Posts Tagged ‘kitbuilding’
Haven’t said this in a while
September 7th, 2016 | 
Author: but "Thank You" to all of you who read this blog. It would be foolish and time wasting for me to do this if you weren't out there. From the e-mails, photos and comments I receive, I know that you all are, indeed, out there. Again, thank you so very much.
On the QRP side of things, I see from an e-mail by Doug KI6DS to the QRP-L list that the QRPGuys have a new kit offering out. The following is their description:
The QRPGuys Multi-Tuner is a Z-match design that will match a wide range of coax fed, long wire, and balanced line antennas, like high-impedance, low-loss UHF twinlead or ladder line for 40m-10m.
It uses the N7VE integral led swr indicator with an absorptive bridge to protect your final transistors from a poor match. In the TUNE position, you cannot damage your transmitter caused by a high SWR. It is looking at a 50 ohm load and the LED is indicating only the reflected power. At full brilliance your SWR is 4:1 or greater, at half brilliance your SWR is approximately 2:1, and the LED will completely extinguish at 1:1.
Rated for 5 watts continuous, 10 watts intermittant, weighs (4.3 oz.) and comes with female BNC connectors for the input/output, with S.S. hardware for the long wire and balanced line connections. There is no point to point wiring. All connections are accomplished by mounting the components on the PCB. This kit can be built in a couple of hours. On a difficulty scale of 1 to 5, 5 being the most difficult, this is rated at 3.
For more information, and ordering, you can go to http://www.qrpguys.com/
I don't have to tell you (but will, anyway) how important it is for us to patronize concerns like QRPGuys, QRPMe, QRP Kits, SOTA Beams, and the numerous other QRP vendors around the world that are out there. Blogging is my way to give a bit back to the hobby. Offering kits is the way these guys give back to the hobby. Yeah, they are there to make a buck or two; but they're definitely not in this with visions of becoming the next Elecraft. You keep me "in business' by reading; and we keep them in business (and as a result, keep the QRP hobby alive) by purchasing their wares.
72 de Larry W2LJ
QRP - When you care to send the very least!
On the QRP side of things, I see from an e-mail by Doug KI6DS to the QRP-L list that the QRPGuys have a new kit offering out. The following is their description:
The QRPGuys Multi-Tuner is a Z-match design that will match a wide range of coax fed, long wire, and balanced line antennas, like high-impedance, low-loss UHF twinlead or ladder line for 40m-10m.
It uses the N7VE integral led swr indicator with an absorptive bridge to protect your final transistors from a poor match. In the TUNE position, you cannot damage your transmitter caused by a high SWR. It is looking at a 50 ohm load and the LED is indicating only the reflected power. At full brilliance your SWR is 4:1 or greater, at half brilliance your SWR is approximately 2:1, and the LED will completely extinguish at 1:1.
Rated for 5 watts continuous, 10 watts intermittant, weighs (4.3 oz.) and comes with female BNC connectors for the input/output, with S.S. hardware for the long wire and balanced line connections. There is no point to point wiring. All connections are accomplished by mounting the components on the PCB. This kit can be built in a couple of hours. On a difficulty scale of 1 to 5, 5 being the most difficult, this is rated at 3.
For more information, and ordering, you can go to http://www.qrpguys.com/
I don't have to tell you (but will, anyway) how important it is for us to patronize concerns like QRPGuys, QRPMe, QRP Kits, SOTA Beams, and the numerous other QRP vendors around the world that are out there. Blogging is my way to give a bit back to the hobby. Offering kits is the way these guys give back to the hobby. Yeah, they are there to make a buck or two; but they're definitely not in this with visions of becoming the next Elecraft. You keep me "in business' by reading; and we keep them in business (and as a result, keep the QRP hobby alive) by purchasing their wares.
72 de Larry W2LJ
QRP - When you care to send the very least!
Haven’t said this in a while
but "Thank You" to all of you who read this blog. It would be foolish and time wasting for me to do this if you weren't out there. From the e-mails, photos and comments I receive, I know that you all are, indeed, out there. Again, thank you so very much.
On the QRP side of things, I see from an e-mail by Doug KI6DS to the QRP-L list that the QRPGuys have a new kit offering out. The following is their description:
The QRPGuys Multi-Tuner is a Z-match design that will match a wide range of coax fed, long wire, and balanced line antennas, like high-impedance, low-loss UHF twinlead or ladder line for 40m-10m.
It uses the N7VE integral led swr indicator with an absorptive bridge to protect your final transistors from a poor match. In the TUNE position, you cannot damage your transmitter caused by a high SWR. It is looking at a 50 ohm load and the LED is indicating only the reflected power. At full brilliance your SWR is 4:1 or greater, at half brilliance your SWR is approximately 2:1, and the LED will completely extinguish at 1:1.
Rated for 5 watts continuous, 10 watts intermittant, weighs (4.3 oz.) and comes with female BNC connectors for the input/output, with S.S. hardware for the long wire and balanced line connections. There is no point to point wiring. All connections are accomplished by mounting the components on the PCB. This kit can be built in a couple of hours. On a difficulty scale of 1 to 5, 5 being the most difficult, this is rated at 3.
For more information, and ordering, you can go to http://www.qrpguys.com/
I don't have to tell you (but will, anyway) how important it is for us to patronize concerns like QRPGuys, QRPMe, QRP Kits, SOTA Beams, and the numerous other QRP vendors around the world that are out there. Blogging is my way to give a bit back to the hobby. Offering kits is the way these guys give back to the hobby. Yeah, they are there to make a buck or two; but they're definitely not in this with visions of becoming the next Elecraft. You keep me "in business' by reading; and we keep them in business (and as a result, keep the QRP hobby alive) by purchasing their wares.
72 de Larry W2LJ
QRP - When you care to send the very least!
On the QRP side of things, I see from an e-mail by Doug KI6DS to the QRP-L list that the QRPGuys have a new kit offering out. The following is their description:
The QRPGuys Multi-Tuner is a Z-match design that will match a wide range of coax fed, long wire, and balanced line antennas, like high-impedance, low-loss UHF twinlead or ladder line for 40m-10m.
It uses the N7VE integral led swr indicator with an absorptive bridge to protect your final transistors from a poor match. In the TUNE position, you cannot damage your transmitter caused by a high SWR. It is looking at a 50 ohm load and the LED is indicating only the reflected power. At full brilliance your SWR is 4:1 or greater, at half brilliance your SWR is approximately 2:1, and the LED will completely extinguish at 1:1.
Rated for 5 watts continuous, 10 watts intermittant, weighs (4.3 oz.) and comes with female BNC connectors for the input/output, with S.S. hardware for the long wire and balanced line connections. There is no point to point wiring. All connections are accomplished by mounting the components on the PCB. This kit can be built in a couple of hours. On a difficulty scale of 1 to 5, 5 being the most difficult, this is rated at 3.
For more information, and ordering, you can go to http://www.qrpguys.com/
I don't have to tell you (but will, anyway) how important it is for us to patronize concerns like QRPGuys, QRPMe, QRP Kits, SOTA Beams, and the numerous other QRP vendors around the world that are out there. Blogging is my way to give a bit back to the hobby. Offering kits is the way these guys give back to the hobby. Yeah, they are there to make a buck or two; but they're definitely not in this with visions of becoming the next Elecraft. You keep me "in business' by reading; and we keep them in business (and as a result, keep the QRP hobby alive) by purchasing their wares.
72 de Larry W2LJ
QRP - When you care to send the very least!
Doctor and patient are doing fine
A few days ago, I went out to the car as I usually do, for some lunchtime QRP. In my haste to get everything put away after I was done, I inadvertently knocked the external battery off the car seat onto the floor. The KX3 started to move, as it was still attached, but a quick hand stopped it, and all was well. Or so I thought.
Yesterday, I went out again, and this time the KX3 wouldn't turn on. No problem, I thought to myself, the battery was probably on its way out, as it has been a while since I have given it its last drink. So last evening, while I was attending a CERT class on animal handling during declared emergencies, I had the battery plugged in at home, charging.
When I got home, around 10:00 PM, I tried reconnecting the battery to the KX3 to see if everything was OK. Still no sign of life - my KX3 was still flat lining.. Hmmmmmm ........ could the battery have gone totally bad?
I carried the radio down to the shack 13.8V power supply. Viola! It turned on!
And then immediately turned off.
My brain went into over drive. What the %(#@*#$ was going on ?!?
I dread sending stuff out for repair. Don't know why, I just do. I was in the professional photographic electronics repair biz for over 20 years. I have fixed studio strobes costing well over $12,000.00. I have taken apart digital camera backs that cost more than a Mercedes Benz. I have stared down banks of charged capacitors storing up enough electrons to supply 6,400 Joules of energy in one pop - certainly I should be able to figure out a relatively minor KX3 repair? Right?
I rolled up my sleeves and got down to it. Obviously, this was a power problem. But why was the rig shutting down so quickly? Internal short? Bad connection somewhere? Then I noticed that if I wiggled the power plug a certain way, the radio would stay on. My mind immediately flashed back to the battery falling incident from the other day. I must have done something to the power socket.
The advantage of building the KX3 (if that's what you want to call it) is that you know how it goes together, so you're not frightened at the prospect of taking it apart. You've seen it in all its naked glory and you lovingly put it together at least once, right? So what's the big deal in taking it apart?
Well, when you built it roughly five years ago, some of the finer details of how it went together get muddled up in the old memory banks. That's why it's good to never toss the build manual! Within about 5 -7 minutes I had it apart and had the display circuit in my hand. A little extra light and a lot of extra magnification from a magnifying glass confirmed my suspicion.
The power socket is a surface mount device, just about like everything else on that display/control circuit board. The weight of the battery tugged the socket enough to unmoor it from its assigned, tinned pads. When I would wiggle the connector "down" towards the circuit board, everything worked. As soon as I let downward pressure go, the connector would break contact from the circuit board again and the radio would appear dead.
I ran upstairs for a pair of scrubs and to wash my hands to prep for surgery. NO! Just kidding!
I changed my soldering station tip to the skinniest one that I have for when I work on SMD devices and I re-soldered that connector onto its pads. I took great care to add just a little "extra" solder just to make sure the connection is good, solid and won't come apart so easily in the future.
I hastily (I'll get back to that in a minute) put everything together and fired the radio up. Fixed! Problem solved! High fives and happy dances all around!
I will have to go back sometime over the weekend to remove the front plexiglass display window, though. In my haste, I wasn't so careful about finger prints. I'll have to go back and clean that up. Yes, I know ...... call me anal. I can't help it!
But as this blog post says - the patient (and more importantly, the doctor) are doing just fine! And even more importantly - no return trip to Aptos!
PROGNOSIS: Excellent! Today's lunchtime QRP session netted the following:
N0TA - SOTA peak W0C/PR-082 (Squaw Mountain) in CO on 20 Meters.
VP5/AC0W - Turks and Caicos Islands on 20 Meters
CT9/OM3RM - Madeira Island on 20 Meters.
PJ2/NF9V - Curacao on 15 Meters.
I chased KH7Y in Hawaii who was absolutely booming into NJ on 15 Meters, but could not make myself heard. Just goes to show, you can't win them all!
72 de Larry W2LJ
QRP - When you care to send the very least!
Gear on the backseat of the Jeep.
Yesterday, I went out again, and this time the KX3 wouldn't turn on. No problem, I thought to myself, the battery was probably on its way out, as it has been a while since I have given it its last drink. So last evening, while I was attending a CERT class on animal handling during declared emergencies, I had the battery plugged in at home, charging.
When I got home, around 10:00 PM, I tried reconnecting the battery to the KX3 to see if everything was OK. Still no sign of life - my KX3 was still flat lining.. Hmmmmmm ........ could the battery have gone totally bad?
I carried the radio down to the shack 13.8V power supply. Viola! It turned on!
And then immediately turned off.
My brain went into over drive. What the %(#@*#$ was going on ?!?
I dread sending stuff out for repair. Don't know why, I just do. I was in the professional photographic electronics repair biz for over 20 years. I have fixed studio strobes costing well over $12,000.00. I have taken apart digital camera backs that cost more than a Mercedes Benz. I have stared down banks of charged capacitors storing up enough electrons to supply 6,400 Joules of energy in one pop - certainly I should be able to figure out a relatively minor KX3 repair? Right?
I rolled up my sleeves and got down to it. Obviously, this was a power problem. But why was the rig shutting down so quickly? Internal short? Bad connection somewhere? Then I noticed that if I wiggled the power plug a certain way, the radio would stay on. My mind immediately flashed back to the battery falling incident from the other day. I must have done something to the power socket.
The power socket is the black, boxy thing to the right.
The advantage of building the KX3 (if that's what you want to call it) is that you know how it goes together, so you're not frightened at the prospect of taking it apart. You've seen it in all its naked glory and you lovingly put it together at least once, right? So what's the big deal in taking it apart?
Well, when you built it roughly five years ago, some of the finer details of how it went together get muddled up in the old memory banks. That's why it's good to never toss the build manual! Within about 5 -7 minutes I had it apart and had the display circuit in my hand. A little extra light and a lot of extra magnification from a magnifying glass confirmed my suspicion.
The power socket is a surface mount device, just about like everything else on that display/control circuit board. The weight of the battery tugged the socket enough to unmoor it from its assigned, tinned pads. When I would wiggle the connector "down" towards the circuit board, everything worked. As soon as I let downward pressure go, the connector would break contact from the circuit board again and the radio would appear dead.
I ran upstairs for a pair of scrubs and to wash my hands to prep for surgery. NO! Just kidding!
I changed my soldering station tip to the skinniest one that I have for when I work on SMD devices and I re-soldered that connector onto its pads. I took great care to add just a little "extra" solder just to make sure the connection is good, solid and won't come apart so easily in the future.
I hastily (I'll get back to that in a minute) put everything together and fired the radio up. Fixed! Problem solved! High fives and happy dances all around!
I will have to go back sometime over the weekend to remove the front plexiglass display window, though. In my haste, I wasn't so careful about finger prints. I'll have to go back and clean that up. Yes, I know ...... call me anal. I can't help it!
But as this blog post says - the patient (and more importantly, the doctor) are doing just fine! And even more importantly - no return trip to Aptos!
PROGNOSIS: Excellent! Today's lunchtime QRP session netted the following:
N0TA - SOTA peak W0C/PR-082 (Squaw Mountain) in CO on 20 Meters.
VP5/AC0W - Turks and Caicos Islands on 20 Meters
CT9/OM3RM - Madeira Island on 20 Meters.
PJ2/NF9V - Curacao on 15 Meters.
I chased KH7Y in Hawaii who was absolutely booming into NJ on 15 Meters, but could not make myself heard. Just goes to show, you can't win them all!
72 de Larry W2LJ
QRP - When you care to send the very least!
Doctor and patient are doing fine
A few days ago, I went out to the car as I usually do, for some lunchtime QRP. In my haste to get everything put away after I was done, I inadvertently knocked the external battery off the car seat onto the floor. The KX3 started to move, as it was still attached, but a quick hand stopped it, and all was well. Or so I thought.
Yesterday, I went out again, and this time the KX3 wouldn't turn on. No problem, I thought to myself, the battery was probably on its way out, as it has been a while since I have given it its last drink. So last evening, while I was attending a CERT class on animal handling during declared emergencies, I had the battery plugged in at home, charging.
When I got home, around 10:00 PM, I tried reconnecting the battery to the KX3 to see if everything was OK. Still no sign of life - my KX3 was still flat lining.. Hmmmmmm ........ could the battery have gone totally bad?
I carried the radio down to the shack 13.8V power supply. Viola! It turned on!
And then immediately turned off.
My brain went into over drive. What the %(#@*#$ was going on ?!?
I dread sending stuff out for repair. Don't know why, I just do. I was in the professional photographic electronics repair biz for over 20 years. I have fixed studio strobes costing well over $12,000.00. I have taken apart digital camera backs that cost more than a Mercedes Benz. I have stared down banks of charged capacitors storing up enough electrons to supply 6,400 Joules of energy in one pop - certainly I should be able to figure out a relatively minor KX3 repair? Right?
I rolled up my sleeves and got down to it. Obviously, this was a power problem. But why was the rig shutting down so quickly? Internal short? Bad connection somewhere? Then I noticed that if I wiggled the power plug a certain way, the radio would stay on. My mind immediately flashed back to the battery falling incident from the other day. I must have done something to the power socket.
The advantage of building the KX3 (if that's what you want to call it) is that you know how it goes together, so you're not frightened at the prospect of taking it apart. You've seen it in all its naked glory and you lovingly put it together at least once, right? So what's the big deal in taking it apart?
Well, when you built it roughly five years ago, some of the finer details of how it went together get muddled up in the old memory banks. That's why it's good to never toss the build manual! Within about 5 -7 minutes I had it apart and had the display circuit in my hand. A little extra light and a lot of extra magnification from a magnifying glass confirmed my suspicion.
The power socket is a surface mount device, just about like everything else on that display/control circuit board. The weight of the battery tugged the socket enough to unmoor it from its assigned, tinned pads. When I would wiggle the connector "down" towards the circuit board, everything worked. As soon as I let downward pressure go, the connector would break contact from the circuit board again and the radio would appear dead.
I ran upstairs for a pair of scrubs and to wash my hands to prep for surgery. NO! Just kidding!
I changed my soldering station tip to the skinniest one that I have for when I work on SMD devices and I re-soldered that connector onto its pads. I took great care to add just a little "extra" solder just to make sure the connection is good, solid and won't come apart so easily in the future.
I hastily (I'll get back to that in a minute) put everything together and fired the radio up. Fixed! Problem solved! High fives and happy dances all around!
I will have to go back sometime over the weekend to remove the front plexiglass display window, though. In my haste, I wasn't so careful about finger prints. I'll have to go back and clean that up. Yes, I know ...... call me anal. I can't help it!
But as this blog post says - the patient (and more importantly, the doctor) are doing just fine! And even more importantly - no return trip to Aptos!
PROGNOSIS: Excellent! Today's lunchtime QRP session netted the following:
N0TA - SOTA peak W0C/PR-082 (Squaw Mountain) in CO on 20 Meters.
VP5/AC0W - Turks and Caicos Islands on 20 Meters
CT9/OM3RM - Madeira Island on 20 Meters.
PJ2/NF9V - Curacao on 15 Meters.
I chased KH7Y in Hawaii who was absolutely booming into NJ on 15 Meters, but could not make myself heard. Just goes to show, you can't win them all!
72 de Larry W2LJ
QRP - When you care to send the very least!
Gear on the backseat of the Jeep.
Yesterday, I went out again, and this time the KX3 wouldn't turn on. No problem, I thought to myself, the battery was probably on its way out, as it has been a while since I have given it its last drink. So last evening, while I was attending a CERT class on animal handling during declared emergencies, I had the battery plugged in at home, charging.
When I got home, around 10:00 PM, I tried reconnecting the battery to the KX3 to see if everything was OK. Still no sign of life - my KX3 was still flat lining.. Hmmmmmm ........ could the battery have gone totally bad?
I carried the radio down to the shack 13.8V power supply. Viola! It turned on!
And then immediately turned off.
My brain went into over drive. What the %(#@*#$ was going on ?!?
I dread sending stuff out for repair. Don't know why, I just do. I was in the professional photographic electronics repair biz for over 20 years. I have fixed studio strobes costing well over $12,000.00. I have taken apart digital camera backs that cost more than a Mercedes Benz. I have stared down banks of charged capacitors storing up enough electrons to supply 6,400 Joules of energy in one pop - certainly I should be able to figure out a relatively minor KX3 repair? Right?
I rolled up my sleeves and got down to it. Obviously, this was a power problem. But why was the rig shutting down so quickly? Internal short? Bad connection somewhere? Then I noticed that if I wiggled the power plug a certain way, the radio would stay on. My mind immediately flashed back to the battery falling incident from the other day. I must have done something to the power socket.
The power socket is the black, boxy thing to the right.
The advantage of building the KX3 (if that's what you want to call it) is that you know how it goes together, so you're not frightened at the prospect of taking it apart. You've seen it in all its naked glory and you lovingly put it together at least once, right? So what's the big deal in taking it apart?
Well, when you built it roughly five years ago, some of the finer details of how it went together get muddled up in the old memory banks. That's why it's good to never toss the build manual! Within about 5 -7 minutes I had it apart and had the display circuit in my hand. A little extra light and a lot of extra magnification from a magnifying glass confirmed my suspicion.
The power socket is a surface mount device, just about like everything else on that display/control circuit board. The weight of the battery tugged the socket enough to unmoor it from its assigned, tinned pads. When I would wiggle the connector "down" towards the circuit board, everything worked. As soon as I let downward pressure go, the connector would break contact from the circuit board again and the radio would appear dead.
I ran upstairs for a pair of scrubs and to wash my hands to prep for surgery. NO! Just kidding!
I changed my soldering station tip to the skinniest one that I have for when I work on SMD devices and I re-soldered that connector onto its pads. I took great care to add just a little "extra" solder just to make sure the connection is good, solid and won't come apart so easily in the future.
I hastily (I'll get back to that in a minute) put everything together and fired the radio up. Fixed! Problem solved! High fives and happy dances all around!
I will have to go back sometime over the weekend to remove the front plexiglass display window, though. In my haste, I wasn't so careful about finger prints. I'll have to go back and clean that up. Yes, I know ...... call me anal. I can't help it!
But as this blog post says - the patient (and more importantly, the doctor) are doing just fine! And even more importantly - no return trip to Aptos!
PROGNOSIS: Excellent! Today's lunchtime QRP session netted the following:
N0TA - SOTA peak W0C/PR-082 (Squaw Mountain) in CO on 20 Meters.
VP5/AC0W - Turks and Caicos Islands on 20 Meters
CT9/OM3RM - Madeira Island on 20 Meters.
PJ2/NF9V - Curacao on 15 Meters.
I chased KH7Y in Hawaii who was absolutely booming into NJ on 15 Meters, but could not make myself heard. Just goes to show, you can't win them all!
72 de Larry W2LJ
QRP - When you care to send the very least!
Guys who build stuff
Yesterday, after getting my fill of NPOTA stations, I was in the shack getting ready to pull the switch for the evening. It was just then that I heard a weak CQ on 3.652 MHz, from WT2W who lives in the Syracuse, NY region. It turned out that Jim was using a homebrewed transmitter modeled after a 1929 Hartley Oscillator.
Jim was putting out all of about 2 Watts to his antenna, but it was enough to garner him a 569 report from me. His signal was a little chirpy and a tiny bit raspy, but it was still pleasant to listen to and fully copyable. Shortly after our QSO, Jim e-mailed me the above photo. I know how satisfying it is to build a kit and have it work. I can only imagine how much more satisfying it must be to build something from scratch and have it work. I'm not the greatest scratch builder, but the few times I have and have had the finished product work were enough to make the ol' shirt buttons pop.
Another friend who is into building from scratch is my good buddy, Bob W3BBO from Erie, PA. As mentioned before, Bob is my Ham Radio mentor, and I've learned so much from him that I don't even know where to begin. Here are some photos of a series of regen receivers that he's been homebrewing.
Now does he do nice work, or what? Very nice work, indeed! I know that Bob has been conversing with Dave AA7EE, who's listed on the blog roll to the right. As far as I'm concerned, Dave's one of the Master Builders. His creations come out looking so good as to be museum pieces, in my humble opinion.
I wish I had an nth of the talent that these guys have. My creations always seem to come out looking more like something Dr. Frankenstein would have created. Functional, maybe, but definitely not pleasant to look at.
This afternoon, I worked three more NPOTA stations:
AC9FL - SSB - TR55 - Ice Age National Scientific Reserve
N4MJ - CW - BF04 - Fort Donelson National Battlefield
KS4YT - SSB - NP30 - Hot Springs National Park
Sadly, my SSB pileup breaking skills are nowhere near my CW pileup breaking skills. It's going to be interesting to see if they improve as the year progresses.
72 de Larry W2LJ
QRP - When you care to send the very least!
Jim was putting out all of about 2 Watts to his antenna, but it was enough to garner him a 569 report from me. His signal was a little chirpy and a tiny bit raspy, but it was still pleasant to listen to and fully copyable. Shortly after our QSO, Jim e-mailed me the above photo. I know how satisfying it is to build a kit and have it work. I can only imagine how much more satisfying it must be to build something from scratch and have it work. I'm not the greatest scratch builder, but the few times I have and have had the finished product work were enough to make the ol' shirt buttons pop.
Another friend who is into building from scratch is my good buddy, Bob W3BBO from Erie, PA. As mentioned before, Bob is my Ham Radio mentor, and I've learned so much from him that I don't even know where to begin. Here are some photos of a series of regen receivers that he's been homebrewing.
Now does he do nice work, or what? Very nice work, indeed! I know that Bob has been conversing with Dave AA7EE, who's listed on the blog roll to the right. As far as I'm concerned, Dave's one of the Master Builders. His creations come out looking so good as to be museum pieces, in my humble opinion.
I wish I had an nth of the talent that these guys have. My creations always seem to come out looking more like something Dr. Frankenstein would have created. Functional, maybe, but definitely not pleasant to look at.
This afternoon, I worked three more NPOTA stations:
AC9FL - SSB - TR55 - Ice Age National Scientific Reserve
N4MJ - CW - BF04 - Fort Donelson National Battlefield
KS4YT - SSB - NP30 - Hot Springs National Park
Sadly, my SSB pileup breaking skills are nowhere near my CW pileup breaking skills. It's going to be interesting to see if they improve as the year progresses.
72 de Larry W2LJ
QRP - When you care to send the very least!
They ARE attempting a comeback, after all.
I'm sure many of you got the same email from Heathkit, either yesterday or early this morning. I had to admit that I thought it was going to be another one of those "We're still coming back!" emails, but this one had some substance.
It looks like the initial offerings are a table AM radio as well as some parts for already existing Heathkit products, namely the HW8, as well as their weather instruments.
Everything can be found here: https://shop.heathkit.com/shop
Obviously, it's a small fledgling offering, but every journey of 1,000 miles begins with a single step. So before we make any harsh judgments, let's all take a deep breath, wish the new "Heathkit" well, and see how this all shakes out.
72 de Larry W2LJ
QRP - When you care to send the very least !
It looks like the initial offerings are a table AM radio as well as some parts for already existing Heathkit products, namely the HW8, as well as their weather instruments.
Everything can be found here: https://shop.heathkit.com/shop
Obviously, it's a small fledgling offering, but every journey of 1,000 miles begins with a single step. So before we make any harsh judgments, let's all take a deep breath, wish the new "Heathkit" well, and see how this all shakes out.
72 de Larry W2LJ
QRP - When you care to send the very least !
The Magic Word
"FREE" !
How can you pass up something for free?
You can't.
In case you are not aware, you can pick up Bill Meara's book, "Solder Smoke" for free from Amazon.com. The actual "in your hands" paperback book is $19.99 (from Amazon), but the kindle edition is free.
You don't need to own a kindle to read this, which is the beauty of it. The kindle app is also free, and you can load it onto any Windows PC or Android device. Sorry, I'm not up on Apple devices, but something tells me that the kindle app is probably available for them, too.
So how can you pass this up?
You can't.
72 de Larry W2LJ
QRP - When you care to send the very least!
How can you pass up something for free?
You can't.
In case you are not aware, you can pick up Bill Meara's book, "Solder Smoke" for free from Amazon.com. The actual "in your hands" paperback book is $19.99 (from Amazon), but the kindle edition is free.
You don't need to own a kindle to read this, which is the beauty of it. The kindle app is also free, and you can load it onto any Windows PC or Android device. Sorry, I'm not up on Apple devices, but something tells me that the kindle app is probably available for them, too.
So how can you pass this up?
You can't.
72 de Larry W2LJ
QRP - When you care to send the very least!
