Smart Fortwo Fuel Pump Replacement

I own a 2009 Smart Fortwo with about 66,800 miles. A few weeks ago I filled up with gas and when I returned home I had a strong gasoline smell in the garage. Doing some online research I found two possible causes. One possibility was I overfilled the tank and some gasoline entered the vapor recovery canister. The other possibility was a crack on the fuel pump outlet. If it was the former the smell should go away in a few days. If it was the latter the fuel pump would have to be replaced.

Continue reading

American Morse Porta-Paddle Modification

Some years ago I purchased a Porta Paddle II iambic paddle kit from American Morse Equipment. It’s a nice solid compact paddle. I purchased it primarily to use mobile while operating in state QSO parties. The last couple of years I’ve also used it for a few SOTA activations.

After a while I started having intermittent keying problems where I’d miss an occasional dit. The paddle uses the hinges/pivots for the ground connection.

Continue reading

Consolidated Test Data For Hickok Model 533A-600A-605A Tube Testers V2.5 Update and CSV Data File

Updated January 8, 2020

I purchased a Hickok 800 tube tester at an estate sale in the Fall of 2017. In looking for documentation I found Stan Saeger’s “Consolidated Test Data For Hickok Model 533A-600A-605A Tube Testers” pdf file.  (Sadly Stan passed away on August 14, 2019)  It’s my understanding the Hickok 600A tube test data also applies to the 800 and 800A models.

Continue reading

Repairing an Astron SS-25 and SS-30

I have two Astron SS-25M and two SS-30 switch mode power supplies (SMPS). A couple of years ago one of my SS-30 supplies quit with no voltage out during Field Day. Later one of my SS-25M supplies had the output voltage drop to 6 – 8 volts. About a year ago I took a look at the SS-25M to see if I could figure out what was wrong. After a little while with no success I gave up and put it away.

Continue reading