Author Topic: Radio Powered by Cheetos and Water...  (Read 6268 times)

Offline Sir John Honeybucket

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Radio Powered by Cheetos and Water...
« on: August 29, 2022, 05:51:45 AM »
One of the great aspects of solid state electronics is being able to easily improvise power sources.  I did a similar thing once, using a treadle sewing machine, generator and regulator to power my now long gone, Ten Tec 505 qRP rig for a few QSOs.

https://youtu.be/_N-V61GRX6I
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Offline JohnyMac

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Re: Radio Powered by Cheetos and Water...
« Reply #1 on: August 29, 2022, 09:44:39 AM »
Coooooooooooool.  :cheers:
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Offline Jackalope

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Re: Radio Powered by Cheetos and Water...
« Reply #2 on: August 29, 2022, 10:44:04 AM »
     I've got a similar set-up out in one of our sheds.  Used an exercise bike, like in the video.  However, the bike tire was removed, and in it's place there's a belt, which is connected to an old tape drive motor.  I built a regulator for it too, and it terminates in a cord with an Anderson powerpole.  It works well enough, I forget how many amps it puts out.  It's a good device for kids that have too much energy.  Have the kid pedal for 10-15 minutes, and it'll top off your batteries.

     I had a Ten Tec 505 too, and a Power-Mite, and a 509, and a Century 21.  The Century 21 was one of my favorites of the Ten-Tec radios, used it to get to 13 wpm for the General license, back in the day.  Currently, the only Ten-Tec radio in the stable is an Omni D, which is the primary radio for CW here, so it doesn't get used much.

Offline pkveazey

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Re: Radio Powered by Cheetos and Water...
« Reply #3 on: August 29, 2022, 12:06:38 PM »
These posts remind me of when I was young and was in the Civil Air Patrol. We had a big old world War 2 tube type radio and receiver and when we were out in the field with no power, we had an old military surplus power generator. It looked like a bicycle with no wheels and we powered it by pedaling it like a bike. As soon as someone keyed the microphone and the transmitter kicked in, that SOB was hard as Hell to pedal. When we were just listening, it was almost effortless.