Vintage AM Station Back on the Air

[W1TAV]

Well I finally got a Round Tu-it and put my 32V-1 and 74A-1 on the air as a pair this afternoon.  The receiver has been sitting off to the side for at least 3 1/2 years and I have know idea as to how long the transmitter has been off the air, likely decades.  The Turner 22X was my Dad's and I am borrowing it from the "Roll Top Desk Ranger station" that I put together last year. 

My 1st QSO with the new addition to the shack was with none other than Tim, WA1HLR and Al, W1VTP. 

[W1AEX]

I'll bet the Collins stuff sounds as good as it looks Steve. Very nice!

Rob W1AEX

[KA2DZT]

My 1st QSO with the new addition to the shack was with none other than Tim, WA1HLR and Al, W1VTP. 

Nice looking station.

Probably it would have been a much better first contact if it was with a 51watt station.

Fred

[W1TAV]

My 1st QSO with the new addition to the shack was with none other than Tim, WA1HLR and Al, W1VTP. 

Nice looking station.

Probably it would have been a much better first contact if it was with a 51watt station.

Fred

Well Tim was running Ranger power...

[Todd, KA1KAQ]

Nice station, Steve - same thing I run for 40m except the transmitter is a V-2. I'd be curious to hear a sample of how the 22X sounds with it.

The A-1 is (to my ears) the best sounding of the A-Line receivers. The connections for the band-in-use dial lights get dirty and need cleaning from time to time or the lights get flaky, and there are a few problem caps and tuning issues that, once dealt with, are fine. Mine loses sensitivity at times, so a good going through is in order soon. It's a little numb on 10m, but there are some articles out there in ER and elsewhere to improve that as well.

Hope to work you with it sometime.

[W1TAV]

Well after getting a few sound reports and a recording from Al W1VTP, I dove in and found the modulator bias had apparently not been set or some how had come way out of adjustment. 

Just getting off a round table with W1JDR, KB1PJM, W1BBC and N2QEI on 75. I have apparently cured the little bit of distortion that had been reported on Sunday.

I also got a couple of old buzzard transmissions in, what a wonderful smell those transformers made after really warming up for the 1st time in decades!   

[w1vtp]

Well after getting a few sound reports and a recording from Al W1VTP, I dove in and found the modulator bias had apparently not been set or some how had come way out of adjustment. 

<snip>

Told ya    It did sound like a bias prob   Glad you found it

[W1TAV]

Al. TNX.. Yes it's all about "KISS"  .. Thinking back to when I picked this up, the person I got it from had cleaned up the chassis and done a certain amount of "grunt" work recapping, checking values and tube replacements.  What I also recall was he had never put in on the air (hit the plate switch) so the 807's not being set up should not have been a surprise..

Hopefully you can do another recording for comparison.

In keeping with the sprite of AM Phone and the QSO Board, this is a classic case of enjoying the "rush" of boyhood enthusiasm to get something running, without taking all the cautionary steps that age and supposed wisdom brings us.. 

Steve ..