Getting Back to the Homebrew Subject

[ka3zlr]

Good Day,

 I think a nerve was struck about this in another thread and there were some interesting posts regarding this. I am wondering this could cover alot of territory. The possibility exists of increased membership and a new direction...

 How bout Homebrewer's Corner. any thoughts....?


jack KA3ZLR.

[n1exi]

 I found something that I thought that I would never see here in the 21st century!
Poking through the upset lid of a curbside trashcan, a fully intact chassis of an early 60's
TV set was spied. Complete and dust free! Sockets and resistors, capacitors too! A transformer bigger than a fist. How many rigs in the past were gleamed from such treasures? Maybe one in my future!

Greg, n1exi   

[ka3zlr]

Well Greg my thinking is along the lines of the Regen guys and the PW guys and generating more interests in building helping others and maybe set up a net for this on the air.. I like the concept ...

maybe more input from others...?

[W7XXX]

My first homebrews were all built from TV parts I got from my boss at my after school job in a TV radio repair shop. 6DQ6 finals modulated by 6DQ5's ... using seperate power supplies made from TV xfmrs.

The best source of high quality parts I have had in recent years is old scrapped military equipment and surplus parts that most have no clue how to modify. Another windfall was buying the old percision custom design electronic equipment from Hanford Nuclear used in the 1950's. I salvaged Millen hardware, precision resistors, npo caps, etc. Don't over look old TV test equipment. Most of the old parts will out last us if used within parameters.

Yes I would like to see a homebrew board. Homebrewing was the start of AM-CW ham radio and if you build something that works, you appreciate it and have something of substance to talk about on the air.

My secret to successful complete station homebrewing is simplicity. All my audio is triode (pentodes wired as such if necessary), minimal controls, lots of meters to monitor voltage and current, use same power supply on class C RF and class B audio to eliminate extra screen power supplies, use xtal control (I do have a homebrew very stable VFO, but never use it anymore) and use in-rush current delay, no push to squawk (who in a hurry?) and for a receiver 7 tube dual conversion with NO BFO, a tunable IF the main knob, a volume control, a tunable 2nd osc to act as fine tuning and that is it ... 3 knobs. It is simple to operate works as good as any commercial dual conversion receiver only lacking in selectivity that the big dual conversion receiver now under construction will have.

The super regens are a great start. The 1950's and 60's ARRL handbooks have many good simple superhet receiver projects. Homebrewing is fun and rewarding. You can make it crude as my dad did using old metal anti freeze cans as chassics and end up with a receiver 3 foot long or use a nice bud cabinet and make it look professional. Any of you remember Fred with his transmitter built in an old refrig?

[ka3zlr]

Like this my 813 amplifier, i'm going to post more in the pictures area.

[W7XXX]

Nice!

[ka3zlr]

and understand something Sam, I'da never got this far without this Forum and the members that take part here, I'm coming back on the air as soon as the exciter is done.

[W2INR]

I just checked out your QRZ profile Sam , Nice equipment!!

[Pete, WA2CWA]

While tubes and similar widgets might be fun for some, many homebrewers also develop neat things with semiconductor devices. "Homebrew" covers lots of territory.

[Steve - WB3HUZ]

For sure. The future of homebrewing will be in software.

While tubes and similar widgets might be fun for some, many homebrewers also develop neat things with semiconductor devices. "Homebrew" covers lots of territory.

[Pete, WA2CWA]

For sure. The future of homebrewing will be in software.

While tubes and similar widgets might be fun for some, many homebrewers also develop neat things with semiconductor devices. "Homebrew" covers lots of territory.

Ah, then we'll need a sub-topic under "homebrewing" for software bugs, firmware updates, etc. Got to have them bytes to sound good.

[AF9J]

I don't know...

I don't mind homebrewing.  It's just that living in an apartment, it's almost impossible to make chassis and enclosures, much  keep things clean in the process (especially clean enough so that I don't end up with metal chips and stuff in the carpet that I or the cats end up walking on). It's fun for me to build stuff.  But building just for the fun of it  (which is also a common phenomenon in the expirimental/homebuilt aircraft movement) isn't my cup of tea I guess.  I've built QRP kits (and what what tiny little bit of scratch built stuff I've built), because I wanted something for a particular purpose.  When I built something just for the fun of building it (which was the case with several QRP rigs), it ended up sitting on the shelf gathering dust, taking up space I needed for other stuff.  I don't want to go there again.  I guess the way to go for me, would be like Don, K4KYV and some of the Class E & D guys - by building it, to have a (what would be for me) be-all and end-all piece of gear, that would always see use, either in it's present form, or due to continuous improvement to it.

Just my 2 cents worth,
Ellen - AF9J

[W7XXX]

[W7XXX]

[W7XXX]

[W7XXX]

[W7XXX]

[ka3zlr]

.....AWESUMMMMMMMMM


What is wrong with a section dedicated to this...look at the break down on that station

Most Excellent OM....

[W7XXX]

[W2INR]

Nice stuff Sam

Give us the run down

G

[W7XXX]

Thanks to Bob Heil for making these great vintage style mics.

[ka3zlr]

and what is wrong with a small section dedicated to this.....

Awesum Station....................

[W7XXX]

The big transmitter is a 813 class C RF at 300 watts out. It is modulated by a pair of 813's wired as triodes (Bill Orr handbooks have info) producing 500 watts peak in class B. I usually hold peaks to 125% positive.. The RF deck uses a swinging link isolated from plate dc by a 500 mmfd doorknob. I use a 6kv National cap for tuning. The grid circuit is link coupled to the exciter which is xtal controlled 6AG7 and 6146 final with pi network and 300vdc on plate and loaded light to drive grid at 22 mills needed for 125% positive modulation.

The audio driver is pair 1614's wired as triodes with 12AU7 driver transformer coupled and 12AX7 preamp. Impedance is high and an inline transformer is used to match low impedance Heils. The three pilot lights were to fill holes I drilled for tone controls that were eliminated due being no use as audio circuit is tailored for the Heil mics and needs no tone enhancing. I used red, white, and blue to add the good old USA look. LOL!

The small receiver is a broadcast band homebrew using 4 6.3v octal tubes in the traditional all American 5 design. It is 4 instead of 5 as the recitifier is a silicon diode.
The 75 meter convertor is an RF stage 6BZ6 and a mixer/osc 12AT7 and is peaked at 3860 but broadbanded enough that the entire phone band is covered without any noticable signal loss. The knob are main tuning, osc tweeking, and audio gain. The switch is xmit or rcv. I have it wired to the change over relay, so the swich stays in xmit.

The big rcvr (yes I know a paint job will help) is under construction and will be 80/40 meter bandswitched, a dual conversion with 3 IF stages, a noise limiter, two s meters, one on the RF stage, the other on the IF, and about 12 tubes unless I add a BFO which is not a consideration for now. The controls will be, main tuning (If tuning), audio gain, RF gain, bandswitch and RF stage peaking

[W7XXX]

Well, I don't think I will tackle a ribbon mic. I made a dynamic once that was ok, but Bob Heil convinced me his were superior in everyway.

Unfinished transmitter at right top shelf is a dual 807 modulated by 807's wired as triodes. I used 807's because I have several of them all unused in original military boxes. It has a self contained PS, exciter and audio driver. It is 160/80/40 plug in coils. I modified old Wilcox 99A coils for it. It will be xtal controlled or I can use my hb vfo when I find a cabinet for it. I took the cabinet for the small receiver. My antenna is an aborted off center zepp with the short leg grounded and about 21 feet high. The open line comes into shack were it matches 52 ohm coax almost perfect at 3860 and covers 3840 to 3900 with little swr.

Well, hope to see photos of your homebrew projects and hear them on the air.

I learned homebrewing from my dad, an avid homebrewer and kit builder. Most valuable were Bill Orr handbooks and close ham friends who are homebrewers and retired broadcast engineers. Thanks for your comments and opinions even if they differ from mine. We all have varied interest and mine is vintage style homebrewing ham gear and building triode audio amps for guitars, etc.

Thanks for the photos of the 813 amp and ribbon mic, very nicely done. What will you use to modulate the 813 amp? 811A's are nice, but I prefer triode wired 813's at zero bias. 73 sAM

[W7XXX]

Mack, the scope is the RCA bench scope WO-33A ... I have 3 of the little guys and a new crt for them. I am planning to homebrew a monitor scope some day. My only gripe about the 33a is they fade out if left on long. I have been meaning to go in and beef up the cathode resistor.