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Author Topic: NEAR-Fest 'Mystery' Transmitter  (Read 10315 times)
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Todd, KA1KAQ
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« on: October 21, 2017, 01:22:41 PM »

Yeah, yeah, so it wasn't a big mystery to everyone. A number of folks had hoped to see it, but it showed up late and was already well-wrapped in packing blankets, so we loaded it without unwrapping.

Got it home, out of the truck, and into the basement by myself. Laid it down this morning for a few photos then pulled it out of its cabinet to assess the damages (in this case, modifications by a PO). Definitely was molested at some point and will be a challenge to rebuild. But with a number of users out there, hopefully I can find the answers and parts needed to bring it back to life.

I gotta say - at 305 pounds +/- without the exciter(another 39 lbs) it makes the venerable HT-9 seem almost like an Icom HT in comparison. Okay, not really...but close.

Photos below....


* 150B-1.JPG (927 KB, 2500x1662 - viewed 579 times.)

* 150B-2.JPG (831.58 KB, 1949x1653 - viewed 528 times.)

* 150B-3.JPG (1032.29 KB, 2500x1662 - viewed 589 times.)
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W3GMS
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« Reply #1 on: October 21, 2017, 01:50:30 PM »

Looks good Todd.  I missed that you even bought it up at NEAR-Fest. 

So I have to ask, how did you unload the beast from your truck yourself?   Now that its down on the floor you likely will need help putting it up on the desk! 

Joe-GMS
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Todd, KA1KAQ
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« Reply #2 on: October 21, 2017, 03:09:18 PM »

Shane arrived with it Saturday AM and we didn't catch up until sometime around noon. He drove it over to the AM Corral in the back of his wagon and we slid it from the back of his vehicle right into JN's suburban, then loaded up the exciter, coils, T-368 shock mount, and what we had left from selling. The suburban rode well on the way back.  Grin

As to getting it out - I removed the tailgate, removed the items behind it, then got in and pushed it out with my legs until it was hanging over the bumper. Hopped back over the side, walked around and eased it over the edge down to the garage floor, maybe a foot - 18" down. The packing blanket and bumper created enough friction that it came out of the bed slowly and was on the garage floor before it could pick up any momentum. Of course, the truck was sitting considerably lower as well.

Had it standing on end initially downstairs where I unloaded it from the hand truck, Caitlin is maybe 2 inches taller. I'd forgotten how large a 150-B is. You could open the lid and set the HT-9 inside its cabinet.

It's now out of its cabinet for inspection and tear down. Cabinet itself weighs more than a lot of radios do! But yes - when the time comes, even at 225 pounds or so, I'll need some help getting it topside. It's going onto the table where the R-390A & 75A-4 were when you were here.


* 150B-5.JPG (944.63 KB, 1662x1958 - viewed 562 times.)

* NF Load1.JPG (283.45 KB, 1000x665 - viewed 376 times.)

* MysteryXmtr.JPG (326.5 KB, 665x1000 - viewed 483 times.)
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Carl WA1KPD
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« Reply #3 on: October 21, 2017, 07:55:43 PM »

Todd,
I always thought the HT in my HT-9 stood for Handy Talky.
I found it a bit cumbersome walking during AERS forest  drills,, but it did load ok into the rubber duckie.
73
Carl
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« Reply #4 on: October 22, 2017, 10:26:29 AM »

Congrats on your purchase!   When I see photos of these radios I imagine soldiers operating it in a high level command post.
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Tom WA3KLR
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« Reply #5 on: October 22, 2017, 11:43:57 AM »

I think that transmitter is the one made by Meissner,  The one I saw had that separate VFO built in to it on the left side, so it was very long transmitter, BUT my memory could be laying tricks on me about the built-in Signal Shifter .  I remember seeing Dale KW1I operating one outside at the Dayton Hamvention many years ago.  

Nomenclature -  Meissner 150-B. 813 PA modulated by a pair of 811's.
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Steve - K4HX
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« Reply #6 on: October 22, 2017, 11:46:23 AM »

Take a look at the photos. The name plate says Meisner and Mode 150-B.   Wink

I recall Dale operating the 150 at Dayton too. Very cool.
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« Reply #7 on: October 22, 2017, 12:27:42 PM »

Shane arrived with it Saturday AM and we didn't catch up until sometime around noon. He drove it over to the AM Corral in the back of his wagon and we slid it from the back of his vehicle right into JN's suburban, then loaded up the exciter, coils, T-368 shock mount, and what we had left from selling. The suburban rode well on the way back.  Grin

As to getting it out - I removed the tailgate, removed the items behind it, then got in and pushed it out with my legs until it was hanging over the bumper. Hopped back over the side, walked around and eased it over the edge down to the garage floor, maybe a foot - 18" down. The packing blanket and bumper created enough friction that it came out of the bed slowly and was on the garage floor before it could pick up any momentum. Of course, the truck was sitting considerably lower as well.

Had it standing on end initially downstairs where I unloaded it from the hand truck, Caitlin is maybe 2 inches taller. I'd forgotten how large a 150-B is. You could open the lid and set the HT-9 inside its cabinet.

It's now out of its cabinet for inspection and tear down. Cabinet itself weighs more than a lot of radios do! But yes - when the time comes, even at 225 pounds or so, I'll need some help getting it topside. It's going onto the table where the R-390A & 75A-4 were when you were here.



Thanks for the details Todd.  If there is a will, there is a way and in the end you got the job done.  Speaking of weight, even though it was not as heavy as the 150-B, the 32V2 bolted to the B&W51SB were all we could do to get it loaded on the trip up to NEAR-Fest.  Then that pair had to be loaded into the backseat of the new owners car!   I remember lugging these things around in my 20's without any issues at all.
Joe-GMS
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« Reply #8 on: October 22, 2017, 03:03:54 PM »

Master Jeff, WA1MBK used to run one of those Meissner 150B's in the 1970's / 80's too. His sounded very hi-fi. IIRC he was driving the modulator grids directly with an audio amp.  They are unmistakable by their width and girth.  Lots of iron and real estate inside.

Seeing one, the thought comes to mind, "Can her ass get any bigger?"

T
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« Reply #9 on: October 22, 2017, 03:12:34 PM »

Someone on 75M used one of those xmtrs.   Haven't heard him on in a long time but IIRC Tom N1NCI  May have the call wrong.

Fred
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« Reply #10 on: October 22, 2017, 03:17:06 PM »

Someone on 75M used one of those xmtrs.   Haven't heard him on in a long time but IIRC Tom N1NCI  May have the call wrong.

Fred

That was $krote@@@tom. N1HCI.  There is no reason for him not being on. Just lost interest. BTW: if anyone should want to get in touch with Tom, he frequently visits KA2QFX, Mark.  Dale frequently uses his Meisenheimer 150 on the military net.

Al
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Todd, KA1KAQ
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« Reply #11 on: October 22, 2017, 07:32:24 PM »

Brown/'NZR uses one, too. There's actually a video series of his place on youtube that shows it.

I always thought the HT in my HT-9 stood for Handy Talky.
I found it a bit cumbersome walking during AERS forest  drills,, but it did load ok into the rubber duckie.

The belt holder is a special order item, too. There's a reason I let that one in Maine go by years ago. Wink Which makes the Meissner attraction that much harder to explain or understand.

Tom/'JJ: yes, but you hafta stack it vertically after this point.

The exciter aka Signal Shifter was never part of the transmitter cabinet. Most sit next to it in photos or operation, though, so it's an easy thing to mis-remember.

Did some work on it last night and today. At some point when time allows, I'll post about progress. The goal is to return it to the air first, cosmetically restore second. 

A hearty TNX OM to Shane/N1DMX for fixing me up with this beast - and for hauling it to Deerfield!


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« Reply #12 on: October 22, 2017, 08:07:15 PM »

Nice rig!

It looks like you have all the coils for it but I have an orphan set of output coils for that around here somewhere.

Greg
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« Reply #13 on: October 22, 2017, 08:23:07 PM »

Very nice!  Much better condx than I thought it would be.  Look forward to hearing it on the air!
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« Reply #14 on: October 23, 2017, 08:37:33 PM »

Not much to add:

Transmitter book says
Meissner 150-B
years: WWII
Price: $225 surplus
Bands: 1.5-16MHz
Exciter: Signal Shifter Var 2, qv
RF: 813
AF: 6J5 sp amp, 2)6V6 driver, 2)811 class B mod
Power supply: 2) 866A PA rectifier, 2)866A modulator rectifer, 5U4 LV rect.
Po: 150W
remarks: use signal shifter as VFO

Notably, separate plate supplies for the mod and RF stage.
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« Reply #15 on: October 24, 2017, 01:19:22 AM »

Good catch on the Meissner , Todd! She's a beauty, but kinda makes my back hurt just looking at it!
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« Reply #16 on: October 24, 2017, 07:05:45 AM »


Jack, K5LRX has a 150B parked on 3890. He uses it pretty much daily in the mornings. Check out his QRZ homepage.

Jim
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Todd, KA1KAQ
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« Reply #17 on: October 25, 2017, 08:59:02 AM »

You're not kidding, Phil - moving it from the truck to the basement wasn't too bad aside from gravity on the slight down grade. Big Blue, the Harbor Freight hand truck came in handy there. Laying it down and standing it back up definitely require some focus.

Jim, thanks for the tip on Jack's page. I recall when he bought that transmitter off ebay a few years back. Pretty sure he posted about it here but never followed up. Glad to read that he uses it regularly on the air. But my eyes started to glaze over when I got to the part about the 'emotional content' of high end audio amplifiers.  Wink

Am in the process now of trying to gather the parts to return the RF deck back to stock configuration. Would love to find a complete RF section as a starting point, not likely though. At some point I'll post some photos and occasional updates on the project. Though it has some work ahead, aside from a few missing parts like the plate choke and air variables, it shouldn't be too difficult to get working again.

Greg, I've sent you a PM about the output coils as I'm missing one.
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« Reply #18 on: October 25, 2017, 08:05:27 PM »


So...

...is this what they mean when they say your transmitter is wide?
Huh, is that what it is?

             _-_-
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« Reply #19 on: October 25, 2017, 08:26:31 PM »


So...

...is this what they mean when they say your transmitter is wide?
Huh, is that what it is?

             _-_-

Yes Bear,  for once you're correct.
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« Reply #20 on: November 07, 2017, 06:17:13 PM »

I beleive the Meissner that Tom N1HCI has is the one Warren W1LO got from Dean WA1KNX. That box has a lot of history to it.
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« Reply #21 on: November 09, 2017, 02:41:43 AM »

That's Meissner's version of the "Yard".

Hey Todd, you're gonna need a KW desk to hold that thing up! Built for battle!
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Steve - K4HX
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« Reply #22 on: November 10, 2017, 10:58:01 AM »

That's quite a message!  Grin


I beleive the Meissner that Tom N1HCI has is the one Warren W1LO got from Dean WA1KNX. That box has a lot of history to it.
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Todd, KA1KAQ
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« Reply #23 on: November 24, 2017, 03:20:03 PM »

I'd like to know more about this one and whoever did the mods to it. Some of them are real head-scratchers, but in many cases they left original wiring, spade lugs, etc in place allowing much to be returned to original condition.

That's Meissner's version of the "Yard".

Hey Todd, you're gonna need a KW desk to hold that thing up! Built for battle!

My last Johnson Desk KW went to GMS Radio a few years back. Not expecting another here, and not even sure it would've fit well. It's currently on a Steelcase type office table around 6 ft long.

It's a bit longer than a yard - 40 inches wide with another 11.5 for the exciter.

Once I tear into it I'll start a thread in the tech section. The one thing I've discovered in my internet search for info is that there is very little online about it.
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« Reply #24 on: November 25, 2017, 09:45:30 AM »

I had to come back here several times just to admire the no cost spared aspects of it.
Makes me think of the old political promise:
"A plate cap on every tube and two transformers for every pot!"
pure pr0n.


* meissner-150B-5_r.JPG (346.92 KB, 1352x845 - viewed 396 times.)
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