Oh Scope

[ke7trp]

LOL.. What a Boat anchor!   I ripped the tubes out of one of those recently and smashed the thing into a dumpster..


C

[Ed/KB1HYS]

Before I knew any better I salvaged one of those too. I still have the power transformer, and all the tubes and parts I could pull out.

I thought the Ceramic terminal strips with silver solder construction was the cats meow though.

[w8khk]

Get a real scope like my Tektronix 555 

It is the perfect scope for a vintage station...............

Rodger, I had a beautiful 555 with matching power supply and cart.  I made the mistake of loaning it back in the early 80s, unfortunately it never found its way back home.  The dual beam is so much nicer than chopped or alternate sweep.  Before acquiring the 555, I had visions of building a low-freq dual beam storage scope using the CRT from an F4 Phantom radar display; with the 555 I never needed to do it.  I would love to find another 555 in decent or restorable condition.  If you ever get tired of yours.......

[WQ9E]

Rick,

I will keep an eye out for one; I saw one at a hamfest earlier this year and apparently the FAA owned a number of them so they are out there if you can catch them before they get parted.  The twin vertical sections are usually full of the "Bugle Boy" tubes so they often get scavenged with the rest of the scope being parted out or trashed.

My father was a civilian attached to Keesler Air Force Base in Biloxi and was in the precision measurements area.  I was 12 (back in 1972) when he taught me how to align my first Tektronix scope.  I will never forget going through the L/C delay line multiple times until I had it to his satisfaction-those later coaxial delay lines take all of the fun out of scope alignment.

Rodger WQ9E

[N2DTS]

I had a 555 with the cart.
Not a bit of trouble with it for many years.

I still think it had the sharpest brightest trace of any scope I ever had.

A friends father worked at a place that went out of business, but before they did, they did not pay the employees for a few weeks, and all the equipment walked off with the workers.
he had it in the crawl space under the house, but it worked fine.

I think I sold it at a fest a long time ago.
A power hog by todays standards...

Mine had the spool of silver solder inside...

Brett

[w8khk]

Thanks for the offer, Rodger!  I have not yet seen any 555s at fests, and last year I made it to 13 fests up and down the east coast.  Lots of 53x and 54x, and even more 45x scopes, but no 555s.  I have sufficient vertical plug-ins, but would need horizontal plug-ins if we find a 555.  I have a cart, so I just need the 555, and ps with cable.  I get up to Mich at least once a year, so it would be no problem to schedule an eyeball qso either up or back.  Or maybe we could hook en route to Dayton! 

Interesting the ancillary value the military electronics programs provide!   I was in the AF from 66 6o 70, working on F4 Phantom weapons release computer system / radar, as well as comm nav.  The last 1.5 years I spent maintaining and calibrating the specialized test equipment used to manage the radar system and sparrow launch computers.  In the lab I had a Tek 454, Fluke 803B, HP 5245 with 500mhz plug-in, lab bench power supplies, etc.  I was in hog heaven!  In the last few years I have managed to duplicate most of the test equipment I drooled over during my stay at Davis Monthan!

[w8khk]

I had a 555 with the cart.

A power hog by todays standards...

Yes, Brett, it is a power hog, but only in the summer.  In the winter, it is 100 percent efficient at heating that cold shack!  Much more class than those cheap electric heaters that buzz if you knock them over.

[Opcom]

Do these things actualy work on other frequencys?   I know they where strictly a CB Scope meter..  I actualy liked the Scope picture.. It was very nice and clear and the att allowed you to get the scope calibrated. Doubt I will ever use them again.  I use a Bird 43 and a Real O scope with a Tap. Or a Yaesu Yo-100 which I really like.


C

They work pretty well on any HF frequency Really a decently thought out one appropriate for the low cost end of things. Here is one schematic for it. Might be other versions. note the inductor there as if the circuit is a carrier-keying relay. That is the electromagnet that pulls the beam off to the side when there is no RF. Really does well for having only 1800V acceleration.

It could use a dynamic focus circuit though. If you turn the focus control, you can get either the middle or ends of the sweep perfect, but not the entire sweep. No different from other cheap modualtion scopes.

It has to do with the rather short CRT length meaning a short gun as well, and the front glass not being equidistant from the cathode at all points. Older design. The longer tubes minimize this to some degree and the radius of the faceplate has to do with it.

DF is not difficult especially with that HV power transformer there as long as the voltage error is the 'right' polarity.

I have not studied the modern flat faceplate professional scope diagrams too much to see what they may have done, but the tubes were longer, custom made, and a lot better designed. I will never go to an LCD for a mod scope. It will just suck and suck and suck. No presentation!

[ke7trp]

Hmm.. Maybe I will have to drag one out and get it going.  I bet if i take pics of the part that smoked, you guys could tell me what it is.

C

[KD6VXI]

Hmm.. Maybe I will have to drag one out and get it going.  I bet if i take pics of the part that smoked, you guys could tell me what it is.

C

Check your email, I sent you the manual and schematic for it.  It also has the schematic (separate) for the frequency counter:  It's the same exact counter as other wawassee products, just in the same case.  NOT integrated into the rest of the unit you have.

Anyway, they are nice, for what they where.....  BUT, finding a working model is becoming an excersize in futility.  You have 3 and a schematic now, let us know how it turns out

--Shane

[ke7trp]

I think I have that schematic.  Its the one for the unit that has the watt meter, Counter and scope.  I need the schematic for the older unit that has just the watt meter and scope.  I will compare yours with mine to make sure. THe boards are totaly different. This one says "built by JB 1976" inside  

I did not get an email yet..


CLark

[KD6VXI]

It sent.  I think we went through this before.

The one I sent you has the schematic for both.  The freq counter is a SEPERATE schematic and module.  It specifically states on the front for BOTH models.

I've rebuilt a couple.  It IS a HV cap, and very typically blows. Unfortunately, it's been half a decade since I did my last one, and can't remember what it was / is...  Whoa, my son just celebrated his 6th bday. Guess it's been a decade :/

--Shane

[ke7trp]

Ok.. I got it.. Thanks shane.  I will pull the thing out and compare it to the file next week.    Thanks

C