Silver Case

Ling and Luke in Malaysia this weekend. As of Friday night, my big plan was to get up early, buy a single-speed crankset for my vintage Czechoslovakian bicycle and finish putting it together.

So on Saturday, I woke up at the crack of eleven thirty.  Then found that TR Bikes, which ’specializes’ in singlespeed bikes didn’t have the parts. All he could offer me was a 49cog Campagnolo crankset “that ought to fit” and which cost $190. Too expensive and wasn’t even new (had a big chain-tear in its armpit), and it seemed sort of goofy putting an expensive Italian crank on the bike. It’s not period and not authentic. For 190$ I can buy a lot of interesting bike parts off ebay instead.

So I bailed out and went to Koba electronics at Peoples Park Complex. I handed them a list of parts for a simple regenerative receiver. After all, my Czechoslovakian numbers bike isn’t much good for an agent if it doesn’t include shortwave receiver to listen to infamous numbers station OLX.

Twenty minutes later I had most of the parts and headed home.

I didn’t really know where to start, so I spent half an hour identifying the parts to familiarize myself. Then I wired in the audio LM386 audio amplifier and started building out each of the components from there. I stopped when I’d get to an external device, like a speaker jack or a pot. I am missing a critical device, an air-dielectric variable capacitor for tuning. I also haven’t found a case to build into yet (I want something in a nice vintage bakelite). So I’m a bit stuck right now. Once I get it all together, hopefully it just works.

Uploaded with plasq’s Skitch!

Uploaded with plasq’s Skitch!

Uploaded with plasq’s Skitch!

Does anyone have, or where can I get, a 150-350 pF air-dielectric variable capacitor?

During my trip to Death Valley I had two QRP QSOs using my Elecraft KX1 and a “long” wire antenna.

The first was 2/25/08 with n7oc (Stan), from my campsite at Warm Springs (an abandoned Talc Mine in Death Valley). It was a really sketchy contact, only succeedinig because Stan indulged me. My signal report was 339 (almost useless!). Stan was booming in on 7.046mhz with a 599 signal. To make it harder, my copying was rusty. I haven’t worked CW since August 2007. But it was my first contact ever with the KX1 in full field conditions (shitty antenna and six AA cell batteries). Thanks Stan.

The next day we hiked a few miles west, up the valley, and then south up a stream wash into the hills. We took a break on the edge of a south facing cliff, overlooking a giant playa. With no trees available, I just draped my longwire and the counterpoise into a crude dipole, running East/West. I was nervous that I’d hear nothing, being the middle of the sunny day. However, there were more than a few strong signals out there. I tried returning some calls to no avail, so I jumped over to 7.057mhz and started calling CQ myself. In only a few minutes a powerful 599 signal rolls in from Dennis W7RVR. His signal was clean and his fist was eminently copyable. We had an enjoyable 15 minute ragchew before Dennis signed. Definitely my best QRP contact thus far.

W3LMB QTH

Here is a panoramic photo from my temporary QTH. I took a bunch of 20mm photos while rotating and then stitched it together with the very nice bit of software, DoubleTake. DoubleTake is really clean and easy to use. Further, it only cost 15EUR.

For an even neater photo, download this quicktime VR photo of this scene, which allows you to rotate it 360 degrees! It’s a big file (8mb) and you may have to install QuickTime, but it’s quite neat result. What’s scarier is how easy it was to do this!

I’m thinking a 400 meter long invisible longwire antenna could be kind of fun, even if it only lasts temporarily.

From my roof to the jungle canopy, 400m away.

I popped by the house for the first time since Saturday. They’ve accomplished a lot, but most interesting was the installation of my ladder.

The architect did it right. The ladder is easy to get on, safe to climb, and easy to get off. I’m very happy with it.

I was very pleasantly suprised to find that the roof itself is safe, too. The edge wall comes up almost to my chest. There is no danger of flipping off the roof while running around the perimeter.

The concrete up there is pretty solid, and there is existing lightning grounding. I ought to be able to install a pretty solid antenna installation. Not sure exactly how, but I am sure there is potential. Suggestions?

It’s probably the least sketchy roof I’ve ever climbed onto, except perhaps 9V1PC’s top storey antenna farm in Jalan Kayu.