Don't forget the DX-60 Net tomorrow morning at 8 AM Eastern time and Pre-net at 7ish! WA3MJY and a host of others get the ball rolling!
See you on the net, de w8tow
![]() Brass Pounding
Posted: 12/341/2023
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DigiKeyer
If you build almost anything electronic, chances are good you've purchased parts from DigiKey Electronics. But did you know that DigiKey - now one of the world's largest electronics distributors - started out as a ham radio company?"More than 50 years ago, a digital electronic device designed to generate uniform Morse characters and spaces was made available for sale by amateur radio enthusi... READ MORE |
![]() Looking Back
Posted: 11/332/2023
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Heathkit - An Employee Looks Back
Electronic Design magazine published an excellent interview in 2020 with Chas Gilmore W8IAI, former Heath engineer, manager, and executive. Anyone with an interest in Heathkits will find this interview to be well worth the time to read. You can read it for free without registration here at the ELECTRONIC DESIGN WEBSITEThe photo below was borrowed from W8IAI's QRZ page, and shows h... READ MORE |
![]() On the workbench
Posted: 11/320/2023
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Fusing the DX-40
Upon examining a DX-40 given to me by a good friend, I was surprised not to find the usual fused plug on the AC line cord. I thought maybe Heathkit realized the error of their ways and had put one inside - but no. A check of the schematic confirmed that fuses were never a part of the DX-40 design. This needed to be corrected but after first considering hogging a... READ MORE |
![]() Heat up the iron
Posted: 11/312/2023
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KA8WQL's "Trifecta Receiver"
In racing, a trifecta is "a run of three wins or grand events." When I read the first sentence of Bob KA8WQLs article about his homebrew receiver, the word trifecta came to mind because he managed to do all three things at the same time! I think you'll agree!I read once, a long time ago, that the Radio Amateur should have three stations: one that looks good, one... READ MORE |
![]() Tech Library
Posted: 11/311/2023
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EIA Codes - a clue to "who made what"
Although Source Codes ceased with the 2001 edition, it is available here for historical purposes.The EIA Source Code is a numeric symbol that was assigned and registered by the Electronic Industries Association (EIA) that could be stamped or marked on any or all products to identify the production source or the vendor assuming product responsibility.In addition, the EIA code provided for adding nu... READ MORE |
![]() Tech Library
Posted: 10/302/2023
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David Gleason is an unsung hero
While working as a Univision programming and research exec in the early 2000, David Gleason began digitizing publications about the radio and TV business and posting them on his personal website so that he could easily share them as he traveled around and met with station staff.It was helpful in persuading the locals to take his advice, he says. “Rather than it just sounding like my opinion,... READ MORE |
![]() Looking Back
Posted: 10/276/2023
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John Wells, Cliff Harvey, and the Harvey-Wells Electronics Company
Through the courtesy of the author, Hamilton K. Agnew, it's a pleasure to share this history of one of ham radios pioneering companies - Harvey Wells Electronics. The company was a very important contributor to world-wide electronics, both during WWII and many years after, as well as a substantial manufacturer of ham radio equipment.Download it from the link at the ... READ MORE |
![]() Tech Library
Posted: 08/234/2023
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Ballast Tube data and substitutions
Here's some information that isn't often needed, but difficult to find: A. P. Jacobi's Ballast Tube Handbook and Substitution Guide. Download from the "Attachments" link below.... READ MORE |
![]() Tech Library
Posted: 08/214/2023
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Electricity Explained
We've heard there is some confusion about how electricity works. This should clear things up.... READ MORE |
![]() Brass Pounding
Posted: 06/172/2023
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A Poem about Morse Code
A member of the Long Island CW Group thought he'd give one of those AI chatbot sites a challenge...he didn't expect much but got a real surprise... In a world of signals, hidden and grand,A language of dots and dashes, hand in hand.Morse code whispers, in rhythm and sound,A symphony of messages, profound. With a simple click, a dot appears,A fleeting moment, to the listening ears.Short a... READ MORE |
Looking Back
Posted: 06/171/2023
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The History of the Car Radio
Seems like cars have always had radios, but they didn't. Here's the story:One evening, in 1929, two young men named William Lear and Elmer Wavering drove their girlfriends to a lookout point high above the Mississippi River town of Quincy, Illinois, to watch the sunset. It was a romantic night to be sure, but one of the women observed that it would be even nicer if they could listen to music in th... READ MORE |
Looking Back
Posted: 06/171/2023
Comments: 0 |
History of the Car Radio
Seems like cars have always had radios, but they didn't. Here's the story: One evening, in 1929, two young men named William Lear and Elmer Wavering drove their girlfriends to a lookout point high above the Mississippi River town of Quincy, Illinois, to watch the sunset. It was a romantic night to be sure, but one of... READ MORE |
![]() Tech Library
Posted: 05/125/2023
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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: 04/105/2023
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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: 04/91/2023
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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: 03/89/2023
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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: 03/87/2023
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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: 03/85/2023
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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: 03/85/2023
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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: 03/80/2023
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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 |