Ye Olde Radio Riggs

[AE1PT]

These old Heathkits sure have me on my toes! Peak the load and adjust the drive, match the load to the tuner, balance the feed to the tuner--tweak the load once again and adjust the drive for the amp. Check the grid and plate. Dip and peak. Adjust the load and output on the amp, and tweak everything yet again. Set the gain, and peak the preselector. Back off the attenuator, and adjust the mic gain. Tweak everything once more. Shebang! You are ready for a QSO!

LOTS AND LOTS OF SHINY :heart: KNOBS TO TWIST, GENTLY FONDLE AND CARESS TO SATISFACTION... :cool2:

Anyone else captivated by the 'Olde Schoole' way of things?

[NQ6U]

These old Heathkits sure have me on my toes! Peak the load and adjust the drive, match the load to the tuner, balance the feed to the tuner--tweak the load once again and adjust the drive for the amp. Check the grid and plate. Dip and peak. Adjust the load and output on the amp, and tweak everything yet again. Set the gain, and peak the preselector. Back off the attenuator, and adjust the mic gain. Tweak everything once more. Shebang! You are ready for a QSO!

LOTS AND LOTS OF SHINY :heart: KNOBS TO TWIST, GENTLY FONDLE AND CARESS TO SATISFACTION... :cool2:

Anyone else captivated by the 'Olde Schoole' way of things?

A-yep. I have a Drake T-4X/R-4A setup. Using them is like a whole different world compared to just switching on the Icom and dialing in the frequency. You actually have to know what you're doing, for one thing.

http://i815.photobucket.com/albums/zz79/gyrogeerloose/photo-1_zps98dabbaf.jpg

[AE1PT]

Sweet brother... :agree:

[HUGH]

[QUOTE=AE1PT;511433]These old Heathkits sure have me on my toes! Peak the load and adjust the drive, match the load to the tuner, balance the feed to the tuner--tweak the load once again and adjust the drive for the amp. Check the grid and plate. Dip and peak. Adjust the load and output on the amp, and tweak everything yet again. Set the gain, and peak the preselector. Back off the attenuator, and adjust the mic gain. Tweak everything once more. Shebang! You are ready for a QSO!

That's when a man was in charge of his equipment. It seems nowadays the equipment drives the man especially when you hear long QSOs on air about which menus to use and "does my audio sound better with this or with this?"

[KC2UGV]

A-yep. I have a Drake T-4X/R-4A setup. Using them is like a whole different world compared to just switching on the Icom and dialing in the frequency. You actually have to know what you're doing, for one thing.



Damn. Guess I'm not getting a Drake setup lol

[N2CHX]

These old Heathkits sure have me on my toes! Peak the load and adjust the drive, match the load to the tuner, balance the feed to the tuner--tweak the load once again and adjust the drive for the amp. Check the grid and plate. Dip and peak. Adjust the load and output on the amp, and tweak everything yet again. Set the gain, and peak the preselector. Back off the attenuator, and adjust the mic gain. Tweak everything once more. Shebang! You are ready for a QSO!

LOTS AND LOTS OF SHINY :heart: KNOBS TO TWIST, GENTLY FONDLE AND CARESS TO SATISFACTION... :cool2:

Anyone else captivated by the 'Olde Schoole' way of things?

Sounds like just another day in the life of a broadcast engineer -- a real one anyway, not the new ones out there who take one bewildered look at a tube rig and immediately put in a capx request to have it replaced.

[N8YX]

A "real" broadcast engineer would design and implement an auto-tune arrangement with parametric feedback in a closed loop.

Just sayin'. :whistle:

[KJ3N]

I prefer solid state for my rigs, and hollow state for my amps.

[W7UUU]

I love the old gear. I have to be careful or I'll end up with another house full of it.
Back in the 90s, I had over 100 radios - a great many of which were able to go on
the air with the flip of a switch (16 transmitters paired with 16 receivers, on a computer
controlled TR switch that could switch any pair I wanted).

But my all-time favorites were the Drake B and C lineups. Wish I had kept one or two.

If you click on my "site" link, then go to the 1996 shack page, you can see many of
those radios as they once sat in my old shack.

Dave
W7UUU

[N2CHX]

A "real" broadcast engineer would design and implement an auto-tune arrangement with parametric feedback in a closed loop.

Just sayin'. :whistle:

Ah, OK. Yeah I'm sorry, I'm not a real broadcast engineer. I'll stand down and go back to the kitchen where I belong now.

[WX7P]

I love the old gear. I have to be careful or I'll end up with another house full of it.
Back in the 90s, I had over 100 radios - a great many of which were able to go on
the air with the flip of a switch (16 transmitters paired with 16 receivers, on a computer
controlled TR switch that could switch any pair I wanted).

But my all-time favorites were the Drake B and C lineups. Wish I had kept one or two.

If you click on my "site" link, then go to the 1996 shack page, you can see many of
those radios as they once sat in my old shack.

Dave
W7UUU

That's a MOUNTAIN of radios, Dave. I can think of someone who may have you beat, BION. I'm sure you get the random idiot or two that still asks if any of those rigs are for sale.

BTW, thanks for making me feel old. I graduated from high school in 1976...:lol:, licensed in 1983.

[X-Rated]

Ever since I can remember, being a mostly-CW ham operator, from my Novice days through my General days and especially into my Extra days—I’ve hated having the letter “K” as the last letter of my call sign. Why? you ask?

My first call ended in "XE". Real confusing when working Mexico.

[wa6mhz]

I have almost every Ham radio ever made, up to the 70s era. Am making arrangements now to put it all neatly into one nice new building. almost all have been fully restored and are in perfect working condition.

[WX7P]

I have almost every Ham radio ever made, up to the 70s era. Am making arrangements now to put it all neatly into one nice new building. almost all have been fully restored and are in perfect working condition.

Get a new car and an exterminator, and all is good. Stay out of Hiram's in El Cajon.

That is all. :lol:

[WØTKX]

Lots of buttons and things to fiddle with here... :mrgreen:

https://lkoh9g.blu.livefilestore.com/y1pkYUJSeOIwGekTWlFwMKyxGFOXjmJs-oUpvUQS-9sJBG3iww1436EOmpKGZDf2QG3h1uYcgwGWh-SqMhwR_rBNKzAd89FPZpK/RightMonitor.JPG?psid=1

[VE7DCW]

Lots of buttons and things to fiddle with here... :mrgreen:

https://lkoh9g.blu.livefilestore.com/y1pkYUJSeOIwGekTWlFwMKyxGFOXjmJs-oUpvUQS-9sJBG3iww1436EOmpKGZDf2QG3h1uYcgwGWh-SqMhwR_rBNKzAd89FPZpK/RightMonitor.JPG?psid=1

Nyaaaahh ....it's all done with mirrors .....you can fool around with that same type of interface using Winamp or something... :mrgreen:

[NY3V]

...Am making arrangements now to put it all neatly into one nice new building...

8744

Double wides or triple? ;)

[w2amr]

I have some toobs
8754
8755
8756
8757

[w2amr]

Ah, OK. Yeah I'm sorry, I'm not a real broadcast engineer. I'll stand down and go back to the kitchen where I belong now.
Nice to see a woman who knows her place.:neener:

[N8YX]

Ah, OK. Yeah I'm sorry, I'm not a real broadcast engineer. I'll stand down and go back to the kitchen where I belong now.

The comment was meant as more of an "I'll show you!" challenge of engineering inspiration...but seeing that you're doing requests I'll take take the turkey and smashed potatoes; gravy on both, please. Oh, and a nice glass of Imperial Stout too. ;)

[W3WN]

Ah, OK. Yeah I'm sorry, I'm not a real broadcast engineer. I'll stand down and go back to the kitchen where I belong now.Now you know you're going to get all sorts of snarky comments... just wait until someone throws in the "barefoot" and "pregnant" cliches as well.

...and I'm not a real broadcast engineer, although I did play one once for a couple of years. So I'll also stand down and head back to my server room. I'll have a chair waiting for you Kel if you make it down here instead...

[W3WN]

And getting back on topic... I miss my HT-37 & SX-111. Especially with the HT-41 hooked up to it.

Guess I'm just going to have to get that Swan 3Drifty, er, 350 rehabbed one of these days.

[kb2vxa]

"...just wait until someone throws in the "barefoot" and "pregnant" cliches as well."

OK, barefoot is the transmitter alone, pregnant is when it's a driver. Oh my, I see some old friends like the EV-664 mic on a desk stand, an NC-173 with matching speaker, an NC-303 and a Johnson Ranger. There are other boat anchors some friends had, you guys make me miss the good old days. Eh, unless you used a link coupled balanced output tuner like the illustrious Matchbox you didn't need one, the pi network matched 30-600 ohms and tubz are very SWR tolerant.

[AE1PT]

OK, barefoot is the transmitter alone, pregnant is when it's a driver. Eh, unless you used a link coupled balanced output tuner like the illustrious Matchbox you didn't need one, the pi network matched 30-600 ohms and tubz are very SWR tolerant.

I had not tried direct to coax yet with the 401. Do have a Matchbox, that comes on line with the Valiant in a couple months.

So, through the middle half of 80/75M, it does pretty good. This is a real possibility for barefoot CW contacts. However, I have gotten quite used to 10 over reports from Europe and the North Atlantic on 3.800Mhz. That needs the tuner. The shack stays pretty warm too... :lol:

[W8XLR]

Ah, OK. Yeah I'm sorry, I'm not a real broadcast engineer. I'll stand down and go back to the kitchen where I belong now.

Hey, bring us back a beer & chips before you start dinner...:snicker:

[X-Rated]

And getting back on topic... I miss my HT-37 & SX-111. Especially with the HT-41 hooked up to it.

Guess I'm just going to have to get that Swan 3Drifty, er, 350 rehabbed one of these days.

I am not a big fan of old radios. I had old radio's when old radio's weren't cool, and that was all I had. But after I did sell the SX-111, I do realize what an excellent receiver that is. Very functional. Very excellent.

[HUGH]

A real broadcast engineer would know when to off-tune, or off-load, a transmitter in case the finals were cooking on a particular frequency. He could also adjust the drive and check the antenna was connected on the right feedpoint.

My favourite was checking the mercury arc rectifiers which no-one else remembered. Loss of one 3-phase rectifier would impart quite a hum on the modulation but the system would still keep working.

My least favourite was locking the ancient drive oscillators to a multivibrator (got the frequency wrong by 5kHz once...sorry listeners) until the arrival of more crystal oscillators and then the Rhode & Schwartz synthesisers.

[N8YX]

Speaking of older rigs...what would light my fire/warm my shack is an SR-2000/PS, remote VFO and TO-5 keyer. That is, if I had 220v in here.

[X-Rated]

A real broadcast engineer would know when to off-tune, or off-load, a transmitter in case the finals were cooking on a particular frequency. He could also adjust the drive and check the antenna was connected on the right feedpoint.

My favourite was checking the mercury arc rectifiers which no-one else remembered. Loss of one 3-phase rectifier would impart quite a hum on the modulation but the system would still keep working.

My least favourite was locking the ancient drive oscillators to a multivibrator (got the frequency wrong by 5kHz once...sorry listeners) until the arrival of more crystal oscillators and then the Rhode & Schwartz synthesisers.

If you use the proper toy cleaning tools, you won't have any problems with a moldy vibrator.

[kb2vxa]

Now where do I start? Eh, no particular order...

"I am not a big fan of old radios."
Some get rather hot like a converted AM broadcast transmitter so they had big fans built in. Moldy vibrators, what can I say? You forgot another thing a real broadcast engineer would know, peak RF output doesn't coincide with the dip in plate current. Yeah, blown rectifiers in a polyphase power supply sure do make a nasty hum, anyone who listened to Radio Moscow knows all about those humming transmitters in Ukraine while those in Russia were clean. Gotta hand it to Ukrainian engineers, parts were unavailable so they improvised. Speaking of mercury vapor rectifiers, flash over was a big problem particularly with remotely controlled transmitters, the HV switch/breaker can't be remotely controlled so the rather annoyed engineer had to go out to plant and reset it. Praise the radio god when xenon rectifiers came out and again when power silicon diodes appeared, home brewed stacks became common.

What's an SR-2000/PS?

[N8YX]

What's an SR-2000/PS?

2KW PEP (input) of desktop goodness, courtesy 2x 8122s. Hallicrafters offered a matching remote VFO for the rig. Functionally it's comparable to a TS-520S. The rigs still fetch a premium price.

[wa6mhz]

I want one of those too!!! That is the Last Hallicraters SR series I need. But the one at Dayton the seller wanted (OMG!!!) $2500 for. But there has to alot of those out there. U can have one and I can have one!

[W3WN]

I want one of those too!!! That is the Last Hallicraters SR series I need. But the one at Dayton the seller wanted (OMG!!!) $2500 for. But there has to alot of those out there. U can have one and I can have one!Yeah, I saw that one at Dayton as well. It was in very good condition, but museum quality? Nah. Worth a kilo, certainly, but not 2.5 K.

I saw one a few years back in much better shape at Breezeshooters, for "only" $1200. Not that I had the shekels at the time.

...I'd still rather have my HT-37 & SX-111 back...

[kb2vxa]

Sweeeet! Needs a filter screen over the intake on the back though. Now I know it's name is Hurricane and I can't get Ruben Carter out of my mind... oh well.

[KG4CGC]

I had a National NC-33 when I was 10. Used it up into my 20s. I think the carcass is out back now.
Yeah, I know. SACRILEGE!

[W3WN]

I had a National NC-33 when I was 10. Used it up into my 20s. I think the carcass is out back now.
Yeah, I know. SACRILEGE!You were young and foolish. But you have repented your sins.

If it makes you feel any better... I know that the Pope will give you penance, but I can do better (no offense towards the Pope, of course). I'll ask Little Miss Field Day to put in a word with Jesus to put your soul to rest.
8834
You see? She knows him personally. They even sing together.

[N8OBM]

These old Heathkits sure have me on my toes! Peak the load and adjust the drive, match the load to the tuner, balance the feed to the tuner--tweak the load once again and adjust the drive for the amp. Check the grid and plate. Dip and peak. Adjust the load and output on the amp, and tweak everything yet again. Set the gain, and peak the preselector. Back off the attenuator, and adjust the mic gain. Tweak everything once more. Shebang! You are ready for a QSO!

LOTS AND LOTS OF SHINY :heart: KNOBS TO TWIST, GENTLY FONDLE AND CARESS TO SATISFACTION... :cool2:

Anyone else captivated by the 'Olde Schoole' way of things?

I'm cleaning up an old HW101 as we speak. I hope to have it on the air sometime this weekend.

Archie N8OBM

I love the old fire bottles.

[kb2vxa]

If high power transmitting tubes are fire bottles do the liquid cooled ones use fire water? On the other hand does air really like being forced? Some things make you go hmmm.

[N8OBM]

If high power transmitting tubes are fire bottles do the liquid cooled ones use fire water? On the other hand does air really like being forced? Some things make you go hmmm.

A pox upon you! I'm going to be up ALL NIGHT thinking about these deep and troubling questions. Maybe even for the rest of the week. I hold you accountable for this.

Good day Sir, He quickly turns and marches out.........


Archie N8OBM

[W3WN]

If high power transmitting tubes are fire bottles do the liquid cooled ones use fire water? On the other hand does air really like being forced? Some things make you go hmmm.And while you're pondering that...

If tin whistles are made out of tin, what are foghorns made out of?

[kb2vxa]

If tin whistles are made out of tin, what are foghorns made out of? BOOM BOOM! Does your chewing gum lose its flavour on the bedpost overnight? If your mother says don't chew it do you swallow it in spite? Can you catch it on your tonsils, can you heave it left and right? Does your chewing gum lose its flavour on the bedpost overnight?