MAPA = Make America Poor Again! A Lame Duck is nothing more than a Left-Over Turkey!

Today I want to cover my Ham Radio plans for this year. When I worked for a living, I often reflected on the saying: If you fail to plan, then you plan to fail.  This saying has given me pause to reflect on things I would like to do with the ham radio hobby in 2026. For certain, the building of another SSB radio is off the table. However, one thing for certain is to work on antennas.   My Mosley Tri-Band beam has proven to be a piece of crap, and I heartily recommend never buy a Mosely Antenna! It worked for one year and died. I put no more than 600 watts into the beam, and yet it is rated for legal limit. I suspect trap failure, and a new set of traps is >$300. Buying a new set of traps would not insure a working antenna. Even when it worked it was marginal at best. For about $800 I could install a multiband Hex Beam, but I would have to get a lot of help to do that as I don't climb ladders anymore.  Another goal is to continue the purge of commercial ham gear. The lo...

In the early days of our hobby some form of comparative signal reporting evolved. In those days signal reports were at the top of the list. Consider that the rigs were homebrewed often running 20 watts or less and literally all stations were using wire antennas and no beams.  The RST system became the standard with R being readability and S being signal strength and T for tone. I am not sure how the exact factors were derived but 599 was the best signal you could have. Mind you the Mode was CW for a period of time until phone was invented and then the T was dropped. The T component was there because many stations were using marginal power supplies and the Tone sounded like a Buzz saw.  With phone operation, the RS was modified so that a 5X9 was not the ne plus ultra and a certain signal level (S9) was accurately given a value, and soon very strong signals could be 5X9 + 20 for 20dB over S9, where S9 was a calculated numeric value. I marvel how in contests where a hardly heard ...

  Simlpleceiver SSB Transceiver V2 As I was sorting through some storage boxes, I found this rig tucked away in a corner. Less than 130 cubic inches it represents one of my better builds. The rig features three sets of Dual Gate MOSFETs built from two J310's that simulate the DGM. A later (and current) configuration replaces the small red Push Button with a toggle switch so that you can toggle to the 40M FT-8 frequency to see if there is any band activity. On the Air! Search this blog for the Simpleceiver where there is information on the original V.0 and V.1 and how these formed the basis of this final rig.  Yes, it is totally homebrew and not a kit and so not everyone's cup of tea. But there is much to be said for projects like this one that takes advantage of the current technology and in many ways advances the state of the art. Worldwide less than 1% of hams homebrew their radios and that is OK... we have a big tent.  Check your homeowner's insurance and see if you go...

The 1st week of 2026 has been a huge disaster as I have received bills for insurances that reflect astronomical cost increases. Not only health insurance but homeowner and auto insurance have been affected. I spent about a half hour on the phone with my homeowner insurance carrier yesterday morning trying to understand the 35% increase in my homeowner's insurance over 2025. Part of the increase was the result of the Palisades fire that occurred a year ago... about 40 miles from me. But an equal part of that increase was man made by you know who. It seems the tariffs he loves have dramatically impacted the cost of construction materials. It is basic economics. My home did not increase in value (still a small sized CA home) but the materials to replace that structure did... in direct response to his tariffs and puerile antics. Being retired and on a fixed income, any significant increase in health insurance costs and homeowners, insurance costs make for a strenuous monthly budget jug...

I received an email for the sketch for this project yesterday and since this was built 10 years ago, maybe some interest today. For our 8 Day to Extra Class License hams this should all make sense to you. You  Too Can Build A Junk Box SSB XCVR! 8/31/2016 Results Update 8/31/2016 -- Photos of the Boards Added This is one great radio and following my success at 500 Milli-watts I added the output stage using a 2SC2075 where I am getting about 3 Watts PEP with the device biased for 100 Ma. This in turn can drive my SB-200 to about 45 watts output. With my backyard droopy dipole on 8/30 I worked stations in Arkansas and Texas running 45 watts. So, I am pleased.   At this point I am torn between putting it in a box or just leaving it "junk style" on the bench. I fear taking it apart may ruin the magic of what has been done so far. Of course, if it goes into a box, it will get the Juliano Blue treatment.   I am really impressed at how well the receiver is working and p...