Videos: QRP FT-8 Transceiver, vintage FD video, QSO with SV8ANW

DX FT8: A QRPp, five-band, standalone transceiver

I recently swapped some email with a fellow who purchased a quantity of Tech study guides for a class he’s teaching (only $11/copy!). In addition to talking about the study guides, we got to talking about microcontroller projects. He wrote, “I assume you’ve seen the microcontroller based, standalone FT8 transceiver already, but if not it’s worth a peek: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8b2WOxESAVU.”

Well, I hadn’t heard of it, so I did give it a peek. The DX FT8  looks like a very cool project. If I didn’t already have a dozen half-finished projects already, I might give this one a go.

Vintage Field Day 1962

This video reminds me of the home movies that my dad used to take back in the 1960s. Instead of Christmas and birthday parties, however, these show hams setting up and operating on Field Day 1962. Like the video says, there are “lots of vintage ham radio equipment, antennas, portable generators (look at the size of that thing at the 6:00 mark!), baked beans, and radio fun.

Couple observations:

• The participants seem to be, on average, younger than today’s FD participants.
• Note that there are two hams per station, one operating and one logging on paper. We do this by computer now.
• There was probably more cigarette smoking and beer drinking than you’d find at today’s Field Day operations.

KB6NU de SV8ANW

Shortly after working Dimitris (Jim), SV8ANW, he sent me an email with a link to a YouTube video of our contact. Notice that he has a very nice bug fist.