Broadcast - 9 Feb 2025
Last year Ross VK7ALH brought in the Heathkit SB-101 for our perusal, this week he brought in its predecessor the Heathkit SB-100 HF Transceiver Circa 1966. The unit has eight 500 kHz Amateur-Bands between 3.5 and 29.5 MHz, with approximately 100 watts output of SSB or CW. They were mainly sold in kit-form and were very popular in their day.
It pretty much looks as though all the parts are back together, just needs a bit of work in the mechanical coupling to the variable capacitors to go. Yet another work in progress, thanks Ross.
Peter VK7KPC donated to the club an early crystal set, homemade and incorporating an actual piece of crystalline mineral, in this case galena and a thin probe to act as the crystal detector.
I believe it was originally made to demonstrate how a crystal set works to the scouts at JOTA weekends.
It will be cleaned up tested and continue to be demonstrated at JOTA along with anyone interested in early crystal sets, thank you Peter.
Colin VK7ZCF, had his newly acquired USB Cable Checker module the same type of module as Ian VK7IG brought in earlier this year. The tester was from Treedix.com, it is a palm size unit with the full array of all types of USB and Lightning connectors duplicated on opposite sides of the main board. To use it was easy, just plug a cable into which ever socket was appropriate for each end of the cable. The board had a LED for each of the pins of each connector. For easy interpretation the pins did not use numbers but the signal functions description - like earth, data receive plus and minus etc. The LED lights indicate when continuity is OK. The unit can be powered externally or from the internal CR2032 button battery. However in true Colin form, he thought it needed a case, so he designed and printed a 3D case to mount the module into. The top panel of the case was clear acrylic so that all the function LEDs could be seen and interpreted. A very handy cable tester for modern cables Colin.
Stuart VK7ES demonstrated his new “Portable Electric Tin Absorber”, well that’s what it was called in the advert. We might better known it as a vacuum de-soldering tool. The “Portable Electric Tin Absorber” model number is BBT-680 and is a compact all in one handheld unit that requires 230 Volts power for the 30 Watt heated suction nozzle and solenoid. It relies on a reasonably substantial solenoid to elongate the internal silicone bellows, this causes a low air pressure which hopefully sucks the molten solder off the joint and through the nozzle into the unit. It comes with a selection of three suction nozzles covering 1, 1.5 and 2.5mm.
This little unit will certainly keep you going…. until your “last century” Weller de-soldering station spare part arrives. This would make an excellent field maintenance tool Stuart, thanks for the demo.
Last Friday morning tea provided club members with quite a taster! Not the food type but a look at a long term project. Martin VK7JAH demonstrated his “work in progress” video studio in a box. Quite literally a fully functioning, but not complete yet, multi camera studio where everything packs down in to a medium sized plastic crate to fit on his car’s back seat.
He had:
Three high resolution cameras one being fully remote controllable
Video switcher monitor and console incorporating the ability to live internet stream
Teleprompter monitor and computer
Character generator monitor and computer
There was also some neat handiwork in combining two small multi-monitor stands to hold the three monitors and two computers. The demonstration was excellent with much promise of things to come. It will obviously take a while to work out the best configuration of hardware and software but you appear to be well on the way, definitely stay tuned for more project updates.
One other of Martin’s passions is astronomy, so among other uses I am certain there is going to be some interesting astronomical events either live streamed or as he is working towards being broadcast on the Amateur band that overlaps with domestic DVB-T broadcasting.
As always pictures will be available on the NTARC Web site under “Blogs” for this broadcast. NTARC Blogs
UPCOMING EVENTS
Annual General Meeting & General Meeting – This Wednesday the 12th February at the NTARC Club Rooms, Rocherlea Scout Hall, Archer Street Rocherlea commencing at 19:30 hours (7.30 pm). The AGM will be immediately followed by the February General Meeting.
TestNet and TechNet session - Every Wednesday, TestNet/CW course on 3.580MHz from 7 pm, then a TechNet on 3.567MHz from 7.30 pm till 8.30 pm. Your host for the evening is Nic VK7WW.
Club Room Technical night session - The next session will be on Wednesday the 19th February, at the usual time of 6.30 pm at the Club Room Archer Street, Rocherlea.
Coffee Morning - held every Friday in the NTARC Club rooms. Time is from 10 am to noon and we look forward to seeing you all there. So why not pop in check the QSL cards and join us for a cuppa, there is endless tea and coffee along with biscuits available for a donation.
Finally - A reminder to all members that if you have any items of news you would like added to our weekly roundup, no matter how trivial, then please email them to the Secretary at the following address news@ntarc.net all items to be received no later than 5 pm on the Friday prior to the Broadcast.
That’s all folks,
73, Stefan VK7ZSB, Secretary NTARC Inc.
