{"id":1498,"date":"2022-09-19T16:26:00","date_gmt":"2022-09-19T06:26:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.homebrewradio.us\/blog\/2022\/09\/19\/soldersmoke-podcast-240-nimcels-hex-dx-cbla-rx-pto-solid-state-ht-37-exotic-caps-benches-sbe-33-tentec-540-kwm-1-mailbag\/"},"modified":"2025-07-22T18:02:55","modified_gmt":"2025-07-22T08:02:55","slug":"soldersmoke-podcast-240-nimcels-hex-dx-cbla-rx-pto-solid-state-ht-37-exotic-caps-benches-sbe-33-tentec-540-kwm-1-mailbag","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.homebrewradio.us\/blog\/2022\/09\/19\/soldersmoke-podcast-240-nimcels-hex-dx-cbla-rx-pto-solid-state-ht-37-exotic-caps-benches-sbe-33-tentec-540-kwm-1-mailbag\/","title":{"rendered":"SolderSmoke Podcast #240 NIMCELS? Hex DX, CBLA RX, PTO? Solid State HT-37? Exotic caps, Benches, SBE-33, TenTec 540, KWM-1 MAILBAG"},"content":{"rendered":"<\/p>\n
<\/a><\/div>\n<\/p>\n

SolderSmoke #240 <\/b><\/p>\n

Monday September 19, 2022<\/o:p><\/b><\/p>\n

http:\/\/soldersmoke.com\/soldersmoke240.mp3<\/a><\/b><\/p>\n

Sorry, I had some technical difficulties so my audio is a bit distorted. <\/b><\/p>\n

NIMCELS? Niche Internet Micro Celebrities. I dunno…. <\/span> <\/span>Can our listeners come up with an acronym that describes our place in the universe? <\/span><\/o:p><\/b><\/p>\n

Sponsors: Parts Candy. Carlos in Chicago. Great leads. Don’t scrimp with a crimp! You need some good quality test leads on your workbench. Get yours from Carlos. Click on the picture on the blog page or go to PartsCandy on e-bay. <\/o:p><\/b><\/p>\n

“Techno Wizardry”? Our lawyers at Dewey Cheatham and Howe will be after them for that! <\/o:p><\/b><\/p>\n

Bill’s Bench: <\/o:p><\/u><\/b><\/p>\n

Hex Beam has made me a DXer. <\/span>91 countries. Having fun. <\/span>Mozambique (Long path), San Andres island, and Saudi Arabia, all on Friday. All homebrew SSB 100 watts. <\/span><\/o:p><\/b><\/p>\n

Put my old 20 meter CW station back on the air: <\/span>Barebones superhet and the VXO 6 watter. <\/span>WYKSYCDS. This may be one of very few CBLA Receivers in the world! <\/o:p><\/b><\/p>\n

Been getting active in the Vienna Wireless Society. <\/span>Dean KK4DAS is President and a lot is happening in the Club. <\/span>Makers group. Lunch with the group on Tuesdays. <\/span>Lots of fun. <\/o:p><\/b><\/p>\n

We are looking at Farhan\u2019s Daylight Again Analog rig. <\/span>Using parts from Dean\u2019s 3D printer, we have made PTOs. See blog post for picture. <\/span>(But are they really PTOs? Or just Variable Inductors?) <\/b><\/p>\n

VFO madness. Solid stating an HT-37 VFO. Grayson: \u201cYou have clearly lost your mind.\u201d Perhaps. 100 MHz FM broadcast RFI. This brought me to capacitors and linear tuning:<\/b><\/p>\n

<\/o:p><\/b><\/p>\n

SLC, SLW, SLF and Midline\/Centerline caps. <\/span>Do special caps explain why some VFOs have linear tuning while others do not? <\/span>NO, not really. <\/span>You can get linear tuning with ordinary caps. <\/span>See blog post<\/o:p><\/b><\/p>\n

Working on the bench. <\/span>Reading Adam Savage\u2019s book on workshops and tools. (link to the book in the right hand column of the blog. <\/span>Some other workbench links on the blog. <\/span>Upgrading tools and test gear. <\/span>I have a proper bench power supply. Better side cutters. <\/span>Engineering rulers. <\/span>Digital calipers. Better solder (I was talking to Ron WA6YOU \u2013 a real solder authority – about this. <\/span>Kester 60\/40 ).<\/o:p><\/b><\/p>\n

SHAMELESS COMMERCE DIVISION: <\/span><\/o:p><\/b><\/p>\n

<\/span><\/b><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/b><\/div>\n


<\/b>mostlydiyrf.com<\/span><\/a><\/b><\/p>\n

Currently offering seven items:<\/span><\/o:p><\/span><\/b><\/p>\n

\u00b7 <\/span><\/span><\/span>UDVBM-1 (in three versions)<\/span><\/o:p><\/span><\/b><\/p>\n

\u00b7 <\/span><\/span><\/span>PG-TIA Broadband IF Amplifier<\/span><\/o:p><\/span><\/h4>\n

\u00b7 <\/span><\/span><\/span>TIA-AGC IF Amplifier<\/span><\/o:p><\/span><\/h4>\n

\u00b7 <\/span><\/span><\/span>Dual-Gate MOSFETs<\/span><\/o:p><\/span><\/h4>\n

\u00b7 <\/span><\/span><\/span>OA741D Op-Amp (discrete components)<\/span><\/o:p><\/span><\/h4>\n

\u00b7 <\/span><\/span><\/span>8-Pole QER Crystal Filter<\/span><\/o:p><\/span><\/h4>\n

\u00b7 <\/span><\/span><\/span>I2C Rotary Encoder<\/span><\/o:p><\/span><\/h4>\n

Three more are shown as coming soon:<\/span><\/o:p><\/span><\/b><\/p>\n

\u00b7 <\/span><\/span><\/span>GP Audio Amp (general-purpose audio amp)<\/span><\/o:p><\/span><\/h4>\n

\u00b7 <\/span><\/span><\/span>HyCas IF Amplifier with AGC<\/span><\/o:p><\/span><\/h4>\n

\u00b7 <\/span><\/span><\/span>M-Cubed (Michigan Mighty Mite kit)<\/span><\/o:p><\/span><\/h4>\n

\u00b7 <\/span><\/span><\/span>Mostly DIY RF offers hardware for hardware-defined radio<\/span><\/u>. That’s not a comment on software-defined radio. SDR is cool and useful, and it has its place. <\/span><\/o:p><\/span><\/b><\/p>\n

\u00b7 <\/span><\/span><\/span>In fact, I believe in explicitly making use of technology from all eras<\/span><\/u> (vacuum tubes, discrete semiconductors, and integrated circuits<\/span><\/o:p><\/span><\/b><\/p>\n

\u00b7 <\/span><\/span><\/span>What does “mostly” DIY mean<\/span><\/u>? It means making what you want and using ready-made for the rest. Even the most fanatic DIY’ing home brewer does this without much thought. He uses components he didn’t fabricate, electricity he didn’t generate, and theoretical knowledge he didn’t discover. One can’t fight all<\/i> battles, one has to choose which to fight and which to leave to others. If an appliance-operating Ham doesn’t want to fight at all, that’s okay, but Mostly DIY RF has nothing to offer him.<\/span><\/o:p><\/span><\/b><\/p>\n

————–<\/span><\/b><\/p>\n

I need YouTube viewing hours. <\/span>So I am putting some of the best SolderSmoke podcasts up on the YouTube channel. <\/span>Please listen\/watch on YouTube. Here is the playlist: <\/span>https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/playlist?list=PLv9MEKq1quk-gnxog7eBqY_y7cpQadf6T<\/a> <\/span> <\/span><\/o:p><\/b><\/p>\n

Google feed no longer sending our e-mails. <\/span>So please follow the blog, Get yourself a blog feed reader. <\/span>I use Feedly. <\/span>It is free. <\/span>Download, search in Feedly for SolderSmoke, hit subscribe and you are done. https:\/\/feedly.com\/i\/discover<\/a> Follow Pete\u2019s blog too! <\/span>It is easy. <\/o:p><\/b><\/p>\n

<\/o:p><\/b>Pete\u2019s Bench<\/u><\/b><\/p>\n

Resurrections: <\/o:p><\/b><\/p>\n

SBE-33!<\/o:p><\/b><\/p>\n

TenTEC Model 540<\/o:p><\/b><\/p>\n

KWM-1 <\/o:p><\/b><\/p>\n

Mailbag:<\/o:p><\/b><\/p>\n

Dan KC5VPI getting into homebrewing. No longer WRONG! <\/o:p><\/b><\/p>\n

Michael AG5VG built subharmonic DC receiver, put it on 40 and 20. <\/span>FB. <\/o:p><\/b><\/p>\n

Mike AA9IL working on old tube stuff including a DX-100 AMD UUHF gear up to 122GHz. <\/o:p><\/b><\/p>\n

Ed WA4MZS liked the SolderSmoke book. USCG vet. <\/span>As is Mike Rainey AA1TJ Semper Paratus! <\/o:p><\/b><\/p>\n

Clint KA7OEI \u2013 The Music of the Beams \u2013 My Hex <\/span>does not sing! <\/span>So far! <\/o:p><\/b><\/p>\n

Walter KA4KXX \u2013 The Knack started early. <\/span>Video of getting a toolbox for Christmas. And working on PTOs! <\/span>He likes them! <\/o:p><\/b><\/p>\n

Phillip G4HOJ Also working with subharmonic mixers \u2013 using the more complex 4 diode version. <\/o:p><\/b><\/p>\n

Peter GW4ZUA Built an amazing rig from RADCOM (1980s) Cool VFO with varactor fine tuning and a coil with a dust core that was cut in half to minimize temp effect. Box now holds 3 <\/span>band version of Pete\u2019s SimpleCeiver. FB. <\/o:p><\/b><\/p>\n<\/p>\n

<\/a><\/div>\n<\/p>\n

Bruce KC1FSZ building 25 Watt amp for his Peppermint Bark rigs. <\/span>We won\u2019t turn him in to the QRP authorities. <\/o:p><\/b><\/p>\n

Grayson KJ7UM tested the 12BY7A from my DX-100 VFO. <\/span>It was in fact weak. Thanks Grayson. <\/o:p><\/b><\/p>\n

Charles Smith KV4JT has some really interesting stuff on how to solid state tube gear. <\/span>Especially R-390s. https:\/\/soldersmoke.blogspot.com\/2022\/08\/trigger-warning-solid-stating-old-tube.html<\/a><\/o:p><\/b><\/p>\n

Gianfranco I0ZY Old friend from Rome. <\/span>Amplifier manufacturer. <\/span>FB. <\/o:p><\/b><\/p>\n

Paul WA1MAC getting started again after long hiatus. <\/o:p><\/b><\/p>\n

Vasily.. I mean Todd VE7BPO. <\/span>Always great tech info. <\/span>Thanks. <\/o:p><\/b><\/p>\n

Mark WB8YMV building a superhet with a 455 kc IF. <\/o:p><\/b><\/p>\n

I sent Farhan some comments on his Daylight Again video: He wrote back \u201cI marvel at their stamina to watch an hour long video of a man talking with a funny accent!\u201d<\/span> <\/span><\/b><\/o:p><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

SolderSmoke #240 Monday September 19, 2022 http:\/\/soldersmoke.com\/soldersmoke240.mp3 Sorry, I had some technical difficulties so my audio is a bit distorted. NIMCELS? Niche Internet Micro Celebrities. I dunno…. Can our listeners come up with an acronym that describes our place in the universe? Sponsors: Parts Candy. Carlos in Chicago. Great leads. Don’t scrimp with a crimp! … Continue reading “SolderSmoke Podcast #240 NIMCELS? Hex DX, CBLA RX, PTO? Solid State HT-37? Exotic caps, Benches, SBE-33, TenTec 540, KWM-1 MAILBAG”<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":1499,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[49],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1498","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-soldersmoke-podcast"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.homebrewradio.us\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1498","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.homebrewradio.us\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.homebrewradio.us\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.homebrewradio.us\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.homebrewradio.us\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1498"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.homebrewradio.us\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1498\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1503,"href":"https:\/\/www.homebrewradio.us\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1498\/revisions\/1503"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.homebrewradio.us\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1499"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.homebrewradio.us\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1498"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.homebrewradio.us\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1498"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.homebrewradio.us\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1498"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}