N6QW -- Left Coast Radio

  Like a broken record I keep saying my time is very limited. This in turn leaves little time for new builds, but instead I have been hitting the "shelf of shame" and actually fixing some radios that are broken or never did work right. This presents some special problems as there often is a significant time lapse when I last worked with the rig. Thus, what I did previously often is a mystery that has to be unraveled. A second larger and perhaps more dangerous malady is the case where I did not follow a standard layout. Hookup often follows muscle memory which by wrote is for the standard.  Using an IF Module has worked very well for me. In a recent post I think I shared there were 7 different topologies for this module. Here is one using the Plessey approach (2N3904 & 2N3906) only fully SMD. Deft Hands and Headband Magnifier is the order of the day. The Cores are FT-23-43 Typically, in my IF Modules I have the Band Pass Filter on the right-hand edge and right near that is

Summer brings all sorts of wonderful opportunities. Some involve ham radio and some focus on the food consumed in the summer months. Things like watermelon and corn on the cobb or the tons of burnt burgers cooked on a charcoal grill.  This definitely would not get Mary Jo into the back seat of the 57VW Bug! I mention foodie stuff because non-contest ham radio this weekend will be a bust with Field Day. So, if you just want some friendly QSO's forget it until next Monday. This might be a good time, if not participating in Field Day to think about station accessories. I am often surprised that many stations do not have an in line SWR bridge. If you were smart enough to ditch EMRFD and acquire SSDRA, you can find some nice designs for homebrewing a SWR bridge.  For those who do not fear the Arduino you can do some code modification to include a Tune Up functionality built into the code. Typically, all of the code I develop has a Tune capability. So why would you need a Tune function i

CQ FD, CQ FD. The station calling me, you are 5X9. Please repeat your call several times so I can log you. Yes, that was a part of an exchange in a recent Field Day. That IS a case of Brown Shoes with a Black Tuxedo! Field Day is upon us -- are you ready? Did you buy the several cases of Rolling Rock Beer, the three boxes of antiacid, Beano for the Spicy Chili and Bratwurst, a gallon of mosquito repellant, a new cell phone charger, SPF 100 sun block and loose pants. Don't forget the air wick and toilet paper for the Porta Potty. Long ago, JIC (just in case) if Mary Jo showed up mustn't forget some Bob's Big Boy Hamburgers. This is a wonderful photo of a 112-inch military style (I didn't say military grade) folding whip antenna. This has the makings of a neat antenna system whether for FD or POTA/SOTA operations.  I have one and Lauren Sanchez's boyfriend (Bezos) carries these at a cost of $45. They are well made and with some base loading coils and a matching netwo

So, you have this project, it uses an Arduino or Raspberry Pi or maybe even a plain old LC VFO and now you need to have some sort of readout.    3 Inch Color TFT   You are now faced with a menu from a Chinese Restaurant. One choice from Column A and perhaps two from Column B, capped off with a single choice from Column C. Yes, that is the dilemma. The LC VFO in the old days could be mated with a combo Vernier Drive and semi-circular dial scale where you hand printed the frequency info on the scales. National and James Millen made such units.  James Millen Drive and Dial Mechanism Today's version is a 3X5 File Card marked with a fat black sharpie pen. Crude is a great word! Or if uptown you could use one of those packaged LED counters that can be offset by the IF. (San Jian about $15 for a six-digit unit.) Besides whom in the proper frame of mind would use an LC VFO when the Digital VFO is so much better. Moving to the Digital Side we have the Chinese Menu. At the shared top tier, w

A shift from vacuum tubes to solid state also created a seismic change in how we built things. Some of us witnessed that change firsthand especially in things like a chassis and cases. Want sticker shock go look at Jeff Bezos website and search on aluminum chassis?    Certainly, some of that cost is in the metal as often the aluminum is from offshore. But another is the old supply and demand. Of course, one answer today for one aspect is the 3D printing of plastic cases but another may be this jewel.     An 18-Inch-Wide Metal Break~ Harbor Freight My shop has one of these and today's price is about $45 but long ago this was only $27 when I bought it. Now you will need some things like large C Clamps and some short pieces of metal to bend small parts, but you can build a chassis or case using this very tool -- I did. Also, Home Depot sells galvanized metal flashing really cheap which is the source metal.   350VDC Power Supply   Now not everyone who home-brews will need a HV power s

It is a siren's call! It is burning a hole in your pocket and almost as good as Mary Jo after a feast on a Bob's Big Boy Hamburger. So yesterday was Father's Day and I announced that if any presents should pass on to me that the wording Amazon Gift Card should appear somewhere. That worked well! Maybe blog readers were clever enough to use my ploy and you too have some gift cards.  So now I am flush with resources and a visit to Amazon produced this jewel . This 50 Watt CB "leenear" good from 3 to 30 MHz can be had for $70. It has two (not one but two) 5 Star ratings.  This is certainly tantalizing especially with the ARRL Field Day coming next weekend. Or you POTA, SOTA, IOTA guys can get the Xiegu GC106 and with BJ-200 operate at 50 Watts from that exotic location. But just like a blonde hottie likely the looks belie what may be under the hood. There are some telling things just from the outset -- so before you flash your Amazon Gift Cards -- what are you buying

  A 40M CW Transceiver. I call this a "regret rig" as this jewel had some really nice features. It was a Trans-receiver and used a Varactor Tuned Oscillator which was shared between the Receiver and Transmitter.  The receiver is a Superheterodyne with a 4 pole filter and of course the now unobtanium 42IF123 10.7 MHz IF transformers (BPF) padded down to 40M. It had a IRF510 in the output stage and a sprinkle of NE602's for the Product Detector and Transmit Mixer. Single Sided Copper Vector Board was used as the main circuit board.   Now the regret part. I gave this to a new ham who had no station equipment. In short order he smoked it and then salvaged the parts.   This design was not documented and few photos were taken. It was a small footprint and operated much like Mary Jo after a Bob's Big Boy Hamburger.    I believe in trying to help out fellow hams, but my eagerness must be tempered with what I call an appreciation factor.    The new ham just didn't apprecia

  Often, I get emails from hams who have seen my videos or found the blog and will ask questions regarding radios/rigs I have worked on. One showed up yesterday from a ham in one of the Scandinavian countries. It involved a Ten Tec Model 544. I have some videos on You Tube covering several Ten Tec Radios and that is, I guess, how he found me. Here is summary of one of the problems. The radio receives on 8oM but does not transmit on 80M and when in transmit there is no indication of power output either at the antenna or on the meter. But if you open up the power level it trips the circuit breaker. I should mention that Ten Tec Triton series radios are some of my favorite radios to operate and to repair. The reason is simple as the radios are built by using plug in modules and the service manual likewise is set up on a module basis. Pins on the modules actually let you look at key test points.   The Triton radios are intended to operate with a circuit breaker in line (or built in) with t

The Paesano a 20M QRP SSB Transceiver with the updated electret microphone pre-amp stage    Yesterday's post dealt with the electret microphone pre-amp circuit. This is a follow on to show the Paesano in an on the air QSO with the new Microphone pre-amp.  Typically, my videos display the radio in the receive state which suggests if it receives good it transmits good. This video showcases the transmit side. Whatever this ham is on (maybe medication side effects as he alludes to a medical condition) it sure makes him happy. Or maybe what he is taking is purely medicinal. Not the best radio I have built but certainly is "good enough". 73's Pete N6QW 

The D-104 Microphone from Astatic was the Gold Standard for microphones dating back to the 1930's. The D-104 AKA the Lollipop was huge and had an air of dominance. It typically had a crystal cartridge and the wonderful Grip to Talk stand. Later during the CB craze the power microphone version with the built in preamp in the base was the choice of the 10-4 Good Buddy crowd.  Now days electret microphones have all but replaced most of old standards like the D-104 and the Shure 444.  [ Excerpt from Whackypeedia resource is as follows:   An electret  microphone  whose  diaphragm  forms a  capacitor  (historically-termed a  condenser ) that incorporates an  electret . The electret's permanent  electric dipole  provides a constant  charge   Q  on the capacitor.  Sound waves  move the diaphragm, changing the  capacitance   C , which produces a corresponding  voltage  change across the capacitor of  Δ V  =  Q / Δ C . [1]   The electret's constant charge eliminates the need for the

Invariably almost an afterthought your antenna is the critical piece of the system more so than your rig. I have two antennas at the N6QW QTH and in reality, only one that works. Let's talk about the one that from the git go was a disappointment. That one is a two-element beam (10/15/20M) from Mosely. I bought this one because a local ham (about 500 feet away from me) installed one. This is the TA-32 Junior which was factory modified with a high-power driven element so it could do legal limit. I have a 20M Homebrew 3CPX1500A7 amp that can do legal limit (and a bit more). The nearby neighbor bought the stock TA-32 and has had no problems. The beam is mounted on a 33-foot Spider pole and sits 16 feet above the roof.  The whole system was well engineered with a sturdy base and house bracket plus being guyed. It has survived some 70mph winds. It just never seemed like a beam. I purchased good quality Coax from DX Engineering, and the bottom mounted rotor is from Yaesu the G450.  After