Category: video

Paddle Output Arduino Keyer Kludge (video)

Ooops — I got my keyer terminology wrong in this video. The K1EL keyer just needs a “paddle keyer” input, not an iambic keyer. One line is brought to ground for dots, another for dashes. (With an iambic keyer, if you make both contacts at the same time you get a string of alternating dots and dashes.) My homebrew cootie keyer did the job, but I wasn’t very proficient, hence the need for this digital kludge. I also got the name of the Arduino guru wrong: he is Massimo Banzi. Mi dispiace Massimo.

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LONE SIGNAL: SETI gets cool. Perhaps TOO cool! (VIDEO)


Slashdot alerted me to this new SETI-like effort to communicate with extraterrestrial civilizations. It is called LONE SIGNAL. Check out their video (above and here:
http://youtu.be/M-XcrnSKUog )

http://news.discovery.com/space/alien-life-exoplanets/crowd-funded-radio-beacon-will-message-aliens-130612.htm

The project has many features that put it in the traditional SolderSmoke area of interest, especially “the use of a re-furbished radio telescope.” But one look at their video (click above) made me think that perhaps these folks are just too cool for a project like this. I somehow can’t see ANY of these people using a soldering iron. On the other hand, if WE had videos like this, maybe we’d be able to bring more young people into ham radio! Yea! Why can’t we be cool too? How about it, ARRL?

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

R-390A and Homebrew TX put in Transceive Mode (VIDEO)

N8ZRY has a very nice video on his recent adventures with the legendary R-390A receiver (want one!) and his homebrew 20 meter SSB transmitter. He manages to essentially put the receiver and transmitter into “transceiver” mode. Very nice. I wonder if he had previously used the old standard “spot” or “net” “zero beat by ear” method? This video has me thinking about ways to bring my many separate receivers and transmitters closer together. The problem is that they all use different IF frequencies (the crystal filters are at different frequencies). But using my Arduino-based DDS VFO, I guess it wouldn’t be too difficult to program the thing to generate one VFO freq for transmit, and a different VFO freq on receive, in effect putting the transmitter and receiver on the same frequency.

Both the R-390A and the homebrew transmitter look great. Thanks Greg!

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

Ham Radio, the tsunami, HW-101, Tek 465, BITX-20

I know many of you guys have seen this before. And I know that Farhan is tired of seeing it pop up again and again. But it just appeared on my Facebook page today and I watched the whole thing and saw things I hadn’t noticed before: There’s a Heathkit HW-101 (or maybe its an HW-100). There is a Tech 465 oscilloscope. There is a BTX-20!

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

Earth-Moon-Earth!

I think the really cool thing about this is the “self echo.” Listen carefully when the operator in the video turns it over to the G station. At first I thought they were doubling, or perhaps another station was on frequency. But then I realized that when he releases the push to talk, the first signal he hears is his own signal, bouncing back from the Moon! c is real!

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

Video of my Barebones Superhet

I literally blew the dust off this thing last week. I posted the schematic a few days ago (scroll down). This morning I finished re-building the CW transmitter that went with it. I am running out of rigs to re-build, so I suppose I will now have to start building some new ones. Maybe a BITX-20? Or a BITX-75/20?

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 Beautiful Receiver by W1DN

I wish my prototypes (or final products!) looked this good. I like the way Lee puts the switches onto the prototype board. Very nice.

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 Beautiful Workshop in Scotland

A nasty Coronal Mass Ejection hit our magnetic field at around 0600 UTC today. The HF bands are now in poor shape. What better time to visit a really impressive workshop in Scotland?

Ian has an interesting site: http://www.ianjohnston.com/

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

Three Great Videos from Alan W2AEW

Bill:

While not really homebrew, they do deal with QRP and RF. The first two are walk-throughs of the schematics of two QRP transceivers, and the last is a discussion of how diodes can be used as RF switches. I thought you’d find them interesting.

MFJ-9340 QRP Cub CW Transceiver kit schematic review:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2QSwXv2RJzw

Heathkit HW-9 schematic walk-through:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rPM1vvGorTo

Using diodes as RF switches:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YBNIq_d56sA

73,

Alan
Http://www.youtube.com/w2aew

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

Carl Sagan, Astronomy, and the Zen Pencil


We presented Carl Sagan’s beautiful “Pale Blue Dot” quote back in September 2011, along with a nice video. This week a friend in Kathmandu sent me a link to a web site called The Zen Pencil. This fellow takes great quotes and draws cartoons to accompany them. I liked his cartoon for The Pale Blue Dot:

http://zenpencils.com/comic/100-carl-sagan-pale-blue-dot/

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

Opening Scene of Contact (CQ at the end)


Mike Herr’s video on his use of an Arduino to call CQ SKN made it onto Hack-A-Day
yesterday and provoked some discussion there of the meaning of CQ. One fellow posted
this opening scene from the movie Contact. I thought you guys would like it.

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

Arduino Does Straight Key Night

Bill,
Hope a good Christmas and excellent New Year. Here at WA6ARA we had a blast for Straight Key night . In the past I have used new keys, old keys and multiple keys. This year we celebrated SKN with a little twist. At Pacificon I purchased a hugh CW key, all made out of wood, about 3 times the normal size J-38. This isn’t a QLF key but a piece of beautiful wood working, and fully functional. This was my main key for SKN.
But SKN can require the sending of CQ SKN for a considerable amount of time. Normally a programed keyer would do the job fine. But this is not in the true spirit of SKN, the use of the straight key. So, using a trusty Arduino board and a few lines of programming, I solved the practical and ethical problem. The Arduino drives a model airplane servo. The servo is positioned such that it’s arm presses down on a miniature J-38 key, thus sending the “CQ SKN”. Also the miniature J-38, about half size, sort of balances out the larger size of the
hand key, and keeps the universe in check. I’ve enclosed a short youtube for your viewing enjoyment

http://youtu.be/Rn7Ky9Ib7ug

73
—
Mike Herr
WA6ARA
DM-15dp
Home of The QRP Ranch

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

Like a Hamfest, but kind of EVIL


 For a look at how the hackers do their version of the Dayton ham-vention, check out this video on DEFCON: http://vimeo.com/56234900

 Looks sort of like “Four Days in Hell” to me! Finally, a group that makes hams seem normal and well-balanced!

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

LadyAda Named Entrepreneur of 2012


Watch this video and you will see that Limor Fried has The Knack!
She and her company have brought homebrew electronics back to lower Manhattan.
Some kind listener sent me a gift certificate for Ada Fruit. We will put it to good use, probably
with Raspberry Pi and Arduino gear.
Three cheers for Lady Ada!

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