A Ham's Night Before Christmas

This is a wonderful piece by by Gary Pearce, KN4AQ, with guitar melody by Don Mercz, WA3AYR.

1948 Film: Vacuum Tube Manufacturing

Vacuum Tube

The vacuum tube was invented in 1906 and was the enabling technology for the rapid development of electronics for the next 50 or so years until the appearance of the transistor in the late 1950's.

Pentode Components 

This 3-part film from Philips-Mullard (1948) presents a detailed look at the components, construction, and manufacture of vacuum tubes.  This is a fascinating work on several levels - vacuum tube technology, period manufacturing automation, and the factory environment itself.  The 3 films in total run about 24 minutes.

Part 1

Part 2

Part 3

Be sure to checkout our related articles:

• Philips Radio Manufacturing 1936

• Westinghouse Film - Electronics At Work - Electronic Tubes explained

• How It's Made - Modern Audio Vacuum Tubes

Number of US Amateur Radio License Holders Highest Level Ever

According to the ARRL, over the last 40 years, the number of Amateur Radio operators in the US has grown at a remarkable rate:

• December 1971: 285,000
• December 1981: 433,000
• December 1991: 494,000
• December 2001: 683,000
• September 2011: 700,221

The growth and interest trend in Amateur Radio is a clear indication that the future is bright for the hobby.  This growth also has implications from a spectrum use perspective.  We do hope the FCC and federal legislators will take note of this.

• Do not pass laws that will reduce or sell off the spectrum that is for amateur radio use.
• Do increase spectrum available for amateur radio use.
• Protect amateur radio spectrum from interference through FCC enforcement.
• Acknowledge the value of amateur radio in science education and emergency communications.
• Support laws that protect amateur radio operator's ability to erect and use outdoor antennas.

Black black black Friday

It is the biggest day of the shopping all year... Black Friday.  Rumours were flying all over town about an unprecedented sale which had been confirmed by recent radio spots for, "Extreme Pricing with 99% off!".  As a result, a long line had already formed at 6:30AM in front of the store.  By 8:30AM the line had doubled in length and had become a little surley.

A small man pushed his way to the front of the line, only to be pushed back, amid a barage of curses.

On the man's second attempt, he was knocked around a bit, and then thrown to the end of the line again.

As he got up the second time, the small man said to the person at the end of the line, "That does it!  If they throw me down one more time, I am not going open the store!"

______________________________

Avoid the lines and hassles and visit your local Amateur Radio dealer instead this Black Friday.  You will likely have a lot more fun, see some new gear, and may even take home a little something for the shack.

Westinghouse Film - Electronics At Work - Electronic Tubes Explained

In this 1943 film by Westinghouse, the six basic functions of vacuum tubes are explained along with how each type of tube is used in industrial and military applications.

• Rectify
• Amplify
• Generate
• Control
• Transform light into current
• Transform current into light

This is a well done educational film with a 21minute run time.  Provides a very nice tube tutorial for those of us who have grown up in the solid state / digital age taking some of the mystery out what these devices are all about.



Be sure to check out our related articles:

• 1948 Film: Vacuum Tube Manufacturing
• How It's Made - Modern Audio Vacuum Tubes

Chasing 10m FM DX

There are so many interesting modes in which to operate our amateur radios.  Most hams are familiar with the "meat-and-potatoes" modes like, CW, SSB, AM, and RTTY.  Surprisingly, few hams seem to have tried working DX with FM.  The return of sunspots provides ham with an opportunity to jump into FM DX'ing.  You can work 10m FM DX with a modest station - a 100W rig and an 10m antenna will do the job.

You can even work QRP (low power < 5w) FM DX when the 10m band is open.  This is really amazing thing to experience.  Give it a try sometime.  One approach is to start the QSO with higher power and then back the power level down to QRP and see if you can maintain the contact.  How low can you go?  Another approach is to simply work the contact with low power.

Kenwood TS-480SAT HF + 6m Transceiver

Generals, Advanced, and Amateur Extra's have HF FM privileges on the 10m band.  The United States HF band plan allows FM between 29.6Mhz and 29.7Mhz.

5 Tips for 10m FM DX

1. Keep the QSO short  - 10m FM DX is fast paced since the conditions are typically unstable.  Make the exchange quickly so you can log the contact.
2. Monitor beacons for 10m openings - When 10m is open, dial up the 10m FM band plan frequencies.
3. Monitor spots for 10m FM - Monitor 10m spots and look for frequencies that fall within the US FM band plan.  Once you see a spot, move quickly as the station will often disappear quickly.
4. 29.600Mhz is the FM simplex calling frequency.  This is a good place to start listening.
5. Dial up-and-down.  FM simplex changes quickly.  Stations will appear and disappear.  Keep moving, listening, and pounce.

On November 20, 2011, we had a great time making 10m FM contacts with Europe including OK2OV (Czech Republic), PB2A (The Netherlands), and GI7AXB (Northern Ireland).  All of these contacts were with full quieting and rich audio.  10m FM DX can sound awesome!

If you have a 10m radio with FM, we encourage you to get onto 10m and try working FM DX.  You will be amazed that this typically local mode works so well over great distances.  You will also enjoy the nice clean sound of FM too.

© Michael W. Maher and NJ2X.COM, 2011.

WWII Film - Hallicrafters: Voice of Victory - SCR-299

In 1944, Hallicrafters teamed up with the US Army Signal Corp to produce this interesting training film called, "Hallicrafters: Voice of Victory".  The technical advisor of the film was W9AA - Cyrus T. Reed.  This film shows the assembly and testing of big iron Hallicrafters radio SCR-299.  When we write "big" we mean "BIG" (takes up the better part of a truck and two men to load).
This film would likely be of great interest to Hallicrafters enthusiasts,  SCR-299 owner this film, and people interested in the role of US amateur radio in winning World War 2.  This film runs about 14 minutes.  We hope you will agree it is a rather amazing and unique work.

A few things to look for (list courtesy of K0OD):

• 3:32 - Listen for the replica (no hams on air in '42) vintage CQ and exchange. Notice the op manually switches off the transmitter and tunes his SX-28 receiver after his CQ. Most callers would have been crystal controlled and on a different frequency.
• 7:42 - Shot of early 2 element beam rotating on what looks like a wood tower.
• 12:20 - Ugly soldering iron.
• 12:45 - Assembly line worker using power hoists to position the heaviest parts.
• 17:05 - Light bulbs used as a "dummy antenna". 

SCR-299 Advertisement circa 1942

Be sure to check out:

• US Army Signal Corps training film for the SCR-694, BC-1306 field radio

• 1944 US Navy Training Film - Radio Operator Training - Technique Of Hand Sending CW with a straight key

• Army Morse Code Training Film 1966

Driving on the New Jersey Turnpike

An elderly ham was driving down the New Jersey Turnpike when suddenly his 2 meter rig crackled his call...

Answering the call, he heard a fellow ham's urgent warning....."Elmer, I just heard on the news that there is a car driving down the turnpike the wrong way so please be careful"!!
Elmer replied,"Well I'll declare, it's not just one.......there are hundreds of them!!!!!!!!!"

Desoldering 101

Soldering is a very good skill to have as a ham.  But what do you do when you need to remove a solder part?  You "de-solder" it of course.  Learning the correct way to desolder can save a lot of frustration and time.  You will need this skill if you ever engage in activities such as:

• Kit building - e.g. soldered a part in the wrong orientation or wrong position.
• Electronic repair - e.g. replacing leaky old capacitors in a radio.
• Part salvage - e.g. removing parts from a device for reuse in some other project.

Take a few minutes and learn the proper way to desolder.

We learned desoldering the hard way in our youth tearing apart old gear and salvaging parts.  It turns out that desoldering is a common pattern among hams as a way to successful learning of soldering technique.  In other words, desoldering an old piece of equipment and salvaging the good parts is a great way to learn how to handle a solder iron.  This is likely because the risk of doing damage is ZERO (the circuit is already broken) which gives the freedom to make mistakes and learn. 

Before you open the cabinet of an old piece of equipment, make sure the power is off and unplugged.  Additionally, do educate yourself on how to safely deal with capacitors and other components which can store dangerous voltages even after the power is disconnected.

As a youth, would have loved to have some soldering wick and the fancy solder sucker.  We have been using solder wick for many years.  We recently picked up a nice solder sucker tool at Fry's Electronics while working in San Jose (Silicon Valley), CA.  Now we just need an old radio to work on....

Be sure to check out related articles:
Soldering 101
Soldering PL-259 Connectors
KN-Q7A Single Band SSB Transceiver Kit - New Arrival

Soldering 101

Amateur radio is a wonderful hobby with so many different facets to explore.  One of the skills that most ham develop at some point is soldering.  This is because soldering is fun, useful, and arguably necessary.  Here are just a few things you can do with soldering:

• Solder a power cable (see our article Project: Car power adapter to Anderson Powerpole)
• Solder ends on coaxial cable
• Build a commercial kit (radio, power supply, gadget, ...)
• Make a home-brew device
• Splice wires together
• Repair or modify electrical equipment

If you would like to improve your soldering skill, spend the next 7 minutes with this excellent tutorial on the basics of soldering.  It will help you solder like a pro in no time.

A few safety precautions:

• Never touch the element or tip of the soldering iron. They are very hot (about 400°C) and will give you a nasty burn.
• Return the soldering iron to its stand when not in use. Never put it down on your workbench, even for a moment!
• Work in a well-ventilated area. The smoke formed as you melt solder is mostly from the flux and quite irritating. Avoid breathing it by keeping you head to the side of, not above, your work.
• Wash your hands after using solder.  Solder contains lead which is a toxic metal.

Now that you have learned how to solder it is time to practice.  A great way to start is to buy a simple electronic kit from Radio Shack, Fry's Electronics, Vectronics, or other electronic kit retailers. 

Elenco sells a nice Elenco Learn To Solder Kit that comes complete with a soldering iron, solder, circuit board, and components.

Alternatively, check out our simple, useful, and easy-to-build project, Project: Car power adapter to Anderson Powerpole.

Elecraft offers a useful Q&A on soldering called, "Ask Dr. Solder".  It is definitely worth reading.

We learned desoldering in our youth tearing apart old gear and salvaging parts. It turns out that desoldering is a common pattern among hams as a path to successful mastery of soldering technique.  In other words, desoldering an old piece of equipment and salvaging parts is a great way to learn how to handle a solder iron.   This is likely because the risk of damaging the circuit is ZERO (since it is already broken) which gives the freedom to make mistakes and learn.  Desoldering old equipment is also nearly free!  Be sure to check out our NJ2X.COM article, "Desoldering 101"

See our related articles:
Project: Wheel Of Fortune Kit (Velleman)
3D Xmas Tree Kit - Velleman
KN-Q7A Single Band SSB Transceiver Kit - New Arrival

ARRL’s annual November Sweepstakes - Phone

The ARRL’s annual November Sweepstakes is the oldest domestic contest, beginning in 1932. It’s a competition between North American stations – individuals, teams, and clubs. For many US and Canadian hams, it is their first contest operation and remains a regular event on their yearly schedule for a lifetime. The contest is somewhat unique in that each station may only be contacted once and the number of different recognized locations is limited to the 80 ARRL and RAC sections. Working the 80 sections is called a "Clean Sweep" and allows the station to claim one of the coveted Clean Sweep coffee mugs – there are other awards, as well.
Phone: Third full weekend in November (November 19-21, 2011). Contest Period: Begins 2100 UTC Saturday and runs through 0259 UTC Monday.

For stations in the United States and Canada (including territories and possessions) to exchange QSO information with as many other US and Canadian stations as possible on 160, 80, 40, 20, 15 and 10 meter bands.

All stations may operate no more than 24 of the 30 hours.  Off-times must be a minimum of 30 minutes without operating. Listening time counts as operating time.

Your exchange is based on an ARRL radiogram header and has five parts:

• Serial – the number of this contact in the contest (1st, 10th, 121st, etc)
• Precedence – your category abbreviation as described above (A, B, M, Q, S, or U)
• Your call sign
• Check – the last two digits of the year in which you were licensed (i.e. – 02 for 2002)
• ARRL Section – the abbreviation for your ARRL or RAC section

For contest information see the 2011 Sweepstakes Operating Guide or contact the ARRL: contests@arrl.org or (860) 594-0232

Light bulb

Q: How many amateur radio operators does it take to screw in a 100W light bulb? 

A: Three.  One to solder the lightbulb on the end of the coax, one to check the SWR, and one to measure the signal strength and plot the radiation pattern.


Anyone remember line printer art?

           _------_
         -~        ~-
        -     _      -
       -      |>      -
       -      |<      -
        -     |>     -
         -    ||    -
          -   ||   -                  
           -__||__-                   
           |______|
           <______>
           <______>
              \/

Gunsite / Yavapai Radio Club Observe NRA Birthday November 17, 2011

Gunsite / Yavapai Radio Club Observe NRA Birthday November 17, 2011
Celebrate NRA's 140th birthday on November 17, 2011 as the Yavapai Amateur Radio Club operates a special-event broadcast station from the famed Gunsite Academy in Arizona. This FCC-licensed amateur station, using the call sign, K7NRA, will operate from 8AM to 5PM MST on the following frequencies: 7.250, 14.050, 14.250, and 21.355 MHz. All amateur radio stations, especially those operated by NRA memebers and Gunsite alumni, are urged to participate. A unique NRA/Gunsite QSL Card will be sent to stations contacted for the event. For more info, visit: www.w7yrc.org/.

Greetings

Q: What is the best way to greet an Amateur Radio operator?  A. With a short wave of course!

Chasing DX The Easy Way with HRD DM780

We love chasing DX and the thrill of the hunt.  Chasing DX is also time consuming - spinning the VFO dial in search of that rare DX station at all hours of the day and night.  For some, chasing DX competes with other priorities such as family, food, hygiene, sleep, jobs, kid's soccer games, exercise, ...  That is why it is important to us to find little tricks to maximize the impact of our scarce operating time and maintain some semblance of balance to life.

Warning, you are about to learn a very powerful secret that may change the way you ham FOREVER.

Ham Radio Deluxe (HRD) is a wonderful ham radio software package that includes integrated rig control, logging, and a program for running various digital modes called DM780.  We love operating digital modes like PSK31.  It is fun to communicate by computer over the radio.  Additionally, PSK31 is very effective at making DX contacts with a modest station.  An interesting additional advantage of using digital modes is automated monitoring.

It is possible to configure DM780 to listen to all the digital activity on a certain frequency and notify you when it detects DX that you are interested in.  This is extremely handy as it frees you to concentrate on other things.  Imagine being able to work on the "honey-do" list and working DX at the same time.

We recently used DM780 to monitor 14.070 PSK31 activity and notify us when a specific station appeared.  We were looking to make contact with K8WDX in order to complete our last 20m PSK31 WAS state - WV.  We knew that K8WDX uses the LoTW and frequents 20m on PSK31.  Having the computer monitor 14.070 for the station's call sign allowed us to work around the house within ear shot of the computer.  The computer gave a nice loud alert as soon as it recognized the desired call, "W8WDX on 20m".  We immediately ran over to our rig, locked onto the station, and called as soon as he finished his QSO.  Thanks to Tom K8WDX we completed 20m PSK31 WAS!

Here is how we setup DM780 for this:

1. Tune radio to 14.070 and launch HRD / DM780.
2. From DM780 menu, select SuperBrowser --> Display.  This brings up the SuperBrowser screen.
3. Select Alarms --> Manager.  This brings up the Alarms Manager.
4. DM780 will have several alarms configured as examples.  Disable all of these by removing the check boxes next to the alarms.
5. Click "New".  A "New Alarm" window will pop up.
6. Enter the desired station's call in the title field (in our example we entered, "W8WDX")
7. Click on the "Match: SuperBrowser Only" tab.
8. Click on the check box for "Callsign(s)".
9. Enter the desired station's call in the field to the right of the "Callsign(s)" check box (in our example we entered "W8WDX").

     10. Click on the "Action: Sounds" tab.
     11. Add a check to the enable box under "Text-To-Speech".
     12. Click "OK".  This will save the search in DM780.

That's it!  With a few easy clicks you have configured DM780 and your computer to monitor your radio for a desired station and alert you.  This will allow you to do other things and jump on the radio when the desired station has been detected.  This trick is more powerful than monitoring spots since it potentially allows you to locate stations before the spot (and subsequent pileup).

The alarm feature in DM780 is flexible and can be configured in much more complex ways.  We hope you will give DM780 alarms a try.  You will be amazed at how well the alarm feature works.

Be sure to check out our related articles,

• HRD DM780 - variations of the 73 macro
• HRD DM780 Macros: Curse or Blessing?

1944 US Navy Training Film - Radio Operator Training - Technique Of Hand Sending CW with a straight key

This is an excellent US Navy training film explaining the correct technique of hand sending morse code with a straight key.  It is from 1944 and it is spot on.  Well worth a view regardless if you new to CW or an expert (about 9 minutes long).

Be sure to check out my other related post, Army Morse Code Training Film 1966.

Project: Car power adapter to Anderson Powerpole

Conservation is the act of preservation, protection, or restoration of the natural environment.  We hams are conservationists as we tend to be a thrifty lot and regularly re-purpose and reuse materials for our hobby.  Why throw something into a landfill when it can be made into something useful?  Through creativity and technical know how we conserve materials (and funds).  The smell of solder and a few minutes in the workshop is great fun too!

In this article we share a useful and simple project to convert an unneeded car power cable to an Anderson Powerpole adapter.  We cabled all of our radio gear for Anderson Powerpoles sometime ago and have been glad we did so ever since.  Anderson Powerpoles offer many compelling reasons for adoption:

Flat Wiping Contact System

• Minimal contact resistance at high current, wiping action cleans contact surface during connection/disconnection.

Colored Modular Housings

• Provides visual identification of proper mating connector.

Molded-in Dovetails

• Secures individual connectors into "keyed" assemblies which prevents mis-connection with similar configurations.

Defacto Standard

• Anderson Powerpoles have emerged as the defacto power connector standard in the amateur radio community.
• This means it is easier to power your equipment at hamfests, club meetings, field day, emergency communications, ....

Unfortunately, vehicles provide power for passé "cigarette lighters" and not Anderson Powerpole connectors.  Come on Detroit, time to get with it and provide Anderson Powerpole outlets in your vehicles.  A boring solution would have been to buy a couple of  vehicle power to Anderson Powerpole adapters which typically sell for about $15.00 at ham fests.  However, a quick survey of our junk box revealed several unused vehicle power cables which could be readily adapted to Anderson Powerpole connectors for very little cost.

Materials and Tools
1 - pair of Anderson Powerpole contacts (black and red)
1 - 2-inch length of suitable heat shrink tubing
1 - vehicle power cable (AKA cigarette lighter power cable)
Wire cutters
Wire stripper
Soldering iron
Rosin flux
Electrical Solder
Multimeter

Step 1: Prepare the cable by snipping off the unneeded end.

Step 2: Strip both wires about 5/16 inches (7.9 mm).

Step 3: Brush on rosin flux and tin the wires.  Be careful not to apply too much heat and melt the insulation.  If you do melt the insulation a little, just trim up the exposed wires to maintain the 5/16 inch length.

Step 4: Slip the cable through the 2 inch length of heat shrink tubing.  This provides a nice dressed looking cable.  Additionally, the heat shrink tubing will provide strain relief.

Step 5: Melt rosin flux into the Anderson Powerpole connectors.  Solder the connectors onto the tinned wires.

Step 6: Using the multimeter, determine the vehicle adapter's center contact.  Install the red Anderson Powerpole's by inserting the contact and wire into the housing from the rear. Position contact and push forward so that contact slips under the barrier and snaps over the end of the retaining spring.  Tug slightly to make sure contact is locked in place.

Step 7:  Install the black Anderson Powerpole's by inserting the contact and wire into the housing from the rear.  Position contact and push forward so that contact slips under the barrier and snaps over the end of the retaining spring. Tug slightly to make sure contact is locked in place.

Step 8: Using the multimeter, confirm continuity of red contact with the vehicle adapter center conductor.  (and no continuity with the outer spring contacts).  Confirm continuity of the black contact with the vehicle adapter out spring contacts (and no continuity with the vehicle adapter center conductor).

Step 9: Dovetail the two connectors together and interlock the red and black Anderson Powerpole by slipping the keyed parts together as pictured above.

Step 10: Slide the heat shrink tubing forward as close to the Anderson Powerpole connectors as possible.  Use a blow dryer or other heat source to gently shrink the tubing until snug.  Avoid burning or melting the heat shrink tubing.

Voila!  That is all it takes to make a vehicle power / Anderson PowerPole cable adapter.  This is a fun and easy project that has the added advantage of saving money.

A few other considerations.

• Since it is possible that vehicle manufacturers may reverse polarity of the power output, be sure to use your multimeter or Anderson Powerpole Polarity Checker to confirm that red Anderson Powerpole connector is indeed positive on your vehicle prior to using the cable.
• We built our cable for use with low power devices.  Be sure to use a cable suitable for the current your device will draw. 
• An in line fuse or fuse integrated into the tip of the vehicle power adapter is a good idea. 
• Adding a ferrite bead or two can do wonders with keeping RF off the power cable (our junk box cable came with a ferrite already installed).

By Michael Maher (NJ2X)

See related articles on NJ2X.COM:

• What is the schematic symbol for a ferrite bead?
• What is a ferrite bead?
• Project: Anderson Powerpole Polarity Checker
• Project: Anderson Powerpole to 2.1mm Connector Pigtail
• Soldering 101
• Anderson Powerpole Articles
• Using your multimeter: Continuity Test

© Michael W. Maher and NJ2X.COM, 2011. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this blog’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Michael W. Maher and NJ2X.COM with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.

US Army Signal Corps training film for the SCR-694, BC-1306 field radio

The SCR-694 was designated as "Radio set, Portable/Vehicular" consisting of the BC-1306 transceiver capable of AM, CW, MCW modes of operation between 3.800 to 6.500 MHz.  Ranges up to 15 miles on voice and up to 30 miles on CW between moving vehicles were reported.  Crystals used in the transmitter operated at one half of the transmitting frequency. The set used vacuum tubes and operated from 6, 12 or 24 VDC supplied by a battery or PE-237 Vibrator Power Unit (to operate from a vehicle).  The receiver could be run for about 20 hours from the battery.  Portable operations in WWII meant the unit could be packed and carried by 2 men and weighed 108lbs.  The whole set was water and fungi proof. 

These three films are very interesting and provide a great deal of information.  There is a briefing on vintage WW1 radios as well as German and Japanese radios.  The radio internals are discussed as well as the whip and wire antennas.  CW and radio-telephone operations are demonstrated.

Truely an impressive piece of gear for the time.

Part 1

Part2

Part 3

Be sure to also check out the article, "Army Morse Code Training Film 1966".

Nov. 9, 2011 - ARRL's Frequency Measuring Test

Frequency Measuring Test for November 2011

The next Frequency Measuring Test is scheduled for Wednesday, November 9, 2011, beginning at 10:15 PM EST (0315z, November 10, 2011). Transmitting sites are operated by K5CM, W8KSE, W6OQI and WA6ZTY. The frequencies are near 3579 and 7055 kHz.

The latest information can be found here on the ARRL web page.

The data entry site for the November 9, 2011 FMT can be found here.

More information on FMT measuring techniques can be found here on the K5CM website.

The November QST article on the 2011 FMT can be found here in PDF format.

If you have not participated in an FMT before, it doesn’t take a room full of test equipment to have fun and make surprisingly accurate measurements. You can read all of the QST articles about the exercises on the ARRL FMT web page. More information on frequency measuring techniques and exercises can be found on Marshall’s website.

How to determine with LoTW and 5 clicks which states you need

The log book of the world (LoTW) offers some very useful tools for managing and tracking QSL's.  We use it regularly to quickly determine which states we need for a particularly WAS award.  Here is how in 5 easy steps:

Log into your LoTW account.
1) Click on the "Awards" tab.
2) Click on the button, "Select WAS award account".
3) Click on the award you wish to check.  This will bring up a list of all the states you have QSL's with in LoTW for the selected award.
4) Click on radio button, "All entities".
5) Click on the button, "Select WAS Award to View".  This will bring up a list of all states.  The states you have a confirmed QSL will have a call sign next to them.  Those states you still need will not have a call sign listed.  This gives you an instant visual indication.

We use this trick when hunting specific states for WAS.  A quick check using this technique allows you to focus on the states you need.  This technique will help you make the most of your limited radio time when you are chasing an award.

This same trick works with DXCC awards page also.

By Michael Maher (NJ2X)
Be sure to check out NJ2X's article on Hunting LoTW Stations.



Army Morse Code Training Film 1966

In 1966, the US Army produced a training film on sending morse code with a straight key.  This is a historical, entertaining, and educational movie.  Check out the giant sized J-38 key!

Be sure to our related article, 1944 US Navy Training Film - Radio Operator Training - Technique Of Hand Sending CW with a straight key.

Big Iron AM Stations N4QLB

N4QLB has put together an excellent slideshow of big iron AM stations.  Hope you enjoy it as much as we do.

Radio Armenia Call In Show

In the days of Soviet Union, the call in question show on Radio Armenia often had to deal with some tough questions.

Q: What is champagne?
A: Radio Armenia is pleased to inform you that champagne is a wonderfully delicious alcoholic beverage which is consumed by the working people through their elected representatives.

Antenna survives the NJ October snow storm

Kudos to Alpha-Delta for building such a tough antenna.  Once again our Alpha-Delta DX-LB Plus Parallel Dipole survived another dish of what mother nature was serving here in New Jersey.  This time it was a heavy snowfall (6 to 16 inches around the state) on October 28 and 29, 2011.  The end of October is normally a lovely time of year with with pleasant temperatures and mostly green trees.  We haven't had a snowstorm in October since 1987.  Lets see what the winter will bring.

Alpha-Delta DX-LB Plus Parallel Dipole Antenna

73,
NJ2X