Category Archives: Featured

This category is for featured articles that we want to include in the sidebars and other areas on our website.

Featured, General, Newsletter

The Colossus of Radio

Colossus of Radio
The rear of the Crosley Super-Power set. Everything that could be was chromium-plated.

Crosley Radio Corporation’s 1936 “WLW Model  Super-Power Radio Receiver”Front of Crosley Radio Corporation’s WLW Model Super-Power radio receiver. Features included multiple tuning, volume, fidelity, and tone controls, as well as a public address system.In 1935, the Zenith Radio Corporation produced a stunning radio receiver called the Stratosphere model 1000Z. The set used 25 tubes and three loudspeakers —  more than any other radio to date. An amazing (for the time) 50 watts drove its three speakers — one 6 inch dynamic high-frequency and two 12 inch dynamic low-frequency speakers.

Check this article out. Found by Ralph Keyslay, N1UH. Ralph suggests that we might want to include this article in a future newsletter. Looks like a great QRP rig!

Source: The Colossus of Radio – Nuts & Volts Magazine – For The Electronics Hobbyist

Featured, General, Homebrewing, Newsletter

Inexpensive DIY Digital Oscilloscope Kit

I came across a DSO138 DIY Digital Oscilloscope Kit (SMD Soldered Version) on the Internet recently that looked like a fun project for the kids and me to work on together.  The price didn’t seem bad at $24 w/free shipping.  I ordered the optional clear acrylic case to go with it for another $7.50 more.

Basic specs (from the supplier site):

  • Maximum real-time sampling rate: 1Msps
  • Accuracy: 12Bit
  • Sampling buffer depth: 1024 bytes
  • Analog bandwidth: 0 – 200KHz
  • Vertical Sensitivity: 10mV / Div – 5V / Div (1-2-5 progressive manner)
  • Adjustable vertical displacement, and with instructions
  • Input impedance: 1MΩ
  • Maximum input voltage: 50Vpp (1: 1 probe), 400Vpp (10: 1 probe)
  • Coupling modes: DC / AC / GND
  • The horizontal time base range: 10μs / Div – 50s / Div (1-2-5 progressive manner)
  • With automatic, regular and one-shot mode, easy to capture the moment waveform
  • Available rising or falling-edge trigger
  • Adjustable trigger level position, and with instructions
  • Observable previous trigger waveform (negative delay)
  • Can freeze at any time waveform display (HOLD function)
  • Comes with a 1Hz /3.3V square wave test signal source

It came in the mail this weekend.  In the box was the case kit, bag of parts, main board, display board, test cable, assembly checklist, and a basic how to use guide:

Oscilloscope Kit

Oscilloscope Kit Oscilloscope Kit

Oscilloscope Kit Oscilloscope Kit

Oscilloscope Kit Oscilloscope Kit

Oscilloscope Kit Oscilloscope Kit

I plan to post updates on the build experience with photos along the way.  Stay tuned!

Wayne,  AG1A

 

Activities, Education and Training, Featured, General, Newsletter, On The Air

Join us for the ARRL Rookie Roundup SSB on April 17!!

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Are you a new Ham who has received your first license in the past 3 years? Are you interested in finding out what contesting is all about?   The ARRL has a contest just for you! The ARRL Rookie Roundup SSB is coming up on Sunday, April 17 from 18:00 UTC until 23:59 UTC (2 pm – 8 pm) and it is just for “Rookies”. We will be fielding a Multi-Op entry from the AB1OC/AB1QB QTH using our club callsign, N1FD.

Non-rookies can help by getting on the air and working rookies in the contest! See the ARRL Rookie Roundup Site for the rules and exchange.

AB1OC Antenna Tower
AB1OC Antenna Tower

We will hold elmering sessions for the contest to help you learn how to operate our station and use a contest logger the weekend of April 9th and 10th.  Join us at one of three sessions :

  • Saturday, April 9 at 10:00 am
  • Saturday, April 9th at 2:00 pm
  • Sunday, April 10th at 1:00 pm

The rules for the Rookie Roundup are on the ARRL website at http://www.arrl.org/rookie-roundup. If you are a rookie and you are interested in operating in the contest, or just visiting our station and watching the operation, contact Anita, AB1QB at [email protected].

AB1OC/AB1QB Shack
AB1OC/AB1QB Shack

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