QSO Today conversation with Rex Harper, W1REX, or QRPme, makers of the Tuna Tin and Rockmite QRP transceivers

W1REX

7/15/2016

Episode 102 - Rex harper - W1REX

Rex Harper, W1REX, became an amateur radio operator from his early memories of radio as a kid and his desire to do electronics as a hobby. His love for QRP and later QRP kit building came from wanting to build electronic devices in an evening or two that just worked. Rex shares his ham radio story and the development of his business, QRPme, with Eric, 4Z1UG, in this episode of QSO Today.

Show Notes

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First Elmer: Father, former US Navy, Fire control technician

Allied tube tester

Education: University of Maine, BSEE

Dartmouth National Science Foundation Grant

Harper Electronics, Maine - First Apple retail computer store in Maine.

Super Simon Game

First License: 1995 Technician, N1SYZ

Why QRP? : instant gratification from building a project in one or two nights.

First Rig:

Swan HF-700 Transceiver
TenTec PM1
Collins R390A - prolyfic post WW2 receiver

Doug Demaw, May 1976 - first tuna can radio

Four Days in May (FDIM) Convention

Doug Hendricks KI6DS - Norcal Tuna Tin 2

Fort Smith QRP Group

Norcal Magazine

Norcal Sardine Sender

Sardine Canning Museum, Main

Dave Benson K1SWL, - founder of the Small Wonder Labs, now closed designed the Rockmite series of kit transceivers.

Hans Summer - for wsprnet

Manhattan style of electronic fabrication.

MeSquares - 300 squares on a panel for Manhattan constructions

MePad

Limerick construction - example of this surface mount design for through hole parts.

Picaxe Microprocessor

QRP Amateur Radio Club International - Steve Fletcher, G4GXL , President Build a thon

Dave Ingram, K4TWJ (SK) - CQ magazine author of “How it Works” and World of Ideas”.
ARCI Hall of Fame

Hamfest Buddy - designed by Dave Ingram, K4TWJ, then adapted by Rex into a solderless kit developed for FDIM.

QRP Ham Radio Station Setup and Operation - a video by Jeff Tranter, VE3ICH, about using the Tuna Tin QRP devices into a transceiver.

Tuna Tin Mojo into N2CQR’s BitX17 at Dayton

Chuck Carpenter, W5USJ - Rex’s friend and elmer

Advice to new or returning hams: Find a club and a mentor

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Complete Tuna Tin Station

Rockmite Single Band Transmitter

MeSquares for Manhattan Construction

Hamfest Buddy
Single band transmitter with no soldering

2 Comments

Alex

7/15/2016 03:55:11 pm

Hi Eric,
I am not sure where this idea goes.

It was picked up from the dialogue narration of this weeks guest, and that people are appearing on the Facebook style page, but not actually posting anything - or asking questions.

What was triggered in me was a 'round table' discussion. What I get from the guests is I thoroughly enjoy hearing about their lives, the choices they made in their careers and where this all went.

It seemed to me, as I saw Rex's photo that he is by looks the archetypal American Engineer, the sort that built NASA when Man went to the moon.
In this regard, its almost that I think a round table discussion of such a period between several hams, and it maybe just reminiscing for them.

Instead of focusing on a person, such an approach would come from a different perspective, focusing on an era, where several Hams, talking amongst themselves, could tell their stories of what equipment they used at the time and what they did to monitor things.

Conversly, with a handfull of Contest operators, choosing a period say 1975 to 1980, they may described their stations and equipment and what they were doing. From here we move the period to 1980 to 1985 and hear again where they were now. This would as a section of the hobby show how it was evolving and developing.
It may also lead to some discussion of how people competed with their results in the contest, assessed their station and its strengths and weaknesses etc. I think its almost scary to try and manage such a talk, but then getting four hard core contesters together I think actually you'd have a hard time getting in on the conversation - it would just run itself fueled by their enthusiasm.

What I miss hearing these days is the old timers rag chewing. Just talking amongst themselves and all sorts of odd, funny, useful interesting tthings would come out.

We don't seem to hear this stuff these days, and this is something I've always imagined N2CQR, Bill Meara, and many others, enjoyed listening to, in Bills case on the 75 meter band in full glorious AM.

What you have here Eric, what you've created is a program for consumption by the listener. What the Facebook group is trying to do is make this Interactive, and really, least as I see things, I am not sure it merits interaction.

It is your content that is engaging. The interaction is less so. That is just me.

I really wouldn't mind some advertising in the show related to Ham Radio. Give us some content in here. Not just a name of a company, but something about what's new to them or what they are doing and its a mini story in and of itself.

Its just a germ of a direction, I am not sure where it goes.
If I don't air it with you it will suffocate.

Kind regards

Alex

Eric 4Z1UG link

7/31/2016 12:33:39 am

Wow Alex,

Thanks for your suggestions. They are well thought out. I will try to get these discussions going on the social media as this would make some interesting reading. It is also searchable and therefore would have some historical value in the future. In an era where everything is fast, people really do not take the time to rag chew or have a conversation. On some of the bigger repeater networks, many people are discouraged from talking too long. This is too bad, because I learned a lot as a kid listening to the local repeaters.

Again, thanks for writing and listening.

73, Eric

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W1REX

Episode 102 - Rex harper - W1REX

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