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Contents Vol.34, No.11 November 2021 SILICON CHIP www.siliconchip.com.au Features & Reviews 16 Big Brother is Tracking You! – Part 1 Spying isn’t just the traditional method of watching someone with a camera. Governments, businesses & individuals could be spying on you via the internet, recording more information about you than you might expect. So what can you do about it? – by Dr David Maddison 37 El Cheapo Modules: 6GHz Digital Attenuator This article describes another self-contained digital attenuator with an OLED screen. Compared to the 3.8GHz attenuator from last month, this module attenuates a signal from 1MHz-6GHz by 0-31.75dB in 0.25dB steps, making it potentially more useful – by Jim Rowe 40 Review: R80 Synthesised Aviation Band Receiver Kit For just $50 you can own an easy-to-build radio receiver kit which is ideal for monitoring local airport traffic – by Andrew Woodfield Constructional Projects “If you aren’t paying for it, you’re the product”. Companies such as Facebook, Google and others collect huge swathes of information about their users. So why is it done, what do they collect and how can you prevent or reduce it? – Page 16 28 USB Cable Tester – Part 1 This USB Cable Tester helps you determine if you have faulty USB cables; an important step when troubleshooting equipment. It tests most common USB cables such as USB Type A, Type B, Micro-B, Mini-B and the newer USB-C connectors – by Tim Blythman 56 Pocket Weather Station Perfect as a beginner’s project, this mini Weather Station can be carried everywhere and uses just five low-cost pre-built modules. All that needs to be done is assemble it into a custom 3D-printed case and solder a few of the wires together – by Aarav Garg Cables with USB Type A, Type B, USB-C, Micro-B and Mini-B connectors can be tested with our new project. It detects and reports faults with the cable, or if the cable is power-only – Page 28 60 Model Railway Carriage Lights Designed for OO-gauge model railways, these carriage lights are batterypowered, can be controlled by an external magnet, and can fit inside the roof of the model train – by Les Kerr 78 Two- or Three-Way Stereo Active Crossover – Part 2 Following on from the article in last month’s issue, we cover PCB assembly and how to set up and use it, along with a small section on troubleshooting – by Phil Prosser Your Favourite Columns 53 Circuit Notebook (1) Modifying Micromite software to use a 3.5in display (2) Voice-operated and proximity lift controls Built into a 3D-printed case, and using an Arduino Nano, this Pocket Weather Station is the perfect project for beginners due to requiring only basic soldering skills – Page 56 64 Vintage Radio Stromberg-Carlson model 496 mantel radio from 1936 – by Associate Professor Graham Parslow 84 Serviceman’s Log That ‘80s gear – by Dave Thompson Everything Else 4 Editorial Viewpoint 6 Mailbag – Your Feedback 90 Silicon Chip Online Shop siliconchip.com.au 92 Ask Silicon Chip 95 Market Centre 96 Advertising Australia’s electronicsIndex magazine Measuring just 28 x 16mm and shown at actual size, this Carriage Lights driver can easily fit inside most model trains to provide some extra decor to your railway layouts. It is powered from AAA batteries or a small Li-ion N cell – Page 60 ovember 2021  1