WEBVTT 00:00:09.759 --> 00:00:12.580 Thanks for tuning in. HamTalk Live will be on 00:00:12.580 --> 00:00:30.519 the air shortly. Please stand by. Thanks for 00:00:30.519 --> 00:00:33.280 tuning in. HamTalk Live will be on the air shortly. 00:00:33.560 --> 00:00:42.850 Please stand by. This episode of HamTalk Live 00:00:42.850 --> 00:00:46.609 is brought to you by Tower Electronics. For connectors, 00:00:46.990 --> 00:00:49.950 cables, and more, visit them at a ham fest near 00:00:49.950 --> 00:00:58.289 you or call 920 -435 -2973 or online at pl -259 00:00:58.289 --> 00:01:02.310 .com. Here's the snap. Rapp takes the rig. He 00:01:02.310 --> 00:01:05.569 breaks through the pile up. He's on 80. Now 40. 00:01:05.909 --> 00:01:11.310 Now 20. 15. 10. 2 meters. Touchdown, HamTalk 00:01:11.310 --> 00:01:49.040 Live! Hey, good evening, everyone. It's time 00:01:49.040 --> 00:01:53.019 for ham talk live episode number 96 a new year 00:01:53.019 --> 00:01:58.439 and new kits with Joe k0 neb Recorded live on 00:01:58.439 --> 00:02:03.379 Thursday, January 4th 2018 I'm your host Neil 00:02:03.379 --> 00:02:08.300 rap wb9 vpg Thanks for tuning in to this episode 00:02:08.300 --> 00:02:11.419 of ham talk lives night. We're joined by our 00:02:11.419 --> 00:02:15.889 friend Joe Eisenberg K0NEB and we'll take your 00:02:15.889 --> 00:02:19.669 calls live in just a few minutes and last week 00:02:19.669 --> 00:02:23.870 Bernie McClennie W3UR from the Daily DX was here 00:02:23.870 --> 00:02:26.189 so if you missed that you can listen anytime 00:02:26.189 --> 00:02:30.210 just go to HamTalkLive .com and you can hit play 00:02:30.210 --> 00:02:33.389 there and listen to it or you can get the podcast 00:02:33.389 --> 00:02:37.909 version and we upload that to Apple Podcasts, 00:02:37.990 --> 00:02:40.870 Stitcher, iHeart Podcasts, Google Play, TuneIn 00:02:40.870 --> 00:02:43.689 and SoundCloud And then there's a bunch of others 00:02:43.689 --> 00:02:47.090 that pick it up after that. So just check your 00:02:47.090 --> 00:02:49.530 favorite podcast app and we should be there. 00:02:49.530 --> 00:02:52.430 We're also over on YouTube if that's better for 00:02:52.430 --> 00:02:56.710 you. And get your quit kit questions, not quit 00:02:56.710 --> 00:03:01.189 questions. kit questions ready to go, and we'll 00:03:01.189 --> 00:03:04.009 have those with Joe here in a little bit. We'll 00:03:04.009 --> 00:03:06.810 talk to him first, but let me give you the phone 00:03:06.810 --> 00:03:09.129 number so you have it ready. It's not time to 00:03:09.129 --> 00:03:11.830 call just yet, but I'll let you know when it 00:03:11.830 --> 00:03:14.629 is, but here's the phone number so you can have 00:03:14.629 --> 00:03:19.449 those dialing fingers ready. It's 812 NET HAM 00:03:19.449 --> 00:03:27.800 1 812 638 You can also Skype us for HamTalk Live 00:03:27.800 --> 00:03:31.319 on Skype and you can tweet us as well if you'd 00:03:31.319 --> 00:03:36.219 rather. Our Twitter handle is at ham talk live 00:03:36.219 --> 00:03:39.500 and you can even comment on the website if you're 00:03:39.500 --> 00:03:43.280 tuning in live here this evening So feel free 00:03:43.280 --> 00:03:46.639 to interact with us tonight. That's What the 00:03:46.639 --> 00:03:50.199 show is for so we'd like to hear from you So 00:03:50.199 --> 00:03:53.020 I'll be back with Joe right after this word from 00:03:53.020 --> 00:03:57.120 tower electronics right here on ham talk live 00:03:57.120 --> 00:03:59.620 This episode of ham talk live is brought to you 00:03:59.620 --> 00:04:02.939 in part by tower electronics Tower Electronics 00:04:02.939 --> 00:04:06.159 has been the Ham's Dime Store since 1978. When 00:04:06.159 --> 00:04:08.879 you need connectors, mobile and handheld antennas, 00:04:09.159 --> 00:04:12.340 cables or adapters, visit Scott or Jill at a 00:04:12.340 --> 00:04:15.659 HamFest near you. Or you can order online at 00:04:15.659 --> 00:04:23.439 PL -259 .com or call 920 -435 -2973. Stock up 00:04:23.439 --> 00:04:26.660 on those supplies like PL -259 and end connectors, 00:04:27.100 --> 00:04:30.259 SMA adapters, audio cables, soldering supplies, 00:04:30.480 --> 00:04:33.259 mobile antennas, and hamsticks. Their silver 00:04:33.259 --> 00:04:36.160 plated end connectors are even used on the International 00:04:36.160 --> 00:04:39.480 Space Station. Tower Electronics carries MFJ, 00:04:39.720 --> 00:04:43.819 Comet, Daiwa, OPEC, Workman, and HamPro products. 00:04:44.060 --> 00:04:47.620 And don't miss their 0 % off sale going on now. 00:04:47.899 --> 00:04:52.220 Tower Electronics online at PL -259 .com. Proud 00:04:52.220 --> 00:04:56.560 to sponsor this episode of HamTalk Live. A flashlight 00:04:56.560 --> 00:05:00.029 is a case for holding dead batteries. Now, here's 00:05:00.029 --> 00:05:20.430 Neil Rapp with more HamTalk Live. Thanks to Scott 00:05:20.430 --> 00:05:23.189 and Jill at Tower Electronics for sponsoring 00:05:23.189 --> 00:05:26.170 the show tonight to help bring you HamTalk Live. 00:05:27.149 --> 00:05:33.629 They'll be in Waukesha, Wisconsin. Say that five 00:05:33.629 --> 00:05:38.769 times fast. That's Waukesha, Joe tells me in 00:05:38.769 --> 00:05:42.430 my ear. It's on the 6th, so that's coming up 00:05:42.430 --> 00:05:46.459 on Saturday. And then they'll be doing the Florida 00:05:46.459 --> 00:05:50.120 sweep they'll be at the UCF University of Central 00:05:50.120 --> 00:05:54.579 Florida show at Orlando on January 13th and then 00:05:54.579 --> 00:05:57.819 January 19th and 20th and let me bring Joe in 00:05:57.819 --> 00:06:01.740 here because Joe told me some some extra information 00:06:01.740 --> 00:06:05.660 here January 19th and 20th Fort Myers, Florida 00:06:05.660 --> 00:06:11.439 and Our guest tonight Joe will be there too. 00:06:11.720 --> 00:06:14.389 Yep Even if I'm not speaking, I'm not sure if 00:06:14.389 --> 00:06:17.310 I am, but I will definitely be there both days 00:06:17.310 --> 00:06:20.269 at the Hamfest in Fort Myers, right across from 00:06:20.269 --> 00:06:22.949 Cape Coral where my brother lives, so making 00:06:22.949 --> 00:06:26.850 kind of a weekend and week out of it. So you 00:06:26.850 --> 00:06:31.149 can see Joe and Scott and Jill from Tower Electronics, 00:06:31.209 --> 00:06:36.850 or you can give them a call at 920. 435 -2973 00:06:36.850 --> 00:06:41.829 or you can visit them online at pl -259 .com 00:06:41.829 --> 00:06:45.170 tell them you heard it on HamTalk Live and and 00:06:45.170 --> 00:06:48.790 tell them you know Joe Eisenberg and maybe they'll 00:06:48.790 --> 00:06:50.850 they'll give you like they'll charge you double 00:06:50.850 --> 00:06:57.430 or something double or triple and I know Joe 00:06:57.430 --> 00:07:01.399 uses a lot of uh their stuff for the kit building, 00:07:01.680 --> 00:07:03.560 so that'll be a good chance for you to pick up 00:07:03.560 --> 00:07:06.160 some of those items there as well. Well, speaking 00:07:06.160 --> 00:07:10.040 of Joe, let's get right to it here. Joe Eisenberg, 00:07:10.060 --> 00:07:14.079 KZeroNEB, is from Lincoln, Nebraska and is well 00:07:14.079 --> 00:07:16.839 known for his kit building expertise. He's also 00:07:16.839 --> 00:07:20.990 known for his picture shows of Hamvention. and 00:07:20.990 --> 00:07:23.810 he is the longtime kit building editor at CQ 00:07:23.810 --> 00:07:27.829 Magazine and often makes presentations and offers 00:07:27.829 --> 00:07:31.290 kit builds at HamFest conventions and club meetings. 00:07:32.209 --> 00:07:34.589 Joe started out in ham radio at a very early 00:07:34.589 --> 00:07:39.970 age and has been licensed since 1969 and a lot 00:07:39.970 --> 00:07:43.029 of people know him from Dayton because of his 00:07:43.029 --> 00:07:45.610 Dr. Seuss hat and we're even going to talk about 00:07:45.610 --> 00:07:50.500 the Dr. Seuss hat. There's breaking news. Dr. 00:07:50.720 --> 00:07:53.899 Seuss Hatland. So we'll talk about that in a 00:07:53.899 --> 00:07:57.519 little bit. So Joe, officially welcome. Well 00:07:57.519 --> 00:08:00.120 thank you Neil and it's good to talk to you again. 00:08:00.740 --> 00:08:03.079 Yep, we'd like to have Joe on here every few 00:08:03.079 --> 00:08:07.839 months to tell us about some kits that are coming 00:08:07.839 --> 00:08:12.139 out. So let's start off with that. What's new 00:08:12.139 --> 00:08:15.660 out there in Kitland? Well, We're going to talk 00:08:15.660 --> 00:08:19.639 about one real quickly. This comes from qrpguys 00:08:19.639 --> 00:08:25.560 .com. This little kit is about a two inch square 00:08:25.560 --> 00:08:33.590 and it was designed by KD1JV. who is known for 00:08:33.590 --> 00:08:37.370 his melt solder kits. This one is really designed 00:08:37.370 --> 00:08:39.409 that a beginning kit builder can probably put 00:08:39.409 --> 00:08:42.490 it together in about an hour. A more experienced 00:08:42.490 --> 00:08:45.990 builder, like you and myself, probably maybe 00:08:45.990 --> 00:08:49.169 20, 30 minutes. And what it is, is it's a code 00:08:49.169 --> 00:08:50.950 practice oscillator. And you say, well, there's 00:08:50.950 --> 00:08:53.970 a zillion of those out, not one like this. This 00:08:53.970 --> 00:08:57.049 one has an LED that flashes. It has a volume 00:08:57.049 --> 00:09:00.330 control for your headset volume, very loud audio 00:09:00.330 --> 00:09:03.450 output, and it will accommodate a straight key 00:09:03.450 --> 00:09:07.750 or a paddle. So it will be a keyer. And you can 00:09:07.750 --> 00:09:11.629 adjust the speed up and down. And it has another 00:09:11.629 --> 00:09:14.269 function. If you push this one button, it will 00:09:14.269 --> 00:09:17.960 start sending code to you. and so you can practice 00:09:17.960 --> 00:09:21.440 your code with it. It runs on a single CR2032 00:09:21.440 --> 00:09:23.600 battery, which is not included in the kit, but 00:09:23.600 --> 00:09:26.759 very common, available at local drugstores and 00:09:26.759 --> 00:09:28.720 so forth, because it's the same battery as in 00:09:28.720 --> 00:09:32.360 a lot of automotive remote controls. The kit 00:09:32.360 --> 00:09:36.220 puts together real quickly and is a great asset 00:09:36.220 --> 00:09:39.100 if you want to train for CW. You want to learn 00:09:39.100 --> 00:09:41.080 the code at whatever speed you want. It will 00:09:41.080 --> 00:09:45.440 do that. Very easy build, very nice first time 00:09:45.440 --> 00:09:48.860 kit. And it's got all the instructions printed 00:09:48.860 --> 00:09:52.460 on the front and the back of the board. So all 00:09:52.460 --> 00:09:57.279 you got to have is that flipped over and you 00:09:57.279 --> 00:09:59.539 can read all the different functions that it 00:09:59.539 --> 00:10:04.580 does. Very easy to put together. Now, QRP Guys 00:10:04.580 --> 00:10:12.240 also sells a kit called the Lydia CW, Single 00:10:12.240 --> 00:10:16.549 Side Band Receiver. and it has a digital dial 00:10:16.549 --> 00:10:20.210 option so that you have a full digital display 00:10:20.210 --> 00:10:23.809 for your 40 meter receiver. Now actually they 00:10:23.809 --> 00:10:26.789 do give you the modifications to put this on 00:10:26.789 --> 00:10:30.169 several different bands so it doesn't necessarily 00:10:30.169 --> 00:10:33.309 have to be on 40. They do tell you the different 00:10:33.309 --> 00:10:35.429 components that you do have to replace in case 00:10:35.429 --> 00:10:38.110 you do it. It has a 10 turn pot so it makes it 00:10:38.110 --> 00:10:41.789 very easy to tune. Nice receiver, runs on 12 00:10:41.789 --> 00:10:46.179 volts. and has an RF gain control, a CW sideband 00:10:46.179 --> 00:10:48.539 bandwidth switch for the receiver, an on -off 00:10:48.539 --> 00:10:52.320 switch, and a simple volume and tuning control 00:10:52.320 --> 00:10:56.259 and a five -digit digital display. Also relatively 00:10:56.259 --> 00:10:58.480 easy to put together, but I would say you're 00:10:58.480 --> 00:11:00.379 going to spend at least a whole afternoon building 00:11:00.379 --> 00:11:03.820 this one because it has a toroid and the digital 00:11:03.820 --> 00:11:09.799 display is a separate kit. If we go back to the 00:11:09.799 --> 00:11:13.080 code oscillator, that thing was $15 for this 00:11:13.080 --> 00:11:15.539 40 meter receiver, which is very small, fits 00:11:15.539 --> 00:11:21.059 in your hand very nicely. It is $35 and the digital 00:11:21.059 --> 00:11:24.919 display option is $15. So it's not gonna break 00:11:24.919 --> 00:11:26.840 the bank to build this nice little receiver. 00:11:27.940 --> 00:11:32.570 Now finally, If you look at your CQ magazine 00:11:32.570 --> 00:11:35.210 from November and those of you who miss getting 00:11:35.210 --> 00:11:37.330 it in the mail you can download that free by 00:11:37.330 --> 00:11:41.470 going to the CQ website and click on the news 00:11:41.470 --> 00:11:43.649 story and does have links so you can download 00:11:43.649 --> 00:11:47.110 the November and December issues. And in the 00:11:47.110 --> 00:11:50.470 November issue I introduced the idea of the Harbach 00:11:50.470 --> 00:11:55.129 kits and these kits are there to repair not only 00:11:55.129 --> 00:11:59.809 the Heath kit amplifiers but Drake's swans, all 00:11:59.809 --> 00:12:02.950 sorts of different radios. You can rebuild your 00:12:02.950 --> 00:12:05.929 power supplies and other vital components from 00:12:05.929 --> 00:12:09.909 the HardBot kits. Now, the HeathKid SB200, as 00:12:09.909 --> 00:12:12.649 you know, is a very, very popular amplifier. 00:12:13.490 --> 00:12:16.289 And it has a problem that power supplies after 00:12:16.289 --> 00:12:18.490 a while start smoking. And of course, we don't 00:12:18.490 --> 00:12:22.149 allow smoking, Neil. And when the magic smoke 00:12:22.149 --> 00:12:26.940 leaves, it doesn't work anymore. And I was fortunate 00:12:26.940 --> 00:12:31.360 to pay about $100 for this amplifier used at 00:12:31.360 --> 00:12:35.460 a local flea market. And what struck me about 00:12:35.460 --> 00:12:38.519 it is it just didn't have any scratches or dents 00:12:38.519 --> 00:12:41.100 or any marks in the paint. I mean, it looked 00:12:41.100 --> 00:12:43.919 like brand new. The meter was shiny and everything, 00:12:43.919 --> 00:12:46.740 and I thought, well, this looks like it's been 00:12:46.740 --> 00:12:49.980 used, but... and had some dust and dirt in it 00:12:49.980 --> 00:12:52.580 and so forth, but it looked like it was functional. 00:12:53.039 --> 00:12:55.100 So when I brought it home, I plugged it in and 00:12:55.100 --> 00:12:57.460 sure enough, I see the wisp of smoke coming out 00:12:57.460 --> 00:13:01.580 of it after I let the tubes warm up for a bit. 00:13:02.059 --> 00:13:04.240 But I looked and the high voltage was still holding 00:13:04.240 --> 00:13:08.519 at about nominal 2 ,300 volts. So I turned it 00:13:08.519 --> 00:13:10.940 off obviously when I saw the smoke and I looked 00:13:10.940 --> 00:13:14.580 it up and it said, hey, there's these kits out 00:13:14.580 --> 00:13:18.379 there that you can... use to repair this amplifier. 00:13:19.879 --> 00:13:25.480 And if you'll see my January article in CQ Magazine, 00:13:25.899 --> 00:13:30.120 you'll see the pictures of the power supply board, 00:13:30.179 --> 00:13:32.200 which is the first one of the three boards I 00:13:32.200 --> 00:13:35.379 got from Harbach and assembled. And I have to 00:13:35.379 --> 00:13:39.279 thank Harbach Electronics for sending me these 00:13:39.279 --> 00:13:43.720 boards to work with, and I found these to be 00:13:43.720 --> 00:13:47.820 very easy to assemble, absolutely easy to assemble, 00:13:48.179 --> 00:13:50.700 and it makes such a huge improvement in this 00:13:50.700 --> 00:13:54.899 amplifier. It's hard to imagine. The capacitors 00:13:54.899 --> 00:13:57.519 are very tall in the old board and they're very 00:13:57.519 --> 00:14:00.759 short in the new one. There's fewer diodes because 00:14:00.759 --> 00:14:03.620 diodes in the last 50 years have improved immensely. 00:14:05.259 --> 00:14:08.200 I put together the power supply first, and then 00:14:08.200 --> 00:14:10.860 I removed the old one and put the new one in 00:14:10.860 --> 00:14:14.240 as per his instructions. And then the two other 00:14:14.240 --> 00:14:18.039 boards I did, one... is kind of an inrush protection. 00:14:18.759 --> 00:14:22.620 And what it does is it switches in a couple of 00:14:22.620 --> 00:14:25.659 load resistors in series with the power lead 00:14:25.659 --> 00:14:28.779 for about a half a second to a second when the 00:14:28.779 --> 00:14:31.360 power is first applied to the amplifier. And 00:14:31.360 --> 00:14:33.679 what this does is it protects your transformer 00:14:33.679 --> 00:14:38.299 and your filaments and so forth. And it's out 00:14:38.299 --> 00:14:40.399 of the circuit, like I said, within about a second 00:14:40.399 --> 00:14:43.220 of turning that amplifier on. So it's pretty 00:14:43.220 --> 00:14:47.700 sweet. The other board that I did includes an 00:14:47.700 --> 00:14:49.980 opto isolator and switching transistor and what 00:14:49.980 --> 00:14:53.299 that is used for is it changes the relay voltage 00:14:53.299 --> 00:14:55.899 because that amplifier required you to switch 00:14:55.899 --> 00:15:00.720 130 volts DC. And radios back in the 60s and 00:15:00.720 --> 00:15:03.860 70s had no trouble taking care of that, but your 00:15:03.860 --> 00:15:06.159 new solid state radios have these tiny little 00:15:06.159 --> 00:15:08.960 relays or solid state switches that don't do 00:15:08.960 --> 00:15:12.019 a real good job with 130 volts. So this cuts 00:15:12.019 --> 00:15:14.580 it down to about a volt, volt and a half, and 00:15:14.580 --> 00:15:17.259 very, very low current. And the good thing about 00:15:17.259 --> 00:15:22.059 this is there are external adapter kits that 00:15:22.059 --> 00:15:24.879 perform the same function. But this is built 00:15:24.879 --> 00:15:28.120 into the amplifier, so in case I took it to somebody 00:15:28.120 --> 00:15:30.279 else's station that had some kind of outside 00:15:30.279 --> 00:15:33.080 relay switching, it doesn't care. You can switch 00:15:33.080 --> 00:15:35.659 the low voltage with the relay just as easy as 00:15:35.659 --> 00:15:39.480 you can the high. But the amplifier will only 00:15:39.480 --> 00:15:43.840 require the low voltage switching. So running 00:15:43.840 --> 00:15:48.519 about 78 watts, I think it was, on a bird going 00:15:48.519 --> 00:15:51.779 into it, I was able to get about 700 watts DC 00:15:51.779 --> 00:15:57.870 out. So of sine wave CW so it works great. I 00:15:57.870 --> 00:16:01.330 did put in new tubes I got my tubes from DX engineering 00:16:01.330 --> 00:16:04.649 and their tubes are so well matched that you 00:16:04.649 --> 00:16:07.490 do not need to get a matched pair You do not 00:16:07.490 --> 00:16:11.509 need to balance them or anything else. So I highly 00:16:11.509 --> 00:16:15.389 recommend the very heavy -duty 572 be tubes that 00:16:15.389 --> 00:16:21.049 DX engineering Puts out And I think they cost 00:16:21.049 --> 00:16:26.129 me like 70 some dollars each. So a good investment, 00:16:26.370 --> 00:16:28.629 especially if you're putting in all this other 00:16:28.629 --> 00:16:30.370 stuff in there, you don't want to have tubes 00:16:30.370 --> 00:16:32.409 that might accidentally have a grid short or 00:16:32.409 --> 00:16:35.850 something. Although the tubes that were in there 00:16:35.850 --> 00:16:38.289 did not seem to misbehave for the time period 00:16:38.289 --> 00:16:41.110 I had them. So I did save them carefully. So 00:16:41.110 --> 00:16:44.850 I do have a spare set of tubes. Well, it never 00:16:44.850 --> 00:16:48.100 hurts to have a spare set of tubes. Because you 00:16:48.100 --> 00:16:52.279 just never know. Things happen. That's right. 00:16:52.460 --> 00:16:55.440 So now my project will be to upgrade my feed 00:16:55.440 --> 00:16:58.159 line systems, grounding network, and a couple 00:16:58.159 --> 00:17:01.980 of my antenna connections to handle the higher 00:17:01.980 --> 00:17:06.700 power level so that we can be a little bit louder 00:17:06.700 --> 00:17:10.740 and represent grid square EN10 a little bit more 00:17:10.740 --> 00:17:15.859 loudly this year. Sounds like a really cool project 00:17:15.859 --> 00:17:20.200 and those amplifiers that are still being used 00:17:20.200 --> 00:17:24.420 just about everywhere. So that's a great upgrade 00:17:24.420 --> 00:17:29.539 for those and kind of restore the use on the 00:17:29.539 --> 00:17:33.279 old Heath kit gear. So sounds like a good deal. 00:17:33.319 --> 00:17:36.599 So you can catch that in CQ Magazine November, 00:17:37.180 --> 00:17:40.779 December and January, right? No, it would be 00:17:40.779 --> 00:17:43.319 in the November, January, and February issues. 00:17:43.759 --> 00:17:47.180 I spent three months upgrading that amplifier 00:17:47.180 --> 00:17:49.079 and I thought what a perfect thing to do even 00:17:49.079 --> 00:17:54.400 though I usually do QRP to have a kit amplifier 00:17:54.400 --> 00:17:59.400 being repaired by new kits. Yeah, well it's kits 00:17:59.400 --> 00:18:04.799 for the Heath kit. So how can you go wrong? Yeah, 00:18:04.799 --> 00:18:08.259 and I thought that was great. The other thing 00:18:09.279 --> 00:18:12.460 we're gonna talk about is where to put your kits 00:18:12.460 --> 00:18:17.859 when they're done. This has become a big bugaboo 00:18:17.859 --> 00:18:21.319 amongst kit builders and that is a lot of kits 00:18:21.319 --> 00:18:24.740 do not have a case. Now some of the Chinese kits 00:18:24.740 --> 00:18:28.500 are now coming with these clear plastic snap 00:18:28.500 --> 00:18:31.420 together cases or screw together and they work 00:18:31.420 --> 00:18:36.019 quite well. The Lydia receiver uses a circuit 00:18:36.019 --> 00:18:38.710 board material to make the front panel and the 00:18:38.710 --> 00:18:41.890 base and everything. A lot of the four state 00:18:41.890 --> 00:18:46.109 QRP kits use circuit board material to make the 00:18:46.109 --> 00:18:50.309 integrated case. So there's a lot of good uses 00:18:50.309 --> 00:18:54.589 for printed circuit board material. The other 00:18:54.589 --> 00:18:58.549 route to go the four -state QRP group, because 00:18:58.549 --> 00:19:02.390 they use circuit board cases quite often, they 00:19:02.390 --> 00:19:05.869 now have two different standard size cases. One 00:19:05.869 --> 00:19:08.910 of them is exactly the right size for the Bit 00:19:08.910 --> 00:19:14.349 -X series of kits. And the other one, I think... 00:19:14.490 --> 00:19:16.730 might be able to handle the larger micro bit 00:19:16.730 --> 00:19:21.210 X. I'll have to find out. But you will have to 00:19:21.210 --> 00:19:23.450 drill those and so forth and put them together. 00:19:23.849 --> 00:19:26.630 And the way they are assembled is by soldering 00:19:26.630 --> 00:19:30.430 the edges of these boards together. And so I 00:19:30.430 --> 00:19:32.710 think that's kind of an interesting way to do 00:19:32.710 --> 00:19:36.690 it. Tentec used to supply a lot of cases. They 00:19:36.690 --> 00:19:41.009 do not anymore. But Hammond does it. And I think 00:19:41.009 --> 00:19:45.160 they're there in Indiana. I'm not sure. Not sure 00:19:45.160 --> 00:19:50.200 if they're there, but Hammond makes a wonderful 00:19:50.200 --> 00:19:53.380 set of cases, all sorts of different sizes for 00:19:53.380 --> 00:19:56.779 all sorts of different kinds of projects. Yeah, 00:19:56.779 --> 00:19:59.119 that was one of the things that I wanted to ask 00:19:59.119 --> 00:20:02.559 you about was some of the enclosures. I love 00:20:02.559 --> 00:20:06.779 that idea of the printed circuit board where 00:20:06.779 --> 00:20:09.579 you just solder those together and it looks really 00:20:09.579 --> 00:20:14.170 cool too. That's pretty neat. Not only that, 00:20:14.210 --> 00:20:16.690 but if it's a double -sided board it makes for 00:20:16.690 --> 00:20:20.230 a double shielded case. Yeah, and that's exactly 00:20:20.230 --> 00:20:23.569 what I was looking for was some shielding and 00:20:23.569 --> 00:20:30.190 so I did a project here last week. I've got a 00:20:30.190 --> 00:20:35.519 repeater and The Raspberry Pi had died and I 00:20:35.519 --> 00:20:38.599 had to replace it and it's been actually off 00:20:38.599 --> 00:20:41.420 the air for a good while because it's just been 00:20:41.420 --> 00:20:43.980 a mess trying to get it going but I finally got 00:20:43.980 --> 00:20:50.240 everything going. But it's in a high RF field 00:20:50.240 --> 00:20:53.500 environment because there's a television station 00:20:53.500 --> 00:20:57.839 and a 50 ,000 watt FM broadcast station right 00:20:57.839 --> 00:21:01.900 there at the site and so Everything gets shielded 00:21:01.900 --> 00:21:05.940 because if you turn the repeater cabinet a certain 00:21:05.940 --> 00:21:10.400 way, you start picking up the FM broadcast station 00:21:10.400 --> 00:21:14.920 in your audio lines. So we had to make sure we 00:21:14.920 --> 00:21:17.339 shield everything. So I wanted to put it in a 00:21:17.339 --> 00:21:21.359 shielded box. So I bought a little aluminum box 00:21:21.359 --> 00:21:26.890 and wanted to put the... Raspberry Pi in it and 00:21:26.890 --> 00:21:29.809 I had a serial converter because I could hook 00:21:29.809 --> 00:21:35.269 it up and and run mini -com to do the repeater 00:21:35.269 --> 00:21:40.869 control over the internet too and then the IRLP 00:21:40.869 --> 00:21:44.329 board needed some place to put it because on 00:21:44.329 --> 00:21:47.170 the Raspberry Pi you can't just you know put 00:21:47.170 --> 00:21:49.710 it in an expansion slot like you do the desktop 00:21:49.710 --> 00:21:54.470 so got the box but I didn't have all the little 00:21:54.470 --> 00:22:01.069 holes for the power and the video for the monitor 00:22:01.069 --> 00:22:05.509 and the USBs and and the serials and all of that 00:22:05.509 --> 00:22:10.329 and so I end up buying a Dremel and got started 00:22:10.329 --> 00:22:15.750 on on the Dremel and started drilling some holes 00:22:15.750 --> 00:22:19.349 and cutting some holes in it and it was just 00:22:19.390 --> 00:22:23.670 a mess in a big plastic shoebox for way too long, 00:22:24.210 --> 00:22:29.430 but if you had something like that, which it's 00:22:29.430 --> 00:22:32.390 done now, but if you had something like that, 00:22:32.430 --> 00:22:35.490 what would you suggest for getting those holes 00:22:35.490 --> 00:22:39.630 in there? Well, what I usually do is I try to 00:22:39.630 --> 00:22:42.309 plot it out as best I can, and then I use the 00:22:42.309 --> 00:22:46.829 Dremel to do the pilot holes. and then I use 00:22:46.829 --> 00:22:50.690 a full -size drill to widen them out. If I have 00:22:50.690 --> 00:22:55.210 square holes, you can get green leaf punches. 00:22:55.329 --> 00:23:02.849 You can also get some of these that you can use 00:23:02.849 --> 00:23:05.710 a wrench and you close them in and it punches 00:23:05.710 --> 00:23:09.589 the hole if it's something large. You can also 00:23:09.589 --> 00:23:13.289 use a nibbler tool. it's a rectangular thing 00:23:13.289 --> 00:23:15.730 or something like that if it's an aluminum box 00:23:15.730 --> 00:23:19.829 or a thinner plastic box the circuit board material 00:23:19.829 --> 00:23:23.710 cases I have found you know they don't always 00:23:23.710 --> 00:23:28.190 look that super sharp but they have double shielding 00:23:28.190 --> 00:23:30.369 and that makes a big difference when you're talking 00:23:30.369 --> 00:23:32.769 about being in a high -power broadcast environment 00:23:32.769 --> 00:23:36.670 the other thing it lets you do is solder things 00:23:36.670 --> 00:23:41.900 to the inside case and ground the thing well. 00:23:42.980 --> 00:23:46.619 When you have things like ferrites and so forth, 00:23:46.740 --> 00:23:48.980 you can put one on the inside and the outside 00:23:48.980 --> 00:23:53.940 to protect your controller from the high power 00:23:53.940 --> 00:24:01.099 FM broadcast and television RF. Sounds like some 00:24:01.099 --> 00:24:05.019 good options there. I end up going with the Grimel 00:24:05.019 --> 00:24:09.880 cutting wheel. There were fairly large holes, 00:24:09.960 --> 00:24:14.839 but it was a little scary. Well, what I have 00:24:14.839 --> 00:24:16.920 done in the past if I have to use the cutting 00:24:16.920 --> 00:24:22.180 thing is sometimes you can take a board or something 00:24:22.180 --> 00:24:25.859 and use it to hold the tool in line so that you 00:24:25.859 --> 00:24:30.160 can make a nice straight cut. Yeah, I did use 00:24:30.160 --> 00:24:34.039 a little piece of scrap metal to do that and 00:24:34.039 --> 00:24:37.859 my cousin had actually told me that. And it worked 00:24:37.859 --> 00:24:42.140 out pretty well, but it definitely was an adventure. 00:24:42.160 --> 00:24:46.000 Don't overlook things like Altoids tins. There's 00:24:46.000 --> 00:24:49.019 a lot of small kits that fit perfectly, like 00:24:49.019 --> 00:24:52.400 your Pixies and so forth, fit wonderfully in 00:24:52.400 --> 00:24:56.700 Altoids tins, and there you have a nice deal. 00:24:57.319 --> 00:25:00.079 The trick that I use with Altoids tins is a lot 00:25:00.079 --> 00:25:03.559 of times I get these... junk mailing things that 00:25:03.559 --> 00:25:05.819 have a thing that looks like a credit card and 00:25:05.819 --> 00:25:09.839 it's plastic and it fits an Altoids tin perfectly. 00:25:09.839 --> 00:25:12.880 And so I saved those and I put those in the bottom 00:25:12.880 --> 00:25:16.140 and I use that as the insulator between the circuit 00:25:16.140 --> 00:25:20.559 board and the base of the Altoids tin. Ah, another 00:25:20.559 --> 00:25:25.140 good tip there on on the enclosure. So thanks 00:25:25.140 --> 00:25:28.839 for those. And we're going to go to break here. 00:25:28.839 --> 00:25:34.900 We're due for break, but You talked about the 00:25:34.900 --> 00:25:41.240 January and February CQ Magazine articles. Do 00:25:41.240 --> 00:25:44.380 you have any idea what's coming up after that? 00:25:45.250 --> 00:25:47.950 Yes, and in March we're going to talk about the 00:25:47.950 --> 00:25:51.970 Lydia kit as well as an improvement on a kit 00:25:51.970 --> 00:25:54.529 that I wrote about last year, the Cricut, which 00:25:54.529 --> 00:25:57.349 is put out by the four -state QRP group, and 00:25:57.349 --> 00:26:01.509 this is the Cricut 80A, and it has a couple more 00:26:01.509 --> 00:26:05.730 options in it, and broaden the response of the 00:26:05.730 --> 00:26:08.349 oscillator so that you could put crystals on 00:26:08.349 --> 00:26:11.750 more than the provided frequency, so that it 00:26:11.750 --> 00:26:15.309 covers the vast majority of cores. of the 80 00:26:15.309 --> 00:26:20.029 meter CW band as well as improving a bit even 00:26:20.029 --> 00:26:22.750 more on the receive sensitivity and a few other 00:26:22.750 --> 00:26:26.410 things. The Cricut is very interesting in that 00:26:26.410 --> 00:26:28.930 you snap a 9 volt battery on it, you plug in 00:26:28.930 --> 00:26:31.170 a set of headphones, you plug your antenna in 00:26:31.170 --> 00:26:37.589 and that's it. The key is built in and the CW 00:26:37.589 --> 00:26:42.890 key is part of the kit and the coils are all 00:26:42.759 --> 00:26:46.279 wound in spirals on the circuit board itself. 00:26:46.680 --> 00:26:49.019 So you don't have to wind any toroids. There 00:26:49.019 --> 00:26:52.339 are only 36 parts in it, and it's an easy hour 00:26:52.339 --> 00:26:56.059 or two building project. Even for a beginning 00:26:56.059 --> 00:26:58.740 builder, we did it as a build -a -thon kit at 00:26:58.740 --> 00:27:01.500 FourState QRP, and within an hour and a half, 00:27:01.579 --> 00:27:04.900 we had a whole bunch of signals on the air. And 00:27:04.900 --> 00:27:08.000 that's a one watt, well, half watt to one watt 00:27:08.000 --> 00:27:12.009 CW transceiver. And it's not like a pixie that 00:27:12.009 --> 00:27:15.509 can't hear. This thing easily hears signals that 00:27:15.509 --> 00:27:20.549 were like an S1 on my KX2. We're easily audible 00:27:20.549 --> 00:27:24.730 and able to be QSO'd with it. All right. So that's 00:27:24.730 --> 00:27:30.529 coming up in March in CQ Magazine. So I'm going 00:27:30.529 --> 00:27:33.650 to go ahead and take a break here. But we'll 00:27:33.650 --> 00:27:37.710 come back with Joe. We may talk about some more 00:27:37.710 --> 00:27:41.190 of that and also we'll take your phone calls 00:27:41.190 --> 00:27:45.150 so get those dialing fingers ready and we'll 00:27:45.150 --> 00:27:49.710 come back and take your questions with Joe KZeroNEB 00:27:49.710 --> 00:27:52.470 right after this word from the National Voice 00:27:52.470 --> 00:27:55.329 of America Museum of Broadcasting right here 00:27:55.329 --> 00:27:58.670 on HamTalk Live. The National Voice of America 00:27:58.670 --> 00:28:01.529 Museum of Broadcasting, located in Westchester, 00:28:01.750 --> 00:28:05.109 Ohio, just north of Cincinnati, is only two minutes 00:28:05.109 --> 00:28:09.230 off I -75. The museum is the former home of the 00:28:09.230 --> 00:28:12.690 Voice of America Bethany Relay Station. Tours 00:28:12.690 --> 00:28:15.269 are now available every Saturday and Sunday from 00:28:15.269 --> 00:28:18.710 1 to 4 p .m. Eastern Time. You can see the control 00:28:18.710 --> 00:28:22.990 room. a 200 ,000 watt transmitter, and the most 00:28:22.990 --> 00:28:25.930 comprehensive collection of inventions by the 00:28:25.930 --> 00:28:30.029 iconic Powell -Crosley Jr. Also on display is 00:28:30.029 --> 00:28:33.849 a huge antique radio exhibit and R .L. Drake's 00:28:33.849 --> 00:28:36.869 personal collection of most every Drake amateur 00:28:36.869 --> 00:28:40.720 rig ever made. This is a unique opportunity to 00:28:40.720 --> 00:28:43.880 see amateur radio in action and have a chance 00:28:43.880 --> 00:28:49.460 to get on the air from WC8VOA. Admission is only 00:28:49.460 --> 00:28:51.920 five dollars a person. The museum is located 00:28:51.920 --> 00:28:56.119 close to historic WLWAM and tons of shopping 00:28:56.119 --> 00:28:59.359 and restaurants. Take a trip to the VOA museum 00:28:59.359 --> 00:29:06.859 or visit us online at voamuseum .org. You're 00:29:06.859 --> 00:29:10.819 talking ham radio, baby. You're listening to 00:29:10.819 --> 00:29:16.440 Ham Talk Live. Join the conversation. Call us 00:29:16.440 --> 00:29:19.519 on voice with Skype at Ham Talk Live or give 00:29:19.519 --> 00:29:24.779 us a call at 812 -NET -HAM -1. That's 812 -638 00:29:24.779 --> 00:29:44.640 -4261. Now here's more Ham Talk Live. Ham talk 00:29:44.640 --> 00:29:47.700 lives all the air every Thursday night at 9 p 00:29:47.700 --> 00:29:51.420 .m. Eastern time right here on ham talk live 00:29:51.420 --> 00:29:54.500 calm be sure to check us out on Facebook Twitter 00:29:54.500 --> 00:29:58.019 and Instagram and during the break Joe's been 00:29:58.019 --> 00:30:02.259 playing with Alexa in the ham shack and fully 00:30:02.259 --> 00:30:05.299 said I should I should get on here and say Alexa 00:30:05.299 --> 00:30:09.640 play ham talk live and Then everybody's Alexa 00:30:09.640 --> 00:30:13.039 would do that Whenever they listen to the show 00:30:13.309 --> 00:30:17.970 But Joe was getting Alexa to figure out phonetics. 00:30:20.009 --> 00:30:23.509 Yes, it's pretty cool. It does. At least that 00:30:23.509 --> 00:30:29.029 skill allows you to give it phonetics. Well, 00:30:29.329 --> 00:30:34.970 so here's another tip from the kit builder, KZeroNEB. 00:30:35.930 --> 00:30:39.289 Well, it's time for your calls now. So if you 00:30:39.289 --> 00:30:42.880 have a question about kit building or... anything 00:30:42.880 --> 00:30:46.420 we've been talking about tonight give us a call 00:30:46.420 --> 00:30:52.920 phone number 812 net ham 1 8 1 2 6 3 8 4 2 6 00:30:52.920 --> 00:30:56.299 1 or you can Skype us we're ham talk live on 00:30:56.299 --> 00:31:00.059 Skype and also on Twitter if you would like to 00:31:00.059 --> 00:31:03.859 tweet us and I see dr. Scott right key 0 MD has 00:31:03.859 --> 00:31:08.319 already sent me a message and he says what good 00:31:08.319 --> 00:31:14.059 kit ideas Do you have for 14 or 15 year old students 00:31:14.059 --> 00:31:19.880 who want to learn electronics? Okay, well, there's 00:31:19.880 --> 00:31:22.359 a lot of kits out there actually that are more 00:31:22.359 --> 00:31:26.700 appropriate for that age group. That little code 00:31:26.700 --> 00:31:29.160 practice oscillator is good because it teaches 00:31:29.160 --> 00:31:35.759 you the basics of electronics. There is, I would 00:31:35.759 --> 00:31:41.990 say, One that I have found to be very successful 00:31:41.990 --> 00:31:45.190 in getting people to learn about electronics 00:31:45.190 --> 00:31:48.710 is a real simple tester. Now, it's called a transistor 00:31:48.710 --> 00:31:51.369 tester, but it really does more than that. We 00:31:51.369 --> 00:31:54.170 can play Ron Popeel and say it slices, it dices, 00:31:54.230 --> 00:31:58.049 and it purees. And it makes julienne fries. That's 00:31:58.049 --> 00:32:02.190 right. And it's about 11 bucks. And what this 00:32:02.190 --> 00:32:05.650 thing does is it will test a resistor, a capacitor, 00:32:05.970 --> 00:32:11.559 a transistor, an inductor. a diode, a thyristor, 00:32:11.920 --> 00:32:15.359 an NPN or PNP or MOSFET, and it will tell you 00:32:15.359 --> 00:32:19.000 which pin is connected to which lead. Like if 00:32:19.000 --> 00:32:21.680 you hooked up an NPN transistor, it would say 00:32:21.680 --> 00:32:25.859 it's an NPN transistor and the emitter base collector 00:32:25.859 --> 00:32:28.259 correspond to leads one, two, and three, or whatever 00:32:28.259 --> 00:32:31.960 you have it hooked up to. If you hook up a capacitor, 00:32:32.500 --> 00:32:34.819 especially an electrolytic, it will tell you 00:32:34.819 --> 00:32:36.960 the equivalent series resistance, so we know 00:32:36.960 --> 00:32:41.400 if that's good or not. If you hook up a diode, 00:32:41.420 --> 00:32:43.720 it'll tell you which is the anode and which is 00:32:43.720 --> 00:32:47.160 the cathode. And I think it even identifies certain 00:32:47.160 --> 00:32:52.380 ziners. On MOSFET transistors, it'll tell you 00:32:52.380 --> 00:32:54.480 which lead is the drain gate and source. And 00:32:54.480 --> 00:32:56.559 on all the transistors, it gives you the beta 00:32:56.559 --> 00:33:01.559 gain. This is something you can use when you 00:33:01.559 --> 00:33:03.819 build other things. So you can use it to test 00:33:03.819 --> 00:33:06.279 different electronic components. And it's called 00:33:06.279 --> 00:33:09.980 a transistor tester. Some people call it the, 00:33:09.980 --> 00:33:15.740 I think it's an M328 or M8 tester. I would look 00:33:15.740 --> 00:33:19.079 up that. There are several websites you can find 00:33:19.079 --> 00:33:23.660 it on wish .com or banggood .com. And like I 00:33:23.660 --> 00:33:26.900 said, they're very inexpensive, but you gotta 00:33:26.900 --> 00:33:28.880 take your time. The instructions that come with 00:33:28.880 --> 00:33:30.799 it aren't that great, so you're gonna probably 00:33:30.799 --> 00:33:33.769 want a meter. Nearby to measure the resistors 00:33:33.769 --> 00:33:36.170 because these have five striped codes on them 00:33:36.170 --> 00:33:38.789 and so you want to be able to meter your Resistors 00:33:38.789 --> 00:33:40.410 to make sure you're putting the right one in 00:33:40.410 --> 00:33:42.730 the right place But once you have this gadget 00:33:42.730 --> 00:33:45.309 put together you can now test every component 00:33:45.309 --> 00:33:48.470 in all the future kits that you build So it's 00:33:48.470 --> 00:33:52.450 kind of a neat deal Sounds like a real good idea 00:33:52.450 --> 00:33:57.940 I'm Trying to think of others. Of course, the 00:33:57.940 --> 00:34:00.319 pixie kits are very popular. Of course, once 00:34:00.319 --> 00:34:04.240 again, you got to be licensed to use those. There 00:34:04.240 --> 00:34:09.380 are a number of inexpensive AM or AM FM broadcast 00:34:09.380 --> 00:34:13.559 radio kits and so forth. Velleman has one that's 00:34:13.559 --> 00:34:18.360 kind of... kind of oval shaped somewhat and it 00:34:18.360 --> 00:34:21.239 is a commercial FM broadcast receiver and it's 00:34:21.239 --> 00:34:24.900 relatively easy to put together. Elenco, E -L 00:34:24.900 --> 00:34:28.260 -E -N -C -O, puts together a couple of kits. 00:34:28.320 --> 00:34:31.380 One is an AM broadcast only receiver and one 00:34:31.380 --> 00:34:34.159 is an AM FM and the neat thing about those kits 00:34:34.159 --> 00:34:37.480 are it has a schematic diagram printed on the 00:34:37.480 --> 00:34:41.199 circuit board where the part goes. So you can 00:34:41.199 --> 00:34:44.469 see physically the part and how it's incorporated 00:34:44.469 --> 00:34:48.530 in the circuit and You can make a working AM 00:34:48.530 --> 00:34:51.670 FM radio. And yeah, it's kind of interesting 00:34:51.670 --> 00:34:54.070 It's kind of sitting on a stand and it's a wide 00:34:54.070 --> 00:34:56.369 open circuit board, but it works and actually 00:34:56.369 --> 00:35:00.769 works quite well for those who are interested 00:35:00.769 --> 00:35:04.650 in An AM broadcast receiver that's relatively 00:35:04.650 --> 00:35:07.530 higher performance. There's one called the tech 00:35:07.530 --> 00:35:14.010 Sun T EC Sun to P3, like 2 Papa 3 receiver, and 00:35:14.010 --> 00:35:17.110 it's a Chinese kit also, and this particular 00:35:17.110 --> 00:35:21.510 kit makes a classic 1960s style pocket AM receiver. 00:35:21.989 --> 00:35:24.010 However, the loop stick antenna on this thing 00:35:24.010 --> 00:35:27.670 is so darn big that I'm able to hear AM broadcast 00:35:27.670 --> 00:35:29.909 stations from all over the Midwest in my basement 00:35:29.909 --> 00:35:32.510 on this thing. It's probably my most powerful 00:35:32.510 --> 00:35:35.750 pocket AM radio. It's very amazing what it does. 00:35:39.789 --> 00:35:41.789 There's I'm trying to think of what else for 00:35:41.789 --> 00:35:45.050 beginners But those are the ones that I would 00:35:45.050 --> 00:35:49.730 say are come to mind. Like I said if they are 00:35:50.190 --> 00:35:53.190 getting their license and so forth. The Pixi 00:35:53.190 --> 00:35:55.070 Kit is a great way to do it because it makes 00:35:55.070 --> 00:35:58.449 a nice little CW transceiver that you can use 00:35:58.449 --> 00:36:00.730 across the room and they're very inexpensive. 00:36:00.829 --> 00:36:03.030 If you buy those in bulk you'll be spending less 00:36:03.030 --> 00:36:05.909 than three dollars each for the Pixi Kit and 00:36:05.909 --> 00:36:07.809 I'll tell you how much of a bargain that is. 00:36:07.809 --> 00:36:11.130 If you go to buy the BNC connector that goes 00:36:11.130 --> 00:36:13.349 on the board you'll be spending almost that much 00:36:13.349 --> 00:36:17.230 for each one just to buy that connector. So I 00:36:17.230 --> 00:36:20.010 think in bulk I've seen them as little as $2 00:36:20.010 --> 00:36:24.030 .18 for those kits just absolutely amazing price 00:36:24.030 --> 00:36:27.630 to put together a simple little CW transceiver 00:36:27.630 --> 00:36:31.389 All right. Well there you go Scott. There's some 00:36:31.389 --> 00:36:36.570 good ideas from Joe on some kits for teenagers 00:36:36.570 --> 00:36:41.250 to build that are looking to get into Electronics 00:36:41.250 --> 00:36:44.510 and I really like the idea that the transistor 00:36:44.510 --> 00:36:47.090 tester with with all the different components 00:36:47.090 --> 00:36:50.289 so you can figure out what all what lead is what 00:36:50.289 --> 00:36:54.510 and figure out what they are. And not only that, 00:36:54.670 --> 00:36:57.110 but you can, like I said, pre -test your components 00:36:57.110 --> 00:37:00.190 for your kit. It measures your resistors as well. 00:37:00.750 --> 00:37:03.190 So instead of having to read a meter, you just 00:37:03.190 --> 00:37:06.110 clip one clip lead to each lead of the resistor 00:37:06.110 --> 00:37:08.190 and push the button and it tells you the value. 00:37:09.789 --> 00:37:15.550 Okay, there we go. So there's Your answer for 00:37:15.550 --> 00:37:18.550 dr. Scott right case your MD and if you have 00:37:18.550 --> 00:37:21.269 a question give us a call at eight one two six 00:37:21.269 --> 00:37:24.869 three eight four two six one that spells net 00:37:24.869 --> 00:37:30.789 ham one or you can Skype us or you can tweet 00:37:30.789 --> 00:37:37.010 us if you like and We will I'll be tweeting you 00:37:37.010 --> 00:37:40.989 I'll be tweeting you some links for these kits 00:37:40.989 --> 00:37:45.739 that we talked about Okay, very good. Well, Don 00:37:45.739 --> 00:37:51.079 actually texted us on Skype here, AE4DD, and 00:37:51.079 --> 00:37:53.119 wants to know, why do so many kit makers shy 00:37:53.119 --> 00:37:56.699 away from surface mount components, especially 00:37:56.699 --> 00:38:04.380 the larger ones like 0805, and aren't leaded 00:38:04.380 --> 00:38:08.719 components getting more scarce? Well, the... 00:38:09.539 --> 00:38:12.320 the leaded components are getting a little more 00:38:12.320 --> 00:38:15.019 scarce, but you can use lead -free components 00:38:15.019 --> 00:38:18.460 with leaded solder, and I have no issue with 00:38:18.460 --> 00:38:23.960 that. The other part of the question, remind 00:38:23.960 --> 00:38:28.800 me here, the surface mount. Yeah, surface mount. 00:38:29.699 --> 00:38:33.500 805 components are pretty large. The vast majority 00:38:33.500 --> 00:38:36.139 of surface mount that I've seen in kits are the 00:38:36.139 --> 00:38:40.079 1206 size. The problem with that is that a lot 00:38:40.079 --> 00:38:43.139 of people have an aversion to it because things 00:38:43.139 --> 00:38:46.780 like the capacitors aren't marked at all. And 00:38:46.780 --> 00:38:51.429 so it's kind of hard to deal with them. I was 00:38:51.429 --> 00:38:53.630 talking about believe it or not has pads on it 00:38:53.630 --> 00:38:57.309 that you can use a pair of wooden tweezers and 00:38:57.309 --> 00:38:59.150 hold the part down and it will tell you what 00:38:59.150 --> 00:39:05.289 it is but I have seen surface mount parts in 00:39:05.289 --> 00:39:10.010 kits in fact the DSO 138 scope kit is available 00:39:10.010 --> 00:39:13.389 with and without the surface mount parts already 00:39:13.389 --> 00:39:18.269 mounted for you and that's a about a $22 oscilloscope 00:39:18.269 --> 00:39:22.639 kit and it does have the option to have the surface 00:39:22.639 --> 00:39:26.980 mount already assembled and not. Kit makers shy 00:39:26.980 --> 00:39:32.139 away from surface mount if they can because if 00:39:32.139 --> 00:39:35.059 somebody doesn't succeed building their kit because 00:39:35.059 --> 00:39:37.940 of that obstacle, then people aren't going to 00:39:37.940 --> 00:39:40.179 want to build anymore, let alone buy any more 00:39:40.179 --> 00:39:42.739 kits that are like that. There are surface mount 00:39:42.739 --> 00:39:45.260 builders and there are surface mount kits out 00:39:45.260 --> 00:39:48.300 there. But there aren't nearly as many as the 00:39:48.300 --> 00:39:50.360 standard through hole components. And it's mostly 00:39:50.360 --> 00:39:53.219 because we don't want to discourage anybody. 00:39:54.099 --> 00:39:58.920 Now, sometimes it's a necessity, as in a couple 00:39:58.920 --> 00:40:02.679 of the kits we've done with forced AQRP. And 00:40:02.679 --> 00:40:04.940 what we do with the surface mount components, 00:40:05.179 --> 00:40:08.000 especially your resistors and capacitors, is 00:40:08.000 --> 00:40:11.199 I just take a tiny dab of solder, not even enough 00:40:11.199 --> 00:40:13.840 to make a bubble on the board, just enough to 00:40:13.840 --> 00:40:16.750 wet it. and then I take my tweezers and I bring 00:40:16.750 --> 00:40:19.230 that part down to the board and I take that iron, 00:40:19.429 --> 00:40:22.210 I heat up that end and just get it enough to 00:40:22.210 --> 00:40:24.190 stick. It doesn't look good but it sticks and 00:40:24.190 --> 00:40:26.610 holds it in the right position. Then I solder 00:40:26.610 --> 00:40:29.130 the other half of it and then I go back to the 00:40:29.130 --> 00:40:31.110 first half and put some more solder on it and 00:40:31.110 --> 00:40:34.050 makes it look nice and even. So if you're doing 00:40:34.050 --> 00:40:37.269 a handful of surface mount parts that's the way 00:40:37.269 --> 00:40:42.039 to do it. Now if you go to Qrp kits calm not 00:40:42.039 --> 00:40:45.280 guys, but kits qrp kits calm there are a couple 00:40:45.280 --> 00:40:49.519 of surface mount kits including a 40 meter CW 00:40:49.519 --> 00:40:53.179 transceiver that's almost all surface mount so 00:40:53.179 --> 00:40:57.199 There are kits out there that do use it but I 00:40:57.199 --> 00:41:00.440 think the kit makers tried to shy away only because 00:41:00.440 --> 00:41:02.780 they want to make sure that their builders are 00:41:02.780 --> 00:41:06.360 successful and by adding the extra burden of 00:41:07.380 --> 00:41:10.199 Surface mount parts sometimes it discourages 00:41:10.199 --> 00:41:12.840 people however. I don't object to it if there's 00:41:12.840 --> 00:41:17.500 like one or two parts because Like the original 00:41:17.500 --> 00:41:21.800 Rock mites used to use an 8 -pin surface mount 00:41:21.800 --> 00:41:24.679 I see the new ones now have the regular through 00:41:24.679 --> 00:41:28.960 holes again, but they used to use an 8 -pin Surface 00:41:28.960 --> 00:41:32.000 mount flat pack I see and it really wasn't that 00:41:32.000 --> 00:41:34.710 hard to do all you had to do was hold it down 00:41:34.710 --> 00:41:37.510 with the tweezers and get one leg soldered exactly 00:41:37.510 --> 00:41:40.210 right with all the pins lined up and then it 00:41:40.210 --> 00:41:42.030 held it in place and you just went zip, zip, 00:41:42.130 --> 00:41:45.869 zip, zip with an iron and a real thin solder 00:41:45.869 --> 00:41:48.989 and you got it done. And that's the other thing 00:41:48.989 --> 00:41:50.650 when you're working with surface mount parts 00:41:50.650 --> 00:41:53.210 you have to have a much smaller finer tip on 00:41:53.210 --> 00:41:56.070 your iron and use a thinner solder so you don't 00:41:56.070 --> 00:42:01.429 make a lot of bridges between pads. All right. 00:42:01.510 --> 00:42:03.889 Well, there you go. There's the answer to your 00:42:03.889 --> 00:42:06.730 question and thanks for writing in and we've 00:42:06.730 --> 00:42:10.630 got just one minute left Joe and and so I wanted 00:42:10.630 --> 00:42:14.230 to get to the dr. Seuss hat because the old hat 00:42:14.230 --> 00:42:19.969 is being retired Yes, it is It has been on my 00:42:19.969 --> 00:42:22.170 head for 18 years at Dayton and for two years 00:42:22.170 --> 00:42:25.570 before that a predecessor to it that had my old 00:42:25.570 --> 00:42:28.719 call sign Somebody told me I should donate them 00:42:28.719 --> 00:42:31.659 to the ARL museum or sell them as a fundraiser 00:42:31.659 --> 00:42:36.860 for AMSAT or something, you know. But we'll determine 00:42:36.860 --> 00:42:38.780 later what's going to happen. But we have three 00:42:38.780 --> 00:42:43.239 new hats, two of which were embroidered by the 00:42:43.239 --> 00:42:46.659 nice folks, Ron and Amy from Gold Medal Ideas. 00:42:47.039 --> 00:42:50.420 And they did an excellent job on them at the 00:42:50.420 --> 00:42:54.869 Peoria Ham Fest. And these are self -supporting 00:42:54.869 --> 00:42:57.130 hats, which means I don't need to put wadded 00:42:57.130 --> 00:43:00.010 up newspaper or balloons or something else in 00:43:00.010 --> 00:43:03.150 there anymore. So these are self -supporting, 00:43:03.210 --> 00:43:06.010 but they will have antenna and so forth on it 00:43:06.010 --> 00:43:08.469 as before. And the third one, it's gonna be a 00:43:08.469 --> 00:43:11.130 surprise. It's gonna be worn at a special event. 00:43:12.590 --> 00:43:15.809 And just trust me, I'm sure the social media 00:43:15.809 --> 00:43:19.619 will be full of pictures of the third one. All 00:43:19.619 --> 00:43:21.780 right, well, we'll be looking forward to that 00:43:21.780 --> 00:43:26.500 coming up in May over in Dayton and see the new 00:43:26.500 --> 00:43:30.400 hat so Appreciate you coming on and talking about 00:43:30.400 --> 00:43:33.000 the hats and and the kits and enclosures and 00:43:33.000 --> 00:43:35.199 and we'll look forward to doing it again and 00:43:35.199 --> 00:43:38.440 soon You bet Neil always glad to come on ham 00:43:38.440 --> 00:43:42.219 talk live All right. Well, that is a wrap for 00:43:42.219 --> 00:43:45.480 this week's HamTalk Live. Thanks to Joe Eisenberg, 00:43:45.679 --> 00:43:48.719 KZeroNEB, and everyone out there in cyberspace 00:43:48.719 --> 00:43:51.920 for listening and for writing in tonight. And 00:43:51.920 --> 00:43:54.820 invite you back next Thursday night at 9 p .m. 00:43:55.099 --> 00:43:58.480 Eastern Time. And to keep up with who's going 00:43:58.480 --> 00:44:01.599 to be on the show, just go to hamtalklive .com 00:44:01.599 --> 00:44:03.539 and click on the schedule link there and you 00:44:03.539 --> 00:44:08.500 can see as we schedule future guests for the 00:44:08.500 --> 00:44:10.380 show. In fact, I've got a couple I need to throw 00:44:10.380 --> 00:44:13.119 in there right now, so I'll do that shortly. 00:44:14.019 --> 00:44:17.239 So for now, this is Neil Rapp, WB9VPG, saying 00:44:17.239 --> 00:44:24.400 7 -3, 7 -5, and may the good DX be yours. 7 -3 00:44:24.400 --> 00:44:44.409 and good luck from HamTalk Live. Thanks for watching!