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Author Topic: The AM Ghetto  (Read 116481 times)
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w3jn
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« Reply #100 on: March 12, 2007, 07:35:20 AM »

Paul   Grin Grin

As you might recall, Steve has re-arranged the filters in his 51J.  One position bypasses the filters completely, the second is 9KC and the third is 6 KC.

Where do I buy these special KA2J filters?
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WA1GFZ
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« Reply #101 on: March 12, 2007, 08:50:55 AM »

I did some simulations of LC filters and you can make a nice filter with 4 or 5 parallel tuned circuits. I would think a few IF transformers lightly coupled would make a nice wide clean filter. fc
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Steve - WB3HUZ
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« Reply #102 on: March 12, 2007, 09:58:06 AM »

Works out to be about 12-13 kHz in the 51J-4. That was the BW I was listening to JN with all last evening. The GPT-750 sounded very FB. Also fired up the SX-17 and the SP-600 to give a listen with those RXs. The SX-16 is probably 15/16 kHz wide in the Broad selectivity setting and the SP-600 has that nice 13 kHz setting. Both are LC filters.


I did some simulations of LC filters and you can make a nice filter with 4 or 5 parallel tuned circuits. I would think a few IF transformers lightly coupled would make a nice wide clean filter. fc
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The Slab Bacon
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« Reply #103 on: March 12, 2007, 10:21:47 AM »

Had a very nice qso in the ghetto Sunday afternoon around 3:00.
Myself, N3IBX, KB3CYX/AG, KA1ZGC, WA2DTW, and a few others. Nice relaxed unqwermed qso. Around 4:30 midwest qso started some low heterodynes as the qso was beaking up. Went down and joined the "whatz fer dinnah" net on 3.733. Everybody wuz sounding quite FB! John's GPT-750 was definately the channel master, but everybody was sounding quite good.
                                                The Slab Bacon
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Todd, KA1KAQ
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« Reply #104 on: March 12, 2007, 02:47:01 PM »

I tuned up there last night, Frank. Heard Bill 'I Fart Raisins', Tom 'ZGC, Guy 'FRM and a couple others. Just as I was thinking about moving the transmitter up, the slop increased along with the carrier freak, so I called it a day. We don't get a lot of SSB trouble below 3800, but there is some. I expect it will continue to increase as there is less and less AM activity down there. We've had the ideal opportunity to have an area where jamming and garbage is the exception instead of the norm. Many of the folks who raved about it, though, are MIA. But then, no one ever claimed there wasn't a lot of hot air involved with AM. Wink

Has anyone heard 'VJB other than here on the board? I'm wondering if he was bad and got his radio taken away.
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WA3VJB
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« Reply #105 on: March 12, 2007, 04:00:00 PM »

As you might recall, Steve has re-arranged the filters in his 51J.  One position bypasses the filters completely, the second is 9KC and the third is 6 KC.

Oh.

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The Slab Bacon
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« Reply #106 on: March 12, 2007, 04:34:53 PM »

Todd,
         I left the Whatz fa dinnah net around 5:45 and never got back on that night. I have had some good qso's down in the quieter parts of the band, but activity is somewhat sparse. With having to adjust all of the junque to move that far, I am much more likely to be where more of the action is. I'll admit I like it more down there, but a lot of the people just dont or cant go there. The ghetto usually gets bad in the evening then quiets down later at night. I think that some of the guys have "fan clubs" Grin that follow them around.
      
                                                     The Slab Bacon
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The Slab Bacon
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« Reply #107 on: March 12, 2007, 04:38:29 PM »


That's why I have a J3 & J4.
[/quote]


Well, hitch them up to a transmitter and get on and use them once in a while!
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WA3VJB
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« Reply #108 on: March 13, 2007, 05:40:27 AM »

Quote
Has anyone heard 'VJB other than here on the board? I'm wondering if he was bad and got his radio taken away.

Hey Todd,
Yes, enjoyed a couple hours down low Sunday, with two relative newcomers.

K4WFO
, Phil near Roanoke, Va. had made only about a half dozen contacts on 75 meters, ever, when he answered my CQ on 3765Kc. Turns out he is restoring a Hallicrafters HT37 and has a Hammarlund HQ170.

Then, as I signed with him, a fellow in York, Penna. called me. WA3ONG, Jay was running a newly repaired TX-1 with an NC300. The Apache had some 120~ hum in there and we worked it over for a while. He's also got a 32V3 and 75A3 combination.

Both these fellows are not "regulars" on AM, yet, but by having spent an hour or more testing things out, I got the impression they will be back regularly.  I always enjoy a QSO like that.
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Steve - WB3HUZ
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« Reply #109 on: March 13, 2007, 09:20:37 AM »

Indeed. Always good to be on the air and hear others joining the scene. Good to see those boatanchors aren't collecting dust.
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k4kyv
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Don
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« Reply #110 on: March 13, 2007, 12:19:22 PM »

Things seemed pretty sparse on 75  late last night.  I listened some, then dozed off.  When I awoke at about 0500 GMT, there was no AM activity anywhere I could hear in the band, just a  little slopbucket and considerable static crashes.  Just for the hell of it, I decided to call CQ on 3685 one time before going to bed.  One station came back with 25 marginally readable AM watts (from NY as I recall), and as we chatted through the QRN, the frequency came alive with several full-quieting AM signals, and I didn't get to bed till about 2 hours later. 
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Don, K4KYV                                       AMI#5
Licensed since 1959 and not happy to be back on AM...    Never got off AM in the first place.

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The Slab Bacon
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« Reply #111 on: March 13, 2007, 01:10:27 PM »

I had a nice Qwerm free qso right in the heart of the ghetto yesterday evening around 7 PM. Clear and qwerm free! It seemed that all of the qwermers migrated down to the qwerm the macaroni net net on 3872. this left the upper part of the ghetto clear and clean! Condx were very good. I hated to sign out at 9:00, but 0dark30 comes too early to stay up any later.


The one problem with going down band is that not all of the people that I like to talk to can go there. Many of them only have general class lisences and cannot follow us down there. (that is the only reason that I upgraded) This can create problems that everyone is spread all over the place and you dont know where to look for them.

I do occasionally spin the receiver dial and listen around when the ghetto is either too conjested or too empty. As I listen down the band, out of the general portion, I am hearing am qsos all through the advanced and extra portions. As I listen to these am qsos I am hearing callsigns that I have never heard before on am. This is a rather interesting phenom. It does seem that the fone band expansion is drawing others in to try am that wouldnt have before.

As I have said before, I was looking through an old log (when I used to keep one) and a lot of the callsigns that I used to work are not heard from in a looonnnngg time. It seems that this expansion has brought out a "new crop" of amers. Where will this go is a good question. Do we stay in the ghetto or move up to the "lower east side"?? I am still ginding a lot of really nice qsos in the ghetto, but the "promised land" sure looks promising as well. I guess we'll have to figger out some meeting place at both ends of the band as not everyone can join in down there.

                                             the Slab Bacon
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WD8BIL
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« Reply #112 on: March 13, 2007, 01:31:14 PM »

Didn't get on till around 9PM last nite.
Had a great chat with Bob 2ZM and Joe GMS on 160M.

Found out Joe and I had a lot in common with our jobs.

With 72 degrees here today I'm afraid 160M might be a bit noisy tonite.
Back to 75/80 !
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kf4qkr
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« Reply #113 on: March 17, 2007, 08:33:12 PM »

I dont think the term ghetto is offinsive.To much political correct BS is offensive to me.I upgraded and built my homebrew just to get in the ghetto.My vfo has wandered a few times to other spots and the slop buckets cry foul.All and all I am proud to call the ghetto home.
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Mike
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« Reply #114 on: March 18, 2007, 03:46:34 AM »

Welcome to HF AM Mike, KF4QKR.  I am sure you will enjoy it.  BTW, I looked you up, and the sites say your ticket expires on the 6th of next month.  Shocked  Are you aware of that?  Time to renew.  Smiley

73,
de K2VHerb
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K2VHerb
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Steve - WB3HUZ
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« Reply #115 on: March 18, 2007, 02:31:59 PM »

Great to work you the other night Mike. Your homebrew rig was putting out a good signal. Catch you again in the Ghetto or elsewhere.
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The Slab Bacon
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« Reply #116 on: March 18, 2007, 02:51:45 PM »

Mike, (qkr)
                 It was good to hear you again, its been quite a while. Each time I hear your little HB transmitter, it sounds better and better!
 
                                                                              The Slab Bacon
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k4kyv
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« Reply #117 on: March 18, 2007, 03:13:22 PM »

Last night (early Sunday morning) I heard no AM activity in the Extra segment.  There was an ongoing QSO near 3775, but already 3-4 participants discussing a topic for which I felt I couldn't make a worthwhile contribution, so I didn't attempt to "break in".

Instead, I called CQ on about 3684. A weak but nearly 100% readable station in MI came back, using a SSB transceiver on AM for the first time.  He was running only 25 watts.  We talked for a long while.  He had been a SWL since the late 50's, and a ham since the 70's.  He was well versed in vintage ham radio, and we discussed many of the aspects of ham radio from the late 50's to present, and how our interests in radio started.  At the end he told me how much he enjoyed the conversation and said he planned to listen and join us some more.

Another station that joined the QSO was located in the far eastern portion of TN and had worked me a couple of times previously.  He was on the air with a new Ten-Tec Orion followed by a linear amplifier.  He sounded fabulous on AM.  I told him he could have claimed he had a refurbished broadcast transmitter on the air and I would have believed him. 

After both of those stations signed out, a W5 from Mississippi called me.  He was trying out his rig on AM for the first time.  Running a transceiver to an Ameritron linear with a quad of 811A's.  At first his audio was weak and mushy, but he had a very strong carrier.  He asked me to help him get it adjusted to sound good on AM.  After a while of discussing just how a linear ought to work on AM, what his DC input should be, what his RF carrier output and p.e.p. should be, the plate dissipation issue with the tubes, which meter should kick upwards with modulation and which should stand still, etc. he finally got a good sounding signal on the air with full modulation.  By then it was 0900 GMT, so I called it quits for the night.  He said that he would be back on the air with AM, and that he had a nearby friend trying to get a 250-watt AM broadcast rig on the air, and that he might start looking for one himself.  In the meantime he was going to drag his old Tectronix scope into the shack so he could monitor his envelope waveform.
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Don, K4KYV                                       AMI#5
Licensed since 1959 and not happy to be back on AM...    Never got off AM in the first place.

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kf4qkr
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« Reply #118 on: March 22, 2007, 12:03:41 AM »

  Thanks Herb it almost slipped my mind! It should show up as renewed on QRZ in a day or two. Steve , strapping signal here in Winston-Salem also!Thanks Frank.It was a real pleasure checking in with you guys on 3888 on a classic  AM friday night in the ghetto.
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Mike
k4kyv
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« Reply #119 on: March 25, 2007, 09:32:58 PM »

I was back in the Ghetto last night (Saturday night).  The quarmtesters pretty well had 3600-3800 trashed, along with the QRN, so I QSY'ed to 3885.  I worked several stations with good signals, and every time I was about to sign off with one AM station, another AM station would call.  Finally called it quits after about 2 hours of non-stop AM operation.  But I didn't hear that much other activity.  The static must have driven many people away from the radio.
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Don, K4KYV                                       AMI#5
Licensed since 1959 and not happy to be back on AM...    Never got off AM in the first place.

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Todd, KA1KAQ
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« Reply #120 on: March 26, 2007, 10:42:19 AM »

I was up there Saturday night for a while, Don. It was tolerable at first, even enjoyable. Then the crap started, along with weird band conditions, so I finally gave up and called it a night. I did hear you in there at around 2AM EDT.

The corntesters were wasting much of the band in an attempt to out-corn their rivals. I think this makes three weekends in a row. When we were on 3724 Friday night, I heard one of them pissing and moaning about AMers QRMing them. This, despite the fact that we were on the frequency long before the corntest started. It's a corntest night, therefore they assume ownership of all frequencies. Those of us actually daring to participate in actual radio communication activity instead of egomania apparently shouldn't be on the air.

Shame on us.  Roll Eyes
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k4kyv
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« Reply #121 on: March 26, 2007, 03:59:08 PM »

Here's an actual quarmtest interchange as I heard it, word for word as best as I can recall.

"...CTX.  Please repeat.  I didn't get your prefix.  You are very weak in the static."

(other station comes back and gives his call several times)

"CTX, come back again. I still don't have your prefix.  QRZ CTX."

(this conversation repeated several more times, until the other station finally gets his prefix)

"QSL, you're 5-9 in
(other station's state).  73.  Good luck in the contest."  Roll Eyes

I think this was some kind of DX quarmtest sponsored by CQ Magazine.
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Don, K4KYV                                       AMI#5
Licensed since 1959 and not happy to be back on AM...    Never got off AM in the first place.

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Herb K2VH
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« Reply #122 on: March 26, 2007, 07:19:07 PM »

  Thanks Herb it almost slipped my mind! It should show up as renewed on QRZ in a day or two.

Mike,

I just read this and checked with QRZ.com.  You weren't renewed there.  Then I went to Buckmaster.com.  Not renewed there either.  But they have a link to the FCC, which I checked, and You are renewed, and good till April 6, 2017.  Hooray!

vH
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K2VHerb
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On AM since 1955;on SSB since 1963

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« Reply #123 on: March 26, 2007, 08:40:12 PM »

I did some simulations of LC filters and you can make a nice filter with 4 or 5 parallel tuned circuits. I would think a few IF transformers lightly coupled would make a nice wide clean filter. fc

OM,

Please tell me if that's possible with a TR-4: I just got one, but it's only 2.8KHz wide and I want to do AM with it.

TIA.

73, Bill W1AC
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« Reply #124 on: March 27, 2007, 08:26:49 PM »

i use the Inrad #2311 6KC filter in the TR4-CW. so does KF2SY. works very well in place of the CW filter. transmitting through it on "SSB" makes nice bandwidth limited DSB suppressed carrier too. LC filters are not easy to do at 9MHZ. the crystal filter nails it in one (expensive) shot.
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