Valiant

[w2amr]

The audio in the Valiant went out a last summer, and I final got around to fixing it. Found an open 47K resistor in the B+ line running to the plate of the 3rd audio stage. It's nice to have her back on line again.
14488

[NQ6U]

When I saw your subject line, I figured you'd gotten one of these:

http://s.hswstatic.com/gif/1960-1962-plymouth-valiant-7.jpg

[w2amr]

When I saw your subject line, I figured you'd gotten one of these:

http://s.hswstatic.com/gif/1960-1962-plymouth-valiant-7.jpg
HA!

[WØTKX]

On a good night, I could probably hear you. :stickpoke:

[w2amr]

On a good night, I could probably hear you. :stickpoke:I doubt it, I'm in bed by 7.:mrgreen:

[WØTKX]

Well, fire it up on 14.286.
After supper at 4:00 PM Eastern. :dunno:

[w2amr]

Well, fire it up on 14.286.
After supper at 4:00 PM Eastern. :dunno:Sounds like a plan. I have my vertical apart now. When it's back together, we can set up a sked on 20

[WX7P]

When I saw your subject line, I figured you'd gotten one of these:

http://s.hswstatic.com/gif/1960-1962-plymouth-valiant-7.jpg

Heh, I thought the same thing.

My mother had a 61 Valiant. My Dad's and eventually my car was a 64. That on is a 62.

[NQ6U]

Heh, I thought the same thing.

My mother had a 61 Valiant. My Dad's and eventually my car was a 64. That on is a 62.

Back in my high school days, a friend of mine had a clapped-out '62 Valiant convertible with the slant-six engine. The top was in such bad shape that he never bothered to put it up even when it was raining, but we had a lot of fun cruisin' the El Camino Real in that thing.

I saw a '64 Valiant convertible with a "For Sale" sign on it a while back and was sorely tempted...

[KG4CGC]

We had a 67 growing up with the 190 slant 6. Built like a tank and made several trips to Florida and a couple from New York ... Buffalo. Broadway and Daly.

[WØTKX]

Dodge Dart GT's were cool.

[WØTKX]

http://assets.blog.hemmings.com/wp-content/uploads//2014/07/032.jpg

[K7SGJ]

Back in my high school days, a friend of mine had a clapped-out '62 Valiant convertible with the slant-six engine. The top was in such bad shape that he never bothered to put it up even when it was raining, but we had a lot of fun cruisin' the El Camino Real in that thing.

I saw a '64 Valiant convertible with a "For Sale" sign on it a while back and was sorely tempted...

Bah, you can get For Sale signs just about everywhere.


Years ago, I had a '62 Valiant. It's amazing how back in the day when you wanted a different car (notice I didn't say new) the one you had was "a piece of shit". It's funny how that POS became a collectable several years later. Excluding Yugos, of course. They are forever destined to be the eternal piece of shit.

[XE1/N5AL]

According to this interview of a record label executive (who surprisingly wasn't the 'WIK), Diamond Dave once owned a Valiant.

14493

On the first day he met Van Halen:
Warner Music invited the band to the Petit Chateau on Lancashire in North Hollywood...to discuss their debut album. David Lee Roth showed up half an hour late, explaining his old Plymouth Valiant had broken down a couple of miles from the restaurant. Out of that lunch, we announced to the guys that they'd be going on a major tour to support their first record, and from there, we took them to the Whisky so they could rehearse for us. I later learned Lee Roth never went to pick up his rusty Valiant, and when I asked him why, he told me that it represented the past. All he was focused on was his future.


The Time David Lee Roth Abandoned His Plymouth Valiant to Rot: http://www.laweekly.com/music/the-time-david-lee-roth-abandoned-his-plymouth-valiant-to-rot-2408133

[w2amr]

This transmitter came from the estate of my friend Phil/KB2MAM. Getting some of these Johnson transmitters in and out of the Cabinet is a real pain in the ass. He solved this by putting the Valiant in a Johnson invader Cabinet , which had a hinged door on the top. Then he cut the bottom of the cabinet out, and added a hinge. Just remove 5 screws and it swings open. Very slick.
14548145491455014547

[N8YX]

Nice.

I am a big fan of "usability" mods such as that one.

You get on 80/40M AM with it, George?

[WZ7U]

Awesome rig dude. Someday maybe I can get me something nice too. Have fun with that!

[w2amr]

Nice.

I am a big fan of "usability" mods such as that one.

You get on 80/40M AM with it, George?
I have a sked with a friend Sunday mornings on 75. When we are on AM, I usually use the Valiant.

[kc4umo]

Super nice looking rig.

[N8YX]

I have a sked with a friend Sunday mornings on 75. When we are on AM, I usually use the Valiant.

In another Boatanchors thread I remarked that I got hold of an FR-101. We can add a transmitter (FL-101) to that, and early Saturday morning I managed to score a YO-101 monitor scope.

The TX was inspected, cleaned out and prepped for service over the weekend. Still have to wire the transceive cable and the accessory plug for filament power, RX mute and amplifier switching then test it. Tubes don't look like they've been abused (fingers crossed).

The YO-101 is going to require a little work to make it fully operational before being placed into service. At that time I'm going to change my center operating position to accommodate all the Yaesu pieces. Don't know if 15w AM carrier is going to be doable or not on 75 between us but we can give it a try.

[w2amr]

In another Boatanchors thread I remarked that I got hold of an FR-101. We can add a transmitter (FL-101) to that, and early Saturday morning I managed to score a YO-101 monitor scope.

The TX was inspected, cleaned out and prepped for service over the weekend. Still have to wire the transceive cable and the accessory plug for filament power, RX mute and amplifier switching then test it. Tubes don't look like they've been abused (fingers crossed).

The YO-101 is going to require a little work to make it fully operational before being placed into service. At that time I'm going to change my center operating position to accommodate all the Yaesu pieces. Don't know if 15w AM carrier is going to be doable or not on 75 between us but we can give it a try. The Yaesu Station sounds pretty cool. Post some pictures when it's all together. I used to run 5 watts with the old GRC-9 military rig and it did pretty well on 75.

[N8YX]

The Yaesu Station sounds pretty cool. Post some pictures when it's all together. I used to run 5 watts with the old GRC-9 military rig and it did pretty well on 75.

It's all cleaned up and in proper order now - transmitter, receiver, scope and speaker. Even made a bunch of connecting cables up yesterday. One thing left to do is to drag out an antenna tuner/switchbox so I can hook the slopers or the 10-12M vertical to the setup as desired; the one I have in mind (Kenwood AT-230) needs a slight modification to accommodate 3 coax-fed antennas plus a dummy load.. I wish Yaesu would have offered a matching 101-series tuner/switchbox and I'm tempted to reuse the SP-101 speaker cabinet to roll my own. Even have all the knobs in the parts stash to make it look "factory".

Will try to get the setup together this weekend and post a pic or two.

[WZ7U]

Even have all the knobs in the parts stash to make it look "factory".

You said knobs, heh heh

[w2amr]

You said knobs, heh hehthose were the days.

[N8YX]

The Yaesu Station sounds pretty cool. Post some pictures when it's all together. I used to run 5 watts with the old GRC-9 military rig and it did pretty well on 75.

Just got it all done this weekend. The scope needs another CRT, as there's a bit of burn-in around the center. No big deal as I'm going to redesign the thing and add a panadapter module w/ new front panel controls.

The D-104 in the pic sounds very good on AM with this setup. I also fixed the speech processor and wired a Shure 450 to it. That mic can be used as-is with my Cubic Astros - same wiring on the plug. It's a good choice for "punchy" SSB.

Time to build a 101-style tuner for the station. I had the AT-230 on hand and converted it for 3 coaxial feeds plus a dummy load, rather than the 2 coax + 1 random wire arrangement it was shipped with. ANT1 and 2 are connected to a pair of Alpha Delta DX-SWL slopers at SE/SW orientation, and the ANT3 connection goes to the switchbox which routes my 10-11-12M vertical to the various rigs.

14568

[w2amr]

Just got it all done this weekend. The scope needs another CRT, as there's a bit of burn-in around the center. No big deal as I'm going to redesign the thing and add a panadapter module w/ new front panel controls.

The D-104 in the pic sounds very good on AM with this setup. I also fixed the speech processor and wired a Shure 450 to it. That mic can be used as-is with my Cubic Astros - same wiring on the plug. It's a good choice for "punchy" SSB.

Time to build a 101-style tuner for the station. I had the AT-230 on hand and converted it for 3 coaxial feeds plus a dummy load, rather than the 2 coax + 1 random wire arrangement it was shipped with. ANT1 and 2 are connected to a pair of Alpha Delta DX-SWL slopers at SE/SW orientation, and the ANT3 connection goes to the switchbox which routes my 10-11-12M vertical to the various rigs.

14568Nice looking set up. How much power does the Yaesu transmitter make on AM?

[N8YX]

Nice looking set up. How much power does the Yaesu transmitter make on AM?
Depending on band, 10-15w carrier. Yaesu specifies no more than 150ma IC when transmitting AM and I usually run it a bit less than that.

[w2amr]

Depending on band, 10-15w carrier. Yaesu specifies no more than 150ma IC when transmitting AM and I usually run it a bit less than that.What does it use in the final?

[N8YX]

What does it use in the final?

2x 6JS6C, just like the FT-101/B/E/F series.

There are modification articles wherein the PA is converted to a 6146/S2001 but that's reported to have its own set of problems.

Comes the day I cannot get tubes for the rig any longer, I plan on committing the ultimate heresy and converting the PA to solid state. Looking at the pre-driver/driver/PA section of the FT-301 (Yaesu's first solid state HF transceiver) one sees a number of similarities...including a gang-tuned Preselector/Drive control. I'm pretty sure I can engineer a swap.

These tubes are at or near full output and appear to be the originals. I don't beat on my gear and won't run them in full-carrier modes like FSK - my solid state rigs are a better choice for that. Thus, for low duty cycle voice and CW usage I suspect the PA devices will last for a while.

Regardless, I'm going to lay in a few spare sets. If I can find them for less than the price of the transmitter itself.

[kc4umo]

Very nice looking setup. Well done! I really like those rigs.

Checked the price of the YO-100 CRT? Just bought one for a repair/ $129.00. Done a YT video of the repair but not uploaded it yet.
Thought about doing an upgrade to a LCD screen.

[n2ize]

This transmitter came from the estate of my friend Phil/KB2MAM. Getting some of these Johnson transmitters in and out of the Cabinet is a real pain in the ass. He solved this by putting the Valiant in a Johnson invader Cabinet , which had a hinged door on the top. Then he cut the bottom of the cabinet out, and added a hinge. Just remove 5 screws and it swings open. Very slick.
14548145491455014547

Clever idea of Phil to use the hinged cabinet. Otherwise the only way to work on those Valiants is to pull the chassis out of the cabinet. That is one thing I liked about the Viking 2. You can open the top and bottom easily. I noticed that the two big mercury HV rectifiers are missing. Are there solid state rectifiers mounted underneath the chassis ? I remember the old 866's were a major PITA, often arcing over internally if they weren't given ample time to warm up. I remember solving that problem in my Valiant by putting a pair of argon HV rectifiers in place of the 866's. Much less problematic. Then I switched to a pair of those Peter Dahl solid state plug-in replacements. I kind of miss playing around with the old radios. Maybe the radio bug will bite me again soon and I'll get back into it. My main problem is I have too many hobbies and interests that I really love. But one day the radio bug will sting me back into the radio hobby. It always does. :)

[w2amr]

Clever idea of Phil to use the hinged cabinet. Otherwise the only way to work on those Valiants is to pull the chassis out of the cabinet. That is one thing I liked about the Viking 2. You can open the top and bottom easily. I noticed that the two big mercury HV rectifiers are missing. Are there solid state rectifiers mounted underneath the chassis ? I remember the old 866's were a major PITA, often arcing over internally if they weren't given ample time to warm up. I remember solving that problem in my Valiant by putting a pair of argon HV rectifiers in place of the 866's. Much less problematic. Then I switched to a pair of those Peter Dahl solid state plug-in replacements. I kind of miss playing around with the old radios. Maybe the radio bug will bite me again soon and I'll get back into it. My main problem is I have too many hobbies and interests that I really love. But one day the radio bug will sting me back into the radio hobby. It always does. :) The mercury vapor rectifiers have been replaced with K2AW diode stacks , epoxied to the underside of the chassis.

[kb2vxa]

There are a few simple mods to get rid of the telephone audio and give it that AM Gangsta sound. That D-104 needs a higher load impedance, change the first audio grid resistor to 10M. Then disconnect and bypass the clipper/filter and change the coupling caps to .05uF 600V Mylar keeping the black marked outside foil where it is on the original paper caps. It's that way to shield against hum pickup, always on the high side of the circuit. Those things have a bad habit of developing leakage and the first ting you do with any boat anchor is entirely recap it. That's the easy part, but you don't need to go all the way unless you want to. 6146s don't make very good modulators, a socket change and a pair of 807s work better. Hint: if you can get 6BG6s, the octal version of the 807, all you need to do is change the pin connections.

One last thing, it was designed to operate with 110VAC mains voltage, with today's 115-120VAC and with solid state rectifiers LV and HV are considerably higher. You might want to check out the filter caps, the old original electrolytics should have been changed out already, so check the operating voltage against measured in CW key up and make sure there is at least 20% headroom. If not I'm reasonably sure you know how to connect 450VDC electrolytics in series with a 470K 1/2W resistor in parallel with a .01uF 600V ceramic cap across each one.

Yeah, I love boat anchors and I'm a hollow state (tubes) analog man in a solid state digital world. They say real radios glow in the dark. I say 12V is for wimps, real radios can kill you.

[w2amr]

There are a few simple mods to get rid of the telephone audio and give it that AM Gangsta sound. That D-104 needs a higher load impedance, change the first audio grid resistor to 10M. Then disconnect and bypass the clipper/filter and change the coupling caps to .05uF 600V Mylar keeping the black marked outside foil where it is on the original paper caps. It's that way to shield against hum pickup, always on the high side of the circuit. Those things have a bad habit of developing leakage and the first ting you do with any boat anchor is entirely recap it. That's the easy part, but you don't need to go all the way unless you want to. 6146s don't make very good modulators, a socket change and a pair of 807s work better. Hint: if you can get 6BG6s, the octal version of the 807, all you need to do is change the pin connections.

One last thing, it was designed to operate with 110VAC mains voltage, with today's 115-120VAC and with solid state rectifiers LV and HV are considerably higher. You might want to check out the filter caps, the old original electrolytics should have been changed out already, so check the operating voltage against measured in CW key up and make sure there is at least 20% headroom. If not I'm reasonably sure you know how to connect 450VDC electrolytics in series with a 470K 1/2W resistor in parallel with a .01uF 600V ceramic cap across each one.

Yeah, I love boat anchors and I'm a hollow state (tubes) analog man in a solid state digital world. They say real radios glow in the dark. I say 12V is for wimps, real radios can kill you.All the audio mods were done when I got it, And I get very good reports on how it sounds. Phil went over every inch of this transmitter and it's rock solid. All I have to do is clean the pots & switch contacts from time to time.

[kb2vxa]

Ah, then Phil certainly knows what he's doing and saved you the work. You didn't mention the modulators. 6146s are RF tubes and Johnson had the right idea using 807s in the Viking 1 and 2, why they used 6146s in the Valiant is a bit of a mystery.

[w2amr]

Ah, then Phil certainly knows what he's doing and saved you the work. You didn't mention the modulators. 6146s are RF tubes and Johnson had the right idea using 807s in the Viking 1 and 2, why they used 6146s in the Valiant is a bit of a mystery.They also used 807's in the Viking Mobile transmitter.