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Showing posts with label WA7MLH. Show all posts
Showing posts with label WA7MLH. Show all posts

Monday, January 1, 2018

Jeff Damm WA7MLH on QSO Today






Happy New Year!    

There was so much wisdom and tribal knowledge in Eric Guth's interview with Jeff Damm WA7MLH. It was almost overwhelming. 

You should all listen to it.  Twice. At least twice: 

https://www.qsotoday.com/podcasts/WA7MLH
  
My notes:

-- I sympathize with Jeff's decision to go solid state and give up on high voltage after an encounter with an undischarged 600 volt capacitor.  
-- I really like the 1700 kHz IF with a 5 MHz VFO for an 80 and 40 meter receiver. 
-- Interesting that EE degree didn't help much in his efforts to understand ham gear.  Better to read Wes's books and Doug's. 
-- Tek Spectrum Analyzers were specially made to fit down a submarine hatch.  
-- Building and measuring just as important as studying the theory.  Inked-up text books. 
-- Learned ugly from Wes as a teenager. 
--Searched for old commercial gear to gut and use as homes for homebrew solid state gear. The enclosures,  panels and controls are very useful.   Great way to avoid metal work.  These rigs are no longer boatanchors!  Again, I sympathize.  I've sacrificed many Heath Lunchboxes and QF-1s.  
-- Jeff Builds the VFO first.  My preference too. But he understands Pete's AF-first approach. 
-- Finger on the input of the AF amp!  Buzz!  Yea! Step your way back to the front end.
-- ALWAYS one stage at a time.  
-- Osh Park Boards for standard circuit modules.  Like Legos. 
-- Cubic Feet of air variables.   Jeff has a lifetime stash.   
--Thinking about what was and should have been his section of EMRFD. Go for it Jeff. PLEASE! 
-- Hesistant about chips. Analog guy.  Would have been a huge time sink.  Analog guy.  
-- Buying parts on e-bay.  Fewer and fewer RF parts at hamfests. 
-- People reading QST Tech Articles for entertainment. Editor apprach: "Nobody will build it anyway." Handbooks giving priority to entertainment and less to information and education. 




Wednesday, May 17, 2017

Homebrew History is Made: Farhan @ W7ZOI

Thanks to Wes W7ZOI for sending me the link to his page describing the visit of our friend Farhan.  I think this visit was a historic gathering of homebrew heroes and their groundbreaking rigs. Read all about it here:  http://w7zoi.net/Farhan-visit.html

Please help me convince Farhan to visit SolderSmoke HQ before returning to India!   Send him (or me) e-mails, texts, tweets, or just post messages of support below this post.   

Tuesday, November 22, 2016

HB2HB! Pete Talks to Famed SSDRA Project Builder Jeff Damm WA7MLH


Jeff "Roadkill" Damm 

Wow, THE RADIO GODS HAVE SPOKEN (TRGHS).  Pete gets on 40 with his new-old FPM5 homebrew rig and works homebrew legend Jeff Damm WA7MLH, who was also running a homebrew SSB rig.   HB2HB!   For those of you who don't know, Jeff is the guy who built many of the inspirationally ugly rigs in Solid State Design for the Radio Amateur.  Pete's second QSO was with SolderSmoke podcast listener K7ADD.  TRGHS! 

Hi Bill,
Was on 40M yesterday with the FPM5 rig and after finishing a QSO was called by WA7MLH (Jeff Damm –the road kill guy and protégé of Wes Hayward). Jeff was operating portable 7 in NW Montana running a homebrew 40 Watt SSB transceiver off of batteries being charged by a solar panel. Now that is real radio. I thanked him once again for sending me a goodie box about 5 years ago and am still using those parts.
Later after another QSO was called by K7ADD, Ben, and he couldn’t wait to tell me he was a long time SS listener and stated listening to SS made him take a whole new interest in ham radio –especially building stuff.
So you never know.

Pete

Sunday, March 1, 2015

Homebrew Heroes at Rickreal Hamfest: W7ZOI and WA7MLH



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

Saturday, July 26, 2014

SolderSmoke Podcast #163 Pete Juliano! Tribal Knowledge Part 3 "Sideband Sidecars"


Crystal Filters built by WA7MLH

SolderSmoke Podcast #163 is available: 

http://soldersmoke.com/soldersmoke163.mp3

Saturday July 26, 2014

Part III with Pete Juliano:  Tribal Knowledge -- Sideband Sidecars

-- Moxon Update "A Thing of Beauty"
-- Pete is Building Peter Parker's Knobless Wonder
-- Ladder Filters
--Construction Practices for SSB rigs
-- Essential Test Gear
-- Junk Box development and parts storage

Next time:  Tubes, Valves, Termatrons, Firebottles. 

Thanks to Bob Crane and the FDIM musicians for this episode's musical opening. 

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

Thursday, July 24, 2014

WA7MLH's RD16HHF Amplifier


OK, so now that I have the MOXON in the air, my thoughts are turning to amplifiers and a possible winter project. Hey, even QRP guru Doug DeMaw conceded that every once in a while a fellow needs a few more db. And the sunspot count will be dropping.  

On the BITX group there has been an interesting discussion of using RD16HHF MOSFETs in place of our familiar IRF-510s.  I thought these devices were new, but some Googling this morning led me back to the wonderful website of QRP giant (hey, he is IN SSDRA!) Jeff Damm,  WA7MLH.   Jeff has been using these devices for quite some time.  As with all of Jeff's projects, I find his EXTREME UGLY building methods to be inspirational and reassuring.  Even if you have been there before, you should visit his site:


Even his QRZ.com page makes you want to build something:

Thanks Jeff! 



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

Friday, June 5, 2009

The Look of a True Radio Homebrewer

Jeff Damm, WA7MLH, is one of our gurus, a high priest of The Knack. I visit his excellent site from time to time, just on the off chance that he will have posted something new. This morning I was rewarded with this picture from 1988 -- I think it somehow captures the spirit of the true radio homebrewer. Check out all the homebrew gear. Note the copy of SSDRA on the operating table. Jeff assisted with the construction of many of the projects in that book. He helped free us from the tyranny of excessive neatness and right angles, and let us know that ugly circuit construction works just as well.
Here's Jeff's FB site: http://www.neoanderthal.com/wa7mlh1.html

Saturday, January 17, 2009

Homebrew Rigs from WA7MLH



Jeff Damm, WA7MLH, was the builder of some of the rigs that appear in "Solid State Design for the Radio Amateur" His DSB/CW Direct Conversion receiver for 75 meters is in that book. Last January, Jeff put together a video that describes some of the rigs and pieces of test gear currently in his shack. Beautiful stuff.
Designer: Douglas Bowman | Dimodifikasi oleh Abdul Munir Original Posting Rounders 3 Column