Post AajKGSC2xarOwu2pQu by insom@tiny.tilde.website
 (DIR) More posts by insom@tiny.tilde.website
 (DIR) Post #AajKGMCtDXyANmOPui by insom@tiny.tilde.website
       2023-10-13T14:07:40Z
       
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       HF radio propagation is so cool and weird. Here's me calling CQ on FT8 on 20m last night with <1W through a modified Pixie.Only people 650-700mi away heard me, in basically a radius around my house!(Also one dude that lives in my neighbourhood).#hamradio
       
 (DIR) Post #AajKGNBrYqk5Qsv6x6 by ndz@noagendasocial.com
       2023-10-13T14:27:28Z
       
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       @insom nice QRP!  What's a pixie?I enjoy 2 meter FT8 a lot.  But usually run 50w.
       
 (DIR) Post #AajKGOoBXqzUS1rEK8 by insom@tiny.tilde.website
       2023-10-13T14:11:05Z
       
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       also my friend and I tried to build basically the worst/simplest direct-conversion radio possible -- on a breadboard -- using one S8050 transistor for a mixer, fed from the antenna into the collector, LO into the base, mixed output at emitter into a soundcard.And it works. I am stunned. The last 12 hours of https://pskreporter.info/pskmap?callsign=ve3xeu for me include dozens of reports including one in Romania.
       
 (DIR) Post #AajKGPakdHq4sea11U by insom@tiny.tilde.website
       2023-10-13T14:19:58Z
       
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       This is said modified Pixie - modified to take an external local oscillator (the alligator clips) over a 47k resistor between ground and base of the first transistor (a 9018?).I also removed the Pi network from the output as it is tuned for 40m and I have an external Pi network for tuning set up for my antenna.Other mods I tried included just removing the LM386 and taking audio out directly from the socket header which had much lower noise.
       
 (DIR) Post #AajKGQyXUKSfAiiWjw by insom@tiny.tilde.website
       2023-10-13T14:16:49Z
       
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       Here is that mess of wires (LPF not currently in use, Pi Pico is not part of the circuit I just needed a breadboard)
       
 (DIR) Post #AajKGSC2xarOwu2pQu by insom@tiny.tilde.website
       2023-10-13T14:24:47Z
       
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       Not pictured, and arguably a giant cheat, is the SI5351 I am using as a local oscillator. It makes so many HF things easy, I'm sure that hams in the 80's and 90's would have killed for such a versatile and useful $15 VFO-in-a-box solution.