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VE7BPO ‘Popcorn’ QRP / Home Builder
6 October 2014 | by 
“The emphasis is fun. The hope is that it will attract new people to electronic design, measurement and experimentation. Hopefully, this site stimulates interest in QRP homebrew electronics.”
That's how Todd Gale, VE7BPO, described his website. Up until this past weekend, Todd site was one of the Web's premier sources of inspiration, accumulated homebrew knowledge and hands-on experimental wisdom. I was shocked to receive an e-mail from Todd explaining that the site would be taken down because of continued bandwidth / network struggles with his one and only choice of providers. It truly was sad news for myself and the thousands that regularly visit his site for guidance. However, all is not lost as Todd went on to say:
"....I will convert all the site files into pdf files and stick them on a download site sometime in the future. I may re-emerge with a small-scale site or blog at some point, but don't really know for sure."
Happily, today Todd has informed me that he will indeed begin a new POPCORN QRP blog in which he hopes to update with his benchwork descriptions that we have all come to enjoy.
I have listed Todd's blog site on My Blog List to the right but you may prefer to set your bookmarks for his site. Don't expect too much until later in the month as he is still working his way up the blogger's learning curve....hopefully we will see him back soon. Best of luck with your new endeavour...and, like the original website, I'm sure it will be great!
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| Courtesy: VE7BPO |
3 Responses to “VE7BPO ‘Popcorn’ QRP / Home Builder”
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Hi Steve,
Sorry to hear about Todd’s plight, being at the mercy of a sole provider of some service or another.
I’ve got a ham buddy who I first met on 6 meters over 50 years ago when we were in our late teens. I heard a strong signal on the band one day and made contact with him, WA9CGZ. We talked for a while and he said he’d ride his bike the 2 miles to my place. We talked on 6 during his ride. I was confused about what was going on.
It turned out I was his first ham contact and that he was using a a battery operated transceiver he had built from scratch. 50 years later he still rides a bike and builds things from scratch. 😎
That started a 50 year friendship in which we did almost anything possible on the VHF and UHF bands. 6 to 1296, Tropo, aurora, MS, 2 way-full duplex ham TV, all the non-FM oscars, listening for moonbounce. I eventually upgraded to extra back during the incentive licensing thing so to not loose the TV rights, but my friend, Joe didn’t. I migrated down to the low bands and he drifted upwards through all the microwave bands ending up on 10 gig playing with rain/snow shower reflection propagation. As you may remember I fell all the way down to the NDB band. 😎
We are currently both playing with HB/kit SDR radios. We talk most every night on SKYPE (It’s convenient and private.) to share whatever radio adventures we had had that day.
Why go thru the above monologue?
Because Todd is just like my friend Joe. I have never communicated with Todd, but I know he’d fit right in. I’ve built several of his circuits because I knew I’d learn something.
If you see Todd wish him well and encourage him. Hams need people like him.
All the Best, Joe, K9HDE
PS we also need folks like you, Roelf, Steve in OR and others too numerous to mention.
Good to hear from you Joe and thank you. I’m sure Todd will read, as well as appreciate your comments and encouragement. It will be good to see his Blog up and running soon.
I love your story as it is one familiar to me and probably many hams. Having someone nearby to share in your experimental work makes it so much more interesting as well as productive. My second-ever QSO was with Tommy, VE7BLF, a ex-GM3, who was about 20 years older than me (aged 15) but we became the very best of friends for many many years and on the air fun. It’s been a great hobby….and still is, all these years later!
73