Pay More and Get Less. Flash the Cash!

A friend from the St Louis area and a blog reader in response to our posting the other day sent me two links to projects of old.   (Tnx Pete WB9FLW) One link is for a 1967 QST and the other a publication on "Transistors". The time of publications (1960's) is important for several reasons. These include a time when electronic technology was rapidly advancing, and transistors were taking a more dominant role in our beloved gear. It also represents a time when our hobby was technically grounded and not all about contests and operating. https://www.worldradiohistory.com/INTERNATIONAL/QST/QST-1967-06.pdf https://www.worldradiohistory.com/BOOKSHELF-ARH/Technology/Author-Groups/Donald%20Stoner/Transistor-Transmitters-for-the-Amateur-Donald-Stoner.pdf As I read the QST link I was struck by the ads for the then advanced state of the art radios mixed with home-built gear projects like Solid State CW transmitters, Vacuum Tube SSB Transceivers, Beam Construction and operation on 2 Me...

So, you decided to build the CW transmitter project... good for you but now you need a CW control/keyer and we turn to AI for that piece. This part does not need to be consistent with the constraints document. You can cut and paste the code embedded in the link below. https://copilot.microsoft.com/shares/E3NXGChM6fd1RmTWbswDG Using an Arduino Nano write a sketch for a CW Transmitter controller. Input pins are A0, A1 and A2. Output pins are 4, 5, 6,7 and 12. Got it 👍 — you want an Arduino Nano sketch that uses A0, A1, A2 as inputs and controls digital pins 4, 5, 6, 7, and 12 as outputs for a CW (Continuous Wave) transmitter controller. Here’s a clean, well‑structured example sketch: cpp /* CW Transmitter Controller for Arduino Nano Inputs: A0, A1, A2 Outputs: 4, 5, 6, 7, 12 */ const int inputPins[] = {A0, A1, A2}; const int outputPins[] = {4, 5, 6, 7, 12}; void setup() { // Configure input pins for (int i = 0; i < 3; i++) { pinMode(inputPins[i], INPUT_PULLUP); /...

I get it! No one is interested in building anything at any time nor anymore. But this blog posting should get your interest as this is a possible scenario for 2026 and this you can't avoid. I asked copilot "what is up for 2026"? See you could have built a CW rig. Mike, WN2A did email me about a transmitter he designed that meets our specifications from yesterday. His rig design and project graced the pages of QST so it has a pedigree, and design features we would want in a rig built in 2025! The bonus, designs presented for various bands and good for 20 watts of fire to the wire. OUTLOOK FOR 2026 In 2026, Americans are expected to grapple with major challenges around the economy, political polarization, government dysfunction, and social division. These issues are shaping both daily life and the upcoming midterm elections. 🇺🇸 Key Issues Facing Americans in 2026 💰 Economic Pressures Cost of living & inflation remain top concerns. Polls show voters giving low mark...

So, I had this hairball idea about a challenge project consisting of building a solid-state two (or more) transistor CW transmitter that is constrained by the following. No Michigan Mighty Mites No Circuits from EMRFD No Circuits from Bitx No Si5351 PLL No IC transmitters No 1 transistor rigs... must be at least two transistors No new purchased parts*... Junk Box only No Kits... all scratch built * Bartering parts and used parts found at ham fests are exempt.  It is also OK to use Claude.ai for help. Bonus points for those using Analog VFO's  and for your dining and dancing pleasure a sample of possibilities is shown below. Read the article   So, the why do this has many aspects, including for the 99% who do not homebrew anything a chance to enjoy an exciting aspect of the hobby and you might even learn how to use Morse code.  Who is up for the challenge? BTW this would be a perfect companion to the DCR from N2CQR/KK4DAS.  Just imagine what could be done with tw...

Alert: WSJTX, Win 11, Thetis, Success! The year was late 1966 and I just got back from a second trip (short tour) to Vietnam and also just dumped my girlfriend. (I was subsequently married to her for 57 years until her passing earlier this year). So, what do you do after escaping death for a 2nd time and no strings attached... you get active again on the ham bands. At the time I was living on the beach in Oxnard, in a real dumpy apartment but did have the National NCX-3 that I acquired when I was on Midway. I desperately needed some sort of stealth antenna to get back on the air when I saw an ad in CQ or 73 magazines for a Joystick DX antenna from the UK. This antenna would do everything except mix very dry martinis. I bought one through a US Agent and a month later it shows up. My Joystick (Antenna) looked like the above with rubber caps on each end and the instructions said with the rubber end caps you could lean it against the wall in an apartment and with a short counterpoise essen...

About 40 years ago the answer might have been everyone loves a burger. But today with a greater understanding of healthy eating that is not a unanimous answer. But there is now a sub-text to those who don't indulge and that is cost. [You can stop here as no ham hardware or software has been developed over the last couple of days as my attention has been focused on getting the Windows 11 computer working on WSJTX. But today's topic is right on your dinner table.] I am starting to think about the kids coming over for Christmas and what would that holiday be (in an Italian home) without spaghetti and meatballs. The plan involves cooking the meatballs and freezing them. The principal ingredient is ground beef. That is when sticker shock set in about the cost of ground beef. A quick chat with copilot produced the following. Here’s the graph of the average monthly price of ground beef per pound in the U.S. for 2025. It shows how costs steadily climbed throughout the year, hitting re...