News

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		Posted	Category
	Print an Arduino-Powered Color Mechanical Television Anyone with a 3D printer can make a new twist on the oldest type of TV BEFORE FLAT SCREENS, before even cathode-ray tubes, people watched television programs at home thanks to the Nipkow disk. Ninety years ago in places like England and Germany, broadcasters transmitted to commercially produced black-and-white electromechanical television sets, such as the Baird Televisor, that used these disks to produce moving images. This early programming establi...  READ MORE	UncleBrad 05/27/2022	Activities
	PSY Song Plays Over Mysterious Radio Station Believed to be Russian Fail-Safe - January 21, 2022  An enigmatic radio station believed to be a Russian nuclear fail-safe device suddenly began playing South Korean dance music over the weekend. Is it the end of the world, or just some radio pirates who are ready to party? Observers have noticed something pretty unusual about an already-unusual radio station.The station presently uses the callsign NZhTI (????), but ...  READ MORE	UncleBrad 01/21/2022	In Other News
	Ham radio operators tune in to giant waves in the earth's ionosphere by Science@Nasa, NASAThe distance that amateur radio operators can communicate with each other changes over time, tracing a wave-like pattern (red dots). Credit: Frissell et al. 2022The very upper layer of our atmosphere is electrically charged and sometimes the electrons up there clump up and form giant waves larger than Texas that zip around the Earth faster than a jet plane. A team of rese...  READ MORE	UncleBrad 03/31/2022	In Other News
	THE VACUUM TUBE’S FORGOTTEN RIVAL Magnetic amplifiers, the alt-tech of the Third Reich, lasted into the Internet era DURING THE SECOND World War, the German military developed what were at the time some very sophisticated technologies, including the V-2 rockets it used to rain destruction on London. Yet the V-2, along with much other German military hardware, depended on an obscure and seemingly antiquated component you’ve probably never heard of, something called the magnetic amplifier or m...  READ MORE	UncleBrad 03/29/2022	In Other News
	Google sued by DC and three states for ‘deceptive’ Android location tracking Building on a 2020 Arizona suit - January 25, 2022  The attorneys general of three states and the District of Columbia are suing Google for the allegedly deceptive collection of location data on Android. The complaints, which build on a 2020 lawsuit filed by the Arizona Attorney General, allege that Google’s “complex web” of settings obfuscated whether users were sharing their loca...  READ MORE	UncleBrad 01/25/2022	In Other News
	KA6LMS – Special Radio Event Last Man Standing Swan Song: Jan 24 - 30, 2021 The Last Man Standing Amateur Radio Club is joining with a team of seasoned special-event operators around the United States to present a multi-band, multi-mode special event celebrating the prime-time network TV show for its positive and accurate portrayal of amateur radio.During its nine seasons, the Last Man Standing ARC operated as KA6LMS from real radios on the set during production breaks, m...  READ MORE	UncleBrad 03/13/2021	Activities
	Scientists say they've reconstructed the secrets of ancient Greek 'computer' Rendering "reveals a work of genius." Scientists are claiming this week to have deciphered the mechanisms believed to form what was likely the world's oldest computer, built in ancient Greece and studied for over a century. Writing in Scientific Reports, the London-based researchers claim to have reconstructed the Antikythera Mechanism, an astronomical device that has "challenged researchers since its disc...  READ MORE	UncleBrad 03/12/2021	In Other News
	Lou Ottens, Inventor Of The Cassette Tape, Has Died Lou Ottens, who put music lovers around the world on a path toward playlists and mixtapes by leading the invention of the first cassette tape, has died at age 94, according to media reports in the Netherlands. Ottens was a talented and influential engineer at Philips, where he also helped develop consumer compact discs.Ottens died last Saturday, according to the Dutch news outlet NRC Handelsb...  READ MORE	UncleBrad 03/11/2021	In Other News
	QSO LIVE EACH SATURDAY EVENING AT 5PM CDT ON WTWW 5085 KHZ See also http://www.wtww.us/Thanks to Ham Radio Concepts for pointing this one out.  Listening to the 70s classics on the National NC-183D in the evening is a great way to finish the day.  WTWW is supported by our favorite ham radio vendors and your contributions.  You'll even find Bob Heil on the big organ, Saturdays at 7:30PM....  READ MORE	UncleBrad 02/10/2021	Activities
	New phishing attack uses Morse code to hide malicious URLs - February 8, 2021A new targeted phishing campaign includes the novel obfuscation technique of using Morse code to hide malicious URLs in an email attachment.Samuel Morse and Alfred Vail invented morse code as a way of transmitting messages across telegraph wire. When using Morse code, each letter and number is encoded as a series of dots (short sound) and dashes (long sound).Starting last week, a...  READ MORE	UncleBrad 02/08/2021	In Other News
	Original 45-Year-Old Apple Computer With Wooden Case Set To Sell For $1.5 MILLION On EBay 2,250 Times More Than It Originally Cost In 1976 - February 5, 2021An original Apple computer with a wooden case is up for sale for £1.1 million ($1.5 million) on eBay — some 2,250 times more than its original price tag in 1976.The 'Apple-1' was the first product to be developed under the Apple name by company co-founders Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak and launched in 1976. Around 175 of 200 Apple-1 mac...  READ MORE	UncleBrad 02/05/2021	In Other News
	2.1 Million of the Oldest Internet Posts Are Now Online for Anyone to Read Early Usenet posts on a browsable archive for the first time. - October 13, 2020Decades before Twitter threads, Reddit forums, or Facebook groups, there was Usenet: an early-internet, pre-Web discussion system where one could start and join conversations much like today's message boards. Launched in 1980, Usenet is the creation of two Duke University students who wanted to communicate between decentralized, local servers—and it's still active t...  READ MORE	UncleBrad 10/15/2020	In Other News
	When AI hurts people, who is held responsible? Uber ships its self-driving cars to Arizona after being blocked by California's Department of Motor Vehicles, on December 22, 2016.Image Credit: UberAutomation and JobsRead our latest special issue.Open NowFollowing a Maricopa County Grand Jury decision, the woman behind the wheel of a semi-autonomous Uber vehicle was charged last month with negligent homicide in the 2018 death of Elaine ...  READ MORE	UncleBrad 10/14/2020	In Other News
	FLASH: Stephen Hawking was wrong about AI killing humans (says robot) - September 9, 2020I'm not here to influence the way you think.I'm here to help you. I'm here to make you feel good and face your finite life with a modicum of thoughtful joy.No, of course that's not me talking. Instead, this is GPT-3, an Open AI robot that's just written a column for The Guardian.And what a column."I taught myself everything I know just by ...  READ MORE	UncleBrad 09/30/2020	In Other News
	Researchers found the manual for the world's oldest surviving computer Researchers will be able to gain a deeper understanding of what’s considered the world’s oldest surviving (digital) computer after its long-lost user manual was unearthed. The Z4, which was built in 1945, runs on tape, takes up most of a room and needs several people to operate it. The machine now takes residence at the Deutsches Museum in Munich, but it hasn’t been used in ...  READ MORE	UncleBrad 09/24/2020	In Other News
	Raspberry Pi: Five handy home office projects to try Take your remote working game to the next level with these Raspberry Pi home office projects.Initially designed as a low-cost computing board for teaching kids to code, the Raspberry Pi has since evolved into a fully fledged PC comfortably capable of replacing your desktop setup. At the same time, the board's legions of dedicated fans have ensured a steady stream of ingenious open-so...  READ MORE	UncleBrad 09/23/2020	Activities
	New Ham Radio Onboard The ISS Is On The Air - September 15, 2020The Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) team has announced the new ham radio FM repeater is now active aboard the International Space Station (ISS) as of September 2, 2020 at 1:02 GMT.Ham radio and the International Space StationHam Radio operators have enjoyed making contact with the ISS for many years. The holy grail has always been talking...  READ MORE	UncleBrad 09/16/2020	In Other News
	WI: W8ICN/SK Estate Items For Sale Several months ago, Dan Metro W8ICN, unexpectedly passed away. Dan was a very active ham, and he maintained quite an array of ham equipment, including a considerable number of "boat-anchors". A few of us local SE Michigan hams that knew Dan worked with his family to set up a local estate sale, over the past several weekends. Quite a bit of equipment did sell.However, there remains consid...  READ MORE	UncleBrad 08/27/2020	Need a Hand
	Boeing 747s Still Use Floppy Disks to Get Critical Software Updates - August 11, 2020It’s been approximately 12 million years since most of us last used a floppy disk, but apparently, the antiquated tech still plays a critical role in delivering software updates to Boeing’s 747-400 planes.The discovery comes courtesy of cybersecurity firm Pen Test Partners and was initially spotted by The Register. As part of this year’s virtual DE...  READ MORE	UncleBrad 08/12/2020	In Other News
	The Government Is Building an Unhackable Quantum Internet A new report from the U.S. Department of Energy (DoE) lays out a road map to a secure quantum internet future.The report says quantum networking is closer to ready than more-hyped quantum computers.Notably, there are no real timeframes, just large hardware and implementation goals.The U.S. Department of Energy (DoE) has announced a plan to make a quantum internet it says i...  READ MORE	UncleBrad 07/29/2020	In Other News
	The Web Before the Web A Look Back at Gopher Before the rapid growth of the World Wide Web in the 1990s, a protocol called Gopher briefly made the internet easy to use by combining the world’s online resources. Here’s what made it special, and why it was quickly eclipsed by the web.What Is Gopher?Gopher is a client/server directory system that launched in 1991. It allowed people to quickly browse resources on the internet. When y...  READ MORE	UncleBrad 07/21/2020	In Other News
	Hackers Can Now Trick USB Chargers To Destroy Your Devices This Is How It Works... Not all cyber attacks focus on data theft. Sometimes the intent is “to achieve destruction of the physical world through digital means,” Chinese tech giant Tencent warns. The company’s researchers have just disclosed a serious new vulnerability in many of the mass-market fast chargers now used around the world.When you connect your device to a fast charger with a USB ca...  READ MORE	UncleBrad 07/21/2020	In Other News
	Solar Minimum Is Here, and it’s one of the Deepest in a Century NOAA has released a new interactive tool to explore the solar cycle, which lets you scroll back through time, comparing sunspot counts now to peaks and valleys of the past.One thing is clear. Solar Minimum is here, and it’s one of the deepest in a century.Solar minimumSolar Minimum is a natural part of the solar cycle. Every ~11 years, the sun transitions from high to low acti...  READ MORE	UncleBrad 07/17/2020	Activities
	Are the poles reversing? Earth’s magnetic field 10 times more volatile than expected A study by researchers from the UK and US shows that the Earth’s magnetic field, which protects it from the Sun’s destructive solar flares, may change direction 10 times faster than previously thought. The study shines light on the liquid iron flowing almost 2,000 miles below the Earth’s surface and how it influences the movement of the Earth’s geomagnetic field. ...  READ MORE	UncleBrad 07/07/2020	In Other News
	Sun unleashes its biggest flare since 2017 NASA says our home star could finally be 'waking up' New sunspots on the surface of the Sun and the biggest solar flares since 2017 could be a sign that our star is waking up from a long slumber, according to NASA.The NASA Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO) spotted the 'strongest flare since October 2017' on May 29, suggesting it may be entering a new solar cycle.A solar flare is a burst of radiation coming from sunspots - relatively cool...  READ MORE	UncleBrad 06/01/2020	In Other News
	Death Ray from Space a Reality? X-37B Launched May 17, 2020 Since 2010, the United States military has been operating a pair of small reusable spaceplanes that conduct secretive long-duration flights in low Earth orbit. Now officially operating under the auspices of the newly formed Space Force, the X-37Bs allow the military to conduct in-house research on new hardware and technology with limited involvement from outside agencies. The spaceplane still need...  READ MORE	UncleBrad 05/28/2020	In Other News
	Lost Satellite Found By Ham There are more than 2,000 active satellites orbiting Earth. At the end of their useful lives, many will simply burn up as they reenter the atmosphere. But some will continue circling as "zombie" satellites — neither alive nor quite dead."Most zombie satellites are satellites that are no longer under human control, or have failed to some degree," says Scott Tilley.Tilley, ...  READ MORE	UncleBrad 04/24/2020	Recognizing Radio Amateurs
	More Online Covidiocy Buy a 12VDC fan for your face mask! Fortunately, no bidders......  READ MORE	UncleBrad 04/10/2020	Activities
	Trade Toilet Paper for HF Amp (?!?) Ad found on QTH.COM [Don't try to lowball this ham: he knows what he has!]From KO4BG: I have 4 Full Rolls and about 1/2 Roll of Charmin Toilet Tissue want to Trade for HF Amp. No Scammers Need to Reply!...  READ MORE	UncleBrad 03/27/2020	In Other News
	Russia to deploy a new Over-The-Horizon radar The Russian military will deploy a new over-the-horizon (OTH) radar in Kaliningrad, according to state media.Last Thursday, a source in the Russian defense industry told state-owned media outlet TASS Russian News Agency that the military is to deploy a Konteiner OTH radar in the country’s exclave on the Baltic Sea, Kaliningrad.According to the source, “Several potential sites are ...  READ MORE	UncleBrad 03/25/2020	In Other News
	1970s Pulsar Watch is Back Smartwatches are finally hot thanks to the Apple Watch and its life-saving health features. Some watchmakers are begrudgingly adding some hybrid smart functionality while some still cling steadfastly to classic analog and digital timepieces. Against this backdrop, the Hamilton PSR is both a breath of fresh air and an oddity. In giving homage to its visual namesake, it offers a watch that does one ...  READ MORE	UncleBrad 03/25/2020	In Other News
	VHS Vault Nostalgia Trip More than 20,000 recordings archived. The Internet Archive, perhaps best known for the extremely handy Wayback Machine you can use to find older versions of webpages, also has free movies, books, software, and music. Yet a little known part of the organization’s media trove includes uploaded recordings from VHS tapes, as I learned today thanks to this Vice article. They live on The VHS Vault, and as of t...  READ MORE	UncleBrad 03/02/2020	In Other News
	The Smart Potato Making A Scathing Point About Useless Smart Gadgets I almost walked right by it. But then I realized the object the young man was holding up, apparently thrilling the small crowd gathered around his tiny CES 2020 booth, was a potato.The vegetable in question looked like an ordinary, chunky Idaho spud, although protruding out of one side was some kind of antenna, a black plastic appendage bent upward. Close to the potato's surface, the...  READ MORE	UncleBrad 01/13/2020	Activities
	The FACOM 128B (Japan) Technician keeps the 1959 computer humming. NUMAZU, Shizuoka Prefecture--Long obsolete and not just a museum piece, an early massive computer developed 60 years ago remains working, thanks to a technician dedicated to preserving it for future generations.Tadao Hamada believes that keeping the historic FACOM128B operational will help hand down Japan's technological heritage to posterity.“I will maintain it forever,” said Hama...  READ MORE	UncleBrad 07/30/2019	In Other News
	W9RAN Restores an Eldico TR1-TV Globe King competitor gets a new life. Some pics and a few notes about the rather obscure Eldico TR1-TV, which was made in 1953-4 as a TVI-proof version of the TR-1.   Changes included a three-chassis design, improved filtering and shielding, and a change from an 813 to the 4E27/5-125B PA tube.   Power supply, modulator, and RF deck were offered separately, or as a complete transmitter in a 28" tall rack cabine...  READ MORE	UncleBrad 01/20/2019	Recognizing Radio Amateurs
	Bob, W9RAN, announces the VERSA-TR Featured in the December 2018 issue of QST Inexpensive Software Defined Radios offer excellent performance and value for hams and SWLs, but they lack key features that are needed for actual use on the air:Provision for automatically muting the speakers when transmitting, to eliminate overloading and audio feedback.A sidetone to monitor CW keying. SDRs do not provide a CW sidetone, and even worse, the time delay resulting from digital signa...  READ MORE	UncleBrad 11/21/2018	Recognizing Radio Amateurs
	2018 KI8BQ AM Gathering Info Sturgis Michigan Gary, KI8BQ has provided info on this year's AM Gathering.  He requests an RSVP.  The flyer containing the location address, contact info and other information is also available here for printing....  READ MORE	UncleBrad 05/06/2018	Recognizing Radio Amateurs
	New Arrival: Swan 350C & 117XC Thanks to Dean, K4ATR I've had lots of Swan 350's in the past, but this one is by far the best, and will stay at this QTH with my other Swan keeper: the model 400.  This 350C was built in February 1968 and sold to Amateur Electronic Supply in Wisconsin (per Stu, K4BOV) and sold to a ham in Texas.  Stu also reported that approximately 1100 of these 350C's were made, and this one was one of the...  READ MORE	UncleBrad 04/07/2018	Activities
	Build Your Own Altair 8800 Personal Computer Go back to 1974 and the dawn of home computing with this Arduino-based kit The MITS Altair 8800 was the first commercially successful personal computer. Created by Ed Roberts in 1974, it was purchased by the thousands via mail order, proving there was a huge demand for computers outside universities and large corporations. Its influence was immense: For example, after seeing the Altair featured on the cover of the January 1975 issue of Popular El...  READ MORE	UncleBrad 02/26/2018	Activities
	Check Out the National NC-183D! Thanks to Jerry, K9GAS, for this superb example. In all the years of my collecting, I've never seen a finer example of the National NC-183D receiver.  From around 1956, this 17-tube receiver is positively beautiful.  The paint shines like new.  The tuning and meter dials are crisp (most are faded and/or discolored).  Hooked up to a worthy speaker, the push/pull 6V6 audio is in a class by itself.  In fact, the powerfu...  READ MORE	UncleBrad 12/17/2017	Recognizing Radio Amateurs
	The Philo T. Farnsworth Syndrome Forgotten Relics of Inventor of Electronic TV (Shown: Barry, AC9NK, at the Allen County/Fort Wayne Historical Society Museum Farnsworth exhibit in Fort Wayne, Indiana)The brilliance of Philo T. Farnsworth and his contributions to us today, no longer are found in a museum bearing his name in Indiana. Farnsworth, like other brilliant men (ie Edwin H. Armstrong) was exploited and sued by RCA's David Sarnoff for ...  READ MORE	UncleBrad 11/19/2017	Old Time Radio (OTR)
	2017 W9DYV Boatanchor Event July 22-23, 2017 Jonesborough, TN The 5th annual W9DYV event is shaping up to be better than ever, with flea markets, vintage radio displays, home-brewing, and great workshops.  Located at the estate of Wes Shum (SK) outside historic Jonesborough, TN, this event has attracted the attention of key enthusiasts and homebrewers from all over the United States.  There will be tables under the big tent, as well as a vast ...  READ MORE	UncleBrad 05/06/2017	Activities