A Crummy Commercial

Power went out again on Washington Island on March 29, 2025 (Saturday) at 5:44p.   Power returned this Monday evening sometime before 8:15p (I was sleeping), March 31, 2025 - it is so nice to be back "in the cultured life" as my Mom used to say. More tomorrow.  Best Regards, Chuck, WB9KZY http://wb9kzy.com/ham.htm

No, not roundball - electronic parts / kits at a bargain price !  Well, maybe a bargain ?  I bought this item on Ebay for $16.88: At first I just watched it because this seller will mark items down if they aren't selling.  But then I noticed this: It's a unbuilt LDG QRP Antenna Tuner board !  Also next to it is an air variable cap. Then I saw this: Whazzat at the bottom ?  Zooming in: The enclosure for the LDG QRP Antenna Tuner kit.  Is the rest of the kit there ?  I doubt it but possibly ? Finally the deal sealer: This must be something to do with Morse code, right ? Anyway, we will see in a week or so.  Also see a couple of meters, some speakers and assorted doo-dads and other parts - it has to be worth at least $16.88 :) Best Regards, Chuck, WB9KZY http://wb9kzy.com/ham.htm

I have this little piece of oak, about an inch wide and 3 inches long.   Yes, it is from Washington Island, they had to cut down some trees when putting up our house. But what kind of oak ?  I suppose an expert could tell from the color or the grain but I do this: Add a little dishwashing soap to some water in a dish, then stick in the wood and try to blow through it.  If you get bubbles, it's red oak.  If you see nothing, it's white oak.  I'll leave it to the internet search engines to find the details on why. That's all I got today :) Best Regards, Chuck, WB9KZY http://wb9kzy.com/ham.htm 

Yes, magnifiers have been mentioned before:  https://wb9kzy.blogspot.com/2025/03/magnifier.html  I found this "new" lighted magnifier in the office: Not sure how useful it will be.  It takes C cells - which are getting rarer at least in this house.  There were a couple of alkalines in it but luckily no damaging leakage.  I looked at C cells for sale at Mann's store today, over $8 for 4 no-name alkalines !  Nope !  So I dug out my old GE NiCd C cells which I used to use with cassette tape recorders way back to college - can they really be that old (over 40 years) and still take a charge ?   Yup, at least enough to demo that the light is kinda weak. yes, it is turned on     I'm still seeking a perfect magnifier solution. Best Regards, Chuck, WB9KZY http://wb9kzy.com/ham.htm

Not having any luck with the Knight CPO circuit: https://wb9kzy.blogspot.com/2025/03/still-fiddling-with-knight-cpo-circuit.html   (probably the wrong transformer, I wasn't able to figure out the spec'd impedances) I found a similar circuit in the Raytheon Transistor Applications booklet, page 35, by Lou Garner: source: https://tubes.mit.edu/6S917/_static/2024/resources/raytheon_transistor_applications.pdf Also found data for the UTC SSO-3 transformer 10k ohms to 200 ohms (it also says 25k ohms to 500 ohms): source: http://www.bunkerofdoom.com/xfm/UTC_1960_WEB/030.jpg   Since I don't have the CK722 I used a modern 2n2907 instead.  I looked through my parts on hand for similar audio transformers, finally found this Xicon TL006: If the output center tap is used the result is a 20k ohm to 500 ohm transformer which is fairly close to the UTC transformer.  I tried it and it does work: used a microswitch (on the left) as a key However the tone isn't that great, volum...

They really nailed it, a perfect picture of 21st century education :) I hate starting in the middle of something, like a TV series or a movie - isn't it best to be there from the start ? When I used to subscribe to Boys' Life in the 1964 to 1965 time frame I never really read the Space Conquerors cartoons because it was a continuing story and I was starting in the middle.  Luckily a lifetime later I found this collection in two pdf files of all the Space Conquerors cartoons in Boys' Life from 1952 to 1972: https://archive.org/details/space-conquerors-in-boy-life-magazine-1952-to-1958/Space%20Conqueror%20in%20Boy%27%20Life%20Magazine%20%201959%20to1972%20%28%20and%20goodies%20%29%20/ I finally found out what happened to the galactic explorers / time travelers.  Of course a beautiful blonde queen named Rua is involved: I did like Boys' Life but after 1965 I had moved on to other magazines like Electronics Illustrated or Mad Magazine - luckily they all had cartoons ...

This site looks promising: https://alltransistors.com/ and this page: https://alltransistors.com/how_to_choose_replacement_for_bipolar_transistor.php One continuing problem is finding replacements for parts that have gone out of production.  An example is the 2n5109 transistor.  This transistor was often used in cable TV equipment but it is useful in ham radio applications, for example as a QRP final transistor or as a signal amplifier that can be run at high current for better performance.  The Elecraft K2 uses a 2n5109 as an RF amplifier and the firmware allows the operator to select low current or high performance modes.  Another popular application is the PA0RDT Mini Whip active receive antenna where the 2n5109 follows a JFET input transistor. The internet suggests these as replacements: Using this set of parameters: Let's see what this new site suggests: Part of the problem may be the package, if SMT or a non-hermetic through hole package may find other subs....

Magnification has been mentioned previously: https://wb9kzy.blogspot.com/2022/03/magnification.html  Since then I found this magnifier while looking through some boxes: I don't remember where I got it from or the cost but it's become one of the most used items on my bench.  It isn't the quality of the magnifier so much as all the other magnifiers I use have some kind of case or wrapper involved.  This steel and glass thing just sits there ready for use: Just dust it off once in a while and it's good enough to help with soldering or inspection.  I've got some more powerful magnifiers if needed but I always try this one first.  I rarely use the alligator clips or change any of the little adjustments - it just works as is - highly recommended ! Best Regards, Chuck, WB9KZY http://wb9kzy.com/ham.htm

40 boils into the 2025 maple season, roughly halfway and I'm starting to run out of fridge space.  So I thought I'd do a little shelf stability conversion (2 canning loads): I use a Mirro pressure cooker to can stuff.  The four quart jars in the back are maple sap.  Later (say July) I can get them down from the pantry shelf and make some kind of a cold drink and the sweetening is already in the water !  The seven jars in the front are the maple syrup.  Since this isn't for trade I just can it as is without doing a finish boil - the actual sugar concentration may be over or under the recommended 67 or so percent sugar.  The two jars with the black lids (with the holes) are old salsa jars.  I always do them in case someone wants a jar I don't have to worry about losing a "good" canning jar.  The hole lets the air in for that satisfying pop due to the vacuum that occurs when whatever water vapor inside the jar condenses.   The cooker holds only ...

It's almost spring. The power went out about 9:55p on Wednesday March 19, 2025.  It stayed off until sometime before 9:10a on Thursday.  There was a storm with heavy wet snow and wind which is never a good combo for trees, especially evergreens. normally the top two wires would be warm enough to shed the snow, the bottom wire is the fiber for internet So the first major outage of 2025, there was another on March 5th but that only lasted a couple of hours. This time other areas of the island weren't affected. Instead of suffering without a hot beverage this morning I remembered that stash of MRE meal warmers.  They can also be used for heating liquids.  They are similar to those hand warmers based on powdered iron and some other chemicals only the MRE heaters have been supercharged ? I dug one out by flashlight and tried it, results were very disappointing.  There are multiple warnings in the directions that the heater becomes very hot but nope - it wouldn't even...

I scratched off one of my favorites, the house with the cats in the chimney: https://wb9kzy.blogspot.com/2023/06/cats.html The reason: the cats are gone: source: https://www.realtor.com/realestateandhomes-detail/7138-N-Lake-Dr_Fox-Point_WI_53217_M87785-00662 It is a nice house with a small indoor pool but no cats ? Then I recalled my very favorite house in Fox Point (early 1970s): It is still there: https://www.redfin.com/WI/Milwaukee/140-W-Dean-Rd-53217/home/ Finally, my very favorite tree, an enormous elm: Unfortunately it is long gone, I remember standing on the stump, must have been 3 feet in diameter at a minimum.  I'm sure it finally got the Dutch elm disease and got turned into wood chips and lumber. Best Regards, Chuck, WB9KZY http://wb9kzy.com/ham.htm

After futzing with NanoVNA Saver and various computers, also spending time looking for a USB soundcard (for a different project) I finally just hooked the NanoVNA to my 30 meter inverted V.  This SWR plot explains a lot: 10.7 MHz, that's the IF frequency of FM receivers !  To me this says that I cut the antenna too short, who does that ?  It is still kind of cold and windy for antenna work (and tomorrow is supposed to be a deluge) so I will delay messing with the antenna for now.  Also remembered that the pulley at the top of the pole isn't working so the antenna will have to be taken down to ground level.   No wonder the K2 tuner couldn't find a 1:1 match !   Best Regards, Chuck, WB9KZY http://wb9kzy.com/ham.htm

A friend has been mentioning getting on the air with digital modes.  While it's easy to hear and copy those modes with a computer and the software, generally an SSB radio is required to transmit.  And to make SSB work a microphone input is required.  I did have a mic cable setup for the K2 but I recalled that it didn't work when I tried to use it several years ago. The mic (a Shure 444 originally used with my HT-37) seems to work so I suspected the problem was with the way I had the jumpers set for the K2.  The jumpers looked OK at first but then I noticed that only one of the grounds was jumpered.  So I added another ground jumper (and also four uncommitted jumpers in case it needs to be changed in the future): not sure what the 4.7 k ohm resistor and wire are for, think it was for a fixed level AF output In the process of buttoning the K2 back up I managed to torque off the threaded shaft of the 1/2 inch aluminum standoff: Fudge ! I thought about buying a repl...