After the weather zapped the output transistor (a BS150 FET) of my Ultimate3S beacon from QRP-Labs yet again, I was forced to replace the device, again. It is not a difficult job at all, just a little chore. This time I decided to make it easier on myself. Instead of replacing the transistor by soldering…
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Making (Big) Waves
The Yaesu FL-2100Z is a classic HF amplifier. It sits near the end of a long life line of multiple variations and models of the basic 811A or 572B triode valve, all using exactly the same grounded-grid core design, and all of them making nice big waves in the ether when fired up. I was…
Sizing of a Solar Charging System for a QRP Beacon
When you run a small low power beacon like the Ultimate3S from QRP-Labs it is attractive to consider powering it from batteries with a solar panel. But how long will it last? A number of things are conspiring to make our lives as amateur radio experimenters difficult. On the one hand the cheap Chinese imports…
Measuring the QRPp’s Isn’t Easy
Interesting how a development in one area of this hobby can force a sudden change of direction to explore some new areas. I’ve been happily experimenting with my Hans Summers Ultimate 3S kit when I realised that I could band-hop and get a picture of propagation conditions updated every 30 minutes or so. Cool idea.…
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Flex-1500 – Starting the SDR journey
I might be older, but I’m very young at heart when it comes to technology. I love playing with all the latest gadgets and adopting my hobby to the emerging technologies. One example would be that I only run solid-state amplifiers (watch out for my series of articles on building my own). I also talk…
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Nixie Tube Clock
Nixie Tube Clock I’m sorry in advance if I’m going to hurt somebody’s feelings here, but you cannot be a radio ham if you not like small glass bottles that glows in the dark. Even if you are a die-hard solid-state amateur like me, you absolutely HAVE-to-have something that indicates or flashes or twinkles in…
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QRSS on 30m with Arduino
QRSS is not something I knew anything about, until I stumbled across a useful use for my Arduino: A small daughter board (called a shield) with a few components to turn it into a QRSS transmitter. I admit I am lazy and morse code is way out of my reach – know the joke? did…
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