What to Do about the AM Station at W1AW

[ka3zlr]

Good Day All,

Interesting thought is it not, is there any one interested in how AM is produced at W1AW how it's handled is it important that a system be put into place that is better than 75% duty capable is the heritage important enough to bring up a meeting of the minds on a course of action to be taken.?

I just like to know just how important that station is to all of us. They can worry about they're bricks what is AM doing to keep up to date.



73
Jack.

[W4EWH]

... is there any one interested in how AM is produced at W1AW how it's handled is it important that a system be put into place that is better than 75% duty capable is the heritage important enough to bring up a meeting of the minds on a course of action to be taken.?

Well, before we talk about "what" to do, let's talk about "why" we'd do it.

Is it the equipment that's important, or the mode? Are we trying to show visitors to W1AW how E.F. Johnson built transmitters, or are we trying to show them that there's another mode they can use?

Bill W1AC

[ka3zlr]

Well Bill I guess I'm Taking on the role of Facilitator I want to see if it's important, and how Important,.. equipment is negligible is it more important to leave an old piece of equipment in line for what little duty cycle it's capable of. Why should the caretakers be held so responsible for such a machine it wasn't their idea in the first place it was outsiders that carried the equipment in their bldg. Is newer equipment a better move it says in the code a good amateur always stays abreast of the latest technology does it not.

These are things I wana know from all amers that are interested in how important is this..

73
Jack.

[W3RSW]

Better to throw a T bone into the Lion's cage than ask this bunch about AM at the ARRL

If the equipment is operable and there then it's up to us to operate it.
After all we are hams, AM'ers and some of us are even ARRL members.
Use it or lose it.

"CQ AM, W1AW " ought to generate some interest on the air and maybe (gasp) among the staff.

[ka3zlr]

I'm a member here too.

Thanks for taking the time to answer Rick I always count on your input on alot of things.

Much Obliged OM.


73
Jack.

[WA3VJB]

The recent visitor who was steered away from the vintage station at W1AW said he was drawn to the equipment, which had been donated by prominent AMer Joe Walsh, WB6ACU.

From KB1SYV:

When I first entered W1AW I saw the big "old school" radio to my right and ran right to it. I started to get on one knee and touch a dial when the nervous twitchy tour guide said "oh no you can't touch that, we don't use that.

It was not the mode of AM that first got his attention.

Since a newcomer to the hobby is more likely to be on "phone" than on CW, the best chance to attract someone like him is to have a vintage AM station, ready-to-go.

The group who put together and transported the vintage station now on display at W1AW had in mind a working demonstration, not an unplugged, dead table.

I've emailed Bob Heil, K9EID, one of the people involved in that effort, to ask him whether he'd be willing to check the status and the policy regarding the use of that station, and to collect his thoughts on how to respond to what he is told.

[ka3zlr]

Thank you Paul Point well made and taken. I thought we'd get more input in this Paul but I guess there's no real interest in the AM station around the forum here I guess if it doesn't effect one directly it is of little matter.

73
Jack.

[W3RSW]

Give it time Jack, ..you 'just' put the topic up, heh, heh.  Well... not to long ago.  Many are watching golf and football on Sunday afternoon.

Didn't realize that the AM  gear was so totally unplugged.   So a nearby AM'er or several ought to go in and offer to hook it back up, donate an Ant. switch and matchbox or  whatever to get it on a dipole on at least one or two bands, say 75 and 40.

[ka3zlr]

Thanks Rick,

Yea we think that's what it'll amount to maybe some training for the guys on the how to's on Valiants see what's up up thar on the hill...

73
Jack.

[Pete, WA2CWA]

The recent visitor who was steered away from the vintage station at W1AW said he was drawn to the equipment, which had been donated by prominent AMer Joe Walsh, WB6ACU.

From KB1SYV:

When I first entered W1AW I saw the big "old school" radio to my right and ran right to it. I started to get on one knee and touch a dial when the nervous twitchy tour guide said "oh no you can't touch that, we don't use that.

It was not the mode of AM that first got his attention.

I thought this was on the right when you first enter W1AW:

The entry foyer contains artifacts of early W1AW history. On the right is an early post-World War II 80-meter 1 kW transmitter and "Old Betsy," a rotary spark gap transmitter that once belonged to "The Old Man" himself, and was installed at President Maxim's Hartford residence.

[Ed/KB1HYS]

Perhaps this is Heresy, but would it have to be a Vintage AM rig? 

Why not a "relatively" easy to use Class E rig? (no worries about Peakin & dippin then) and Promote AM as a legacy mode that is also cutting edge technologically as well. 

To continuously tie AM to vintage or legacy equipment is a disservice to the mode.  It presents AM as something that is old fashioned and out of date, when quite the opposite is true.  There are members of this board who are generating AM signals using 21st century products that rival the finest tube based transmitters.  This is perhaps the best reason for the ARRL to not mess with AM because the AM mode is very much in keeping with the True Spirit of Amateur Radio, experimentation, the development of knowledge of a technical nature, and technically proficient corps of radio operators.
AM is great for that because you CAN experiment with the mode, using just about anything from any era.  You can build a simple QRPp AM transmitter with as few as 6 components, or you can build something on a mother board using SDR. Tubes, fets or you name it.

Besides QRP operators, (who also use a legacy mode mostly) AMers are perhaps the building-est bunch I've ever seen! 

Of course there could be an operational vintage station as well, just posting an option.

[WA1GFZ]

Would you trust 1% of the ARRL visitors near a Valiant?

[N3DRB The Derb]

no. and I think the idea of a old buzzard looking class e rig is great.

[Ed/KB1HYS]

No.

But what would it take to tune it up on say 3.885  or some other AM calling frequency and just leave it.  With my Valiant you get a bit of play to either side before you have to re-tune it.  Minimize the workload on a visiting op that way.

[N3DRB The Derb]

you would have to super glue every knob on the radio, ed. just would not fly.

[w1vtp]

I remember that spark XMTR.  Still there - great!  Gotta go down there again soon and have a look at that KW

Al

[KF1Z]

Perhaps this is Heresy, but would it have to be a Vintage AM rig? 

Why not a "relatively" easy to use Class E rig? (no worries about Peakin & dippin then) and Promote AM as a legacy mode that is also cutting edge technologically as well. 

Still has to be tuned properly though.

I suppose if one needed a "turn it on and transmit", "idiot proof" appliance, then a crystal controlled Class-D rig would be the ticket.....

The idea then becomes, having a rig with NO user adjustments!

Is that what 'we' want?

[W3RSW]

A resounding 'no.'
Take the time to befriend the staff, get someone trained to operate the Valiant properly and kind of oversee, (stop by once in a while during visitors' qso's) and help the operators.

Surely to G. someone knows at least how to switch the antenna,   -at least ?

[ka3zlr]

No,

I'm for applying training if it's needed I think a fact finding mission is in order an leave everything be, When I was on the phone with Joe he assured me only those capable would be on the air, now what that does as far as showcasing AM not very much but I do think that the mere sight of the equipment being there would stir some questions here an there.

I would much prefer a more up to date system as I said before just for duty cycle demands but the air of symbolism would be muddled. It's nice to have something dropped off in good faith but as time goes by and it has and as the system requirements change and it has so does operation.

and there we have it.

73
Jack.

[N3DRB The Derb]

you guys are confusing the mode with the gear. we should want them to operate am while they are in the house, it should sound as good as possible on rx an tx. it should present a alternative to slopbuket thats easy and attractive.

I dont want them learning how to tune up a valiant. Beyond the scope of the display and the staffers there. There needs to be a alternative
that shows them how AM is better sounding and more interesting than slopbucket.

forget he gear. the only reason it's important is that it's the means to the end. For our purposes, we want to show them the end first so they will consider am in the first place.

[WQ9E]

I haven't been to Newington in almost 20 years but I bet most of the modern gear they have available to visitors already has the AM mode available.  So if the only goal is to get visitors on AM, lack of gear isn't the problem.

I would hope part of the idea behind the vintage position was to introduce visitors to the "interactive" gear of the past and to begin to gradually understand what is behind the panel starting with a less complex technology.  The older, simpler gear provides a friendly starting point for this process.  In the last five months I have repaired my Tektronix 7854 (a fairly complex digitizing scope mainframe) and 7623A storage scopes, an HP 8640B, synthesizers in several rigs, and have done complete alignments of my Yaesu FT-One and Icom IC-761.  I would not have attempted these projects 10 years ago but much of the troubleshooting I learned repairing the basic rigs is easily transferred to the more modern stuff but I sure would not have wanted to start my education with the Tek 7854.  I still enjoy working on the old stuff more but I am looking forward to digging into my "new" Signal One.  The nice thing about the older gear is that it is certainly possible for someone with basic knowledge to operate, understand, and maintain.  I have a Ph.D. but it is in business and not electronics proving that you don't need to be an engineer to use and enjoy this gear.

Getting the mass market  "appliance ops" to choose AM as their new default mode is probably not a good idea anyway.  If someone wants to just turn on the radio and spout inane drivel such as this recently heard gem on 75 SSB, "if you put a 30 amp fuse in your 'PEPS' will be much bigger and a 'slower blower' (slow blow???) will give you more talk power"-then I would prefer they stay on SSB.  My poor RME-6900 shouldn't have been exposed to so much stupidity...

Maybe a Viking 1 or 2 would be a better choice than the Valiant since they are harder to blow up

Rodger WQ9E

[Bill, KD0HG]

I doubt that I (and some of you) could walk into W1AW and operate one of their digital rigs (Packet, Amtor, PSK31, etc) without any prior experience or instruction.

Don't expect any better from a newbie operating a Valiant for the first time. No matter how interested, they're not going to 'get it'.

[ka3zlr]

Hi Roger FB on the Vikers I have no problem with that, very basic transmitters tough as they come practically bullet proof crystal them up and your off.

I wonder if something as simple as producing simple Instruction Booklets or sheets and placing them in front and securing them from being walked away with and let them read a bit prior to operation ok you have to do this, this, this, and this if they're gona touch it anyhow then let them learn...how did we learn.

It's another way.

73
Jack.

[ka3zlr]

I doubt that I (and some of you) could walk into W1AW and operate one of their digital rigs (Packet, Amtor, PSK31, etc) without any prior experience or instruction.

Don't expect any better from a newbie operating a Valiant for the first time. No matter how interested, they're not going to 'get it'.

Ok Bill we got that part but any ideas on making the AM position more operable..?



73
Jack.

[WQ9E]

I wonder if something as simple as producing simple Instruction Booklets or sheets and placing them in front and securing them from being walked away with and let them read a bit prior to operation ok you have to do this, this, this, and this if they're gona touch it anyhow then let them learn...how did we learn.

73
Jack.

Jack,

I think the simple instruction sheet is a great idea and I have bought several pieces of gear where the operator added his own cheat sheet.  I have index cards with the basic plate, grid, and modulator target values for several transmitters since I have enough rigs it is too easy to forget or make a mistake when switching from rig to rig.

If rig protection is the big issue, it wouldn't be that difficult to build a simple protective circuit; particularly for a simple rig like the Viking II.  You could add the PTT circuit and build in a simple protection system that would take it offline if the grid, plate, or modulator safe current is exceeded and the needed shunts are already there for the measurements.  With a little more difficulty power output sensing could be added to trip out if there is excessive SWR (wrong band for antenna or tuned up on a harmonic) or for imbalance between plate current and power output.  Replace the existing plate switch with a 3 position for normal PTT operation down, CW (HV on via the PTT relay) in the center, and up position to reset for overload trip.  While you are replacing switches, you could add a tune mode (reduced screen voltage like the Viking 500 for example) so now the power switch is off/tune/normal.

I have had the local club out for a tour several times and I have thought of setting up a simple rig for some of the newbies to "dip and load" without danger to themselves or the rig.  I realized how out of touch I was a couple of years ago when one of the members brought in a very nicely made Morse key Christmas ornament and several members had no idea it was a CW key. 

Rodger WQ9E