So I’ve taken the plunge into the strange and magnificent world of Twitter. I resisted it for a while because I didn’t see much value in it, but I’m starting to get what the hype is all about. One area where I will freely admit that I have a weakness is in keeping up with… Read More All Twitterpated
This is where I get to blow off some steam about this ungodly weather we have been having. Warning: cabin fever is setting in. The weather forecasters have not been doing a very good job with this one. We got socked with a good bit of snow on Saturday but they assured us that the… Read More Blizzak, Lord of the Snowpocalypse, Destroys Portland
As I mentioned in a previous post, I did the calculations to change the AF filter in the Willamette from a low-pass filter with a 3.3 kHz cutoff to a peaked low-pass filter with a cutoff frequency nearer to 1 kHz. I finally got around to implementing the mod last night and got a chance… Read More Willamette AF Filter Mod
Sorry about the dearth of posting on the blog lately, been busy with two things: work and another web project. That other web project is a reincarnation of QRPedia, a failed QRP wiki. This time, I’ve reconfigured the site using a CMS. Accounts are open to anyone, and being a member will give you the… Read More QRPedia 2.0
I finally got the proper binocular ferrite cores that I needed to build the W8DIZ 5 watt amp correctly. You can see my previous post on this amplifier here. In my last post, I noted that I was seeing some strangeness in the drive level circuitry. I found that I had a very bad connection… Read More W8DIZ 5 Watt CW Amplifier Analysis
I concur with Bill at SolderSmoke: MAKE Magazine was skirting way too much over into the “knitting needle” side of things. Thankfully, they have redeemed themselves with their recent videos on the LED, and now the lowly resistor. This video probably won’t teach any of you something new about resistors, but it’s great to see… Read More MAKE Redeems Itself Again
A few days ago, W8DIZ made a post on qrp-l.org announcing a new addition to his RF Toolkits line. This one is a 5 watt CW amplifier using a push-pull 2SC5739 pair as the PA (my new favorite full QRP gallon transistor). I built my own version of the circuit using parts that I had… Read More W8DIZ 5 Watt CW Amplifier
…for now. I just found out that my employer is forcing us into a company-wide week-long shutdown. Most of the company will be taking mandatory vacation at the end of the year. However, since I work in manufacturing and we have a year-end production goal to meet, our “vacation” is scheduled for the beginning of… Read More At Least I Still Have A Job
Here it is, a completed version of the simple discrete component code practice oscillator that I promised. I tweaked the circuit just a little bit and made a Manhattan layout that will enable the CPO, a 9 volt battery, and all of the required controls to fit into a standard sized Altoids tin. This CPO… Read More NT7S Code Practice Oscillator
You have to feast your eyes on these wonderful works of art. This gentleman makes gorgeous, functional tube and crystal radios as works of art. He apparently also sells some of the pieces, and considering how nice they are, the prices seem very reasonable. I guess you could say that this is the anti-ugly construction.… Read More Radio as Art