RAN Technology

The Seasons Best Wishes


de KPH


General Information 12/18/2021 


 Content Source

Posted By: Robert Nickels (ranickels)
Posted on 12/18/2021

Yes, a holiday greeting card from the original KPH, Port Reyes CA.    I don't have an exact date but I would guess late 50s or early 60s because it came from the estate of Roger Kaney (SK) who was W9AF when I knew him, but had been W9ZRU previously.  Roger was a retired marine radio operator when I met him in the late 80s, and even then would "stand watch" at night with receivers monitoring the marine frequencies which were still active then.  He showed me an article that predicted the end of shipboard Morse operation with great sadness, which of course came to pass along with the demise of the shore stations.  KPH unlike most not only survived in a new form but has prospered since and is still kept on the air thanks to the dedicated volunteers of the Maritime Radio Historical Association who have devoted uncounted hours to that end since 1999.    CLICK HERE to read more about the MRHA.

Before Roger's shipboard career began he spent a short time as an operator at KPH and was there over at least one Christmas, and got his "sine" included in the holiday card.   Pretty cool!

Click the image to see the card in more detail.

   

Crystal Replacement
Posted: 02/38/2024
Comments: 0
How good can a crummy receiver be?

Hundreds of different simple SDR receivers have been designed around Dan Tayloe's Quadrature Sampling Detector or QSD.   Mine add nothing to the state of the art, and in fact subtract things, as I like minimalist solutions and the QSD is right in that sweet spot.   Following the evolution of Tayloe's design I delete the resistors in series with the sample lines for inst...  READ MORE

Technical
Posted: 02/37/2024
Comments: 0
What's in a number (3253)?

The FST3253 dual four-to-one mux/demux IC has long been used as a "Tayloe Detector" or QSD (and QSE) in low-cost SDRs.   They provide incredible performance for such a simple circuit, converting RF to baseband IQ with low loss and the ultimate in simplicity. Unfortunately the original FST3253 part has become obsolete and while substitutes are available, this is where the...  READ MORE

Vintage Ham Radio
Posted: 02/32/2024
Comments: 0
The Stancor 10P Transmitter

There weren't really many commercial transmitters in the 1930s as most hams built their own.   But many of the ones that were offered came from the transformer companies who had two chances to profit.   First, from those who would buy the kit, and two, from those would would see it in the (free) booklets the companies provided to their distributors who would then sell the iron to ham...  READ MORE

Vintage Ham Radio
Posted: 12/355/2023
Comments: 0
The Care and Feeding of the EF Johnson Courier amplifier

The EF Johnson "Courier" is a grid-driven amplifier using two 811A tubes.   Switching is provided for operating in either class C for CW or as a class B linear amplifier for AM or SSB.   Rated power is 500 watts input for CW, 500 watts PEP input for SSB, and 200 watts input for double-sideband AM with carrier.    Since all amateur power levels were meas...  READ MORE

Historic
Posted: 11/329/2023
Comments: 0
TV Duplexer

Some things are interesting, even if totally useless nowadays.   Such is the case with the Philco 426-3034 Crossover Kit for UHF TV.   What the heck is that? Well, back in the late 50s,  UHF television stations operating on channels 14-83 started to appear in many areas of the US where viewers had a VHF-only TV antenna, and in many cases an externa UHF converter was...  READ MORE

Crystal Replacement
Posted: 11/327/2023
Comments: 0
Replacing failed crystals

For decades, quartz crystals were used everywhere a stable frequency source was needed, even in some applications that depended on overtone (harmonic) behavior into the VHF range.   These crystals were less stable and more dependent on circuit parameters that fundamental types and thus more problematic.    Such was the case with the 94 MHz crystal in the 2 meter converter ...  READ MORE

Historic
Posted: 11/315/2023
Comments: 0
My Own Ham Radio Story by W9RAN

Everyone has a story of how they got involved in ham radio - this is mine.   It started much earlier, including receiving a Knight Kit Span Master shortwave radio for Christmas in about 1963, at age 12.   I'll never forget the night my dad and I finished building it and I wanted to try it out.   It came with a 50 ft. antenna which was still coiled up - but ...  READ MORE

Technical
Posted: 09/267/2023
Comments: 0
Hot to simulate vacuum tubes in LTSpice

LTSice is a powerful simulation tool that is provided free by Linear Technology Corp.   It comes with a complete library of passive and common analog solid-state components but if you want to use it to simulate vacuum tubes, it doesen't work as-is.    Even though triode and pentode symbols can be found in the "Misc" folder, they are just schematic symbols and...  READ MORE

Friends Remembered
Posted: 07/208/2023
Comments: 0
Merv Schweigert, K9FD (SK)

Comments from Robert Nickels W9RAN,  July 27, 2023: There is nothing worse for a ham radio operator than to see a beloved friends callsign with the letters "SK" behind them.   Yet sadly, that's what happened on July 23, 2023, when I learned of the passsing of Merv Schweigert, K9FD.     While many of our ham radio interests were different - Me...  READ MORE

Vintage Ham Radio
Posted: 01/19/2023
Comments: 0
"Winter Projects"

I know many of us who enjoy restoring and repairing vintage gear look forward to winter when there is less competition for time and energy, and a chance to really make a dent in our "to be fixed" piles.    A couple of years ago I set time aside for "Heathkit Singlebander Week" and went through every one of them I had, with the result that they're all working ...  READ MORE