station down for a while.

[N3DRB The Derb]

peeps,  the Gonset has crapped out again (tho I suspect it is a easy fix , the keying diode) so I am going to tear down the station to redo the layout so I can move the raytheon tx into position and install it without hassles as soon as it arrives. I'll get back on when all the re arranging is done.

Might even do some light reading. I had no idea that the Hardy Boyz were hams. Couldn't resist getting it even though it's a kids book. 

Guess some of the OT's remember reading the Hardy Boys mystery book series when they were kids.

[w1vtp]

<snip>

Guess some of the OT's remember reading the Hardy Boys mystery book series when they were kids.

That would be me - along with Tom Swift.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tom_Swift

Al

[K5UJ]

Get ur hands on the Tommy Rockford series by K6ATX (whom I think is SK).  Can't remember any of the titles but there were three or four.  ARRL reprinted them about 10 years ago I believe.  The setting is southern Calif. in the late 50s or early 60s.  Tommy R. is a high school kid and ham.  His pals are all hams.  His high school has a ham club and club station.  Great stuff.  Of course given the time period, all are AMers by default    I think T.R.'s rig is a DX100.  Can't remember his rx.  Have not read them in a zillion years but enjoyed them in my salad days.

Rob

[KB3DKS]

<snip>

Guess some of the OT's remember reading the Hardy Boys mystery book series when they were kids.

That would be me - along with Tom Swift.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tom_Swift

Al

Yep, me too. Had about 1/2 the Hardy Boys set and most of the Tom Swift. There was a Tom Swift Sr. series that I have never seen.
 
Bill, KB3DKS in 1 Land

[k4kyv]

Another one that dates back to the 20's is the Radio Boys series.  I had picked up a few at various hamfests.  They are small hard cover books.  Unfortunately, the black hole that resides here sucked a few of mine up and they have vanished off the face of the earth.

[N3DRB The Derb]

I had no idea that the Boy Scouts had a radio merit badge. I would love to find one of those.

[WA3VJB]

I've got all the Allen Chapman Radio Boys series.
I have a dupe of one book if someone would like to buy to check out. WARNING -- then you'll want to try to find all the others !!
Got my first one in 1972.


(Derb if you want this dupe it's yours for the asking -- oh, FYI, all the radios involved in the storyline are black wrinkle....)

[AJ1G]

The Hardy Boys "Short Wave Mystery" was directly instrumental in my first exposure to the HF spectrum above the AM broadcast band.  I was a JN at the start of summer vacation after 6th grade in 1964 when I read the Short Wave Mystery.  Afterward, all fired up about radio, in an attempt to get better reception on a little DeWald All American Five I had in my bedroom,  I stretched out the wire from the loop antenna on the back of it into a long extended loop about 12 feet long in our attic crawl space.  Huddled into the little crawl space under the eaves outside my bedroom I realized I was receiving shortwave frequencies on the little DeWald.  I didn't know it at the time, but by spreading out the loop I raised the resonant frequency of the LC circuit for the local oscillator.  I have no clue as to exactly what frequencies I was receiving, but I remember hearing SW broadcast stations and the roar of what I found out later were high speed CW transmitters. I also remember hearing the "test" announcements of the Cable and Wireless station in St. Georges, Bermuda, and WWV from Greenbelt, MD.  (That probably was 5 Mc)  After my granddad, who was very interested in radio as a young guy in the early 20s (but never a ham), found out about what I was doing, he gave me my first real receiver, an E. H. Scott SLRM.  It ended up being the receiver in my first novice station with a DX-40 three years later.  And it's still in the shack, paired up with another DX40.  The original one ended up with the kid from across the street. Glenn Finnerman, now NY4NC, who used to be a poster to this forum but hasn't been heard from of late since he moved from NY to NC.  You still out there Glenn?

[k3zrf]

I had no idea that the Boy Scouts had a radio merit badge. I would love to find one of those.

Here you go.

[KX5JT]

I went to elementary school through the 1970's.  Our school library had hardcover versions of the Hardy Boys, Tom Swift and for the girls, Nancy Drew.  I really enjoyed the Hardy Boys but Tom Swift was my favorite.  The books looked like they were 1950's vintage and were already pretty aged but I am glad they were still available when I was there.

More in line with the topic subject....

If it's not ONE thing it's ANOTHER!!!  AM is really more of a hands on radio station experience than the other popular HF modes.  Now that I have been running mid-power level 200 to 300 watts carrier, the weakness in my station are becoming apparent!  I was able to quiet the Henry 2K4 hum with the filament choke replacement.  NOW, my anemic MFJ-962D is developing an rf burn around the 80 meter ghetto setting.  The coil is expanded in that area and is growing black.  Also the form which seems to be made of the same thing as printed circuit board material is showing signs of blackening burn out there. 

Time to really start building the K1JJ super tuner I had been planning.  On the bright side, the problems push me to improve things!

John

[AJ1G]

Dave ZRF - when I saw the badge you posted, I thought they had changed it from when I earned mine back in the 60s - but they haven't; its still three lightning bolts with the Morse characters for BSA ....don't know offhand what badge you posted is - looks like some sort of citizenship theme...

[Steve - WB3HUZ]

You'll notice the badge has a Liberty Bell on it. You could earn that badge by having 10 QSOs with Irb and not have him say "OK Fine" once.

[w8khk]

I had no idea that the Boy Scouts had a radio merit badge. I would love to find one of those.

Derb, check this link for some history on the Boy Scout HQ station and radio merit badge:

http://www.arrl.org/news/features/2006/10/20/1/

To the far left in the pic below (scanned from my copy of the merit badge booklet) you will see a bit of the front of the HT-33A that was part of the Hallicrafters station at BSA headquarters.  I have just finished restoring that amplifier to original condition.  Dad still has the receiver and ssb transmitter, but they are not yet restored.  This pic is the one that ARRL posted in the online article.  If you are interested in any of the details in the booklet, let me know.

By the way, if your Gonset amplifier is taking a short break, why not continue to operate the Yaesu barefoot.  With current band condx, I am sure you will have lots of fun QSOs until the maul is working again.  Hope to work you soon!

[k3zrf]

Dave ZRF - when I saw the badge you posted, I thought they had changed it from when I earned mine back in the 60s - but they haven't; its still three lightning bolts with the Morse characters for BSA ....don't know offhand what badge you posted is - looks like some sort of citizenship theme...

You are right, it is the "Citizenship in the Nation Merit Badge"

http://meritbadge.org/wiki/index.php/Citizenship_in_the_Nation

Don't know why I posted that must have been before my coffee. Thanks for the correction.

Should have posted following:

[N3DRB The Derb]

it's a major job ( for me ) to unhook it, move everything  around, clean up, and hook everything back up. What takes a fit person a day takes me a week or better.

[The Slab Bacon]

it's a major job ( for me ) to unhook it, move everything  around, clean up, and hook everything back up. What takes a fit person a day takes me a week or better.

Yeah, but, we miss ya!!

[N3DRB The Derb]

I'll be black b4 you know it.