So What Happened to 3725 Last Night?

[Todd, KA1KAQ]

Went out to move some snow around 17:30 or so, came back in at around 18:45 to find silence where there had been a large group. Did the band crap out for everyone? Plenty-o-SSB around.

Or was it a case of burn out (no pun intended, G) from the previous night's activities?   

[Steve - WB3HUZ]

Band started to go long, but was still OK for most paths. Everyone just signed and/or went to dinner.

[w3jn]

Band crapped out.  I couldn't hear Ralph at all anymore and even Steve was just above the noise.  Probablyt would have been OK with you as you're quite a bit farther away.  C'est la vie...

[WD8BIL]

After the Brown's snow bowl win I went out and moved snow for 2 hours. Came in, took a nap then ended up talking on Skype for the evening.

After the marathon saturday night (3737 Khz) and a LOOOONNNGGGGG day Sunday I just didn't have the energy to climb the steps to the shack.

But Maaannnn did I sleep gooder last nite. 

[k4kyv]

Condx good last night.  QRN gone with storm front moved far out to sea. No street light interference.  But no signals on the air either.  All I heard was a few slopbuckets and white noise hiss.  I called CQ and worked a couple of stations, but the QSO's were short lived.  I suppose everyone including myself, was feeling crapped out.  I made it to bed by 1 AM, far earlier than usual.

[WA1GFZ]

I was testing for a long while then connected the dummy load.

[WD8BIL]

Ya sounded real good in Ohio saturday nite Frank.

[Todd, KA1KAQ]

After the Brown's snow bowl win I went out and moved snow for 2 hours. Came in, took a nap then ended up talking on Skype for the evening.

Oh ya, skype....I see how it is. We urge folks to get active and spend less time online, so they move to skype. uh huh. 

Appreciate the update, as the band was d-e-d when I got back into the house. Must admit, after the 4AM session the previous night and wrasslin' with the snow blower last night, I was pretty content with dinner and a good night's sleep.

You sounded great up here too, Frank. Hope to hear more of you as season progresses.

[WA1GFZ]

My audio sucks on the scope. Looks like the driver transformer is going into saturation for lows and the poor 6au6 is runing out of steam. It got worse when I reduced the 807 screen voltage. Barely 50% modulation for lows with a lot of distortion. Time for more Iraon and a 6aQ5. Someone replaced the driver transformer with a merit 10 K to 9 K only rated for 10 ma. Might work if I take the DC off the primary. Need to motivate the 807s better. I was trying to keep it stock but I'm slowly redesigning it.   

[The Slab Bacon]

My audio sucks on the scope. Looks like the driver transformer is going into saturation for lows and the poor 6au6 is runing out of steam. It got worse when I reduced the 807 screen voltage. Barely 50% modulation for lows with a lot of distortion. Time for more Iraon and a 6aQ5. Someone replaced the driver transformer with a merit 10 K to 9 K only rated for 10 ma. Might work if I take the DC off the primary. Need to motivate the 807s better. I was trying to keep it stock but I'm slowly redesigning it.   

Frank,
          Your audio the other night wasnt quite up to what I expected. Ditch that wimpy assed 6AU6 driver, and do the 12AX7 / 6C4 thing, or even better yet do a 12AU7 with both sections in parallel or 12B4 for the driver. You'll have all of the audio you need!! You'll be wavin your hand in the breeze!!

                                                                                the Slab Bacon

[WA1GFZ]

A friend has a 3:1 push pull driver transformer. The primary is 34 K per side and the output is 3750 ohms per side. How about a pair of triode connected 6AQ5s at say 15 to 20 ma per tube. The transformer is rated for 40 ma. The Merit 10 K to 9K 10 ma in there now could be used as an interstage.
The transformer in there now I can't get much above -20 Volts on the 807 grids
for lows and not much more than 50% positive peak. High frequency I am much higher percent modulation. 6AQ5s run quite hot at 40 ma so dropping it down a bit would help them live a long life.  6au6 is on It's way out to the spare box.

[WD8BIL]

Frank, ditch the interstage altogether and direct couple with a 12au7 phase inverter to the 807s. parallel wire the 12au7s triodes. Or use the PI in Trons  Ranger mod:

Ranger Mod Mod

The other low freq bottleneck is the mod iron. That's a good idea to get the DC off it.
Hmmmmmmm --- an audio shunt fed Viking 

[WA1GFZ]

HMMMMM I wonder how much inductance it would take to do shunt feed.

[WD8BIL]

Only one way to find out.

I see a Christmas break project coming on !

[Steve - WB3HUZ]

HMMMMM I wonder how much inductance it would take to do shunt feed.

What sort of low frequency response do you want?

[WA1GFZ]

Well I think the final load Z is about 2 K .....I'm a PDM Guy so as low as possible if I can't get DC. What is the rule of thumb 4X reactance or so for lowest frequency?

[Steve - WB3HUZ]

3 dB point FOR THE CHOKE is at point where inductive reactance is equal to load resistance. You still be limited by the transformer.

[WD8BIL]

Oh ya, skype....I see how it is. We urge folks to get active and spend less time online, so they move to skype. uh huh.   

For those who don't get on the air he's being sarcastic here.

Fact is; everyone I was talking with on Skype IS also on the air regularly.

Frank: Start with 20 Henrys and work from there. Also checkout the value of the HV bypass at the bottom of the plate choke.

[WA1GFZ]

I took care of the choke bypass a long time ago. BTW only need to move 1 connection to change over to a Triode connected 6AQ5.
Sounds like tonight's mod. K moves from pin 7 to pin 2 and a bigger resistor. I'm thinking a 560 ohm. I'll try it without a bypass first to see what happens. Maybe I'll grab that p-p transformer and stick a second 6AQ5 in the compressor spot. I could bolt a FET in to do the phase inversion. One hack at a time.

[The Slab Bacon]

V-2's are fun and easy to soup up!!

Lets see.............a pair of 813s for finals, a pair of 810s for modders, a pair of 807s for drivers......now, where's that hole saw..............

There might even be enough room left for some pickled eggplant!!

[WA1GFZ]

Well I was going to leave it stock but can't take it any more I need it betterer.

[N0WVA]

Condx good last night.  QRN gone with storm front moved far out to sea. No street light interference.  But no signals on the air either.  All I heard was a few slopbuckets and white noise hiss.  I called CQ and worked a couple of stations, but the QSO's were short lived.  I suppose everyone including myself, was feeling crapped out.  I made it to bed by 1 AM, far earlier than usual.

Don, yeah I heard you nice and loud here and you were going to bed early.....I was listening on a receiver Im working on. It uses all JFETS and man is it QUIET! No noise until I hook up the antenna and I have to turn down the volume on just background noise!

Im now working out a AGC circuit that supplies negative voltage to the gates of the FETS.

[WA1GFZ]

Well I'm going to be right on the edge of AB2 with 250 volts on the 807 screens and negative 28 zener regulated bias. Ripped the wires off pins 2 and 7 tonight but was distracted doing net control on 160M. Next the 6AQ5 triode connected goes in. simple mod just pins 2 and 7 need attention with a bigger cathode resistor. Power supply is pretty solid since I solid stated it and added more C.

[ab3al]

hey frank just be careful when you tinker with that thing... make sure you drink a few bottles of whine before you start messin with the rectumfires

[WA3VJB]

And squeeze the interlocks.

Aren't there two? I seem to remember it means resting the chassis on your thigh while it's powered up, so the back corner interlock is pushed in.

Then, the second one up by the 807s needs squoze.