Category: book

Get SolderSmoke For Christmas! 30% off (23-27 Nov)!


Use the little mail icon (below) to forward this to those who are buying you things for Christmas! 30% off if you buy
23-27 November. Here are books:


Our book: “SolderSmoke — Global Adventures in Wireless Electronics” http://soldersmoke.com/book.htm Our coffee mugs, T-Shirts, bumper stickers: http://www.cafepress.com/SolderSmoke Our Book Store: http://astore.amazon.com/contracross-20

Science Fair Light Beam Communications in 1960s


Hi Bill! This Bob Schubert, KC4FNE in Blacksburg Virginia just wanting to say hello and taking the opportunity to say “Thanks” for the SolderSmoke Series. I have to let you know your podcast accompanies me as I do my early morning exercise regime. Before SolderSmoke, I would begrudgingly get out on the track every other day. Now I’m out there just about every morning listening to a new episode. I’m not sure what I will do once I exhaust all of the episodes? Normally I would cover my obligatory 2 miles in 45 minutes, now I’m looking for excuses to stay on the track so as to complete a one-hour or so episode. When I’m listening to it in the car, I find myself circling the block just so I can finish a podcast. It has also prompted me to purchase the SolderSmoke book. I’m thoroughly enjoying the book as we seemed to have both grown up close to the same timeframe and our early lives led as “geeks.” If you interetsted in what an “old geek” is up to now, point your browser to http://www.lumenhaus.com/ This is a solar powered house done by a team of architecture and engineering students/faculty I was involved with. If you ever find your way to Blacksburg and are interetsed in our Lumenhaus, I would be happy to provide a tour.

I’ve included a photograph of me taken at Orange County High School in the mid-60’s with a science fair experiment “Talking on a Light Beam.” While not quite in the 478THz range of the high-power LEDs it was up there! While modulating the filament on a flashlight I would be hard-pressed to go 95ft much less 95 miles.

Best, Bob Schubert KC4FNE


Our book: “SolderSmoke — Global Adventures in Wireless Electronics” http://soldersmoke.com/book.htm Our coffee mugs, T-Shirts, bumper stickers: http://www.cafepress.com/SolderSmoke Our Book Store: http://astore.amazon.com/contracross-20

Book Recommendation: “Martian Summer” by Andrew Kessler

I took this book with me to the Dominican Republic this summer, and I really enjoyed it. Kessler has an unusual, very funny, self-deprecating writing style. He is not a scientist nor an engineer, but he is given access to the inner sanctums of the Mars Phoenix mission, and spends an entire summer watching and documenting the work of the people running this mission.

Our book: “SolderSmoke — Global Adventures in Wireless Electronics” http://soldersmoke.com/book.htm Our coffee mugs, T-Shirts, bumper stickers: http://www.cafepress.com/SolderSmoke Our Book Store: http://astore.amazon.com/contracross-20

Save 20% on SolderSmoke, The Book

Go to http://www.soldersmoke.com/book.htm for more info. Use the Coupon Code to save 20% when buying from Lulu.

Our book: “SolderSmoke — Global Adventures in Wireless Electronics” http://soldersmoke.com/book.htm Our coffee mugs, T-Shirts, bumper stickers: http://www.cafepress.com/SolderSmoke Our Book Store: http://astore.amazon.com/contracross-20

A BITX-20 Emerges from the SolderSmoke

It’s not mine — I haven’t started yet. But Robert sent us this picture and progress report on his BITX-20 project. (Nice Tek scope in the background. Is that a 465?)
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Dear Mr. Meara,
Thank you for sharing your thoughts and experiences in
SolderSmoke. I found your book (kindle version), to be entertaining and
inspirational. The amateur radio bug bit me hard early this year, earned
my tech & general in January, extra in February. Asking myself “Where
has this wonderful hobby been all my life”?
Especially want you to know that because of the reference of the
Bitx20 in your book, I built one (kit from India), and made my very
first hf contact using a homebrew rig and homebrew dipole antenna. The
thrill was absolutely fantastic! Attached is a picture of my bitx20
moments after making my very first hf contact ever between northern
Alabama (my QTH), and the Calgary Alberta radio club about 2k miles
away.
Please take some credit for being part of the inspiration!
Note, my bitx20 is now packaged and portable, next project will
is a QRP antenna tuner, and buying a commercial “fancy” HF transceiver.
Thanks again!
Sincerely,
Robert Conklin

Our book: “SolderSmoke — Global Adventures in Wireless Electronics” http://soldersmoke.com/book.htm Our coffee mugs, T-Shirts, bumper stickers: http://www.cafepress.com/SolderSmoke Our Book Store: http://astore.amazon.com/contracross-20

Winterfest!

Billy and I went to the Vienna Wireless Association’s Winterfest hamfest yesterday. We had a great time and met many SolderSmoke fans. Above you can see me and Randy, N3UMW, the designer of our SolderSmoke logo. Thanks again Randy!

There’s Charles, AI4OT. Charles bought a copy of the SolderSmoke book at last year’s Winterfest. This year he dropped by to show us his tiny Steve Weber QRP rig in an Altoids tin. FB! And he was kind enough to talk-up the book, helping me make a few sales! Thanks Charles!

We managed to get rid of a bunch of junk, and only bought one item of new junk (a Hallicrafters S-38E receiver). And we got to show our friend (and aspiring homebrewer) John what a real hamfest is all about.

Thanks to the VWS for another great ‘fest.

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

SolderSmoke — The Book 20% off. And available for Ipad and Nook

Save 20 percent through February 3. Through the Lulu site you can get the book in the print or e versions.

The book is also available from Kindle, the Ibook store, and for the Barnes and Noble Nook.

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

Meet the Author (of SolderSmoke) Event TODAY

For those in the Washington D.C. area: Today from 2-4 pm I’ll be at “One More Page Books” in Arlington, Virginia at a “meet the author” event. The store will have on sale ten copies of “SolderSmoke — Global Adventures in Wireless Electronics.” Please pass the word to local hams who might be interested. Thanks.

One More Page Books
2200 N. Westmoreland Street #101
Arlington, VA 22213
703-300-9746

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

FT-817 Remote Access and The Perils of PC Board Etching

Mike is looking for some beta testers for his FT-817 remote control system, and for someone who is proficient on VB6 who can help him clean up the code.

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Bill,

Hello I am a 47 year old ham from Pittsburgh,Pa and my call is WA3O. I felt compelled to write you after my Kindle purchase of your Solder Smoke book. I don’t usually read books cover to cover but, this book is different I can not seem to put it down. This is the first time I can personally relate to a book. Like you, I started ham radio at the early age of 13 and have built and struggled with the same projects you have. So I wanted to say thanks!…I am half way through the book and I am dreading finishing it because I probably will never find another book I can relate to so well.

My latest project is some software I wrote for the FT817 and Icom radios. I am not a programmer but, I taught myself VB6 so I could write this remote software. After reading in the book about your Iphone “link”I thought you might like it and I wanted your opinion on it. The software is DTMF control of your radio from any phone. With Skype (and a Skype-in phone number) and my software, you can call your radio from ANY phone (not just a smart cell phone). You dial your number and after a security number the program turns your radio on via the printer port and you have pretty much full control of all the functions of your radio with the voice announcer on the radio (Icom) or the voice out on Microsoft computers it can announce frequency, signal, mode etc. you can even TX. The software even has a time out timer just in case of say a cell phone “drop call”. The software has many features like 50 memory recall, selective scanning, band scanning,direct frequency input. If you have a radio like a IC-7000 or a FT-817 and a auto tuner you have access to all HF,VHF and UHF. I brought the software idea up to some local hams and it sounded like it was a bad idea. I use it every day to listen to 160M while I drive to work in my truck without a BIG 160 antenna on it! I also thought it would be great for guys who just like to see what band conditions are on lunch break. Let’s face it we all carry a cell phone. So I would really appreciate your opinion on this.


One last comment…while I was reading about your struggles with etching your own board it reminded me of my first experience with etching solution. My buddy etched boards before and told me all you had to do was draw what you wanted with a Sharpie on a copper PC board and throw it in some solution and “rock it back and fourth a bit and it works like magic. So unknowingly we put the solution in a pie tin and palced the board in. It immediately started boiling and put off an orange smoke! I said NEAT! And before my buddy could tell me it was NOT supposed to do that it ate thru the bottom of the pie tin…What a mess! And mom wasn’t happy! LOL

So best of 73’s and keep up the good work

Mike Lamanna WA3O

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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