ROL DE LA PERSONA DENTRO DE LA VÍA (CONDUCTOR, PEATÓN, PASAJERO)

“Welcome to SolderSmoke - a continuing discussion between a couple of ham radio operators about all things electronic and geeky. We have been meeting on Echolink for some time now to discuss what was on our Workbenches and to kick design ideas around for new electronic projects.”

You’ve seen them out there. All those little white ear-bud earphones. They are connected to iPods or other kinds of MP3 players. Most are playing music, but more and more of them are playing digital recordings of radio programs. And out there, amidst all the rock-and-roll and NPR, there is at least one program devoted to QRP, homebrewing and ham radio.

Last year, broadcasters started converting their programs into small audio files, usually in the mp3 format, and making them available on the web. Listeners can play them on their

computers or download them into their MP3 players. This is called “podcasting.”

About six months ago I was alerted to the potential of this new technology by an article in the British magazine “The New Scientist.” The article described how people around the world were, in effect, creating their own radio programs on their home computers. It occurred to me that my home PC was close to being ready for the production of these kinds of shows. For a few years Mike Caughran, KL7R and I have been having regular QSOs via the

EchoLink Internet system. We usually discuss our homebrew radio projects. I mentioned the podcast idea to Mike and the next thing I knew he had recorded one of our QSOs and

converted the recording into an MP3 file. We were suddenly podcasters!

We’re now up to edition #24 of SolderSmoke. We usually get several hundred downloads for each show. Our only pay-off is the fan mail we get; we consider ourselves well compensated. For those interested in the technical aspects of our operation, it is very simple. Mike records our QSOs using the record feature of the EchoLink program. He then uses the (free)

“Audacity” audio program to edit our jabbering and add the musical background theme. The file is then made available for free download via the very generous “Ourmedia” web site. Listeners can subscribe to the show via a bit of free software called iPodder – in this way any new shows will be automatically downloaded to their MP3 player. Or they can just visit our “Ourmedia” site, click on the desired program and listen through their PC.

We have been having a lot of fun with this. Mike is in Alaska, and I am in London. It is usually 6 am for me and 9 pm for Mike when we talk. The next day, or the next month, a fellow ham may be listening to our show while jogging through Tulsa, or while going to work on a train in Tokyo…

Just as EchoLink opened up a new way to link ham radio to the web, there are clearly a lot of possibilities for our hobby in the new world of podcasting. If you participate in an interesting technical roundtable QSO, why not share it with a larger audience? What about a podcast of that weekly QRP roundtable on EchoLink? How about some of those great AM QSOs on 75 and 160? Right now they are all disappearing into the ether, but with this technology they could be essentially immortalized and made available on demand to hams around the world. How about a series of podcasts on that new rig you just built? And remember, many of those little MP3 players also have microphones in them. So you could do some time-shifted

transmitting. For example we’d like to work some listener participation into our show. So maybe if you are listening to us someplace interesting (e.g., going through the channel tunnel or perhaps at 35,000 feet over the Pacific) how about recording us a little message – we could then put it into the show and send it out to the world.

Please check out our show. George is including on this CD all of our programs to date. You can subscribe to SolderSmoke by plugging this URL into your iPodder software:

http://www.ourmedia.org/mediarss/user/36170 or you can find all of our shows on our

Ourmedia homepage: http://www.ourmedia.org/user/36170 and they have also been included on this CD.

Like I said, feedback keeps us going so please let us know what you think. Send feedback to

[email protected]

“So that’s all for today from the Anglo-Alaskan SolderSmoke production team. Tune in next week for another inspiring edition of SolderSmoke!”

SOLDERSMOKE ISSUES CONTAINED ON THIS CD-ROM in MP3 FORMAT SolderSmoke 1

Tech talk of two radio amateurs. Bill in London and Mike in Juneau meet on the ECHOLINK VoIP system and discuss their homebrew radio projects.

SolderSmoke 2

Discussions between two amateur radio experimenters about what is currently on our benches.

SolderSmoke 3

This issue: "rubbering" ceramic resonators and the "DC to Daylight binaural receiver" SolderSmoke 4

This issue : ladder filters, binaural receiver, test equipment SolderSmoke 5

Binaural Receiver Crystal ladder filters. 17m DSB xcvr SolderSmoke 6

Ham radio discussions of RF projects that are on our benches. SolderSmoke 7

Discussions between two ham radio operators/experimentors about projects we have currently on our benches.

SolderSmoke 8

Discussions between two ham radio operators/experimentors about projects we have currently on our benches.

SolderSmoke 9

This week - Mars Rovers - nano wattmeter - xtal radios - QRP news SolderSmoke 10

This week "Einstein's Heroes" - PCB prototyping - Atmel butterfly - respect for those who do with less.

SolderSmoke 11

Two amateur radio experimenters discussing workbench radio projects. SolderSmoke 12

This week Dobsonian reflector telescopes. Class A amplifier design spice vs spreadsheet. Christmas.

SolderSmoke 13

This issue: Happy New Year 2006, Transisistor RF amp design using Spice and

MP3 Players. Online and published technical magazines. The value vs price of technical publications. Experimental Methods. The 2006 Handbook. Solid State Design.

SolderSmoke 14

This week: curry toast and tea satellite tracking and worried neighbors. Stardust probe. Whale on the Thames river. HCJB Soundcard Modes

SolderSmoke 15

This Week: SuitSat. Jupiter's moons. Back yard telescopes. Trip to Pluto. TimeDomain Reflectometer. KX1 high power mod. DC-DC converters. Good Jobs. Movie Review: "The Dish". Book Review: "First Light".

SolderSmoke 16

Two ham radio operators discuss workbench radio projects. This week: Desitin as heatsink compound and bottom paint. Supermodulation. Mixers / ne602 spice models. Soldersmoke in space. Website review: revver.

SolderSmoke 17

Two amateur radio experimenters discussing workbench radio projects. This week K1

receiver/receivers in general. The "feel" of programming languages/rigs. NE602 Spice model. Blue sun. Green flash. Receivers made from tooth filling detectors. Ejection seat HF radios. Saturn. Book review: "Technical Topics". Websites of the week: www.theregister.co.uk, www.spaceweather.com. Cracking Enigma. SETI at home.

SolderSmoke 18

Two amateur radio experimenters discuss workbench radio projects. This week: New Bench and Shack wiring. Using a hot screwdriver as a soldering iron. VW solar panels. Class AB Amps. Saturn's watery moon. Mars Recon Rover. The next SolarMax. Heliosismology. Aurora in NY. DX during a solarmax on the Azores.

SolderSmoke 19

Two amateur radio experimenters discuss workbench radio projects. This week: Easter edition. Experimenter vs Tinkerer. NTP3055v FET amp. Apr 2006 Bacon Bits. Ham radio software. Soundcard software. IQ receivers with soundcard software. MMANA 4nec2. Michigan Mitey Mite Transmitter.

SolderSmoke 20

Two amateur radio experimenters discuss workbench radio projects. This week: 80 meter qrp ssb and dsb transciever circuits.

SolderSmoke 21

This week: First Light for QRP rigs, Final amplifier voodoo/ quantum mechanical necromancy, ne612 carrier balance, Transmitter lowpass filters, The sweet sound of DC receivers, Slinky verticals, LC tuners, TiddlyWiki,VMWare and AFUKnoppix.

SolderSmoke 22

Two amateur radio experimenters discuss workbench radio projects. This week: How to get more than a watt out of a 12volt/50ohm amplifier. Wb7aei lowpass filters. Passive and active mixers. The binaural receiver. UK vs US hamfests.

SolderSmoke 23

Two amateur radio experimentors discuss workbench radio projects. This week: Taming HF amp self-oscillation. Output broadband transformers. DSB transmit on both usb and lsb at the same time. Adjusting LSB ladder filters. The "SSB advantage" vs the "CW advantage".

Satellite Oscar 52. Using jet wings as topband and magic band passive reflectors. SolderSmoke 24

This week: Two-Tone Test mp3 file. Review online book "crystal sets to sideband". Doubly rockbound SSB TX. HF Packer SlimGem amps. Push Pull IRF510 Mosfet amps. W1FB 40 db wide band general purpose amp. HF amplifier degeneration. Hf+6 diplexer.

BIOs:

Mike Caughran, aka KL7R, got his ham ticket around 1977. His elmer passed along a love of building radios and working CW. He was born and raised in Alaska and is a patriot of that state. He education is in electronics but has been working with computers since 1982.

See http://kl7r.ham-radio.ch

Bill Meara, aka N2CQR, M0HBR, and CU2JL, got interested in ham radio by listening to programs of Jean Shepherd on WOR radio in New York during the 1970s. Bill does not work in electronics professionally, but his job does, in effect, put him on a permanent DX-pedition.

See http://www.gadgeteer.us Ourmedia member since 08/2005

All material in HOMEBREWER is copyright 2006 and may not be reprinted in any form without express written permission from the American QRP Club and the individual author. Articles have not been tested and no guarantee of success is implied. Safe construction practices should always be followed and the builder assumes all risks. HOMEBREWER Magazine is a quarterly journal of the American QRP Club, published on CD-ROM. Each issue typically contains over 200 pages of QRP-related homebrewing construction and technical articles intended for builders, experimenters, ham radio operators and low power enthusiasts all around the world. HOMEBREWER features include construction projects for beginners all the way up to the advanced digital and RF experimenters. Annual subscriptions are $15 (for US & Canada) and $20 (for foreign addresses). For information, contact editor/publisher George Heron, N2APB at [email protected] or visit HOMEBREWER Magazine home page at www.amqrp.org/homebrewer.

Murph, VE3ERP