VK2SJA's Minima in a Realistic DX-100 Case

Steve, VK2SJA, is doing to a Realistic DX-100 what I have been thinking about doing to a Heathkit HW-101.   With this kind of encouragement, who could blame me for making a Minima-101?  I've been planning on keeping the 6146s and all the final (and perhaps driver) circuitry.    

Here is Steve's very nice description of his project thus far:

http://www.hfsignals.org/index.php/UnRealistic_Minima

Our book: "SolderSmoke -- Global Adventures in Wireless Electronics" http://soldersmoke.com/book.htm Our coffee mugs, T-Shirts, bumper stickers: http://www.cafepress.com/SolderSmoke Our Book Store: http://astore.amazon.com/contracross-20

Scrap wood, some wire, four fishing poles and an old tripod: Moxon Update

 

It is not up on the roof yet, but we are getting close.   Above you can see he center "hub" -- just some scrap plywood and 8 u bolts.



 

Here is how I handled the corners.  The coil thing is from the end of a bungee cord. It makes for easy disassembly. 

 

 

 

Here is how the mast connects to the hub.  I had some 1x1 scrap wood. The 1x1 will be U-bolted into the rotator.  



 

 

 

Made of wire and fishing poles, Moxons are not very photogenic.  But I think mine looks great.  The 17 meter version is quite small. 

 



 

A bit of a balun.  Just to keep RF currents off the outside of the braid.

 



 

That tripod was last aloft in the Dominican Republic (1992-1996!).  Two spray cans of flat black paint have been applied.  Stealth!  

 

Four 16 foot "crappie" telescoping fiberglass poles purchased from Amazon.   



 

The only thing holding me up at this point is a safety concern.  The roof has a somewhat steep pitch, and I am not at agile as I used to be.   So before I install this magnificent sky hook I'm getting one of those roof safety harness systems that roof workers are supposed to use (but rarely do).  This sill also benefit the poor fellow who comes to clean our gutters.  



Our book: "SolderSmoke -- Global Adventures in Wireless Electronics" http://soldersmoke.com/book.htm Our coffee mugs, T-Shirts, bumper stickers: http://www.cafepress.com/SolderSmoke Our Book Store: http://astore.amazon.com/contracross-20

Crazy Joe May Have THE KNACK

http://www.crazyjoe.org/studio.html

Check out Joe's VERY long-running audio studio project.  It appears to be mostly appliance/commercial gear, but look closer and you will discover that most of it is homebrew.


Our book: "SolderSmoke -- Global Adventures in Wireless Electronics" http://soldersmoke.com/book.htm Our coffee mugs, T-Shirts, bumper stickers: http://www.cafepress.com/SolderSmoke Our Book Store: http://astore.amazon.com/contracross-20

Thomas's Magnificent Minima

Wow, Thomas's page makes me really want to build a Minima.  Note the Manhattan style with Rex Harper's Me-Pads.  Excellent.   Thomas provides a really great stage-by-stage description of the project with the kind of candid descriptions of mistakes that SolderSmoke listeners are so fond of!  

http://www.sarfata.org/ham/minima/

Thomas himself has an interesting "international brotherhood"  personal history:

http://www.sarfata.org/about.html

Our book: "SolderSmoke -- Global Adventures in Wireless Electronics" http://soldersmoke.com/book.htm Our coffee mugs, T-Shirts, bumper stickers: http://www.cafepress.com/SolderSmoke Our Book Store: http://astore.amazon.com/contracross-20

ISEE-3 Recovery Hiccup

Now that's a McDonald's that you would want to work in!  That's the headquarters for the ISEE-3 recovery effort. (Is it also the place where they recovered the long-lost moon photos from the 1960s?) 

This week the ISEE-3 effort hit a bump in the road.  Getting old gear to work properly is never easy.   Be patient fellows! 

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/07/09/us/in-effort-to-shift-abandoned-nasa-craft-a-hiccup-or-burp.html?action=click&contentCollection=Science&region=Footer&module=MoreInSection&pgtype=article

Our book: "SolderSmoke -- Global Adventures in Wireless Electronics" http://soldersmoke.com/book.htm Our coffee mugs, T-Shirts, bumper stickers: http://www.cafepress.com/SolderSmoke Our Book Store: http://astore.amazon.com/contracross-20

Finally! Dis-Intergrated Circuits! Discrete Component Op Amps!

That, my friends, is a discrete component version of the 741 op amp chip.  I like it!  No more mysterious miniature black boxes -- here's a "chip" that you can understand, troubleshoot, and modify.   Seven Forty Fun!

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1208645775/open-analog

Our book: "SolderSmoke -- Global Adventures in Wireless Electronics" http://soldersmoke.com/book.htm Our coffee mugs, T-Shirts, bumper stickers: http://www.cafepress.com/SolderSmoke Our Book Store: http://astore.amazon.com/contracross-20

Jason's WBR Regenerative Receiver

Our book: "SolderSmoke -- Global Adventures in Wireless Electronics" http://soldersmoke.com/book.htm Our coffee mugs, T-Shirts, bumper stickers: http://www.cafepress.com/SolderSmoke Our Book Store: http://astore.amazon.com/contracross-20