Welcome to the TECH TV page! This page is intended to be a reference source for "How-To" information directed at amateur radio operators . Many of us want to make, fix, or test things but do not have the training or experience to tackle these things on our own. "I sure wish I could get somebody to show me how to do this!" is a commonly heard lament in the Ham community, This page is our way of helping out. If we were to start writing all the how- to subjects, and add pictures, diagrams, etc; this page would extend about 37 feet below the bottom of your screen. The webmaster frowns on that, so what we are going to do is scour YouTube for the best explanatory videos we can find on various Ham-related techy-geeky subjects, then put up a link that will take you from here to there. When you finish the video, you just hit the "back" button on your browser to come back here. You can watch and rewind the videos as many times as you need in order to learn what you wanted to know. So, here we go... How to solder stuff One of the most asked questions we get is about how to use a soldering iron to attach wires, connect antenna connectors or install/replace components on a circuit board. Here are some good instructional videos on the subject. 1. Basic tools needed to do soldering: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9MRDpudSfsY 2. How to solder basic wire connections: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BxeDkcAa4Fs&t=3s 3. Soldering wires to electronic components and boards: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2RP9A3Aj0fg 4. Soldering components to a circuit board (PCB): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3RV3AI-3zeA&t=52s 5. Soldering integrated circuit (IC) chips to a board: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3R0zE_7Xz_4 6. Soldering a PL-259 connector to RG-8X coax: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fhLsqUSRvRI Basic electronics tools and components Before doing anything with electronics, you need to know what all those little bits and pieces are, and what they do. You also need some basic tools to work with. 1. The multimeter- the most useful diagnostic tool in the box: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BW3Wj7UD-_s 2. You will also need some small hand tools: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J-1phA_vKDg&index=6&list=PLPeWuN4wB6evEDz1wFYj855fJszshp0V- 3. Let's talk about resistors, the most common component: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HrZZMhWZiFk 4. Let's talk capacitors, the voltage maintainers: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0gZKik_BhQQ 5. Let's talk inductors, the current maintainers: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=STDlCdZnIsw 6. The diode- it's like a one way street for electrons: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AqzYsuTRVRc 7. The transistor - the little amplifier that changed everything: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-td7YT-Pums 8. Integrated circuits (IC) - big workings in a small box: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uSRIc-sEgPw 9. What do those colored bands on resistors mean? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UxMaEyUxlVM 10. Everything old is new again - the basics of vacuum tubes: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oHjZs0bNwEs Electronics measuring equipment Here are some of the most used test equipment on any electronics workbench and how to use them. The multimeter is, by far, the most used measuring tool. Here are a series of videos that will show you how to make the most of it: 1. Measuring voltage: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZBbgiBU96mM 2. Measuring current: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZBbgiBU96mM 3. Measuring resistance: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZBbgiBU96mM 4. Measuring a diode: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JlZtn2PTuYo&t=2s 5. Measuring a basic transistor: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_3G8t-cV1d8&t=128s The Frequency Counter is used to determine EXACTLY what frequency a piece of electronic equipment is radiating/transmitting on: 1. A simple counter for finding radio frequencies: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iOaJkTXpETw The RF signal generator is used to input a signal to the radio on an exact frequency, This is necessary for doing receiver alignments and tracing signal paths during troubleshooting. 1. How to use a basic signal generator: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_pDz6e2ADew 2. An example of a low cost home/hobby type generator: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=07BOm0UKJk4 More to come. Patience is a virtue... | 
