Left Coast Political Scene

  A Time Long Ago, Things Were Different. As a homebrewer (starting back in the early 1950's with a CK722 transistor) I find that today we have lost an important insight into what we do. I didn't; but many have. Gone is the quest to learn new things and to strike out on our own. Frequent emails to me ask where is the circuit board or send me the Gerber Files. That gives rise to several questions. So why do you need a circuit board and  Why can't you design one yourself? The same applies to Arduino Sketches and Code. Typically, most rigs are not totally dependent on just one set of software to run the radio. The problem maybe is that to write code, one would really have to know something beyond asking for the circuit board. I really don't have any special radio skills. But what I do have is some processes to attack problems and processes to approach a new radio project.  I call it noodling and there is a lot of research that I do up front. The last thing I do is to turn ...

  The PSSST is on "hackaday" https://hackaday.com/2021/11/20/pssst-heres-a-novel-ssb-radio-design-with-only-seven-transistors/     Hackaday Yes! The PSSST has "street creds" as it has been recognized by a well-read blog post. To The Tribes (BITX, TIA, EMRFD, Nano VNA and Facebook groups) it is posted there without having a link to one of your Tribes. OMG, somebody went around the Tribal system of group recognition. But there is a huge problem with our hobby, and that is how we view things and worst of all what we have become. So far there are two comments on "hackaday" there may be more by now. I suspicion that the two posters belong to The Tribes (BITX, TIA, EMRFD, Nano VNA or Facebook groups) as this is what they posted. Later Input as there now are over 6 comments and one in particular has me scratching my head. The commenter denigrated the design as using musty old parts and the PC Board with squares was like doing brain surgery with a rusty spoon. But...

  Talk About Jaw Dropping! https://www.n6qw.com/PSSST_20.html With only 7 transistors I keep being amazed by the performance of this Jewel! Yes, it is like a Crown Jewel and I regret not using the Steerable IF Module (shown below) in other projects. This will now become a staple of future projects. [ November 13, 2021. I now think you can do it with SIX (06)  transistors. If we steer the Mic Amp with two more relays, we now can also use it as the Audio Pre-Amp as it is exactly the same circuit. Scroll to the end. So OK the challenge --can we do it with just 5 Transistors?] Here is what makes this unique and it wasn't until I made a block diagram that I realized the impact of the design.   The initial thoughts on this IF Module were that it would be steered between two ADE-1 DBM's depending upon whether it was receiving or transmitting as shown below with the ADE-1's. In Receive, the signal is steered to the input side of the IF Module from the Rx Tx Mixer stage wherein th...

  Meet the PSSST! Pete's Simple Seven SSB Transceiver (PSSST) [A Plug for Jameco Electronics and My Story ] Documented QSO The PSSST ~ You know when we want to get someone's attention we go "PSSST". Well it also is an acronym abbreviation for " Pete's Simple Seven SSB Transceiver !" Did I get your attention? I have posted videos of how the receiver portion sounds on crowded bands and hopefully you have been impressed. I was!  My work involved NO bilateral circuits, NO TIA amps, it has not been published QEX and there are no Facebook groups and neither are there any group.io lurkers to make snarky comments. The band of choice is 20 Meters The best part there are only 7 transistors in the whole rig. Five of the transistors are 2N2222A's along with one 2N2219A and one IRF510. The power output is 4 watts and I have a confirmed "1st contact" (DX no less to Canada @ 1200 miles). [I now have a RD006HHF1 in the mix versus the IRF510 and have made a...

A Minimalist SSB Transceiver? November 6th Update.  Listen to the CQ WW CW Contest. Can your radio hold up in a crowded band with lots of strong signals? **** Now with a Color TFT display! 11/05/21 First Receive and Transmit tests. Very Promising... HD8R is an Expedition to the Galapagos Islands! 11/04/21 Just as there is a difference between a 29A and a 44DD, the replacement homebrew audio amp for the eBay module certainly points the direction and stands out in a crowd. It is superb sounding with the final device being the the LM-380N-8. This will be in the final design. The 1st Sounds of the Minimalist SSB Transceiver. I held the phone up to the earbuds to make the recording. C Change - The eBay amplifier module is underwhelming in its performance. I will have to sub in one of my homebrew modules. But this is encouraging! It does have a formal name but not a YL's name.  These days I seem to be reflecting on the past and harken back to 1959 with an analogy. So in 1959 (I was ...

A "New Project" and it is not another homebrew solid state SSB Transceiver! I have been posting information about dBm and Ferrite/Iron Powdered cores with the calculations for turns and inductance. That was no accident that it was posted. Thus you are well ahead if you were able to follow that series. So we have a couple of facts --it is not solid state, it is not SSB and it is not a transceiver. That sure narrowed the field down (by a lot). But it is a method of generating RF and it is usable for communication purposes. Start scouring your junk box, your friend's junk box, eBay, Antique Electronic Supply, radiodaze.com and amazon for a list of parts that will be found on this link. (to be provided). We will endeavor to provide a insight into this homebrew project that goes well beyond whipping out your H4 and measuring SWR. I hope to cover some theory on why it works (lightly of course) and to share TKT's not previously exposed. [Ok you forgot, a TKT is a Tribal Know...

The Next Project a DSB Transceiver! 2nd Series of Tests of the MC1496 DSB Generator 7/11/2021 The Carrier Input Level is on the Critical Path and Affects Carrier Suppression!   Pete N6QW Some Pasta Pete photos from the 4th of July Cookout! This was Dinner for 4.5 (Four Adults plus my 8 month old Granddaughter. She had some of the grilled Salmon and enjoyed it using her new two front teeth!) A link to a Compendium of Information on DSB Transmitters from N2CQR So Ok you lack skills and lack experience in building stuff ! Thusly, here is your chance to overcome those shortcomings by building a simple VOICE transceiver only it is double sideband. Think of it as an AM Signal with no carrier.  Double Sideband (DSB) is an authorized form of amateur transmission and so rebuff any claims from the FLEX guys that you can't use that radio here -- to the contrary -- it can be used any place where phone operation is authorized! They are just plain jealous that they had to spend $6K to put ...

  Why is this a different Rig? Well it is isn't different from many other rigs I have built. The Tried and True Plessey Amp stage is installed on either side of a packaged crystal filter and life moves  on with a standard bi-lateral IF module. This time the amps are fabricated using SMD 1206 sized components and the FT-23-43 cores.   The 2N2219 is used in the Bi-Directional Amp stage as well as the Driver Stage. The Final is an IRF510. The Mic Amp is a 2N3904 and the Audio Amp a 2N3904 with a LM-380N-8. The Nano/S-5351 provides the LO and BFO and this one has the larger ILI9341 Display. The physical size is 6X8X2.75 inches. I made an error when I cut the 1st front panel but with a bit of aluminum expanded metal to cover the hole it is now the back panel. It looks like I was trying to pay attention to provide ventilation -- Nope --just repurposing some material. I am looking to build a N6QW version of the Spillsbury Tindall SBX-11A Some very clever ham suggested this ...