tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3380839830287420877.comments2024-02-29T17:45:10.880-08:00VE7SL - Steve - Amateur Radio BlogSteve McDonaldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06229640265009249231noreply@blogger.comBlogger666125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3380839830287420877.post-85999800384986646732024-02-29T16:33:24.108-08:002024-02-29T16:33:24.108-08:00Just looking at your 630M QSL again. Can't be...Just looking at your 630M QSL again. Can't believe it's been more than 7 yeasrs since our first 630M QSO. I finally got my computer fixed and WSJT working again. Tx for the inspiration. 73 MK VE7CA<br />Markusnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3380839830287420877.post-9324115440815937002024-02-12T19:05:39.796-08:002024-02-12T19:05:39.796-08:00Fabulous Steve !!!Fabulous Steve !!!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3380839830287420877.post-77039510389966632742024-01-27T11:18:06.707-08:002024-01-27T11:18:06.707-08:00Do you mean to physically raise the entire antenna...Do you mean to physically raise the entire antenna off the surface (in which case it is no longer a BOG) or to lift the end termination to ground?Steve McDonaldhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06229640265009249231noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3380839830287420877.post-12815434243749927632024-01-27T05:54:29.553-08:002024-01-27T05:54:29.553-08:00hello
after some experiment I found if you lift t...hello <br />after some experiment I found if you lift the 60m long off the ground the performance are so much better <br />so you know vy 73 elan ea5iwt/g0uutelannoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3380839830287420877.post-18102246910252341182024-01-22T17:15:27.702-08:002024-01-22T17:15:27.702-08:00When coupling two coils I like to keep the directi...When coupling two coils I like to keep the directions oriented the same ... so if coil #1 has its right end grounded then coil #2 is oriented so that its right end is grounded. It may not make a lot of difference as I've never checked compared it the other way. As well, make sure both coils are wound in the same direction. That may not be important as well in circuits like this as compared to a coil in an oscillator. Also, there's nothing to be gained sensitivity-wise by grounding the detector coil's end so if you leave it un-grounded (but still connected to the capacitor), then there's no dilemma as to which end to ground. In some circuits though, you may see some hand-capacity effects with the capacitor frame un-grounded.Steve McDonaldhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06229640265009249231noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3380839830287420877.post-87576232611964281252024-01-22T16:33:04.010-08:002024-01-22T16:33:04.010-08:00I have a question on the “dot” convention/ polarit...I have a question on the “dot” convention/ polarity. I am winding two individual coils to slip over a 1/4” form with two slugs. Does it matter which winding lead goes where? In other words if these two coils are loosely coupled as a “transformer” then on the detector side it seems it must matter which lead of the second winding goes to ground so that “peaking” one side supports the other side? It didn’t matter in the original Heathkit because the coils were pre wound on the form and terminated. You just followed the directions on which lead to wire where. <br />Any suggestions would be welcomed!<br />Thank you<br />351351Mustangnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3380839830287420877.post-30925068673348338842024-01-10T22:40:49.858-08:002024-01-10T22:40:49.858-08:00Can you point me to one directly? That would be wo...Can you point me to one directly? That would be wonderful news. I think most of the Rocket Radios were from Japan back in the 50sSteve McDonaldhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06229640265009249231noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3380839830287420877.post-1056246264665370842024-01-10T21:18:33.481-08:002024-01-10T21:18:33.481-08:00You can still buy those rocket radios. They are m...You can still buy those rocket radios. They are made in China (probably always were) and they are still cheap. Try looking for them on Alibaba or Ali Express. <br />Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3380839830287420877.post-6181193952103012642023-11-02T23:40:46.952-07:002023-11-02T23:40:46.952-07:00I used to look for ndb about 20 years ago. As rece...I used to look for ndb about 20 years ago. As recently as last week I looked around for a few. Think I'll start keeping a log. With the change of seasons and cold weather coming, being inside and warm next to the shortwave is very enjoyable to me. Thanks K5issnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3380839830287420877.post-63943953023823456652023-09-15T11:54:34.866-07:002023-09-15T11:54:34.866-07:00The single-turn antenna link is not connected to t...The single-turn antenna link is not connected to the main coil. The top end of the link connects to the SO-239 center pin and the bottom end goes to ground. On the SW coils, I put the link on the top of the coil form and am able to swing it up or down to vary the coupling.<br /><br />Try to get things working well on the AM BCB first before going higher in frequency. You should hear a LOT of signals using the antenna coupling capacitor input and just a short few feet of wire but anything like a longwire will be better with a smaller coupling capacitor. Feel free to e-mail me directly rather than via the blog comments which I could easily miss.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3380839830287420877.post-21713453578765611372023-09-14T18:50:05.238-07:002023-09-14T18:50:05.238-07:00Still in the process of making my “Neophyte” recei...Still in the process of making my “Neophyte” receiver operational. I added the recommended single turn on the coil to accommodate antenna input to an SO239. My question is where the bottom of the single turn was to be connected to the top of L1 which would make sense but doesn’t seem to change anything. Going to ground is the alternative. I was also going to try to replace the 10pf antenna input cap with a 15pf variable cap that was the antenna input cap to an ARC-5 receiver. Even though I have isolated it from ground, touching its knob mutes the receiver. I may put the 10pf disc cap back in. So far, haven’t heard anything on it before adding the antenna input winding, but haven’t been able to connect it to an outside antenna. WA9GUSAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3380839830287420877.post-40749845443921558362023-08-18T23:06:56.123-07:002023-08-18T23:06:56.123-07:00https://qsl.net/ve7sl/neophyte1.pdfhttps://qsl.net/ve7sl/neophyte1.pdfAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3380839830287420877.post-56417645754465797612023-08-18T23:04:17.424-07:002023-08-18T23:04:17.424-07:00Hello WA9GUS. The article on my main web site has ...Hello WA9GUS. The article on my main web site has a link to the original article but I’ll provide it again for you below. The coil used will cover 40m but it is not critical as the coil winding data will depend on the diameter of whatever form you choose. Since I chose old bakelite tube bases, I wound for the inductance needed to cover the bands needed with my particular capacitor so it’s best just to calculate for your own case. It’s very easy especially if you have something that you can measure inductance with. There is a LOT of audio that comes from the audio stage so you really don’t need another AF amp for the Neophyte and if you do add one then it’s no longer a Neophyte ;-)<br />Good luck with your project and I hope you have as much fun as I’ve had with mine!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3380839830287420877.post-53180737334384978392023-08-18T22:47:35.054-07:002023-08-18T22:47:35.054-07:00I am in the process of building a Neophyte 1 Recei...I am in the process of building a Neophyte 1 Receiver but have been unsuccessful to find the details for the winding of coil L1. Can you assist? I am primarily building it for 40M. I am adding a 6AQ5 audio amplifier. de WA9GUSAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3380839830287420877.post-21460209243328782722023-07-07T09:13:34.532-07:002023-07-07T09:13:34.532-07:00Yes, the ionosphere, weather, propagation don'...Yes, the ionosphere, weather, propagation don't seem to be behaving "normally" these days. What has been labled Climate Change is a phrase often heard. Considering the motives of the global organizations pushing this, I dismiss that narrative as it appears to be a means to consolidate control rather than hard science. I'm more inclined to believe we should look in the direction of the use of very advanced levels of technology being applied to our world by well funded entities, acting in their own interests, that are globally disrupting nature itself. As "tech" people, we shouldn't have too much difficulty realizing that the level of technology in every field of endeavor, has taken a quantum leap in the past few decades. If you doubt my position on the probable source of all the "disruption" to nature, consider this: To quote a former Director of Lockheed Skunkworks, he stated in a speech in 1994... "We already have the means to travel among the stars, but these technologies are locked up in black projects and it would take an act of God to ever get them out to benefit humanity. Anything you can imagine, we already know how to do". The current level of physics is well beyond what most of us believe it is.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3380839830287420877.post-91783867778316569512023-05-17T16:32:42.649-07:002023-05-17T16:32:42.649-07:00I wouldn’t doubt that Chuck although the 25 watter...I wouldn’t doubt that Chuck although the 25 watters can bang-in pretty good at the right time of the year. I used to hear OO in Oshawa, Ontario, back here in BC fairly regularly and the guy that maintains it srnt me a photo taken of its power output meter showing 7.5W … the magic of radio still has its hold on me even as these NDB slowly go away.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3380839830287420877.post-26110813516905133832023-05-17T14:04:19.052-07:002023-05-17T14:04:19.052-07:00There are only 30-35 NDBs left in the continental ...There are only 30-35 NDBs left in the continental U.S. with a transmit power of 100 watts or more. Both the boomers nearest me (CLB and DIW) are off the air. The FAA is constantly decommissioning NDBs. Between this and the ever-rising noise floor, it is getting very difficult to DX NDBs.Chuck Tillhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15855060003411813328noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3380839830287420877.post-52105095876080152702023-02-22T15:56:56.247-08:002023-02-22T15:56:56.247-08:00Thank you -- great blog post OM, 73'sThank you -- great blog post OM, 73'sAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3380839830287420877.post-32186513933467791272023-01-11T19:48:39.996-08:002023-01-11T19:48:39.996-08:00Thanks Steve. Good info. Happy 2023!Thanks Steve. Good info. Happy 2023!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3380839830287420877.post-55497838520224781132022-12-12T18:00:16.242-08:002022-12-12T18:00:16.242-08:00Thanks Steve. One guesses that the SS-8000 was to ...Thanks Steve. One guesses that the SS-8000 was to atone for the SB-104 fiasco. I operated an SB-104 a few years ago at UBC. I remember the 104's introduction in the Heath catalogs. This young red-blooded kitbuilder drooled. Good thing I couldn't afford it.<br /><br />Inside the SB-104 was a shielded crate with equal size plug-in boards. Much like an old S-100 micro. The boards did not have gold edge fingers but pins and headers. In my specimen the pins had oxidized. The VFO was conventional despite the digital add-on. The variable cap in the VFO was also oxidized, so the CW note was rough on both receive and transmit.<br /><br />By comparison, 1970s Japanese rigs like my Kenwood TS-520 avoided plug-ins. There were many boards in them, but they were hard-wired. The Japanese eventually developed a reliable header system so you could remove boards more easily.<br /><br />The matching power supply was a simple circuit with 2 pass transistors and a huge heat sink. Two was considered enough for hams; early Icom synthesized HF rigs were sold with similar supplies -- only 2 pass devices for almost 20 amp capability.<br /><br />That the SS-8000 was to be an Japanese offshore build doesn't surprise me. All the bad SB-104's coming in must have driven the Benton Harbor rebuild department verging on implosion.<br /><br />UBC's SB-104 was donated by the E.E. department which had acquired it for some forgotten non-ham purpose. We stored it with the rest of the assets when we disbanded the UBC club in 2020.<br /><br />- Dan VE7DESAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3380839830287420877.post-21387123045433207672022-11-21T18:20:02.024-08:002022-11-21T18:20:02.024-08:00I want one. :-)I want one. :-)Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3380839830287420877.post-7403463252802396382022-11-19T12:52:03.672-08:002022-11-19T12:52:03.672-08:00It was a Yaesu something-or-other. Looked nice (sa...It was a Yaesu something-or-other. Looked nice (saw one in a Heathkit store once), but I couldn't afford it.Cliff - WA0JTWnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3380839830287420877.post-44190893888868504212022-11-16T09:56:01.057-08:002022-11-16T09:56:01.057-08:00I have, but probably based on the same origin stor...I have, but probably based on the same origin story.<br /><br />Heathkit's last ham transceiver wasn't a kit, or not by much, and was actually a Japanese rig, I forget what. It was clear kits were in the past.Michaelhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13699701261288661640noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3380839830287420877.post-11978518490255121822022-11-09T18:53:48.060-08:002022-11-09T18:53:48.060-08:00very blog good sir. helpful.very blog good sir. helpful.Regishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01167705087300662414noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3380839830287420877.post-34570590610680715602022-11-03T19:55:38.710-07:002022-11-03T19:55:38.710-07:00Hey Roy, nice catch considering how poor condx hav...Hey Roy, nice catch considering how poor condx have been of late. Do you have any interest in getting on 630m by chance. VE4 is sadly missing from the band. You’d be a very popular fellow I can assure you!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com