SolderSmoke Daily News

Rex W1REX in England with the Original Tuna Tin 2, aka "The ASR" -- Ancient Sacred Relic. Indeed!

2026-09-23T08:36:01.836-04:00

There he is, Rex W1REX, the esteemed owner of QRPme, the maker of so many great pads for Manhattan boards. He was in the UK for the GQRP convention. And he brought with him -- on loan from the ARRL Museum -- the original Tuna Tin 2 transmitter, the ASR (ANCIENT SACRED RELIC). You can see it in the pictures sent to me by Charlie NJ7V.

Way back in 2014, I met up with Rex at the Vienna Wireless Association's Winterfest Hamfest. There too he had the original TTT with him. I asked him to share some of the mojo from that famed rig with my homebrew BITX transceiver. Here you can see a video of the mojo-ification ceremony:

Thanks to Charlie NJ7V, to the GQRP club, and to Rex W1REX for all the great TTT mojo over the years!

Another Blast from the Past -- Dino KL0S in the early 70s -- A Turner mic, a Vibroplex, an HQ-100, a DC receiver, and a tech library.

2026-09-21T05:55:12.312-04:00

Dino: Yes the parallels are really eerie OM. There is that Turner mic. I still have mine too, but I had to replace the element with an Electret. Mine brags that it is Transistorzed. Wow! It apparently had three transistors in it. Therefore it was a Turner +3. I also had a Vibroplex bug, but I never really used it and it fell apart. Pieces were donated to a restoration of the K3ZO bug in the Dominican Republic. I kept the base, which now holds a straight key that I use very infrequently. There is of course, the Drake. In the other picture (below) I see your HQ-100 (A model). Please tell us more about that DC receiver. Homebrew? Solid State? Band? Where did you get the schematic? I also see that you had a good library even back then. FB OM. I remember fondly the Zoom visit to the Williamsburg club. And I still use the coffee mug! 73 to all. Regards to Toby. Bill N2CQR

Dino writes:

Bill - saw your 15-year old pix on the blog today and immediately found a distinct likeness in my teen ham pix!

And me, WB6FZN at the time, I probably had a similar plaid shirt too:

Come to think about it all of us “of an age” look a lot alike back then. I still have the Vibroplex key, Turner 454-C mic and Drake MS-4 speaker/AC-4 power supply. My dad bought me the TR-4 when I got my General license and that setup was north of $600 if I recall correctly from AES; that was big money for ~1969 as he was a bartender, bless his heart. Sold the TR-4 in Alaska during our first duty assignment with the blessing of my YL Toby KLØSS and got the Drake C-line to replace it which I also still have.

You visited our Williamsburg Area Amateur Radio Club’s “Builders Group” via Zoom during Covid and guys still talk about that session we had with you.

BTW, you can see my first direct conversion receiver in the aluminum chassis sitting on top of my Hammarlund HQ-100A here:

Hope all is well in Northern VA and/or the DR!

73 - Dino KLØS
Williamsburg

Scott K6AUS gets a Drake 2-B from Steve KW4H

2026-09-20T05:22:35.077-04:00

Serial 10219, after refurbishment by Steve KW4H, with the 2-BQ he sent as well perched on top.

https://nomadiq.net/blog/post/a-drake-2b-from-kw4h

For many years, Scott K6AUS has been doing the mathematical analysis of serial numbers on the Drake 2-B receiver. His work has been based on mathematics developed during WWII to let the allies know -- just from serial numbers -- how many tanks the Nazis had. Scott's analysis and the gathering of Drake 2-B serial numbers has been going on since May 2011. See: https://soldersmoke.blogspot.com/2011/05/how-many-drake-2-bs-german-tank-problem.html

and for a Scott's presentation of the math:

https://nomadiq.net/blog/post/how-many-drake-2bs-were-ever-made

We were saddened to learn that in spite of all this work, Scott K6AUS did not have a Drake 2-B himself. Steve KW4H stepped forward to correct this. Steve refurbished a 2-B and sent it to Scott. FB Steve. See the link above.

We have been chronicling Steve's work on this partictular Drake 2-B. Steve also wrote an excellent two part article on this receiver for Electric Radio magazine. Part I recently went out. Part II is coming.

Thanks to Scott for all his analysis of the serial numbers. And thanks to Steve for his amazing generosity.

Steve KW4H's Restoration of a Drake 2-B -- Part 3 -- Alignment With a New Calibrator

2026-09-19T06:45:03.119-04:00

Steve KW4H writes:

The passband tuner realigning went just fine. To do this, I remove the audio output transformer and push it aside, insulating it from from the components on the chassis underside using a snack-size baggie. Then, it's necessary to clip the frame of the audio transformer to ground so audio works. I won't go into the nitty-gritty technical steps, but am just pointing out that in order to align that passband tuner you've got to get that transformer out of the way. In the 4-line, Drake solved this inconvenience by putting the passband tuner above the chassis, with all of the alignments easily accessible.

The 2-B is receiving, but not totally realigned yet. But before we do that, I'm installing a custom-built calibrator/marker generator that will plug right in to the calibrator socket on top of the chassis. This calibrator provides selectable 25/50/100 kHz spacing (I'll preset it for 50 kHz). A note for you: it's operated by the "CAL" switch on the front panel, and is rewired to run on that 9V battery I've installed on the bottom of the chassis (see photo). The calibrator consumes almost no power when switched on and the battery should last a very long time. But now you know where the power source is for the calibrator. I've also attached a photo of the calibrator so you know what it looks like -- for the 2-B, the screw terminal isn't installed on the circuit board -- instead, I wire it directly to a Drake-style 4-prong plug that fit right into that calibrator socket above the chassis.

The signal from the calibrator will be used for some of the alignment steps, so I like to install it at this phase.

Grayson Evans' Modest Proposal: NO MORE VALVES! NO MORE TUBES! THERMATRONS FOREVER! (and a great video)

2026-09-17T07:23:05.147-04:00

First, a big THANK YOU to Grayson KJ7UM and to Zeynep, his wife and video editor. The above video is a really excellent look at not only the technical characteristcs of thermatrons, but also at the history of their development. There is a lot to be learned in this wonderful video. I am glad that no one was shocked in its production. And I am glad that SolderSmoke is no longer the only podcast/videocast using a "shamless commerce" segment!

Grayson's video and his "modest proposal" are eerily timely for me. Just yesterday I dragged out my old thermatron 80/40 receiver and got it inhaling. It uses 6U8s and 6EA8s which were featured in this video. This morning I used this old thermatron receiver to listen to Tim WA1HLR, who has been using thermatrons for many years.

I have also been talking about Compactrons -- specifically the 6T9 -- on the podcast. This prompted Jeff Tucker, W9TH to send me the PC board for the simple 6T9 circuit that I should have built as a teenager. I also got words of encouragement from Mike WA6ARA. The pressure is building!

Finally, this gets us to Grayson's "Modest Proposal." See: https://kj7um.wordpress.com/2026/09/16/a-modest-proposal/ He proposes that we STOP calling these devices "tubes" or "valves" and instead refer to them as thermatrons. I am with him on this. But I warned him that his proposal (even with modesty) would provoke HOWLS of protest from the many, many change-averse radio amateurs in the US and, especially in the UK. I know from personal, lived experience (four years in London) that the Brits love their valves. But, hey, Grayson is right! So I will pledge -- whenever possible -- to use his preferred term. Gentleman, don your Kevlar now!

Thanks Grayson for the video, and for the modest proposal!

Get the Third Edition of Grayson's excellent book "Hollow State Design" here: https://www.hollow-statedesigns.com/books

More on the Drake 2-B from Steve KW4H -- Part 2 -- Recapping. Cleaning Tubes and Sockets. Tube Tester

2026-09-16T04:40:17.681-04:00

The recap is finished. You can see the new Hayseed Hamfest cap on the chassis, as well as the other new caps. In these receivers, I also replace every old paper cap -- even the ones in the so-called "hard to get to" places. On the Drakes, you have to work sideways as many of these boards are vertically mounted. Drake did that to save space and give their gear a smaller footprint. The tradeoff is the workbench gymnastics.

The 2-B now has a brand new, 3-wire power cord. The old bypass caps on the AC line were removed, and a new ceramic safety cap installed on the hot line, between the bottom of the fuse holder and ground. The original purpose of these capacitors was to filter out household AC line noise. Such things are rarer these days as household appliances are better designed, but for completeness purposes I think a safety cap on the hot line is reasonable.

All the tubes were tested and substitutions made where needed. A word about tube testers: they're good for discovering major faults, but IMO the best tube tester is the circuit it was designed to run in. So for these tests I'm just looking for shorts, gas leaks, and obviously weak tubes.

In addition to testing the tubes, each tube socket is cleaned with a disposable interdental cleaner dipped in 99 percent isopropyl. Following this, the tube pins are lightly brushed with DeOxit D-100L on the end of a q-tip. All it takes is just a light film.

The 2-B powered up! We have contact -- and, of course, some other issues to deal with. The preselector capacitor was noisy -- the cover was pulled off and it was sprayed and brushed to remove any "whiskers" or other contamination that might cause unwanted conduction between the plates. It's better now, but I'll keep an eye on it throughout the rest of the process.

Since the passband tuner had to be removed and repaired, it's clear from the sound of things that the passband tuner badly needs to be realigned. That's going to be done next -- as long as we can jam a signal through the receiver, it's best to realign the passband tuner before swinging around and running through the overall alignment process because it has such a profound effect on the audio and signals. Also, aligning the passband tuner is logistically more complicated than in Drake's 4-line, as two of the slugs aren't easily accessible. I'll send some photos later showing how we get around that problem.

Wow! I Worked Steve KW4H in 1974 -- He was 15 at KP4USN. I was also 15, but in New York, using my Drake 2-B. And I STILL have the QSL card!

2026-09-15T10:24:48.572-04:00

When I recently started e-mailing Steve KW4H about the Drake 2-B and about the SolderSmoke Direct Conversion receiver (that Steve successfully built), I noticed near the bottom of his QRZ.com page a picture of an old QSL card from KP4USN. It looked familiar.

Steve and I had already determined that we were very close in age. Steve was a Navy dependent, on Puerto Rico at age 15. I was up in Congers, N.Y., also at age 15. I was on 15 meter CW.

When I saw the picture of the QSL card, I checked my log book. You can see a cleaned up version of the log here. Look towards the end. You will see KP4USN.

But as Steve pointed out, there were several operators. And he was at this point mostly on SSB. It seemed that the odds were against us. But I pledged to try to dig up my old KP4USN QSL card. Steve asked me to tell him the name of the operator and he would tell me he knew him.

At first I thought the QSL card had been lost, perhaps during one of the many moves between then and now. But early this morning I found it. Slowly I turned it over. There it was: "73 Steve."

Wow, it looked like the signature of a 15 year old. I quickly e-mailed Steve and sent him the pictures of the card. He immediately confirmed that the handwriting was his! Wow, 52 years after the contact, we were in contact again.

I checked my records. I had acquired my Drake 2-B only 2 days prior to this contact. (That explains why I was on 15 meters -- my Lafayette HA-600A did very poorly on this band. But the band sounded great on the Drake 2-B! ). Later that day (into the night) I worked ZL2ACP. I woke my parents up to tell them about that one. The Drake 2-B was clearly worth every penny!

There is another signature on the card. Steve KW4H explains: That was Mike Reininga, who was a young guy back then in the Navy and was one of my elmers. In order for the card to be mailed officially and paid for by the Navy, it was approved for mailing. I just tried to look him up, and sadly, Mike passed away some years ago at age 58. He was 21 when I knew him.

https://www.legacy.com/us/obituaries/courierpress/name/michael-reininga-obituary?id=22279830

Here is Steve as a young ham:

I was first licensed as WP4EAI, and was living in Puerto Rico, as a Navy brat. In 1975 I upgraded to General Class (boy, that 13 wpm code test was a white-knuckler -- these were the days when you had to take the exam in front of a steely-eyed examiner). In the photo at the left, you can see some of the old wonderful gear that got me started in this hobby. A Heathkit DX-60, Hammarlund HQ-180A, and some other stuff I can barely remember. Some original QSL cards are on the left. I also operated KP4USN from time to time on the base, and was frequently a control operator for the Maritime Mobile Net, then on 14.313 Mhz. Stateside, I was licensed as WB4EZM.

------------------

Here I am at age 15:

And here is a description of my early radio life:

https://soldersmoke.blogspot.com/2023/12/the-beginning-of-my-radio-life.html

Steve KW4H's Notes on the Drake 2-B -- Part 1 - Excision of an Unnecessary Mechanical Filter

2026-09-15T05:21:39.904-04:00

Obviously I am interested in the Drake 2-B. Steve KW4H restores rigs of this vintage (similar to our own vintage!). He has sent me some notes on his work on the Drake 2-Bs.

Steve writes:

Attached is a photo of a completely needless 455 kHz mechanical filter I found in this 2B. Never seen this before, but I found the info -- this was the Henry DMF-2, which was a modification kit sold for the Drake 2A and 2B. Yet more snake oil sold to the "I need a mechanical filter like a Collins" crowd. There was a REASON why Drake didn't filter on 455 kHz -- it wasn't nearly as effective as filtering on 50 kHz, which is exactly what the passband filter does. That, along with the 2-BQ Q-multiplier/speaker makes for a terrific receiver that rivals even many of the modern rigs of today.

That filter is clearly unnecessary, and Steve was completly right in getting rid of it. Still, it is a Kokusai. Pete N6QW gave me one of those. I think I have it in my Mate for the Mighty Midget receiver. One other note: As a kid, Steve was in Puerto Rico and operated from the navy base club station KP4USN. I have that station, during that period, in my log book (I worked KP4USN on April 12, 1974 on 15 CW). I have to dig up the QSL card to find out if it was Steve, or one of his friends.

Other Workshops: Zen and the Art of Model Making -- Please Comment

2026-09-14T05:08:34.037-04:00

This one may seem a bit far off our normal path, but I think this fellow has a lot of philosphy that applies to ham radio homebrewing. His story of the art teacher who advised his students to get up each morning and do something that you love to do is good advice.

What other advice and philosophy did you hear in this beautiful video?

Demystification! Not Magic! How Claude and Dean made the KK4DAS -- N2CQR Video (Be Sure to Read the Report Until the End!)

2026-09-13T12:39:24.354-04:00

Many have asked how the video was made. Dean and Claude (but not Claude Shannon! ) explain here:

https://kk4das.blogspot.com/2026/09/how-cq-video-was-really-made-it-wasnt.html

Claude Makes a Video About N2CQR calling KK4DAS

2026-09-11T15:45:16.143-04:00

Quick! Before Claude turns us all into paper clips!

I guess this is part of a series. First we had Notebook LLM making a podcast about SolderSmoke. Then Peter Marks VK3TPM had Claude (I think) give us an AI version of Pete N6QW talking about circuits.

Now we have (above) a Claude-produced video of KK4DAS in contact with me, N2CQR. Claude (and KK4DAS!) did all the heavy lifting. I think it looks pretty good for something that never really happened.

What do you guys think? We may be getting closer to the day where we can have Pete N6QW on video, convincingly singing the praises of LC VFOs and bad-mouthing the Si5351. That will be a momentous day indeed. Paper clips may soon follow!

Please put your comments below.

Why Chip Circuits Can Never be Truly Homebrew: ASML's Amazing Photolithography -- Please Comment

2026-09-11T07:13:23.510-04:00

As I watched this video, I had many thoughts. Here are some of them:

1) The complexity of the ASML machine is a reminder of how far IC technology has moved from the world of homebrew ham radio. I know others will take different views, but for me, it is a reminder that these chips -- which are now commonly used in cell phones, for example -- have no real place in rigs that we would call homebrew.

2) The technology they use is really amazing. Laser lights hitting tin droplets three times as the tin falls. Explosions inside the machine that are like miniature super novae.

3) Older guys play a big role in all of this.

4) All the attention today is focused on AI and data centers. But the tech there seems simplistic when compared to the ASML machines that make the chips.

Please watch the Veritasium video that appears above. Then please put you comments in the space below.

Inside the NUVISTOR! Making a 555 Timer with Nuvistors!

2026-09-08T06:36:06.389-04:00

This video is very cool. When I saw them crack open a NUVISTOR, I should have known that this was Eric from CuriousMarc. And it is!

Here is the YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@TubeTimeUS

And here is my video about the NUVISTORS in my 2 meter receive convertor:

https://soldersmoke.blogspot.com/2026/07/my-parks-2-meter-nuvistor-converter-qst.html

Thanks Eric!

Helge LA6NCA Builds a One Tube CW Transceiver -- And Makes a Contact!

2026-09-02T05:20:20.152-04:00

Helge has done it again! He has shown us the benefits of homebrew CW. And he has done it with one tube. FB Helge.

Of course, I really liked the wooden box. His is a lot nicer looking than mine. I also liked how he carefully laid out the parts -- I seem to be stuck in my 13 year-old "build then design" mode. Helge's way of doing it is better: design, build. In that order!

Some will quibble about a lack of 700 Hz offset between transmit and recieve. With a VFO rig, this could lead to the stations chasing each other across the band. But Helge is crystal controlled here, so I don't see a problem. Is that right? Please comment below.

Thank you Helge for another great rig, a great schematic, and for showing us your obvious joy at reaching 400 km across the sea to your friend in Norway. FB!

The Roman Space Telescope

2026-09-02T04:23:19.095-04:00

The New York Times reported today that you would need HALF A MILLION high definition TVs to display just one image from the Roman Space Telescope in full. Wow.

The telescope will be at L2.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nancy_Grace_Roman_Space_Telescope

KW4H -- Steve -- "Knobs > Menus"

2026-08-31T05:07:19.750-04:00

I really like the "KNOBS are greater than MENUS" sign. For years we have been saying that menus are for restaurants. FB Steve.

Steve's resotation man-cave is very interesting, as are the rigs he has on the shelf or on the bench. Lots of good work is obviously being done there.

I also have one of those KP4USA QSL cards. Steve and I got into ham radio at around the same time, so it is possible that he was on the other end of that QSO. I will check.

Check out Steve's QRZ page: https://www.qrz.com/db/KW4H

W9TH - Jeff -- Shames Me Into Building a 6T9er -- "You Have No Excuse"

2026-08-30T06:01:13.207-04:00

First off, that my friends is a ham radio shack. Note the many books. And the many Heathkit HW-8s and at least one HW-7. There is a 'scope. And sig gens. And a vise! This is a thing of beauty.

Jeff sent me a KiCad circuit board for an 6T9 transmitter. He heard me moaning about it on the SolderSmoke podcast. As he notes, I no longer have an excuse not to build this things. The Radio Gods are demanding it. Who am I to say no?

Check out Jeff's QRZ page: https://www.qrz.com/db/W9TH

And his website: http://w9th.com/ (QRP before QRP was cool!)

Thanks Jeff!

"Solvitur ambulando." Latin for "It is solved by walking."

2026-08-29T10:26:57.008-04:00

We've been proponents of this idea for a long time: Essentially it is that sometimes you have to at least temporarily put a hard technical problem on hold. Sometimes you need to just STOP working on the problem, put the rig on the shelf, and go out and take a walk. Or, perhaps, a hike.

In the travel section of the New York Times today, I found this phrase from Latin: "solvitur ambulando." It was in an atricle by one of my favorite authors, Paul Theroux. One of his his novels, "The London Embassy" was eerily true to life, and had me thinking that the house he described was, in fact, the house in London that I was living in. Paul has been at it for so long that, frankly, I thought he was gone. I was delighted to learn that he is not, and that he is still writing books.

Theroux wrote, "Is something fuddled in your mind? Searching for an idea? Then lace your boots, leave the house, and set off alone: Chances are you will find the answer along the way. This remedy (attributed variously to Diogenes the Cynic and St. Augustine) is one that all true piligrims know, and in many respects serious hikers are the modern embodiment of medieval pilgrims."

Indeed, if the solution is fuddled in your mind and you are searching for an idea, take a break, do something different. Take a walk: "solvitur ambulando."

Keeping the Voyager Spacecraft Alive

2026-08-26T08:59:26.458-04:00

https://www.nytimes.com/2026/08/18/science/nasa-voyagers-big-bang.html?unlocked_article_code=1.8VA.nYO7.tliu0Kleh5vJ&smid=url-share

Here is a really nice New York Times story about NASA efforts to keep the Voyager spacecraft alive. They are approaching 50 years old. They are very far away. They are running low on the plutonium that keeps them warm and powered. The fuel for the thrusters is starting to clog the pipes. But NASA recently carried out a "Big Bang" effort to extend the life of these two spaccraft.

One of the 25 year-old engineers admitted that he treats the Voyagers like he treats his aging parents -- problems do crop up. But then he was reminded that his parents had been born AFTER the launch of the Voyagers.

The animation above shows where the two spacecraft are, and where they have been.

Solid State Transformers -- Are the small DC supplies from Amazon small versions of what we need?

2026-08-25T05:49:13.041-04:00

The algorithm seems to KNOW what I have been reading. This week the New York Times Sunday magazine had a really frightening story about the vulnerabilities of the U.S. electrical grid. The big vulnerability is the large transformers. They are very very hard to replace. Replacement takes years. If something were to happen to only a few of these transformers, the U.S. could be plunged into an apocalyptic power outage. This is not theoretical stuff. People in the U.S. have been taking out transformers with high powered rifles. What is that old saying about people who live glass houses? Well it appears we live in one.

The NYT article ended with one optimistic note: Solid State Transformers. These are being used in the AI Data Centers. Asianometry took a look at these devices -- I really like his YouTube channel, but I think he missed the big down-side of old clunky tranformers: their extreme vulnerability.

One additional ham radio note: Pete N6QW, Grayson KJ7UM and Helge LA6NCA have recently been using very small high voltage power supplies. Back in the day, thermatron rigs required much larger transformers. Are these tiny DC supplies small versions of the Solid State Transformers discussed in the NYT article and the Asianometry video?

First Earth-Moon-Earth Echoes: 1946 from New Jersey on 111.5 MHz using Military Radar Gear

2026-08-24T06:35:03.070-04:00

https://www.nationalww2museum.org/war/articles/project-diana-moon-and-soviet-union

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Project_Diana

Maxwell's Equations Explained

2026-08-23T06:15:38.599-04:00

I really liked this one, and the follow-on videos show a lot of promise. The maker starts with the four equations that we see on T shirts. He admits that at the time he first saw them, he did not understand. But in this video, he digs in, and finally gets it. The connection between Maxwell's equations and C (the speed of light) are especially well presented.

There is a document that goes quite a bit further, and explores the connections between Maxwell's equations and quantum mechanics. It is by that wonderful physicist Freeman Dyson. It is entitled "Why is Maxwell's theory so hard to understand?" Check it out:

https://davidtong.org/pdfs/teaching/electromagnetism/dyson.pdf

The Solar Eclipse in Spain, Balloons, and Veritasium

2026-08-21T06:07:35.117-04:00

This was all pretty cool. There was a lot of good scientific info. I had noticed the crescent shapes on the ground during earlier solar eclipses (from tree leaves!), but I never knew WHY we were seeing them. Thanks for the explanation Veritasium.

There was also a cool balloon launch and recovery, and some great video recovered from the balloon.

It looked like everyone had a great eclipse in Spain.

SolderSmoke Podcast 266: TROUBLESHOOTING! Test Gear, LA6NCA, ZIA Rig, Australia, Nuvistors, 75 AM, MAILBAG

2026-08-18T13:29:46.523-04:00

SolderSmoke Podcast # 266 is available.

Video version: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_hbLmsFxzx4

Audio version: http://soldersmoke.com/soldersmoke266.mp3

Travelogue: Dean to Boston, Bill to Glenmore in Maryland.

Discussion of AI, data centers, and ham radio.

Dean's Bench:

-- Troubleshooting

-- Why we emphasize building in stages

-- Understanding what your test equipment is telling you

-- Measuring everything and expecting precision from analog circuits.

-- Recent examples from our Discord channel, examples were my rigol scope was lying to me.

Pete's Bench:

-- Helge LA6NCA's Rig

-- Troubleshooting when the data fools you: The ZIA rig.

SHAMELESS COMMERCE DIVISION:

-- Mostly DIY RF.

-- Please continue to comment on blog posts.

-- Please think about becoming a Patreon sponsor/

Bill's Bench:

-- Working Australia on 20 and 17 SSB.

-- Putting 80 meter antenna back up. But high (August) noise level on 75. SOLVED!

-- Nuvistor adventures with 1964 Parks Electronics Converter. 6CW4s.

-- Thinking of audio derived S-meters.

Mailbag:

Grayson KJ7UM -- admiration for Helge LA6NCA. 6L6 Rig.

Hidehiko JA9MAT's super regen, And FT-101 VFO Box.

Chuck WB9KZY on older UK covert listening devices.

Paul VK3HN: Australian CBLA rig.

Andri in Bandung, Indonesia -- Built a SolderSmoke DC receiver. 137 built so far!

Mike WN2A liked 3885 kHz post (not everyone did -- AI Slop?)

Walter KA4KXX liked piece on G0UPL breaking the I and Q code of Si5351.

Bob KD4EBM and Peter VK3TPM on AI.

Ryan KJ7KVD will build MMM when family duties permit.

Chris KD4PBJ noted SolderSmoke on a ham radio sign sheet. FB.

Eric 4Z1UG -- Interviewed Will N5OLA (Heathkit Guy) https://www.qsotoday.com/podcasts/n5ola

K6AUS seeking understanding on mixers. FB!

K6AUS: Did Drake make any 2Bs with serial numbers 3000-4000? https://nomadiq.net/blog/post/how-many-drake-2bs-were-ever-made

I am still looking for a Drake 2B for K6AUS.

NT0Z -- Kirk. A big fan. Thanks.

Why is Lahti on the Dial of the Receiver? Where is Lahti?

2026-08-16T08:01:46.060-04:00

I have seen Schenectady and even Springfeld (see below!) but Lahti was new to me. I spotted it yesterday on the dial of the receiver that the fellow from the UK was fixing. Lahti? What was that?

Turns out, this is a European Longwave thing.

Gemini explains:

When you see Lahti printed on the dial of an older radio, it is typically marking a Longwave (LW) broadcast frequency rather than a shortwave frequency.

The presence of Lahti on the dial relates to several historical factors:

The Lahti High-Power Station: Located in Lahti, Finland, the national broadcaster Yle operated a massive, high-power longwave transmission station on "Radio Hill" (Radiomäki) starting in the late 1920s. Because of its central location and immense power (reaching up to 200 kW in later years), its signal could blanket all of Finland and carry across northern Europe.
Dial Navigation: On older European and world-band radio dials, manufacturers frequently printed the names of major high-power European broadcasting cities (such as Lahti, Rome, Berlin, Moscow, or Droitwich) directly onto the glass or metal scale. Because consumers tuned radios by city or wavelength rather than just abstract kilohertz numbers, these city names served as benchmark reference points for specific frequencies (such as Lahti's long-standing assignment on the longwave band, which eventually settled on 252 kHz).
The Era of "All-Wave" and Multi-Band Radios: Older vintage receivers—particularly those manufactured in Europe or targeted at international markets—often featured multiple bands spanning Longwave, Medium Wave (AM), and Shortwave. Even if a radio is broadly referred to as a "shortwave" or multi-band radio, its dial layout almost always incorporated the Longwave band where powerhouse European utility and broadcasting stations like Lahti lived prior to the widespread decommissioning of European LW transmitters in the late 20th century.

The old dial on my wife's grandfather's receiver