When you mash together a DX-60 and a DX-40 you get...

[kf6pqt]

A DX-100B!



Ebay, but a local pickup.

Rats, the upload folder is full...

Its quite the looker, its really clean and in very good cosmetic shape. (latter being a rarity for my gear.)

Modded to use 6146s as modulators instead of 1625s.

I'll give my back a rest, and then play with it some more later, I need to put a new fuel filter in the motorcycle before is a hundred-and-hell degrees out. Also need to finish slapping together my link-coupled tuner.

So, looks like the grounded-grid twin 811a amp needn't occur now... time for plan B, twin 813's!


-Jason kf6pqt

[W1GFH]

? Not sure what you acquired...a DX40 or a DX100? It sounds like you got a DX100B! Congrats. Slap some photos on your website and give us a link. There's a good fellow.

[kf6pqt]

I'm too lazy (aka busy, theres yamaha carburetor all over the driveway) at this moment to post upon my own site, soon enough, but yes, I have a bran-new dx100b now.

[kf6pqt]

Now that the upload folder is enlarged:

[kf6pqt]

Those aren't 1625s!


Joe, I did get on later in the evening, the audio didn't cut No Money's muster, but as we know, only a few do.  Fortunately he had to promptly attend to some other business away from the radio. But the signal was ok. WA6JUS was able to copy me well down in Sandy Eggo, So I'm definitely getting out there a little bit better, even with the band being mud as it was last night.

Listening to myself talk with the headphones cranked up on the ricebox, the audio was different at every transmission. I tried compensating with the gain... sometimes I did ok, sometimes there was no helping it.

K6SXD, Jim, also agrees with the theory that my old D-104 is acting up. Told me of how back in the day guys would re-melt the wax in between the diaphragm and the transducer... I'll hold off on that until its a last resort! He also gave me a ton of insight into all sorts of DX-100 stuff, especially my questions on tune-up... 5.5 mils on the grids, and that there's no reason to go over 250 mils on the plates, though if I have 6146B's they'll be happy up to 280 mils. That sort of stuff.

And everyone concurred I need to try a different mic, after hearing of all the new-looking caps I saw inside this thing. I'll try and get an empty D104 head, and put one of those replacement cartridges in it. Also need to research how to possibly connect a dynamic mike... Can you say Guitar Center Cheapie?

-Jason kf6pqt

[AF9J]

Guitar Center sells cheap mics?  Boy thats news to me.   They were criminally cheap with me, when I wanted to trade a newer Gretsch solidbody towards an Ibanez 335 copy (I sort of said, "Uh, no thanks").  That's a nice looking DX-100B.  How much did you pay for it Jason?  I like the enclosure of the 100B - it's not as bulky looking as the earlier 100s. 

Tonight I'm hoping to give Ms. Cheyenne a test drive.  Hopefully the bands will be in better shape, than they've been in for the past few days. Did you you get your Cheyenne yet Jason?  BTW, the same friend who helped me out on Saturday, came up with an idea to run PTT with the Cheyenne's goofy receiver mute scheme (the Cheyenne is tailored for use with the Comanche, so it mutes it in weird way, by shutting off B+ to the Comanche [via the power feedthrough cable]  during transmit), by using an optotransistor and an LED, for switching my SX-96 to standby, when the Cheyenne goes to transmit.  Power would be from the B+ feedtrough, that would ordinarily go to the Comanche.  It's so simple, I feel stupid for not thinking about it. 

73,
Ellen - AF9J

[WQ9E]

Hi Ellen,

You could also use the B+ feed through to directly activate one of the high coil resistance "plate" relays to control muting and antenna switching if you want to stay all "hollow state".  Mouser's 677-PCLH-205D1S with a resistor in series with its coil to drop the voltage to the desired 100 volts should work.  It only draws about 10 mils and is a DPDT unit which would take care of antenna switching and muting for a mere $5.92 plus shipping.   Just wanted to point out another method.

73, Rodger WQ9E

[AF9J]

Hmmmm, good point.  As it is, I have to supply the switching.  There is no relay in the SX-96.  BTW, I have couple of items that might be of interest to anybody who needs them.  I have a coaxial relay that's left over from 1995, when I had my Johnson Ranger.  I also have a left over 6V6 tube, in great shape from, when I had a Fender Princeton II Guitar amp back in the late 80s.  If anybody wants them, let me know.  As it is, they're just collecting dust.

73,
Ellen

[W1GFH]

Jason I have an extra Turner 254 clone (a hi-Z ceramic or dynamic, not xtal) you could try. It's not tested, it may be junk, but you could easily gut it and use the case as a sheilded enclosure to test your kobitone elements, or even a Radio Shack electret element.

FB OM paint job on the rig. Your DX100 B model looks more practical and less hernia-inducing than the bulky cabinet non-B.

[WQ9E]

Ellen,

Save your coax relay because you will need it for your next boat anchor.  To paraphrase the old Lay's potato chips commercial nobody can collect just one (believe me, I know)!

Rodger WQ9E

[AF9J]

OK Roger,

I'll hang onto it.  I think it's a Dowkey relay.  BTW, how's summer vacation treating you?  Well, I'm outta here.  Work's done for the day.  I may have to drop off a little black kitten at its new home, before I go home (I have to call the adopters to see if they're available for the dropoff [we always drop off the cats, so we can check the place out, to make sure it's cat safe]).

73,
Ellen - AF9J

[WQ9E]

Hi Ellen,

Summer is going great so far!  I spent Memorial day weekend near Brainerd, MN with a stop in WI on the way up to pick up a Heathkit KL-1 "Chippewa" with a very heavy homebrew supply which will complete my RX-1/TX-1/SB-10 station setup.  Every year I forget how much I hate the Minneapolis/St. Paul traffic and I went through there well before afternoon rush hour.  Nothing like going from a 75 mph cruising speed down to 5 mph stop and go to make the old blood pressure rise!  I made it back in time for the WLS Big 89 rewind and left that on much of the day; listening to that makes you realize just how bad AM broadcast radio has become going from some really talented radio personalities to the depths of stupidity in a  "Rush"...  I believe WLS still broadcasts in one of the AM stereo formats; it would be nice if they would do music programs perhaps during part of the weekend.

I remember in the mid 70's listening to WLS in the late afternoons on the Mississippi gulf coast on the SX-62A that I borrowed while learning the code and studying for my novice.  That station really sounded great on the old Hallicrafters  though I listened to much of the "rewind" on a somewhat newer Grundig Satellit 3400 which is lighter and stayed outside with me while catching up on yard work.

I just got finished prepping the concrete board in our new master bath for "tile guy" to come out tomorrow.  Being completely worn out instead of getting on the air I think I am going to mix a nice Bourbon and coke and vegetate on the gazebo.  I hope to catch up with you to hear your new "semi-heavy metal" AM station soon!  I will be going to the Princeton/Starved Rock fest this weekend so I won't be around for the Saturday morning net.

73, Rodger WQ9E

[kf6pqt]

Everyone likes the non-B, but I dig 'em!  But oh well, I wound up with a nice B-model.

Ellen, I forked over the outrageous sum of $200 for this thing, but I view plate modulation as a market with substantial growth-potential. 

73,
Jason kf6pqt

[AF9J]

Hi Roger,

I got home later than late.  So I'm burned out too.  Have fun at the rock festival.  With reagards to bringing music aback to AM - I remember in the early 90s, when the AM market was making an attempt to bring back music on AM, via specialty/niche music  formats, such as folk, big band, etc.  Around here it was tried by WLZR.  WLZR, Lazer 103.1 FM (which is now defunct [Clear Channel changed their format, and their call letters last year]), was one of the big guns on FM, in southeastern Wisconsin.  In the early 90s, they had a sister AM station on 1590 AM, WLZR AM.  This station tried the niche format, with heavy metal, in AM stereo. They played a lot of cool music (Motorhead, etc.) you didn't normally hear on the radio.  Also, like the old days of rock radio, they had some colorful DJs, such as the Beav (who talked like Beaver Cleaver from "Leave it to Beaver"), and Richard Cranium (who acted like he was a raving lunatic).  They could have made a decent go of it, but unfortunately, WLZR AM, was a relatively small station. To top it off, it was on a local channel, so it was almost impossible to receive it, if you weren't within at least 15 miles of Milwaukee.  So, I could only listen to it, during road trips to Milwaukee.  Also, the fact that the Milwaukee rock music market, has always been rather conservative (classic rock & mainline corporate rock basically rule the airwaves around here), didn't help things either.  So "The Crusher", as WLZR AM was known, was gone within a year.  I don't think I've heard of speciality music stations on AM, in quite some time.  Have fun with the Chippewa.

73,
Ellen - AF9J

[AF9J]

$200 Jason? Geez!  You're living large!    Still, that's a nice price.  And as I said before, I think the B-models look cool.  I prefer the wraparound enclosure.  It looks tidier in my opinion.  I assume that yours still weighs a ton like the other ones?

73,
Ellen - AF9J

Everyone likes the non-B, but I dig 'em!  But oh well, I wound up with a nice B-model.

Ellen, I forked over the outrageous sum of $200 for this thing, but I view plate modulation as a market with substantial growth-potential. 

73,
Jason kf6pqt

[kf6pqt]

Yep, hundred pounds. Its a monster, but just a trainer for the BC-610 I'm gonna have some day!

When I stop buying radios and save up and buy a house, I'll build a massive radio desk that can support the DX-100b AND the sx-28a thats awaiting restoration.

(No, it was free, my Dad bought it for $30 in the mid sixties.)



Also, baby-prototype tuner following the K1JJ recipe... cobwebs included at no extra charge!

[AF9J]

Well Jason, I didn't know you were a fan of 20s breadboarding.   A nice, big honking coil.  Can you say bute force tuning?  Sure you can, I knew you could.

73,
Ellen