The Rise and Fall of Heathkit
Steve Leibson begins this six-part series with, “If you came of age in the 1960s or 1970s and then later became an EE, chances are you’re more than casually acquainted with Heathkit. Many engineers started their budding careers by building one or more kits made by the Heath Company. I certainly did.”
Since this is a ham radio blog, I’d say, “If you came of age in the 1960s or 1970s and then later became radio amateur, chances are you’re more than casually acquainted with Heathkit. Many hams started their budding careers by building one or more kits made by the Heath Company. I certainly did.”
This is a remarkable series based on an interview with Chas Gilmore. Gilmore started as a design engineer at the Heath Company in 1966 and worked at the Heath Company on and off for more than two decades. He eventually became vice president of product development, marketing, and sales.
Antennas 101
Lou Frenzel, W5LEF (SK), was a prolific writer and editor. He was also a ham. Here, he explains antennas in way that we call can understand.
He writes, “Antennas are much more than simple devices connected to every radio. They’re the transducers that convert the voltage from a transmitter into a radio signal. And they pick radio signals out of the air and convert them into a voltage for recovery in a receiver.”
Understanding circular polarization
John Dunn writes, “An electromagnetic wave or signal traveling from “here” to “there” has an electrostatic field component that we call its E-field and whose direction we assign as the signal’s polarity. Often, the E-field is either vertical or horizontal as developed by a dipole structure or a ground plane antenna, but it can also be rotary which means it can be rotating around the signal’s axis of travel. The conventional terminology for that case however is not the word “rotary”, it is the word “circular”. We thus speak of vertical polarization, horizontal polarization, and circular polarization.”
I’m still not sure that I understand circular polarization after reading this article, but take a look for yourself.
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