Great website that covers the basics of tube radio repair. For a one time fee of $11.58 USD you can watch videos on Tube repair and theory from a technician that has over 40 years experience.
Learn how they work. Ray makes great high quality videos with lots of great tips on tube radio repair.
Here is the intro video.
If you are interested in following his great courses and videos he has a members only area that is password protected. Their is a one time fee of $11.58 USD which is a great bargain. he is going to try and produce a video every week, dpending on how much interest their is in Tube type radio repair.
Learn the basics and theory of tube type radio repair at http://www.radio-workshop.co.uk/join.shtml
Wednesday, May 22, 2013
Friday, May 10, 2013
SKCC weekend sprint
Well, here it is the second weekend of the month, which means it is time once again for the Straight Key Century Clubs weekend sprint. This weekend starting at Saturday from 1200 UTC (5 AM PST) and goes until 5PM 2359 UTC on Sunday.
The group over at the SKCC club are mixing it up once again, with different rulesets each month. This monthy (May 2013) the scoring is based on a combination of your S&P contacts and CQ contacts. You just take the higher number and divide it by the smaller number. So if you had 20 contacts altogether, 12 CQ and 8 S&P then you would divide the 8 by 12, giving you 0.666667, round that up to 1 and then multiply that with your TOTAL contacts, giving you 20 extra points. How cool is that
Be sure to warm up those straight keys, bugs and sideswipers and participate in the SKCC WES for some good fun.
The group over at the SKCC club are mixing it up once again, with different rulesets each month. This monthy (May 2013) the scoring is based on a combination of your S&P contacts and CQ contacts. You just take the higher number and divide it by the smaller number. So if you had 20 contacts altogether, 12 CQ and 8 S&P then you would divide the 8 by 12, giving you 0.666667, round that up to 1 and then multiply that with your TOTAL contacts, giving you 20 extra points. How cool is that
Be sure to warm up those straight keys, bugs and sideswipers and participate in the SKCC WES for some good fun.
Monday, May 6, 2013
Baofeng dual band ht
Baofeng dual band ham radios
I am just about ready to order another Baofeng dual band HT now that Amateur radio supplies is carrying them again. I am hoping to get the 2M/220 version so i can experiment around with that model a bit. I will probably have to get a decent outdoor antenna to use 220 since their aren't any local repeaters around on those frequencies. The closest is in Victoria B.C. about 20 miles across the strait of Jaun de Fuca on Vancouver Island.
The nice thing about these Baofeng dual band handheld radios is that I can buy four of them and still be under the price tag for a new Yaesu or Kenwood dual band radio. At around $50.00 a piece you can get 4 of them and still be under $200 bucks.
Get your Baofeng dual band ham radio today at Amateur Radio Supplies. Try promo code 73 for an additional %10 off your purchase price.
Friday, May 3, 2013
Hallicrafters S-38E Mark II rebuild
Finally ordered the Capacitor kit today for the Hallicrafters S-38E Mark II receiver from
Hayseed Hamfest. Am looking forward to rebuilding this radio and putting it back into service.
Still having a bit of trouble findng a decent schematic for it that I can print out and be able to read though.
Hayseed Hamfest has kits for almost every old tube radio that was made. You can buy kits for specific models or order single caps as needed. He also carries a lot of the hard to find cans for different model radios. If youare rebuilding a radio save yourself time and trouble and order a kit today from HayseedHamfest today
Hayseed Hamfest. Am looking forward to rebuilding this radio and putting it back into service.
Still having a bit of trouble findng a decent schematic for it that I can print out and be able to read though.
 |
| S-38E Mark II rebuild kit |
Hayseed Hamfest has kits for almost every old tube radio that was made. You can buy kits for specific models or order single caps as needed. He also carries a lot of the hard to find cans for different model radios. If youare rebuilding a radio save yourself time and trouble and order a kit today from HayseedHamfest today
Wednesday, May 1, 2013
W7DTG's lil adventurer
Finally got to dig into the Johnson adventurer that was given to me by another ham radio operator for the price of shipping. Not only was that a great deal on this little 1950's transmitter, but I have learned a lot as I dig into it.
The Johnson adventurer was a novice type low power CW transmitter manufactured in the late 50's and early 60's. It could be purchased as either a kit or pre-assembled at a bit higher price. The total power output was right around 30-35W. It could also do AM with the add-on modulator kit.
The Johnson adventurer uses a modified peirce crystal oscillator using a 6AG7 tube. The CW key is coupled to pin#5 (Cathode) of the 6AG7 and pin #4 (Cathode) to produce the signal. It is a very basic transmitter and the schematics show how simple it truly is. As you can see from the schematic, the transmitter is either crystal or VFO controlled.
I was able to reconnect the 2 700VDC 8 ohm capacitors C15 & C16 to ground after checking them out on my Oscilloscope as well as my VTVM, but for some reason after bringing the adventurer up on my Variac the radio tends to cook them after being on after about 20m. Something in the circuit is COOKING them. IT is strange that the caps are rated at 700 VDC and yet they are cooking and smoking just a bit.
The 5U4G tube is rated at about 500 VDC so the 2 700 VDC caps should be able to handle that voltage. The 5U4G works as a voltage rectifier converting the incoming AC voltage into DC for the transmitter.
They were leaking wax and bulging on the ends after normal load up time. I was able to get about 35 watts output before shutting the transmitter down.
When I was testing the output I also listened to the transmitter on my Hallicrafters S-40A receiver and the tone sounded great. Just a hint of a pitch change when you first keyed the Adventurer but very subtle. Either the johnson and Hallicrafters were drifting at the same rate or i'm doing something right.
At any rate I haven't electrocuted myself with this transmitter so all in all i'm doing great.
The Johnson adventurer was a novice type low power CW transmitter manufactured in the late 50's and early 60's. It could be purchased as either a kit or pre-assembled at a bit higher price. The total power output was right around 30-35W. It could also do AM with the add-on modulator kit.The Johnson adventurer uses a modified peirce crystal oscillator using a 6AG7 tube. The CW key is coupled to pin#5 (Cathode) of the 6AG7 and pin #4 (Cathode) to produce the signal. It is a very basic transmitter and the schematics show how simple it truly is. As you can see from the schematic, the transmitter is either crystal or VFO controlled.
I was able to reconnect the 2 700VDC 8 ohm capacitors C15 & C16 to ground after checking them out on my Oscilloscope as well as my VTVM, but for some reason after bringing the adventurer up on my Variac the radio tends to cook them after being on after about 20m. Something in the circuit is COOKING them. IT is strange that the caps are rated at 700 VDC and yet they are cooking and smoking just a bit.
The 5U4G tube is rated at about 500 VDC so the 2 700 VDC caps should be able to handle that voltage. The 5U4G works as a voltage rectifier converting the incoming AC voltage into DC for the transmitter.They were leaking wax and bulging on the ends after normal load up time. I was able to get about 35 watts output before shutting the transmitter down.
When I was testing the output I also listened to the transmitter on my Hallicrafters S-40A receiver and the tone sounded great. Just a hint of a pitch change when you first keyed the Adventurer but very subtle. Either the johnson and Hallicrafters were drifting at the same rate or i'm doing something right.
At any rate I haven't electrocuted myself with this transmitter so all in all i'm doing great.
Tuesday, April 30, 2013
Wednesday, April 24, 2013
Dual band handheld radios
Dual band handheld radios
As the market is flooded with inexpensive dual band handheld radio gear, radio enthusiasts are racing to there favorite online web sites and amateur radio shops to purchase the latest greatest thing coming in from China. At the time of this writing there are at least three dual band handheld radios that are worth mentioning. The Baofeng UV-5R The Wouxun KG-UVD1p The Yaesu FT-60R |
| Baofeng UV-5RE dual band HT |
The Wouxun KG-UVD1P has been around a bit longer but are not quite as popular as the Baofeng radios simply because of the price tag. The Wouxun dual band HT's come in at a little over $100 U.S. but are a bit more rugged and user friendly radios that cover the same bands as the Baofeng radios. The difference is a bit better quality of radio. The case is made with a metal frame whereas the Baofeng radio mostly come with plastic shells. They are also a bit more professional looking than the Baofeng radios. One other thing to mention is that the Wouxun radios have a normal SMA type connector that is found on modern dual band amateur radios so they can be used with existing equipment and antenna systems.The Wouxun also comes in a 2M 220 model. You can get the best deal on the Wouxon KG-UVD1P over at Amateur Radio Supplies at $109.99 USD.
The Yaesu FT-60R is a full blown dual band handheld amateur radio made Yaesu radio's and accessories
in Japan. The Yaesu brand has been around for many years in the ham radio market making quality VHF/UHF as well as HF radio equipment. The Yaesu FT-60R covers the 2M and 440 bands only, but can be modified for use in other VHF/UHF services. It is aimed squarely at the ham radio market. The Yaseu FT-60R has all the features that an amateur radio operator would need for everyday operation. The radio also has a multitude of accessories that are available. The difference with this radio is that you can expect to pay close to $200.00 U.S.
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