Today is Sputnik Anniversary Day! Michael, AA1TJ, and his intrepid international band of solder melters will be putting their homebrew Soviet-parts rigs on 15 meters! I will be listening with my HQ-100. This is all discussed on SolderSmoke 138, which I have just uploaded:
http://soldersmoke.com/soldersmoke138.mp3
October 4, 2011
A Meteor and Jupiter: Cosmic Birthday Present!
Sagan’s Pale Blue Dot — Lots of interesting radio info
On the cover of “Hot Iron”!!!!
The HW-7 Philosophy and Way of Life
Sputnik Anniversary
Getting my 2B back on 17
Preparing for a return of sunspots and 17 meters
Raiding Radio Shack (for 2N2222s!)
The Autumn SPRAT
MAILBAG
Our book: “SolderSmoke — Global Adventures in Wireless Electronics”http://soldersmoke.com/book.htmOur coffee mugs, T-Shirts, bumper stickers: http://www.cafepress.com/SolderSmokeOur Book Store: http://astore.amazon.com/contracross-20
Hello Bill, thanks a lot for promoting the Sputnik party – listening with a HQ-100, while your tubes are still on the road is true ham spirit – and yes, I’m proud being part of that intrepid gang. ‘beep-beep’ Peter/DL3PB
Another FB podcast, Bill. I had just turned 7 years old the summer before Sputnik rocketed into space. Didn’t know much of anything about radio at the time (had just started playing with crystal sets) but I will -never- forget the headline in our local newspaper on October 5, 1957, “Russians Shoot Moon!” You can imagine what went through a 7 year old mind after that announcement. 73 and ROOSCCh!…….Steve Smith WB6TNL “Snort Rosin”
Great podcast as usual. The sputnik stuff is exciting. I hope you post some updates on your blog about how this all plays out. I was also going to suggest that maybe you could do some interviews again? It’s been a while. I’d really love it if you could have a chat with AA1TJ about the sputnik stuff and other topics. Maybe you and he could do the recorded Skype calls and make that the show, like how things started out with KL7R? Just a thought. Even recorded chats from over the air would be fun. 73
Ditto the interview idea. I think that was one of the coolest things about SolderSmoke early on (and later on, too)…
Here is the link to the old version of your website before you “goofed up” 😉 http://web.archive.org/web/20110207202741/http://soldersmoke.com/
Regarding raiding the Radio Shack bin (that steel cabinet) for what (few) useful things they still have: yes, while in NYC, I too would glean parts, figuring “no one else will use them, anyway”. I also noted that the RS in my Washington Heights ‘hood had fewer useful items left than say, the RS down in Brooklyn near the Verrazano Bridge, or some RS in deepest Queens. BUT I found some twinlead for outdoor use –the last of a breed– at a RS in the Bronx that had the stuff in the back room. As to FETs, transistors and what not,yes, a RS in Midtown (Murray Hill) that was cleaning house yielded quite a few tidbits. They then stocked the place with bling…just like all RS. Glad you enjoyed W7IDF’s article. He wrote a few others for 73, all quite enjoyable.