AWA 1929 QSO party WKnd1

[WU2D]

Bruce,

Well the whooping, chirping, buzzing, clicking, drifting, swishing, swaying, worbling is over for now.. The first 24 hour period of the 1929 QSO Party is over for this years event. I can report that conditions were actually pretty good on both 80M and 40M from Saturday evening though Sunday in the event. I actually think better than last year. With the super cold weather, that bands were pretty good up north at least.

I got into Florida with my 1 Watt oscillator on 80M. I did not go crazy like I did last year and operated in a relaxed manner and took time off. Even so, I am only off 4 QSO's from last years pace. I was not struggling to hear ststions like last year. This is a good sign. This was my 4th year in the 1929 QSO Party, so I can start to make some general comments about the radio conditions.

Participation was about the same as last year as far as I can tell. I did not hear the Oregon station. I do not think he was on because the midwest ststions were not calling him. k5RB was very strong from Texas with his 10 Watt input power.

I had a great QSO and funny comment from a guy who called me and said that I might get a pink ticket and that I had somewhat high "phase noise on the upper sideband". This is quite an accomplishment from an UX-01A oscillator. 

Mike WU2D

[WU2D]

I got some negative comments on my 40M CW signal this weekend and on that band more people are hearing you, so I decided to tear into my MOPA and try to settle it down. Basically it is a 7 Mc Type 27 Colpitts oscillator feeding a Type 45 final. The thing chirps and drifts and puts out about 3 Watts for 10 Watts in.

I played with the oscillator alone first. I found a wrong value capacitor. What I thought was a 220 pF cap (for the grid leak) was actually a 22 pf! I read it wrong. Not good. I also found out that I needed to play with the Colpitts cap. ratio and grid resistor value. Now I had a stable oscillator.

Next I disconnected my cap coupled final and basically put in a Rice grid neutralizing circuit. This was a center tapped 20T of # 28 wire on a small 1" dia. tube which fits inside the big copper tubing oscillator coil. I used the center tap for my final bias and connected one side directly to the grid and the other side to a 10 pF variable attached to the plate tank. When properly neutralized, my chirp is greatly diminished. Now I am doing 6 Watts out for 10W input!

Take a look at the circuit.

Mike WU2D

[WA1GFZ]

I wonder if I can key a furnace ignition transformer across a spark plug into a match box and get on.

[WU2D]

Frank - you are so hot for spark!

[WA1LGQ]

   Mike, your signal was strong and buzzardly here in CT on 80. 587C . I was going to whip together a tx, and I got excited when I found a 227 in my stash, but it turned out to have a burnt filament. Many more boxes of tubes to go through yet though.....Larry

[WB2YGF]

Well the whooping, chirping, buzzing, clicking, drifting, swishing, swaying, worbling is over for now.

Well, I didn't exactly hear the "cacophony" promised, but I did copy about 1/2 dozen stations.

[c. mac neill w8znx]

do you still half to be AWA member to enter the contest

staying a member just for the 1929 contest
was geting too expensive

mind don't need any contest to fire up
a TNT or Hartley

mac

[c. mac neill w8znx]

Bruce,

Well the whooping, chirping, buzzing, clicking, drifting, swishing, swaying, worbling is over for now..

Mike WU2D

a well done self control osc
does NOT
whoop, chirp, buzz, or click

mac

[wa9wfa]

The AWA contests and QSO Parties are now open to all stations.  So no, you don't have to be a member to work the events any more.  The rules and logsheet is up on the AWA webpage. 

As for the mentioned "cacophony", I heard it.  Heck, WU2D was a bit part of the "cacophony"... hi hi Most signals have been pretty good to good, some are chirpy, a few are downright nasty nasty with some significant frequency jumping, along with buzzing.  Sometimes I find myself laughing at just how nasty a signal can sound... hi hi

I always enjoy hearing a single tuber frequency being gently modulated by the antenna swinging in the wind.

I was having a mechanical modulation problem with my MOPA.  While hammering on the cw key, which is on a separate bench from the tx, turns out the benches are touching towards the back and darn if the vibrations from the key were getting into the transmitter and causing the large 80 meter copper tube coil to vibrate. 

Once I caught on, I moved the cw key to the lab chair, and now the MOPA sounds pretty good.

[W1UJR]

The Antique Wireless Association (AWA) has opened up all of its contests, you no longer need be a member to participate in any of the contests.

Plenty going on to keep you busy this winter season, so please take a few moments and peruse the following offerings, and don't hesitate to contact myself, or one of the other AWA members should you have any questions. Likewise, if you have general/technical questions, need transmitter design info, or log sheets, just ask, we'd love to see you there!


There are currently four contests which are offered by the AWA:

The Bruce Kelley Memorial 1929 QSO Party (usually in December).
The 1929 QSO party is an 80-meter event, giving participants an opportunity to fire up their Hartley, TNT or MOPA rigs. There's a friendly competition to see who can make the most contacts, and scores are published in "The AWA Journal(OTB)."

The Linc Cundall Memorial Old-Time CW Contest (usually in January).
The Linc Cundall Old-Time CW Contest features equipment built up through 1946 and takes place on "160", "80," "40" and "20." Scores depend on distance covered, power used, and whether the age of the equipment qualifies. "Mod" (post-1942) rigs may be used for a lower "equipment multiplier.

The AWA AM QSO Party (usually in February.)
The AM enthusiast to fire up his or her favorite rig and join in on the AWA AM QSO Party. Stations participating from all over the US and Canada and even as far away as Europe! The AWA Museum club station W2AN stars as the eastern flagship station.

The John Rollins (formerly the Linc Cundall) Memorial OT DX Contest (usually in April).
The John Rollins Memorial OT DX Contest allows a still more modern equipment mix. Its rules were recently modified to allow rigs manufactured or designed before 1960. Operation is on 40 or 20 meters. Scoring is similar to that of the OT CW contest.   


AWA Website -->> http://www.antiquewireless.org

Contest forms and log -->> http://www.antiquewireless.org/otb/amateur1008.htm

Replica transmitters -->> http://www.antiquewireless.org/1929transmitters.htm

[AF9J]

I've always wanted to build one of the self excited oscillators for this event, but I have no idea about what tubes to use, in order for it to be legit.  Any ideas about what I should look for during hamfest scrounging?

73,
Ellen - AF9J

[W3FJJ]

I've always wanted to build one of the self excited oscillators for this event, but I have no idea about what tubes to use, in order for it to be legit.  Any ideas about what I should look for during hamfest scrounging?

73,
Ellen - AF9J

10, 27, 45 (245), 211 are few to look out for.

[W1UJR]

I've always wanted to build one of the self excited oscillators for this event, but I have no idea about what tubes to use, in order for it to be legit.  Any ideas about what I should look for during hamfest scrounging?

73,
Ellen - AF9J

Ellen,
If you really want to participate and get on the air right now, you can use a modern rig.
You can then you can build a vintage one up for the later contests.

[AF9J]

Thanks for the feedback guys! 

73,
Ellen - AF9J

[WB2YGF]

Ellen,
If you really want to participate and get on the air right now, you can use a modern rig.
You can then you can build a vintage one up for the later contests.

I don't think you can participate without a '29 rig.

Rules: Transmitters must be 1929 or earlier types of self oscillators such as the ones mentioned above. The tubes used must have been available during or before 1929. Individual stations can be worked only once on 80 meters and once on 40 meters over the course of the two weekends. Contacts only count for scoring if made with another 1929 or earlier station. You cannot count contacts with non ’29 stations. You can use any vintage or modern receiver that you wish.

[WU2D]

Monitoring Times - yes that scanner and SWL mag had a wonderful article on 1929 breadboard transmitters in the October 2008 issue.

A simple Hartley is not hard to roll up and if done right, it can be just as stable as a ricebox, if you do not bump it that is!. Bob Raide, W2ZM's trick is to use an oversized tube with a big fil like a 211A (VT-4) and operate it at low power input. The tube hardly knows it is being keyed! 

Build her up and start experimenting with a plain old 6J5 or a 1626, or 2A3 power triode. The 6S4 and 12B4 miniatures also make good experimental triode tubes because they are low Mu. If it has a cathode, connect it to one side of the fillament or connect it to the fil center tap point.

Play with the circuit with the sacrificial tube and get the note sounding good, with adequate stability and good output power. Once you are happy with the circuit, then mount the Type 10 or 27, 71A Triode connected 24A or 45 or bigger 211A or 203A sockets and wire the correct fillament voltage. Heck I even use a 01A on 80M and get over a Watt out. Any of these or their variants are "legal" tubes for the contest because they were available before 1930.

Good luck!

Mike WU2D

[KB2WIG]

No home brew tubes???

klc

[c. mac neill w8znx]

tnx for the info
no longer need be a member
to enter the contest

pulled the old TNT job off the shelf
hooked it to a power supply
the 211/vt4c is still good, thank goodness
priced 211's of late

had a nice rag chew using it late last night
will check out the contest this week end
realy enjoyed the last time i entered
the contest a few years ago

mac
dit dit

[k4kyv]

Luckily I had already hoarded over a dozen 211/VT4-Cs' before the audiophools drove the price up.  Use one as the rf driver in my transmitter.  Also have some good 203-A's, but the 211's match the coupling to the previous stage better.

Picked up 3 more good ones free of charge last year.  A lady who works with my wife let me have some "old junk" from her cellar that her late grandfather had left there decades ago.  Amongst the items was a BC-375.  One of the 211's was bad, but the rest tested perfect.

I don't have a rig for the event, but will listen this weekend.  Enjoy hearing the buzzy and chirpy signals.

If I ever get time, I might some day build an authentic 1926 crystal controlled rig.  I have a magazine article round here somewhere (QST maybe?) that gives detailed instructions on how to fabricate a crystal plate from a hunk of raw quartz, build a holder from scratch, and then grind the plate to frequency.  This was before crystals were available to amateurs commercially, and even most broadcast stations used self excited oscillators.  Crystal control at that time was considered experimental technology.  If I could ever successfully get the rig to work, it would make a good write-up for an article in AWA Bulletin.

[k4kyv]

Probably a bit of a late suggestion for this year's event, but something that would get you right into the 1929 frame of mind just before the QSO Party would be to see Clint Eastwood's The Changeling.  Except for a broadcast transmitter with WW2-era rectangular bakelite meters on the front panel, there is a  lot of radio, automotive, interior decorating and architectural scenery from late 20's, along with the clothing and hairstyles, that looks very authentic, like it could have come right out of Shorpy.

I  loved the scene in the L.A. telephone exchange where the operators were all seated along both sides of a long corridor, sitting side by side, working the manual switchboards, with supervisors patrolling on roller skates.

Next year, the DVD should be out.  Rent or buy the video, and watch the film just before the QSO Party begins.