Category Archives: Experiments

Carpet to wood flooring (testing out in closet first)

Posted on July 26, 2018 by

So I have it in my head I want to redo the carpet downstairs and wood sounds like a much better and cleaner option. To test difficulty, skills and tools needed and gauge time I thought I would do the … Continue reading →

Posted in DIY, Experiments, Repair, Uncategorized, woodworking | Leave a comment

SMARTsFest in Minnesota – Philco 42-327 revival Part 1

Posted on October 20, 2017 by

I went to the SMARTsFest a few weekends past and came back with a new project. It is a 1942 Philco 42-327. This is a tube radio and I will be rebuilding it to working order and cleaning it up … Continue reading →

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DIY Magnetic loop

Posted on April 13, 2017 by

How it works: A loop antenna is effectively a tuned RLC circuit. What does this mean? It means the primary coupling loop inductively couples to the secondary. The secondary loop has a variable capacitor to electrically adjust its resonance. Alternatively, Some … Continue reading →

Posted in Experiments, Ham Radio, Scanner, Testing, Uncategorized | Leave a comment

New (to me) projects on the bench – Part 3

Posted on April 11, 2017 by

  8) EICO Model 221 Vacuum Tube Volt Meter Whenever I get a new (to me) piece of test equipment that is older than 25 years I always want to look at the capacitors. They are almost surely leaking. I … Continue reading →

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Tecsun 2P3 AM Radio build

Posted on April 11, 2017 by

Tecsun 2P3 AM Radio Receiver Kit – DIY for Enthusiasts, Built it into a radio case ! Bought from Amazon…. This was a fun build. I love the way it is set up similar to the way old radio projects … Continue reading →

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40M CW Transmitter QRP Pixie Kit Receiver

Posted on April 11, 2017 by

Wandering around on Ebay, I found myself looking again at the Pixie QRP morse code transceiver. I purchased for $15 from seller “19d10recon” and got 2 crystal frequencies to use. Laying out the parts I found I was missing 2 but … Continue reading →

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New (to me) projects on the bench – Part 2

Posted on April 11, 2017 by

Started going through the bench stuff from Craigslist: 2) B & K Precision 177 VTVM Dynascan Vacuum Tube Volt Meter Tester – Works, nothing needed. 3) Superior Electric 3PN 116B Variable Powerstat Auto Transformer 109A 0-140 VAC – Works, nothing needed. … Continue reading →

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Tuning antennas for SWR

Posted on March 2, 2017 by

Tuning antennas for SWR **Note: This method is that in which you will be cutting your antenna to ensure a resonant length. Introduction: Common models of SWR (standing wave ratio) meters are used to give a general reference of how … Continue reading →

Posted in Experiments, Ham Radio, Science, Testing | 1 Comment

Aviator Sunglasses – Looking cool or an actual purpose?

Posted on March 16, 2016 by

So I had the question the other day if Aviator sunglasses actually came from aviation or not. Now, Who knows if the New York Times had it right and honestly, I think the question is really “Do Aviators have value … Continue reading →

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Raspberry Pi with rtl_sdr dongle to BroadCastify Stream (Part 4)

Posted on February 27, 2016 by

This is a 4 part series. The parts are as follows: Raspberry Pi with scanner to local casting server. Raspberry Pi with scanner to BroadCastify Stream. Build a tool to keep the stream up in case it goes down. Raspberry … Continue reading →

Posted in Experiments, Ham Radio, Linux, SDR (Software Defined Radio) | Leave a comment