Why old radios are fun!

[K7SGJ]

Mine had a varactor for RTTY/FM and was stable as a rock. So where did you go wrong?

Taking his first breath. :stickpoke:

[WØTKX]

It's the Radium.

[K4PIH]

RADIUM, the undark of the future is here today!

Why run dark when you can run undark ?

[kb2vxa]

There's no shortage of sharp poking sticks around here! We can excuse Mme. Curie's ignorance, but John... that's not how you make a Green Dragon even if it is a novel approach.

[n2ize]

Mine had a varactor for RTTY/FM and was stable as a rock. So where did you go wrong?

Probably with the vfo itself. Or the power supply. The 6n2 (model 122) vfo was designed for 6 & 2 meter AM and it would tend to drift considerably. Unless I monitored it and corrected for drift it would eventually drift far enough away to become problematic. Otherwise it worked quite well and I am sure if I improved the regulation of the power supply I threw together for it , it would have been more stable. I didn;t run the setup for very long so I didn't get to do much else with it.

[n2ize]

There's no shortage of sharp poking sticks around here! We can excuse Mme. Curie's ignorance, but John... that's not how you make a Green Dragon even if it is a novel approach.

Unless you enjoy setting off radiation monitors.

[N8YX]

The hits keep coming, I tell ya:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Heathkit-Ham...item27f72aa315

More like a "Nightmare Package".

There have been two HX-1681s offered for sale recently. One fetched $99 and was in very nice cosmetic shape. I got the other for $240 including all the cables and a PS-23. It needs a case repaint but I have a lot of those Heathkit covers to shoot come spring - and I buy my paint by the gallon.

I also have three of the HR-1680s. Average is $110 apiece. Two are getting custom front panels and a good amount of electronic redesign. The last one i bought - S/N 00551 - is a proof build unit and was obtained from an ex-Heathkit engineering manager. It's not going to be modded....but I think I'll build and letter another front panel for my 1681 to match:

HR-1680.jpg

[suddenseer]

The hits keep coming, I tell ya:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Heathkit-Ham...item27f72aa315

More like a "Nightmare Package".

There have been two HX-1681s offered for sale recently. One fetched $99 and was in very nice cosmetic shape. I got the other for $240 including all the cables and a PS-23. It needs a case repaint but I have a lot of those Heathkit covers to shoot come spring - and I buy my paint by the gallon.

I also have three of the HR-1680s. Average is $110 apiece. Two are getting custom front panels and a good amount of electronic redesign. The last one i bought - S/N 00551 - is a proof build unit and was obtained from an ex-Heathkit engineering manager. It's not going to be modded....but I think I'll build and letter another front panel for my 1681 to match:

HR-1680.jpg

You apparently have too much free time on your hands. Perhaps the boss can assign you more opportunities. I have something that looks similar in storage.

[N8YX]

I now have four things in the shack which the Crest Radio Museum doesn't:

The HR-1680 shown above;
An engineering proof build SB-230 (RCA RF Input connector instead of the production unit's SO-239);
A prototype SB-644 synthesized remote VFO;
A prototype SB-670 2KW antenna tuner.

Some of them need cleaning before picture-taking commences but it's a lot of cool Heathkit history.

[WV6Z]

Very sweet indeed!