Knight Kit T-60- is there any hope?

[Bow/KD5KZN]

While I am tweaking on my Johnson Messenger Two to put it on 10 meters, I have been planning on getting on AM in the lower bands...

I have a Knight Kit T-60. I know it is screen modulated, and have heard rumor that they really suck on AM. 

Is there anything I can do with it to give it a kick in the rear-end for AM operation? 

Schematic attached...

[Steve - WB3HUZ]

The Knight appears to be similar to the DX-40/60 series with controlled-carrier screen grid modulation. You may want to take a look at the mods for the DX-60 as reference or a starting point.

http://www.amwindow.org/tech/htm/dx60aud.htm

http://www.amwindow.org/tech/htm/wc3kmods.htm

http://www.amwindow.org/tech/htm/dx60k4tax/dx60k4tax.htm

[Bow/KD5KZN]

Thanks for the info Steve, I'll take a peek at it tonight, or this weekend...

I need to find a VFO for it as well, I wonder if I could use one of these:
http://www.norcalqrp.org/fcc2.htm

[W5EFR]

Today, I ordered these kits:
http://www.norcalqrp.org/fcc2.htm
http://www.norcalqrp.org/fcc1.htm

I am hoping to use them with my T-60 and Johnson Messenger.

Also, since the FCC2 has a "Split" function, I am hoping to be able to interface it with my EF Johnson Messenger Two Blackface the I want to put up on 10 meters for AM use. $70 for the DDS and the Freq Counter is easier to take than $20 per crystal, with a requirement of 2 crystals per channel...

Yikes! $40 per channel?

I don't see that happening!

If anyone has any experience with the NorCal kits and old tube rigs, please let me know.

Bow
W5EFR
 

[Bacon, WA3WDR]

A number of people have used DX-60 and T-60 class rigs on 75 and 40 meter AM with good results.  The stock audio is pretty bad, but a few simple mods can make these rigs sound fine.  Output power is only about 10 to 15 watts carrier, but when conditions are not strongly competitive, that's enough.  And of course a linear amp can always be added.

[W5EFR]

Thanks Bacon!

I've done the DX60 mods to it...

I'm hoping that Digital VFO kit will let me get it on the air

[Bacon, WA3WDR]

Cool, Bow.

I don't know about the different DDS kits available, but a DDS will work as long as you keep the transmit RF out of it.  A DDS can have incredible fine frequency step capability, and a decent DDS won't have too much spurious output.  Any tuning of the driver stages will help, too.

You might need a stage of gain from the DDS into the rig, or a step-up transformer from the 50 ohm output of the DDS.  If so, it won't be too complicated.  Try the DDS and see.