THIS WEBSITE IS DEDICATED TO THE PHENOMENON, SCIENCE, ART, SPIRIT AND SOUL
OF RADIO WITH A FOCUS ON THE AMATEUR RADIO SERVICE.
I am a passionate, genuine and outspoken "classic style" amateur radio
operator. The design of this website aims to reflect my attitude and to
spark some fascination and appreciation for the roots and virtues of the
amateur radio hobby. It presents not only a substantial retrospective of
radio history but also a wealth of applicable technical material and is
meant to be not just entertaining but informative and educational ...
"Why has this discipline of radio - at one time the very heart of
electronic technology - come to the point where people consider it an
arcane science ? I have been forced to consider what first attracted me to
radio during my formative years. I liked radio because it was aesthetically
appealing. I was not nearly as impressed by the capabilities of radio as by
the very nature of radio. Radio is great, not because of what it does, but
because of what it is. Nobody buys an original Da Vinci painting to cover a
hole in the wall. By the same token there are other means of communication
that are more efficient than bouncing signals off the ionosphere; but the
very fact that we can bounce signals off the ionosphere makes it worth the
effort ... Maxwell's equations appeal to the body, soul and spirit. Sine
waves are veritable works of art. Antenna radiation patterns are beautiful
... It is incumbent upon radio initiates to convey the mystique and aesthetic
aspects of our hobby to newcomers. To fail to do so is to doom our hobby
and the radio profession to the status of a lost art."
Eric Nicols, KL7AJ
"Somewhere on a lonely mountaintop on a starry night, or maybe in an
apartment on a bustling city block, someone is channeling the whole world
onto a mobile device. It's not a phone; it's a shortwave radio ...
Now that the Internet is a fixture in many homes in the United States and
Canada, there are few practical reasons to buy a shortwave radio. Thousands
of stations that once were available only on the shortwave band are online
...
The contrast is stark: iPods and satellite radios are slim and
pocket-sized, while shortwaves are throwbacks, typically as square as a
textbook and just as serious looking.
So why bother with shortwave?
It's easy and cheap -- and fun. You can hear and learn things that
you would never find even if you work your search engine like a mule. From
Swaziland to Paris to Havana, shortwave broadcasters can surprise an
adventurous listener more than any MP3 playlist ...
It's also magic.
Shortwave radio enthusiasts acknowledge the thrill -- the romance, in a way
-- of going out at night and snaring news, music, odd bleeps, religious
zealots and other broadcasts from the wild sea of frequencies in the sky.
In aural terms, the Internet wins. Shortwave by nature sounds dirty:
Its signals whoosh from clouds of static and are subject to the whims of
sunspots and atmospheric disturbances.
But when you hear voices over
the noise and squeal, and realize you are hearing Mongolia, live, there is
a warmth and a human connection that are hard to find on the Web.
Shortwave also can deliver news faster than you might find it online, and
in places where your other devices don't work ..."
Excerpts from "Shortwave Radio Still Packs an Audible Thrill"
by Robert MacMillan, New York (Reuters), Jan 14, 2009
"I don't believe in magic, but I do know that sitting in my car in the
middle of Mississippi and listening to a signal that traveled more than a
thousand miles, over nearly a dozen states, and came down into my car through
a metal pole antenna and two paper-cone speakers, was as near to a magical
experience as ever I'm likely to have."
Richard Rubin, "It's Radi-O! The Medium That Can Turn
Anywhere into Somewhere"
HAM SPIRIT
Every minute of every hour of every day radio amateurs all over the world
communicate with each other and discover new friends while experimenting
with different and exciting new ways to advance the science and art of
radio. We are a global fraternity of dedicated people who share a common
passion, able to exchange ideas and to learn more about each other by
overriding the boundaries of nationality, ideology and religion.
Radio amateurs have the ability to enhance international relations and
understanding as does no other group or organization. And that is only
possible because according to our own unwritten code of ethics, called
"ham spirit", amateur radio is strictly UNPOLITICAL. This is no censorship.
It is, however, an attempt to avoid topics which have, throughout history,
been used to justify oppression and war.
Whoever tries to drive a wedge into our fraternity or to instrumentalize
amateur radio for political or ideological agitation, defamation, isolation,
discrimination or sanctioning must be aware that such misconduct has no place
in our ranks and that it only adds fuel to the conflicts in the world. And
so it goes without saying that even the terrible war in Ukraine does not have
any influence on my friendship with those fellow radio amateurs in Russia
who share that same "ham spirit" with me.
HAM RADIO ...
... was once regulated to the spectrum dust bin. It was in the early 1900's
when the governments and military grabbed control of the coveted long waves
that were needed for long-range communications, and soon the signals from huge
VLF (very low frequency) stations powered by hundreds of kilowatts reached
across the Atlantic Ocean. Because of interference to commercial and naval
radio operations, the International Radiotelegraph Convention signed in London
in 1912 shortly after the Titanic disaster relegated amateur radio operators or
"hams" to wavelengths of 200 meters and shorter (frequencies of 1.5 MHz and
higher). At that time, it was believed that these short waves could not reach
very far and therefore considered to be a "wasteland".
That could have been the end of the story - but within a decade radio amateurs
advanced their hobby with enthusiasm and innovative technology and made those
short waves sing. Many of them believed that they, too, could span the Atlantic,
even with modest stations. Their 1921 Transatlantic Test debunked the myth of
the useless short waves, and in 1923 the first amateur radio two-way contacts
between the US and Europe were completed. It wasn't until 1924 that the
English physicist Sir Edward Appleton proved the existence of the ionosphere,
which enables worldwide short wave communications even with very low power
transmitters and simple antennas.
On 13 October 1924 the station 1SF in Short Beach, Connecticut, USA, worked
Frank Bell, Z4AA, a sheep farmer in Shag Valley, New Zealand, for a new amateur
radio world distance record of 14,500 kilometers. However, this record was only
to stand for six days, for on Sunday 19 October at 0615 UTC it shot up to 20,000
kilometers, which is the distance to the antipodes and thus equals one half of
the earth circumference. This transworld radio contact was established by Z4AA
in New Zealand and Cecil Goyder, an 18 years old student operating G2SZ, the
Mill Hill School Wireless Society station located in North London, on a wavelength
of 90 meters (about 3.3 MHz) with an estimated transmit power of only 80 watts.
Radio amateurs pioneered the short waves, which soon became the most important
medium and backbone for worldwide radio communications ...
PROFILE
STATION DATA
Callsign:
DJ5IL Operator:
Karl Fischer, on Earth since 1956, on the airwaves since 1973,
professional software engineer, self-employed, semi-retired.
Location:
Pforzheim (48° 54' N / 8° 42' E), Gateway to the Black Forest,
Germany, Central Europe - 25 Km from the University of Karlsruhe, where
in 1886 Heinrich Hertz proved the existence of electromagnetic waves as
predicted by Maxwell. Learn what happened to my hometown Pforzheim on
February 23, 1945 ...
Mail Address:
Karl Fischer, Friedenstr. 42, 75173 Pforzheim, Germany
Transceivers:
Elecraft K4D & KX2, Icom IC-7610, Kenwood TS-590 & TS-50, Ten-Tec
Omni D & Corsair II, some homebrew QRP transceivers.
Receivers:
Drake 2-B (vintage 1960s, tubes)
Transmitters:
Drake T-4X (vintage 1960s, tubes)
Power Amplifier:
SPE Expert 1K-FA (MOSFETs, fully automatic, max. 1 KW output power, 1.8
- 50 MHz) Antennas:
>> Rotary Dipole PRO.SIS.TEL RD1524T for 40/20/25/10m @ 15mh, it replaced
my Tennadyne "T6" LPDA
>> Vertical Dipole, 18m long, feedpoint @ 9m above ground + automatic tuner
SGC SG-230, operable countinously from 3.5 to 30 MHz (one arm of the
dipole is a "Titanex V40" 10m long vertical radiator made of aluminium
/ titanium alloy, the other arm is a 8m long vertical coax section
going straight down towards ground)
>> Inverted-V Dipole for the 80m-band
Morse Keyers and Keys:
>> Keyrama
and CMOS Super Keyers II/III with homebrew
Sensor-Paddles
>> Vibroplex "Original" Bug,
left-handed model, Ser.# 234150 (built in 1963),
read its story !
>> Vibroplex "Lightning" Bug
left-handed model, Ser.# 219318 (built in 1961)
>> Vibroplex "Champion" Bug, Ser.# 260509 (built in 1969)
>> E.F. Johnson Co. "SpeedX" Bug,
modell 114-520, converted for left-handed operation
>> various Cootie Keys ("Sideswipers") and Straight Keys Memberships:
FOC # 1980, HSC # 842, DARC, RSGB, ARRL
Preferences:
radio telegraphy with bugs, sideswipers and electronic keyers --- DX-ing
(DXCC entities confirmed: 315) --- rag-chewing in CW and SSB --- radio
engineering --- antennas & transmission lines in theory and practice
--- study and forecast of ionospheric radio propagation --- vintage radio
equipment collection, restoration and operation --- exchange and collection
of individually designed QSL cards --- good friends --- good food, beer
and wines --- hiking --- running --- cycling --- travelling
Aversions:
crocodiles (radio operators with small ears and big mouths) --- contests
--- five-nine-nine QSOs --- promised QSLs which never arrive --- eQSL ---
DX-cluster --- soft-drinks
QSL Policy:
The first QSL card was sent from Buffalo, New York, in 1916 and for decades
they were an important and interesting part of the amateur radio culture.
Most of them were individual designs and sometimes even veritable works of
art. Times have changed a lot, but since I started with amateur radio in the
early 1970s I have an obsession and passion for individually styled cards.
I do not send QSLs just to confirm QSOs but to express my fascination and
appreciation for the roots and virtues of amateur radio. Changing my card
motives quite often, I invest a lot of time and effort to design the graphical
layout and typography and to select appropriate top quality paperboard for
the printjob. I only keep a paper logbook and confirm almost all QSOs with
a handwritten QSL. Please note that I do not collect QSLs because I need any
QSOs to be confirmed, but solely for their graphical design and personality.
Your QSL can be very simple and printed or drawn on cheap paper, if it only
shows some personality it will be very much appreciated and become a valuable
part of my collection.
Visit the QSL Gallery with the
timeline of my own card designs.
Attention SWLs: I confirm all incoming cards with valid reception reports
with a direct QSL - no IRCs or greenstamps required ! Audio recordings of my
transmissions which are sent to my email address are confirmed with a direct
QSL plus a set of special "Black Forest" postcards.
Activity:
OPERATOR's BIOGRAPHY
I came on Earth on 15 December 1956 in the town of Pforzheim in Southwestern
Germany, "Gateway to the Black Forest" and only 25 km away from the University
of Karlsruhe where Heinrich Hertz proved the existence of electromagnetic waves
in 1886. As a young boy my grandfather's radio fascinated me, with the glowing
tubes inside bringing voices and music a long way from all these strange places
printed on the dial. I discovered spooky number stations and heterodynes of CW
signals and soon I was smitten by the magic, spirit and soul of RADIO.
In the early 1960s my father became an SWL and listening spellbound to amateur
radio traffic I was hooked and decided to become a transmitting radio amateur
myself one day. At 14 I got a two-tube (2x ECC83) regenerative receiver kit for
Christmas 1970, became a keen SWL, started to learn the Morse code and even
built a semi-automatic "bug" key which looked very strange but worked. It
seemed to me that the thumb would be best suited for keying dashes and that's
why I key reversed to this day. About half a year later I was able to receive
and send code at 20 wpm and fell in love with CW.
The QSL I received from LA3M for my first QSO ...
DJ5IL, opr. Karl, in February 1974 at the age of 17
Our local radio club met every Thursday evening. A licensed club member who
went to Bolivia to make his fortune as a jungle pilot, flying his rickety
Cessna between La Paz and Santa Cruz, used to come back home once a year to
visit his parents and old friends. When he saw my "bug" key he laughed at me
and doubted that I was able to send clean code at 20 wpm. He offered me a bet
- I won and he allowed me to operate our club station DL0PH every Thursday
evening during his stay. Then he showed me how to tune up the FL-200B transmitter
and left me alone. On that 10 May 1973 at around 2030Z I sent out my first CQ
on 20m and it was answered by Chris at the club station LA3M near the Arctic
Circle in Norway. My first QSO, unlis - what a thrill ! During the following
weeks I could hardly await those Thursday nights in the club, quite some pages
in the logbook were filled and I still have the QSL card from LA3M for that
memorable QSO.
At the age of 16, having been granted special permission to waive the then usual
requirement of 18, I passed the license examination in Karlsruhe in August 1973
- 3 months after my first QSO - with flying colors and became one of the youngest
radio amateurs in Germany with the old re-issued callsign DJ5IL. In the basement
of our house I installed my radio shack and workshop and spent most of my spare
time on the airwaves or constructing radio equipment. Most nights we had QRQ
roundtables on 80m, and since we share the band with commercial users from time
to time it was even possible to exchange 73s with "Interpol" operators. In 1977
I joined the "Radio Telegraphy High Speed Club" (HSC #842). Me and my local radio
buddies were very active and did a lot of interesting and funny things, for
example we eavesdropped the major press agencies in RTTY with homebrew decoders
and got hot news before they appeared on Radio, TV or in newspapers.
Me and Jutta at the home of our driver near Siem Reap / Cambodia in December 2016
Me and my girlfriend Jutta studied computer science, finished in 1984 and married
the same year. I worked as a self-employed software engineer, and luckily we were
able to organize our life so that we had a lot of spare time. Until 2020 we travelled
extensively through Asia, our main targets were India, Myanmar, Cambodia, Vietnam
and Thailand. Today I am semi-retired and we still live in Pforzheim, enjoy the
outdoors, hiking and cycling in our beautiful countryside and having a ball with
our friends savouring good local food, beer and wine. I am radio active almost
daily, my main interests are CW operating, DXing, construction of radio equipment
and treatment of radio engineering topics.
DJ5IL, opr. Karl, in 2012
One of my most memorable QSOs was with Fritz Hauff, W3NZ (SK, FOC #1065). On 9
October 2001 at 2200Z he answered my CQ on 20m and during our QSO we realized
that we were blood-related, because Fritz was a first cousin of my grandmother
(see "IT'S A SMALL WORLD" by W3NZ below). For my cousin Fritz and for me amateur
radio became not just a hobby but a life long passion. In 2012 I joined the ranks
of the "First Class CW Operators' Club" (FOC #1980) with great pleasure and pride.
In memory of my late uncle Fritz Hauff, W3NZ, who was a true cousin of my
grandmother and a passionate and exceptional radio amateur. This picture
shows OM Fritz in his 1950 radio shack in Royersford / PA when he held his
first callsign W3GHS.
IT'S A SMALL WORLD !
(by W3NZ, from the FOC News Sheet #666, April 2005)
At 2200z on 9 October 2001 I checked 20 meters. Signals from Europe were strong
but not plentiful, and in my pet spectrum (14022 - 14030 KHz) the CQ from DJ5IL
was outstanding and snappy. I gave my call once and he bounced back to me with
flawless CW. "TNX OM for call, you are 599 and my name is Karl, the QTH is
Pforzheim, at the north end of the Black Forest. BK".
I said, "Many TNX Karl, you are also solid 599, my name is Fritz. I know the
Black Forest well, my mother came from Haiterbach and years ago I had some
relatives in Pforzheim. I am not sure of their name, but believe it was Karl
Fischer, he was married to my cousin Kaethe Klenk and he had a store selling
watches and clocks. Would you know them or of them? BK".
Karl replied. "Solid copy Fritz. My name is Karl Fischer and the store is
still in the family. We are related, I am 45 years old and I never knew my
grandfather Karl Fischer, he had died before I was born. How about it?".
By that time my mind went almost blank. A good CW operator in the relationship
was too much for me to contemplate. We exchanged e-mail addresses and
signed.
After I told my wife Jean this story, her eyes opened wide and she said,
"It's hard to believe, it is a small world !".
MY FIRST EXPERIENCE WITH RADIO !
(by W3NZ, from a personal letter)
I was ten years old - back in 1921 when I saw and heard my first radio. It was
a home built 3 tube breadbord set.
I was hooked !
It was an adventure for me to build a little crystal set. The big expense was
a pair of Siemens earfones and the cotton covered wire for the coil and the
aerial. It took a few days before the miracle happened - I heard Stuttgart.
Was I ever excited! " Mom, hurry up and listen! " She arrived, I put the
earfones over her head. Her cheeks turned white and after a few seconds she
hollered: "Get this thing out of this house, it is the work of the devil !"
A week later she had a change of mind - after she found out that her preacher
also had a RADIO.
It was the beginning of my life long passion !
SPOTLIGHT
CLASSIC HAM SHACKS
Back in the early days of radio, the equipment was highly
experimental and all home-built. Until the electron tube
was invented, radio transmitters used a noisy and dangerous
rotary spark-gap to generate radio waves and so they were
often housed in a separate outbuilding or shed. At that time,
wireless radio equipment aboard ships was generally housed
above the bridge in a wooden structure which became known
as the "radio shack". In amateur radio terminology,
the radio room is often called "ham shack". This
slideshow turns back the dial and puts the spotlight on
classic ham shacks of a bygone era. Stop by from time to
time for spotlights on other radio themes ...
A classic post-war ham shack, on the desk in front of the
operator a Hammarlund HQ-129X Receiver (which appeared on
the market in 1946) and a semi-automatic "bug" key for Morse
code transmission ...
Myron Hexter, W9FKC, 1967 in his impressive radio shack in
Ravina, Illinois. He had been licensed as 6CNL in Los Angeles
in 1923 being only 15 years old, became W9FKC when he moved
to the Chicago area in 1926 and though he was known as "Mike
at the mike" he was most adept in the use of Morse code and
also an FOC member. In 1994 Mike was up in the stratosphere
on mixed DXCC with 376 entities confirmed.
U.S. Navy Chief Petty Officer Aubrey Garrett operating KC4USV
at Williams Air Operating Facility, McMurdo Sound, Ross Island,
during the 1956 winter. Ham radio was the only means of voice
communication with friends and family back in the United States
for navy personnel living and working in Antarctica in the days
before satellite telephone technology.
Cecil C. Gregson, W9CNN, was born in 1906 in Iowa. In 1921 he
decided to leave his parents' farm, jumped on his motorcycle and
went to Chicago where he worked as a radio repair man and later
opened a small machine shop in his garage. He worked 12 hours a
day, 6 days a week and made his shop a successful company,
specialized on precision machining for missile and aircraft
components. After the war Cecil returned to his ham radio
passion and with plenty of money to spend, he built this
dream-station which was completed in 1955 ...
In 1957/58 Ludvik Kloucek, OK1KW, was a radio operator at the
Czechoslovak Embassy in Ulan Bator. Mongolia was in the most rare
Zone 23 and so he got on the air with the self-assigned callsign
JT1AA (which was later officially assigned by the government).
With the Prague Spring and the Soviet invasion in 1968 Ludvik
lost his job and also his radio license and never returned to
amateur radio. He disappeared into obscurity and died in 2010,
age 80. The picture shows him in his improvised Ulan Bator ham
shack in 1958 ...
Amateur radio was highly organized and institutionalized in the
former Soviet Union and radio amateurs were viewed as servants
of the state, although not without a certain degree of prestige,
because hams were in touch with - or at least listened to
broadcasts from - the outside world. All of them belonged to
clubs and individual amateur radio stations did not exist in the
USSR until the mid 1950s. This is the 1970s ham shack of the
Ukrainian clubstation UB4FWX, ex-UK5FBT ...
The late 1930s Georgia ham shack of Evelyn Sanford, W4DAI. Shortly
after her 31st birthday she became a member of the prestigeous
"A-1 Operator Club" of the American Radio Relay League ARRL. Note
the small skull above the semi-automatic "bug" key ...
Madeleine Pugh, VK4YL, the "youngest radio operator in the British
Empire", pictured in her ham shack in Brisbane / Australia in 1934.
She got her radio licence when she was about 12 years old ...
The 1930s ham shack of J2IX, Mrs. C. S. Suzuki in Tokyo / Japan.
"Suzy" operated 20m and 40m phone and CW, was well known to 40m
DXers around the globe and acted as foreign QSL manager of the
"Japan Amateur Radio League" JARL ...
Mary Texanna Loomis, W3YA, radio operator and engineer and first
female to run a mens electronic & wireless college, the "Loomis
Radio College" in Washington D.C. in the 1920s and 1930s ...
The ham shack of Hiram Percy Maxim, American radio pioneer and
inventor. He invented and sold the first successful firearm
silencer and developed mufflers for combustion engines. Maxim
held the callsigns SNY, 1WH, 1ZM, 1AW (after WW I) and later W1AW.
In 1914 he founded the "American Radio Relay League" ARRL as a
response to the lack of an organized group of "relay" stations
to pass messages via amateur radio. Relaying messages allows
them to travel farther than any single station's reach ...
Ham shack with a spark-gap transmitter - very noisy and dangerous,
the big coil near the operator's head carries high voltage !
Spark-gap transmitters were the first type of radio transmitter
and the main type used during the wireless telegraphy or "spark"
era, the first three decades of radio from 1897 to the End of WW I.
German physicist Heinrich Hertz built the first experimental
spark-gap transmitter in 1897 and proved the existence of radio
waves as predicted by Maxwell ...
Barry Goldwater was an American politician, businessman and author
who was a senator from Arizona and the Republican Party nominee
for president of the United States in 1964. This picture shows
Barry in 1921 operating his first amateur radio station 6BPI from
his ham shack, a loft in the garage. He constructed it when he was
only 12 years old. Amateur radio became his lifelong passion, later
he held the callsigns K3UIG and K7UGA ...
The typical 1920s ham shack of amateur radio station 2COW ...
Move the pointer (mobile devices: tap) into the above slideshow
to pause and out of it to continue autoplay. While paused an info
window for the current slide can be opened by clicking (tapping)
on the blue "i"-square in the lower right corner and closed by
clicking (tapping) into the window to pause further or by moving
the pointer (tapping) out of the image to resume autoplay. Go to
a particular slide by clicking (tapping) on its index number.
DM4SHJ
HAM-SHACKS GALLERY
DJ6QM
OK2BMZ
DF5ZS
DJ8SW
DL1LSH
DM3WCG
G2YT
DM2CGF
Move the pointer (tap) into an image to open a blue info-box.
RADIO TOPICS
This chapter presents articles, essays and features dealing with
Technical,
Operational,
Historical and
Regulatory
aspects of amateur radio. The layout of some of the available PDF files is
my reminiscence of the "ham radio" (HR) magazine, which was founded
by Skip Tenney, W1NLB, and Jim Fisk, W1HR / W1DTY and published from February
1968 to June 1990. In its time HR was the preeminent technical magazine for
amateur radio, it had no peers and to this day published some of the most
cutting edge articles in amateur radio history. Feel free to download and
circulate any of the material presented here ...
IMPORTANT NOTICE: Many browsers include their own native PDF plug-ins which
automatically replace the Acrobat and Reader plug-in from Adobe and which
typically do not support all PDF capabilities or offer comparable features.
If you experience for example poor quality when viewing or printing PDF
documents you should change your browser preferences so that PDF files
are opened with the Adobe Reader.
If you are a serious semi-automatic key operator, you will always keep the
contacts of your "bug" shiny clean and perfectly adjusted. But even if you
do so, chances are that your transmissions sound filthy. The reason is
contact bouncing, a common problem with all unwetted mechanical contacts,
even those of high quality Morse code keys or keyer paddles. Here is an
easy to build PIC-based digital debouncer for bugs, sideswipers and
straight Keys ...
(in German only)
Unternehmen Sie mit mir eine Reise in die phantastische Welt der
Quentenmechanik, lernen Sie Schrödinger's Katze kennen und bauen Sie einen
besonders frequenzstabilen und oberwellenarmen "Negative Resistance
Oscillator" ... (Erstveröffentlichung meines Artikels in der Zeitschrift
"Funk", Januar 2003)
A PIC-based capacitive sensor encoder for frequency tuning of amateur
radio sets - I ordered a Xiegu G90 HF Transceiver In May 2021 because
with its 20 W output power, built-in ATU and very compact size it
looked like the perfect travel companion for my amateur radion activities
from abroad. However, when it arrived I was very disappointed for just one
single reason: the main tuning control is a primitive and cheapo
mechanical rotary encoder with 20 detents ! In this article I will
show you how I modified my G90 for serious frequency tuning. CapCoder
is a Capacitive sensor enCoder which needs no adjustment
and is selfcalibrating, very reliable and sensitive and allows for slow
and fast tuning without pushing a button ...
(in German only)
Ein außergewöhnlicher Kurzwellenempfänger nicht nur für die Jagd nach
Störsignalen und nach Füchsen ... Auf diesem Video kann man den
"Wellenjäger" im Betrieb sehen und hören:
The suffix "-rama" stems from the Ancient Greek word "οραμα" which means
"wide view". In order to complement my article
"All about Squeeze-Keying" with a useful practical device I developed
the unique PIC-based multi-mode Morse code keyer "Keyrama". It enables the
operator to get a wide view of the different keying modes, to compare its
correct emulation and timing of the original twin-lever modes with the
behaviour of other keyers, to follow the visualized action of the
dot/dash-memory and to find out to which extent his specific keying
technique really makes use of it ...
Programmed PICs 16F684 are available from the author, the
firmware hex-file
can be downloaded for personal non-commercial use. The actual version is
dated 11-10-2020, some minor bugs have been corrected and so if you are
using an older version please update your "Keyrama" keyer.
An improved PIC-based capacitive sensor-paddle for electronic Morse code
keyers. Early sensor-paddles used by radio amateurs worked with the skin
resistance, which is a widely varying parameter and makes two electrodes
necessary. They were notoriously unreliable and no pleasure to operate,
and that's why they gained a bad reputation. Being a passionate high-speed
CW operator, in the late 1990s I had the idea for a sensor-paddle based
on the self capacitance of the human body ...
(in German only)
Diese kleine zerlegbare Vertikalantenne erlaubt Amateurfunkbetrieb auf allen
KW-Bändern mit maximal 150 Watt Sendeleistung und bietet sich mit einer
Transportlänge von 37 cm insbesondere für den Portabelbetrieb an. Ein
Vergleichstest ...
(in German only)
Wohin geht die Leistung, die von einer fehlangepassten Last am Ausgang einer
Übertragungsleitung reflektiert wird ? Jahrelang war ich der Ansicht, daß sie
am Generator total re-reflektiert wird, so wie es von Walt Maxwell, W2DU,
ursprünglich propagiert wurde, und meine Darstellung dieses Modells war hier
zu finden. Inzwischen bin ich zu einer anderen Überzeugung gelangt und warum
das so ist, wird hier erklärt ...
(in German only)
Kondensierte Form des Artikels "Energiefluss auf Übertragungsleitungen",
ergänzt um die Begründung und Berechnung des Zusatzverlustes ...
Add a new dimension of CW perception to your receiver by incorporating this
simple audio device for pseudo-stereo reception of radio telegraphy signals.
The sound does not seem to originate from the earphones as usual, but from
the inside of your head. Multiple CW signals in the receiver passband seem
to be spreaded out holding specific positions, while static crashes appear
randomly distributed throughout the entire space - a spatial sound sensation
with depth and presence that makes CW copy unique ...
I recorded a few moments on the 40m band to demonstrate the effect of the
CODEPHASER. Before you listen to the demo, please note that it is absolutely
necessary to use stereo headphones - PC loudspeakers definitely don't work !
Don't expect astounding but rather subtle effects, since spatial sound
sensations are the normal condition for our auditory system. Close your eyes
while listening in order to focus exclusively on the sound. And certainly it
will take some time and several listening sessions before you can fully
appreciate this new dimension of CW reception. The demo consists of 9 radio
clips:
Clip #1 (39 sec.):
Sweep across the 40m CW band. The clip starts monaural, after 15 sec. the
CODEPHASER is switched in and the signals now appear on the right moving to
the left with increasing pitch ...
During the following clips, the CODEPHASER is switched in and out alternately
(the switching moment can be identified by a short popping noise):
Clip #2 (18 sec.), Clip #3 (30 sec.), Clip #4 (31 sec.):
CW pile-ups. A wide filter is used to enhance the spatial effect. Pay special
attention to G3PHO in the first and F6COW in the last pile-up ...
Clip #5 (16 sec.), Clip #6 (19 sec.), Clip #7 (10 sec.):
FSK-signals. Though it makes no sense to listen to them, they sound quite
interesting through the CODEPHASER ...
Extremely small and highly efficient - These two properties of a fictious
superantenna sound very attractive, not only to us radio amateurs.
Unfortunately, they are physically competing since the smaller the antenna
copared to the wavelength, the smaller the radiation resistance. And because
in real antenna systems the losses increase with decreasing radiation
resistance, efficiency drops with reduction in size. See my detailed
analysis of the DL7PE-MicroVert and it's derivatives and learn how the
MicoVert really works (in English and in German).
A NEW EQUIVALENT CIRCUIT FOR THE IMPEDANCE OF SHORT RADIATORS
In 1973 the two scientists Friedrich Landstorfer and Hans Heinrich Meinke
of the University Munich published a highly interesting article that
explains the division of the total antenna capacitance into so-called
space capacitance and dead capacitance very clearly both in quality and
in quantity on the basis of the time-dependent course of wave detachment
in the near field of antennas - a subject which has been intensively
addressed by Prof. Dr. Landstorfer with many interesting publications.
They show why and how the radiation resistance and as a result also the
efficiency are decreasing with shortening of a radiator, why for a rod
of uniform diameter that diameter has no influence on the radiation
resistance and how constructive measures affect efficiency. Download the
German original "Ein neues Ersatzbild für die
Impedanz kurzer Strahler" (PDF, 1037 KB) or my
English translation "A New Equivalent Circuit for the Impedance of Short
Radiators" (PDF, 322 KB).
POYNTING VECTORS
Where on an antenna does radiation come from ? If you are one of those
searching minds intrigued by this big question, read the explanation on
the Poynting vector and energy flux in electromagnetic wave fields as part
of my analysis how the MicoVert really
works (in English and in German) and watch my little movies Poynting #1 and Poynting #2. They visualize the electromagnetic
energy flow around a radiating dipole antenna in free space, represented
by a Poynting vector field. The movies start to run with normal speed as
soon as the picture is completely downloaded. Watch very carefully since
it takes time before some most interesting details become obvious
(Animated GIFs) ...
Crete became the second home for me and my wife Jutta and taught us a lot. In
the 1980s and 1990s we spent most summers there, explored the island off the
beaten tracks and found many true friends. Our base was the beachfront hotel
"Galini Beach", located at the apex of the great Bay of Kissamos in the extreme
West. At that time I designed a built tiny monoband 20m CW QRP transceivers
with only 1 Watt output power, which I operated as SV9/DJ5IL from the "Galini
Beach". The perfect take-off over the open sea usually resulted in very good
signal reports. Over the years I made thousands of QSOs with that setup, but
one of them was most memorable ...
Radio amateurs invented and pioneered electronic Morse code keyers, but today
their knowledge of the different twin-lever keying modes is sparse. Here is
a review and thorough explanation ...
The video demonstrates persistent iambic squeeze-keying without dot / dash
memory at 40 wpm ...
THE COOTIE, SIDESWIPER OR DOUBLE SPEED KEY
Being a passionate CW operator, after 35 years of mainly high-speed
operation with electronic keyers I felt more and more bored listening to
the uniform and impersonal sound of CW signals on the amateur radio bands.
That's why in March 2008 I found myself a new challenge: to build and
learn to operate a "Sideswiper" or "Cootie" key ...
Some years later I found a quite unusual Cootie on a flea-market which
was presumably built in Eastern Europe or in the former USSR. It has a
very clever mechanical construction, similar to the popular "Bencher"
paddle. I replaced some parts including the fingerpieces and the result
is diesplayed on this picture. Please note that this is neither a paddle
for an electronic keyer nor a semi-automatic "Bug" key, but the dots and
dashes are both made 100% manually by horizontal movement of the lever.
If properly operated, the resulting keying note sounds very distinct,
melodic and a little bit corny ;>)
My main key is still electronic, my homebrew
Keyrama keyer and CapKey+ sensor-paddle.
However, operating the Cootie makes a lot more fun, is a most natural way
of sending morse code, and learning to master it is a true challenge which
took me more than two years. So you can hear me on the air - not always
but often - with a sweet sounding Cootie ...
MAGNETOSPHERIC DUCT ECHOES
Sometimes, at rare occasions in the night during the winter months and
predominantly on the 80m-band, very few radio amateurs are lucky enough to
observe a strange and most thrilling phenomenon: they can hear the echoes of
their own transmitted signals, delayed by much more time than a trip around
the globe would take. Please don't hesitate to download
my simple computer program mde.exe which explains Magnetospheric Duct
Echoes (MDEs), calculates path lengths and time delays specifically for
your location and contains a short bibliography on that topic. This small
self-explanatory program (95 KB) runs on any Windows platform and is
absolutely save to use, it does neither generate nor touch any files on
your system. Always keep a recording device attached to your transceiver
and ready to go - who knows, maybe you are one of those few lucky radio
operators who ever experience these rare echoes ...
The prolific radio raconteur, whose easy storytelling style earned comparisons
to Mark Twain and who was described as "the first radio novelist", captivated
a generation with his stories and inspired a new generation of spoken narrative
artists. Shep was an American original, a radio and TV personality, humorist,
writer, actor and musician. The art, wit and humour of Jean Shepherd which has
entertained for so many years lives on in the recordings of many of his radio
shows, which can be found on the web as public domain. Some of these recordings
reflect his genuine an deep-rooted passion for the science, spirit and soul of
Radio and especially for Amateur Radio and CW. It is my pleasure to present you
a few of these recordings which I have compiled and remastered ...
CQ-DX
Let me take you on a time journey, back to the old days without mobile phones
and internet, when worldwide communication was a real thrill pioneered by
radio amateurs with their homebuilt equipment. In 1956 (my year of birth)
the cinema film "TKX antwortet nicht" was released, the German version
of the original French movie "Si Tous Les Gars du Monde", which is
an entertaining tribute to the amateur radio operators of the world. The story
begins when a French fishing trawler in the North Sea takes on an Arab passenger.
While in the middle of a storm on the high seas, the Arab becomes seriously
ill with a disease that threatens the lives of everyone on board. Unable to
reach the proper medical authorities, the boat sends out a desperate SOS,
whereupon several radio amateurs of different nationalities spring into
action ...
The German short movie "CQ-DX", which I present here, was produced
as a trailer for that film. Some scenes look funny nowadays - but this
masterpiece is a realistic and competent documentary presentation of the
amateur radio service in those days. And though technology has changed a lot
since 1956, its presentation of amateur radio in principle remains valid to
this day. There is no decorative accessory of a frame story and most of the
shots were made at the locations of about 20 amateur radio stations in the
area of Hamburg. Real DX QSOs were conducted which make up the background
sound for some scenes, and even the discriminating radio amateur will hardly
find any goofs. In May 2013 I added English subtitles to the original film to
make it understandable for a broader audience.
The radio-technical supervisor for this film was Rudolf Rapcke, DL1WA, who
rendered great service to the radio amateurs in Germany after WW II. He is
the "Old Man" who gets up at 2:30 in the morning and who is obviously wearing
a tie while sleeping ;>) Please pay special attention to his fantastic radio
station ! Great knowledge and skill were necessary to build and operate a
competitive station like that of DL1WA. I am sure this amazing short movie
will put a smile on the face of every passionate radio amateur. Enjoy !
Die << Rote Kapelle >> war das wichtigste und
erfolgreichste Nachrichtennetz im Zweiten Weltkrieg. Sie spannte ihre Fäden
über das ganze besetzte Europa, ja sogar bis in das Machtzentrum des Dritten
Reiches, und trug entscheidend zum Sieg der Alliierten bei - doch die meisten
ihrer Mitglieder opferten dafür ihr Leben. Dieser von den besten Agenten des
sowjetischen Geheimdienstes aufgebaute Spionagering wurde von einem Mann
geleitet, dessen Deckname allein schon sein Format kennzeichnet: Le Grand
Chef. Der Allgemeinheit fast unbekannt, gilt er unter den Spezialisten
als ein Spion vom Range eines Sorge, Abel oder Philby, ja vielleicht als der
größte von allen. Im Fachjargon der deutschen Geheimdienste bezeichnete man
den Chef eines Spionagenetzes als << Kapellmeister >>.
Er dirigiert das Spiel seiner Musiker, und unter ihnen ist ein besonders
wichtiger Solist: der << Pianist >>, der Funker. Als
Hitler von den Geheimsendern erfuhr, die in Berlin, Paris, Brüssel und
Amsterdam unter dem Taktstock des großen Chefs konzertierten, setzte er ein
Spezialkommando der Gestapo auf die Rote Kapelle an ...
1972 wurde von der ARD die vom WDR produzierte 7-teilige Fensehserie
"Die Rote Kapelle" ausgestrahlt, die gelungene filmische Umsetzung
der wahren Geschichte dieser legendären Spionageorganisation. Damals war ich
gerade mal 15 Jahre jung - aber so fasziniert von dem Film und von seinen
"Pianisten", dass ich schon ein Jahr später meine Lizenzprüfung als einer
der jüngsten Funkamateure in Deutschland abgelegt habe. Vor einigen Jahren
habe ich die Tonspur des Fernsehfilms überarbeitet, von mono in pseudo-stereo
gewandelt, und aus Segmenten daraus zusammen mit anderen Tondokumenten diese
Audio-Collage komponiert - Ich wünsche eine Stunde und zwanzig Minuten
spannende Unterhaltung !
REGULATORY
PETITION ZUR VERFAHRENSANWEISUNG UND ARBEITSANWEISUNG DER
BUNDESNETZAGENTUR FÜR DIE BEARBEITUNG ELEKTROMAGNETISCHER STÖRUNGEN
(in German only)
Das Gesetz über die elektromagnetische Verträglichkeit von Betriebsmitteln
(EMVG) überträgt der Bundesnetzagentur (BNetzA) die Aufgabe, insbesondere
Probleme mit der elektromagnetischen Verträglichkeit einschließlich
Funkstörungen aufzuklären und Abhilfemaßnahmen zu veranlassen. Mit der
Verfahrensanweisung VA soll sichergestellt werden, dass dabei "einheitlich,
rechtmäßig, wirtschaftlich und technisch zweckmäßig" gehandelt wird. Im Sinne
der VA regelt die Arbeitsanweisung AA die Vorgehensweise des Prüf- und
Messdienstes bei der Bearbeitung von Störungen. Meine Petition zur
Verfahrensanweisung und Arbeitsanweisung der Bundesnetzagentur für die
Bearbeitung elektromagnetischer Störungen zeigt auf, weshalb VA und AA gegen
die Vorgaben des EMVG verstoßen und damit eine rechtmäßige Bearbeitung von
Störungen verhindern.
(in German only)
Während mit der weiten Verbreitung billig produzierter Geräte und physikalisch
unvernünftiger Technologien - wie z.B. "Powerline Communication" PLC/PLT -
der Elektrosmog stetig zunimmt, ignoriert die Bundesnetzagentur BNetzA ganz
im Sinne von Industrie-Lobbys immer mehr ihren Gesetzesauftrag zum Schutz der
Funkdienste vor elektromagnetischen Störungen. Es scheint notwendig, die
Grundlagen dieses Schutzauftrags zu beleuchten ...
(in German only)
Kondensierte 6-seitige Version des obigen Artikels nur bezogen auf den
Amateurfunkdienst und ohne Diskussion der Schutzkriterien
EUROPEAN COMMISSION AND CENELEC THREATEN RADIO SERVICES
The mains grid is neither intended nor suitable for broadband data
transmission. Although PLC (Powerline Communication) is able to disturb
radio services and to render a valuable natural resource useless, the
PLC-Lobby and the European Commission try to push through this
unfit-for-purpose and superfluous technology against technical reason
and by circumventing sound standards ...
EUROPÄISCHE KOMMISSION UND CENELEC BEDROHEN FUNKDIENSTE
Das Stromnetz ist für breitbandige Datenübertragung weder vorgesehen noch
geeignet. Obwohl PLC (Powerline Communication) Funkdienste stören und eine
wertvolle natürliche Ressource unbrauchbar machen kann, versuchen PLC-Lobby
und Europäische Kommission diese untaugliche und unnötige Technologie gegen
technische Vernunft und durch Umgehung fundierter Normen durchzusetzen ...
CISPR is the Special International Committee on Radio Interference of the
International Electrotechnical Commission IEC with central office in Geneva,
Switzerland. It is concerned with the development of standards regarding
electromagnetic interference and most of these are adopted by the European
Union and many other countries. Disturbance limits for Power Line
Telecommunications (PLT) systems are defined by the standard CISPR 22 and
its European equivalent EN 55022 entitled "Information technology
equipment - Radio disturbance characteristics - Limits and methods of
measurement". Read my report describing why and how CISPR and the PLT
lobby threaten the Radio Services ...
The European Commission considers the protection of radio services
from harmful interference caused by electrical aparatus of any kind as
embodied within the Constitution an Convention of the International
Telecommunication Union (ITU), which represents international law, to
be an obstacle to trade and market. With her old directive 2004/108/EC
on electromagnetic compatibility (EMC) she grossly cut down the
protection of radio services for the benefit of neoliberal political
objectives. The German federal ministry for economy and technology
(BMWi) even went one step further - and stepped the mark - with its
bill for a national electromagnetic compatibility act (EMVG), which
became national law and was a first attempt of the subordinate federal
regulatory authority for telecommunications (BNetzA) to get rid of her
liability for the protection of all radio services. Now the BNetzA tries
to diminish the protection of radio services further with the latest
amendment of the EMVG which transforms the EU directive 2014/30/EU into
national law. The new EMVG infringes not only the ITU Radio Regulations
and thus international law, but also the EMC-Directive of the European
Council itself. Here are my comments and petitions on that bill for
download (in German only)...
Die Europäische Kommission sieht im völkerrechtlich verankerten Schutz
der Funkdienste vor schädlichen Störungen durch elektrische Geräte ein
Hemmnis für Wirtschaft und freien Warenhandel. Mit ihrer EMV-Richtlinie
will sie den Funkschutz zugunsten neoliberaler politischer Ziele stark
einschränken. Das Bundesministerium für Wirtschaft und Technologie geht
mit dem EMVG (Gesetz zur magnetischen Verträglichkeit von Betriebsmitteln)
als Umsetzung der EMV-Richtlinie in nationales Recht noch einen Schritt
weiter, indem die Bundesnetzagentur versucht, sich ihrer Verpflichtung
zum Schutz aller Funkdienste zu entledigen. Hier sind meine Kommentare
und Petitionen zum EMVG ...
Mühlacker is like Beromünster or Hilversum, on the scales of old radios
the names of these unknown places can be found next to London, Paris or
Moscow. And though such devices today can only be rarely found at places
like attics or junk dealers, these names have burned themselves into the
collective memory of radio enthusiasts. The small town of Mühlacker is
located in the Southwest of Germany, almost exactly halfway between
Karlsruhe and Stuttgart and only some 12 km away from my hometown
Pforzheim. Here in the year 1930 the first high-power broadcasting
transmitter in Germany and presumably in whole Europe came into
existence, which aired a multitude of radio programs for more than eight
decades. The following slideshow turns back the dial and tells its
fascinating history ...
Drag the slides to the left or right or click (mobile devices: tap) on
the arrows to navigate through the slideshow.
RADIO CLIPS
This chapter presents audio clips of worldwide
Amateur Radio,
Broadcasting,
Utility and Spy Number
Stations. Stop by from time to time for new radio recordings ... Click
on a station identifier to play the audio clip and listen to the MAGIC
SOUNDS OF SHORTWAVE RADIO - Enjoy !
AMATEUR RADIO STATIONS
TX5S
Clipperton Island DX-pedition working the split pile-up with
with a nice S 9 signal on 80m. 23-01-2024, 07:03 UTC, 3523 KHz.
N9RV
4:40 min. of my QSO wirth Pat in Montana. The warbling sound
is typical for shortwave signals which traversed the auroral zone at
66° North and above. 23-12-2023, 15:29 UTC, 14021 KHz.
F5OUX
calling CQ Japan "LP" (long-path), and the echo you can hear is
indeed the long-path signal: when you analyze this soundfile with an
audio editor, at 5.07 sec. you can see the onset of the last dot of
a "C" on the the short-path and at 5.20 sec. the onset of the same dot
on the long-path. The difference of 0.13 sec. is almost exactly the
theoretical delay of the long-path signal which traveled 40,000 km
around the globe in 0.13 sec. (40,000 km divided by 300,000 km/s).
The QTH of F5UOX is Paris which gives a short-path to my QTH of some
500 km and so the long-path equals almost the earth's circumference
of 40.000 km. 11-11-2023, 08:48 UTC, 28 MHz.
DJ5IL
my own CW signals recorded by Don, WB6BEE, in Pagosa Springs /
Colorado during our QSO. 19-10-2020, 14:26 UTC, 14 MHz.
VU2DK
a well-known voice on the bands: op. Zal, QTH Poona near Bombay /
India, here in QSO with DK5EC (op. Karl, QTH Bonn / Germany). 11-02-2011,
11:02 UTC, 21239 KHz, S9.
VK2GND
op. Mark, QTH Hornsby / Australia, pushing 1 KW into two stacked
3-element Yagi antennas, in QSO with VU2XO (op. Patel in India). 10-01-2011,
13:30 UTC, 14273 KHz, S9 (short path).
ZL2JBR - QRP test
John asks his QSO partner DL1DH in Germany to reduce power and copies
his 1 Watt Signal still perfectly well with S3 in New Zealand, a distance
of nearly 20.000 Km - really incredible ! 17-01-2011, 11:10 UTC, 14215 KHz,
S9+10dB (short path).
HB9QQ
calling "CQ DX" from Switzerland in CW on the 17m band, with echo
signals due to multipath-propagation (... he worked many Japanese stations
afterwards). 07-11-2004, 09:10 UTC, 18087 KHz.
BROADCASTING STATIONS
Radio Ndarason Internationale
targets the Kanuri, Kanembu and Buduma speaking populations in
areas under influence of Boko Haram in the Lake Chad region and aims to
serve as a tool against extreme violence. 05-12-2023, 06:51 UTC, 9535 KHz.
CGTN
the China Global Television Network starting its French radio
programme: "vous ecoutez CGTN radio". 23-01-2024, 05:59 UTC, 15220 KHz.
"Radio Kitaia"
the Russian program of "China Radio International" CRI. 13-02-2011,
09:00 UTC, 15340 KHz.
Deutsche Welle (DW)
with strong echoes caused by multi-path propagation. 07-09-2010,
15:30 UTC, 6075 KHz.
Voice of Russia
interval signal and anouncement "Hier ist Moskau ..." ("Here is
Moscow ...") starting the German programme, 01-06-2004 15:00 UTC 7330 KHz.
AIR India
with a typical music program. 06-07-2004, 13:52 UTC, 11585 KHz.
Radio Tashkent
interval signal and announcement, exotic sounds from the capital
of Uzbekistan on the Great Silk Road in Central Asia. 07-07-2004, 14:30
UTC, 17775 KHz.
BBC World Service
time signal and announcement. 07-07-2004, 15:00 UTC, 15565 KHz.
UTILITY & SPY NUMBER STATIONS
Shannon Air Radio
with the VOLMET weather forecast for Dublin airport. 24-12-2023,
06:07 UTC, 3413 KHz USB.
Almost every morning I can hear a strange station transmitting in slow
CW on 5346 KHz, repeating words or phrases in French or English. Sounds
to me like a CW training course, but where is the origin ? Here are some
examples:
"pomme forest nuage dog ice lune" on 29-12-2023 at 06:49 UTC,
"chemin de fer" on 29-11-2023 at 06:27 UTC,
"arret de bus" on 15-11-2023 at 05:55 UTC.
According to my observations there seems to be sort of renaissance of
spy stations transmitting groups of numbers / letters in CW, and many
of them "hide" within the CW sections of the amateur radio bands. Here
are some more examples:
10111 KHz on 30-01-2024 at 15:57 UTC,
5353 KHz on 11-01-2024 at 15:33 UTC,
5350 KHz on 10-12-2023 at 14:13 UTC,
14004 KHz on 03-12-2023 at 14:22 UTC,
7025 KHz on 23-11-2023 at 16:09 UTC
(in FSK, frequency-shift-keying).
38702 77026 ...
yes, there are still spy number stations active in CW like this
one ! After the automatic transmission of number groups, the operator
seems to wait for confirmation by the target station and uses the straight
key to ask "QRV ?" ("are you ready ?"). 27-03-2011, 08:17 UTC, 14937 KHz,
S9+20dB !
"Echo Zulu India"
spy number station (ENIGMA classification: E10). It is generally
believed that MOSSAD (the Israel Intelligence Service) operates these
stations, transmitter sites include Israel and their embassies and
consulates. E10 is characterized by a female voice repeating a three
letter phonetic phrase. This can go for hours before the message is sent,
which consists of blocks of phonetic letters. 03-07-2004, 07:00 UTC,
11565 KHz.
"three nine two zero eight"
another spy number station with a xylophone intro - spooky !
05-07-2004, 15:10 UTC, 11545 KHz.
Some amazing cover-art examples of "Radio", the leading
magazine about radio related issues in the former USSR,
and various American magazines.
HAM-MAGAZINES COVER ART GALLERY
BITS & PIECES
Updated from the NOAA website every few hours, if old data are
displayed clear your browser cache and reload this page.
"Only a harmless radio amateur ?
You're kidding, madam, the whole NATO fleet just left their ports ..."
A profile of the unrectified criminal Hopalong Capacity and two German
shortstories from the world of electronics ("Eddi wirbelstrom und
Ionchen" und "Funkerdeutsch in Romanform").
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