You've probably never heard the name John Sargrove before, but we've all benefited from the electronic manufacturing revolution he tried to start in the middle of the 20th century. He knew that for radios and other electronic devices to become cheap enough for even the poorest countries to afford, the manufacturing cost - both components and labor - would have to be dramatically reduced. While his peers in the large radio manufacturing companies were busy hand-wiring radios with rooms packed with production workers, Sargrove came up with a nearly fully automated process that would predate printed circuit boards, thick film hybrid circuits, and even surface mount assembly and 3D printing by decades. He called his integrated automated radio-building machines E.C.M.E - "Electronic Circuit Manufacturing Equipment", and even developed a unique tube that could be used in all stages of an AM broadcast receiver to further simplify the design.
What was John Sargroves Big Idea? Molded circuit assembiles with integral wiring and components. In 1947!
Watch the video below, then come back to THIS LINK to see the E.C.M.E. in action!
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Visitors to the Elgin National Historic area along the Fox River in Elgin Illinois may not realize they are at the site of a famous shortwave radio station - W9XAM - the time signal station operated by the Elgin Watch Company.Elgin was the only watch company maintaining an observatory that observed, recorded and broadcasted time from the stars correct to the hundredths of a second. Located a... READ MORE
- Robert Nickels (ranickels), 05/09/2022
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The Mosley CM-1 receiver is quite well known and not especially hard to find in the US even though it was the only radio produced by the company that has been well-known for antennas since 1939. Or is it...?A full-page ad (advert for you on the other side of the pond) appeared in the RSGB Bulletin in 1963 for a nice looking and very capable SSB transmitter called the "Commando II&... READ MORE
- Robert Nickels (ranickels), 04/15/2022
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DIY DEG - Homemade Droplet Energy Generator works!Producing electricity from flowing waterCategory: Technical
- Robert Nickels (ranickels), 03/30/2022
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When I was first licensed in the 1960s in Nebraska, two groups of hams were commonly heard on the air before those with jobs got off work - other teens like me and the disabled hams. Some of my earliest Novice ham buddies were blind students at the Nebraska School for the Blind in Nebraska City, and there were many other visually-impaired hams, all of whom were exceptional operators, e... READ MORE
- Robert Nickels (ranickels), 03/21/2022
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Old style mica capacitors were used in the pi-net matching sections of several vintage transmitters and the combination of age, heat, and high RF currents have made them likely failure items. My Collins 32V-2 transmitter was to the point where it would not properly load to full power on 75 meters so something had to be done. Mica capacitors are no longer made but fortunately new... READ MORE
- Robert Nickels (ranickels), 03/19/2022
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I found myself wanting to convert various frequencies to other frequencies and wanted a cheap and easy solution, so I designed a simple "universal converter" using the NE-602 and a programmable oscillator from Epson. I'd used the same combination in hundreds of "RANVerter" SDR Upconverter projects since my Dec. 2013 QST article and knew that while there were limitatio... READ MORE
- Robert Nickels (ranickels), 03/17/2022
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It's always a challenge to hold PC boards during assemly and testing. After purchasing a magnetic holder from Amazon I realized I wanted more and could easily make as many as I wanted using inexpensive 3 mm hardware from eBay and some strong "fridge magnets". All that's needed is to epoxy a standoff to the magnet - both tapped and threaded ... READ MORE
- Robert Nickels (ranickels), 03/09/2022
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The Si5351 has been the biggest boon to homebrewers since the invention of the NE-602, especially now that quartz crystals are essentially obsolete. But it's redundant to run the output of the 5351 through a johnson counter to develop the quadrature signals required for QSD/QSE SDR front-ends when there are three clock outputs available and the IC allows for phase offsets. &nb... READ MORE
- Robert Nickels (ranickels), 03/09/2022
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It's pretty well accepted that the Pacemaker was not EF Johnson's finest effort. In fact it was the first of several failed attempts by the King of the AM Transmitters to make the transition to SSB. In the end, it was the rise of CB popularity that kept the company viable, along with its component business, while their ham business gradually faced away. &... READ MORE
- Robert Nickels (ranickels), 03/03/2022
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LTC William L. Howard amassed a collection and in fact realized his dream of creating a museum that showcased the Army's technical intelligence operations - and a lot more. The following excerpt was written by Col. Howard and Todd KA1KAQ:William L HowardI first got interested in radio while a Cub Scout back in 1954. I built the crystal radio set and the one tube set with help from an ama... READ MORE
- Robert Nickels (ranickels), 02/18/2022
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