Junk box is a term used by
amateur radio
Amateur radio, also known as ham radio, is the use of the radio frequency radio spectrum, spectrum for purposes of non-commercial exchange of messages, wireless experimentation, self-training, private recreation, radiosport, contesting, and emer ...
operators (hams) to describe a collection of
spare part
A spare part, spare, service part, repair part, or replacement part, is an interchangeable part that is kept in an inventory and used for the repair or Refurbishment (electronics), refurbishment of defective equipment/units. Spare parts are an i ...
s and old equipment kept to assist in building and repairing their
station.
Typical items found in a junk box are electronic components such as
resistor
A resistor is a passive two-terminal electronic component that implements electrical resistance as a circuit element. In electronic circuits, resistors are used to reduce current flow, adjust signal levels, to divide voltages, bias active e ...
s and
capacitor
In electrical engineering, a capacitor is a device that stores electrical energy by accumulating electric charges on two closely spaced surfaces that are insulated from each other. The capacitor was originally known as the condenser, a term st ...
s as well as small parts such as
screw
A screw is an externally helical threaded fastener capable of being tightened or released by a twisting force (torque) to the screw head, head. The most common uses of screws are to hold objects together and there are many forms for a variety ...
s,
nuts and
bolts. A junk box may also contain surplus, cast off or used electronic gear. Radio amateurs who construct their own equipment, known as
homebrewers, often have large or well stocked junk boxes.
Description and uses
According to some hams, a well-stocked junk box is a requirement for anyone who likes to build, repair, or tinker with radio equipment and electronic gear. Keeping an ample supply of spare electronic components provides the ham with parts to build a variety of electronic projects, as well as "spares" of components needed for repairs. Resistors, capacitors, transistors, meters, speakers, wire, cable, and even small mechanical parts such as screws, nuts and bolts are typical junk box items.
Cannibalizing or removing parts from old equipment is sometimes the only way for an individual to obtain some types of parts, either because they are no longer made, or can only be ordered in large quantities. Cast-off or used electronic equipment make especially good additions to a junk box. What non-hams may see as junk, hams often see as treasure.
Hamfests, surplus stores, electronic swapmeets and even
dumpster diving
Dumpster diving (also totting, skipping, skip diving or skip salvage) is wikt:salvage, salvaging from large commercial, residential, industrial and construction containers for unwanted items discarded by their owners but deemed useful to the ...
are often venues for hams to trade, buy, scrounge, or salvage spare parts and components. Junk boxes can range in size from small cardboard or plastic boxes, to large collections that fill garages and outbuildings. Many hams derive satisfaction from having an especially large junk box full of exotic and hard-to-find components. Others feel that the act of tracking down parts is half the fun.
Use in homebrewing
Homebrewing
Homebrewing is the brewing of beer or other alcoholic beverages on a small scale for personal, non-commercial purposes. Supplies, such as kits and fermentation tanks, can be purchased locally at specialty stores or online. Beer was brewed dom ...
is a slang term in amateur radio referring to building an alternative to a commercially available piece of equipment or accessory by hand.
"Homebrewers" often naturally maintain a sizeable junk box, and amateur radio publications have often employed the term in
DIY project articles such as "''The 'Junker' Amplifier''" from
QST, Oct 1970, an RF amplifier built from scrounged and junk-box parts.
See also
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Boat anchor (computer science)
*
Circuit bending
Circuit bending is the creative customization of the circuits within electronic devices such as children's toys and digital synthesizers to create new musical or visual instruments and sound generators. Circuit bending is manipulating a circuit ...
*
QRP
*
Vintage amateur radio
References
External links
Boatanchors Directory{{Webarchive, url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080820121558/http://www.af4k.com/Boatanchors_Directory/Homebrew.htm , date=2008-08-20
Electronics and society
Amateur radio