AmateurRadio.com

I, on occasion, have the need to have recordings of activities on our local repeaters.  Being the local area DEC, recordings do come in handy when running training sessions in the future.  Sometimes, it’s nice to have a recording of an on air event as well.  When I’m operating in my capacity as a control operator, it comes in handy to have recordings of repeater traffic.

Having a VOX actuated recorder comes in handy.  Especially for recording repeater activity.  I stumbled on Vox Recorder for Windows by Nino Porcino, IZ8BLY.  Wrote a handy little app that will not only record the files, but also name them as well.

Caveat:  I have only run this on a 32 bit OS.  If you have experience running this in any of the 64 bit versions of windows, please comment below and let us know.

You can find VOX Recorder for Windows at:

http://xoomer.virgilio.it/aporcino/VoxRecorder/

OK, I just had to post this.

I’ve experimented with saltwater when operating portable (one of the benefits of living about a half hour from the shore).  I know friends that have made antennas using salt water, and they had great luck.

This guy, took the idea and spun it on it’s head.  Check out the induction as well – SWEET!

As a confessed web junkie (how else can you do a site like this) and a ham…… I find many sites that show circuits from decades gone by that are every bit as relevant today as they were when they were originally created.

Then…… there comes a time when you can look at a mere snippet of someones overall body of work and get an interesting glimpse into one of those rare “beautiful minds”.  Such is the case with Sir Douglas Hall.

He started publishing articles nearly two decades after he started tinkering with electronics.  This site has copies of his published works from the early forties to…… here’s the crazy thing….. the new millennium!!!

I can’t even begin to go over the normal lists like I do for many articles here, but there are tons of articles from various methods of volume control, multiple crystal receivers, portable radio kits (transmitters and receivers), tons of theory….. the list goes on.

I think I need to cache a copy of this page for my next trip so I have plenty of neat stuff to read while traveling, truly neat stuff.

To find these ingenious circuits, go to:

http://www.spontaflex.free-online.co.uk/

**** Update ****

Thanx to Geoff for commenting and letting me know that there are not only updates, but MORE great circuits on the radioconstructors site at:

http://www.radioconstructors.info/

XTalset society has been around for awhile.  They are a great starting point for anyone either new to homebrewing or anyone teaching someone who is new to radio (and I’m not necessarily talking about ham radio).  Great crystal set projects that truly amaze.

They are also a great resource for purchasing materials to help you on your crystal set journey.

Here are some of the articles I found useful – free for everyone!

How to Read Schematics
The AM Broadcast Band
A Big Ole Hunk of Galena Crystal
Crystal Set FAQs
How Crystal Sets Work
Variable Cap Lineup & Mounting
Equivalent Series and Parallel Circuits
XS-800 Antenna Measurement Bridge
Q of a Coil With Some Unused Turns
Mag-Coupling Selectivity-Sensitivity pdf file.
A Great Teacher: The Crystal Set pdf file, courtesy QEX (ARRL).
Derivation of Step Attenuator R Formulas pdf file.
The Trap Coil Q Measurement Method Revisited (for high Q coils in particular) pdf file.
About Q pdf file, Discusssion on Q Formulas/Measurement.
The AM RF Signal pdf file, Discusssion on makeup of an AM RF Signal.
Anatomy of Crystal Set Modeling: Equivalent Circuit Substitutions pdf file, with spice app.
XS-OB1 Kit Manual (updated 05-01-08) pdf file.
Different OAT BOX COILS pdf file.
XS-801 Kit Drawings pdf file.
Mechanical Dimensions for Mounting Variable Capacitors pdf file.

To take a look at these articles, head over to their site at:

http://www.midnightscience.com/article-index.html

Or their front page at:

http://www.midnightscience.com

Stumbled upon another great video from AllAmericanFiveRadio on Youtube.  He has an incredible and vast collection of radio related, radio restoration, electronic theory…. tons of good stuff.

While I’m at it…..

I’ve mentioned this course here before, but NPTLHRD in India have a GREAT basic electronics course.  One lecture is purely on Zener diodes. Here are two video lectures. The first one is on wave shaping with diodes and a more in-depth discussion on Zener diodes in the second video.

Sorry for the delay….. the hazy days of summer yield to a LOT of amateur radio and public service events!!!!

Today, we take a trip back in history to the American Signal Corps.  Here is a series I recently stumbled upon with training for the SCR-694.  Interesting radio (kinda like one of the early “go-boxes”.  I am amazed when I see these or similar at hamfests and people just pass them by – they’re interesting.  Maybe I love the history behind our beloved hobby to much…… so I couldn’t resist.

As I’ve stated in the past, I’m fascinated by the use of radio communications by governments for espionage and wartime use.  When I came across this little nugget, I couldn’t resist.  What a joy it will be for those of us that can’t quite make it over to visit Bletchley Park.

The BBC has an article at:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/10239623

Bletchley Park (really hard to resist using “BP” for this one…..) has been trying to do this for quite some time.  Dwindling funds, repairs needed for the site have just made this one of those “round to it” projects. Many documents are too fragile to handle at this time and will take awhile to get posted online, but it will indeed make for a fascinating online resource.

I’ve had the pleasure of actually getting my hands on  real, wartime Enigma machine and it was REALLY NEAT!!!  You can read about it, but there is nothing like actually using one to get you even more interested in this topic.  Professor Tom Perera gives a number of great discussions at the New England ARRL Division convention in Boxboro Mass (I spoke to Tom at Dayton and he said there may not be a presentation this year).  His site is a HUGE wealth of information on this topic (and CW keys).  If you ever get the chance to hear him give a presentation – JUMP ON IT!!!!

His website is:

http://chss.montclair.edu/~pererat/telegraph.html

If you want to visit the actual Bletchley Park site and look at the offerings there, check them out at:

http://www.bletchleypark.org.uk/