"Joe McElvenney" wrote in message
...
Hi,
Mouser have some NEC pre-scalers (3GHz max) for $2.92 a throw.
Cheers - Joe

Hi Joe,
Many thanks for the information. You have been a great help; exactly what I
was alooking for. I keep having trouble buying this sort of specialised RF
component.

Mant thanks again for your help. BR Harry

My point was that the art of homebrewing loses something when it's reduced
to
just plugging in a chip. Seems like everyone is ignoring how the circuits
work
and taking the 'black-box' approach instead.

I can agree with you, but only up to a point, but do you never think that
"them there chips" can possibly be used as a tool? A component? A lot
depends upon where you draw that line between what you call homebrew and
black-box. Do you not think that an Operational Amplifier, like the UA741,
is a component? or would you rather use a slack-handfull of transistors
every time you need an Operational amplifier. I personally put the prescaler
chip in the same category as the OpAmp.


... where's the fun in just hooking up power to a chip? That's
not homebrewing, at least not in my book.

I get a great kick out of using CMOS and TTL chips. For example, one CD4007
can be used to build a complete superhet receiver. If I want a VHF
synthesiser then I have absolutely no hesitation to using a couple of CD4000
chips and a prescaler. Logic, to me, is also homebrew. As I said before, it
all depends upon where you draw the line.


Try a simple flip-flop. Two transistors, that's all. There are probably a
few
dozen schematics on the net and dozens more at the public library (you do
have
public libraries in Sweden, don't you?).

I didn't have to search for a circuit, but using simple transistors I have a
circuit that is stable, but only up to about 95MHz. Here in Sweden, the ONLY
non-power RF transistor I can find in Sweden is the 2N2369 (NPN) and it is
that transistor that has increased the operating freq. of my stage to 96MHz.
I have also tried just a simple schmitt trigger circuit and again, about
100MHz is the top limit for conventional transistors.

Anyway, I am still having fun on the workbench and I will continue to do so.
When I don't I will probably join all the others who are sick of radio and
homebrew and get on the Internet. Prabably even subscribe to a hamradio
newsgroup, such as "rec.radio.amateur.homebrew" and maybe even communicate
with othere without the QRM.

Best regards - Harry (SM0VPO)

(If it feels good - do it!)

My point was that the art of homebrewing loses something when it's reduced
to
just plugging in a chip. Seems like everyone is ignoring how the circuits
work
and taking the 'black-box' approach instead.

I can agree with you, but only up to a point, but do you never think that
"them there chips" can possibly be used as a tool? A component? A lot
depends upon where you draw that line between what you call homebrew and
black-box. Do you not think that an Operational Amplifier, like the UA741,
is a component? or would you rather use a slack-handfull of transistors
every time you need an Operational amplifier. I personally put the prescaler
chip in the same category as the OpAmp.


... where's the fun in just hooking up power to a chip? That's
not homebrewing, at least not in my book.

I get a great kick out of using CMOS and TTL chips. For example, one CD4007
can be used to build a complete superhet receiver. If I want a VHF
synthesiser then I have absolutely no hesitation to using a couple of CD4000
chips and a prescaler. Logic, to me, is also homebrew. As I said before, it
all depends upon where you draw the line.


Try a simple flip-flop. Two transistors, that's all. There are probably a
few
dozen schematics on the net and dozens more at the public library (you do
have
public libraries in Sweden, don't you?).

I didn't have to search for a circuit, but using simple transistors I have a
circuit that is stable, but only up to about 95MHz. Here in Sweden, the ONLY
non-power RF transistor I can find in Sweden is the 2N2369 (NPN) and it is
that transistor that has increased the operating freq. of my stage to 96MHz.
I have also tried just a simple schmitt trigger circuit and again, about
100MHz is the top limit for conventional transistors.

Anyway, I am still having fun on the workbench and I will continue to do so.
When I don't I will probably join all the others who are sick of radio and
homebrew and get on the Internet. Prabably even subscribe to a hamradio
newsgroup, such as "rec.radio.amateur.homebrew" and maybe even communicate
with othere without the QRM.

Best regards - Harry (SM0VPO)

(If it feels good - do it!)

Frank Gilliland wrote:
My point was that the art of homebrewing loses something when it's
reduced to just plugging in a chip. Seems like everyone is ignoring how
the circuits work and taking the 'black-box' approach instead.
[...]
where's the fun in just hooking up power to a chip? That's not
homebrewing, at least not in my book.

Fair enough - only you can decide what you enjoy. When you post to the
group, we know where you're coming from, so we can interpret
accordingly.

But only I can decide what I enjoy, only Harry what he enjoys, and so on
for every individual. Amateur radio and electronics is about doing what
each of us personally likes, not what we "should" or "must".

You are entitled to your own opinions about other people's preferences,
Frank, but it's disrespectful to post them here as personal criticisms
(and it doesn't encourage the rest of us to respect you).


--
73 from Ian G3SEK 'In Practice' columnist for RadCom (RSGB)
Editor, 'The VHF/UHF DX Book'
http://www.ifwtech.co.uk/g3sek

Frank Gilliland wrote:
My point was that the art of homebrewing loses something when it's
reduced to just plugging in a chip. Seems like everyone is ignoring how
the circuits work and taking the 'black-box' approach instead.
[...]
where's the fun in just hooking up power to a chip? That's not
homebrewing, at least not in my book.

Fair enough - only you can decide what you enjoy. When you post to the
group, we know where you're coming from, so we can interpret
accordingly.

But only I can decide what I enjoy, only Harry what he enjoys, and so on
for every individual. Amateur radio and electronics is about doing what
each of us personally likes, not what we "should" or "must".

You are entitled to your own opinions about other people's preferences,
Frank, but it's disrespectful to post them here as personal criticisms
(and it doesn't encourage the rest of us to respect you).


--
73 from Ian G3SEK 'In Practice' columnist for RadCom (RSGB)
Editor, 'The VHF/UHF DX Book'
http://www.ifwtech.co.uk/g3sek

In , "Ian White, G3SEK"
wrote:

Frank Gilliland wrote:
My point was that the art of homebrewing loses something when it's
reduced to just plugging in a chip. Seems like everyone is ignoring how
the circuits work and taking the 'black-box' approach instead.
[...]
where's the fun in just hooking up power to a chip? That's not
homebrewing, at least not in my book.

Fair enough - only you can decide what you enjoy. When you post to the
group, we know where you're coming from, so we can interpret
accordingly.

But only I can decide what I enjoy, only Harry what he enjoys, and so on
for every individual. Amateur radio and electronics is about doing what
each of us personally likes, not what we "should" or "must".

You are entitled to your own opinions about other people's preferences,
Frank, but it's disrespectful to post them here as personal criticisms
(and it doesn't encourage the rest of us to respect you).

Let me ask you a simple question: Suppose someone buys an SP-600, mounts some
chrome knobs, spray-paints his name on the front panel, then posts on the
newsgroup saying, "Hey, look what I built!" Would you call that "homebrew"?





-----= Posted via Newsfeeds.Com, Uncensored Usenet News =-----
http://www.newsfeeds.com - The #1 Newsgroup Service in the World!
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In , "Ian White, G3SEK"
wrote:

Frank Gilliland wrote:
My point was that the art of homebrewing loses something when it's
reduced to just plugging in a chip. Seems like everyone is ignoring how
the circuits work and taking the 'black-box' approach instead.
[...]
where's the fun in just hooking up power to a chip? That's not
homebrewing, at least not in my book.

Fair enough - only you can decide what you enjoy. When you post to the
group, we know where you're coming from, so we can interpret
accordingly.

But only I can decide what I enjoy, only Harry what he enjoys, and so on
for every individual. Amateur radio and electronics is about doing what
each of us personally likes, not what we "should" or "must".

You are entitled to your own opinions about other people's preferences,
Frank, but it's disrespectful to post them here as personal criticisms
(and it doesn't encourage the rest of us to respect you).

Let me ask you a simple question: Suppose someone buys an SP-600, mounts some
chrome knobs, spray-paints his name on the front panel, then posts on the
newsgroup saying, "Hey, look what I built!" Would you call that "homebrew"?





-----= Posted via Newsfeeds.Com, Uncensored Usenet News =-----
http://www.newsfeeds.com - The #1 Newsgroup Service in the World!
-----== Over 100,000 Newsgroups - 19 Different Servers! =-----

Frank Gilliland wrote:
You are entitled to your own opinions about other people's preferences,
Frank, but it's disrespectful to post them here as personal criticisms
(and it doesn't encourage the rest of us to respect you).

Let me ask you a simple question: Suppose someone buys an SP-600,
mounts some chrome knobs, spray-paints his name on the front panel,
then posts on the newsgroup saying, "Hey, look what I built!" Would you
call that "homebrew"?

I honestly don't share that compulsion to classify other people's
projects as either "homebrew" or not.


--
73 from Ian G3SEK 'In Practice' columnist for RadCom (RSGB)
Editor, 'The VHF/UHF DX Book'
http://www.ifwtech.co.uk/g3sek

Frank Gilliland wrote:
You are entitled to your own opinions about other people's preferences,
Frank, but it's disrespectful to post them here as personal criticisms
(and it doesn't encourage the rest of us to respect you).

Let me ask you a simple question: Suppose someone buys an SP-600,
mounts some chrome knobs, spray-paints his name on the front panel,
then posts on the newsgroup saying, "Hey, look what I built!" Would you
call that "homebrew"?

I honestly don't share that compulsion to classify other people's
projects as either "homebrew" or not.


--
73 from Ian G3SEK 'In Practice' columnist for RadCom (RSGB)
Editor, 'The VHF/UHF DX Book'
http://www.ifwtech.co.uk/g3sek

Frank Gilliland wrote:


My point was that the art of homebrewing loses something when it's reduced to
just plugging in a chip. Seems like everyone is ignoring how the circuits work
and taking the 'black-box' approach instead. For example, the MAX038 is a chip
that is a ready-made 0-20 MHz function generator with sweep, variable duty
cycle, frequency modulation, and a phase discriminator. I'm sure that sounds
cool to some, but if all you need is a 100 kHz square wave, why not learn how to
build a square-wave oscillator with one or two transistors? And if you want a
function generator, where's the fun in just hooking up power to a chip? That's
not homebrewing, at least not in my book.


I guess you wind your own capacitors, and collect lamp black to make
your own resistors? there are tradeoffs in any project. Sure you could
build a 50 pound toy that uses 200 watts to do a simple project, or do
the same job in a handheld device that runs for weeks off a couple AA
cells.

Homebrewing is using what you can get to build what you want, as well
as to meet the desired specifications. I started working with used parts
in the '60s, but over the years I have moved on to more advanced
projects. My biggest project to date, was building CH 58 TV in Destin,
Florida with mostly defective and damaged 30 to forty year old broadcast
equipment. It was a real challenge finding, or making replacement parts
fore the RCA TTU-25B transmitter, and other old equipment. it was more
of a restoration and homebrew project than it was meeting the deadline
on the FCC construction permit. I ended up working as an engineering
tech at L-3Com/Microdyne working on $80,000 telemetry receivers, and
still design projects at home.

I am working on some kits to allow people to build some test
equipment they can't afford new, and don't need the performance of brand
new Agilent or Tektronix equipment. It is cheaper to use "Chips", rather
than discrete parts in a lot of circuits, and they design works better,
too. Homebrewing should be used to learn something, and if you want to
remain at the lowest level, enjoy yourself, but don't ridicule others
who want to learn newer methods.
--


Michael A. Terrell
Central Florida