The delay was caused by my being at SolderSmoke Shack South and not having an Audacity audio editor in my ancient Chrome book. Thanks to Dean KK4DAS for doing the editing, and for stripping the audio from the YouTube video. I am getting a better computer so things should be back to normal soon.
Here is the link to the audio podcast:
http://soldersmoke.com/soldersmoke252.mp3
-- This is the first podcast from SolderSmoke Shack South: Eastern tip of Island of Hispaniola. Cap Cana, DR, 70 feet up, 1 mile from Mona Channel. Seventh floor shack with view of the ocean. Antennas: Dipoles for now, maybe Moxons or Hex later. STARLINK
- The San Francisco case against me. One guy thinks we DESERVE prosecution! Get off of my lawn!
But one fellow wrote letter to the mayor asking for leniency. Proposes "Bill Meara Day in SF." FB! I fell victim myself this year: Mike WU2D got me with WA1HLR on SSB video. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NLvCNJ_OnEc
-- Dean: Fighting a spur in the sBITX. Filters?
-- Dean: Exploring Class A, Class AB and the RD06HHF1
-- Dean: Extensive work on getting flat gain from FETs up through 10 meters.
-hh- Dean and Bill: OIP3 measurement and setting the bias on an RD06HHF1
-- Pete: Discovers for all of us "RF Man" In spite of all the CB stuff, he is the THE MAN! On YouTube:https://www.youtube.com/@rfmanchannel6915
-- Pete fixes Dean's relay chattering problem: SUBTHRESHOLD CONDUCTION! Yikes!
-- Pete's refurb and rejuvenation of the Drake Twins,
-- MXM news. New docs, and ads from WD5L. All on the blog. 7030 crystals. Why MXM? Chuck Adam's mods, Joh DL6ID's questions about VFO. Yes! VFO from RX. Was Bruce Williams an early Swan Designer?
-- Weird paradox with 25 MHz filter: Low profile xtals have higher Q, but produce more rounded passbands. Why? I note that Minima's 20 MHz filter also had curved passband.
-- Allison's wisdom on filters at higher frequencies. The importance of physical layout. Diodes in the dark! It is indeed more difficult up there. But don't let the perfct be the enemy of the good!
-- Is Bill the only one to ever build a 10-15 Dual Bander using a 25 MHz crystal filter. Why? Farhan's Minima has a 20 MHz 6 pole QER crystal filter. And it too had a rounded passband. But it tooc WORKED.
-- Did my receiver sound tinny due to rising frequency response of uBITX Rev 4 amp? Yes! So I put in a TJ DC RX Af amp.
-- Bill BLOWS UP a Tiny SA Ultra. Ooops. But quickly got a new one from R&L Electronics. Very, very useful. I knew 25 MHz IF rigs were inferior, but by how much? How much was the carrier suppressed? Which filters worked better? What was the opposite sideband rejection. TinySA permitted measurement and comparison.
-- Bill quit 15 meter SSB (for a moment) and went to the 1.22 nanometer band with a Wilson Clound Chamber. Videos on the blog.
SHAMELESS COMMERCE: Thanks to new Patreon sponsors. I am sending some additional video content to the sponsors.
MAILBAGg
-- Thanks to Bob Crane W8SX for FDIM interviews. I will get them out!
--Wes -- W7ZOI has a new TIA amp with variable gain on his web site: https://w7zoi.net/
-- Geoff N6GWB's Rad Receiver https://soldersmoke.blogspot.com/2024/04/the-rad-receiver-from-n6gwb.html
-- Dave K1KA sent Ensemble RTX SDR parts. Thanks Dave.
-- Chuck Adams AA7FO provided good background on my MXM rig, including the meaning of MXM (1990) . Again, great to hear from Chuck, a true homebrew hero.
-- Gerardo HI8P collecting info on the other HI8P, my friend Pericles (SK)
-- Alvin N5VZH picked up a Silktronix CB VFO. What to do?
-- Jorgen SM4WWG listening from Sweden, and making PCBs. FB!
-- Mike WN2A Wondered about opposite sideband rejection of MXM. Not great.
-- George WB5OYP loaned me a book from Elmer Bucher. THE Elmer? https://k9zw.wordpress.com/2020/01/24/on-the-origins-of-elmer-a-reasonable-theory/
-- Wes W7ZOI, Farhan VU2ESE -- Thanks for help on filter issue. Thanks too to Alan W2AEW and G3UUR
-- Josh G3MOT -- Nice message of support in our "struggle" with SF authorities. Going portable to Vancouver island in August. VE7/G3MOT
-- Paul VK3HN -- Antipodean solidarity. Thanks Paul.
-- Rogier PA1ZZ -- great input and help. Thanks
-- Tony G4WIF reminded me of G3ROO's parasets. See Blog
-- Pavel CO7WT His experiences (building, freezing, heating) the VFO in the Jaguey DSB rig.
-- Grayson KJ7UM Sent latest ER with his Collins 51S-1 story. Thanks Grayson.
-- Allison KB1GMX Commiserating on higher freq crystal filters. Thanks Allison
-- Wes W4JYK Notes that Dewey, Cheatam and Howe are based in SF. Can they help with sticky sticker problem?
Audio: http://soldersmoke.com/soldersmoke251.mp3
Travelouge: Dean goes to the North Pole to see Aurora.
A CBLA Call to Arms!
Winterfest. Lots of goodies. MXM Industries 40 meter transceiver. 1 dollar.
Legal Trouble: Could put us out of operation for a while. We need listener input.
Pete's Bench
Homebrew SDR (based on Zl2CTM’s original design) and how good it sounds.
Raspberry Pi Zero W is now working on FT-8 with digital adapter.
Ferrite Cores at Digi-Key (a replacement for the FT-37-43 where you buy 100 and the price is 21 cents/each)
ADE-6 –great specs in HF but more expensive than the ADE-1
For Pete's recent blog posts, go to this site and click on "Archive" in the right column:
https://n6qw.blogspot.com/2024/03/march-31-2924-happy-easter-to-those-who.html
----------------
Dean's Bench
sBITX progress, McGyver-ing a lifted pad, replacing crystal on the CODEC board, sBITX success! See:
https://kk4das.blogspot.com/2024/03/homebrew-sbitx-tx-modules-pa-lpf-and-mic.html
--------------------
Shameless Commerce Division: Please use the Amazon link on the blog to start your Amazon purchases. And please consider using Patreon to support the podcast and blog. We try to send extra content to our Patreon supporters. Mostly DIY RF -- Boards, Kits and Pete's PSSST
---------------------
Bill's Bench
More trouble with the 15-10 rig. Rounded passbands in 25 MHz filter. See figure 4 in both links:
https://www.arrl.org/files/file/QEX_Next_Issue/Nov-Dec_2009/QEX_Nov-Dec_09_Feature.pdf
https://www.networksciences.com/pdfs/tutorial.pdf
Experimenting with Balanced Mixers and Product Detectors. Paul VK3HN Suggests the MC1496 chip; Walter KA4KXX points to SSDRA circuits
But it is on the air! Using the PA from a BITX40 module and an RD06.
Put an OLD dial from Pericles HI8P on 15-10 version 1. Soul in the new machine.
Grayson KJ7UM's Hollowstate video.
Mike WU2D's amazing 10 meter DSB transceiver.
Jack AI4SV (Dhaka Jack) liked video of recent QSO with AzoresDSB rig
Mike AA1TJ and Dave AA7EE on backwaves and 100 uW QRPpppp
Dave G3UUR on my curved passband problem
Alan W2AEW heard my only QSO with the MXM indsutries SupeRX/TX40
Wes W7ZOI, Mike WN2A, Walter KA4KXX. Farhan VU2ESE on passband,
Ramakrishnan sent article about Charles Proteus Steinmetz. Beautiful.
Justin AC8LV built a receiver! FB.
San Francisco QRP: KDOFNR TouCans Rig, and N6ASD Zinc-Oxide TX
Frank KC8JJL -- Another guy who heard first ham sigs from a homebrew rig.
Nate KA1MUQ's homebrew thermatron superhet
Dino KL0S sent info on the PAL CB VFO I picked up at Winterfest. Airborne!
Bob W8SX will be once again doing SolderSmoke interviews at Dayton. Thanks Bob
Peter VK2EMU Always good to hear from him.
Tobias Feltus -- Wisdom teeth removed, wondering if he will get sBITX hallucinations...
Rick WD5L continues to work on his Herring Aid 5
Ciprian YO6DXE wants to learn CW. No alerts from his FB Blog!
Todd K7TFC -- Likes CW, says it eliminates the Blah-Blah-Blah
Login