u/RationallyDense

I want to buy my first HF rig that can do SSB. (I have a 5W QRP labs kit that was super exciting to assemble, but learning CW is taking me a while) My primary plan is to do POTA/SOTA stuff with it so I need it to be portable. I've mostly been looking at the FT-857 (and to a lesser extent FT-891 and FT-897), but a bit hesitant to pull the trigger because of the high cost. The G90 feels like it could be a cheaper, smaller and lighter alternative. But it's only 20W. (The X6100 also caught my eye for similar reasons.)

I'm wondering what the practical difference is between a 100W rig and a 20W (or 10W) rig on SSB. I'm not really interested in contesting, so if nobody hears me on pile-ups that's fine. But I would like to be able to make contacts far away.

(If there are intermediate options you want to recommend, please go ahead. My main thing is I do not like touch screens.)

So I've been playing with building logic gates and circuits out of transistors and wanted to try my hand at CMOS circuits, which AIUI requires pairs of p-channel and n-channel MOSFETs. I had some 2N7000s laying around and so I went looking for equivalent p-channel MOSFETs and came across BS250Ps. At least here in the US, 2N7000s cost around 67c while a BS250P runs around $1.50. Almost 3x.

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Am I wrong that BS250Ps are the counterparts to 2N7000s? Is there a reason why the BS250Ps are so much more expensive? Is making p-channel MOSFETs more expensive maybe?

I love SDRs and ICs that pack more compute than the moon lander on my fingernail, but I've been thinking about what it would take to put together a "back to basics"/"old school" setup? Something someone could have assembled in the 30s, 40s or early 50s.

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A kit could be fun, but I'm more interested in something that explains the theory of operation to the point that I can put something together myself without step-by-step instructions.

I've been using my Mikrotik hEX RB750Gr3 as a router for a while now and I wanted to add a cAP ac wireless access point.

I've upgraded both to ROS 7.21. I've setup a provisioning rule and a configuration for CAPSMAN on the router. I plugged the cAP ac directly into the router (tried multiple ports) and reset it. The AP shows up as getting an address from the DHCP server, but it never shows up in the list of Remote CAP and it doesn't pick up the new config.

Any advice on how I can diagnose and fix the issue?

I have a stock Core One and I'd like to print with some PETG-CF filament for some projects, but I understand the brass nozzle won't survive very long if I do that. I've done some research but I still am kind of confused about the options out there.

My main questions are:

1. Should I just go for a hardened steel nozzle or is something more "exotic" (e.g. diamond, ruby, tungsten, etc) justified?

2. What are reputable brands/retailers? I've seen some people mention DiamondBack for instance and there is obviously the Obxidian Nexttruder. Anything else I should look at/avoid?

3. Should I get a Nexttruder adapter to be able to shop from a wider universe, or will that cause a significant drop in performance?

4. I'm thinking of sticking with a 0.4mm nozzle because it's done well for what I've done so far. Is that shooting myself in the foot in a way I haven't considered?

I got a new flashlight that takes a 16340. It came with a battery with a USB charging port but I'm looking for some 16340s and a charger that can keep 2-4 of them charged at a time. My plan is to leave the 16340s in the charger at all times on my desk, so I put a high premium on it being reliable and not setting the house on fire.

When looking, what are good brands I should look for? Any I should avoid?