AM Newbees

[K9ACT]

BTW -- I kept saying "Guys"  Where are the Gals" 

Great touche!

One of my other pet peeves is to be sitting in a nice restaurant with my wife and have some twitty "Gal" say:
"Hi guys, what can it get you"?

My standard response is: "my wife is a lady and I am a gentleman, would you like to try again? your tip is at stake"

js

[WB2YGF]

There is nothing wrong with a beginner who is interested and just starting out to give AM a try, even if their using a “ricebox”. I would encourage them to do so, but without mentors and vintage gear around how will they ever learn? How will they learn about the great history and nostalgia behind it all? If all the vintage AM enthusiasts are gone what’s the point, really?

Nostalgia is relative.  I might develop an interest and appreciation of spark transmitters, but I can never be nostalgic about them because they will never evoke fond memories of my past. They are part of someone elses past.  "Antique" riceboxes will be the nostalgia for the newcomer.  In fact, they already are.  People talk about FT101's like they were boatanchors from the good ol' days.   My first ham receiver was a 1971 TenTec RX10 American ricebox.  It brings back memories of my childhood even though it has no tubes.  (I don't think I ever actually used it after I got my license cuz it's such a POS  )

[WB2YGF]

Yeah, most of the Ten Tecs were a POS   Don't know what anyone ever saw in them in the first place.

Perhaps it was the service.  It somehow failed and I managed to wreck it even more (cracked all the slugs). It was out of warranty, but I sent it in to TenTec for repair anyway.  They fixed it and sent it back along with a little bag with all the bad parts.  No charge.

Even though it was a $59 POS, it's now a collectors item worth $150-250 (I still have it)



From the Virtual TenTec Museum:
http://home.comcast.net/~w8kc/tentec.html

Just TRY to find one of these.  It took me years.  The companion receiver to the TX-100, it also receives 20M so you can step up to General class before your one year Novice lapsed!  With a DC receiver much like the Power Mite, at night, you can enjoy every 39M SW broadcaster,  while you try to copy on 40M.  Built-in code practice oscillator took some of the pressure (of actually making a QSO) off of the brave novice who may have owned this set.

[WB2YGF]

Yeah, even the audio was pissweak.  I had to use a pair of Hi-Z headphones to get decent volume out of it.
It's very much like the receiver in the Heath HW-7, but better.  (HW-7 being another POS I have in my POS collection.)

[WB2YGF]

That's pretty homely, but it clearly outclasses an RX-10 functionally. Is that a general coverage with a bandspread?  Was that usable for CW?

The Lafayette HA-800 was the first RX that got me on the air as a JN. No filter, broad as a barn door.  Perfect for that crowded 80M novice band (NOT!).  It had a pretty hot FET front end but I had to replace the FET after every bad thunderstorm.   

I used it with an AT-1/VF-1, Then...=>  DX-60/HG-10/HQ-110 AC, =>  HT-44/SX-117 => SB-101 => FT-101ZD (WARC) => IC-706 MKIIG => IC-756 Pro II

[WB2YGF]

Here is a higher-rez pic of an R100A.  I like the looks of the A better.  Now that I can see it more clearly, I notice it has a Q-multiplier built in for CW.  Sweet.  Wish the HA-800 had that. 

I wish I could find a better pic of the HA-800 so you could see the functions.

[W2WDX]

Hi all,

I began listening to "da guns" a number of years ago (8?) after getting my technician. I was excited with what I heard, not only the sound of them, but mostly the personalities. I had grown tired rather quickly with the limitations of the world above HF, which is not what I had envisioned as amateur radio. The guys on 3.885 really got me back into the hobby in a hardcore way. I penned an article about this some time ago which is located somewhere on the web, about "How AM revitalized my hobby". I have been working to get on HF ever since.

Today, I am pleased to say, I passed my element 3 exam. I just moved into a new location, actually an old location that being the family homestead on Long Island. The station is being setup during the week, and the wire goes up into the air next weekend. (The sucky thing is somehow in my moving I misplaced all my station cabling which will have to be replaced and rebuilt in some cases). My little DX-60/HR-10 disappeared as well, which would have been fun to play with. Also I lost every single radio microphone I owned. (My pro-audio mics I do have fortunately). I hate moving.

Additionally, the bigger rigs (like my K1JJ 813 rig and others) that I have spent nearly a decade homebrewing (while listening to the guns for inspiration) will have to wait since 240v AC is not an option here. But I do intend to get something on the air on AM if it kills me. Most likely the first thing will be a Drake TR4/L4 (argh!). While I use that just to get on-air, I will be restoring a very nice B&W 5100B which I need to get some iron for. Otherwise it's very nice ... I think the word is "minty".

The point is prior to listening to the boys on AM, I was petering around with HT's, hating repeaters and the "CB'er types" who frequent them (IMO), and toying with short range, occasional (rare) AM contacts on 2m & 6m on my Clegg's (Zeus/Interceptor), and SSB on 2m DX (if there is such a thing ... really). Once hearing the big guns on 75m, I knew where I had to be! And the hardcore re-education and building began in preparation for getting there. Finally I was doing things I always considered the things Hams do, that being homebrew with large tubes and massive iron, hang long wires and sound good on air. The first two I have been doing and now, very soon, the last thing will be a reality. The anxiety is getting to me ... in a good way!!!!

If you're reading this, and never got the AM bug, don't be intimidated ... it's a fun ride!

John LeVasseur
W2WDX ... um ... AG
(A decade old newbie)

[KX5JT]

Congratulations John.  Hope to work you soon. 

[K9ACT]

Yeah I like doing it the old fashion way too. 

Nice hooking up with you tonite, John.  Too bad I pulled another geezer gaff.

I told you I had to QRT for the "reading hour" only to realize after shutting down that I already did that two hours ago.

As to your point, before the recent spate of activity on 40, I had a self imposed program of running my CQ robot on 7290 every night at 0300Z for 30 minutes.  I did this in two separate two week stretches and netted less than 10 QSO's, most of them with buckets on the other end.

The fact that I can now go to 7160 and hook up within minutes (more often than not) is a real pleasure.

Ham radio is for hams.  There are lots of people who even think participating in groups like this diminishes the hobby.

js

[KX5JT]

Nice hooking up with you tonite, John. ................. *snip* .............................


The fact that I can now go to 7160 and hook up within minutes (more often than not) is a real pleasure.

Ham radio is for hams.  There are lots of people who even think participating in groups like this diminishes the hobby.

js

Yes Jack nice to work you tonight too.  Short lived tonight but you were solid S9+a few db's and sounding great.  I was grimy from cleaning a bunch of motor oil out of my car trunk spare wheel well, so I had felt like I needed a shower.  I did the trek movie then visited my lovely girlfriend after and she LOVES to take on cleaning projects.  What was going to be a short visit to deliver a mother's day gift ended up being a major car cleaning including the long neglected trunk.  Of course I had to treat her and her daughter to some dinner after they graciously pushed me ... err helped me clean the auto. hi hi. 

Well, as soon as I got home I habitually pass by the radio room and kick on the radios for the tubes to warm up and the vfo to stabilize.... I heard you working a ssb station.  Well I had to at least say hello before cleaning up.  BTW, as soon as you left (11pm central or 4am UTC) the Jamming signal mess from Africa started up and I moved down 5 kc's but alas, some DX moved in on 7.158 lsb.  Ah well... I sure like the idea someone offered about finding another common watering hole for AM on 40 like maybe in the lower 7.2xx's... it seems fairly clear there.... 

Anyhow... Mother's Day tomorrow will leave me mostly away from the radios until the late evening.  Maybe try again then.

John KX5JT

[Steve - WB3HUZ]

If anything, it's improved it by increasing the flow of information and level of interaction.

[KX5JT]

Besides on air AM QSO's, the internet is my Elmer.  'nough said.

[w3jn]

If anything, it's improved it by increasing the flow of information and level of interaction.

Indeed.  Instead of having to dig thru old handbooks or magazines looking for some obscure information, google is always your friend. 

[K9ACT]

One the problems that has taken the shine off of 40 for me is the fact that there seems to be no such thing as a clear frequency either because of rude behavior or propagation.

Frequently what appears to be a clear freq is occupied  by the time I get my VFO there or just a few minutes into a nice QSO.

As frequently there are buckets every 2kc and no place to go at all.  If not, there will be as soon as I get a QSO started.

My project for today is to retool the 810 for 20 meters and give that a try for awhile.

After the wonderful conditions last night on 80, there seems little point to frustrate over 40 at night.

js