Privacy category test

I had a number of Molex pins to wire up recently. To make things easier I decided to use some 4-core signal cable I had but found that the insulation is so poor at resisting heat that soldering the Molex pins was a non-starter as it always ended up with bare wires. Of course, Molex pins are designed to be crimped... so off to eBay. The latest addition to my toolbox arrived in a couple of days and made the job a lot easier.

I am (still) gathering microwave test gear and have now acquired a rather nice HP frequency counter, good to 18GHz (but apparently tested to 20GHz). This will help once I begin constructing the numerous kits waiting their turn, in particular a 10GHz transverter. Microwaves have interested me since my school days, not because of school but because I remember being interested and being at school. Actually, the interest probably dates further back to me seeing various microwave towers around the place and my grandfather telling me what they were. Anyway, having something means trying it out... so here it is with a HT keyed on 145.5, and more interestingly to me a 6cm FPV transmitter held close by (until I realised it was getting hot!). The meter had not even warmed up for the 6cm test - me being impatient! Now, I just need a signal generator and a spectrum analyser...

I've been meaning to set up something to generate a testcard via composite video for a while and, as is typical of me the ideal solution was sitting there in a BATC magazine on my bookshelf. CQ-TV No 270 has the details of one such setup using a Raspberry Pi Zero. I don't have one of those and Pi systems are hard to come by these days but surprisingly I had a 3B not doing anything. Software downloaded, 4-way jack to RCA plugged in and connected to a TV and, nothing. Well, a buzz. Checked the cable, all ok. Checked what the Pi wants... ...why does the Pi have to have the connections different from what appears to be a standard hi-fi 4-way to RCA lead? Or, rather, why does the hi-fi 4-way lead I have have to have different connections? Grumble. Ok. I wanted to test this seeing I had it all sitting in one of the bedrooms attached to a TV. Stripping down a 4-way jack lead that I never needed and which was far too short to be of use I made a lead. It would last probably half a second in normal use but worked sufficiently…