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Latest News
DX-60 Net News
Posted: 05/24/2023
Created By: Robert Nickels (W9RAN)
Comments: 0
Posted: 05/24/2023
Created By: Robert Nickels (W9RAN)
Comments: 0
N8ZBA takes on DX-60 Net Control duties
Dan Maliniak N8ZBA of Greenwood Township, MI has landed a new job as DX-60 Net Control. Dan is an active AMer and thanks W8TOW for his years of service to the net and looks forward to assuming net control duties effective May 28, 2023.... READ MORE
General Information
Posted: 05/23/2023
Created By: Robert Nickels (W9RAN)
Comments: 0
Posted: 05/23/2023
Created By: Robert Nickels (W9RAN)
Comments: 0
Ford reverses course - AM Radios will stay!
Per an article in the Detroit Free Press on 5/23/23:Ford CEO Jim Farley announced Tuesday morning that the automaker is reversing its previous plan to remove AM radio from vehicles, both electric and gasoline operated, in 2024.Farley, in a post on his LinkedIn professional page and a tweet on Twitter, said:"After speaking with policy leaders about the importance of AM broadcast radio as a part of ... READ MORE
Hamfests and Swaps
Posted: 04/15/2023
Created By: Robert Nickels (W9RAN)
Comments: 0
Posted: 04/15/2023
Created By: Robert Nickels (W9RAN)
Comments: 0
GARY MARTIN, KI8BQ-SK MEMORIAL AM GET-TOGETHER
Midwest Classic Radio Net continues the tradition! In memory of Gary Martin, KI8BQ, who provided the AM ham community with many years of fun and good times at his beautiful home near Sturgis, MI, the Midwest Classic Radio Net is proud to announce that the tradtition will continue!WHEN: Saturday July 29, 2023 Starting at 10AM.WHERE: Five Pines Ministries Park, Located at 6597 S... READ MORE
About our members
Posted: 03/14/2023
Created By: Robert Nickels (W9RAN)
Comments: 0
Posted: 03/14/2023
Created By: Robert Nickels (W9RAN)
Comments: 0
K9QET (SK)
With deep regret we report the passing of John Lorentz K9QET. He was an active ham on many modes but in recent years was well known for his outstanding signal and audio in the AM window where his nickname was "Quality Every Time". John was one of the Net Control stations for the Midwest Classic Radio Net, where his presence will be especially missed.Please submi... READ MORE
General Information
Posted: 01/08/2023
Created By: Robert Nickels (W9RAN)
Comments: 0
Posted: 01/08/2023
Created By: Robert Nickels (W9RAN)
Comments: 0
Arnie Coro CO2KK, SK
From the Radio Havana Cuba website, posted 1/8/2023:In the early hours of this Sunday, the prominent journalist and university professor Arnaldo Coro Antích, with a long career in Cuban radio, died in Havana. National Radio Award 2017, Coro was born on July 2, 1942 and from a very young age he was linked to radio broadcasting. He was a right-handed expert and specialist in Mass Communicatio... READ MORE
General Information
Posted: 12/20/2022
Created By: Robert Nickels (W9RAN)
Comments: 0
Posted: 12/20/2022
Created By: Robert Nickels (W9RAN)
Comments: 0
5085 is back! With WRMI Legends
The latest chapter in the WRMI Legends story is: they're baaack -- on 5085 kHz, the former frequency of WTWW. "“On December 18, 2022, WRMI officially took over the 5.085 frequency previously used by WTWW, returning the previous format to that frequency under the WRMI Legends brand and WRMI license while continuing to use the 24-hour Internet service to fill in holes in WRMI... READ MORE
General Information
Posted: 11/15/2022
Created By: Robert Nickels (W9RAN)
Comments: 0
Posted: 11/15/2022
Created By: Robert Nickels (W9RAN)
Comments: 0
And...they're back! Welcome WRMI Legends!
After ceasing shortwave broadcasting from it's own high-power shortwave transmitter near Lebanon TN, WTWW's programming is back on shortwave, courtesy of WRMI, Radio Miami International. According to the latest schedule, "WRMI Legends" can be hard on Transmitter #5, 9455 kHz, from 2300 to 0100 UTC, on Transmitter #8, 5950 kHz from 2300 to... READ MORE
General Information
Posted: 11/10/2022
Created By: Robert Nickels (W9RAN)
Comments: 0
Posted: 11/10/2022
Created By: Robert Nickels (W9RAN)
Comments: 0
WTWW ceases Shortwave Broadcasting
Citing rising operational costs, WTWW has ceased shortwave broacasting as of Nov. 9. 2022. Owner Ted Randall made the announcement via the stations Facebook group, and the stations signed off 5085 kHz at 1:03AM.Very sad to hear."With the rising costs of everything, the power bill to operate the WTWW transmitters had reached $10,000 a month and higher. Because of the extreme... READ MORE
General Information
Posted: 10/18/2022
Created By: Robert Nickels (W9RAN)
Comments: 0
Posted: 10/18/2022
Created By: Robert Nickels (W9RAN)
Comments: 0
HAARP Oct. 2022 Transmissions Planned
"Ghosts in the Airglow" - just in time for Halloween! Shortwave listeners are in for something completely different in late October 2022. Another set of transmission tests are planned from the HAARP transmitter in Alaska offering a weird array of ionospheric experiments, including "Ghosts in the Airglow". The 3.6 megawatt HAARP transmitter array will beam straight up, creating an artificial aurora, where the sidelobes ma... READ MORELatest Articles
Tech Library
Posted: 05/05/2023
Comments: 0 |
DIY Layout Creator
If you're like most homebrewers, often times you just want to build a one-time-only circuit and end up with a haphazard layout or one you have to tear apart and start over on to get everything to fit. DIY Layout Creator is designed for just this purpose! Not only do you get a layout that will work but a document that shows what you did so when you come back to it 3 weeks la... READ MORE |
Tech Library
Posted: 04/15/2023
Comments: 0 |
Minimalist QRP Book by IZ3AYQ
Everyone probably remembers building - or at least thinking about building - a small simple transmitter or receiver from an article in one of the radio magazines. They may not have used the term "minimalist" back then but the idea was the same - no frills, just a simple rig that could be easily assembled and was capable of being used on the air. Nowadays, QRP operati... READ MORE |
Monitoring Post
Posted: 04/01/2023
Comments: 0 |
The NEW WBCQ - 9330 kHz - Last Chance Radio superstation
Everyone who listens to shortwave is familiar with WBCQ, Monticello Maine USA aka "the Planet" and it's owner Allan Weiner who has been a legit broadcaster for many years after a youthful flirtation with pirate radio. But if you think WBCQ is a rag-tag collection of old SW transmitters held together by baling wire attached by Timtron - you are WAY out of calibration! &... READ MORE |
Welcome to the Shack
Posted: 03/30/2023
Comments: 0 |
Mr. Harvey Wells, Kelley W8GFG (SK)
Long-time particpants in the Midwest Classic Radio Net will remember Kelley W8GFG, who was always looking for "anything Harvey Wells". We lost Kelley too young in 2011 but his persistent quest from St. John IN is an abiding memory. I remember meeting him at a Chicago area hamfest and asking if he had any spare Harvey Wells speakers. He said no, they were very ra... READ MORE |
What's New?
Posted: 03/28/2023
Comments: 0 |
One Man's Quest To Revive The Great American Vacuum Tube
ROSSVILLE, GEORGIA, ON the border with Tennessee, doesn’t look like a tech town. It’s the kind of place where homey restaurants promising succulent fried chicken and sweet tea are tucked among shuttered businesses and prosperous liquor stores. The cost of living is moderate, crime is high, politics are red, and the population has withered to 3,980.But in the view of entrepreneur C... READ MORE |
On the workbench
Posted: 03/26/2023
Comments: 0 |
A 3D Printed Socket for FT-243 Crystals
Lots of us have crysals in the FT-243 type holder from our Novice days and since, but the sockets needed for them are becoming hard to find. To address this I designed a socket that can be 3D printed in about 15 minutes that will substitue for the old style panel-mounted socket used on many transmitters and in homebrew projects. You'll need to scavenge two conta... READ MORE |
Heat up the iron
Posted: 03/26/2023
Comments: 0 |
Test those 6146s!
"The most sensational beam power tube to come your way!" was the banner headline for RCA's 1952 ad promoting the new 6146 tube. Sensationalism aside, there's no doubt that more Novices first RF came from a 6146 than any other tube and its popularity even grew during the sideband era when "a pair of 6146s" was found in many SSB transceivers from the high-end Coll... READ MORE |
Looking Back
Posted: 03/21/2023
Comments: 0 |
Your Future With Teletype
The 1950s were a time of high growth for many companies - especially those involved in communications and electronics. So what young ham would not be tempted to think about working for one of the largest data communications companies in the world - a future with Teletype?Download the booklet at the attachments link below for a look at how Teletype sought to attract technicians, enginee... READ MORE |
Looking Back
Posted: 03/16/2023
Comments: 0 |
Teletype Corp.
Download the document "The New Look At Teletype" which appeared in 1960 that offers a glimpse into the operation of one of the largest data communications companies of its time.The Teletype Corporation of Skokie IL, a part of American Telephone and Telegraph Company's Western Electric manufacturing arm since 1930, came into being in 1928 when the Morkrum-Kleinschmidt Company changed its name... READ MORE |
Fone Forum
Posted: 03/13/2023
Comments: 0 |
Johnson Viking II - CDC
Lots of Johnson Viking II transmitters were made but every so often the much less seend "CDC" model turns up. What was different about it, other than the Civil Defense decal on the front panel? Find out by reading the EF Johnson "Design File" below.... READ MORE |
On the workbench
Posted: 03/08/2023
Comments: 0 |
Improve the efficiency of your vertical antenna
Rob Sherwood NCØB is best known for his receiver tests but as a DXer and contester, Rob has paid a lot of attention to antennas over the years. Since the '70s he's been using and working to improve the effectiveness of vertical antennas and recently shared some of his findings at a presentation at the W9DYV Technical Symposium at the St. Louis Suburban Radio Club's Winterfest in... READ MORE |
On the workbench
Posted: 03/05/2023
Comments: 0 |
Must-have accessory for your NanoVNA
The NanoVNA is an amazingly useful piece of inexpensive test equipment for the ham and experimenter. Anyone working with RF needs one! Perhaps the most useful application for homebrewing or repairng radio equipment is the ability to make S21 measurements, that is to view the transmission characteristics of any RF device, such as a crystal, an amplifier, or a tuned circuit. &... READ MORE |
Tech Library
Posted: 02/25/2023
Comments: 0 |
Phillips Tube Substitution Guide
Ever run into a weird tube in a foreign-made radio, maybe one with an EL or EM part number? This 1965 cross reference from one of the largest tube manufacturers in Europe might help. Download it from the Attachments sectio below.... READ MORE |
Fone Forum
Posted: 02/24/2023
Comments: 0 |
Old Buzzard George - W1GAC
Many hams operating AM today didn't have the opportunity to hear some of the true AM legends while they were alive and on the air, but thanks to W1DAN's excellent profile, we can appreciate one of the finest homebrewers and long-time AM operators - W1GAC. George Mouridian passed away in 2007 at the age of 91 but had been an active ham for over 70 years and while he did use ... READ MORE |
Tech Library
Posted: 02/21/2023
Comments: 0 |
What is Q?
What is Q? A concise definition: "In physics and engineering, the quality factor or Q factor is a dimensionless parameter that describes how underdamped an oscillator or resonator is."We know it's important in RF circuits - low Q coils or tuned circuits will result in loss and perform inefficiently. We may remember from the Handbook that the Q of a coil equals the rati... READ MORE |
Heat up the iron
Posted: 02/16/2023
Comments: 0 |
The Walter Ashe Novice Rig
Novices in the St. Louis area had no reason to envy their New York or Chiago ham buddies, not when they had Walter Ashe Radio Company in town. The spot they once occupied at 1125 Pine St in downtown St. Louis is now a parking lot, but the memories of this full-line electronics distributor lives on in it's catalogs which rivaled those of its bigger city counterparts.And Walter Ashe was ... READ MORE |
Heat up the iron
Posted: 02/15/2023
Comments: 0 |
How To Build Radio Receivers
Looking for a simple radio project? Or just a nostalic read with those great old-time pictorial wiring diagrams? This little booklet was published for many years and still has ideas that might motivate you to get the iron hot!... READ MORE |
Fone Forum
Posted: 02/11/2023
Comments: 0 |
The Deltronic CD-144A
The early 1950s were a time of uncertainty in the US. While the WWII soldiers and sailors had returned home and were re-entering the workforce or using their GI Bill benefits to prepare to do so, the Korean conflict had raised new fears: the Cold War era was beginning. While the threat of air raids or invasions in the United States became likely during the war, the focus on... READ MORE |
Welcome to the Shack
Posted: 02/04/2023
Comments: 0 |
Sky King was a Hallicrafters man
Those of us pajama-clad Saturday morning visitors to the Flying Crown Ranch via our black and white Admiral TVs knew this...but it took someone who owns the DVD collection posting this image on Facebook to prove it: Sky King was a Hallicrafters man!This equipment was seen in the first year of the series, according to those in the know, and subsequently Gonset gear was most often ... READ MORE |
Brass Pounding
Posted: 01/14/2023
Comments: 0 |
Looking to Ditch Twitter? Morse Code Is Back
"For almost 20 years, Steve Galchutt, a retired graphic designer, has trekked up Colorado mountains accompanied by his pack of goats to contact strangers around the world using a language that is almost two centuries old, and that many people have given up for dead. On his climbs, Galchutt and his herd have scared away a bear grazing on raspberries, escaped from fast-moving forest fires, camped in... READ MORE |