| Java on the S-38E Tuning Dial |
SolderSmoke Podcast #220 is available
Hunkered Down. StayInTheShack: SITS!Flatten the Curve! It is working.
Teaching Englishagain – via Zoom. Kids completing theschool year remotely.
BILL'S BENCH
-- Finishing up on theS-38Es.
-- I wrote up my alignment,isolation and dial string experiences.
-- SWL WRMI Radio Miami International on 39 meters9.4-9.9 MHz. Rock and Roll.
-- S-38E work is causing me some seriouslegal problems. They are threatening to take down our sites and our podcast. Googlehas put a CEASE AND DESIST ORDER on my blog:Check it out http://soldersmoke.com/CEASEANDDESIST.JPG
--S-38E caused me towant to get my HRO dial receiver on the SW broadcast bands with a good AMdetector.
-- Next up: HayseedHamfest cap for my Drake 2-B. And I havean idea on how to easily broaden it for AM:Tap the 455 kc output on the Q multiplier jack. 455 AM detector to audio amp.
SHAMELESS COMMERCEDIVISION
PETE’S BENCH
AD9833
Phasing Rig Project
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DEAN’S PROJECT – Stepby step. Trouble shooting. Understanding. Receiver triumph. FB.
MAILBAG
Jack 5B/AI4SV doingwell in Cyprus
Daniel SA7DER listensduring commute in Sweeden.
Peter VK2EMU buildinga 6 meter amp. With Tubes
Jim WA8ZHNsays there are still 7751 Novices on the books.FB.
Mike WB2BLJ modding his BITX – having a lot of fun.
Fred KC5RT – Great idea on isolation transformer in my S-38E.
Jerry Palsson: S-38C's curves vs. S-38E's exotic places. Java.
Anonymous mail: FT-8 DX -- Are these contacts legitimate? See below.
DearBill and Pete:
I've been meaning toshare with you something that has come to my attention by a rather circuitousroute.
As you guys know, I'vebeen involved in the software/IT side of ham radio for many years. I've watchedmany digital modes come and go. I've always enjoyed my work, but latelyI've seen something that makes me uneasy.
I'm sure you guys haveheard of the fantastic DX that is being worked by many guys using FT-8.It seems like all they need to work Jakarta is a couple of watts to a wetnoodle. Shazam! Contact!
Well, I learnedsomething that calls into some question the legitimacy of many of thesecontacts....
As i understand it,certain manufacturers, in cahoots with a major American ham radio organization(that happens to be very dependent on ad revenue from that manufacturer), havesecretly set up a system that combines the internet and ham radio.
Here is how itworks: Suppose Joe Ham gets on FT-8 on 40 meters. He puts out acall using his QRP transmitter and the aforementioned wet noodle. No waythat signal is going to Jakarta, right? Well, it will with a bit ofhelp.
The system has SDRtransceivers and great antennas set up at strategic points around theworld -- these are really great locations -- think mountain tops near thecoastlines, always with high speed internet T5 connections.I think thisis part of the whole “contest superstation for on-line lease” business model.
One of these stationspicks up Joe Ham's FT-8 call. Sometimes it will just re-transmit it, sometimesis will send it to a counterpart station on the other side of the globe.Bingo, Joe Ham's signal is suddenly in Jakarta. A station thereenthusiastically responds, and that signal goes back with the same kind ofrepeater/ internet assist.This is all done out of the reach of theFCC. They are usig overseaslocations, some of them in Mexico.
Of course they have tobe careful not to "facilitate" these kinds of contacts during timesin which the bands are obviously dead, That's why 40 is so useful forthis system.Obviously they can't keep this kind of thing secret forever --they just want to get guys hooked on FT-8, then they can reveal the system,selling it as nothing unusual, you know, sort of akin to Echolink.
Of course, this hasn'tbeen made public (for obvious reasons!) but I can tell you the name of thesystem: They tried to make it sound like something familiar (inthis case like APRS): They call it "Automatic Private Radio InternetLink 1."My understanding is that when they do their “roll out”they will offer the new service to those willing to pay a subscription.
Obviously as anold-school, traditional ham, I'm troubled by all this. What do you guysthink? I wonder what your listeners would think.
Please don't mentionmy name.. But here is a site that describes the new system:
Thanks and 73...
Please let us know if you haveany information on this, or have observed any unusual and suspicious successwith FT-8.
