Newest Photos of Fabio, Dr. Love and JJ Station

[K1JJ]

Well, I  pretty much finished up Fabio, the 4-1000A plate modulated by a pair and wanted to post some pics. Also included are a few of the station and the linear amp, Dr. Love. (single 8877)  The doctor stands on the floor in the 19" steel rack cabinet pictured and uses no Plexiglas cuz it uses a boring external anode final tube.  All rigs use outside air from squirrel cages mounted on the outside house wall for quiet operation and cool air.

Notice the shack is built for easy servicing and action. Any piece of gear can be accessed from the back or sides or pulled out for servicing. Notice the many homemade antenna rotary switches to select any of about 15 different coaxial-fed antennas or various rigs.  I use a detailed printed procedure to switch modes or rigs due to oncoming old buzzardry...  Thank gawd there is no computer in the shack to complicate things further..


There is a complement of Behringer audio gear that is used for both ssb and AM. This includes a 31 band EQ, a 6-band processor and special effects box. (like reverb) The two HV supplies (not pictured) are switched to the various rigs. The big one uses about 130 ufd at 10KV total capacitance. It will output 2KV, 3KV or 4KV.  When mode changing, rig changing or antenna changing, all systems are used interchangably.

Hope you enjoy the shots, especially of my special friend, Fabio - under Plexiglas.

T

More to come:

[K1JJ]

Check out the slick Plexiglas look of #2.

#3 is Dr. Love, the linear, air cooled from the outside.

Notice the input C-L-C tuner that has been added to the front of Fabio. This is in addition to the normal grid tuning inside the 4X1 chassis. This permits a perfect 1:1 match between Fabi and any solid state ricebox RF driver on all bands.

The two big variacs on the top of Dr. Love (single 8877) are for the filament and the outside blower.  I like to bring the fils up easy - and also adjust the blower to the lowest setting, depending on the outside air temp.  Also on top is a digital temperature gauge measuring exit air of the final. I use that a lot!  It's a very valuable indicator.

[K1JJ]

Different views of Fabio.  I can see him glow from the operating position.  Fabio is quickly band-switchable from 160 through 20M using pre-set turns counters, etc. I can QSY to another band in about 45 seconds.


#1 is probably the best overall shot of the rig from the front.


Check out the SIX O'buzz  meters on Fabio. I monitor grid, screen and plate current of both the final and modulators. The modulators are tetrode connected with regulated 400V screens and uses a string of diodes in the fil CT for cathode bias. I use a rotray switch to select the correct amount of cathode bias for the modulators depending on whether the rig is in high or low tap.

[N3WWL]

Fabio is very cool, Tom!  A work of art to say the least.  Excellent job, OM.

[flintstone mop]

This could turn into a TV series.
I guess you don't have to worry about a heater in the shack.

Fred

[Jim, W5JO]

In the Demming, NM museum there is a transmitter that was built (this is a guess because they didn't have documentation) in the mid to late 30s or so.  Pretty pre-war II meters and all in what looks to be a china case about 2.5 ft X 2.5 ft. square and nearly 6 ft. tall.   The case has ornate legs that are about 2 ft. long so the case itself is about 4 ft tall.

The case is wood, of course, with glass panels on all four sides.  It is a work of art.  So I am thinking that someday you might donate your rig to a museum for future hams to marvel over.  Nice patient work Tom.  Hope to hear it before the summer storms begin.  We had them last night.

[N3DRB The Derb]

That stuff makes me wanna dance. I got to get to it right now.

smokin!!!!! hot, hot, hot and BAD!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zdz88MBWomo

ahh, now I feel betta. 

[K1JJ]

heheheheh -- yeah , Derb, we be bad and doing the James Brown get-down as I type.

Thanks for the comments, Jay and Fred.

Hmmm.. a museum, huh?  It is a "work of art" in a strange way....   I suppose no one would really want Fabio anyway, or just tear him down for parts. So maybe a radio museum would be the way. There's one here in Windsor CT (Radio Museum) that wud probably like him someday.

Last October Joe/ PJP, Huzman and Todd stopped by for a visit. Joe, being a big-time vintage radio collector was surprised that I didn't have any vintage AM tube rigs here. I realized he was right.  I've owned about every boat anchor known to man at one time or another, cleaned 'em up and modified some. But I always sold them due to lack of performance. I'm very performance oriented and if a rig doesn't do the job to the max, I can't justify keeping it around for the romantic feel or the look it may have.  A ricebox used as an RF driver, high performance receiver and for ssb is the only way to go for drag racing. I do have an SP-600 and an 11-tube homebrew superhet too, but find the FT-1000D coming off the detector in its 16kc mode is better for hi-fi AM. When cornditions get tough, the narrower filters work FB for AM west coast, etc.

So it's down to just ONE AM rig now, the homebrew 4X1 by 4X1's  - and one homebrew linear for ssb. The little Henry amp doesn't really count and is a backup.  Same for antennas - if one doesn't do the job in spades, down it comes.  Performance is what matters here. The vintage thing is FB and I like to see others play with it, but I prefer to roll my own and drive it with a ricebox for on-air work here.  Might even build another class E rig  - the 100 watt rig that Steve/QIX is currently playing with.

I don't have a Flex or computer in the shack. That's pretty smug, I'd  say. Did I say I didn't have a computer in the shack?

T

[w4bfs]

cool stuff, Tom ...nice to run into you on the air .... the sproing reverb sounded good on yer audio .... I hope you understood my comment about your audio sounding a LOT like Don, K4KYV (except for the high freq sproing) .... uh sproing = Haas kicker

no one could argue that your station is hi po ...73 ....John

[N3DRB The Derb]

seriously tom, you done good. You're one of the fastest homebrewers I've ever known. When you decide to build a rig, not much gets in your way.

[K0ARA]

   Tom.... I sure enjoy the pic's of the shack. The reverb adds a bit of spice on the audio.
 Did you mention Drag Racing...I can't wait for summer time.

[Opcom]

Sure is a great setup there. Why the towels on the radios?

[K1JJ]

Yo Mike -

Is that your drag car? Looks pretty  bad-ass with he blower and driving position in the back seat.

Patrick - The towel on the FT-1000D is to keep the little boxes on top from scratching it. (A temporary JS) The towel on the Henry amp is because I have it connected to a blower outside the house and cold air wanders in thru the 3-500Z tube chimneys. This helps to stop it. I need to put a swing damper in all three rig duct hoses to stop the cold air when not used.

John - Yep good to chat with you for a good 45 minutes the other day, OM.  I did read up on your haas kicker stuff. I've got the reverb adjusted on the highs now to my satisfaction. I changed the reverb to "plate" and fine tuned it some more. I can click it in/out easily on the fly, so ready for action...

Thanks Derb - It's good to have like-minded friends. We all love to show off our creations and pat each other on the back.  I mean, who else would listen to us besides the dog?

T

[W1RKW]

Is the blower strapped down?  Is that required when drag racing.  I know they've been known to blow off at times. Probably a good thing since it's in front of the driver.

Tom,
Love the rigs.  especially love the names of them.  Dr. Loooooove!

[K5UJ]

Ah, Tom a shack for an operator.  Very good.  We are, after all, in radio.  The sound on tx and rx is what matters--looks are for TV.  I like the functionality of everything in your setup. 

I also do the Yaesu product detector thing, except with no filter at all, so the passband is around 20+ KHz.  It is great in the daytime, (and for full NRSC analog broadcast AM) but ridiculous at night.  I can hear two QSOs simultaneously    A murata ceramic AM filter just came in a few days ago from Mouser.  I'm gg to put it in and get the passband down to 14 KHz, slightly sane (but not too sane).   I have another box that's narrower for night receiving.  I'd venture to say the detector audio coming from the tube amp here is on a par with a good old boatanchor but I don't want to be controversial.      

Interesting that you run the Behringer 9024.  I know of one other ham using one.  If you can figure them out they are supposed to be great.  I have one too but I just did not have the patience to deal with the user front panel interface to get it set up so mine is sitting in a cardboard box.  I got an old Orban 422A analog compressor from a local guy who had a recording studio and fixed that up and use it instead. 

Very cool to see ur station.  I also have no computers in the shack, at least none within 10 feet of the rig that are networked.  I have an old DOS machine over on another table that I used to use for logging, until I fell woefully behind on that chore. 

73

Rob

[DMOD]

Very nice pics, Tom and I likey that 4X1 rig and have heard you driving it occasionly.

The little Henry amp doesn't really count and is a backup. 

I don't have a Flex or computer in the shack. That's pretty smug, I'd  say. Did I say I didn't have a computer in the shack?

What kind of Henry is it? I have the Floor standing model, a 2K-4; a real "Stand-Up-Rig."

Phil - AC0OB

[WA1GFZ]

Tom, You would want a softrock if you ever saw the display and how useful it is.

[K1JJ]

Rob,

Yes, the Behringer 9024 6-band processor was a bear to learn with all the detailed menu settings. But once mastered, it became a valuable addition to the shack. I have a nice 6-band setting for AM that levels out the voice band freqs.

On ssb I use it as a blower noise gate. I selectively use a sample of blower noise from about 1800-2200 hz in one channel that then gates the rest of the normal voice channels. The noise gate itself has time delay and attenuation level adjustments that lets me mask the noise of Dr. Love carrying on.  It's worth your getting it out and putting it into service there.


Phil,

That's a Henry 2K-3 with a pair of 3-500Z's. It's been heavily modified and uses outside air to run quiet as a mouse. I use an outboard homebrew HV supply for 0-3KV. At 1500V it is exceptionally clean when loaded heavily. It can put out a 300 pep watt signal in this mode that is at least -45db 3rd IMD.  Or, at 3KV it will easily do the normal 1500w pep out.


Frank,
I already have a Softrock board. Just haven't hooked it to a computer yet. I don't want a computer in the shack because of the temptation to use it on those web-based receivers when things get rough. I don't even want to start that stuff here.  

While we're on the subject -Last night I heard a funny QSO in the 75M DX window with an east coast guy trying to work a guy in England. There was a big group in there and everyone was pulling for him to get the report through. After about 5 long minutes of trying, the guy finally got it. Everyone was relieved and happy.  You could tell the guy was a newbie. After it was over, the guy said he had been using a web-receiver in Holland all the time - and the web receiver was having problems with static...  The group almost had a bird...  It was quite funny to hear the reactions.  Bottom line: If someone is listening to me on a web-based receiver, fine, no problem. But please don't call me to make a contact using it, or join in a QSO using it without telling the whole group what you're doing. Using it is OK with me, if you want - but hiding the fact from everyone is the crime.
 
I suppose I could hook up the SoftRock  without an internet connection - but maybe some day. It would make a good IMD tool for testing.

T

[WA1GFZ]

yup a great IMD tool.
Web based rx is just like phone sex

[K5UJ]

I'm happy with the Orban compressor so doing anything with the 9024 is a low priority.  Actually I also use a noise gate for the amp blower but it is the one in another Behringer box, the "ultracurve pro" DEQ2496.  Has the best most transparent noise gate I have ever used. 

I am also working on powering the pair 3-500 amp I have with an outboard B+ supply; 1.5 A CCS at 3.2 KV. 

After studying the various BA options and HB I'm seriously thinking about eventually building up a class B amp that can be driven by a rig such as a Ranger.  maybe a pair 3-1000z.  I could use the p.s. I am working on for it I think.  It would have to be dropped down to 2.5 KV for better IMD.  Maybe some day use one of the 3x1 in class C and modulate it.

Every time I go to the softrock web site the guy is out of them and there is some message to check back when he does another production run but you never know when that is gg to be, and the whole thing seems disorganized and gives a slightly fly by night impression.

Rob

[WA1GFZ]

untrue. Tony is a very stand up guy. A one man show who works his butt off and charges a very fair price. I think he stops from time to time to have a life. He is retired and I think his only help is his XYL. I have never heard of a unhappy customer except for the boobs who can't solder.
Look up the parts list of a softrock and see if you can buy the parts cheaper. I bet you can't and add the hours to dig out sources.

[K5UJ]

Frank,

It wasn't my intent to trigger a passionate defense of the softrock guy who for all I know is a solid brick of a person. I merely provided a few facts followed by my interpretations i.e. I didn't say the guy is fly by night, I wrote that the website had that appearance and I found it disorganized the last time I looked at it.   I will admit that what I recall seeing before seems to be gone now so whatever it was must have had a cleanup. 

I went looking again.  I googled softrock receiver.  the first thing to come up is some qrp club website.  That is one with the message saying the softrock 40 is sold out.  Okay, that is probably just some qrp club with out of date information they never change.  Then there is something softrockradio.org but it turns out that is another site run by someone other than the actual softrock builder himself.  I'm sorry Frank maybe it is me but I just can't find anything for sale.  Everything I look at is unavailable.   How do you guys get yours?
I see there is Softrock V6.1 but when I click on the tab I get "This kit is retired and no longer available."  Other drop down tabs lead to "Ordering" and "checkout."  What am I ordering if the things I look at are unavailable?   I'd like to be upbeat about this but I can't.

Rob

[K1JJ]

Rob,

I found mine as a used board, already built. Saved me from having to do surface mount assy...

Put out a wanted ad on QRZ.com, QTH.com and on this BB and you will probably scare one up in a few days.

T

[K5UJ]

Thanks Tom, that's a good idea.  First I probably have to get a Windows PC.  I assume you have to have a PC running some version of Windows?  I have an old one that runs Win98 but I bet that is too out of date.  I went back to the softrockradio.org site but could not find anything about what kind of computer you need for one of those things.   No big deal--I need to spend my money on variacs and chassis sheet metal punches and such right now anyway.

73

Rob

[WA1GFZ]

 softrock40@yahoogroups.com

Join this gang and get up to date order information. Tony ships a lot of kits so you have to catch him when he has a batch ready.
That QRP site is about 3 years old. I build SR6 and SR7. I designed my own transformers that were easier to wind.