WEBVTT 00:00:10.009 --> 00:00:12.830 Thanks for tuning in. HamTalk Live will be on 00:00:12.830 --> 00:00:30.769 the air shortly. Please stand by. Thanks for 00:00:30.769 --> 00:00:33.530 tuning in. HamTalk Live will be on the air shortly. 00:00:33.729 --> 00:00:38.320 Please stand by. This episode of HamTalk Live 00:00:38.320 --> 00:00:41.939 is brought to you by Tower Electronics. For connectors, 00:00:42.320 --> 00:00:47.780 cables, and more, call 920 -435 -2973 or visit 00:00:47.780 --> 00:00:53.640 pl -259 .com. And by ICOM, heard it, worked it, 00:00:53.920 --> 00:00:58.880 logged it. Visit www .icomamerica .com slash 00:00:58.880 --> 00:01:02.759 amateur for more information about ICOM radios. 00:01:33.680 --> 00:01:37.200 Hey, good evening, everyone. It's time for HamTalk 00:01:37.200 --> 00:01:42.400 Live. It's episode number 202, the latest kits 00:01:42.400 --> 00:01:47.859 recorded live on Thursday, March 5th, 2020. I'm 00:01:47.859 --> 00:01:51.599 your host, Neil Rapp, WB9VPG. Thanks for tuning 00:01:51.599 --> 00:01:55.920 into this episode of HamTalk Live. Tonight, we're 00:01:55.920 --> 00:02:00.099 joined by Joe Eisenberg, KZeroNEB. We'll take 00:02:00.099 --> 00:02:03.879 your calls live in just a few minutes. Last week 00:02:03.879 --> 00:02:14.699 here on the show, Maxwell Zines, WM4TH, was here 00:02:14.699 --> 00:02:18.240 to talk about his fraternities ham radio club. 00:02:18.819 --> 00:02:21.159 And if you missed that show, give it a listen. 00:02:21.419 --> 00:02:24.680 It's pretty interesting. You can catch that at 00:02:24.680 --> 00:02:27.659 HamTalkLive .com or your favorite podcast app 00:02:27.659 --> 00:02:31.180 or YouTube. And you can hear about how they got 00:02:31.180 --> 00:02:35.759 that. Shack set up in the in the fraternity You 00:02:35.759 --> 00:02:39.900 can also catch rebroadcasts of the show on WTWW. 00:02:40.919 --> 00:02:45.659 That's 5 0 8 5 a .m Saturday evenings at about 00:02:45.659 --> 00:02:49.300 6 30 p .m. Eastern time. So tonight we're back 00:02:49.300 --> 00:02:55.300 to kit building our our Let's see. I don't know 00:02:55.300 --> 00:02:59.919 the right word to say our Our occasional recurring 00:02:59.919 --> 00:03:03.439 visit from Joe, I guess, was what we'll say for 00:03:03.439 --> 00:03:08.039 now. But get your kit building questions ready 00:03:08.039 --> 00:03:10.680 to go. We'll talk to him. If you're listening 00:03:10.680 --> 00:03:12.939 to us live on Thursday night, you can give us 00:03:12.939 --> 00:03:16.719 a call after the interview. And the number, the 00:03:16.719 --> 00:03:25.819 new number 859 -982 -7373. Again, the phone number 00:03:25.819 --> 00:03:30.979 to call so you can have it ready to go. 859 -982 00:03:30.979 --> 00:03:36.439 -7373. You can also tweet us, it's at HamTalk 00:03:36.439 --> 00:03:39.419 Live on Twitter and I'll be back with Joe right 00:03:39.419 --> 00:03:41.900 after this word from Tower Electronics right 00:03:41.900 --> 00:03:45.560 here on HamTalk Live. Is this getting serious? 00:03:46.000 --> 00:03:49.840 I think so. Well, how do you feel about it? Just 00:03:49.840 --> 00:03:53.960 imagine if you hadn't run out of PL -259s. Just 00:03:53.960 --> 00:03:56.120 imagine if your connectors weren't from Tower 00:03:56.120 --> 00:03:59.020 Electronics. Consider the sophisticated quality 00:03:59.020 --> 00:04:01.759 of connectors from Tower Electronics. Their silver 00:04:01.759 --> 00:04:04.419 -plated end connectors are so good, they've even 00:04:04.419 --> 00:04:06.699 been used on the International Space Station. 00:04:07.360 --> 00:04:10.360 I'm not so sure why I ever used any other PL 00:04:10.360 --> 00:04:14.219 -259s. Mine are better. Besides, you deserve 00:04:14.219 --> 00:04:17.209 the best. You know I love you. Don't be caught 00:04:17.209 --> 00:04:20.750 without PL 259s. Visit Tower Electronics at a 00:04:20.750 --> 00:04:23.350 ham fest near you or visit them online anytime 00:04:23.350 --> 00:04:30.509 at PL -259 .com or call 920 -435 -2973. They 00:04:30.509 --> 00:04:33.209 also have ham sticks, mobile antennas and meters 00:04:33.209 --> 00:04:37.610 too. See the whole catalog. Go to PL -259 .com 00:04:37.610 --> 00:04:40.449 Tower Electronics, the hams dime store since 00:04:40.449 --> 00:04:44.149 1978. You're listening to Ham Talk Live with 00:04:44.149 --> 00:04:47.699 Neil Rapp. Yesterday, my XYL said she'd leave 00:04:47.699 --> 00:05:01.699 me if I didn't give up Ham Radio. Over. Thanks 00:05:01.699 --> 00:05:05.120 to Scott and Jill at Tower Electronics for sponsoring 00:05:05.120 --> 00:05:08.000 the show again tonight. They help bring HamTalk 00:05:08.000 --> 00:05:11.870 Live your way each and every week. and this weekend 00:05:11.870 --> 00:05:15.009 they are in familiar territory for me they're 00:05:15.009 --> 00:05:19.850 down in cave city kentucky on saturday and then 00:05:19.850 --> 00:05:24.250 they'll be in the toledo area in mommy ohio on 00:05:24.250 --> 00:05:29.569 the 15th and then april 18th they'll be in stoughton 00:05:29.569 --> 00:05:32.370 wisconsin up near madison but you can visit them 00:05:32.370 --> 00:05:40.790 anytime at pl -259 .com Joe Eisenberg, K -0 -N 00:05:40.790 --> 00:05:43.569 -E -B, is from Lincoln, Nebraska and is well 00:05:43.569 --> 00:05:46.750 known for his kit building expertise. He's also 00:05:46.750 --> 00:05:49.370 well known for his picture shows of the Dayton 00:05:49.370 --> 00:05:52.769 Hamvention. He's the longtime kit building editor 00:05:52.769 --> 00:05:56.069 at CQ Magazine and often makes presentations 00:05:56.069 --> 00:05:59.389 and offers kit builds at HamFests, conventions, 00:05:59.709 --> 00:06:02.750 and club meetings. Joe started Ham Radio at an 00:06:02.750 --> 00:06:06.699 early age and has been licensed since 1969 and 00:06:06.699 --> 00:06:10.259 he's also known for his famous Dr. Seuss hat 00:06:10.259 --> 00:06:14.540 at Dayton. So we're glad to have Joe back on 00:06:14.540 --> 00:06:17.800 the show as we do from time to time. So thanks 00:06:17.800 --> 00:06:20.899 for coming on, Joe. Well, thank you, Neil. It's 00:06:20.899 --> 00:06:23.759 always a pleasure and an honor to be on your 00:06:23.759 --> 00:06:27.329 show. Well, you've got some new kits to talk 00:06:27.329 --> 00:06:29.930 about it and we've actually got some some tweets 00:06:29.930 --> 00:06:32.850 already for you So we'll we'll get to those in 00:06:32.850 --> 00:06:36.170 a little bit. But first I know I saw you over 00:06:36.170 --> 00:06:39.649 at st. Louis over Collinsville and You were talking 00:06:39.649 --> 00:06:44.009 about some new kits. So What new kits are you 00:06:44.009 --> 00:06:47.430 gonna tell us about tonight? Well, I'm gonna 00:06:47.430 --> 00:06:51.470 talk about a couple of them. One is from qrpguys 00:06:51.470 --> 00:06:57.420 .com And what it is is it's a DSB digital transceiver. 00:06:57.800 --> 00:07:00.699 And it puts out about five watts. And it's used 00:07:00.699 --> 00:07:04.620 to primarily do FT8. And it comes with band modules 00:07:04.620 --> 00:07:10.240 for 20, 30, and 40 meters. And it goes together 00:07:10.240 --> 00:07:12.879 relatively easily. But there are some toroids 00:07:12.879 --> 00:07:15.939 you're going to have to wind. There's two toroids 00:07:15.939 --> 00:07:19.639 on every band plug -in and two on the main board. 00:07:20.680 --> 00:07:23.699 But it goes together pretty nice. And once I 00:07:23.699 --> 00:07:26.680 got mine together, I could easily hear the FT8 00:07:26.680 --> 00:07:29.439 signals. However, I had a problem with a close 00:07:29.439 --> 00:07:32.939 local broadcast station. So I used a filter that's 00:07:32.939 --> 00:07:35.500 put out by the Forest AQRP group, which took 00:07:35.500 --> 00:07:39.879 care of that real nicely. It works quite well 00:07:39.879 --> 00:07:44.970 and a lot of fun to put together. But the unique 00:07:44.970 --> 00:07:49.230 thing about this one is the STL file, which is 00:07:49.230 --> 00:07:52.870 kind of a recipe for 3D printers, is offered 00:07:52.870 --> 00:07:55.649 on the website. So you can download that file. 00:07:56.029 --> 00:07:58.970 Somebody has taken the time to carefully do a 00:07:58.970 --> 00:08:02.509 CAD design of the case and then make it into 00:08:02.509 --> 00:08:05.850 a 3D printer file. And I printed the two pieces 00:08:05.850 --> 00:08:09.550 of the case on my 3D printer. So this is the 00:08:09.550 --> 00:08:12.509 first time I've actually built a kit and printed 00:08:12.509 --> 00:08:17.550 the case. to go with it and it looks great. It's 00:08:17.550 --> 00:08:19.810 about the size of almost like a deck of cards 00:08:19.810 --> 00:08:24.490 and the case went together real nicely and all 00:08:24.490 --> 00:08:27.089 it takes is four little screws and it holds it 00:08:27.089 --> 00:08:31.050 all together. In fact, the way the case is constructed 00:08:31.050 --> 00:08:34.350 has a hole for the band card so you can leave 00:08:34.350 --> 00:08:36.929 it screwed together but you can unplug and change 00:08:36.929 --> 00:08:42.340 the band cards. So that all it is is a quickie 00:08:42.340 --> 00:08:45.919 module change and you can change bands with it. 00:08:46.419 --> 00:08:48.679 So kind of a fun kit. I think it's something 00:08:48.679 --> 00:08:53.259 in the $40 range. So it's not real expensive 00:08:53.259 --> 00:08:56.960 and goes together real nicely. That's pretty 00:08:56.960 --> 00:09:00.870 cool when you print your own case. Yeah, this 00:09:00.870 --> 00:09:03.250 is this is something I've I've always wanted 00:09:03.250 --> 00:09:07.129 to do and a lot of the kit makers are now starting 00:09:07.129 --> 00:09:11.190 to come up with some of these 3d printer files 00:09:11.190 --> 00:09:15.360 to do that now A lot of people, when you talk 00:09:15.360 --> 00:09:17.820 about a 3D printer, say, oh yeah, bang, it's 00:09:17.820 --> 00:09:21.379 all done. They think like a Star Trek replicator, 00:09:21.399 --> 00:09:25.299 but it's not. And it's a 3D printer, we'll just 00:09:25.299 --> 00:09:28.759 kind of mention, is much like a plotter, but 00:09:28.759 --> 00:09:32.720 it's in 3D. So the head goes back and forth and 00:09:32.720 --> 00:09:36.879 up and down. And it does it a layer at a time. 00:09:37.360 --> 00:09:41.139 And so to print this case, I think it was a couple 00:09:41.139 --> 00:09:43.600 hours to do one piece and about three or four 00:09:43.600 --> 00:09:46.899 hours to do the other piece. So it doesn't go 00:09:46.899 --> 00:09:50.779 real instantly, but the finished product is very 00:09:50.779 --> 00:09:55.940 strong and very good looking. Well, that's, that's 00:09:55.940 --> 00:10:01.360 pretty cool. I know you like the, uh, The circuit 00:10:01.360 --> 00:10:03.840 board material be in the case too because of 00:10:03.840 --> 00:10:05.820 the shielding and that kind of thing But but 00:10:05.820 --> 00:10:08.539 I'm kind of liking that whole 3d print thing 00:10:08.539 --> 00:10:10.860 where where you don't even have to get the case 00:10:10.860 --> 00:10:16.000 you just You just print it that's cool exactly 00:10:16.000 --> 00:10:20.000 But you're right the forced aqrp group is known 00:10:20.000 --> 00:10:25.679 for the kits that have three not 3d but PC board 00:10:25.679 --> 00:10:29.600 Cases that are already printed drilled and marked 00:10:30.159 --> 00:10:32.799 so that all you do is solder them together and 00:10:32.799 --> 00:10:35.299 it becomes one integrated, very strong, double 00:10:35.299 --> 00:10:39.519 -shielded case. Which brings me to the next kit. 00:10:40.299 --> 00:10:44.419 And if you remember, I talked several years ago 00:10:44.419 --> 00:10:48.279 and up to last year about the series of Cricut 00:10:48.279 --> 00:10:50.759 kits that were put out by the Four State QRP 00:10:50.759 --> 00:10:55.840 Group. And what those were, and still are, is 00:10:55.840 --> 00:11:01.009 it's made from a regular PC board. but using 00:11:01.009 --> 00:11:04.250 PC board material you can put a straight key 00:11:04.250 --> 00:11:09.990 on the kit and it it becomes a transceiver putting 00:11:09.990 --> 00:11:13.309 out about a watt they have them for 80 40 and 00:11:13.309 --> 00:11:17.610 30 meters and It's crystal controlled on the 00:11:17.610 --> 00:11:23.149 QRP frequency but The beauty of them is it has 00:11:23.149 --> 00:11:27.379 an on -off switch and no volume control or anything 00:11:27.379 --> 00:11:30.139 like that and runs on a nine volt battery. And 00:11:30.139 --> 00:11:32.820 the cool thing about the cricket kits is you 00:11:32.820 --> 00:11:35.700 don't have to wind a toroid because the coils, 00:11:35.799 --> 00:11:40.519 all the inductors are spiral wound pre -printed 00:11:40.519 --> 00:11:43.639 on the circuit board, which I think is a stroke 00:11:43.639 --> 00:11:48.120 of genius by four state QRP designer David Kripe 00:11:48.120 --> 00:11:53.990 and M zero S. Now. To go along with these three 00:11:53.990 --> 00:11:56.870 transceivers everybody said well Wouldn't it 00:11:56.870 --> 00:12:00.629 be nice to have a key here? And so what he came 00:12:00.629 --> 00:12:05.190 up with is totally ingenious There is no firmware. 00:12:05.190 --> 00:12:09.590 No software or anything in this that's because 00:12:09.590 --> 00:12:14.250 it's a quad nor gate and a JK flip -flop and 00:12:14.250 --> 00:12:18.909 then there's an optic coupler and there's a speed 00:12:18.909 --> 00:12:23.759 pot and The paddles themselves are actually made 00:12:23.759 --> 00:12:29.139 from thinner PC board material as are the the 00:12:29.139 --> 00:12:34.159 two kind of eccentric circle things that are 00:12:34.159 --> 00:12:37.159 used to adjust the spacing of each side of the 00:12:37.159 --> 00:12:41.700 paddle and it has a little LED in there and it 00:12:41.700 --> 00:12:44.320 uses another piece of circuit board as the support 00:12:44.320 --> 00:12:47.879 for the paddles and When you see this you're 00:12:47.879 --> 00:12:50.440 gonna look at it and say wow that is so cool, 00:12:50.519 --> 00:12:54.860 and it is a keyer You can adjust the speed from 00:12:54.860 --> 00:12:57.220 pretty slow around five words a minute all the 00:12:57.220 --> 00:13:01.960 way up to about 20 something and It works really 00:13:01.960 --> 00:13:06.600 really well It will be the buildathon kit for 00:13:06.600 --> 00:13:11.230 Ozarkon. So if you go to Ozarkon .com you can 00:13:11.230 --> 00:13:14.850 register to attend the four state qrp annual 00:13:14.850 --> 00:13:17.570 convention in branson missouri which is the first 00:13:17.570 --> 00:13:20.629 weekend in april and on that friday evening we're 00:13:20.629 --> 00:13:23.950 going to have a group kit build and it's this 00:13:23.950 --> 00:13:27.970 crick key is what it's called uh will be the 00:13:27.970 --> 00:13:34.389 kit for the four state qrp buildathon and Because 00:13:34.389 --> 00:13:36.909 I've already built it. I'm going to be one of 00:13:36.909 --> 00:13:39.169 the helpers that walks around and we usually 00:13:39.169 --> 00:13:43.110 have between 40 and 50 builders So we're going 00:13:43.110 --> 00:13:45.309 to have a lot of people building this all at 00:13:45.309 --> 00:13:47.929 once And so instead of trying to keep up with 00:13:47.929 --> 00:13:50.429 building mine at the same time as helping people 00:13:50.429 --> 00:13:53.190 near me I'm going to be able to devote my entire 00:13:53.190 --> 00:13:57.090 time to helping people build and Use mine as 00:13:57.090 --> 00:14:00.309 the example now. They're going to supply a 9 00:14:00.309 --> 00:14:04.840 -volt battery some screws and washers and spacers 00:14:04.840 --> 00:14:09.639 so that this can be mounted onto a small piece 00:14:09.639 --> 00:14:13.559 of wood and this is a piece of pine that they 00:14:13.559 --> 00:14:18.240 gave me and You just position it so it's comfortable 00:14:18.240 --> 00:14:20.960 on the board and then you draw some some holes 00:14:20.960 --> 00:14:24.629 and I just drill tiny little Eighth inch or quarter 00:14:24.629 --> 00:14:27.990 inch pilot holes so the screws go right in and 00:14:27.990 --> 00:14:30.289 holds it nice and tight and it really really 00:14:30.289 --> 00:14:33.429 looks Well and performs well now the builders 00:14:33.429 --> 00:14:36.610 are going to get a sounder that plugs into the 00:14:36.610 --> 00:14:40.529 output of this While mine was a beta test so 00:14:40.529 --> 00:14:43.909 I did not have the sounder But all of them have 00:14:43.909 --> 00:14:47.110 an LED on them that will flash so that you know 00:14:47.110 --> 00:14:50.409 if it's working or not But the Crick Key, I don't 00:14:50.409 --> 00:14:53.509 know what the final price of it is going to be, 00:14:53.710 --> 00:14:58.149 but I think it's going to be a popular kit. Now, 00:14:58.149 --> 00:15:00.970 one of the neat features of it is things like 00:15:00.970 --> 00:15:03.649 the diodes. There are three diodes in it, the 00:15:03.649 --> 00:15:08.210 little 1N914s. and they're all in a row and they 00:15:08.210 --> 00:15:10.629 all face the same way. So they're right next 00:15:10.629 --> 00:15:13.090 to each other. The resistors, every resistor 00:15:13.090 --> 00:15:16.470 in it but one is the same value. So all you do 00:15:16.470 --> 00:15:18.669 is you put the oddball in first and then all 00:15:18.669 --> 00:15:22.629 the rest of the resistors are all same. It is 00:15:22.629 --> 00:15:25.769 designed to be put together by a first -time 00:15:25.769 --> 00:15:30.490 kit builder. To be honest, I was really astonished 00:15:30.490 --> 00:15:33.269 at how well it worked. And so the crick key is 00:15:33.269 --> 00:15:37.029 going to be the hit of Ozarkon. And after Ozarkon, 00:15:37.110 --> 00:15:42.809 it will be available at 4sqrp .com. And we recommend 00:15:42.809 --> 00:15:46.809 that you don't do the same thing with your kit 00:15:46.809 --> 00:15:51.389 at Ozarkon as they do with the rolls at Lambert's 00:15:51.389 --> 00:15:54.899 Restaurant down the road. Oh, definitely. Yeah, 00:15:54.960 --> 00:15:57.259 you don't want it tossed around. You don't want 00:15:57.259 --> 00:16:01.799 it tossed all the way across the room. Lambert's 00:16:01.799 --> 00:16:04.279 is fun. Lambert's is fun. I'm just not a real 00:16:04.279 --> 00:16:07.679 good catch. I got to go a couple of years ago 00:16:07.679 --> 00:16:13.059 and it was quite the experience. And they just 00:16:13.059 --> 00:16:15.360 throw the rules all the way across the room at 00:16:15.360 --> 00:16:17.580 you and sometimes you get them and sometimes 00:16:17.580 --> 00:16:22.639 you don't. Nope. I think I think I definitely 00:16:22.639 --> 00:16:26.279 proved that I'm not a catcher for baseball, but 00:16:26.279 --> 00:16:29.419 When you snag one of those rolls that is really 00:16:29.419 --> 00:16:32.019 good and they're hot too. So you gotta watch 00:16:32.019 --> 00:16:35.980 out So don't throw your kids throw you throw 00:16:35.980 --> 00:16:40.539 the rolls. Don't throw the kids you bet All right 00:16:40.539 --> 00:16:45.600 anymore Well, there's another one But I'm I haven't 00:16:45.600 --> 00:16:48.019 started on it yet, but I'll talk about it briefly 00:16:48.019 --> 00:16:53.620 and what it is is that's a another Ft8 transceiver 00:16:53.620 --> 00:16:58.340 and this one is single sideband and I think it 00:16:58.340 --> 00:17:01.679 puts out a little more power and a little more 00:17:01.679 --> 00:17:05.480 filtering and a few more features to it, but 00:17:05.480 --> 00:17:08.339 Like the other one it uses your audio in and 00:17:08.339 --> 00:17:11.640 out from your your computer and goes directly 00:17:11.640 --> 00:17:16.390 in and uses Vox circuit so that when the tones 00:17:16.390 --> 00:17:19.970 hit it It instantly keys the relay and switches 00:17:19.970 --> 00:17:22.569 it into the transmit mode. Just like this little 00:17:22.569 --> 00:17:26.890 QRP guys one And I have some other little kits 00:17:26.890 --> 00:17:31.910 I'll talk about after the break and I have I 00:17:31.910 --> 00:17:35.309 have to tell you Kits are still being designed 00:17:35.309 --> 00:17:37.990 now I have to also tell you that it is getting 00:17:37.990 --> 00:17:40.529 more difficult to get some parts and we can talk 00:17:40.529 --> 00:17:44.009 about that as well And one thing I wanted to 00:17:44.009 --> 00:17:46.130 ask you about, and it was a little bit of a setup 00:17:46.130 --> 00:17:49.390 because I ran into this problem ordering kits 00:17:49.390 --> 00:17:55.509 here recently, is have you heard any supply issues? 00:17:56.730 --> 00:18:00.890 The coronavirus is the topic of discussion right 00:18:00.890 --> 00:18:05.769 now. Maybe too much, but. We won't go there, 00:18:05.769 --> 00:18:09.069 but you know there's a there's a concern there 00:18:09.069 --> 00:18:12.849 and and so You know some of the plant shut down 00:18:12.849 --> 00:18:16.230 and there's concerns about importing and that 00:18:16.230 --> 00:18:21.809 kind of thing have you had any Any word on how 00:18:21.809 --> 00:18:26.289 the kit supplies from some of those Chinese versions 00:18:26.289 --> 00:18:30.589 of kits are going well actually the boards that 00:18:30.589 --> 00:18:33.910 are in some of these kits come from there and 00:18:34.839 --> 00:18:39.819 In talking with David recently at the ham fest 00:18:39.819 --> 00:18:43.900 in Iowa last weekend there are delays in getting 00:18:43.900 --> 00:18:48.380 both individual components and PC boards and 00:18:48.380 --> 00:18:52.460 The delays will continue for this for the foreseeable 00:18:52.460 --> 00:18:56.519 future So it's going to be a bit inconvenient 00:18:56.519 --> 00:19:01.920 for a while finding certain components As some 00:19:01.920 --> 00:19:05.579 of them that's the only place they're made so 00:19:05.579 --> 00:19:09.339 Like they're talking about iPhones might be in 00:19:09.339 --> 00:19:13.440 short supply will also certain ICs and transistors 00:19:13.440 --> 00:19:17.059 and Circuit boards and other things like that 00:19:17.059 --> 00:19:20.079 might be difficult for a while But yes that has 00:19:20.079 --> 00:19:23.200 slowed down the development of some new kits 00:19:23.200 --> 00:19:26.779 coming from forced AQ RP Then I'm not even allowed 00:19:26.779 --> 00:19:32.339 to talk about oh We have to have the cone of 00:19:32.339 --> 00:19:37.220 silence here, but yeah, I've noticed that I did 00:19:37.220 --> 00:19:39.960 get some good news. Supposedly the kits that 00:19:39.960 --> 00:19:43.259 I ordered are supposed to be arriving in England 00:19:43.259 --> 00:19:49.119 yet this week. But I ordered the kits for youth 00:19:49.119 --> 00:19:51.980 on the air camp right at the end of January. 00:19:52.660 --> 00:19:56.859 And I ordered them through a company in England 00:19:56.859 --> 00:19:59.940 who was getting them from their supplier in China. 00:20:00.319 --> 00:20:03.700 And so we got three just to try them out and 00:20:03.700 --> 00:20:06.039 test them out and show them off. And I think 00:20:06.039 --> 00:20:10.160 you saw that kit there at the Youth on the Air 00:20:10.160 --> 00:20:13.920 booth over in St. Louis. And so I put in the 00:20:13.920 --> 00:20:19.000 order for 30 of them and they got back ordered. 00:20:19.799 --> 00:20:23.180 We were kind of wondering if we should, you know, 00:20:23.180 --> 00:20:25.640 go with a backup plan. And as soon as I said, 00:20:26.140 --> 00:20:28.319 should we start thinking about a backup plan? 00:20:28.380 --> 00:20:31.740 I got an email saying they're, they're back open 00:20:31.740 --> 00:20:34.779 again, the stuff starting to ship and we should 00:20:34.779 --> 00:20:36.799 have it by the end of the week. And then we'll 00:20:36.799 --> 00:20:41.359 ship it over to you, uh, from England. So, um, 00:20:41.420 --> 00:20:46.299 I also was in R and L last week, I think it was. 00:20:46.359 --> 00:20:48.240 And they said that they had seen some delays, 00:20:48.240 --> 00:20:52.789 but. Stuff was starting to trickle back in. So 00:20:52.789 --> 00:20:56.730 hopefully, it won't be too bad of a delay, but 00:20:56.730 --> 00:21:00.769 there are some delays on some things coming in 00:21:00.769 --> 00:21:04.690 that go through China. Yeah, that direction finding 00:21:04.690 --> 00:21:10.829 kit is a lot of fun, and it's something they 00:21:10.829 --> 00:21:15.089 can take home and practice with. Yeah, and I 00:21:15.089 --> 00:21:18.210 don't even think I told you about this. Some 00:21:18.210 --> 00:21:23.190 of the guys that are really big into ARDF are 00:21:23.190 --> 00:21:26.289 helping us out with this and they've run the 00:21:26.289 --> 00:21:29.789 championships and everything. They have designed 00:21:29.789 --> 00:21:35.630 a $4 kit that's going to be a 75 meter fox. It's 00:21:35.630 --> 00:21:39.029 going to be a little transmitter and it's a 15 00:21:39.029 --> 00:21:41.980 minute build. And so we're kind of keeping that 00:21:41.980 --> 00:21:46.480 as a rain delay project. But if we don't have 00:21:46.480 --> 00:21:48.119 time to build it, we're at least going to send 00:21:48.119 --> 00:21:50.640 it home with the kids so they can build it at 00:21:50.640 --> 00:21:53.900 home. And they'll have a transmitter to practice 00:21:53.900 --> 00:21:56.799 with, too. That sounds great. In fact, I'd like 00:21:56.799 --> 00:21:58.960 to see one of those when you guys are all done. 00:21:59.460 --> 00:22:02.579 Yeah. And I know they ordered a few extra boards 00:22:02.579 --> 00:22:06.130 just in case. So we'll have to. We'll have to 00:22:06.130 --> 00:22:08.509 get you that information. Well we're going to 00:22:08.509 --> 00:22:11.089 take a break right now and then we'll come back. 00:22:11.250 --> 00:22:13.910 We'll talk more with Joe about this stuff and 00:22:13.910 --> 00:22:17.490 we'll start taking your tweets and your calls 00:22:17.490 --> 00:22:24.289 at 859 -982 -7373. And we'll be talking kits 00:22:24.289 --> 00:22:27.930 here with Joe Eisenberg KZero NEB after this 00:22:27.930 --> 00:22:31.089 word from ICOM America right here on HamTalk 00:22:31.089 --> 00:22:36.710 Live. Get out and be active with ICOM's new IC705 00:22:36.710 --> 00:22:40.099 and its optional multi -function backpack. The 00:22:40.099 --> 00:22:43.359 IC -705 is your perfect QRP companion as you 00:22:43.359 --> 00:22:45.940 have base station features and functionality 00:22:45.940 --> 00:22:49.019 at the tip of your fingers in a portable package 00:22:49.019 --> 00:22:52.500 covering HF 6 meters, 2 meters, and 70 centimeters. 00:22:52.720 --> 00:22:55.940 This compact rig weighs in at 1 kilogram or just 00:22:55.940 --> 00:22:59.579 over 2 pounds with RF direct sampling for most 00:22:59.579 --> 00:23:02.539 of the HF band and IF sampling for frequencies 00:23:02.539 --> 00:23:06.319 above 25 megahertz and a large 4 .3 inch color 00:23:06.319 --> 00:23:09.019 touchscreen with live band scope and waterfall. 00:23:09.039 --> 00:23:12.000 It runs 5 watts with a battery, 10 watts with 00:23:12.000 --> 00:23:15.839 a power supply. It has sideband, CW, AM, FM, 00:23:16.099 --> 00:23:19.579 and full D -star functions, a micro USB connector, 00:23:19.779 --> 00:23:23.740 Bluetooth, wireless LAN, micro SD card slot, 00:23:24.119 --> 00:23:27.779 integrated GPS with antenna and GPS logger, and 00:23:27.779 --> 00:23:31.099 the speaker mic comes standard and supports QRP 00:23:31.099 --> 00:23:34.940 operations. The perfect accessory for your IC705 00:23:34.940 --> 00:23:39.329 is the optional backpack LC192. with a special 00:23:39.329 --> 00:23:43.210 compartment for your IC 705 and room for accessories 00:23:43.210 --> 00:23:47.049 for soda activations or just a day in the park. 00:23:47.390 --> 00:23:51.049 Visit icomamerica .com slash amateur for more 00:23:51.049 --> 00:23:55.609 information about ICOM radios. Join the conversation. 00:23:55.910 --> 00:24:02.190 Give us a call at 859 -982 -7373. Again, the 00:24:02.190 --> 00:24:08.430 number to call is 859 -982 -7373. Or if you'd 00:24:08.430 --> 00:24:11.670 rather type than talk, tweet us at HamTalk Live. 00:24:12.130 --> 00:24:15.569 Now, here's Neil Rapp with more HamTalk Live. 00:24:16.630 --> 00:24:33.420 HamTalk Live with Neil Rapp. Welcome back to 00:24:33.420 --> 00:24:36.920 HamTalk Live. ICOM America brings HamTalk Live 00:24:36.920 --> 00:24:39.299 your way each and every week. Be sure to check 00:24:39.299 --> 00:24:44.200 them out at icomamerica .com slash amateur and 00:24:44.200 --> 00:24:47.779 check out HamTalk Live every Thursday night at 00:24:47.779 --> 00:24:51.059 9 p .m. Eastern Time right here at hamtalklive 00:24:51.059 --> 00:24:55.579 .com and look us up on Facebook, Twitter and 00:24:55.579 --> 00:24:59.019 Instagram. And it's time for your calls now. 00:24:59.019 --> 00:25:01.259 If you have a question for Joe, give us a call 00:25:01.259 --> 00:25:09.140 right now. The number to call is 859 -982 -7373. 00:25:09.500 --> 00:25:15.599 Again, 859 -982 -7373. Or you can tweet us. It's 00:25:15.599 --> 00:25:18.640 at HamTalk Live. If you're listening to us on 00:25:18.640 --> 00:25:21.720 WTWW or the podcast edition, I'm sorry, but we're 00:25:21.720 --> 00:25:24.799 not here. This is a replay if you're listening 00:25:24.799 --> 00:25:29.759 to us there. So give us a call if you're listening 00:25:29.759 --> 00:25:35.900 live, 859 -982 -7373. Now, we've got a few things. 00:25:35.960 --> 00:25:38.339 I know you wanted to comment a little bit about 00:25:38.339 --> 00:25:44.259 some of your places to get some parts and that 00:25:44.259 --> 00:25:47.380 kind of thing. So I think you wanted to say a 00:25:47.380 --> 00:25:49.960 couple of words here, Joe, so go right ahead. 00:25:51.000 --> 00:25:54.960 Yeah, first off, a good Temperature controlled 00:25:54.960 --> 00:25:58.700 soldering station is a must I know a lot of people 00:25:58.700 --> 00:26:02.460 will buy one of those six or seven dollar Radio 00:26:02.460 --> 00:26:04.920 Shack irons when they had them at Radio Shack 00:26:04.920 --> 00:26:08.079 or now they get them at Harbor Freight They're 00:26:08.079 --> 00:26:11.579 not regulated and so the problem with that is 00:26:11.579 --> 00:26:15.359 is that they get too hot or too cold and You're 00:26:15.359 --> 00:26:17.519 not going to get the kind of connection that 00:26:17.519 --> 00:26:21.450 you really want So what you want is a thermostatically 00:26:21.450 --> 00:26:24.529 controlled, not just variable, but thermostatically 00:26:24.529 --> 00:26:28.009 controlled soldering iron. And most of those 00:26:28.009 --> 00:26:31.549 cost in the $120 range or so. But there's one 00:26:31.549 --> 00:26:34.890 that sells around the $60 range that's put out 00:26:34.890 --> 00:26:40.650 by Xtronic USA. And I like using it because it 00:26:40.650 --> 00:26:44.950 has a digital display of the temperature and 00:26:44.950 --> 00:26:47.789 it can be displayed in Fahrenheit or Celsius. 00:26:48.119 --> 00:26:50.640 And it holds the temperature steady, plus or 00:26:50.640 --> 00:26:53.480 minus 2 degrees Celsius, which is what you would 00:26:53.480 --> 00:26:56.680 use for commercial soldering. And it uses the 00:26:56.680 --> 00:27:00.819 same tips as a series of Haco irons. So the tips 00:27:00.819 --> 00:27:04.079 are very easy to come by as well. The Xtronic 00:27:04.079 --> 00:27:11.309 USA soldering station also has a Spindle holder 00:27:11.309 --> 00:27:14.970 that holds your roll of solder now in my case 00:27:14.970 --> 00:27:18.789 that keeps it from becoming a cat toy so it gives 00:27:18.789 --> 00:27:21.970 it a place to hold the the roll of solder doesn't 00:27:21.970 --> 00:27:26.549 get knocked off the table and It also has two 00:27:26.549 --> 00:27:29.190 different tip cleaners. It has a sponge and then 00:27:29.190 --> 00:27:35.369 it has a brass brass cup that also has flux in 00:27:35.369 --> 00:27:38.650 there to keep your tip tinned and nice and clean 00:27:38.650 --> 00:27:44.089 and And so the Xtronic USA iron can be either 00:27:44.089 --> 00:27:48.029 gotten at xtronicusa .com. You can find them 00:27:48.029 --> 00:27:53.029 on their eBay store or through Amazon. And surprisingly, 00:27:53.210 --> 00:27:56.009 they are distributed right out of the west side 00:27:56.009 --> 00:27:59.289 of Lincoln, Nebraska, right here. And I've gotten 00:27:59.289 --> 00:28:03.289 to visit their facility once and try out some 00:28:03.289 --> 00:28:06.279 of their stuff and bring a couple home. And they 00:28:06.279 --> 00:28:09.759 are very well put together and great people to 00:28:09.759 --> 00:28:12.440 work with. And I know they have donated more 00:28:12.440 --> 00:28:15.039 than generously to your youth on the air camp 00:28:15.039 --> 00:28:19.319 that's coming up at VOA. And they are to be thanked 00:28:19.319 --> 00:28:21.900 profusely for that. I think that is the most 00:28:21.900 --> 00:28:26.559 wonderful thing. Yeah, which I found out about 00:28:26.559 --> 00:28:30.769 it from you being here on the show. And we were 00:28:30.769 --> 00:28:33.710 looking into soldering stations because we need 00:28:33.710 --> 00:28:37.490 30 of them. And so we were kind of scrounging 00:28:37.490 --> 00:28:39.490 around trying to figure out, OK, are we going 00:28:39.490 --> 00:28:42.730 to try to borrow some? What are we going to do? 00:28:43.430 --> 00:28:47.890 And I wrote them and tried to find out about 00:28:47.890 --> 00:28:50.430 a cheaper model that they used to have that's 00:28:50.430 --> 00:28:53.619 now discontinued. and see if maybe they could 00:28:53.619 --> 00:28:57.059 give us a bulk discount. And so we got to talking 00:28:57.059 --> 00:29:00.640 and they just decided, hey, this is a great opportunity 00:29:00.640 --> 00:29:04.680 to help out some kids getting started in kit 00:29:04.680 --> 00:29:07.319 building and we're just going to send you 30 00:29:07.319 --> 00:29:10.660 of these. So we got a couple of cases of those 00:29:10.660 --> 00:29:13.099 things and I'm looking forward to getting them 00:29:13.099 --> 00:29:17.599 out and hooking them up. And also before the 00:29:17.599 --> 00:29:23.799 show got a tweet from Jacob KG7EQN who says he's 00:29:23.799 --> 00:29:27.599 a podcast listener and please thank Joe for the 00:29:27.599 --> 00:29:31.539 tip on the Xtronic soldering station on your 00:29:31.539 --> 00:29:34.220 last visit to HamTalk Live. A good soldering 00:29:34.220 --> 00:29:38.559 iron is a must for kit building. So you're getting 00:29:38.559 --> 00:29:42.920 the word out for him, Joe. Yes, I am. And I'm 00:29:42.920 --> 00:29:46.900 glad he enjoys them. And like I said, whenever 00:29:46.900 --> 00:29:50.460 I give a seminar, I always tell people that If 00:29:50.460 --> 00:29:53.339 your first experience with kit building is frustrating 00:29:53.339 --> 00:29:56.660 or doesn't work and it just doesn't seem to go 00:29:56.660 --> 00:29:59.960 right Especially if you're using the wrong tools 00:29:59.960 --> 00:30:03.079 You're never going to build another kit again 00:30:03.079 --> 00:30:05.619 You're never going to try it again And so we 00:30:05.619 --> 00:30:08.319 want to make that experience worthwhile and make 00:30:08.319 --> 00:30:11.059 sure that they walk out with something that works 00:30:11.059 --> 00:30:14.519 now We we did a group kit build in Orlando for 00:30:14.519 --> 00:30:18.559 the Orlando Amateur Radio Club on Wednesday night 00:30:18.680 --> 00:30:22.640 the night before set up at the ham fest and I 00:30:22.640 --> 00:30:25.240 think we had 12 builders and of course they all 00:30:25.240 --> 00:30:29.440 walked home with a working wall wart tamer, which 00:30:29.440 --> 00:30:33.480 is a power supply kit and It's a neat kit. You 00:30:33.480 --> 00:30:37.039 can put AC or DC into it and you get a regulated 00:30:37.950 --> 00:30:41.269 One and a half to about sixteen and a half volts 00:30:41.269 --> 00:30:43.990 coming out of it and very well filtered so it 00:30:43.990 --> 00:30:48.190 takes Crummy laptop power supplies and you just 00:30:48.190 --> 00:30:51.250 cut the plug off and solder the leads or tin 00:30:51.250 --> 00:30:53.589 the leads and put them on the end of the board 00:30:54.299 --> 00:30:57.160 That's your input So you already have a power 00:30:57.160 --> 00:30:59.660 supply that can put out quite a bit and you get 00:30:59.660 --> 00:31:02.319 about one and a half amps out of that one And 00:31:02.319 --> 00:31:05.839 that one comes from qrp kits comm so you can 00:31:05.839 --> 00:31:08.740 look for the wall wart tamer version 2 on their 00:31:08.740 --> 00:31:11.099 site And it's not very expensive. I think it's 00:31:11.099 --> 00:31:18.039 about $20 I'd like to recommend solder and I 00:31:18.039 --> 00:31:23.359 can't emphasize this enough. I use 63 37 solder 00:31:23.359 --> 00:31:28.279 it's not 6040 it is called eutectic solder but 00:31:28.279 --> 00:31:33.359 6337 is the mixture it flows a lot better it 00:31:33.359 --> 00:31:35.799 looks a lot better and it's a lot easier to work 00:31:35.799 --> 00:31:39.119 with when you're soldering by hand and I use 00:31:39.119 --> 00:31:42.960 of course rosin core and no clean is the best 00:31:42.960 --> 00:31:46.720 because otherwise you get the the brown Flux 00:31:46.720 --> 00:31:51.059 spots and the no clean the residue is either 00:31:51.059 --> 00:31:56.700 non -existent or it's clear so 63 37 0 31 thickness 00:31:56.700 --> 00:32:02.019 or 0 25 thickness Rosincor no clean is my doctor's 00:32:02.019 --> 00:32:06.440 prescription for the best soldered to use Yeah, 00:32:06.640 --> 00:32:09.299 so we've got the soldering irons and we've got 00:32:09.299 --> 00:32:14.740 the solder and then you need connectors That's 00:32:14.740 --> 00:32:18.450 right and And what's nice is a lot of the major 00:32:18.450 --> 00:32:22.569 hamfests I go to, you're going to see Scott and 00:32:22.569 --> 00:32:26.130 Jill from Tower Electronics. And they have about 00:32:26.130 --> 00:32:28.990 all the plugs, jacks, connectors, switches, buttons 00:32:28.990 --> 00:32:31.809 that you could possibly need when you're putting 00:32:31.809 --> 00:32:34.369 together a kit and you want to make it into a 00:32:34.369 --> 00:32:38.910 nice case and have nice controls, plugs, jacks, 00:32:38.910 --> 00:32:41.910 and so on. They're the place I go for those as 00:32:41.910 --> 00:32:47.119 well as the adapters needed. So there you go, 00:32:47.119 --> 00:32:49.539 there's there's some good stuff that you can 00:32:49.539 --> 00:32:54.440 get for all of your kit building needs so We'll 00:32:54.440 --> 00:32:57.220 put those recommendations out whenever Joe is 00:32:57.220 --> 00:33:00.619 on here and and and also you can't forget the 00:33:00.619 --> 00:33:04.400 towel or paper plate for the parts. Oh Definitely. 00:33:04.519 --> 00:33:08.440 Well what I do when I'm taking my pictures, I 00:33:08.440 --> 00:33:14.960 use a towel but I use a tray from a tackle box 00:33:14.910 --> 00:33:18.529 To sort my parts in and that keeps them all nice 00:33:18.529 --> 00:33:20.970 and neat and it lets me snap it closed when I'm 00:33:20.970 --> 00:33:23.710 away from it So once again the enemy of all kit 00:33:23.710 --> 00:33:26.549 builders in this house, it is Newton and Tesla 00:33:26.549 --> 00:33:31.410 Don't get into my part When you got a cat that 00:33:31.410 --> 00:33:33.730 weighs 19 pounds, you definitely want to keep 00:33:33.730 --> 00:33:37.670 it closed And as we know the earth isn't flat 00:33:37.670 --> 00:33:39.849 because if it was everything would have been 00:33:39.849 --> 00:33:47.940 pushed off of it by a cat by now exactly so so 00:33:47.940 --> 00:33:51.240 yes I I always recommend having a container for 00:33:51.240 --> 00:33:53.880 your parts that you can snap close because that 00:33:53.880 --> 00:33:56.119 way when you take a break everything's going 00:33:56.119 --> 00:34:00.509 to be there when you get back Neil Sometime I'll 00:34:00.509 --> 00:34:02.630 sit down with you and we'll we'll throw together 00:34:02.630 --> 00:34:06.589 some other kits and In person and we'll we'll 00:34:06.589 --> 00:34:09.849 see how they go together Another one I'm playing 00:34:09.849 --> 00:34:13.389 with I mentioned it in one of my articles is 00:34:13.389 --> 00:34:16.909 a Tesla coil I think it sells for about $12 or 00:34:16.909 --> 00:34:21.980 so and it's a very simple Tesla coil But it has 00:34:21.980 --> 00:34:24.900 an audio input jack and if you hook that to the 00:34:24.900 --> 00:34:28.619 audio out from a radio or mp3 player or something 00:34:28.619 --> 00:34:33.699 It uses the high voltage arc as an arc speaker 00:34:33.699 --> 00:34:36.659 And so it's kind of an interesting little thing 00:34:36.659 --> 00:34:38.920 and I'm gonna be putting that together in the 00:34:38.920 --> 00:34:42.860 near future as well but like I said our kit designer 00:34:42.860 --> 00:34:46.460 has not stopped and He has something that when 00:34:46.460 --> 00:34:50.269 he told me what it was. I was just just about 00:34:50.269 --> 00:34:54.150 flabbergasted that this is going to be uh beyond 00:34:54.150 --> 00:34:56.789 the crick key than the next kit from the forest 00:34:56.789 --> 00:35:01.829 aqrp group i can't say anything but the uh preliminaries 00:35:01.829 --> 00:35:05.650 on it will be revealed at ozarkon in branson 00:35:05.650 --> 00:35:10.250 uh first weekend in april okay well there you 00:35:10.250 --> 00:35:13.519 go another reason to go Well, the phone number 00:35:13.519 --> 00:35:19.320 here is 859 -982 -7373. If you're listening to 00:35:19.320 --> 00:35:24.000 us live on Thursday night, 859 -982 -7373, give 00:35:24.000 --> 00:35:28.099 us a call. And I think we got caught up on everything 00:35:28.099 --> 00:35:34.019 but one tweet. 86TWThomas has an interesting 00:35:34.019 --> 00:35:39.119 question for you and it's not kit building. Okay. 00:35:39.619 --> 00:35:43.199 He is interested in SDR and he wants to ask you 00:35:43.199 --> 00:35:49.099 about your rig. Okay. Well, what I use as my 00:35:49.099 --> 00:35:52.800 main radio here in the shack is an ICOM 7610 00:35:52.800 --> 00:35:56.420 and along with it I have an IC 7300, both of 00:35:56.420 --> 00:36:03.960 which are full SDR. I really enjoy both immensely 00:36:03.960 --> 00:36:06.900 they've been a great reference radio, especially 00:36:06.900 --> 00:36:10.780 while I've Been building kits tells me if I'm 00:36:10.780 --> 00:36:14.000 on frequency and so forth and of course making 00:36:14.000 --> 00:36:16.659 lots of Contacts including I got at least one 00:36:16.659 --> 00:36:19.699 through to South Orkney Island VP eight Papa 00:36:19.699 --> 00:36:23.579 Juliet Which just ended its operation. I think 00:36:23.579 --> 00:36:28.650 tonight And so it's always good to get through 00:36:28.650 --> 00:36:32.150 to a de -expedition and get a new country. But 00:36:32.150 --> 00:36:37.010 the one I use, like I said, is the 7610 is the 00:36:37.010 --> 00:36:40.010 primary radio and the secondary is the 7300. 00:36:41.570 --> 00:36:44.289 Well, you one -upped me because I tried to get 00:36:44.289 --> 00:36:46.670 South Orkney this afternoon. I tried for about 00:36:46.670 --> 00:36:50.480 an hour and... and didn't have any luck and it 00:36:50.480 --> 00:36:52.400 just got by me. In fact I don't even think they 00:36:52.400 --> 00:36:54.500 were supposed to be on today. I think today was 00:36:54.500 --> 00:36:57.400 a late ad and they were getting ready to shut 00:36:57.400 --> 00:37:01.800 down tonight. But I had an hour and I thought 00:37:01.800 --> 00:37:05.519 okay I'm gonna go try it at least because I've 00:37:05.519 --> 00:37:08.820 been so busy I hadn't had time to to get them 00:37:08.820 --> 00:37:12.579 in and so I missed them so I guess I'll have 00:37:12.579 --> 00:37:16.349 to get them next trip which will be Maybe at 00:37:16.349 --> 00:37:19.909 the top of the sunspot cycle who knows It would 00:37:19.909 --> 00:37:22.949 be nice because this one this one was probably 00:37:22.949 --> 00:37:25.550 one of the weaker ones that I've tried to work 00:37:25.550 --> 00:37:31.889 and It's just the propagation Yeah, yeah, well, 00:37:31.949 --> 00:37:36.110 hopefully it's on the way up soon. So Give us 00:37:36.110 --> 00:37:39.429 a call. We have clear propagation on the phone 00:37:39.429 --> 00:37:44.909 lines. It's 859 -982 -7373. All kinds of people 00:37:44.909 --> 00:37:49.710 in the chat tonight on Spreaker. We've got Jill. 00:37:50.030 --> 00:37:52.670 Jill's in here and said that you were going to 00:37:52.670 --> 00:37:57.570 be the kit build school mom going around checking 00:37:57.570 --> 00:37:59.429 everybody, make sure they're doing what they're 00:37:59.429 --> 00:38:05.320 supposed to do. She's KD8QGA and Chris A4CB is 00:38:05.320 --> 00:38:09.559 in here. Bonnie Jo's in here. Let's see, we also 00:38:09.559 --> 00:38:16.760 have John W4USF. So thanks for joining us tonight, 00:38:16.760 --> 00:38:21.380 John, and all kinds of stuff. Oh, and Troy W9KVR 00:38:21.380 --> 00:38:24.139 is here too. So we've got all kinds of people 00:38:24.139 --> 00:38:26.400 over in the Spreaker chat tonight. So thanks 00:38:26.400 --> 00:38:29.440 for hanging out with us tonight. But if you have 00:38:29.440 --> 00:38:32.619 a question, now's the time to call. It's 859 00:38:32.619 --> 00:38:38.280 -982 -7373 or tweet us at hamptalklive. And Chris, 00:38:38.280 --> 00:38:42.260 AA4CB says Orlando was a great kit build session. 00:38:43.130 --> 00:38:45.369 Chris really enjoyed that. And that sounds like 00:38:45.369 --> 00:38:49.809 a really useful thing. These wall warts are murder. 00:38:50.969 --> 00:38:55.570 Yeah. And, um, the story behind why I chose that 00:38:55.570 --> 00:38:59.070 is because my, my, most of my life career has 00:38:59.070 --> 00:39:03.309 been an IT hardware and I, I fixed printers and 00:39:03.309 --> 00:39:04.869 hardware. I'm not the one who's going to fix 00:39:04.869 --> 00:39:06.510 your email. I'm the one who's going to put her 00:39:06.510 --> 00:39:10.480 new power supply in or fix your printer. And 00:39:10.480 --> 00:39:13.000 one of the things I've had to do is decommission 00:39:13.000 --> 00:39:15.500 laptops, especially now when they're switching 00:39:15.500 --> 00:39:19.019 from Windows 7 to Windows 10. So we take the 00:39:19.019 --> 00:39:22.119 hard drive out and we copy their data and install 00:39:22.119 --> 00:39:25.119 it on a new machine. So we end up with a pile 00:39:25.119 --> 00:39:27.500 of laptops that are going to get recycled. And 00:39:27.500 --> 00:39:30.139 I tell the guys, whatever you do, don't throw 00:39:30.139 --> 00:39:33.230 out those darn power supplies. So they put those 00:39:33.230 --> 00:39:35.869 in a box and there's one box in the garage at 00:39:35.869 --> 00:39:38.449 work that I can't lift and so I'm gonna have 00:39:38.449 --> 00:39:41.389 to filter out the supplies and put them in smaller 00:39:41.389 --> 00:39:45.010 boxes to take them home. And so what I've been 00:39:45.010 --> 00:39:48.630 able to do is I've been able to donate to each 00:39:48.630 --> 00:39:52.130 kit builder a used laptop supply and all I do 00:39:52.130 --> 00:39:55.610 is I cut the plug off the end and strip the leads 00:39:55.610 --> 00:39:58.809 out and tin them and they go into the two terminal 00:39:58.809 --> 00:40:03.630 pieces on the end of the board. And so I'm able 00:40:03.630 --> 00:40:08.449 to do a good turn from the environment by reusing 00:40:08.449 --> 00:40:11.909 laptop power supplies and turning them into something 00:40:11.909 --> 00:40:14.469 very useful. Like if you have a kit that runs 00:40:14.469 --> 00:40:17.010 on six volts, well, we can produce six volts 00:40:17.010 --> 00:40:19.789 with this. If it needs nine volts, you can do 00:40:19.789 --> 00:40:22.150 that. It goes anywhere from about one and a half 00:40:22.150 --> 00:40:24.849 or one and a quarter volts up to about 16 and 00:40:24.849 --> 00:40:30.110 a half. So, it was great to see Chris and Bonnie. 00:40:30.369 --> 00:40:34.409 In fact, he recorded some video of the kit build 00:40:34.409 --> 00:40:37.190 experience I did in Orlando. And I've already 00:40:37.190 --> 00:40:41.789 talked to Orlando and we're going to do another 00:40:41.789 --> 00:40:45.769 kit next year on Wednesday night once again for 00:40:45.769 --> 00:40:48.710 their club. So we're going to have a kind of 00:40:48.710 --> 00:40:51.909 a fun experience again for the local people there 00:40:51.909 --> 00:40:54.309 that are going to be so busy putting on the ham 00:40:54.309 --> 00:40:57.469 fest. But they get to sit down with me when they're 00:40:57.469 --> 00:41:00.130 not under pressure to put on the ham fest and 00:41:00.130 --> 00:41:02.389 actually build something they can take home. 00:41:04.010 --> 00:41:07.730 Sounds like a great idea all the way around. 00:41:08.409 --> 00:41:11.889 So I'm sure they'll be looking forward to that 00:41:11.889 --> 00:41:15.880 and you get a chance to. make use of those old 00:41:15.880 --> 00:41:18.719 power supplies. I've got a couple of them here. 00:41:18.860 --> 00:41:23.900 Maybe I need to just bring those to you. Well, 00:41:24.099 --> 00:41:27.079 you could, but actually I'd like to sit down 00:41:27.079 --> 00:41:29.000 with you and have you put together one of these 00:41:29.000 --> 00:41:35.099 kits. I think Jill put one together in Peoria. 00:41:35.449 --> 00:41:39.309 And so she has a power supply that she can power 00:41:39.309 --> 00:41:41.889 anything with. I know people that use these to 00:41:41.889 --> 00:41:47.250 charge their handhelds or to power electronic 00:41:47.250 --> 00:41:51.789 clock kits and other neat things. I think somebody 00:41:51.789 --> 00:41:58.329 I saw used one to power a Nixie kit. And that's 00:41:58.329 --> 00:42:01.139 something I need to do sometime. Want to build 00:42:01.139 --> 00:42:05.199 one of those steampunk type? Nixie tube clock 00:42:05.199 --> 00:42:07.739 kits, I think that would be kind of a fun addition 00:42:07.739 --> 00:42:12.119 to the shack Yeah, that sounds like a cool one. 00:42:12.119 --> 00:42:14.900 And yeah, I remember I had one of those wall 00:42:14.900 --> 00:42:17.219 warts that had the slide switches on it and you 00:42:17.219 --> 00:42:21.099 could you could pick the voltage and Switch the 00:42:21.099 --> 00:42:23.119 polarity and everything and I just thought I 00:42:23.119 --> 00:42:27.440 was the greatest thing You just tune in whatever 00:42:27.440 --> 00:42:30.539 you want Yeah, now this one has a little trim 00:42:30.539 --> 00:42:33.980 pot that you do that with but what I tell people 00:42:33.980 --> 00:42:38.199 is once you get at home It's got holes on the 00:42:38.199 --> 00:42:40.940 corners and you can mount it into a box and then 00:42:40.940 --> 00:42:45.019 you can get one of those little $5 volt meter 00:42:45.019 --> 00:42:47.679 things. It's like three digits. It's it's like 00:42:47.679 --> 00:42:50.260 a little Chinese meter that has two or three 00:42:50.260 --> 00:42:55.349 wires on it and It powers from it as well and 00:42:55.349 --> 00:42:58.210 so you could put that on the front panel and 00:42:58.210 --> 00:43:01.929 a 5k pot so that instead of having to adjust 00:43:01.929 --> 00:43:04.449 with a screwdriver you have a nice knob and you 00:43:04.449 --> 00:43:07.070 can adjust the voltage that way so that your 00:43:07.070 --> 00:43:10.989 power supply becomes like a little bench supply. 00:43:12.230 --> 00:43:16.110 Yeah that's a pretty cool thing. Yeah Chris actually 00:43:16.110 --> 00:43:20.070 in the chat says that He has linked to that video 00:43:20.070 --> 00:43:24.389 on YouTube, so I will copy that and paste it 00:43:24.389 --> 00:43:28.809 into the show description here so that you can 00:43:28.809 --> 00:43:32.070 go watch that video if you liked after the show. 00:43:32.469 --> 00:43:37.469 It'll be in the podcast description, so we'll 00:43:37.469 --> 00:43:41.630 get that so you can watch that. Well, Joe, the 00:43:41.630 --> 00:43:45.869 clock, speaking of clocks, is telling me that 00:43:45.869 --> 00:43:51.260 we're out of time. once again, so Any any last 00:43:51.260 --> 00:43:54.800 things here before we go? Well Neil I wish you 00:43:54.800 --> 00:43:57.960 the best of luck with the youth on the air in 00:43:57.960 --> 00:44:01.960 Ohio I visited the voice of America facility 00:44:01.960 --> 00:44:07.869 recently in December and it's a Absolutely ideal 00:44:07.869 --> 00:44:11.309 for this. And, uh, I wish you the best of luck 00:44:11.309 --> 00:44:15.170 and, uh, uh, you've got it going there. And I 00:44:15.170 --> 00:44:18.630 think, uh, it's going to be a great time. And, 00:44:18.650 --> 00:44:20.969 uh, I'm sure they're going to build lots of nice 00:44:20.969 --> 00:44:25.530 kits there. Yeah, we, we've got two, uh, on the 00:44:25.530 --> 00:44:29.869 books already and, uh, Should be a really good 00:44:29.869 --> 00:44:34.030 time. Registration closes in 10 days, so if you 00:44:34.030 --> 00:44:39.369 know someone who is between 15 and 25 that is 00:44:39.369 --> 00:44:42.789 a licensed TAM, have them apply at youthontheair 00:44:42.789 --> 00:44:48.239 .org and get your name in there. My upcoming 00:44:48.239 --> 00:44:50.900 speaking engagements includes the Lincoln Ham 00:44:50.900 --> 00:44:53.559 Fest right here, less than a mile from my house. 00:44:53.679 --> 00:44:56.739 And that's also the Nebraska State ARL Convention. 00:44:57.139 --> 00:45:02.280 And that is on the 14th on Saturday. So that's 00:45:02.280 --> 00:45:06.179 a week from this Saturday. And then I will be 00:45:06.179 --> 00:45:11.900 appearing at a few other Ham Fests as well, including 00:45:11.900 --> 00:45:16.269 the International DX. convention in Visalia, 00:45:16.269 --> 00:45:19.889 California late in April, and of course at Hamvention. 00:45:21.429 --> 00:45:25.150 Yep, can't forget Hamvention and Visalia. Those 00:45:25.150 --> 00:45:29.670 are two very, very good. This will be my first 00:45:29.670 --> 00:45:34.150 to Visalia, and of course Huntsville. Yep, and 00:45:34.150 --> 00:45:37.829 always enjoy. Getting to see you at Huntsville 00:45:37.829 --> 00:45:41.889 because we have a little time to talk We never 00:45:41.889 --> 00:45:50.909 have time to talk Well Joe, thank you so much 00:45:50.909 --> 00:45:55.550 and find Joe at one of these he's ham fest that 00:45:55.550 --> 00:46:01.869 he goes to and Get some of his experience he's 00:46:01.869 --> 00:46:05.409 he's done so many of these kits for so many years 00:46:05.409 --> 00:46:09.610 and He's been through it all, so he can tell 00:46:09.610 --> 00:46:13.690 you all of the little tips and tricks to making 00:46:13.690 --> 00:46:18.150 it all work, and it's well worth your time. Joe, 00:46:18.190 --> 00:46:20.849 thanks for coming on, and we'll be talking again 00:46:20.849 --> 00:46:25.050 in a few months, I'm sure. You bet, Neil. And 00:46:25.050 --> 00:46:29.289 73 is from Lincoln, Nebraska. All right. Well, 00:46:29.289 --> 00:46:32.969 that is a wrap for this week's HamTalk Live. 00:46:33.010 --> 00:46:36.679 Thanks to Joe Eisenberg, KZeroNEB. and everybody 00:46:36.679 --> 00:46:39.360 out there in cyberspace for typing in tonight 00:46:39.360 --> 00:46:42.599 and listening and I invite you back next Thursday 00:46:42.599 --> 00:46:46.559 night 9 p .m eastern time and our list of upcoming 00:46:46.559 --> 00:46:49.320 guests you can find that at HamTalkLive .com 00:46:49.320 --> 00:46:53.639 as soon as I know I put it up there so you will 00:46:53.639 --> 00:46:56.800 know as well if you go over there and look. Also 00:46:56.800 --> 00:47:01.380 again a reminder Carole Perry WB2MGP is accepting 00:47:01.380 --> 00:47:04.699 nominations for the Young Ham Lens a Hand contest. 00:47:05.070 --> 00:47:08.769 So if you know a young ham age 19 or younger, 00:47:10.050 --> 00:47:15.489 who has lended a hand? It could be, you know, 00:47:15.690 --> 00:47:21.510 service, volunteerism, mentoring, just a young 00:47:21.510 --> 00:47:26.130 ham that's lended a hand to someone else. Nominate 00:47:26.130 --> 00:47:32.599 them. Send it to WB2MGP at gmail .com before 00:47:32.599 --> 00:47:36.000 the end of April and the winner will receive 00:47:36.000 --> 00:47:39.920 a $100 cash prize at the Dayton Hamvention Youth 00:47:39.920 --> 00:47:44.980 Forum. So make sure you nominate your favorite 00:47:44.980 --> 00:47:50.500 young person and him or her will get $100 if 00:47:50.500 --> 00:47:53.880 they win. So be sure to send those. Again, Whiskey 00:47:53.880 --> 00:47:58.929 Bravo to Mike Golf Papa. gmail .com is the address 00:47:58.929 --> 00:48:01.469 and if you like HamTalk Live please leave us 00:48:01.469 --> 00:48:05.469 a review that helps us out and I'll see you next 00:48:05.469 --> 00:48:09.510 week so for now this is Neil Rapp WB9VPG saying 00:48:09.510 --> 00:48:14.409 7375 and may the good DX be yours