Site changes

By the end of March 2023 I will end my Smugmug subscription. The necessary content revision has been completed as of today.

If you have bookmarked content of mine on the Smugmug site (photos.addieleman.nl or addieleman.smugmug.com), you will have to go to my home page and find the web pages from there.

PA8L

On November 10, 2021 I registered as a Dutch “radiozendamateur” (ham) with callsign PA8L. You might hear me on the bands, for now mostly on HF, but that can change quickly because I’m exploring this wonderful world of radio communication.

You can also find me on qrz.com.

Loop antenna for medium wave with remote tuning

A tuned loop is a very effective antenna for medium wave reception in an area with man-made noise. However, using such a loop in close proximity to a laptop computer with an SDR (software-defined radio) is not a good idea because the loop will pick up interference from the computer. Therefore I decided to build a loop antenna with remote tuning by varicaps (varistors if you prefer that term), picking up the idea from T.J. Nelson’s article. That way you can move the loop antenna to a spot further from the computer and possibly a spot with lower interference. Outside is best, so I’ll be aiming to build something that can withstand inclement weather (within reason!).

Continue reading “Loop antenna for medium wave with remote tuning”

SMC Pentax 3.5/28 compared to other 28mm lenses

Introduction

SMC Pentax 28mm 1:3.5

There isn’t much to be had in the way of native 28mm lenses for Sony FE cameras. Of course, Sony offers the FE 2/28 and I’ve tried that one out several times but couldn’t bring myself to buy it. I just don’t like its rendering, the pictures are dull and lifeless to my eyes. That only leaves legacy lenses as prime 28mm options. Continue reading “SMC Pentax 3.5/28 compared to other 28mm lenses”