Third Time A Charm - New England Sunday AM QRP Net - Results and Comments Here

[W1UJR]

This will be our last time posting net notices here, now that we've got the ball rolling, I'll put it under the Announcements section.

This Week's Theme:
- Did you build or buy the rig you are running, tell us details.
- Give us one suggestion for improving the net, or tell us what's for dinner.

Preamble:
Gather together your PWers, Cake Pan rigs, Johnson Adventurers, Home-brew 807 rigs, Retro 75s, Elecraft K3s, Icom 703s, Yaesu 817s, etc.
If its 807 power (25 watts) or under, its time for the New England Sunday Afternoon AM QRP Net.

Purpose:
To showcase AM QRP operation, to give folks a chance to operate their AM QRP gear, to discuss the weather, what's for dinner and radio in general. Think of it as the old "Lonely Guys"and "What's For Dinner" nets with a QRP twist.

Sunday New England AM QRP Net

Time - Sunday at 3PM EST - we're going to continue on with this time and see how it works, we'll settle between 1-3PM once things sort out.

Freq - 3880 Kc - want to keep on freq all license classes can use (Tnx to KB1HYS,WA2DTW and K1FZ for this)

Rig - QRP, defined as 807 power or less (Tnx to Carl, KC2TAU and others for suggestions here)

Mode - AM, hence the name AM QRP

Format - Roundtable, for order and to let the truly PW have a say

Vintage - New or old, home brew or commercial just fine, "run what you brung" (Tnx to KC2TAU for feedback here)

NCS - Bruce W1UJR to start, will need others for future nets, NCS should have QRO ready if needed to "guard" the freq
* We do need volunteers for the alternating NCS position, please post interest here or email w1ujr@arrl.net *

Thanks - Old Buzzard Bruce

[kb3ouk]

i'll probaly be on with the ft-901dm and its 15 watts, finally got my retro75 all put together, but dont' have a mic that will work with it and can't get the receiver working right, but it does transmit good, 2 watts out just like it should.

[W1UJR]

Great, will look for you tomorrow!
We can swap Retro 75 stories.

I'm up tonight building my Retro 75 tonight, 1:44AM, debating if my mind is clear enough to wind the coils, that's the last step I have left. Managed to get L2, the 32 turn coil wound, but the mind is a bit cloudy, its either tea, or to bed early.

Mod U Later OM,
Bruce

[kb3ouk]

L2 in mine ended up turing into a 30 turn coil because with 32 turns none of the capacitors i put in C3 would make the voltage at TP1 go any higher than 2.68 volts. took 2 turns off L2 and put a 47 pf cap in C3 and it works. now i just have to work on the receiver allignment, can't seem to get the instructions in the manual to work, but i know  the receiver can hear because i can faintly hear my own signal from another rig in it.

[Steve - K4HX]

We can swap Retro 75 stories.

There I was. I never thought it would happen to me. Up walked this hot looking Retro 75.............

[K3ZS]

I just fixed my old NC-183 and listened to the net while testing out the receiver.  I could copy everyone here in Central PA.  I also copied K1JJ when he was running extreme QRP, never heard what power he was running, I think it was 50mW.

[W1UJR]

Great net!

At my count 8 states represented, pretty AMazing for AM QRP.

K1JJ at 10 miliwatts?

[W1RKW]

I heard 99% of the group. The only one I could not hear was Tom/K1JJ. He being about 10miles from me as the crow flies, I figured he'd be just as strong as everyone else. 

Nice net Bruce.

It's amazing what just a few watts can do. 

Bruce, when you started off, I thought you probably wouldn't hear me because you were weak here at the start of the net.  When it was kicked off, Steve had to relay so I knew it was going to be a tough haul.  I think right around 320PM signals started increasing dramatically.  You were strapping by that time and when it came around to me I think we had a good link at that point. 

But I'm still perplexed with not hearing JJ.  I wonder if any of the other CT people were able to copy JJ?

Good net. Thanks Bruce.

[K1JJ]

The group is growing larger each week!   Lots of fun to hear what each station comes up with each each time. Lots of changes being made that I could hear.  Chuck/FJJ had a nice signal on his PW rig, as well as Larry/LGQ's little mil rig wid the carbon mic. I've seen Larry's portable rig at a Field Day we had here back in the 90's.


Yep, I was running exactly 11 milliwatts  AM carrier according to the calibrated HPSDR transmitter output meter. (About 44 mW pep 5kc hi-fi audio )  This was the first QSO on the new SDR project transceiver. Still some bugs to work out yet.

I think that's the lowest PW output power I've ever run and measured. That's 1/100th of a watt and about 1/10 the power of those old 9V CB walkie-talkies.   I see some guys had good ears to pull me through tonight. There should always be a very PW guy in the biker gang riding a trike hauling the bear keg. Tonight it was my turn...  

See ya all next week.

T

*** Please post some pictures of YOUR QRP rig !

[kb3ouk]

i tried checking in but don't think i was heard, i could barely even hear the net control, most everyone was way under the noise, or the noise here was unusually high, and toward the beginning of the net i had some strange noise that sounded like someone tried running mobile from inside the cab of a steam locomotive, it sounded just like the chugga-chugga-chugga-chugga sound one makes.

[KC2TAU]

I didn't check in but I heard you folks today. I was busy bringing a Drake 2B back to life since I needed a backup receiver as I need to figure out what I did wrong in my rebuilding of my Hammarlund's crystal filter. You all had great signals and sounded really nice. The conditions were better this time than they were the last time. Next time I'll try to get on my with IC-703 though no guarantees that it'll sound very pretty as it does not particularly care to do AM.

[W1UJR]

Rob sent this audio clip of K1JJ over earlier today, fine business job all the way around!

----
Nice job on the net Bruce. Great fun! Attached is a brief clip of Tom's 10mw signal as it was heard here in East Granby, CT.

Regards,

Rob W1AEX

[W1TAV]

Good Job Bruce!

Here is a picture of today's lash up of the HT-40 and R390 - Steve

[KA2DZT]

Nice job Bruce,

First time I checked into the QRP net, it was fun, although I had a hard time hearing some stations.

Also the first time I've ever been the highest powered station on frequency.

Also the first time I ever out strapped JJ.

Good day for me,

51watt Fred.

[W9GT]

Bruce, et al,

Sounds like you guys had a great time with the QRP net.  I listened a little Sunday, but didn't hear you guys.  Band was too short.  We held an informal QRP gathering after the DX-60 Net and around 11:00 am as previously discussed.  Several Retro 75's showed-up, including myself W9GT; Gary, KG8LB; Steve, K8IDN; Dave, K9DVL; and Rich,W9RWS.  Amazing results running only 2 watts of power on 75 AM.  I also received several reports from other stations that copied my little two watt wonder.

Oh, and I forgot to mention.....I pulled out the little John Meck T-60-1 and fired it up also yesterday....however, it is relatively high power...35 watts output with a pair of 6L6s.  Always gets good reports.  Fun little rig....1946/47 vintage.

73,  Jack, W9GT

[W1UJR]

Hi Jsck, nice to hear from you OM!

The QRP is a blast, winter is the perfect time, bands are quiet and it keeps us all from going stir crazy. :-)

You've got to tell me more about that "John Meek T-60", never heard of that.
Not a Knight T-60?
Photos?

[WA1LGQ]

Band conditions were pretty good that day, though a bit noisy. I heard Tom, JJ, but could not pull out much audio. Probably if I was using the R390A he would have been copyable. The receiver on my GRC-9 is not very good, very wide IF and not particularly sensitive, even on 75. Maybe it's broken. Was able to hear everyone else ok.

[W1UJR]

Larry, your signal was one of the most distinctive heard, that old military audio really punches through! Thanks for posting the photo, neat rig!

[W9GT]

Hi Bruce,

Congrats on getting your Retro 75 built.  Yes, the old John Meck T-60-1 (Also known as an Audar A-30) is a very interesting and somewhat rare transmitter (1946/47 vintage).  It looks very buzzardly with the porcelain feedthru insulators on the front panel for antenna connections.  There was an article in ER last month on the T-60-1, however, I was disappointed that the article sort of left you hanging....in that he just got it going, but didn't tell about using it on the air or any results.  Lots of fun....very neat little rig.  Gary, KG8LB in Michigan also has one and I believe Clark, K9OA in Wisconsin has one too.

73,  Jack, W9GT

Here is mine:

[K5UJ]

Jack, having a Meck T-60-1 is really something.  Made in Chicago.   Between that and the Federal tx you have you have a collection of pretty rare rigs.  I saw the ER article also and really liked some of the features given in the schematic, like separate p.s. for RF and audio.   I was also disappointed that the author got the rig going then seemed to turn it into a shelf queen without even having a single qso.      He seemed to think its RF would not be clean enough or something which could have been fixed by running the rig into a transmatch if it bothered him.

The fact that K1JJ got out with 11 mw makes me think twice about what I say when I'm testing a rig on a dummy load!

[W9GT]

Hi Rob,

Yes,  I wish I had submitted an article on the John Meck myself.  I have used it for a number of years and have a pretty good understanding of what it can do.  I was sorry to see the one in the article becoming a "shelf queen" as well.

CORRECTION the John Meck T-60-1 was built in Plymouth, Indiana.  Also the schematic and info that I have says Fort Wayne, Indiana.  I believe they had engineering offices here in Fort Wayne.  Also...associated companies or brand names included Telvar and Audar.  My T-60-1 actually is stamped A-30 on the John Meck nameplate which is, I believe the Audar model designation.

73,  Jack, W9GT

[W1UJR]

Jack, Cool rig and those large indicators and ceramic feed throughs give it a very high buzzard factor, just need to toss in a "magic eye" for tuning. "-)

I've never seen or heard of one of those rigs, you fellows in the central and midwest states sure have some interesting gear!

Thanks for posting the photos, perhaps you can write up an article for ER on the use of the set, that should not be a shelf queen.

Actually, would you be willing to write up something for the AWA Journal on the rig?
With that vintage, it would be of great interest to readers...and I could sure use it in our "Transmitters" Column.

[Steve - K4HX]

Jack, submit an article on how you used yours on the air, complete with actual measurements, etc. If ER isn't interested, we sure are here!

[K5UJ]

<<Jack, Cool rig and those large indicators and ceramic feed throughs give it a very high buzzard factor>>

My feelings exactly, plus the Ft. Wayne connection makes it more interesting.  Thanks for the correction Jack--I'm really happy to know of a vintage transmitter company based in Indiana.  There's a continuous band of states from Ohio over to Minnesota and Iowa that had ham radio companies.

Rob

[W9GT]

Will do Steve.  I was already contemplating a response to the referenced article.  I have had many articles previously published in ER, but haven't done much writing for several years.

73,  Jack, W9GT