Should You Use Off-Brand Batteries in Two-Way Radios?
I recently read an article on the web that attempted to discuss whether or not you should use ‘off brand’ batteries in handheld devices. It resoundingly said ‘no’. The single argument that it provided was that the radio…
Read More »Spectral purity of Baofeng radios
One topic that is fascinating to watch rolling round on Facebook is the reactions of the crowd who hate the inexpensively made Baofeng radios. People talk about how you will set off all the repeaters in range on…
Read More »Looking at the Heathkit HD-1416 Code Practice Oscillator
Today my Heathkit Code Practice Oscillator arrived. I was lucky enough to pick it up on eBay for a song, but the shipping took forever. Anyway, it’s a beautifully constructed unit, built from a multivibrator circuit, based around…
Read More »Interconnectivity where it is not expected
I was actively involved in packet radio here in Canberra in the 80’s and 90’s. Great stuff, and a ton of fun. We had a core group of probably 10 -15 people here who were active. I did…
Read More »Evolution of a simple PCB for Eurorack power control
As it would turn out, Amateur radio is a hobby pursued by many people who are interested in Electronics. I have always had a fascination for all things electrical in nature, and have spent my whole life making gadgets.
Read More »The 122G Project
(The cover photo for the project is Andrews dish (VK3CV/WQ1S) from the DUBUS article.) I encountered a fascinating project by a group of Amateur Operators, where they are re purposing a radar module made by a German company,…
Read More »Racal Matel 2c800 Field Phone
So, I was browsing the Internets a while ago, continuing my search for interesting ex military radio gear, and I encountered these awesome Racal Matel Field Phones. There were a couple of people selling them, so I picked…
Read More »Tuggeranong Hill Activation
Today, I activated Tuggeranong Hill (VK1/AC-038) again. Unfortunately, I was late leaving home, and the walk up took *much* longer than I expected, likely because of the staying inside with Covid (That’s my story, and I am sticking…
Read More »Using the USB ATTiny 85 boards
I have always loved the Arduino universe. I started originally with Microchip PIC devices, but once I discovered Arduino, my world changed :-). For the last year or so, I have been playing with a tiny board that…
Read More »The world of Raspberry Pi Clusters
(or – how to chuck a heap of computers into a small space… to do SDR functions.) So – One of my fellow Ham operators here in Canberra, Wade (VK1MIC) showed me a photo of his cluster of…
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