker's Minimalist SDR receiver
Alberto I2PHD's SDRadio program
My Arduous Arduino Adventure:  Sig Generator
MAR-1 amplifier chip
WSPRing again (the sound of WSPR)
Broadening my Barebones Superhet for phone
Cliff Stoll on Kludge vs. Kluge
FDIM INTERVIEWS:
G3RJV on one and done projects, Sodder vs. SoLder, Regens
G3VTT plays SolderSmoke for his students
NM0S on new Four States PTO rig
K0NEB on kit building techniques
NH6Z on high performance SDR
KK7B on hard rock rigs, modular construction and understanding
I2RTF Saluti a tutti!
W7EL on EZNEC, Dilbert, and escaping the Cube Farm
W1REX on QRP as a creative outlet,  Knack to the Max!

SPECIAL THANKS TO SOLDERSMOKE'S DAYTON CORRESPONDENT:

BOB CRANE, W8SX
 

--------

SolderSmoke #152

May 18, 2013

-- SolderSmoke's WWV Advertising Campaign! 

-- Bands Better -- Working DX!
-- Shack and Shed reorganization
-- Arduino Madness!  CW Beacon Machine!  DDS Sig Generator! (see video above)
-- Breaking and Fixing an Arduino
-- Reverse Beacon Network
-- The Cult of Arduino: QRP Computing with Italian Charm
-- PSK-31 and JT65 with Homebrew DSB Rig
-- SolderSmoke Book Corner:  Hollow-State Design!  Getting Started With Arduino!
-- Massimo Banzi has THE KNACK!
-- MAILBAG:  AA1TJ, G3RJV, AL7RV (now W8NSA), others...  
 

SolderSmoke #151

April 1, 2013

Topics:

-- Spring not yet sprung

-- Dominican nostalgia wave hits SolderSmoke HQ

-- Rebuild of my first transmitter

-- Dusting off the Barebones Superhet

-- SolderSmoke Book Corner:

      Ben Franklin by Walter Issacson

      How Arthur C. Clarke handled his Mailbag

      "The New Cool"  Dean Kamen's house/shack

      Transistor Radios by Ronald Quan

-- New SolderSmoke Advertising Campaign

-- QRP vs. QRO:

      Put 40 milliwatt "Shark Fin" QRSS rig on the air

      Being lured into QRO amp construction projects

-- Reverse Beacon Network

-- Looking for my Elmer (or his son)

-- MAILBAG

SolderSmoke 150

March 6, 2013
-- SolderSnow!

-- Winterfest Hamfest report
-- N2CQR WINS ARRL INTERNATIONAL DX DSB CONTEST!!!!
-- Homebrew Direct Conversion RX meets PSK-31 and FLDIGI
-- Kludge Controversy II
-- More Q Killing
-- Fixing up old cassettes
-- Pat Hawker, G3VA, SK
-- Mailbag

 

SolderSmoke 149

17 February 2012
IGY intro

Cappuccio turns off TV on New Year's Eve
Pre-inaugural day on the National Mall
The importance of audio bandwidth in DSB rigs
On 15 meters with the HT-37 and the Drake 2B
Q Killing and Swamping
Adding a Filter the Mighty Midget Receiver
Italian lessons via Echolink
Billy and the Raspberry Pi -- Three Cheers for Ada Fruit
Translate Button on the Blog page (upper right)
C.F Rockey SK
Mailbag: Kludge or Klooge? 

SolderSmoke 148

December 30, 2012
-- Hurricane Follow-up
-- Subliminal Mind Control to Encourage Homebrewing (beep-beep)
-- The Shortcomings of the All American Five Receiver
-- Solid-Stating a Heath SG-6 (with Farhan's circuit)
-- VK3YE's Beach DSB Rig
-- Tek 'scope connection to frequency counter
-- Mod to W7ZOI/W7PUA power meter
-- JBOTing my 20 meter DSB Rig -- A Tale of Woe
-- LU1AR "The Most Interesting Ham in the World"
-- Billy's Raspberry Pi
-- Latest QST, SPRAT, Hot Iron
-- Videos: Landfillharmonica,  Knack in Sierra Leone
-- Santa delivered a Soldering Station
-- MAILBAG

 

SolderSmoke 147

SolderSmoke Podcast 147
October 29/30 2012
Hurricane Sandy on the way
Thanks for birthday wishes 
Einstein -- a very nice fellow with a bit of the Knack
Rocket project update
808 key chain cameras (thanks for the Amazon support!) 
Audio output transformer for Barbados Barebones RX
Mighty Midget RX -- breaking it, fixing it (with help from friends)
Freq counter connection to Tek scope  
Halli S-38E -- How to avoid electrocution?
The HQ-100's anti-drift alarm clock 
Book Review:  "Instruments of Amplification" by H.P. Friedrichs (5 Soldering Irons!) 
BANDSWEEP: 20 meter SSB via DC receiver on hurricane day
Report on outcome of the hurricane -- inverter saves the day (really the night)
MAILBAG (a big one).    

 

---

SolderSmoke 146

September 23, 2012
Trip to the Dominican Republic:  Puerto Plata and Samana
Evading Hurricane Isaac
Honda Accord as an emergency generator 
On the air on 75 and 40 AM
17 Meter Azores rig works...THE AZORES! 
Working (STILL!) on 20 meter DSB rig.  Soon to be JBOTed
Building model rocket with Billy
Book review:  "Martian Summer" 
Einstein on staying young
Primo Levi on QRP
HOT IRON:  G3ROO's Regen wins West Country prize 
Commodity Investment Opportunity: SILVER MICA! 
MAILBAG: 
SolderSmoke is on 478 THz in Salt Lake City
WA3EIB's HT-37
Radio-Erotica in Hallicrafters Ad

 

--

SolderSmoke 145

July 29, 2012
-- Derecho Storm hits Northern Virginia
-- Cappuccio impersonates a Pitt Bull
-- July 4 Fireworks
-- A 17 Meter QSO with W5JAY (QRP Hall of Famer)
-- Rules of Thumb for Decoupling Caps (.1 uF now suspect)
-- Heathkit: Mic jack? Or Mike jack? (Who is this Mike guy?)
-- On the air with the K2ZA DX-100
-- Saturnian Sidewalk Astronomy
-- NJQRP "Chat With The Designers" -- Mandatory Listening!
-- Back with the ARRL: Goodwill Transmitters and Herring Aid Receivers
-- Billy's computer build and Arduino adventures
-- Fixing up NE602 20 meter DC rig
-- Join G-QRP! Support our SPRAT!
-- MAILBAG
--
SolderSmoke 144 

   June 13, 2012
--A CQ from the Rolling Thunder!
--The Transit of Venus.
--JA DX on 17 
--Kick Panel Finale: 
--Workin' on the Workbench (and test gear)
--Billy's Computer Project:  Success! 
--SPECIAL REPORT FROM FDIM
--MAILBAG: Urban legends, Hot Iron, Dry Joints 
--Bluegrass Music
--MAILBAG
--
SolderSmoke 143
May 2012
Cappuccio the Flying Retriever
Kite Flying (no  injuries this time!)
April 1 getting more and more difficult
Turtle Wax and Telescope Maintenance
Titan's Orbital period 
NJQRP's Amazing "Chat with the Designers"
QRP-Tech and A-QRP 
Billy's workbench and computer build
Sony Vaios goes toes up (really)
Digi modes make me grumpy
Kick Panel rig gets a receiver
The Joy of Belden 1671A
I want to bulild a BITX 75/20!
Solar Flux when I was born (300+)
SPRAT 150! Congrats!
Jason NT7S and his new OpenBeacon QRSS kit
BONANZA!
MAILBAG
--
SolderSmoke 142
March 19, 2012
SWR meter as a poor man's spectrum analyzer
QRP Quarterly: Pete Juliano's SSB Rig, Idea Exchange, Mike's articles
Great contacts on 17 SSB
Squeezing the birdies out of 17 meter rig. Again. 
STOP MURPHY'S WHISKERS! A PLEA FOR BELDEN 1671A!
My new 'scope
Zen and the Art of Telescope Maintenance
SETI Live: Search the waterfall for ET's sigs
Ade Weiss's wonderful new book
Chinese Knack?
Soul in the Machine: Billy's earliest toroids 
Re-cycling my 20 meter CW rig (from cycle 22)
Winterfest report
Relay repairs and back EMF dangers
MAILBAG
--
SolderSmoke 141

February 5, 2012
Recording on repaired computer
RG-174 shield wires:   "Murphy's Whiskers"
"The Radio Art"
"Non e radioamatore se non gli fuma il saldatore!"
Does soldering a soldering iron disturb the universe?
HCJB: Home of the Quad, but DX Party line is over
Butane, Loctite, Scotchbrite, Velcro, and Gorilla tape
Getting the 17 meter SSB station going -- trials, tribulations, triumph!
MAILBAG

--

SolderSmoke 140

January 9, 2012
-- Santa Claus: Ice Skates, Brownie Box Cameras, and Piper Cubs
-- On the air with 17 Meter Azores DSB rig
-- Seeking balance (with antennas)
-- 23/24 recycling of Azores SSB Rig: Adding Soul to the Old Machine!
-- Attacked by my own soldering iron!
-- RG-174, swarf, and other insidious threats to the homebrewer
-- Inspiration from QRP Quarterly
-- G3RJV validates the D-104
-- T/R admonition from the 1973 Handbook (words to live by)
-- The Woz on electronics and teenage social isolation
-- BANDSWEEP: Straight Key Night at WA6ARA
-- MAILBAG

 

-

 

SolderSmoke 139

 

Halloween, Thanksgiving, and Billy's Birthday (on the range!)
Astro-Knack: CCD camera in the telescope. Solar astronomy.
Winter approaches: Shack heating by Heath, Halli, Hammarlund and Drake.
2B troubles on 17 meters.
Rig Re-Cycling: Rebuilding 17 meter rigs from the last solar cycle.
Azores DSB re-build: Oscillator troubles then adding a JBOT.
Manhattan style construction and the need for urban renewal.
Book Review: Steve Jobs. (Woz has the Knack!)
MAILBAG 

 

----

 

SolderSmoke 138

 

October 4, 2011
A Meteor and Jupiter: Cosmic Birthday Present!
Sagan's Pale Blue Dot -- Lots of interesting radio info
On the cover of "Hot Iron"!!!!
The HW-7 Philosophy and Way of Life
Sputnik Anniversary
Getting my 2B back on 17
Preparing for a return of sunspots and 17 meters
Raiding Radio Shack (for 2N2222s!)
The Autumn SPRAT
MAILBAG

 

 ----

SolderSmoke 137 

10 September 2011
Earthquake! Hurricane! Tropical Storm!
The Heathkit HW-7 -- An Undeserved Bad Reputation
Over-the-counter saltpeter
Movie review: Green Hornet, Captain America
How many 2-Bs? (11,571)
Ubuntifying dead laptops
Get the SolderSmoke blog by e-mail
Replacing a diode ring mixer with a diode...
...then trying the NT7S MOSFET detector
Where is boatanchor wizard Walt Hutchins KJ4JV ?
GREAT NAMES IN RADIO: MCMURDO SILVER
Sputnik update
Lew McCoy wrote about one of my projects
MAILBAG (with mail from Farhan and Wes) 

----------------

 

SolderSmoke 136 

August 7, 2011
Travelogue: New York City
A Stroke of Luck: Lightning strikes Rome HB DC DSB WSPR rig
It's an IGY thing: Recreating the Sputnik Transmitter
ArisSAT-1 deployed. Audio Clip (Can anyone decode the SSTV in this clip?)
Summertime SPRAT -- ZL2BMI rig and the mysteries of the '602
A writer for "The New Yorker" builds a radio
June Smithsonian Magazine has a lot of Knack
Electric Radio on AM selectivity, Japanese, and the sibilant S problem
Gathering Drake 2-B Serial numbers for use with German Tank Equation
Amazon breaks into oscillation on "Atoms to Ampere" prices
MAILBAG

 

SolderSmoke 135

June 26, 2011
Bike riding, composting... what next?
Lightning kills the WSPR rig
New finder for old telescope
------
SPECIAL FOUR DAYS IN MAY INTERVIEWS BY BOB CRANE W8SX:
FEATURING:
Joe Taylor K1JT (Nobel Prize Winner -- FOR PHYSICS!)!
Plumbing Defined Radio!
Steve WG0AT: Fly Fishing, Retirement, Goats, YouTube, and Amateur Radio!
George Dobbs, G3RJV! And more!
-----
Drake 2-B updates: WARC and 160 Dial Templates,
Drake 2B Serial Number Math Estimate Project (Using German tank method)

Michael AA1TJ's Sputnik 1 Project
Putting the Shack back into RadioShack

 

SolderSmoke 134

May 15, 2011
New "Ikea" microphone
NOVA QRP Club
WSPR T/Rouble resolved
Finishing up Rome WSPR rig
Easy-Peasy on Asus eee-PC
Space Station Packet Beacon
Boatanchor News: DX-100, HT-37,
"CQR" anchors,
75 meter antenna
Drake 2-B history interview by W8SX
Lew McCoy and Ernest Hemingway
Ade Weiss, QRPoetry and Ade's new book
 Regen theory
MAILBAG (with a focus on New Zealand)

-

SolderSmoke 133

April 19, 2011
-- KindleSmoke
-- Amazon's Whispernet (not to be confused with WSPRnet)
-- April 1 and the Perils of Plausibility
-- The difference (significant!) between Cream of Tartar and Tartar Sauce
-- A short Italian lesson
-- Polyakov QRSS
-- Snort Rosin's Mighty Mite (NOTE: NO FILTER!)
 -- Fly Fishing in Space: 2 Meter Packet Beacons and the International Space Station
-- Upside-down Amplifier
-- Rock and Roll and Ham Radio: The Bob Heil Story
-- The Shuttle Discovery Lands in Northern Virginia
-- MAILBAG

SolderSmoke 132

April 1, 2011
 --Fickle Finger of Fate: Lamp falls on QRSS Crystal
--Another heroic computer repair
--Sleuthing for RFI with Crystal Radios and Peter Frampton
--The seductive allure of the British Regen
--Watching the Space Station and the Space Shuttle
 --Packets from SPAAAACE
--Don Vorgaard and the birth of SSB (and DSB!)
--Electric Radio Magazine
--SPRAT and the ZL2BMI DSB Rig
--Jerri Elsworth's 555 contest (Did I win?)
--73 Magazine
--QSO with Mike Bryce WB8VGE
--Knack Job Opportunities at Make and Hack-a-Day
--Chemical Tailoring of Crystal Mic Audio Response
--Pi Day!
--Sling Shots, Fishing Poles, and Antenna Launchings
--MAILBAG!

--

SolderSmoke 131

28 February 2011
--Winterfest!
--UK nostalgia: "King's Speech" saves British Regen
 --Dark Cloud, Silver Lining: ice storm gets us back on the air
--40 meter phone (AM and SSB)
--K2ZA interview: John Zaruba's DX-100
--OUR NEW SPONSOR: SIERRA RADIO SYSTEMS
--SolderSmoke audio woes: interference! Lollipop ditched.
--Buzz Aldrin's lunar seismograph
--Watching the space station fly over Virginia
--Twain, Tesla, Edison and Halley's Comet
--Capuccio on Drugs
--MAILBAG

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SolderSmoke 130

February 5, 2011
Some important trivia questions (answers will be given in the podcast):
What is the connection between radio amateur (and pioneer radio
astronomer) Grote Reber and world famous astronomer Edwin Hubble?
In the world of radio-controlled helicopters, what is "TBE"?
In Britain they have radio "rallies," but at one time they had hamfests." When did this happen?
Only one terrain feature on Venus is named for a man. He is man of radio. Who is he?
What music did Neil Armstrong listen to on his way to the moon?
Plus:
-- The Air and Space Museums
-- Our music
-- The SolderSmoke D-104
-- NASA asks for our help
-- Telescope repairs
-- A BFO for the Trans-O
-- Back on Echolink
MAILBAG!
Please send reports on the D-104 audio!

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SolderSmoke 129
January 8, 2010
Introducing Cappuccio
"On the Cover of the Hot Iron"
Old tech, new tech:
Hammarlund HQ-100
Lafayette HA-600 (A)
WSPR:  VK6 on the grey line, also Wake Island, and Alaska
How I fixed a broken GPU chip using a light bulb!
EMRFD's cool mod of the SBL-1 Diode Ring device (from W6JFR)
MAILBAG
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SolderSmoke 128
3 December 2010
Visit to Wright Brother's Kitty Hawk site
Antenna work on Veterans' Day
W4HBK's Pensacola Snapper
"Knackers of the World Unite" (even in the UK!)
Sky and Telescope Jupiter moons program
Listen to a meteor ping!
DSB DC WSPR transceiver
Other ham books on Lulu
Ubuntu Karmic Koala's Skyrockets
Movie Review: "Social Network"
LTSpice under Wine (in Ubuntu)
Forrest Mims
Broken laptop -- need advice
MAILBAG
New puppy en route



SolderSmoke 127.mp3
November 7, 2010 
Karmic Koala makes you EVEN YOUNGER
The smell of an old HT-37
75 meter AM
DaVinci Code QRSS rig on the air
Cul-de-sac astronomy with TWO telescopes
READING: SPRATS,  Hot Iron, Sky Buddies, Wired
Jeri Ellsworth's homebrew transistors
Tatjana Van Vark's homebrew Enigma-like machine
MAILBAGLinux Ubuntu and Audio Quality.
Reverse Culture shock, Woodpeckers,and the Washington METRO system
Antenna work and hamfests on the horizon
-
SolderSmoke 126.mp3
October 11, 2010
SolderSmoke returns!
Shack #7:  The New Shack
Drake 2-B inhaling RF
Listening to 75 AM and SSB: WA1HLR, KM1A
Time signal on 3820 +/-?
Repairing DaVinci Code QRSS rig
UK test gear works fine on this side of pond!
Computer woes: First Linux SolderSmoke
Astronomy from inside the Beltway
Winter SPRAT: Great info, philosophy, inspiration
Charging up solar cells
Inbound Boatanchors:  DX-40, DX-60, HQ-100, HA-600(A), HT-37
MAILBAG
- 
SolderSmoke 125.mp3
Special Four Days In May Edition! 
Opening music: FDIM Bluegrass
Our last (sniff) Italy Travel Report
Snakes and Fireflies in Lazio
G3ROO's Antenna Book
Davinci beacon crosses the pond
WSPR rig repaired
New transceiver built for 30 meter digi
Manhattan-izing a SMT board 
Paul Harden's wonderful book 
BOB CRANE'S FDIM INTERVIEWS! 
"Muntzing" with Michael, G3RJV's "Socketry" 
Meeting Andrea IW0HK in Piazza San Cosimato! 
MAILBAG: Including mail from Farhan, Roger Hayward and Ade Weiss
--
SolderSmoke 124.mp3
Oprah follow-up: On to Martha Stewart and Dr. Phil? 
Fencing on a Roman piazza
Breaking an important cable
My WSPR Direct Conversion receiver
Roger Hayward's wonderful ugly AF amp circuit
The beauty of SBL mixers
My DaVinci Code Oscillator goes on the air! 
Making my own 555 timer chip (sort of)
LEDs as varactors (or are they colorful switches?) 
Black Holes in workshops -- is the LHC to blame? 
Altoids: now made in TENNESSEE!
G3RJV's wonderful video
MAILBAG
--
SolderSmoke 123.mp3
April 1, 2010
Spring! Equinox! Sap in Vermont! Aurora in Norway! Birds singing in Rome!
Soldersmoke on Oprah. Program Schedule:  http://www.soldersmoke.com/oprah.html 
Special Report from MASSCON QRP Convention by Mark, NX1K
Propagation improving
WSPR as a personal sunspot detector
Building the W3PM WSPR rig
Colpitts oscillators
Polyakov's "Russian Mixer" 
BANDSWEEP: A low frequency sweep by Chris, KD4PBJ
EMRFD on Direct Conversion and Direct Aversion
Faraday's toroid diagram
NA5N's ISBN
MAILBAG
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SolderSmoke 122.mp3
February 28, 2010
Snow in Rome!
In London:  A visit to Marconi's house, Maplins, and Faraday's lab 
A visit to the Dover Construction Club
Computer problems resolved 
A short period of QRSS, then back to WSPR
Putting the Drake 2-B into WSPR mode
The Rome-Norway WSPR pipeline
Increased solar activity
50 years of SETI with Frank Drake
QQ Review
Work Bench Eye Candy
Movie Review:  UP!  (Five Soldering Irons)
MAILBAG

SolderSmoke 121.mp3
5 February 2010
Into the Apennine snow! 
Technical troubles 
Roadkill computers
Luddite Curmudgeonism
Mars and Andromeda from Sabina
Telescopes and Olive Oil
Math and Electronics
Crashing R/C planes
5X5JD and the Uganda Tuna Tin
AA1TJ's diode amplifiers
Rotating parts boxes
MOVIE REVIEW: Avatar (2.5 Soldering Irons)
MAILBAG  

SolderSmoke120.mp3
January 2, 2010
Olive harvest in Sabina, Christmas and New Years in Rome. 
"What, no Klingon?" 
How's my whistling SSSS problem?
DX on 20, HW8 QSO with KZ1H
Auroral flutter on US stations
W4OP: Homebrew Hero
Softrock progress
Linux woes
FDIM 72 Part Challenge: "Stuck between best wishes and hugs and kisses!"
Chinese Hamsat in orbit, with CW telemetry
AA1TJ in CQ, and using diodes as audio amplifiers.
Stradavari and Julia Child:  inspirational late starters! 
Billy's RC plane
QRSS:  telemetry next?  
WSPR:  150K reports per day
New issue of Hot Iron
MAILBAG
--
SolderSmoke119.mp3
December 6, 2009
4th Grade Morse lecture; SPRAT in the Pantheon; Cinghale shot
SSS problem and the gap in my teeth
STAGNOSALD! (Italian Flux)
Movie Reviews 
Water on the Moon
QQ: FB! 
Tyson the cat crashes both Ubuntu Linux AND WSPR 2.0
Building the Softrock 40: Comments on surface mount
WSPR hits 100k spots per day; my numbers
BIG MAILBAG
-
SolderSmoke118.mp3
15 November 2009
Trip to the North of Italy -- All the way to Trieste! 
SSSSS  SSSSSSolution? 
Playing with PSK-31 -- Shortwave Watching
I0/N2CQR wins CQ WW DX!  (QRP, HB, DSB category)
New England Code Talker
Monitoring Apollo 11
Adventures in Surface Mount Soldering with Softrock 40
MAILBAG
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SolderSmoke117.mp3
24 October 2009
Climbing Monte Calvo + Horesback riding + Piggy-backs = LOWER BACK PAIN
Visit of Bob, W8SX, Soldersmoke correspondent in Dayton
AA1TJ's point contact adventures -- Backwaves and Backwash
AF Collins on Kindle -- "William" Marconi
Hans Summers and Turkish Piracy
RSGB Convention via Skype
"Air and Space" Aurora Article
My new, old Pentium III with Ubuntu (Thanks Jorge!) 
Roadkill computing
CQ interviews Joe Taylor, K1JT
New Spart and new Sprat CD
AA1TJ's voice-powered transmitter (and some advice from Italy)
QSOs from Ponticelli:  Dk1HW/P (SOTA) and UN9GD. 
SOLDERSMOKE THE BOOK -- WEEKEND SALE! 
MAILBAG
-
SolderSmoke116.mp3
27 September 2009
Wild Boar Hunting Season Opens
SPRAT and QQ on Kindle? 
Kite Antenna Day -- An idea whose time has come!
Doublet antenna in Ponticelli
Ponticelli QSOs on 40, 20, and 15
Steve Roberts -- Knack on a Bike
AA1TJ goes Iron Pyrite and Point Contact
Princess Elettra Marconi
SolderSmoke Book:  Price Reduced AND Oktoberfest Sale! 
Prices reduced on T-Shirts, coffee cups, bumper stickers
MAILBAG
--
SolderSmoke115.mp3
12 September 2009
Camping in Sabina
Michelangelo's late start
Anniversaries: Internet, SolderSmoke, Hack-A-Day
From Kitty Hawk to the Moon 
Carrington flares and childhood aurora
Calculating speed of light (using cheese)
Mythbusters
Hubble Space Telescope, Sliding Spring Observatory 
Europa
Transistor Museum
Understanding Mixer products
FALL SALE AT SOLDERSMOKE CAFE PRESS STORE! 
MAILBAG
-
SolderSmoke114.mp3
Roman Forum, Sabina, Snakes! Wild Boar!
Amateur Engineering? 
WSPRing again (cheap thrills?) 
Trastevere flea and a return to 1995
Electric airplanes
Ether rediscovered? 
Galileo! 
Sir Douglas Hall
Sonya had The Knack
Altoidism? 
MAILBAG

SolderSmoke113.mp3
August 9, 2009
The Ponticelli Astronomical Observatory and QRP Station
Mystery Sound -- Can you ID? 
Even Farhan Fries Transistors
Google marks Tesla's birthday
Adventures with Google Ads
Spotting the Space Station from Rome (and from London)
Arthur C. Clarke's version of MAILBAG
Mystery beeps in SS111?
MAILBAG

SolderSmoke112.mp3
July 26, 2009
Jean Shepherd comments on solder smoke
Back to Sicily
Apollo 11
Hans Summers' Heroic Homebrew Grenadian QRSS Adventure
Regen progress (the ARE possessed)
Knack-related maladies
Amateur astronomer discovers scar on Jupiter 
A reading from SolderSmoke (the book)
MAILBAG
-
SolderSmoke111.mp3
July 5, 2009
Ponza and the Pontine Islands
The Xtal Set Society -- Great guys! 
Spark plugs as lightning arrestors
The Grundig Mini 300 SW receiver
Jupiter from Rome and from Mars
Saturn from the window
More tremors
Back to visual MEPT
Is my antenna down, or is it conditions?
W7ZOI on bidirectional amps
Farhan's simple "JBOT" 5W BJT amp
AA1TJ's xtaflex 
Regens from hell
WD-40
Sprat 139
Arthur C. Clarke's "Voices from the Sky"
MAILBAG
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SolderSmoke110.mp3
June 21, 2009
Day trips in Lazio and Tuscany
My SSSSSolder SSSSSSMoke SSSS problem
Crystal Radios pick up heavenly Gregorian chants...	
... regen picks up screeches from somewhere else
Speech processing for DSB? 
I0ZY's linear amplifiers
Book Review:  "The Ten Most Beautiful Experiments" by George Johnson
MAILBAG (including an update from Dover)
--
SolderSmoke109.mp3
June 7, 2009
Violin gig in Rotterdam
June 2 Parade in Rome
Why do we use Rl=Vcc^2/2Po for Class C amps? 
       NA5N article, EMRFD, SSDRA, LTSpice
Radio Signals from Jupiter and Io (on 17 meters)
VK2ZAY's X-Rays 
Jeff Damm, WA7MLH:  Homebrew Hero
Tim Walford's Constructor's Club: 
       Floor Polish as PCB Laquer
       Numbers Stations (very timely!) 
SolderSmoke -- The Book: Very rapid delivery, even to UK 
MAILBAG

SolderSmoke108.mp3
May 24, 2009
Hubble Space Telescope Repair Mission
WSPR:  W3PM sees my sigs, back to visual (briefly), on to Slow Hell. 
Ubuntu ham radio software
Time nuts
Jean Shepherd gets his Class A license
"SolderSmoke -- The Book"  Good for summer vacation reading. 
SPECIAL REPORT FROM DAYTON FDIM BY BOB W8SX
MAILBAG
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SolderSmoke107.mp3
May 10, 2009
SolderSmoke -- The Book!  ON SALE NOW!  
Get it here: SolderSmoke: A Global Adventure in Radio Electronics
Orbits II reborn via a VK6 junkbox
NA5N's Amazing Atlanticon 2002 article
WSPR madness: 
  20 mw across the Atlantic. 
  K1JT picks up my sigs
  WSPR generates interes on Hack-A-Day
Linux: Ubuntu gets SolderSmoke Thumbs-up
Somerset Supper Report
Diode Ring Mixers
Solar conditions
AA1JT, Chloroform, and HB transistors
ET's rig
Have fun at FDIM! 
MAILBAG
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SolderSmoke106.mp3
Sicily, Mt. Etna, The Godfather
DSB success on WSPR
Am I the lowest power WSPR station in the world? 
Diode Ring Mixers
SolderSmoke: The Book
SolderSmoke: The Cologne?
And now, a word from our sponsor: Genesis Radio
MAILBAG
--
SolderSmoke105.mp3
Italy Earthquake
WSPR DSB, WSPR MP3
SBL-1 Blues
Clockwork minimalism
QST articles (design, HBR RX)
Marconi
Spring SPRAT
Blog stuff
ECHO-QSO with Mike, WA6ARA
MAILBAG
Happy Easter! 
-
SolderSmoke104.mp3
1 April 2009
Rome Marathon
Billy climbs Vesuvius! 
Fixin' up old Toshiba laptop
Solar Power from Donuts and Tea! 
Eldon's MEPT ET Phone home machine
More Catalan minimalism: The MOSquito
Book:  Thunderstruck! Marconi history
MAILBAG:  
Paul M0XPD new homebrewer, Funster 40, Paraset, and SDR
Preston WJ2V on REAL solder vacuum pumps
Ted AA5CK keys MEPT with iduino
Ken KG6PO on obit of TV pioneer Thomas T. Goldsmith
Art W2HQQ: "Man of High Fidelity" lacks knack
Scott KD5NJR on Sputnik 4, NASA comms
Alan W2AEW Don't smother MEPT oscillators! Books 
Steve GOFUW Old Book recommendation. Building WARC rig 
Jacki (XYL of KL7R) says hello from volcanic Alaska
Jeff KO7M  Why FSK on QRSS? 
Jim AL7RV Sends WSPR care package.  (Thanks!) 
-
SolderSmoke103.mp3
15 March 2009 
Beware the Ides of March! 
Ostia Beach and Ostia Antica
248 Knights of QRSS. And Wizards! 
ET Phones Home (with QRSS?) 
Possible new grabbers in VK6 and Dubai
Telescope, Satellites... 
REAL QRP QSOs on 80 and 40
Saving an old Toshiba Laptop
ECHO-QSO WITH JEFF, KO7M: 
-- Piper Cubs and MFJ Cubs
-- Satellite QSOs 
-- LT Spice and test gear
MAILBAG: 
Gene W3PM listens from QE2, HB WSPR rig
Jim AL7V sending parts for my W3PM rig
Jim AB3CV's color burst Gnat
Jason NT7S on Tektronix guys and SolderSmoke
Kevin ZL3KE on old computers
Paul M1CNK's DDS 30-based QRSS beacon
Soeren OZ2DAK on exercise bikes to power beacons
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SolderSmoke102.mp3
1 March 2009
In the shadow of Vesuvius...
...then back to the "laboratorio." 
-------------
QRSS musings:
1 transistor for transmit, 100 million for receive.
We need a low tech beacon generator -- maybe mechanical clock driven?
QRSS on "Hack-A-Day."
VK2ZAY QRSS booms into Europe. 
Soul in the New Machine:  Billy's oscillator.
ON5EX's grabber on SolderSmoke blog.
Italians at the forefront of QRSS.
--------------
T-shirt news:  "Menus are for restaurants!" 
"QRSS Ops Do it Very Slowly"
--------------
Using iGoogle for ham radio. 
USENET is going strong! 
Back on Echolink.
--------------
Minimalist Radio:
The Gnat! The NS-40! 
I add a second transistor to my ET-1 (and hang my head in shame). 
--------------
MAILBAG: 
Jim, AL7RV, developing smoke generator for LTSpice.
Randy, K7AGE, sent Empire of the Air video -- Thanks!
Jim, K9JM, prescribes higher Q for regen rx. "Never will be a 2B!"
Rye, K9LCJ, "Low Space Means Fine Teletype."
Alan, W2AEW, Listens to SS while on the road with Tektronix.
Dave, W8NF, "Armstrong, A Man of High Fidelity." Indeed. 
Mark reports W7ZOI releases new EMRFD software.
Jonathan, KB1KIX, Shep fan, has good Smith Chart stuff on his blog. 
Jerry, NR5A, building a QRSS beacon. 
George, K8VU, Dilbert has "utter social ineptitude." 
David, VK6DI, moving East.
Paul, K3PG, took Willamette project on ski trip.
Steve, WA0PWK, Gil cartoon about Wes.
-
SolderSmoke101.mp3
Superbowl Sunday in Rome. "Playing for Pizza." Spirals on the Piazza
Empire of the Air -- Gerbils Renamed
"Electrons on Parade"  Good RCA film about tubes
Minimalist Mania: 
    ET-1/FETer transmitter built -- some problems
    New Minimalist Yahoo group
    AA1TJ and AA1MY make QRP History with tunnel diode rig
QRSS News: 
    New beacons and grabbers in US and Canada
    K6HX and the lure of the whisperers
    Upside down FSK for VK/ZL observers?
Chip extraction tips (belated)
What "s.o.t." means. 
MAILBAG:
Brad WA5PSA still jogging in Tulsa
Ted AJ8T and Paul VK5PH: Lake not named for Lee
Neil G7AQK HB mystery box
Doug WB5TKI on how to extract chips
Ron AA5RS advises Billy to stick with Linux
Bill AA0RQ uses the hard stuff
Sott on Heaviside:  Good guy or not? 
Brent in Twin Cities: SWL Rockmite and SS lead to ham radio
Dan NM5DV building SDR QRSS rig
Jeff K07M listens while flying private plane
John W6TC has great article for Electronic Design
Edwin WA4YHL: Amateur Logic TV #23 is available
Dale WA5DJJ on the possible benefits of upside down FSK
Eddie G3JZO: Upside down FSK looks like laundry on the line! 
Jerry NR5A has the minimalist bug
--
SolderSmoke100.mp3
SPECIAL CENTENARY EDITION
A look back to the beginning
Rome Travelogue:  Palatine Hill
Fixing my old freq counter: Trials and Tribulations
Empire of the Air:
  More great history, but more tech faux pas
  "The radio art" 
  An historical precedent for our GONG 
  Lake DeForest? 
  A. Frederick Collins
Understanding Beta Independence 
Understanding Feedback and Distortion
SPRAT 137: Minimalist Radio:
  The FETer/ET-1: "Haiku from Solder"
  Regens: Not for the faint of heart
NEW: THE SolderSmoke STORE: T-shirts, Mugs, Hats, Bumper Stickers!
MAILBAG: 
Shawn N3ZHP new to Knack, wants to build ALL his gear. FB!
Steve WB6NTL on hippie origins of "Snort Rosin"
Scott AC0GG recommends new mic, equalizer
Jim AL7RV going QRSS mobile. Can we find him? 
George K8VU on kid busted by FCC
Craig KC2LFI helps with SS s sounds 
David KB1BED says SolderSmoke driving up Drake 2-B prices
Steve G0FUW "Ten new DSB rigs built in cloud of aromatic 60/40"
Brian NF0G HBing at -20F  Comet Lulin coming
Tony G4LLW Freq standards, IC extraction, Arc phone transmitters
Kevin AA7YQ listened to SS while on smoke jumper (parachute) mission 
Graeme ZL2GDN building for DSB and QRSS
Stu N6TTO has new FSK QRSS beacon 10140060 -- Please listen for him! 
Mark K6HX (has great "Brainwagon" blog) lost SSDRA, not yet to "design-build" stage
Robin AF1RE Heard BITx20s on the air, now is building
Gerry EI8DRB has his 2B
Ray M0DHP has a strange aromatic solder experience near Waterloo Station...
-
SolderSmoke99.mp3
January 18, 2009
Epiphany in Rome -- La Befana brings two Gerbils (Dot and Dash)
Ice skating near (but not on!)the Tiber
QRSS: Eldon's beacon spotted. 723 miles with 15 millwatts
QRSS Calibration Problem: My proposed solution
A Tale of Two BENELUX Grabbers: ON5EX and PA1SDB
Watching VK2ZAY cross Tasman Sea.  Watching G6AVK reach VK6DI
Inspiration from old SPRATs: From PA3BHK and W7ZOI
Book Review: "Empire of the Air" (Good bios, but author Knack-less)
AA1TJ's CFL revolution reaches Cuba. Now a CFL receiver. 
AA1TJ's "Reggie" converts all sigs to QRP! 
Several new videos on the Blog (from WA7MLH, N0TU, KD1JV)
MAILBAG: Ragav VU3VWR has Knack since 9th grade. Wants to QRSS in VU
Nick M0NJP likes show, getting used to the voice, Amazon UK instructions
Bryan VK3HXR has eeePC running Ubuntu
Paolo IK1ZYW has external keypad chips for FT-817 (available at cost) 
Jim AL7RV's wife thought SolderSmoke gave him a fit. Agrees on 1)design 2)build
Wes W7ZOI on feedback circuits
Joe Rocci has an LtSpice model for the NE602
Gerri EI8DRB asks if he should buy a Drake 2-B (Uh... YES!)
Steve "Snort Rosin" Smith : SMT paste lacks bouquet of 60/40 multi-core
Chris KC2LFI prescribes 3500 Hz notch for silibant SS problem (advice followed)
-
SolderSmoke98.mp3
January 4, 2009
New Year's in Rome, Fireworks, Abruzzo snow trip.
AA1TJ and the compact flourescent bulb rig; "Michael the red-nosed Rainey..."
Billy's Asus eeePC : Amazin's piece of gear. 
The Lure of Logic: Fixing my old Global Specialties counter (chip needed).
The Joy of Troubleshooting.
N3ZI's FB counter. 
Balsa boxes.
Todd, VE7BPO, also getting logical.
Hans, G0UPL, back on 30 meter QRSS from London.
Lawrence, KL1X grabbing VK QRSS sigs in N. China.
My sigs steady in ON5EX grabber.
Dan's deals.
Book of the week: "Empire of the Air."  Armstrong as a teenage ham.
MAILBAG:
Todd K5TAK on new name for Knack (no!)
Rick KC0PET has new 'scope, analyzer, Elsie
Bill N8ET Kanga USA getting going again. 
Alan WA9IRS on Pete Millet's free online tech books
Wayne VA7AT on SDR
Frank VK2AKG is NOT the solenoid musician
Bill N3HQB was in Ade Weiss's summer camp ham class!
Roger K7RXV on shaving resistors
Dino KL0S on other free books on-line
Gareth G1DRG on BBC Digital Planet Podcast
Tim Walford's FB ham construction magazine
A word about words from our sponsors
-
SolderSmoke97.mp3
December 21, 2008
Tiber flooding, Italian @ (snail!) 
--------------
DSB 80 "Kickpanel" project:
Rig reform
Harder than SSB? 
Do we need to match diodes?
Terminating balanced modulators
An antenna for my "spot" ("net") circuit, LED
Thinking of speech processing 
Driver hotter than final
---------------
MEPT QRSS: 
VK2ZAY crosses Oz on 470 micro-watts
Using 9H1LO's grabber engine as time machine
My beacon box: 10 and 30 in same enclosure
Knights QSY to lower bands (temporarily)
---------------
Theory: 
Thanks for beta independence help
Why does feedback lower distortion?
W3JDR's Ne602 modeling
Grinding resistors for precision
Broken counter leads to learning logic
--------------
Miscellaneous: 
Wes updates site
Kanga USA is back
There is no SPRAT 13
AA1TJ's lightbulb rig
---------------
MAILBAG: 
Lyndon smells the smoke
Roger KA7EXM goes to Aikhabara
Mark KI7N hits Singapore's radio row
Bob KD4EBM's feedback on feedback
Mike KC7IT fixes Christmas lights with 'scope
Frank VK2AKG on YouTube solenoid concert
Mike AA1TJ working on return loss bridges
John K7JM says SS blog makes DXCC
Jerry NR5A on Solder-SETI, b'day
Ron WB3AAL 1K QSOs from AT
Alan N8WQ: Tree battery!
Jeremy N1JER and QRP-L QRSS group build

MERRY CHRISTMAS AND HAPPY NEW YEAR TO ALL!  

SolderSmoke96.mp3
December 8, 2008
Moj Music
Rome winter: Snowcapped mountains, Starlings
Billy’s Blog – Please visit! 
“Make” redeems itself with LED video
80 DSB rig: LTSpice, Design, Diplexers, Decoupling
Properly terminating balanced modulators
The virtues of feedback 
80 meter DSB QRP (in a contest)
Reading Recommendation: January 2009 “Air and Space”
Jupiter and Venus aligned
Saturn picture with (sorta) homebrew rig
Ben’s Balloon Beacon
Laurence KL1X in N. China – will set up QRSS grabber
MAILBAG 
Roger K7RXV and Bob KD4EBM on SolderSmells
Jerry NR5A has WSPR-mania
Scott KD5NJR on “Soul of a New Machine” 
Bob K7HBG “Real radios have knobs”
Akshay VA7AAX  15 year-old listener, homebrewer

SolderSmoke95.mp3 November 23, 2008
                  Amp design adventures with Spice, EMRFD
                  WANTED:  NE602 Spice model
                  Pictures (from pirates?) in 80 meter waterfall
                  Problems space with tools and solar panels
                  QRSS news: W1BW 50 mw heard in VK6 and VK7
                  WSPR QRO controversy
                  IK0IXI's video on HB 8 band SSB rig
                  Ordering parts -- the aroma factor
                  1 uF caps OK for HF bypass? 
                  Reading Recommendation:  December 2008 Discover Magazine
MAILBAG:
Thanks for help on CD for Mike's wife
Paul WA1MAC: Chapstick PTO, alternate use for political lawn signs
Aisea 3D2AA: Listening from Fiji.  Just retired, has Softrock kit
Bob NT7S: Has setup SolderSmoke Facebook
Steve G0FUW: Bath Build-a-thon January 17, 2009
Roberto XE1GXG: Getting married, took detour to radio row
Ben N1VF: An old friend from Vienna Wireless Society
Steve "Snort Rosin" Smith: Wants real gong, "Once upon a clip lead..."
John VK3AJG's FB SSB rig
Steve KG6NRM TAK-40 Pic project

SolderSmoke94.mp3  November 2, 2008
                   Halloween in Rome, Autumn rains
                   Building Class A Amps with Spice, Copper, SSDRA, EMRFD
                   Wes on oscillator output wave forms
                   Inspirational article in "Air and Space" Magazine
                   Book Review:  "My Detachment" by Tracy Kidder
                   Autumn SPRAT
                   SPECIAL REPORT FROM G-QRP MINI-CONVENTION
                   Aliens on 80 meters
                   MEPT: Can you see me? 
                   Softrock 40 Group tries to digitize N2CQR
                   Homebrew solar panels
                   Request for assistance...
                   MAILBAG: 
                   Alan Yates in cahoots with AA1TJ
                   Les gets our logo on I-tunes 
                   Paul WA1MAC gets 2 2Bs
                   Scott KD5NJR on KSC honeymoons
                   Bruce VE9QRP on new free QUCS simulator
                   Keith G0CZR on bubble wrap insulation
                   Bob KD4EBM on green laser dangers
                   John VK3AJG designs 80 meter SSB rig
                   Todd KE7KXI on Knack relapse, old electronics smell
                   Jerry NR5A BACK IN ACTION!
                   Bob N7ZF on SolderSmoke Facebook
-
SolderSmoke93.mp3  October 12, 2008
                   HB Pi Network Tuna (with mystery)
                   Hamfest report from Belgium 
                   Space Hackers removed from YouTube
                   Verdict on Judica Cordiglia brothers
                   FB Italian ham magazines 
                   I shift to FSK on 30 meters
                   Gimmick capacitors 
                   QRSS QSY woes 
                   SolderJoke
                   MAILBOX:
                   Jerry NR5A Back in action
                   Scott KD5NJR on Space Hacker controversy
                   Steve WB6TNL on the different flavors of solder smoke! 
                   Paul WA1MAC labled PC boards with SSDRA page numbers
                   Ramakrishnan VU3RDD getting back on the air
                   Jim K9JM had 60 POUNDS of 2N2222
                   Jim AL7R listening from Yuma
                   Wes W7ZOI on plumbing washer toroids
                   Paul WA5WCP on laser safety
                   Terry G4GHU also went to KSC on honeymoon         
-
SolderSmoke92.mp3  September 28, 2008
                   The Flea at Trastevere
                   QRSS 2N2222 goes toes up. Why? 
                   Da Vinci Code MEPT Frequency Standard
                   Wind Powered QRSS
                   QRSS Whispers reflecting off airplanes
                   Transformer troubles at CERN
                   Arnie's cool Cuban hack
                   Woodpecker update
                   A SolderSmoke charity project
                   Another engineer joke
                   Kanga USA BACK IN BUSINESS! 
                   The Joy of Fixing Things
                   Jim Severns - KNACK VICTIM
                   A Homebrew Italian Space Program
                   MAILBAG: G0FUW in Gibraltar
                   VU3RDD in Southern India
                   KB1QVO on laser comms
                   K4BVL likes our audio
                   VK3PB on Italy's "Space Hackers"
                   W0DAB on free online MIT courses
                   DL4MGJ on fixing 2B parallax
                   WB6NTL on transistor failure mode
                   AF6C on crystal ovens
                   G3ZTB likes Shep
--
SolderSmoke91.mp3  September 14, 2008 
                   Sardinia!  
                   ON5EX's QRSS MEPT leads us back to bike riding 
                   Watching Jupiter, listening for Jupiter
                   KF6KYI's I-tunes QRSS
                   Stan, 9H1LO's new grabber
                   Laptop motion detectors as earthquake detectors
                   Nuclear fusion in the shack
                   Filo T. Farnsworth
                   Building a QRSS freq standard
                   SPRAT CD
                   Forget about stocks: SSDRA now selling at $399.89
                   SolderJokes
                   QST articles on-line!  FB! 
                   Jim Williams and the joy of fixing things 
                   STEREO SPECIAL: Roger Hayward's new binaural DSB project
                   Antenna woes
                   MAILBAG: 
                   G0WAT on HOGCON 2008 (21 Sept in Herts.) 
                   AJ8T on Russian rovers with laser reflectors
                   KA9OOI on language and low pass audio filtering
                   WB6TNL says NO to rat neurons in QRP gear
                   KB6QR  "beknacked" vice "knackered" ?????
                   NR5A has a Drake 2A
                   7J1AWL on the air from Vietnam
                   KC0PET goes solar
                   OZ1CJX Bad case of Knack, may need professional help
                   K8WPR says Knack keeping him away from wild women, bars
                   AJ8T on CK722 museum
                   AG5RS works Texas balloon from Dubai (via net)
                   KI4SGU  POW radio parts 
                   N8WQ on schematic drawing program
                   KF4LMZ has QRSS-itis, finds 10.140 rock in CB rig
-- 
                
SolderSmoke90.mp3  August 17, 2008
                   August in Rome, Italian beaches, Circeo
                   Hardrock Cafe, My Sharona, The Knack
                   The Planet Mechanics
                   VK6DI on QRSS
                   Listen to me talking to Jean Shepherd (1976)
                   SolderSmoke (sort of) in Australia in 1944
                   Herman Munster is not an appliance op...
                   Book Review: "The Science of Radio"
                   August QST: KD1JV's rig, pneumatic switching, QRP WAS
                   Conrad's Garage, KDKA, K4HU (SK) 
                   Kits and Parts by W8DIZ
                   Working on 80 meter DSB rig
                   Computer fixed, counter still dead
                   MAILBAG: 7J1AWL in Vietnam
                   Jerry, NR5A, gets a Drake 2A
                   KB1DRK recommends Spitfish
                   SM5QU on Apollo Backpack Radios (AM!) 
                   AC7ZN reports WB8LZG has aerielitis
                   W8NF on Dorkbot (Knack?  or no Knack?) 
                   G0FUW to speak at Basingstoke 1 September
                   M0JRQ on the meanings of "knackered"
-
SolderSmoke89.mp3  August 3, 2008
                   Positano on the Amalfi Coast
                   QRSS: An Idea for More N. American Activity
                   Argo's bandwidth: .34 Hz
                   The New SolderSmoke Audio Filter
                   Knackered?  Translating American to British
                   Kanga USA helps in Lake Michigan rescue
                   Google's "Back to the Moon" contest
                   Russia's Mars sample return mission
                   Apollo 11
                   Lasers from San Diego to the Moon
                   N0TU's slideshow (with Tuna Tin Two)
                   MAILBAG: K4QO on clubs without rules.
                   G0WAT names me "Hodeghog #4"
                   VE7SL ID's Mystery Military Radio
                   ZL2GX finishing Ph.D. 
                   KC0PET gets EMRFD
                   N5XL reports Tantalum shortage
                   G3WOE on Shep and 20 new BITX20s
                   W8OAJ is now N8WQ, building MEPT 
--
SolderSmoke88.mp3  July 19, 2008
                   My walk to work in Rome
                   The BEST Jean Shepherd ham radio episode
                   My talk with Jean Shepherd
                   NR5A's beacon
                   200 Knights
                   QRSS of .3 wpm = 1.3 Hz bandwidth
                   IZ4BFA in stereo CW
                   K1JT - The Knight with the Nobel Prize
                   WSPR
                   Drain cap audio popping filter
                   Help ID a BC-348 
                   Dan's Small Parts to return 
                   The British Amateur Television Club: Knack to the Max
                   ADVERTS:  N3ZI's Freq Counters, Gadgeteer Books
                   MAILBAG: Home Counties QRP Club, LU1CBL's BA Beacon,
                   I2NDT's Thailand Beacon, KI4UZI listens at Cape Kennedy, 
                   KD0BIK's podcast, AF4UI's LC meter, KD4EBM on Coherent CW,
                   ZL3TKA IS NOT CRAZY,  7J1AWL reading "Crystal Fire," 
                   M0JFE wants HB phone, VK7AX rebroadcasting SolderSmoke in 
                   Tasmania, M0NDE caught The Knack at age 6.  
-                   
SolderSmoke87.mp3  July 6, 2008  
                   On the beach at Fregene
                   -----------
                   QRSS Mania:
                   Calibration problems solved
                   First reports received
                   The Fun of Grabbers
                   Checking your signal via Blackberry
                   The Joy of Milliwatting
                   Chirp, Click, Drift in QRSS
                   Temperature sensitivity
                   Bury that Beacon? 
                   Why so little US QRSS?  
                   More US Grabbers needed 
                   AA1TJ/QRSS?  
                   ----------
                   Elser in "History of QRP in US" 
                   New Slides, WAC on ClustrMap!
                   MAILBAG: G0FUW reports EI9GQ victin of Knack
                   KC0PET on understanding our circuits
                   ON4FW sends FB pictures
                   KG6TCJ on QRSS calibration
                   W7ZOI on FD and calibration
                   W4NI on measuring harmonics
                   PE1OIT on GPS calibration technique     
--
SolderSmoke86.mp3  June 22, 2008
                   Maritime Mobile on Lake Bracciano.
                   Jean Shepherd loses girlfriend due to THE KNACK.
                   30 Meter transmitter self-constructs (almost).
                   QRSS Woes. 
                   Do CW signals have sidebands?  
                   Freq Counter down for the count. 
                   Dial Parallax:  Drake 2B jumps 3 kc from eyeball to eyeball. 
                   Radio Shack: Count your blessings! 
                   Nice wire from old computers.  
                   Good luck on Field Day. 
                   MAILBAG: VU3RDD NEW HARMONIC! 
                   Frank on analog scopes, 
                   PE1OIT on si570 chips, 
                   KG4ENB on 179 kc LOWFERS,
                   M0NJP on how XYL's can deal with THE KNACK, 
                   K7JM on SolderSnow, 
                   W8OAJ SolderSmoke as Knack Therapy,
                   Jonathan 7J1AWL "from a commuter train in Tokyo"

-
SolderSmoke85.mp3  June 8, 2008 Echo-QSO with WA6ARA!
                   Phoenix lands on Mars. 
                   Beacon operations. 
                   Adrian Weiss, W0RSP. FB QRP Author. 
                   Need correspondent for Flea at MIT. 
                   Understanding balanced modulators. 
                   Dan's accident (Dan's Small Parts).
                   Hendricks Cap Kit. 
                   "Hot Iron"  Journal of The Constructor's Club
                   The Woodpecker.
                   MAILBAG (Return of the GONG!): W6DWF
                   KC0PEI on "IP Telepathy"
                   Mark Z on a crank-up Pocket Pixie.
                   Ramakrishnan in Singapore. 
                   Niels PE1OIT on Robert E. Pease. 
                   Jerry NR5A: Cursed with Beacon Madness.
                   Echolink QSO with Mike, WA6ARA.  
-
SolderSmoke84.mp3  May 25, 2008 SPECIAL FDIM PROGRAM!!!! 
                   Flying a glider over Circus Maximus
                   The NEW SOLDERSMOKE BLOG:
                       SolderSlides!
                       SolderLinks! 
                       SolderChat!
                       SolderYouTube!
                       Subscribe today!  
                   W7ZOI/W7PUA Power Meter Calibration
                   Bifilar toroids in LTSpice.  Help! 
                   Variations in Type 43 Ferrite
                   Finding friends in old SPRATS
                   Beacon Madness hits I0/N2CQR
                   AA1TJ crosses the pond (really)
                   80 Meter DSB project (design first, build later!)
                   Bob, W8SX, interviews FDIM speakers!  
                   MAILBAG:M0NDE, WB6NTL, ZS1I, NR5A, M0EEJ, ON6CSV
                   7J1AWL, KC0PET 
 -
SolderSmoke83.mp3  May 11, 2008  Shortwave listening from the island of Ischia.
                   Chicago's old "Surplus Row."
                   New antenna yields trans-Atlantic DX!
                   SPRAT's minimalist MPF-102 rig.
                   SDR vs. HDR.
                   Dan's Small Parts.
                   LB Cebik SK.
                   AA1TJ's Zener Diode rigs discussed on Radio Havana Cuba.
                   Beacon project.
                   Design first, build later!
                   SPECIAL REPORT FROM OZARKCON!
                   MAILBAG: Scopes and distortion, Spectrum Analysers, 
                   new kits, 30K lemons, FDIM
-       
SolderSmoke82.mp3  April 27, 2008   Tech details of AA1TJ April 1 beacon. 
                   Thoreau, computers, and QRP.
                   The Knack and computer "repair."
                   Hardware Defined Radios (HDRs)
                   Farhan's inspirational head scratching.
                   Crude "spectrum analyzers" -- Mike makes Maker Blog.
                   WA5BDU's 60 Meter SSB Project. 
                   My matching technique (exorcism completed). 
                   30,000 lemons?
                   MAILBAG: Ideas for Gary KB9ZUV. Steve G0FUW and the 
                   dreaded parabolic current. Chris GM4LYN and surface mount.   
-
SolderSmoke81.mp3  April 13, 2008   FORTY MILLION MILES PER WATT!!...??... :
                   April First and the Annual SolderSmoke Iron Pyrite Awards.
                   Heliography: Solar-powered UUUUUUUHF 
                   Amplifiers and Exorcism; SWR meters as RF demon-detectors?  
                   The latest SPRAT: Lemon batteries. Nails as RF controls! 
                   Homebrew Hero:  Tim Hulick, W9QQ, SK 
                   MAILBAG:  Jerry NR5A goes extraterrestrial. 
                   Stan 9H1LO puts beacon on 28.224 Mhz. PLEASE LISTEN!
                   Jason KF6PQT flies to Hawaii with SolderSmoke. 
                   Dan KF8Z suffers Knack relapse in Benton Harbor, Mich. (Duh!)
                   Gary KB9ZUV is blind, but wants to build. Can we help?  
-
SolderSmoke80.mp3  April 1, 2008 "The New American Amateur."
                   Tech Troubles: Tires, computer, clock, even a bad Dummy Load! 
                   AA1TJ: Defintely NOT an Appliance Operator! 
                   BANDSWEEP: AA1TJ's Tunnel Diode Beacon Received in Rome!
                   20 Meter Roman Roundtables.  Using my W7ZOI/W7PUA meter.
                   MAILBAG: Greg in Finland converting CB rigs. Stanley 9H1LO in Malta.
                   Mark "MOJ" Johnson finds Jean Shepherd episode on THE KNACK. 
                   Matt on MC1496 Balanced Modulator chips.    

-
SolderSmoke79.mp3  March 2, 2008  The beauty of a chirpy signal. Armstrong Solar Panel
                   movement. Babani book campaign? AM on 3705 in Europe. 
                   ARRL HB Contest winners. BBC QSYs. 
                   BANDSWEEP: G0KYA's SDR 40/80 receiver. 
                   My meeting with IK0JNI (DSB rig in a Rome cafe). 
                   MAILBAG: Frank VK2AKG on stealth ladder line. Kevin ZL3KE
                   on Q-11's demise. Gil NN4CW on monofilament. Farhan on Pat Hawker. 
                   John G8SEQ on Q11. Seth W8FG on QRP-L group build. Wink WA8KOQ on 
                   loading up rain gutters. Jim N8ESH spots Loan Ranger 
                   (the cowboy, not the rig) in 1939 video. 
                   Ramakrishnan VU3RDD moving to Singapore AND LOOKING FOR 
                   A COPY OF SSDRA.  PART IV of Echo-QSO with Ron Sparks, AG5RS.
                   in Dubai.  
                    
-
SolderSmoke78.mp3  February 22, 2008  "In vain he prayed for percolation..."
                   More HW8 fun. "Hot Water Handbook." Q11? Using my UK HB Power Supply.
                   Tony Fishpool and Graham Firth's Test Gear Book. 
                   A WA8MCQ corollary to Murphy's Law.  2-B retube.  
                   DSB QSOs from Rome.  A visit to the Rome radio club. 
                   I0ZY and I0YR: Big Amps and Antennas!  
                   The Florence (Firenze) Science Museum. 
                   MAILBAG: W7ZOI on G3VA's "Technical Topics." WA7MLH's new videos. 
                   Don K6WH on 30 gauge, mono-filament, and listening to SolderSmoke
                   at an African campsite under the Southern Cross. 
                   Part III:  Echo-QSO with Ron, AG5RS, in Dubai.    
-
SolderSmoke77.mp3  February 14, 2008   Back to QRP and CW! My 30 gauge antenna. 
                   What happened to Q-11 in my HW-8? Drake 2-B re-tubing. 
                   AA1TJ goes "All Tunnel Diode."  Marconi's HUGE cap = 1.7 uF. 
                   MAILBAG: John K7JM listens to Rome thunder in snowy Montana. 
                   Randy K7AGE makes a HAARP Moonbounce video. Pete W6JFR on 
                   Italian craftsmanship.  Ramakrishnan VU3RDD notes that Tesla
                   had The Knack.  Jorge Luis KI4SGU on turtles and cosmology.
                   ECHO-GUEST: Part II of our QSO with Randy AG5RS in Dubai.  
-
SolderSmoke76.mp3  February 4, 2008  On the air (HF) from Rome. Stealth antenna.
                   Fixing my HW 8. Recording of AA1TJ's Tunnel Diode Beacon.  
                   A FB QST. Marconi's capacitor (with a quiz).
                   A Rome thunderstorm in the background.  
                   MAILBAG: Aise 3D2AA homebrewing on Fiji. Rogier PA1ZZ's 
                   California hassles. Jerry NR5A building tube gear in S. 
                   Dakota.  Niels PE1OIT in defense of DSB. Ramakrishnan 
                   VU3RDD needs articles. ECHO-GUEST:  Ron, AG5RS, 
                   (a Knack sufferer) homebrews in Dubai, UAE. 
-  
SolderSmoke75.mp3  January 27, 2008 "A Nonlinear History of Radio." Fessenden's mic.
                   Clustr Map. BANDSWEEP: Lunar Echoes at 6.7 MHz. Winter SPRAT. 
                   HALO Balloon. AO-16 Satellite goes DSB. Calling CQ on Chinese 
                   repeaters.  MAILBAG: AA1TJ setting up Tunnel Diode beacon. Kevin,
                   M0KHZ builds in an 18th Century Shack. Steve, G0FUW, listens from 
                   Ascension Island. Lars, OZ1CX, has THE KNACK. 
                   WA7MLH Builds a Superhet on YouTube. Waza, VK2HDH, calls in
                   on Echolink.  PART III: Andy, ZS6ADY, on Boatanchors in  
                   South Africa.  A SPECIAL ENDING:  A 1979 song by Mike, KL7R.  
--
SolderSmoke74.mp3  January 18, 2008 Solar Cycle 24. First transistor QSO. Tunnel Diode
                   Madness. Rovers on Mars. SETI. BSEE in a can: EMRFD+LTSPICE+QRP-L.
                   Understanding mixers.  Kipling's Afghan Heliographs. Tech Topics. 
                   MAILBAG.  Part II of Andy, ZS6ADY, Boatanchors QSO. KL7R SK.                
--              

SolderSmoke73.mp3  January 2, 2008            SPECIAL NEW YEAR'S EDITION
                   AA1TJ's circuitry and poetry. Homemade tubes. Book Review: 
                   "Early Radio" by Peter Jensen. The Vatican's antennas. Google Earth 
                   flight simulator. Mixer madness continues (now in LTSpice). Mars-asteroid  
                   collision? Bollywood: The BITX-20 connection. BANDSWEEP: Straight Key Night at 
                   WA6ARA. ECHO-GUEST: Andy, ZS6ADY, South African Boatanchor fan. MAILBAG: 
                   Jake N4UY(NOVA QRP), Steve G0FUE (Bath Build-a-thon), Nigel M0NDE 
-- 

SolderSmoke72.mp3  December 19, 2007 M0HBR's Bollywood debut.  Alien hams. Blackboxophobia. 
                   Solar power (in Rome and on Mars). TechShop. South Pole IT. Mixer madness. 
                   The Radio Club of America.  200 Meters Index. Peter Dahl. MAILBAG: Al on 
                   audio quality, WB2REW on Yogi Berra, W9ILF's tube type mp3 amp, G8SEQ's bad 
                   case of "The Knack", N8XMS's "Curiosity Curse."
-- 
SolderSmoke71.mp3  December 9, 2007 Copper clad as blank canvas, Understanding mixers,
                   Bookshelves and the fight against entropy, China listening? 
                   Barebones superhet in Rome, Lead -- the new gold, 500kc trans-atlantic
                   QSOs (and some history), 3D model of Altoids tin, Italian space podcast, 
                   MAILBAG:  Shacks/Sheds: K5TAK on TechShop in Menlo Park, OH2FFY and 
                   the Aussie shed movement in Finland. 
--
SolderSmoke70.mp3  November 26, 2007 Iraq back on the air. Curie engine. Surfer GUT. 
                   Fleming's valve. NYC goes AC. Hayward Damm article in QST. Fixing 
                   a Heath O'scope. Radio Row. Arecibo in danger. SolderSmoke Google 
                   Gadget.  Mailbag: From Dhaka to Brussels. IZ0BNW's Rome coffee secrets. 
--                   

SolderSmoke69.mp3  November 14, 2007 Drake 2B repair, Frequency Measuring Test, 
                   Guy Fawkes, No sunspots, Simple Sideband and straws from McDonald's, 
                   CBer stealing volts from NYC subway, Australia's Shed (Shack!)movement,
                   Ham makes major medical breakthrough. MAIL: G4WIF, M0NDE, 2E0BIX, G0BON, 
                   K7AGE  
--                 
                      
SolderSmoke68.mp3  November 4, 2007 Bill's B'day, First Italian QSO (with clip),
                   The N3ZI Special, Cuban Islander SSB rig, SatNav, Nanotube radio,
                   Fall SPRAT: Pine resin, Messages from Wes and Roger Hayward, 
                   MAILBAG: Digital Gong, Comet 17P Holms, Letter from ZL, IZ0BNW/1
-- 

SolderSmoke67.mp3  October 28, 2007 Dino Dig, train ride, balloon launch. Radio
                   in Rome. Audio efforts. Sputnik. Moore's law. On to Mars! 
                   1939 Video. SSB Islander? ARRL HB Challenge?  Search Engine for 
                   Parts.  MAILBAG: Alan VK2ZAY building antennas, Eric NM5M building
                   converters, Claus OZ1LQB on EU regs and solder, Scott -- listening
                   in Iraq.  
-- 

SolderSmoke66.mp3  October 13, 2007  FROM ROME! Getting settled. Summer adventures. 
                   New shack.  Meeting W7ZOI in San Diego. The speed of dark?  Iron 
                   Pyrite. Wireless kids. Noise cancelling headphones. MAILBAG: 
                   Dennis OX3UR listening from Greenland, Gary VK2KYP, Paolo F5VMJ on 
                   on NASA and tin whiskers, Mike WA6ARA listening (with Zen)
                   in the high Sierras.
-- 
SolderSmoke65.mp3  July 1, 2007 Alexanderson Day. Report from Friedrichshafen.  
                   Ole Romer, Hippolyte Fizzeau and the speed of light. 
                   Zen, toroids, QST, and the joy of homebrewing.
                   BOOM! Ramakrishnan's RFI disappears in a flash! (Again!)
                   BANDSWEEP: Jason, NT7S, lets us listen to 40 CW on Field Day
                   with his homebrew Tualatin rig of FDIM fame. 
                   MAILBAG: K8VU tells of Rick Campbell's envious thoughts on the
                   Drake 2-B. VK3HN on Zen and Motorcycle Maintenance, quiet bands 
                   in VK. KA9OOI tells us when he got The Knack. 
                   MOHBR SIGNS OFF FROM LONDON -- Summer travel plans. On to Rome.   
--
SolderSmoke64.mp3  June 24, 2007  Feynman uses ham radio. Mr. Wizard: WANTED!
                   P/S project completed. More Wabi Sabi. Field Day memories. 
                   DX listeners.  Studying Italian on Echolink.  Getting ready 
                   to go.  MAILBAG: K2CK, NN4CW, MM station... 
--
SolderSmoke63.mp3  June 17, 2007 "Shop Class as Soulcraft." AmateurLogic TV goes 
                   to Dayton. My power supply goof-up. Good Causes:  SETI and 
                   Geek Corps.  Mr. Wizard. Bandsweep segment: G0KYA's Rockmite. 
--
SolderSmoke62.mp3  June 10, 2007 WHY WE BUILD: Opposable thumbs and soldering 
                   irons. 'Scopes, bandwidth, and clean sigs. Power Supply 
                   project: The Soul of A New Machine. Mississippi Oscillations.
                   My Wabi-Sabi shack. Metal work. NEW FEATURE: CLUB TALK -- 
                   a visit to the meeting of the New South Wales Homebrew Group. 
                   MAILBAG: Steve, WN0PWK. Dov, AD0V. Seth, W8FG. Dennis, KC0IFQ.  
--
SolderSmoke61.mp3  June 3, 2007 Farhan's new blog. More AGC. Ramakrishnan's RFI. 
                   SolderSmoke returns to 2X QSO mode:  Echolink interview with 
                   Jim, N5SPE, of AmateurLogic TV: Origins of Amateur Logic TV. 
                   "The Knack" hits Mississippi. Kick-plates as radio cabinets. 
                   Visit to Dayton.  Encounter with the Haywards. 
                   Building a W7ZOI power meter.  Milton Keynes
                   BITX80 club build. The dangers of molten solder. 
                   Getting oscillators to oscillate. 

--
SolderSmoke60.mp3  May 27, 2007 Tesla, Google, the Elser-Mathes cup, SolderSmoke.
                   AGC (Automatic Gong Control). Free Tech Books. WIKI-ZOI. Noise 
                   and the W7ZOI power meter. LA3PNA designing DC receiver with 
                   AD831 chip. Kanga Special on EMRFD. New Video: Huge Tesla Coils.
                   MORE DAYTON FDIM INTERVIEWS:  Jeff, K8GD, winner of homebrew 
                   contest.  Eric Swartz, WA6HHQ, of Elecraft TALKS ABOUT THE K3. 
                   John, WB8RCR, on micros, Dayton, and seeing old friends. 
--
SolderSmoke59.mp3  May 20, 2007  Kindred spirits on QRP-L. Fredbox on 2 meter AM. 
                   New videos. Hewlett, Packard, Garages and Terman. LV Blake. 
                   SPECIAL REPORT FROM DAYTON: INTERVIEWS WITH G0BPS, G3MFJ, G3RJV, 
                   K8IQY and W7ZOI!  MAILBAG: W9HAU, NC0O, WD5DZG on source for low
                   value resistors. Scott Haley on thermal noise and the ZOI power meter. 
                   The need for SolderSmoke correspondents at other summer radio events. 
--
SolderSmoke58.mp3  May 13, 2007 Ham radio brotherhood: ST2NH, homebrewing in Khartoum. 
                   W7ZOI power meter completed and calibrated.  Homebrewing good for the soul. 
                   Crystal receivers on HF. Basic Stamps on "24." 
                   HELP WANTED: SOLDERSMOKE SEEKS DAYTON/FDIM CORRESPONDENT!
                   Book Review:  "From Crystal Sets to Sideband" by Frank Harris. 
                   MAILBAG: AC7FA, N8ET, M1CNK 
--
SolderSmoke57.mp3  May 6, 2007 Destined to build a W7ZOI RF power meter. And a current
                   limited P/S. BANDSWEEP: 20 Meter HB DSB QSO with Rolf, SM4FQW. 
                   WEB NEWS: FMLA articles posted, SolderSmoke makes Wikipedia. New Videos:
                   Flying motorcycle, Summits-on-the-air. BOOK REVIEW: Feynman fixes radios.
                   MAILBAG: KF4TQJ, KB9JLO, G3XBM (uses xtal receiver on 80 meters), ON4AW 
--
SolderSmoke56.mp3  April 29, 2007 Stephen Hawking. Hams rebuild Apollo antenna. BANDSWEEP: 
                   Listen to Moonbounce. Elser-Mathes Trophy (Don't miss out!). 
                   Tesco HTs and the FMLA. My weird power supply. Why no feedback in
                   finals?  Major updates to Gadgeteer News and SolderSmoke video pages. 

MAILBAG: Mayfair Resistor Mystery solved by AA2VK. Parts donated by
LA3PNA. KD5NJR on Tim Ferris book. Alan Yates on P/S project.
CT1EFL on "AWESOME" soldering.
--
SolderSmoke55.mp3 April 22, 2007 Solar minimum. Meteor shower. Plasma deflector shields.
Homopolar Motors. How SWR meters work. "The Club Saver" 2 meter rig. Testing
air variable caps. Building traps (for animals, not antennas!)
The Mystery Resistor of Mayfair. P/S problems.
 BANDSWEEP: India's HAMSAT over California.
M0HBR rejected by Bollywood.
MAILBAG: WA6ARA, K4BVL, Scott Haley, W2MY, LA3PNA
--
SolderSmoke54.mp3 April 16, 2007 Hamfest report. Interview with Tony Fishpool of G-QRP.
Book Review: "Simple Test Gear for the QRPer." Paul Lauterbur, inventor.
California balloon launch. Homebrew or Home BREW? Frank Jones and the
FMLA. MAILBAG: SSB projects, wearing out copies of SSDRA.
 
--
SolderSmoke53.mp3 April 8, 2007 Happy Easter! Anti-Soldering legislation -- NOTE THE DATE!
Mike's article appears in I-QRP. SPRAT 130 review. Salute to Gus Taylor,
G8PG. Soldering iron review: Elenco SL5. Workbench report: Balanced
Modulator. ECHOLINK ANTICS. Bandsweep: A visit to 30 meters, with a
demonstration of the famed "Q multiplier." MAILBAG: LA3PNA, N1VWD,
KF6HQC

-
SolderSmoke52.mp3 April 1, 2007 Excelsior! Jean Shepherd's stories about ham radio.
Legislation to ban hobbyist soldering. History of LTSpice. Workbench
update. SPECIAL GUEST EDITION OF BANDSWEEP: A satellite pass over M0DHP.
MAILBAG: Using an AM radio to interfere with the Chicago White Sox.
SolderSmoke in 1930.
--
SolderSmoke51.mp3  March 25, 2007 Moj's e-music. AmateurLogicTV#12. PiccoZ Helo. WA7MLH's site.
1.6 Mhz IF as a transmitter trick. Chinese listeners? .rss files fixed. My
evolving HB,Class A, feedback amp, CW, .5W transmitter.
BANDSWEEP: On 17 meter SSB with EA8EQ. MAILBAG: Pete, W6JFR, describes a
realworld troubleshooting problem. Arv, K7HKL, updates on BITX20 kits.
Thomas, LA3PNA, describes current projects.  
--
SolderSmoke50.mp3 March 18, 2007 New homebrew theme music. Born in IGY. Vernal Equinox.
Inspirational e-mail on BITX20. BITX20 kit development. BASIC Stamp
video. RSS problems. Antipodal map tool. Ferrites in rock tumblers?
BANDSWEEP: 20 meters on an HW-8. MAILBAG: Lasers and highway nets.
--
SolderSmoke49.mp3 March 11,2007 SPRAT! New Videos, including a rap video about UHF rovers! Fixing
an old laptop. Itunes problems. Bookstore. Special "remote" edition of BANDSWEEP.
MAILBAG: greggW's BFO solution (at age 8)
--
--
SolderSmoke48.mp3 March 4, 2007 Lunar Eclipse. Feedback amps in LTSpice. 17 Meter HB SSB QSO w EA8EQ.
Video recommendations. Dilbert's "Knack."
New Feature: BANDSWEEP - Hear how the bands sound from London. MAILBAG: W6JFR,
M1KTA, gregW (soon to be OH2???), KB0ADD, KK6CB. 
--
SolderSmoke47.mp3 February 25, 2007. Three cheers for K1RFD. Steve Weber's Tiny SSB rig. BITX20 kit.
BITX20 videos. Liquid Oxygen. How to make a bad solder joint in LTSpice.
Lasers for gadgeteers and for pets. Camping in the Science Museum. 17 SSB.
On 20 with an HW-8. QRSS software. MAILBAG: Ramakrishnan's RFI problems SUDDENLY
disappear. Bob Scott. KA4BLS. KF4LMZ. KG6QQR. AI4QQ. VE3SP. G1HDQ. WD5DZG. WA4YHL
WV7G. VK2ZAY. VE5AEA.  
--
SolderSmokeKL7R.mp3 February 4, 2007
About the tragic loss of our friend Mike Caughran, KL7R.
-
SolderSmoke46.mp3 January 13, 2007. Mike's oscillator work. Michigan Mighty Mite. Lasers, diodes,
 and Einstein. Laser communication experiment. W7ZOI-KL7R QSO on SKN.
M0HBR's feedback amps.
The new comet. Saturn, Jupiter and calculation of c. 17 meter QSOs. New SPRAT CD.
MAILBAG: China enigma, VE4KEH, M0DAD, GU0SUP, M1CNK, K4AHU, KD4EDM, KG9DK, AA6KI,
 VA7AT ON5EX
-
SolderSmoke45.mp3 December 30, 2006. SPECIAL NEW YEAR'S/STRAIGHT KEY NIGHT EDITION. SolderSmoke CW.
 Crystal Radios With Fool's Gold detectors. Mike's oscillator experiment with
use of kitchen temperature sensor. Christmas gifts: r/c planes and helicopters,
FM transmitter, Amateur Scientist CD, lab notebooks. MAILBAG: Hello to listeners
in China, and mail from G0FUW, VE4KEH, K5LXP, AmateurLogic TV guys,
Mike in Panama City.

SolderSmoke44.mp3 December 16, 2006. New soldering station. LTSpice-videocasts. More on return loss.
Minimalist radio. Crystal radio. Three cheers for: Elecraft, K1EL, QST. Small FM
transmitters for MP3s. New PC Sats. Antikitheria Mechanism. Merry Christmas!
MAILBAG: M1CNR, AL7RV, WA4YHL, KG4ENB 


SolderSmoke43.mp3 December 9, 2006 LP filters. Feedback. Return loss calc. Exploring Titan.
London tornado. Maxwell's equations. TRS 80. Name-that-Noise.
Book: "Gonzo Gizmos." MAILBAG: AK9N, N2NLY,
Ramakrishnan.

SolderSmoke42.mp3 December 2, 2006. Mike's EMRFD-LTSpice-Workbench amplifier lessons.
 Fixing hamfest P/S.
Rick's transmitter in QST. Name that noise. Superconductivity and r/c plane
videos.
MAILBAG: G4CWX goes round-the-world with SolderSmoke, and KI4SGU dubs SolderSmoke
"The Mythbusters of Ham Radio"
-
SolderSmoke41.mp3 November 28, 2006. Bill's antenna spotted by Google Earth. Homebrew tubes.
Return to 17 meter HB sideband. Michigan kid builds fusion device. New videos.
 New web sites. LTSpice/YouTube mashup. New: GADGETEERNEWS.
MAILBAG: G4CWX, VE4KEH, WB8ICN



SolderSmoke40.mp3 November 19, 2006. Rally Report.73 mag from 70's. Mike's HB woes. Saturn returns.
 Leonids.AmateurLogic TV. MAILBAG: VU3RDD, WA6ARA, M0AYF, NE1OB, Reg Lancaster.


SolderSmoke39.mp3 November 12, 2006 Kempton Park Rally (Hamfest). QRSS -- more tolerant than
once thought! Class C amps and saturation. Practical Wireless goes DSB.
Wireless Range Extender working.
Mike's power supply. 73 Magazine. Mailbag: M0AYF, G0FUW, G4KKI, WA7MLH, WJ2V


SolderSmoke38.mp3 November 5, 2006 Guy Fawkes Day. Da Vinci's notebooks. r/c plane with
gyro camera.
LTSpice's thermocouple. Ocean State Electronics. Mike's power supply.
 QRSS. Bill's
struggle with Class C amp design. WA7MLH in SSDRA. Other podcasts.
Long Delayed Echoes.
99Hobbies.com. WiFi encryption. Mailbag: KG9DK, M0JQZ, KF4LMZ, AA2VK
 

SolderSmoke37.mp3 October 29, 2006 Mike's homebrew manual spectrum analyzer. Bill's Class A,
no-feedback amplifier design project. LTSpice, DSB, AM, IMD and SPLATTER.
HW-101 clutch repair and oil change. Owning two copies of SSDRA - moral issues?
Wireless Range Extenders. Mailbag.

SolderSmoke36.mp3 October 22, 2006 Mike's return loss bridge. Learning amp design, LTSpice
software in EMRFD, input/output impedance, Harry SM0VPO's site, aurora, making
hydrogen, Mike's bookmarks, Book review: iWoz by Steve Wozniak.


SolderSmoke35.mp3 October 14, 2006 Misc. projects, crystal radios with galena, homebrew tubes,
homebrew CPUs, muffin fan hovercraft, MTP3055V vs. IRF510, EMRFD,
learning to design, YouTube videos.


SolderSmoke34.mp3 October 7,2006
Interview with Ashhar Farhan, Indian homebrewer
and father of the famed BITX-20 transceiver. HB in India EMRFD.
W7ZOI influence. Hans Summers. Quadrature rigs. DSB and PSK31.
Homebrew test gear. The importance of measurement, Tektronix scope.
Homebrew heartaches. Homebrew spirit. Symmetry.

SolderSmoke33.mp3 Sept 30, 2006
Care packages. QST Homebrew Challenge rule change.
Phasing/Quadrature SSB generation. 2 chip receivers.
Smoke management in electronics. SBL2 receiver frontend.
Gadgeteer video page.

SolderSmoke32.mp3 Sept 16, 2006
HW101 FT101 Hybrid Rigs. BNC and RCA phono connectors.
Changing the clutch and oil on an HW101.
Third order intercept rules of thumb.
Modular circuit boards. Babbage difference engine.
Hardware to crack enigma. Bills video of his DSB rig.

SolderSmoke31.mp3 Sept 04, 2006
Heathkit VTVM. QRSS. Radio Jove. Jupiter/IO laser.
HF interferometer http://yasi.fringes.org.
Kootie Key. SM0VPO's website. RF green thumb vs
dead chickens. Homebrew Wifi antennas.
KL7R's bookmarks and new shack photo.
PG1N's website. QEX article on "Why antennas radiate."

SolderSmoke30.mp3 August 20, 2006
Completed Motley1 Schematic. Steve Weber's IRF510 amp.
30M QRSS receiver. Wildlife in downtown London.
QST-50 challenge. BITX 20/ McGuiver Radio.
Reverse sunspot/SolarMin.
HelioSeismology. Solar Music. SPRAT SBL1's.
Sounds from Jupiter and the JOVE project.
The first homebrewers.
Video Bang-a-gong.

SolderSmoke29.mp3
A PC board box for Bill's FET final
Richard Feynman video clip
Mike's amazing Octopus oscilloscope aid
Another plea for graphics help (SS logo)
Overcoming podcast tech difficulties
SolderSmoke.com new website.
FIRST EVER SolderSmoke EM wave poetry from The Moody Blues
SolderSmoke Mailbag: Tony Fishpool and the GQRP club

SolderSmoke28.mp3
SPRAT Ceramic Oscillator article
Tin whiskers and lead free solder
QST's $50 rig design challenge
Class C amps: Saturation required?
Solder Smoke's LOGO DESIGN challenge
FB QSO on 20 DSB with SM4FQW
Slow Speed QRP (QRSS)
WebShots, YouTube
MAILBAG: K8WDE, KA6VKP, WB8ICN, VK2KYP, KK7CC

SolderSmoke27.mp3
Computer woes. Bill's visit to the Dominican Republic.
Building Xtal oscillator with kid.
Book Reviews: "The Art of Electronics" "The Electronics of Radio"
Ether and Quantum Mechanincs, Tao of Physics
SolderSmoke Mailbag: Nigel in Dover, Mike WA6AWA, Matt KC8COM

SolderSmoke26.mp3
Mike's backyard QRP operations
Fishing pole antennas - Bill goes vertical
D-104 use on internet
Live (recorded) Audio from Bill's DSB rig
Scott Sled Kites, Kite Aerial Photography
Destroying perfectly good ham gear
ZL1VK in NZ carries SolderSmoke

SolderSmoke25.mp3
Bill puts Astatic D-104 on ECHOLINK
Mike's 80 mtr DSB rig becomes transceiver!
Mike's two chip EMRFD NE602-LM386 receiver
The rewards of homebrewing

SolderSmoke24.mp3
This week: Two-Tone Test mp3 file. Review online book "crystal sets to sideband".
Doubly rockbound SSB TX. HF Packer SlimGem amps. Push Pull IRF510 Mosfet amps.
W1FB 40 db wide band general purpose amp. HF amplifier degeneration.
HF+6M diplexer.

SolderSmoke23.mp3
Two amateur radio experimentors discuss workbench radio projects.
This week: Taming HF amp self-oscillation. Output broadband transformers.
DSB transmit on both usb and lsb at the same time. Adjusting LSB ladder filters.
The "SSB advantage" vs the "CW advantage". Satellite Oscar 52.
Using jet wings as topband and magic band passive reflectors.

SolderSmoke22.mp3
Two amateur radio experimenters discuss workbench radio projects.
This week: How to get more than a watt out of a 12volt/50ohm amplifier.
Wb7aei lowpass filters. Passive and active mixers. The binaural receiver.
UK vs US hamfests.

SolderSmoke21.mp3
This week: First Light for QRP rigs. Final amplifier voodoo.
Quantum mechanical necromancy. Ne612 carrier balance.
Transmitter lowpass filters. The sweet sound of DC receivers.
Slinky verticals. LC tuners, TiddlyWiki, VMWare and AFUKnoppix.
SolderSmoke20.mp3
Two amateur radio experimenters discuss workbench radio projects.
This week: 80 meter qrp ssb and dsb transciever circuits.

SolderSmoke19.mp3
Two amateur radio experimenters discuss workbench radio projects.
This week: Easter edition. Experimenter vs Tinkerer. NTP3055v FET amp.
Apr 2006 Bacon Bits. Ham radio software. Soundcard software.
IQ receivers with soundcard software. MMANA. 4nec2.
Michigan Mitey Mite Transmitter.

SolderSmoke18.mp3
Two amateur radio experimenters discuss workbench radio projects.
This week: New Bench and Shack wiring.
Using a hot screwdriver as a soldering iron. VW solar panels.
Class AB Amps. Saturn's watery moon. Mars Recon Rover.
The next SolarMax. Heliosismology.
Aurora in NY. DX during a solarmax on the Azores.

SolderSmoke17.mp3
Two amateur radio experimenters discussing workbench radio projects.
This week K1 receiver/receivers in general.
The "feel" of programming languages/rigs. NE602 Spice model.
Blue sun. Green flash. Receivers made from tooth filling detectors.
Ejection seat HF radios. Saturn. Book review: "Technical Topics".
Websites of the week: www.theregister.co.uk, www.spaceweather.com.
Cracking Enigma. SETI at home.

SolderSmoke16.mp3
Two ham radio operators discuss workbench radio projects.
This week: Desitin as heatsink compound and bottom paint.
Supermodulation. Mixers / ne602 spice models. Soldersmoke in space.
Website review: revver.

SolderSmoke15.mp3
This Week: SuitSat. Jupiter's moons. Back yard telescopes.
Trip to Pluto. TimeDomain Reflectometer. KX1 high power mod.
DC-DC converters. Good Jobs. Movie Review: "The Dish".
Book Review: "First Light".

SolderSmoke14.mp3
This week: curry toast and tea. Satellite tracking and worried neighbors.
Stardust probe. Whale on the Thames river. HCJB. Soundcard Modes.

SolderSmoke13.mp3
This issue: Happy New Year 2006, Transisistor RF amp design using Spice and
spreadsheets. Multistage amplifier feedback mechanisms. PopCorn QRP.
Burning DVDs. MP3 Players. Online and published technical magazines.
The value vs price of technical publications. Experimental Methods.
The 2006 Handbook. Solid State Design.

SolderSmoke12.mp3
This week Dobsonian reflector telescopes.
Class A amplifier design spice vs spreadsheet.
Christmas.

SolderSmoke11.mp3
Two amateur radio experimenters discussing workbench radio projects.
This week: PIC Pong. Coax Traps. Solar powered QRP.

SolderSmoke10.mp3
This week "Einstein's Heroes" - PCB prototyping -
Atmel butterfly - respect for those who do with less.
SolderSmoke9.mp3
This week - Mars Rovers - nano wattmeter - xtal radios - QRP news

SolderSmoke8.mp3
Discussions between two ham radio operators/experimentors
about projects we have currently on our benches.

SolderSmoke7.mp3
Discussions between two ham radio operators/experimentors
about projects we have currently on our benches.

SolderSmoke6.mp3
Ham radio discussions of RF projects that are on our benches.

SolderSmoke5.mp3
Binaural Receiver Crystal ladder filters. 17m DSB xcvr

SolderSmoke4.mp3
This issue : ladder filters, binaural receiver, test equipment

SolderSmoke3.mp3
This issue: "rubbering" ceramic resonators and
the "DC to Daylight binaural receiver"

SolderSmoke2.mp3
Discussions between two amateur radio experimenters about
what is currently on our benches.

SolderSmoke1.mp3
Tech talk between two radio amateurs.
Bill in London and Mike in Juneau meet on the ECHOLINK
VoIP system and discuss their homebrew radio projects.

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