Favorite 'anchors

[N8YX]

Post pix if you have 'em.





As complete as these rigs are, they lack one magical little feature:

The 'wayback' button.

Press it and you go way back in time to when they were new...hearing the myriad broadcasters, utes and clandestines which positively used to fill the shortwave spectrum from one end to the other.

The voices of friends you have lost over the years - SKs, all - would come booming out of the station speaker just as if you've all gotten back from a post-'fest breakfast with new gear in tow - or come home from an antenna-raising party and were eager to check out the resultant signal of the amateur you helped.

Were my vintage gear to be equipped with that feature, I'd even find a way to like (or at least tolerate) the Woodpecker.

[kf0rt]

Here's a pic:


Yeah, that's me in 1974 (I was 18), operating the ARRL DX CW test from WØLJF. We took 2nd in multi-single for CO, which was pretty competitive at the time. I think everyone in the top 5 knew each other. Ed ('LJF) was one of my "Elmers."

Here's what was next to the bench:


The taller box housed a single 4-1000. Smaller box was a single 4-400 and served as my station amp for a number of years. Both were "from scratch" homebrew amps.

Ed passed away in 1994 at the ripe young age of 51. Hard to believe that was 16 years ago. He was instrumental in getting my wife and I together back in 1976.

[w2amr]

Here are the two nicest pieces of vintage gear I currently own.

[N9FE]

The ts 820 is as oldest i've got. But as george knows these are the crazy's i hang out with.. www.vintagessb.net

[N4VGB]

Favorite 'anchors

How can you have a favorite? They're all just so lovable.

[KG4CGC]

I had an NC-33 given to me when I was 10. It stopped me from taking apart televisions.
I used to listen to WLAC and various other stations. The Woodpecker and the Motorboat used to be everywhere. Oh wait, I think it was more like an airplane engine.

[N2NH]

I was with WA2EXH back in college. He claimed he could get WWV with a very short wire and this. Personally I would've tried for W1AW and studied code with it...



I had a Hallicrafters SX-96 but it had the sensitivity of road kill and was even worse with selectivity. Shorted out on a Shakespeare Big Stick with the ground detached and fed me with 4 years of nearby lightning strikes. It was an interesting doorstop...


Best I've got now is the Heathkiit SB-104A... I don't think that really qualifies...

[kb2crk]

it is one of my favorite for nostalgia only. the hw-101 was my first hf rig.
here is a pic of my current one on the air with the over the hill gang on 20 meters.

[N4VGB]

The pic is of my old friend and many years hamfest partner W4KKO/I.D. Byars, now a silent key, of McMinnville, TN. Everything in this pic is now my property. Yes, including the Collins 20V-2 and barely visible in the background left hand corner 20V-3 AM BC xmitters, one setup for 160m and the other for 75m. The 20V-2 was converted to use 833As modulated by 833As. In the far right hand corner on top of the bench top is a HB exciter/speech amp built in a junker Collins 32V-3 case and below it under the bench top is a HB parallel 813 rig, modulated by triode connected 813s. It uses the old B&W 850 tank coil and B&W plate choke for that classic look inside. All classic UTC iron with a CVM-4 mod xformer and 40H mod reactor, no DC in the mod xformer secondary please. ;)

Funny story on that HB exciter. I was at the Tricities, TN hamfest and spotted this old sad looking 32V-3 under a table. I bent over and tried to pull it out for a better inspection and the darned thing kept springing back like it was tied to a bungy cord!? So I bent over furhter and there was W4KKO trying to pull it out for inspection on the other side of the table! :rofl: I looked at him and said, "we're giving new meaning to the term push-pull". :rofl:

Soooo, I was only interested in it for the possible spare parts supply and W4KKO only wanted the case. :chin: This was the good old days of boat anchor junk at hamfests and since it was a sponsoring club table of junk for sale, we bought it for $20. Him taking the cabinet home and me taking the good stuff inside, for $10 each on the deal, we were both very happy campers. :D

[N8YX]

Best I've got now is the Heathkiit SB-104A... I don't think that really qualifies...

Imagine a WARC-modded '104... :think