Re: [Elecraft] De-soldering Tool Recommendations?

[SteveL]

As a valuable side note, the Hakko 808 makes an excellent enameled wire 
stripping/tinning tool for toroids and similar.  I prop my up vertically, melt 
a blob of solder in the tip, plunge the enameled wire into the tip through the 
solder blob, wait a second or two and activate the vacuum.  The excess solder 
is whisked away along with the enamel insulation leaving a brightly tinned and 
stripped wire.

I believe I’ve actually used my 808 more for this than desoldering!  It 
actually made building the toroids for a K2, T1, and other projects fun.  

Consider this valuable additional function as you justify the cost of a similar 
tool.

Steve
AA8AF


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Re: [Elecraft] De-soldering Tool Recommendations?

[SteveL]

+1 for the Hakko 808.  One of the best purchases I’ve made in the realm of 
soldering related tools.

Which, BTW, makes an excellent enameled wire stripping and tinning tool 
(toroids, etc.).

Steve
AA8AF 

> On Mar 14, 2022, at 7:01 PM, Rick Tavan  wrote:
> 
> I'm pretty fond of my Hakko 808. 
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Re: [Elecraft] On ground - in ground radials

[SteveL]

Several places I’ve seen the results of experiments conducted measuring 
vertical antenna radiated field strength as the number of ground radials were 
increased.  There is definitely a point beyond which the addition of more 
radials produces diminishing returns at increased expense and effort - and the 
number is around 40.  However, the number is very dependent on local soil 
conditions and radial length. 

References to several experiments...
https://www.antennasbyn6lf.com/files/160_m_vertical_measurements.pdf 


https://consumer.steppir.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/Radial-Systems-for-Elevated-and-Ground-Mounted-Antennas-2.2-12_2018.pdf
 


The latter reference also compares and contrasts ground vs. elevated radials.  
In short, you will require many more ground radials to match the performance of 
a few elevated radials.

Some good reading!
Steve
AA8AF

> 
> 
> 120 radials was a legal requirement of FCC Rules, and was primarily for 
> standardization of performance.
> 

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Re: [Elecraft] Stripping & Tinning Enameled Wire - Fast, Easy, Reliably

[SteveL]

The trick is to get a small blob of fresh melted solder on/in the tip of the 
desoldering tool.  It will stay there as you slowly insert the enameled wire 
through the blob and into the tip of the tool an inch or so, melting off the 
insulation as you go before activating the vacuum.  Practice a couple of times 
on scrap wire to get the non-critical timing right and build your confidence.  

I’ve only tried fine (22 - 30) gauge or so wire typical of QRP or receiver 
designs.  For a high-current heavy gauge wire used in power applications, I 
suspect some combination of the usual sanding, burning, and scraping would be 
appropriate.

It really is brilliant!  I wish I could remember who I got the idea from years 
ago, but I thought it such a good “secret” that I promised (mentally) to pass 
it along periodically - particularly when the subject comes up.  Like most, 
until that point I struggled sanding, burning, scraping… to get enameled wire 
clean enough for soldering, never confident the job was well done.  No longer 
with this method.

Merry Christmas,
Steve
AA8AF

> On Dec 24, 2021, at 12:46 AM, Rick Tavan  wrote:
> 
> Brilliant! Why didn't I think of that? ;-) 
> 
> I have a toroid winding project waiting for me and will use this technique 
> with pleasure. Thanks for posting.
> 
> 73,
> 
> /Rick N6XI
> 
> On Thu, Dec 23, 2021 at 8:50 PM SteveL  <mailto:lawr...@woh.rr.com>> wrote:
> Jerry,
> Years ago when I built my K2, somewhere I learned a Hakko 808 desolating tool 
> was also an excellent enameled wire stripper and tinning device.   The 808 
> has been replaced by the FR-301 but I would expect similar results from this 
> newer tool.  Either are stand-alone desoldering guns with heated hollow tip 
> and built in vacuum.  
> 
> Here’s how to use… 
> - Prop the tool upright - I wedge mine in a partially opened drawer of my 
> work desk.
> - Melt a blob of fresh solder on the hollow tip.
> - Slowly insert an inch of enameled wire into the hollow tip and observe the 
> insulation melt/burn away.
> - In a second or two, activate the trigger turning on the vacuum.  Instantly 
> the solder blob is whisked away along with the melted enamel insulation 
> leaving a beautiful tinned wire ready for soldering into your project.
> 
> When I discovered this “secret” all my problems and fears of preparing toroid 
> leads vanished.  Strangely, I actually look forward to winding toroids!  I 
> probably use the tool more for stripping enameled wire than desoldering.  
> This was a game changer for me.  After building the K2, I went on to 
> construct a K1 and KX1.
> 
> And, the tool conveniently doubles as a desoldering tool!!
> 
> 73,
> Steve
> AA8AF 
> 
> > 
> >> My K2 PLL problems all originated in one inadequately tinned toroid
> >> wire.
> > 
> > *** After having a few projects borked because of this exact issue, I broke
> > down and bought a magnet wire stripper on Amazon.
> > 
> > https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B09695CHTH 
> > <https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B09695CHTH>
> > 
> >  Basically a Chinese copy of a really expensive German tool.  It has blades 
> > that
> > close down on the wire with centripetal force.  Works great for thicker 
> > wires,
> > but is not reliable with really thin ones - it can just chop the wire off.  
> > I seem
> > to remember the cutoff being around 24AWG.
> > 
> >   The tool paid for itself on one KW Low Pass Filter project.
> > 
> >   - Jerry KF6VB
> 
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> 
> -- 
> --
> 
> Rick Tavan
> Truckee and Saratoga, CA

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[Elecraft] Stripping & Tinning Enameled Wire - Fast, Easy, Reliably

[SteveL]

Jerry,
Years ago when I built my K2, somewhere I learned a Hakko 808 desolating tool 
was also an excellent enameled wire stripper and tinning device.   The 808 has 
been replaced by the FR-301 but I would expect similar results from this newer 
tool.  Either are stand-alone desoldering guns with heated hollow tip and built 
in vacuum.  

Here’s how to use… 
- Prop the tool upright - I wedge mine in a partially opened drawer of my work 
desk.
- Melt a blob of fresh solder on the hollow tip.
- Slowly insert an inch of enameled wire into the hollow tip and observe the 
insulation melt/burn away.
- In a second or two, activate the trigger turning on the vacuum.  Instantly 
the solder blob is whisked away along with the melted enamel insulation leaving 
a beautiful tinned wire ready for soldering into your project.

When I discovered this “secret” all my problems and fears of preparing toroid 
leads vanished.  Strangely, I actually look forward to winding toroids!  I 
probably use the tool more for stripping enameled wire than desoldering.  This 
was a game changer for me.  After building the K2, I went on to construct a K1 
and KX1.

And, the tool conveniently doubles as a desoldering tool!!

73,
Steve
AA8AF 

> 
>> My K2 PLL problems all originated in one inadequately tinned toroid
>> wire.
> 
> *** After having a few projects borked because of this exact issue, I broke
> down and bought a magnet wire stripper on Amazon.
> 
> https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B09695CHTH
> 
>  Basically a Chinese copy of a really expensive German tool.  It has blades 
> that
> close down on the wire with centripetal force.  Works great for thicker wires,
> but is not reliable with really thin ones - it can just chop the wire off.  I 
> seem
> to remember the cutoff being around 24AWG.
> 
>   The tool paid for itself on one KW Low Pass Filter project.
> 
>   - Jerry KF6VB

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Re: [Elecraft] Elecraft K1 Noise Blanker

[SteveL]

Another possibility which I thought looked interesting and has some unique 
features:

https://www.wolfwave.co.uk  
https://www.dxengineering.com/parts/sbm-wolfwave 


Steve
AA8AF

> On Dec 8, 2021, at 8:30 PM, Ken Brown  wrote:
> 
> I recently had the question on the Elecraft K1.
> - looking to buy an already built K1 Noise Blanker KNB1.
> 
> And here is the best answer to adding a noise blanker.
> 
> http://www.westmountainradio.com/product_info.php?products_id=clr_dsp
> 
> CLRdsp ClearSpeech® DSP Noise Reduction Processor $220 plus shipping
> 

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Re: [Elecraft] what soundcard for K3 and Mac

[SteveL]

Dave,
This interest caught my eye awhile back:

http://members.chello.at/oe1mww/sound-card-check/ 


I’ve tested several of the inexpensive (<$10) nameless USB sound card dongles 
using his method and saw a wide variety of noise floors - however significantly 
higher than a name brand USB card.  After testing, I settled on a Sound 
BlasterX G5 model SB1700 which tested at about -120dB noise level.  How does 
this compare?  My nameless sound dongles noise level tested -70 to -90dB - a 
big difference.  

What I haven’t quite figured out is how important is this really is to weak 
signal digital decoding.  

Steve
aa8af 

> On Oct 30, 2021, at 10:49 PM, David Christ  wrote:
> 
> Yes this has been bead to death previously. Jim Brown made a number of 
> suggestions in a paper from 2014.  However the market has changed.  Those 
> models are all discontinued and those manufacturers' follow ons are much more 
> expensive and have features that are not needed for sound card modes.  Any 
> offerings of these older models seem to be coming from overseas.  The $100 
> and under market seems to be dominated by mystery brand dongles which are a 
> gamble.
> 
> So can any one recommend a tried and true sound card interface for use 
> between an K3 (without a sound card) and a MacBook Pro (which has no mike or 
> line in jack)?  I would like to hear from people who have actually the unit, 
> not just speculation.
> 

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Re: [Elecraft] Off-topic: Musical composition

[SteveL]

> 
> But before we leave the oboe, "What is the better double reed instrument, the 
> oboe or the bassoon?" The bassoon of course-it burns longer!
> 

And here I thought it was the Highland bagpipes!

(also applies to the Volkswagen comparison)

Steve
AA8AF 
(and a piper in training)
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Re: [Elecraft] This does not bode well for the chip users of the world

[SteveL]

Great laugh out of this, thank you!  
And so true…  JIT depends on so many things working, which are not now for 
myriads of reasons.

I could barely wrap my brain around 20,000 containers on a single boat, wedged 
across the Suez no less - and blocking how many more?!  In some ways it reveals 
how strategic some mundane things are - like shipping containers or a boat - in 
the economy of the world.  Kind of scary, really.

It highlights both the magic and the simplicity of HF radio we use:  a K1 or 
KX1 or Tuna Tin II..., a battery, a switch, and a wire in a local tree and 
we’re on the air around the world.  To hear a signal reach me directly from 
half way around the world is truly magic.

Steve
aa8af

> On Apr 30, 2021, at 8:59 AM, Louandzip via Elecraft 
>  wrote:
> 
> We called it the OSWO method of inventory control.  "Oh S*** We're Out"
> W7HV
> 

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Re: [Elecraft] Speaker upgrade

[SteveL]

Search “bluetooth mixer” on Amazon - there are several possibilities depending 
on the specific details of your application.

One such example:
https://www.amazon.com/Professional-Wireless-Audio-Mixer-Controller/dp/B08JH7L8D9/
 


Steve
aa8af

> On Apr 26, 2021, at 10:06 AM, Phil Kane  wrote:
> 
> Really OT but where else can I ask and get good replies?
> 
> I am looking for a small mixer that will handle two inputs:  the wired 
> low-level audio output from my computer as well as a blue-tooth connection to 
> my HT.  I have a pair of small amplified speakers that do a good job on the 
> computer output. I can find several blue-tooth "receivers" that would do that 
> job except that they don't have a second input.  I'm not in any shape to 
> build a mixer - it has to be plug-and-play.
> 
> Any ideas?
> 

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Re: [Elecraft] OT: High school drafting class, ~1975

[SteveL]

Sorry,
We are wading through and reminiscing about our early engineering training in 
the 1960’s and into the 1970’s…

The CRC?  A thick book of tables of computed values.  If you wanted to know the 
sine of some value?  You could look it up.  The same for logarithm, root, other 
trig functions, and so forth.  The book was simply hundreds of pages of math 
function tables.

A PDP-8 (or 11 or…) were early commercial computers produced by Digital 
Equipment Corporation (DEC).  Design was based on simple IC gates of various 
types - no microprocessors yet.  Core memory was based on tiny magnetic beads 
threaded through with sensing and magnetizing wires.  

Disk drives were new in the 60’s and very expensive.  A drive the size of a top 
loading washing machine only held 300MB in the late 70’s.  As such, storage 
like punch cards, punched paper tape, and magnetic tape was widely used.  DEC 
even had a random access tape drive (DEC Tape) that increased utility and speed.

FORTRAN was an early algorithmic programming language that supported equation 
like statements.  It was well suited for math problems - not general data 
oriented.  Your program was written on paper cards punched with holes whose 
pattern represented letters and numbers.  A typewriter like “card punch” 
facilitated creating these cards.  Cards were read into the computer when you 
wanted to run the program.  Program storage was a box you carried your card 
deck around in.  It all seems so primitive now!

I could not afford the HP35 - my first calculator was a TI (Texas Instruments) 
SR-10.  This was 4 functions plus square, square root, and reciprocals.  So I 
carried around the CRC and slide rule as well.  This was replaced by an SR-51 
which had full trig functions.  This was the closest we could imagine as a 
“personal computer”.  

My station?  Heathkit HR10b receiver and Ameco AC-1.  Novice call signs all 
included “N” as the second letter.  Frequency was crystal controlled.

Steve
aa8af
and once upon a time WN8CYL (which I now wish I could have retained somehow)



> On Apr 26, 2021, at 5:12 PM, MIKE ZANE  wrote:
> 
> What the heck are all those things you guys are talking about?  Mike n6zw
>> On 04/26/2021 11:18 AM Bill Frantz > <mailto:fra...@pwpconsult.com>> wrote:
>> 
>> 
>> OK, I can't resist any longer.
>> 
>> On 4/26/21 at 11:33 AM, lawr...@woh.rr.com (SteveL) wrote:
>> 
>>> Who carried around a CRC book of tables of various calculations in lieu of 
>>> an unaffordable scientific calculator?
>> Yup.
>> 
>>> Or programming FORTRAN on punch cards?
>> Yup. At first on a IBM 650 with a 4 pass compiler, intermediate 
>> storage on punch cards.
>> 
>>> Or PDP-8 on paper tape after toggling in the boot loader through the front 
>>> panel switches?
>> Sorry, mine was a Varian 620/i (8K of 16 bit words) used for 
>> nodes in a circuit switched data network (Tymnet). :-)
>> 

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Re: [Elecraft] OT: High school drafting class, ~1975

[SteveL]

I envied a friend in a EE program and the University of Cincinnati.  He had the 
first HP-35 I’d ever seen the year it was introduced (1972), but it was way out 
of my budget as a new freshman studying Engineering.

A couple of months after my friend acquired the HP-35, to my fascination he 
received a letter from HP detailing a list of obscure calculations the device 
performed in error (the tangent of 98.2352…, etc.) .  The letter went on to 
describe that these were determined and then verified by computer simulation of 
the computational algorithms used internally - a concept new to this budding 
engineer.  And, if he returned the calculator, it would be repaired and 
corrected.

And to think we basically flew to the moon on a slide rule?  Who could ever 
imagine a computer that could fit into one room?  (Paraphrasing a line from 
early in the Apollo 13 movie.)

Who carried around a CRC book of tables of various calculations in lieu of an 
unaffordable scientific calculator?
Or programming FORTRAN on punch cards?
Or PDP-8 on paper tape after toggling in the boot loader through the front 
panel switches?

We’ve come a long way!  I love the reminiscences…

Steve
aa8af


> 
> I scraped and saved my summertime active duty pay to buy a Bomar 901 
> four-function calculator in 1972 for $150, about $950 today.  Hewlett-Packard 
> had introduced their milestone HP-35 scientific calculator that year for 
> $400, about $2535 today.  Extremely few students could afford that.
> 

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Re: [Elecraft] Where are the K4 reviews?

[SteveL]

I think there were also Elecraft employees who sadly lost their houses in the 
wild fires of last summer.  That plus pandemic plus loss of IC fab house(s) in 
Asia plus cancelation of most all Ham conventions last year - just a lot to 
endure in the last 12 months - I do not envy anyone trying to keep a business 
afloat, and deliver hi-tech products.

Then just when you thing you’ve got it pulled together, you get a container 
ship - with 20,000 container capacity(!), one of the worlds biggest ships  
(over 4 football fields in length!!!) - wedged sideways across the Suez, and 
400+ ships backed up behind - it’s crazy.

Try to buy a new quality bicycle today, say priced at $1k or more.  The shops 
in my area are quoting 1.5 year delivery on Trek and recommending Craig’s List 
!!?&^!@!

It’s just crazy.  A perfect storm in so many ways and so many fronts.  Hang in 
there!

Steve
aa8af



> 
> 
>> t is puzzling to see the lack of substantive information as other have 
>> posted.  This has not been how Wayne and Eric and Elecraft have operated in 
>> the past.
> 
> We're in the midst of a pandemic. Elecraft is a small company, and they've 
> had COVID in house. Systems that were set up for people working in their 
> office/lab/factory break down when that isn't possible.
> 

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Re: [Elecraft] XG50 stock

[SteveL]

Julie,
About a month ago I contacted Elecraft and they did have the XG50 in stock - 
just not reflected on their web page!?.  You might reach out to them to check.

73,
Steve
aa8af

> On Mar 22, 2021, at 4:59 PM, Julia Tuttle  wrote:
> 
> Sadly, I don't have a separate transmitter, just the KX3.
> 
> On Mon, Mar 22, 2021 at 4:20 PM  wrote:
> 
>> Hi,
>> According to the Application Note anything that is stable will work, in
>> other words your 6 meter transmitter turned down will work.
>> 73
>> Jim H
>> k7...@aol.com
>> 
>> In a message dated 3/22/2021 12:56:10 PM Pacific Standard Time,
>> ju...@juliatuttle.net writes:
>> 
>> 
>> Hi,
>> 
>> I noticed the XG50 is out of stock and not listed on the shipping status
>> page. Is it discontinued? If so, can anyone recommend something similar in
>> price (kit or prebuilt) that can be used for the KX3 extended VFO
>> temperature compensation procedure?
>> 

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Re: [Elecraft] The Ham Expo: What it got right

[SteveL]

Interesting, just received an apology letter from Eric (the QSO Today Expo 
organizer).  Kudos for the pioneering effort - but clearly the issues were 
multi-factor including some outside of their control.  While I had a few 
technical issues on my end, once I figured out which browser worked on my 
MacBook, I was pretty much set.  Where I missed - it was usually an issue a 
presenter was struggling to overcome.

I did spend some time in the “lounge” and thought it was a good tool.  I could 
see vendors independently offering these small group “face-to-face” sessions 
periodically for sales, help, and more.

I’m not sure how you do a virtual flea market - some of the best treasure hunts 
of a typical Hamfest.

Speaking of a treasure hunt, the after-hours global scavenger hunt conducted by 
Watson Adventures was fun!

Steve
aa8af


> 
> Totally agree with you Wayne. The lounge was a great tool. I appreciate the 
> time you dedicated to talk with us. Thank you for all you have done to enrich 
> this wonderful hobby.
> 
> Yeah, the virtual conference wasn't perfect, but nothing ever is. I'm okay 
> with how it turned out. I learned a lot and walked away still happy I'm a ham.
> 

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Re: [Elecraft] An FT8 Radio- just dreaming

[SteveL]

This purpose-designed digital transceiver for FT8 (and other digital modes) has 
received some attention recently:
https://midnightdesignsolutions.com/phaser/ 

Not exactly revolutionary, but compact QRP design needing only a laptop - or 
even something like a Raspberry Pi - to use with digital modes.

And a number of years ago a fully self contained ultra portable PSK31 
transceiver was shown at Hamvention:
https://www.silentsystem.jp/handypsk.htm 

http://forum.radioamateur.ca/index.php?topic=8379.0 


Steve
aa8af

> On Feb 21, 2021, at 10:36 PM, Doug Millar via Elecraft 
>  wrote:
> 
> I have been wondering for some time- How will FT8 change ham radio equipment? 
>  Right off I imagine a radio and computer in one box maybe with the display. 
> (FT8 should vastly simplify the first interface with the radio, with menus 
> reaching deeper into its control. Most of today's designs are not well enough 
> integrated and I think are hampered by preconceptions. Nor do they take 
> advantage of graphic user interfaces that are common in say cell phones.  I 
> think it could be one box with voice and touch control with keyboard and 
> mouse optional. How about an internal projector so that the screen can be 
> projected onto another surface making monitors optional? If it is going to be 
> worth it, It has to be not different but do things differently. 
> Has anyone else had any thoughts?  

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Re: [Elecraft] K2 filter optimisation

[SteveL]

DL4YHF’s Audio Spectrum Analyser...

https://www.qsl.net/dl4yhf/spectra1.html 


May be a good Mac OS alternative.

Steve
aa8af


> On Feb 12, 2021, at 5:49 PM, kevinr  wrote:
> 
> I was curious so I searched for alternatives.  I used the search string 
> "spectrum audio graphing application for macintosh linux OS" and found a 
> number of applications you could use to tune your K2.  I have not used any of 
> them.  I simply wanted to see what was out there.  Options are available for 
> Linux users as well as those using the recent Mac operating systems.  My last 
> Mac was the IIvx which used a Motorola chip from the 68000 family.  
> Everything I had written on previous Macs worked on it; even some from my 100 
> day box.  That was the one with the designer's signatures embossed on the 
> inside of the case.
> 
>  
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Re: [Elecraft] Oscilloscope recs

[SteveL]

Excited about the scope recommendations on this thread, I’ve been looking at 
all the models mentioned, reading specs, etc., etc. thinking about replacing my 
old Tektronix 475A - a nice 250MHz dual trace analog scope.

My heart stopped as I read the specs of the DSAZ594A:  
- 59GHz upgradable to 63GHz bandwidth!! (and I was thinking a measly 200MHz 
’scope at less than 1% of the bandwidth of this model would be sufficient !!)
- 80 GSa/sec on 4 channels!!
- 33GHz probes
- 15.4 inch display
and the incredible list goes on and on!

But seriously… over a half a MILLION dollars!!@#$%@!!
WOW.  I held my breath for a moment.  One could by well over a THOUSAND nice 
Rigol or Siglent scopes at this price.

I bet Elecraft doesn’t even have one in their development lab?

Impressive technology all the way down to the custom IC’s designed to process 
at microwave frequencies.  Interesting reading for those who marvel at leading 
edge technology.

Steve
aa8af

> On Dec 17, 2020, at 7:04 PM, John Marvin  wrote:
> 
> Well, if budget permits, I would recommend the Keysight DSAZ594A. This would 
> be especially useful on some of the higher amateur radio bands.
> 

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Re: [Elecraft] Firmware development

[SteveL]

> . I can't think of one open source, community-based product that I'd want to 
> hang my hat on, even if I do see some that I'd support. I just don't see the 
> professional depth in the general community.
> 


I own a popular open-source based 3D printer.  Finding the firmware to run the 
printer reliably is a challenge.  Once found (or so I thought) then there’s the 
task of compiling and loading the firmware after customizing specifically for 
one of 4 different mother boards the vendor shipped with the same printer 
model, using vague and incomplete recommendations from the “community".  Then 
there’s the matter of rounding up all the right libraries and versions used 
during the code ‘make’ when it fails.   Oh and it may require re-flashing a 
boot loader as it is susceptible to corruption for reasons I cannot get a clear 
answer on.  Once loaded to the printer, only then to discover it’s really worse 
than the version you hoped to repair, or dramatically changed in ways that 
demand relearning from the beginning.

I would have gladly paid $$ extra for non-open firmware that was supported by 
the vendor and just worked!!  I wanted to print - not test and debug code!

There is real value in proprietary, closed source…. particularly if it reliably 
brings the features and functions I purchased and is well supported by a 
responsive vendor such as Elecraft.

Kudos to the Elecraft Team!
Steve
aa8af

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Re: [Elecraft] Antistatic Silicon Mat?

[SteveL]

Also, I believe ESD wrist straps should have something like a 1 meg ohm 
resistor in the ground connection to mitigate direct (and potentially fatal) 
shock to ground while allowing the bleed off static charge.  A direct 
connection to ground is hazardous!

Steve
aa8af



> On Jan 12, 2018, at 1:19 PM, Dale Chayes  wrote:
> 
> 
> 
> Whatever you buy, don’t forget (the obvious, but often overlooked):
> - at least one wrist strap
> - and you have to ground the mat
> 

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