tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-82344061400778198102024-03-18T08:04:09.857-04:00RetrotechnologistSure, it's pre WW II technology -- but it's <u>good</u> pre-war technology!Roberta Xhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09956807794520627885noreply@blogger.comBlogger207125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8234406140077819810.post-79536743588613330882020-04-05T22:44:00.003-04:002020-04-21T09:10:22.070-04:00BUILDING A 1:1 BALUN Having decided I need a 1:1 balun -- a kind of RF transformer, used to connect unbalanced (ground-referenced) equipment to a balanced device (like my G5RV antenna) -- I found a ferrite toroid core that seemed likely, wound two interwoven 12-turn coils of #14 house wire on it (as much as would fit), and looked around for an enclosure.<br />
<br />
I didn't have much, and then I found my collection of old tea canisters. That worked.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQZw6QtiwxnZSmuS8XF6oTTb0-xBoCBGDuRboiLlRL6Lk4W7xKTp6FGmLqJ5iiY_1xjCAhctVPVY3qSeaQBVS-NDQ7F_LTaYz3GX57u9HBsGf5dUmkUAXlctcD88_1NVpqX7IVzdESv1o/s1600/Balun1.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="826" data-original-width="926" height="285" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQZw6QtiwxnZSmuS8XF6oTTb0-xBoCBGDuRboiLlRL6Lk4W7xKTp6FGmLqJ5iiY_1xjCAhctVPVY3qSeaQBVS-NDQ7F_LTaYz3GX57u9HBsGf5dUmkUAXlctcD88_1NVpqX7IVzdESv1o/s320/Balun1.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
The coil is sandwiched between two 1/8" Garolite* plates held by brass screws (one headless) into a ceramic insulator; another, shorter insulator is threaded onto one end and fastened to the bottom of the box. The lower plate has two corners clipped so the wires from that side can get to the terminals.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFn3CeIqDbrroyCuX6EdG9yvswqQpcBCKuzd2rNQ1WMagNSXB5jHH-EROUYjqo7qaIWFE1hdMfW5GoIpk7DAG8wdbgEHuBgjQ0trotfKJd4wwe9ndeGfFkhecKR8-0_vMkFkiXH8zgsgM/s1600/Balun4.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="966" data-original-width="848" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFn3CeIqDbrroyCuX6EdG9yvswqQpcBCKuzd2rNQ1WMagNSXB5jHH-EROUYjqo7qaIWFE1hdMfW5GoIpk7DAG8wdbgEHuBgjQ0trotfKJd4wwe9ndeGfFkhecKR8-0_vMkFkiXH8zgsgM/s320/Balun4.jpg" width="280" /></a></div>
There's a trick to working with such thin metal. You can drill it, but it's risky -- even with a backing, it can catch and tear. A better bet is to mark hole centers with a sharp awl and use a Roper-Whitney punch,† which will center up on the awl-made dimples. Careful work with a hand reamer or chassis punch will enlarge the holes if necessary. Small holes can just be punched with the awl, especially in places the punch won't reach. (The lid does fit square, when properly seated.)<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlOEdCjHAGyoPChUxnxTuDvN7qoc8fKJIe3TwEWG-JnDsdGYaazsYCAbVTMbObHq04dGzlcHWjOZN4vrxeuWphwSm48S1XTklfpw_ZcpuNSWSgXiRXgY2h7IwJ1jmPoSzrlYPdjamvuv8/s1600/Balun2.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="878" data-original-width="820" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlOEdCjHAGyoPChUxnxTuDvN7qoc8fKJIe3TwEWG-JnDsdGYaazsYCAbVTMbObHq04dGzlcHWjOZN4vrxeuWphwSm48S1XTklfpw_ZcpuNSWSgXiRXgY2h7IwJ1jmPoSzrlYPdjamvuv8/s200/Balun2.jpg" width="186" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKbqOqKsY5tdAC5OyssIJcWF2jg90bpebQUxlsiUh7PxmUlx4OgVnHCPNlR6T_tlPNr1lFcYti0-khpS9BXVv-dlVf2ybeQ7_oR-40mCjWWSVdSxmUZhgWr1M2Uozptd49TcE92uXJXgE/s1600/Balun3.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="888" data-original-width="796" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKbqOqKsY5tdAC5OyssIJcWF2jg90bpebQUxlsiUh7PxmUlx4OgVnHCPNlR6T_tlPNr1lFcYti0-khpS9BXVv-dlVf2ybeQ7_oR-40mCjWWSVdSxmUZhgWr1M2Uozptd49TcE92uXJXgE/s200/Balun3.jpg" width="178" /></a><br />
My little SWR analyzer says it's not terrible on the 80 meter ham band and not bad on 40 -- the ferrite I used was supposed to be good through 30 MHz, but the match starts getting worse and worse by the 20 meter band.<br />
<br />
Checked it with the <a href="https://people.ohio.edu/postr/bapix/RME45B.htm">RME-45 receiver</a> and <a href="https://retrotechnologist.blogspot.com/2013/09/millen-92201-transmatch-junior.html">Millen "Junior" transmatch</a> and it works okay, slightly better signals with it between the antenna and the matcher. 80 meters was a jumble of noise this afternoon. Just went down (10:20 p.m.) and turned on the receiver; as I tuned past 3885 kHz, a voice came out of the speaker: "Hello, Bobbi! C'mon Bobbi..." <br />
<br />
That got my attention, as you might expect. I dodged the slow-rate tuning back and forth a little, and he came back on, "[callsign], this is [other callsign], c'mon, Bobby, if you're not there I'll just call CQ, CQ, CQ , this is [other callsign] and remember, people, don't buy coax jumpers, you build your own. CQ, CQ, from [other callsign], c'mon..."<br />
<br />
So I <u>wasn't</u> hallucinating. And I was certainly glad I'd made my own coaxial jumpers!<br />
<br />
Next step, rebuilding the transmit/receive switch and moving the DX-60 transmitter over to the new shelves.<br />
<span style="font-size: small;">_______________________________</span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;">* As close to Bakelite as you can get now. McMaster-Carr stocks it in a variety of sizes and shapes.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: small;">† Mine is actually a Whitney-Jensen, an earlier model with a few minor differences. These useful little devices are widely available used. Plugging the name into a search engine brings up a lot of listings at online auction sites. </span>Roberta Xhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09956807794520627885noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8234406140077819810.post-90589928307517365892019-09-09T11:24:00.004-04:002019-09-09T11:24:28.634-04:00HERMES "ROCKET" It's a small portable typewriter. One of the smallest ones, in fact. Hermes has an excellent reputation, so when this one showed up at a reasonable price and supposedly in good shape, I leapt at it.<br />
<br />
Showed up and it didn't shift. Shift keys didn't feel like they were even connected to anything, just moved loosely from one position to the other.<br />
<br />
In a larger typewriter, this is a long linkage and I figured it might have broken or fallen out. I decided to open it up and see:<br />
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Every key lever has an interesting scissors-looking linkage, just behind that flat shiny part with five screws in it. I think this arrangement gets them more leverage in the very short space available. The two pieces for the shift keys had popped out of alignment, perhaps due to jolting in shipment. I was able to work them back into place. The fractions key had a similar problem and stuck when I tried it; getting it back took several minutes of careful effort.<br />
<br />
After that, I cleaned and lubricated where I could, and it's working pretty well. Needs a new ribbon and it seems to not want to double-space, but still, I'm not unhappy so far.Roberta Xhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09956807794520627885noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8234406140077819810.post-79649925819231081832016-02-15T07:48:00.002-05:002018-12-30T11:21:28.846-05:00T. R. MCELROY'S STREAMLINED TELEGRAPH KEYS <a href="http://www.telegraph-office.com/pages/mcelroy.html">T. R. McElroy</a> was a blazing fast telegrapher -- any code, any time. He worked both landline and radiotelegraphy, and set speed records.<br />
<br />
But he was ambitious, too. In the 1930s, he started manufacturing semiautomatic telegraph keys of his own design, massive, heavy bugs that suited his own style -- and which appealed to plenty of others, too.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://artifaxbooks.com/mcelroy.htm">The original Mac bugs were heavy, rectilinear keys with their own style</a>, a little "Arts & Crafts meet heavy industrial" look. But the times --and the styles -- were changing and shortly before WW II, Mac introduced a series of streamlined telegraph keys unlike any any other, culminating in the S-600 Super Streamspeed semiautomatic key, possibly the most graceful "bug" ever made.<br />
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I own a few Mac keys and recently bought an accessory:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYIl6stkZZSzIMINgNk7OFL5OkmZL4ruSbm4IKrlppCzhVW4taBGxdqNSkX3_MaeO4kkXCuJ9nHuKdLSm02O-gp3_6DRstlGJRJk9M3mRMqsQjKl7CL9xUpzjNTL-EgthaR8TRo8-MqZ8/s1600/streamlinedMacs.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="288" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYIl6stkZZSzIMINgNk7OFL5OkmZL4ruSbm4IKrlppCzhVW4taBGxdqNSkX3_MaeO4kkXCuJ9nHuKdLSm02O-gp3_6DRstlGJRJk9M3mRMqsQjKl7CL9xUpzjNTL-EgthaR8TRo8-MqZ8/s400/streamlinedMacs.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
There's an uncommon Bakelite-based Streamkey at far left, followed by a Telegraph Apparatus Co. (not Inc.) copy* of the wrinkle-finished metal-base Streamkey (you can tell by the bulge in the lever arm at the contact area) and a pair of chrome-plated McElroys. The Streamspeed is at far right, and it handles just as fast and sleek as it looks. At the very back, the accessory and its box: an Oscillatone code-practice oscillator. They are not especially rare and this one was offered at a very low price -- how could I pass it up?<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBU68F8qBX6CjrOgpj3cFxjr9Qe42lHu9niuEGfN7pEtA_gG8MaW7G6PVqQbaB7_LApXNGbeBHaGevNTpRsU5ugb4Ob7LSdYORzImb9nvS9Oc6qhhLikNO_ruVm-gQw62o_-ptqxfNuPw/s1600/Oscillatone.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBU68F8qBX6CjrOgpj3cFxjr9Qe42lHu9niuEGfN7pEtA_gG8MaW7G6PVqQbaB7_LApXNGbeBHaGevNTpRsU5ugb4Ob7LSdYORzImb9nvS9Oc6qhhLikNO_ruVm-gQw62o_-ptqxfNuPw/s400/Oscillatone.jpg" width="397" /></a></div>
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Restoration will be interesting. The Bakelite is likely to be very brittle.<br />
<br />
There are <a href="http://jackmcelroy.com/family-history-mcelroy-manufacturing/">still McElroys in the electronics business</a>. They're not making telegraph keys any more, but the name lives on.<br />
________________________________<br />
* TACo was a co-venture between McElroy and Hallicrafters. They built copies of Mac Streamkeys and their own interesting semiautomatic key, sometimes known as the <a href="http://kb8tt.net/TAC/">"hole-in-the-wall" bug</a>.Roberta Xhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09956807794520627885noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8234406140077819810.post-51648114295156267282016-01-15T19:13:00.002-05:002016-01-15T21:56:27.273-05:00A VINTAGE-SUITABLE CALENDAR I needed a calendar for my mostly-vintage hamshack. 1932 and 2016 share the same calendar, but buying an old one in intact shape and ripping each month off seemed too destructive to me.<br />
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So I made one.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi41Xl40RsVkF0rZRuAj8fl7hfOerf3l21NNGvOqCN1SsiVPt87D8dPim_BDIgpfWAP5yj-g5RA7AJG-o_CZStks4oFulNQhk2hwGq2d6gDj4nGBXZAcwUQiut3cFReS3ezrCrf1n-EZjI/s1600/12507651_529059990605420_2978106680762821625_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="332" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi41Xl40RsVkF0rZRuAj8fl7hfOerf3l21NNGvOqCN1SsiVPt87D8dPim_BDIgpfWAP5yj-g5RA7AJG-o_CZStks4oFulNQhk2hwGq2d6gDj4nGBXZAcwUQiut3cFReS3ezrCrf1n-EZjI/s400/12507651_529059990605420_2978106680762821625_n.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
The backing sheet is card stock. The calendar pages look crooked -- the paper fasteners that hold them are a bit loose in the punched holes. It straightens out when hanging. The printer output does not look like hand-set type, but might pass for offset printing or lithography.<br />
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I'm trying to figure out how to post the original as a PDF, if any readers would like their own copy.Roberta Xhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09956807794520627885noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8234406140077819810.post-56411084530407861572015-07-12T10:17:00.003-04:002022-05-29T10:14:22.717-04:00INDIANAPOLIS HAMFEST, 2015 I had to go solo this year, while Tam stayed home to meet the AT&T tech. This meant, of course, that I lacked even the modicum of restraint she sometimes adds--<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHlOWeM4hKucl0mwfEFGsSuYiTIcU9_MNG6muOSHD5u_gnaJo3A4gfGIQ9NWeOjZsfZ9Oa8z9GiC7NrCq7km2ZIdcRCbuH_Db-I9XTWw3fbqGYq_Q9nz73I0J1jTop75st0w4W_oPbTo0/s1600/IndyHamfest2015.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="449" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHlOWeM4hKucl0mwfEFGsSuYiTIcU9_MNG6muOSHD5u_gnaJo3A4gfGIQ9NWeOjZsfZ9Oa8z9GiC7NrCq7km2ZIdcRCbuH_Db-I9XTWw3fbqGYq_Q9nz73I0J1jTop75st0w4W_oPbTo0/s640/IndyHamfest2015.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
The two large devices are a 1940s <a href="http://www.ohio.edu/people/postr/bapix/meis_nri.htm">Meissner Analyst</a>, which is a kind of "test bench in a box" for receiver servicing, and a 1950s Harvey-Wells Bandmaster, a 25 to 30 Watt AM/CW amateur radio transmitter. Both appear to be pretty clean; the transmitter needs an external power supply, 400 V at 200 mA.<br />
<br />
Other neat stuff: a pair of vintage binoculars in good shape -- didn't have anything but toy versions, so for $35, why not? -- a very good push drill with straight bits and a "Handyman" Yankee screwdriver, a full set of Birnbach ceramic antenna insulators, chassis-mount octal plugs (good for power supply connections), three General Radio mixer knobs, a couple of Dakaware knobs, a National tube socket and 100 pF variable cap, another 100 pF dual variable capacitor, an SW-3 coil form, a 6F7 tube (possibly for a project) and a pair of 6L7s (used in my microphone mixer). Plus four 1940s/50s QST magazines, three quartz crystals and and assortment of other nice small parts. Not shown, a short (10'?) desktop rack and a large toroid core to wind a balun on (you want 'em big -- magnetic saturation is lossy and can produce a lot of heat!). <br />
<br />
I met my dear old friend Don H., and several other people I know slightly, including the talented Jim Borgioli,whose ham work includes building very nice AM transmitters that run at or near the legal power limit. And one ham who knew me! A young man who'd gone looking for info on the Stancor 10-P transmitter and found my postings about it on Retrotchnologist walked up to me in the flea market area, asked, "Are you Roberta?" and introduced himself.<br />
<br />
Found but missed a nice balanced antenna tuner. I should have purchased it at first sight! But it's a cloneable design and I think I have the parts.<br />
<br />
A fun time! When I returned home, the phone tech was there -- and pointed out a very large broken limb on the roof and my ham antenna <i>and</i> still loosely attached to the tree. I climbed up and had a look, but it's too big and too precarious for me. We've called the singing tree hippie, who does great work at a fair price.Roberta Xhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09956807794520627885noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8234406140077819810.post-86428475091509924302015-06-01T00:08:00.001-04:002015-06-08T07:41:50.263-04:00CARBON MICROPHONE CHECKING I went through most of my collection of carbon mics tonight. The old ones are nearly always non-working when found: they pick up humidity, the carbon packs solid, and that's it; or the carbon granules dribble out over time. <br />
<br />
Not all of them. I found several that still work, and a couple that I'd thought were dead (a Shure Brothers 3-A and a 3-B) aren't. Here are the working ones:<br />
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Two are telephone-types, the T-32 (a pretty common desk mic around WW II) and an odd old telco one from the wood-wall and candlestick era next to it. The Universal X1 in its nice stand was a complete surprise; I assumed from condition it was a goner. Nope! And the little Philmore lapel mic next to it had been sealed up. The Stancor 10-P -- which needs a carbon mic to do AM -- is behind them.<br />
<br />
Here's my test set-up. The mic cable goes to a little mixer. It's isolated with 0.68 uF series condensers, looking at current across a 150 Ohm resistor in series with the mic, a 1.5 V battery and an added resistor to limit current -- I used 820 Ohms and it worked okay for checking. In practice, you trim microphone current for best fidelity with a carbon -- usually the lower, the better, but there's a point where it stops working.<br />
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Mic cable to mixer at left, connections to carbon mic under test at top right, battery terminals and added current-limiting resistor at bottom right. I think you can trace it from the photo.Roberta Xhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09956807794520627885noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8234406140077819810.post-82562310778495883932015-03-26T23:25:00.001-04:002015-05-26T20:31:10.563-04:00STANCOR 10P TRANSMITTER: UPDATE 12 A very long time in coming, I did make progress on the Stancor 10P, getting as far as power supply:<br />
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<br />
Rectifier heaters and HV, filter caps, filter choke and bleeder. It's a little crowded and I struggled to solder the capacitor and resistor to the chassis, even with the big iron.<br />
<br />
That work had it almost done, so tonight I added a few more things: <br />
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Installed output feedthroughs and connected the output, wired up the primary power and the meter. <br />
<br />
Top view:<br />
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<br />
Rear view:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkw_ukkyiVbUHG68eWWZDx3hR_Y27DvOQlA5WjRmqPI3aaW2kxM699DzawH08Odpa5JzyaEC92MYQYeky2CgpaqYCYqsrcxS39o9QkaVg7Gra0zJKfVL5A9lQaJQv7vXUXq93EmdADAv2i/s1600/10Pbac2_26Mar2015a.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="468" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkw_ukkyiVbUHG68eWWZDx3hR_Y27DvOQlA5WjRmqPI3aaW2kxM699DzawH08Odpa5JzyaEC92MYQYeky2CgpaqYCYqsrcxS39o9QkaVg7Gra0zJKfVL5A9lQaJQv7vXUXq93EmdADAv2i/s1600/10Pbac2_26Mar2015a.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
Front view:<br />
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Initial tests -- just power-up, check for excessive current draw, check B+ -- went okay. Hoping to try more by the weekend.<br />
<br />
<u>Update:</u> Tuned the transmitter up on 40m with a 100 Watt lamp in series, and it made a little power (4:1 balun to a Bird Wattmeter and 50 Ohm load. Tried it without the lamp and blew the fuse instantly. So....bigger fuse, and/or 150 and 200W lamps. Maybe a little Amprobing..<br />
<br />
<u>Update 25 May:</u> Yesterday, I finally brought the transmitter up without a light bulb in series with the 120V AC and it worked. Last time I tried this with the wrong fuse (fast-blow) and it popped immediately -- at which point, I set the transmitter aside for awhile. I didn't have the balun and wattmeter for this test, just a 40W light bulb across the output, which is a bit low-resistance for the link coupling to match to. Plenty more to do but this was a big step. Roberta Xhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09956807794520627885noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8234406140077819810.post-84957730213585141762015-01-29T18:33:00.000-05:002015-01-30T00:45:41.451-05:00YANKEE RADIO TOOL KIT, #106 Some time ago, I chanced on <a href="http://retrotechnologist.blogspot.com/2010/01/yankee.html">a nice Yankee No. 100 tool set</a>. Readers suggested I keep watch for a No. 106 boxed set of "radio tools," which, other than a soldering iron or copper, contains about everything you'd need to build a 1920s-type radio -- and is plenty useful on later equipment.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrijMasVnArClyAAmQh-93EcMd2JYOgU3QSI3GH-EgJNL2otTsM9rx0dGItQBW0xR2zhqjC0Zrlb_M7X2KPj3yeawRcEoKfQtoUUbwq61jztVUKTacCz4BaZ3svAM10EKYkENcpjgo7lUz/s1600/YankeeRadioToolKit.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrijMasVnArClyAAmQh-93EcMd2JYOgU3QSI3GH-EgJNL2otTsM9rx0dGItQBW0xR2zhqjC0Zrlb_M7X2KPj3yeawRcEoKfQtoUUbwq61jztVUKTacCz4BaZ3svAM10EKYkENcpjgo7lUz/s1600/YankeeRadioToolKit.jpg" height="640" width="236" /></a></div>
I have seen a few come and go at princely prices, including a lovely store display version. They are fine tools but not on my budget. Or not until some months ago, when a slightly-grubby one showed up on a well-known auction site. The serious collectors weren't after it but many of the tools were there; it was hard to figure out what was going on with the little drill, which appeared to have been taken apart. The wooden case is the most difficult part to find -- the No. 105 kit offered all the tools except the drill, at half the price and in a cardboard box -- and the case was certainly there.<br />
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It arrived in disappointingly worse shape than the original listing showed, due to a poor packing job. Adjustments, as they say, were made.<br />
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The mystery of the disassembled drill was simple enough: it was the wrong drill. This proved no hardship; the little Yankee "Radio Drill," No. 1431, is commonly found and inexpensive.<br />
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At present, I am repairing the case, starting with the badly cracked bit holder. The two long screwdriver blades are missing, as is the uncommon Ratchet Tool Holder No. 230. They may be a very long while in the finding.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9pLAy11WGH1OGXRAU60QRrqiH-8RXe2gYfl96FjyJvAH0J2_IUyq1106OP-DqwA5w0T4WJ-R3PqNfRlPMZD3HYJ-UsIK9Z3k7sbSqZxknV-1GDqGlAncT7key2QqDA3mL15Eznc9QgmAj/s1600/1530_B.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9pLAy11WGH1OGXRAU60QRrqiH-8RXe2gYfl96FjyJvAH0J2_IUyq1106OP-DqwA5w0T4WJ-R3PqNfRlPMZD3HYJ-UsIK9Z3k7sbSqZxknV-1GDqGlAncT7key2QqDA3mL15Eznc9QgmAj/s1600/1530_B.jpg" height="230" width="320" /></a></div>
The incorrect drill is nevertheless a treat: a No. 1530 Ratchet Drill, which can be set to operate in five different modes: plain, left-handed ratchet, right handed ratchet, right-hand double, or locked. The last is handy when tightening or loosening the chuck, the simple ratchet modes only respond to one direction of turning the crank -- but "double" turns the chuck clockwise no matter which way the crank is turned! Roberta Xhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09956807794520627885noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8234406140077819810.post-30446809727300024452014-05-29T23:38:00.000-04:002014-05-29T23:41:28.861-04:00OLD-STYLE COVER FOR A MODERN LOG It is modeled after one published by Bud in the 1930s:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhc-rijyGFnAfxQU5fiYp1MBcGCypN1tjcLcyM3wrJr4FLoDEvpqx0Vbgxdwz6TphEsrEJfiDom7BLiTydj6_sae4jtjZc_jOSqGL1gtdPdzMHIBO0anOzC9QxCDdWRFVpju7q9efO3__TS/s1600/logC.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhc-rijyGFnAfxQU5fiYp1MBcGCypN1tjcLcyM3wrJr4FLoDEvpqx0Vbgxdwz6TphEsrEJfiDom7BLiTydj6_sae4jtjZc_jOSqGL1gtdPdzMHIBO0anOzC9QxCDdWRFVpju7q9efO3__TS/s1600/logC.jpg" height="400" width="308" /></a></div>
I'm not too unhappy with how it came out.Roberta Xhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09956807794520627885noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8234406140077819810.post-10650015035102269902014-05-28T08:00:00.001-04:002014-05-28T08:00:49.113-04:00PORTABLE-MOBILE LOGBOOKS FOR AMATEUR RADIO Any more, hams are not required to keep logs - but it is nice to have a record of who you heard from, and when. Here are a couple for portable and mobile operation -- Field Day is coming up!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhUE1jtxrsLIB9ydrWfQpI3ED-i0VVfyGTNeeYFJWXsJBkT0j5K9M46emC5zj0wVWjUaSx8fUMz5AKT-Ihbaf50ChFEuV3QZ5zZOXvAg_o8o55F8ivymQq9-_FMmZv2DW0ZwkhCnocjrYQ/s1600/portablelogs010A1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhUE1jtxrsLIB9ydrWfQpI3ED-i0VVfyGTNeeYFJWXsJBkT0j5K9M46emC5zj0wVWjUaSx8fUMz5AKT-Ihbaf50ChFEuV3QZ5zZOXvAg_o8o55F8ivymQq9-_FMmZv2DW0ZwkhCnocjrYQ/s1600/portablelogs010A1.jpg" height="320" width="274" /></a></div>
The upper one is an ARRL original, found at a well-known online auction site. The lower is one I made when I took a ham station along on an extended out-of-town trip. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSRGoRSm4X1ZU6srtoXu_l4wu1BXr-zlXbteKttMMWVE4U4G10sfAn2BJC7S3Tuj6CnXvVZ4QyvQfn5pCU-G5UFv87rAjfEPOLCO9cDCl2deU0k3jmFacf1x1S-UfrfOxwARc79yWN9VSo/s1600/portablelogs011A.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSRGoRSm4X1ZU6srtoXu_l4wu1BXr-zlXbteKttMMWVE4U4G10sfAn2BJC7S3Tuj6CnXvVZ4QyvQfn5pCU-G5UFv87rAjfEPOLCO9cDCl2deU0k3jmFacf1x1S-UfrfOxwARc79yWN9VSo/s1600/portablelogs011A.jpg" height="320" width="271" /></a></div>
ARRL version is "shirt pocket" size, 6¼" by 4". Mine is 8½" by 5½", trimmed from standard-size pages with one cut.Roberta Xhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09956807794520627885noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8234406140077819810.post-81828752122832545792014-05-17T20:44:00.003-04:002014-05-17T20:52:41.328-04:00TELEGRAPH KEYS AT 2014 DAYTON HAMVENTION A selection of old keys -- and one new one -- from the Dayton Hamvention:<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2ivncXfhfixgJwE7dfRweTwBMwQ2Gf9ievmhvCpaYHDvQIzAcOBstoRufz8QHVHMiMPOIdzBVj30uPSOZjjN1FJNsAp0Phyvtcah-Q2tbuhiba6J44lIfExG1brHw6S1b9X0n9FBYThcM/s1600/Dayton19keys.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2ivncXfhfixgJwE7dfRweTwBMwQ2Gf9ievmhvCpaYHDvQIzAcOBstoRufz8QHVHMiMPOIdzBVj30uPSOZjjN1FJNsAp0Phyvtcah-Q2tbuhiba6J44lIfExG1brHw6S1b9X0n9FBYThcM/s1600/Dayton19keys.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
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"Pendograph," with a base-supported vertical pendulum for forming dits.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizlJ8vST_BNlOagAAtfUWvJVGtUIyQwXAGrLYvni2RBSadmEU1YrcM6R13UJMWJ3e-ePgHTKq-I-OJYEUFznqqmMBDjFCan3dVYHQIAgM8DsJyqX70tVySUGXefLARoCfkO0oBarAxpv4z/s1600/dayton25keysA.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizlJ8vST_BNlOagAAtfUWvJVGtUIyQwXAGrLYvni2RBSadmEU1YrcM6R13UJMWJ3e-ePgHTKq-I-OJYEUFznqqmMBDjFCan3dVYHQIAgM8DsJyqX70tVySUGXefLARoCfkO0oBarAxpv4z/s1600/dayton25keysA.jpg" height="235" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
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Pendograph close-up. The owner let me try it -- very nice feel. It's a
"release of tension" design like the Mecograph: the reed is flexed at
rest, and released to vibrate when you work the left paddle.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEw_FjXOPcwTuf5Ak05QESUDR1Uavy-nYmAXDVIFdy2vmDcR36d2Y8wFVC30zLdcbp0xshxB1_sFDqRSJkfvHR4DS2z2kl3q_XDCXrGa70RroonKqPW-3gaRI0Hp-n6g90ZGrin-2EcXnx/s1600/dayton20keys.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEw_FjXOPcwTuf5Ak05QESUDR1Uavy-nYmAXDVIFdy2vmDcR36d2Y8wFVC30zLdcbp0xshxB1_sFDqRSJkfvHR4DS2z2kl3q_XDCXrGa70RroonKqPW-3gaRI0Hp-n6g90ZGrin-2EcXnx/s1600/dayton20keys.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
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"Automorse," an Australian-made fully-automatic mechanical key.
Full-auto for International Morse, as used on radio, anyway: the third
paddle is for the long dahs of landline Morse, and that's manual.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLRWSURrhIU1tACNkH1DIvV0_fDjMaHPrID-2GVh4uNEz-bjEH0YwDVD0xZYf-CGunkArbBbQCGHin9tSC__NuJWjMTE4GuSde4lSEQl0GFFdzuocbnpr0KXkObuG27TydHgRMTLP13pvM/s1600/dayton22keys.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLRWSURrhIU1tACNkH1DIvV0_fDjMaHPrID-2GVh4uNEz-bjEH0YwDVD0xZYf-CGunkArbBbQCGHin9tSC__NuJWjMTE4GuSde4lSEQl0GFFdzuocbnpr0KXkObuG27TydHgRMTLP13pvM/s1600/dayton22keys.jpg" height="211" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
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This is a Mecograph, one of two versions.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNVBEb0sLk77VgE4GjNM5jCJ0ZptY4QbXiuCqT6xy4K7uuqb8C_InhuLEEucbZDMZWUd8oOgJVuWvy82MWEaBbvw9tNslBbgQ8qLbJiy9l3OZCnqNyf4BoHu1BPmeRj_uQqKuU9zk4UqmL/s1600/dayton21keys.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNVBEb0sLk77VgE4GjNM5jCJ0ZptY4QbXiuCqT6xy4K7uuqb8C_InhuLEEucbZDMZWUd8oOgJVuWvy82MWEaBbvw9tNslBbgQ8qLbJiy9l3OZCnqNyf4BoHu1BPmeRj_uQqKuU9zk4UqmL/s1600/dayton21keys.jpg" height="400" width="322" /></a></td></tr>
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The original machine for live coverage of news -- cut into the nearest telegraph wire and get to sending! You see these in old photos of press coverage of sporting events and Presidential appearances.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMTGlUKbsuqEIKv20EN65j0F6ljgczo9eWhwUojhv4iZd2bMNkzTon9X-qiSbTUUlI8owO4tSRaZU4bS6miSOoOCVp7MoCiDUR_9Vt71ZX9wKNqfCUQPhU_TUWlIR0c0Ju5mAM0AXaPEiu/s1600/dayton23keys.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMTGlUKbsuqEIKv20EN65j0F6ljgczo9eWhwUojhv4iZd2bMNkzTon9X-qiSbTUUlI8owO4tSRaZU4bS6miSOoOCVp7MoCiDUR_9Vt71ZX9wKNqfCUQPhU_TUWlIR0c0Ju5mAM0AXaPEiu/s1600/dayton23keys.jpg" height="185" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
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Sounders!<br />
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A full-auto, all-mechanical key built by Indy's own brilliant Richard Meiss. He knows more about the physics of bug keys than any man alive. This key is palm-sized, and uses a mechanically-varied mass to switch between dits and dahs. Roberta Xhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09956807794520627885noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8234406140077819810.post-59730975110101011092014-02-16T21:18:00.000-05:002014-02-16T21:18:22.090-05:00LETTERING GUIDE No copyright -- and no wonder; if you want to use these fonts, you're going to need a set of <a href="http://www.speedballart.com/our-products.php?cat=14">Speedball </a>pens! <br />
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Full-size, this is a large image, intended for your use when lettering by hand. The 16th Edition "Speedball Text Book - Lettering - Poster Design - For Pen Or Brush" that accompanied it, you'll have to find for yourself. It's a delight from another century, a succinct guide that presumes the reader has a modicum of talent or the patience to get the job done the hard way. They're on to the 23rd ed. now; it would be interesting to see how much has been kept.Roberta Xhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09956807794520627885noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8234406140077819810.post-45503960851475842552013-12-25T21:11:00.001-05:002013-12-25T21:11:39.398-05:00TYPEWRITER FONTS Richard Post offers a wonderful collection of <a href="http://site.xavier.edu/polt/typewriters/tw-fonts.html">free, downloadable typewriter fonts</a> at his site! Royal's "Vogue" font is very similar to the typefaces used for labeling on some Millen ham radio gear.Roberta Xhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09956807794520627885noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8234406140077819810.post-31505375933446792842013-12-08T21:35:00.001-05:002013-12-08T21:35:41.556-05:00CHICAGO RAILROAD FAIR, 1948 Shot on 8mm, right there in 1948 -- and what a collection of vintage transportation hardware!<br />
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Roberta Xhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09956807794520627885noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8234406140077819810.post-2385087109496285472013-11-15T08:12:00.001-05:002013-11-15T08:12:24.402-05:00W9BSP: A HAM'S HAM, A TEACHER'S TEACHER His name was <a href="http://radiomagonline.com/signoff/the_history_of_w9bsp_1101/">Marshall H. Ensor</a>. He was a shop teacher in Olathe, Kansas; except for a stint traning radiomen during WW II, he spent most of his life there. He spent it talking to the world and not just idle chatter, either -- Marshall Ensor (and his sister Loretta) spent evenings sending code practice and "teaching radio by radio," a free-for-the-listening lecture course over the powerful W9BSP - W9UA transmitter.<br />
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I'd read all this in back issues of ARRL's magazine QST. What I didn't know is the <a href="http://www.ensorparkandmuseum.org/">house where they lived is now a museum</a> and the grounds around it are a park. That big transmitter, in its fine-furniture cabinet, is back on the air again.<br />
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As a shop teacher, he reached thousands. There's no way to know how many people, all over the world, he taught about radio. Tens of thousands? (This modest man admitted in a resume sent to the U. S. Navy, "Reputed to have trained more radio operators than any other individual in the United States.") And all from a farmhouse in Kansas.<br />
<br />Roberta Xhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09956807794520627885noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8234406140077819810.post-62770821277060746032013-10-14T22:50:00.000-04:002013-10-15T23:53:57.635-04:00STANCOR 10P TRANSMITTER: UPDATE 11 Mounted and partially wired the volume control, wired up more of the 6L6 RF amp last night:<br />
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Closeup of the tube wiring. Still have the power supply to wire up.<br />
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Inventorying my end-link transmitter coils from Bud and Barker & Williamson, 160, 80, 20, 10 and 5 meters I have in good shape. For 40m, I repaired a coil earlier.<s>have nothing marked and I'll just have to see if any of the unmarked ones will hit the band. If not, I guess I'll be making one</s>. (My earlier notions were incorrect. For some reason, I thought I'd repaired an 80m coil.)Roberta Xhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09956807794520627885noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8234406140077819810.post-57339255398525884432013-10-10T21:43:00.000-04:002013-10-10T23:38:15.757-04:00STANCOR 10P TRANSMITTER: PART 10 I made some impressive-looking progress this afternoon and stopped to photograph it because it's an example of a technique not everyone knows about: prewiring.<br />
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There are a number of controls and jacks mounted on the front panel and it's a pretty tight fit. Rather than mount them and try to get into a small space with needlenose pliers, soldering iron and solder, I wired up the most challenging (a multi-contact jack and a toggle switch) on the bench, and connected the input transformer to the microphone jack before installing it.<br />
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This results in quite a few wires cut a little longer than necessary. Yes, there will be some waste and yes, they sell that stuff by the foot, but how much does frustration cost? By color-coding them, it it's easier to sort them out -- blue is plate return, red is B+, gray is cathode and switched ground, and black is ground, which are (mostly) old-time standard colors.<br />
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The audio level control remains to be wired up and put in. It mounts right in front of the rectifier tube, so lead dress will be important.
You can see the shielded lead from the mic transformer headed over to
the empty hole in the front panel; another shielded wire will return
from the control to the grid of the modulator tube.<br />
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I had a bad moment when I realized I don't own a 1/2" Spintite driver to tighten the nuts of the 1/4" jacks. But I do have a perfectly good modern Klein nutdriver that size.<br />
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My workbench is a little chaotic at present.<br />
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As usual, tools have outstripped tool storage and projects have grown to take up the available space. There's everything from the remains of an old soldering-iron control box and a balanced-line transmit-receive switch that didn't work out (not enough power supply for the relay!) to my QSL-40 transmitter, a box of pegboard hooks and big piece of un-etched PC board. Somewhere over on the left is a jack box for the CW transmitters (half of them have the key jack on the back, some have heathen connectors that decent folk would never use instead of proper 1/4" two-circuit jacks) and a narrow audio filter.<br />
<br />Roberta Xhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09956807794520627885noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8234406140077819810.post-11802149606550387872013-10-08T00:31:00.001-04:002013-10-08T00:33:07.705-04:00ON THE PROJECT FRONT (TRIPLETT 666-R VOM) I finally downloaded the manual for my (obsolete) 666-R VOM -- <a href="http://www.triplett.com/about-us/triplett-product-manuals/">Triplett's product support is quite good</a>! -- and loaded batteries for the ohmmeter function (2 AAs and a C). This puts one more meter on my bench for the ongoing Stancor 10P transmitter project, which has been considerably slowed due to lack of time and energy. The 666-R is the smaller version of their 630; only 1000 Ohms per Volt but a good, solid meter, well worth owning. It has the same single range control setup as the larger meter:<br />
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The meter leads are, as you might expect, much newer. I love old meters but old insulation can ruin your day. (I'm rebuilding a set with super-sharp phonograph-needle tips, something very useful that you absolutely cannot find today. Mind you, replacement needles for your Victrola are out there, but the once-common test probes with tiny pin-vise chucks for them are no more, probably because of some kind of product liability issue. Fluke does make some very sharp add-on probe tips, at least.)<br />
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For the Stancor 10P transmitter, I'm bidding on some more plug-in coils of the 50 Watt, end-linked variety that, if I win them, will help a lot with being able to put it on the 80 and 160 Meter bands. Finding the end-linked ones has been slow; I have coils for 20, 10 and 5 (!) Meters in decent shape, fixed one for 40 Meters that wasn't, and have a couple more in need of much repair.<br />
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I'm still hoping to put them back into useful shape. It's slow and fiddly work.Roberta Xhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09956807794520627885noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8234406140077819810.post-52583578217827703802013-09-16T00:15:00.001-04:002013-09-16T21:54:33.770-04:00A BRILLIANT SET BUILDER, A BRILLIANT KIT DESIGNER "Big Nick," <a href="http://www.bignick.net/Morgan_Radio/Radio.htm">KC9KEP, does amazing work</a>. He's been building classic late-1930s/early-'40s <u>ARRL Handbook</u> receivers (plus some others) and good-looking as the League originals were, his are even better. If you like building your own ham gear, he's a inspiration.<br />
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On the other side of the Atlantic and a generation or two more recent in technology, the clever Tim Walford (<a href="http://www.users.globalnet.co.uk/~walfor/">Walford Electronics</a>) has been turning out very nice kits for some time. I've built one, a nice 80-meter QRP transceiver, and it was fun to build and fun to use on the air. He's added an antenna tuner and his answer to the problem of providing a variable inductance is one of the best ideas I've seen. Go to <a href="http://www.users.globalnet.co.uk/~walfor/accessories.htm">this page</a> and scroll down to Antenna Matching Unit. Yes, he's using a short piece of ribbon cable and a set of short traces on the PC board to make a coil! His notes say that particular solid-wire jumper went unavailable, so he's redesigning it for an alternative coil and I'll be interested to learn what that will be. Good equipment from a good guy.Roberta Xhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09956807794520627885noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8234406140077819810.post-36529286235050866602013-09-06T20:40:00.000-04:002013-09-06T20:47:13.520-04:00MODERN 36" PENNYFARTHINGS: COKER AND QU-AX At the WARMfest last weekend, I met a fellow riding a <a href="http://www.cokercycles.com/wheelman-free-wheel/">Coker Wheelman</a> pennyfarthing, with the same wheel size as my <a href="http://www.qu-ax.com/en/products/fun1/Penny-farthing">QU-AX</a>.<br />
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Both have similar rake angles, pneumatic tires and the main wheel is a yard across -- but that's about it for similarities:<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Coker at left, QU-AX at right</td></tr>
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They're both nice-looking ordinaries and attract a lot of interest. While the Coker does have a brake on the main wheel, the rider I met admitted he doesn't use it much. Meeting him made me wish I'd've ridden mine to the event; there aren't so many of us on pennyfarthings, still less the modern versions.<br />
<br />Roberta Xhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09956807794520627885noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8234406140077819810.post-56985083443037342812013-09-01T13:38:00.000-04:002014-04-09T20:35:10.540-04:00MILLEN 92201 TRANSMATCH JUNIOR What's a transmatch? It's a device for matching a transmitter (or a receiver) to an antenna, or perhaps the other way around. It's an impedance-transforming network. They're pretty common in amateur radio and you can even find high-power versions at some MF AM and SW stations.<br />
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This one was made by the perfectionist James Millen Corporation, their "Junior" model (manual for 92201 <a href="http://www.isquare.com/millen/millen-page.htm#4">here</a>), rated at 150W continuous, 300W peak:<br />
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Internal construction is as clever as most Millen devices. The split-stator input variable condenser sits on top of a little copper-plated box and the input connector is at the rear-wall end of the box. What's in the box? A standing-wave bridge, a pair of directional couplers for providing equal-<strike>amplitude</strike> coupling-value samples of forward and reflected power. They go to a front-panel selector switch. Set the front-panel meter to full-scale in "Forward," flip it to "Reverse" and adjust the tuning controls for the lowest reading. Voila, matched!<br />
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(I removed the cover for these photographs. It matches the front panel.)<br />
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The output capacitor stands on ceramic pillars: both sides are at an RF potential above ground.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjv-MneqL-N-Yx1TU7UP-6SNIF065ZFixrHwPBlJvaYzkQTR90d0MbbXG8l9lfXUHHu-W38o7sgQ53iy_yg1P6m5kX9di4KijM4HG3dXNzX-xB6jqJHQ10_1eC60W_q03OdI8M6mzopgO0y/s1600/MillenT3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjv-MneqL-N-Yx1TU7UP-6SNIF065ZFixrHwPBlJvaYzkQTR90d0MbbXG8l9lfXUHHu-W38o7sgQ53iy_yg1P6m5kX9di4KijM4HG3dXNzX-xB6jqJHQ10_1eC60W_q03OdI8M6mzopgO0y/s640/MillenT3.jpg" height="428" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
On the back panel, an extra connector! It connects to a one-turn loop coupled to the main coil (see the manual), and provides a sample of the signal for an oscilloscope or keying/modulation monitor.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4K_Ky6dox2DsvDuVIAV8J9T1gVkzeB1J9GiUL-h-_UuuAK4bps8wsbDF3CrZb1d7ippCwpSHJL27UAtxvFaSxZpJHENNRbmauTJ6x62HIQmJAFnBnzm3SaEuvPzpTOfhp3frNKNUzIr7h/s1600/MillenT4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4K_Ky6dox2DsvDuVIAV8J9T1gVkzeB1J9GiUL-h-_UuuAK4bps8wsbDF3CrZb1d7ippCwpSHJL27UAtxvFaSxZpJHENNRbmauTJ6x62HIQmJAFnBnzm3SaEuvPzpTOfhp3frNKNUzIr7h/s640/MillenT4.jpg" height="505" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
Found on an auction site for a remarkably low price, this example is unrestored. Typical of Millen products, it is overbuilt and will only need attention if the meter movement or passive components in the SWR bridge (two diodes, two resistors, a fixed condenser or two) are damaged.Roberta Xhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09956807794520627885noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8234406140077819810.post-50373108405069873092013-08-23T19:07:00.001-04:002013-08-23T19:07:35.157-04:00GENERAL RADIO KNOB AND INDEX It showed up ay a popular auction site: a genuine GR calibrated knob:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyAWGBfk_fcF-yILDy62gQ_KpbV93S5PQwKCnfoicf4GNBd-3_UqVgdSuBfL4INZ5x5VR5voXE6ysnakHcugPAdIPryOLaKO-aWe1a4qV8-8NY3_1gq9qVSq9N8wAh4m6MxYVapnGCj6Do/s1600/GR2+-+Copy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="392" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyAWGBfk_fcF-yILDy62gQ_KpbV93S5PQwKCnfoicf4GNBd-3_UqVgdSuBfL4INZ5x5VR5voXE6ysnakHcugPAdIPryOLaKO-aWe1a4qV8-8NY3_1gq9qVSq9N8wAh4m6MxYVapnGCj6Do/s400/GR2+-+Copy.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
In the original box (love those fonts!):<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEig_p1NInejcUKtqLjcr1wdDbX6yDc-m7p8s1SSxikjRZG-GNW9lDilKKdW7Q1z8osZItUzF75T0uNWtT5Ck-KgJbDl_E3MAFCoR09YpprAxr0MIDV2nn5-LKq9uumY6G0oidu3xXcysEXZ/s1600/gr1A.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEig_p1NInejcUKtqLjcr1wdDbX6yDc-m7p8s1SSxikjRZG-GNW9lDilKKdW7Q1z8osZItUzF75T0uNWtT5Ck-KgJbDl_E3MAFCoR09YpprAxr0MIDV2nn5-LKq9uumY6G0oidu3xXcysEXZ/s400/gr1A.jpg" width="397" /></a></div>
With an "index:"<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhl5e8S1SGD6e58sUHXC5gnvOro0E6Q2eL3Wa9JeaUQptYkupKmlSN-OlV0Q2Cubp9g0-O62Sn2bC4IF0E3VVxx2u5Gmctp7Gg1sZ93KCskdOYo4lkzcbIGxqwy-VFMIff9hidqI1K9Bca/s1600/GRKnobIndex.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="271" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhl5e8S1SGD6e58sUHXC5gnvOro0E6Q2eL3Wa9JeaUQptYkupKmlSN-OlV0Q2Cubp9g0-O62Sn2bC4IF0E3VVxx2u5Gmctp7Gg1sZ93KCskdOYo4lkzcbIGxqwy-VFMIff9hidqI1K9Bca/s400/GRKnobIndex.png" width="400" /></a></div>
Actually, three of them, and that's the part you never see. Sure, it's just (just?) a line scribed on a piece of metal, the same nickel-plated brass as the calibrated skirt, but it's mounted on a little leaf spring and shaped to ride right on the edge of the calibrations. It beats the usual crude expedients by a long ways.<br />
<br />
There's one fancier replacement, a vernier scale that allows reading the dial to a tenth of a division. Either one is a nice thing to have when the urge to build some interesting device happens to strike.Roberta Xhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09956807794520627885noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8234406140077819810.post-69979669178561446382013-08-03T18:10:00.001-04:002013-08-04T23:31:39.511-04:00INDIANA STATE FAIR RETROTECH The Pioneer Village area of the Indiana State Fair is a hotbed of retrotech and, as it turned out, a few vendors thereof as well. I passed up a well-worn set of radio headphones, 1920s or '30s vintage, but these small items caught my attention and had to come home:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGz6Rasf8IUKYwRXTbG8kZT0fK6q91R58HSeZz0JysaJ0EhjGhcwB4IIW5THMvyKqfzmgTQ7Ky5zGJiA8YyFGHLyZyYGZDGCTPLCb1hQNV-6Sa3CKcOTgL__YOvRsM16p9RRq94xR50_ig/s1600/ThreePens.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGz6Rasf8IUKYwRXTbG8kZT0fK6q91R58HSeZz0JysaJ0EhjGhcwB4IIW5THMvyKqfzmgTQ7Ky5zGJiA8YyFGHLyZyYGZDGCTPLCb1hQNV-6Sa3CKcOTgL__YOvRsM16p9RRq94xR50_ig/s640/ThreePens.jpg" width="620" /></a></div>
The pens, by the Bridgeport Pen Co. of the Connecticut town of the same name, are an unusual design, sized for sign or poster work and intended to be used with India-type drawing ink. The narrowest one is turned so you can see the corrugated brass ink retainer. They <a href="http://www.etsy.com/listing/130619324/coits-pens-three-wooden-vintage">show up</a> fairly often.<br />
<br />
The pencil saver is a clever gadget dating back to Victorian times, allowing you to use a pencil right down to the stub -- and in the stored position, it keeps the point out of harm's way. This one is a bit newer, 1930s perhaps, with a well-petrified eraser. There's a little drawing of a cave entrance on the label, with the legend, "Souvenir of <a href="http://www.marktwaincave.com/mtc_marktwaincave.html">Mark Twain Cave</a>, Hannibal, Mo." The entrance still looked the same in a 1956 photograph and may not be much changed even today.<br />
<br />
The trammel (or "beam compass"), made by Feranco Products (Ferance Construction Co. of Penfield, N.Y.) is a very small example; large trammel points that clamp on a framing square or yardstick are more commonly seen. Neither ZIP nor Zone code on the address and the points proper look to be zamak -- 1930s though 1950s? This one easily scribes circles up to 12 inches in diameter. The previous owner left the lead properly sharpened, too. There's a set of actual scribe points (the other end has a stepped drafting type), extra lead and spare clamp screws along with their G U A R A N T E E. It <a href="http://www.ebay.com/itm/Beam-Compass-in-case-Feranco-Ferance-Construction-drafting-tools-/111114711658?nma=true&si=OH5yJsvHXzRG9vwBnuvtIsf9FwM%253D&orig_cvip=true&rt=nc&_trksid=p2047675.l2557">may have originally contained more beams</a>, which the clamp screws would have held together for making larger circles.<br />
<br />
Prices? Including tax, I paid more for lunch (a ribeye sandwich and a glass of pop) than I did for any of it -- $10 total for the three pens, the same for the beam compass, $4 for the pencil saver. This compares rather favorably with asking prices online and these are useful items. Roberta Xhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09956807794520627885noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8234406140077819810.post-30261043733800298962013-07-31T14:21:00.000-04:002013-10-25T08:21:22.388-04:00ELECTRO-VOICE V-1 RIBBON MICROPHONE Is there any mellower microphone than a good ribbon? These velocity mics are strikingly different to most other transducers -- for one thing, the ribbon is operating above its resonant frequency, rather than below it. No other microphone works that way and it's part of their warmth and lack of <strike>"proximity effect."</strike> "off mic" sound even at fairly large distances, as long as the speaker is on-axis, facing one of the wider sides. (I was wrong earlier, ribbon mics actually have a lot of up-close bass-boosting proximity effect. I never worked one very closely, they're very sensitive to plosive sounds.)<br />
<br />
A long time ago, I owned an <a href="http://www.coutant.org/rca44bx/">RCA 44BX</a>, the iconic broadcast microphone. I fell on hard times and sold it (hoping to buy it back some day) and the mic subsequently had a hard life (damaged ribbon, some sort of plating job, paperweight) until I lost track of it. So when a "baby brother" (about half-size) made by Indiana's own Electro-Voice* turned up for just over $100 at an antique mall, I bought it on sight.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1gUIyMq72OX8s-TjevK2pyvZlnjRjBw2o_ugK5XH_YEcqEbGg5fGn51HDuA8npOz0NBIu6mir3zgw94QWhpIkulk0W76UK-L4efYAjiFVQPNFI15jakPrJkwK6rYq74-qmRbXFIkvqf5E/s1600/V1Mic.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1gUIyMq72OX8s-TjevK2pyvZlnjRjBw2o_ugK5XH_YEcqEbGg5fGn51HDuA8npOz0NBIu6mir3zgw94QWhpIkulk0W76UK-L4efYAjiFVQPNFI15jakPrJkwK6rYq74-qmRbXFIkvqf5E/s640/V1Mic.jpg" width="532" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"After." The base is not original.</td></tr>
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Of course it was dead. Responded slightly to a fingernail tapped on the frame but not at all to sound, which is a sure sign the ribbon is against a pole piece, or jammed up with lint. Close examination showed the ribbon well out of alignment and crumpled. I wrapped it up and set to one side, thinking some day I'd nerve up to try rebuilding it--<br />
<br />
Fast-forward a couple of years; browsing for a microphone for work, I stumbled across <a href="http://www.wesdooley.com/">AEA</a>, who still make classic RCA microphones. They're quite expensive and worth every cent.<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/SHkOkqnJjy0?rel=0" width="560"></iframe><br />
They're also beautiful.<br />
<br />
If you look carefully at their home page, you'll see a "repair form" link. And not just the RCA types; they sell and support the STC/Coles mics made in the UK, too. So I called and asked their ace service guy (fixing ribbon mics is the darkest of Dark Arts, combining watchmaking, ship-in-a-bottle skills and fine-arts-grade audio talent, and that's just for a start) if he'd consider fixing an Electro-Voice V-1?<br />
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"There's a V-2 on my bench right now, so that'd be a yes."<br />
<br />
I filled out the form and dithered for several weeks. This could be costly! On the other hand, while there are several firms making ribbon mics these days (with varying degrees of success. AEA is the gold standard they aspire towards), repairing them is a much scarcer skill and very nearly died out once already. Shipped the mic and crossed my fingers.<br />
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Several weeks later, at the Dayton Hamvention of all places, my celphone rang. AEA: "Hey, what's that weird connector on your V-1? We haven't got anything that will mate with it!"<br />
<br />
I had to laugh. "Sorry, I forgot it's only 1937 in <u>my</u> basement. It's an early hi-Z connector, used on mics and test gear through the 1960s. You've called me at the one place where I can be sure of finding one; I'll make up an adapter and send it to you."<br />
<br />
The V-1 uses a <a href="http://www.switchcraft.com/productsummary.aspx?Parent=810">"spot" connector</a>. All later E-V ribbon mics were selectable-impedance and had either an unterminated cable or one of the early multi-pin connectors.<br />
<br />
About a month later, they called with my bill. New ribbon, new magnets, new rubber shockmount, alignment and test, bench time-- I braced for the bottom line.<br />
<br />
About $150. Well under what I was anticipating.<br />
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Mind you, by their standards, the little E-V is a fairly undemanding repair and the cast-zinc base prevents much cosmetic refinishing (zamak is unpredictable stuff and only gets more so the more you mess with it). The end result looks better than it did when I bought it, with the grill all clean and shiny, and sounds great. Output's not very high -- that's a small ribbon, after all -- but well within what a decent mic preamp can deal with.<br />
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I'm tempted to ask them if they'll look at my Amperite ribbon mic:<br />
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These were, shall we say, built to a price. This one hasn't suffered a lot of zinc-alloy creep, but it's seen entirely too much knocking around and the guy I bought it from, despite his assurances to take exceeding great care, packed it for shipment like you'd pack a brickbat: no padding at all. ...I think maybe I'll wait a bit before sending this in. And maybe bake some cookies to send along with it by way of apology, too.<br />
<br />
Electro-Voice V-1: good mic, back in service.<br />
AEA: They've made me even more of a fan than I already was!<br />
_____________________________________________<br />
* E-V started out in South Bend, eventually jumping the border for Buchanan, Michigan. They've built good mics since Day One, if you ask me. Roberta Xhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09956807794520627885noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8234406140077819810.post-91828073052151819152013-07-23T22:05:00.000-04:002013-07-23T22:05:17.382-04:00JOHNSON VIKING CHALLENGER: INDY HAMFEST SWAG, PART FIVE E.F. Johnson built <a href="http://www.radioing.com/museum/tx4.html">a wide range of amateur radio transmitters</a> (among other things), <a href="http://www.efjohnsontechnologies.com/about/history">starting in the 1920s</a>. They hit their stride with the postwar ham radio boom and continued through the early days of SSB. Every last one of the postwar rigs was a "Viking" something-or-other, which I suppose isn't a huge surprise for a company based in Waseca MN, up there where the descendants of Vikings farmed the land. The first two, delightful behemoths, were the Viking I and Viking II, but after that, there were Adventurers, Rangers, Navigators, Invaders(!) and the Challenger:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRdkSBoMGjBCidlII8Xf3RbrIz8vRDrdlTRToE4iDgd63IbDzugzjfbkA2m6DJz0BgzVmvXs8sHh0ff8jzBr-7PWXHHOkbYDWtspagLLacqgq0o9Qxu5RtP-XQoUfC1gJG_sRYiXIioNWi/s1600/VikingChallenger.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="484" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRdkSBoMGjBCidlII8Xf3RbrIz8vRDrdlTRToE4iDgd63IbDzugzjfbkA2m6DJz0BgzVmvXs8sHh0ff8jzBr-7PWXHHOkbYDWtspagLLacqgq0o9Qxu5RtP-XQoUfC1gJG_sRYiXIioNWi/s640/VikingChallenger.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
There was one on a table at the Indy Hamfest, priced over $100 (a bit high, I thought) but the guy was starting to pack up and when he noticed my interest, suggested the price was highly negotiable. I named a rather low one and he was okay with it -- even added a microphone.<br />
<br />
It's a CW/AM rig, the latter provided by screen-modulating a couple of TV sweep tubes (6DQ6) with a miniature beam tetrode audio tube (6AQ5). One does not expect high fidelity from this kind of arrangement but given a decent load, it should be adequate. <br />
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The knobs for bandswitch, "excitation" (grid drive) and mode switch are notably missing pointers to tell you where they're set. The originals were sort of subtle, white plastic pieces glued in at the bottom of the knobs, and I'll have to work out a replacement. <br />
<br />
Does it work? The seller claimed it did -- it's got Johnson's poorly-documented "push to talk" modification (no schematic, just a step-by-step and partial pictorial) and a connections-unknown mic socket, so I'll want to trace all that out first, clean it up and then, perhaps, power it up via The Gadget. <br />
<br />
What's The Gadget? That's a post for another time!Roberta Xhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09956807794520627885noreply@blogger.com7