CW rhythm words
BENS BEST BENT WIREDue to the inherent rhythm in Morse Code, some stuff is just fun to hear. If you swing your Bug a bit or don't have the most perfect 3:1 DAH-DIT element timing it can sound even more...
View ArticleClik here to view.
German Telegraph Key Junker M.T. Honnef/Rh D.B.G.M.
Unfortunate name for a Great keyThe Junker D.B.G.M. is one of the finest telegraph keys ever manufactured.In 1926, engineer and marine captain Joseph Junker, founded a factory in Berlin which made...
View ArticleClik here to view.
CQ WW Contest
FT8 hasn't killed CW yetI'm not a contester but I enjoy listening to some amazing contestants pulling in those weak signals flying by at 30 wpm during CW contests. Today is the last day of the...CQ WW...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Morse Chrome
Chrome browser extension for Morse CodeI'm always interested in finding new ways to practice my copy skills when away from the radio.While there's a growing number of mobile device apps for sending and...
View ArticleClik here to view.
No love for CW in ARES / RACES
CW - emergency communication ?With the recent spate of natural disasters and dire warnings of impending doom, from terrorists and rogue nations alike, it got me to looking into my previous emergency...
View ArticleVideo recording woes
Getting the audio right shouldn't be this hard...I've spent a considerable amount of time lately creating machine generated Morse code videos for copy practice.I've created videos of the top 100 Words,...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Don't forget -- Straight Key Night 2018 is tomorrow !
Straight Key Night -- 2018Don't forget January 1st, 2018 starting 00:00 GMT (7pm EST Dec 31) is the start of Straight Key Night 2018. Bring your tired, old equipment on-air and mash your favorite...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Troublesome characters to copy in Morse Code
The trouble with DITSKX3 Displaying some sent code and a Palm Single paddle in front, magnetically attached to a steel baseAs I've learned the code one problem area, early on, was dealing with words...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Giant Blizzard! Not really, but my antenna is down
We aren't supposed to get this much snow in central NCWe received a remarkable amount of snow yesterday here in central NC, my antenna iced up and looked very pretty, then the wind picked up and my...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Need help with a Ham Christmas QSO card
Too early to plan the Christmas QSO card?Ok, so it's only January but Christmas is just around the corner and I need help with a verse to go with my 2018 Christmas QSO card.It starts like this...We...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Before transistors there were TUBES
Oh Boy, what have I gotten myself intoTUBESA few months after re-entering the hobby in 2015 I picked up a TenTec Century/21. It has been one of my favorite radios to operate and it is the most...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Noisy power supply -- Heathkit HP-13
Resurrecting a Heathkit HP-13As seen in my previous post I've taken the dark plunge into the world of tube radios. I want to start restoring my Heathkit HW-101, but before I can do that I must be able...
View ArticleClik here to view.
HP-23 upgrade board kit from Old Heathkit Parts
Breath new life into a Heathkit HP-23 power supplyMy recent interest in restoring a 1970s Heathkit HW-101 tube radio, is leading me down quite a winding path. Before I can even test the HW-101 I must...
View ArticleClik here to view.
The Heathkit HW-101 lives again
Ah, the sweet smell of hot tubes and resistorsHeathkit HW-101 after it's first QSO under new ownershipI completed my rebuild of my Heathkit HP-23B power supply this morning. There was a bit of...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Totally Tubular - images
The inside of a Heathkit HW-101 is too interesting not to photographThe glowing filaments and grids of tubes are a sight not often seen in today's transistorized world of amateur radio. I hope you...
View ArticleClik here to view.
The dark side
Oh my, what have I doneDon't take away my QRP CW card. I picked up an old, high impedance Heathkit microphone having the appropriate 2-pin connector. One pin is the mic line and the other is for the...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Self-service audio station report
Get a remote signal report via WebSDRI've been making modifications / upgrades to my old Heathkit HW-101.I've had a good number of CW QSOs and a couple of phone contacts with it so far and received...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Voltage regulation, tube style
High voltage indeedThe Meter on my Heathkit HW 101 stopped displaying ALC (dropped down to the negative stop). So, I opened up the old rig to have a look. I found that the B+ voltage was reading 33...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Feeling gassy
Ionization is a beautiful thingA reader asked me to video the pulsing of the OA2 voltage regulator tube in action. OA2 VR tube glowing beautifully in back cornerI turned the room lights down to capture...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Oscilloscope now on the bench
Tektronix 475 Oscilloscope and Android Signal Generator AppWhen I was debugging problems with my Ten-Tec Century/21, and especially my problematic one-watter kit, I needed to see more than DC voltages....
View Article