The AM Forum

Hello guys...

This morning I make a CW QSO  with my Viking Valiant, I was pulling out 200 watts, so I Plug the straight key and start to call "cq" on 40 meters, some guy in Texas answer my call, and give me a RST of 593!!  ::), then, any idea to improve the cw tone?

TNX in advance!

Pedro XE1YZY

What's the CW tone like? Chirp?  Hum?   Raw AC?  Need to hear your tone, before you can fix it.

Hi Ed.

Off course I hear the tone!, yes is kind of chirp, the interesting thing , is only on 40 meters, in 20 the tone sound good, so im start to check the VFO.

Regards

Pedro,
         Check the bandswitch inside the VFO. My ranger occasionally wobbles in frequency. When I rock the bandswitch the problem dissapears. You might try cleaning the bandswitch inside the VFO box. If you jogg the switch back and forth and the problem goes away, you know what you gotta do.
                           
                                                                    the Slab Bacon

Johnson equipment are notorious for chirp.  If it is just chirp, I wouldn't worry about it much.  But if there is hum on the signal then go looking. 

Pedro,

If the guy's RST report was accurate, then the 593 would indicate a rough note, probably due to power supply filtering or leaky VFO tube, etc..   But if you had a chirpy signal and clean note as you say you hear, the report should have been:  " 599C "....    But maybe it's a combination, " 593C"  ....  ;D

Either way, you can hear it yourself in your own receiver to fix it.  Based on the symptoms, it does sound like a dirty bandswitch in the vfo area..

T

 ;D Its fixed...

Thanks a lot guys, yup a dirty band switch was the cause, a good deoxit bath solve the problem, im also found some interesting information in BAMA, about some factory tips to fix some problems with the cw tone, yes  now is not a" Stradivarius"
but is not bad for a Viking Valiant...

very best regards to all

Pedro

Do you have a link to the tips for curing the chirp?

thanks - Gary - W5GW