6N2 Johnson Viking Transmitter

[Dan Yoder SWL]

Hi All,
Happy 4th especially to you Vets out there.
I have a 6N2 and would like to buy or build a AM modulator like the Eico 730 or equiv. I also want to modify a HP-23 or 23A to power it. Any suggestions, can you buy a SSB generator like a BW SB51
Dan KC3DAG

[WQ9E]

Dan,

It would probably be cheaper to buy a Valiant which is what was normally used to power and modulate the 6N2.  By the time you buy a HP-23A and either buy what is often a very expensive Eicol 730 (they are collectable) or collect the parts to build a modulator you would be money and time ahead with a Valiant.  Johnson also provided instructions to use the 6N2 with a Viking 2 or Ranger, as I recall the Viking 2 requires some significant modifications and the Ranger won't support the full power level of the 6N2 but would certainly work with it.

It should also be fairly simple to set up up a Heathkit DX-100 or TX-1 to go with the 6N2.

[W2VW]

I wouldn't use Valiant audio to shock worms out of the ground.

[W3RSW]

On 6 & 2 ?
Really?
Now if it was an unmodified Apache, I could understand your abhorrence. 

[W2VW]

On 6 & 2 ?
Really?
Now if it was an unmodified Apache, I could understand your abhorrence. 

I have a front row seat to the 2 meter ssb "weak signal" regulars. Could have a lot of fun but their audio is like stabbing the side of your head with an ice pick.

That ancient clipping stuff worked but there are less annoying ways to have plenty of average voice energy. Another hokey idea is the 4:1 modulation transformer ratio with a common supply so the rigs could not overmodulate.

The worms deserve better.

[WA1LGQ]

Dan there are many possibilities for rigging up the 6N2. It is a good transmitter, don't forget that you need crystals or a vfo for it too. 50.4 (8400 kHz xtal) is a common freq on 6 for AM, and it will do CW also. I have one hooked up to a Viking I and another that I want to pair with a Clegg Thor6  modulator/pwr supply. What do you have for a receiver?
Larry

[Dan Yoder SWL]

Hi Larry,
Thanks for the positive post. I went to a ham fest on June 1st in Butler PA where I took my Tech test and got 34 right out of 35 praise God. I also was blessed a really great find early that morning. Hammarlund and Johnson are my favorite machines. Last year at the same ham fest the Breezeshooters I got a working HQ-140X for 55.00 and this year I got a Viking II and the 6N2 for 125.00 cash and carry, along with two HP-23A's for 50.00. I took 175.00 with me and came home with a fortune in electronic equipment. I then purchased a VFO-122 and the 6N2 VFO on Ebay bought both of them for around 125.00 with shipping. So I have 250.00 tied up in a wonderful table top full of equipment that when I was a 14 year old in 64 i could only have dreamed of. Did you say that I could power and modulate the 6N2 with that Clegg Thor6?
I found a guy here in the Pittsburgh area that has a beacon on 144.300 his call is WA3TTS he taught me about the divide the target frequency by 6 for 6 meters and by 16 for 2 meters. I bought the 6N2 converter and a matchbox with a SWR indicator. I plan on using my HQ-140X with the 6N2 converter. Please tell me more about your Clegg.
73 W3DKY

[Pete, WA2CWA]

Hi Larry,
Thanks for the positive post. I went to a ham fest on June 1st in Butler PA where I took my Tech test and got 34 right out of 35 praise God. I also was blessed a really great find early that morning. Hammarlund and Johnson are my favorite machines. Last year at the same ham fest the Breezeshooters I got a working HQ-140X for 55.00 and this year I got a Viking II and the 6N2 for 125.00 cash and carry, along with two HP-23A's for 50.00. I took 175.00 with me and came home with a fortune in electronic equipment. I then purchased a VFO-122 and the 6N2 VFO on Ebay bought both of them for around 125.00 with shipping. So I have 250.00 tied up in a wonderful table top full of equipment that when I was a 14 year old in 64 i could only have dreamed of. Did you say that I could power and modulate the 6N2 with that Clegg Thor6?
I found a guy here in the Pittsburgh area that has a beacon on 144.300 his call is WA3TTS he taught me about the divide the target frequency by 6 for 6 meters and by 16 for 2 meters. I bought the 6N2 converter and a matchbox with a SWR indicator. I plan on using my HQ-140X with the 6N2 converter. Please tell me more about your Clegg.
73 W3DKY

The 6N2 manual does describe how to connect the Viking II to the 6N2 to use the power supply/modulator. The 6N2 uses 8 MHz crystals ((fund)/6 = xtal freq for 6 meters and (fund)/18 = xtal freq for 2 meters). The 6N2 converter comes with one of 4 available IF outputs ( 14-18, 26-30, 28-30, or 30.5-34.5 MHz). Which one do you have?

The Clegg Thor is a great 6 meter AM/CW transceiver. RF section is in one box and power supply/modulator is in a separate box. Microphone speech amp however, is located in the RF box. Thor also has less power output then the 6N2. Thor has a nuvistor front end and a fairly stable VFO.



But, if you really want a cool rig for 6 meters, there's the Lil Lulus. Receiver is on the far right.

[Dan Yoder SWL]

Good Morning All,
I really like where this is going. Thanks so much Pete and Larry for your posts. I guess it is a little strange why I am asking for info on how to modulate my 6N2 when the whole time I am sitting on the power source and the modulator that was built for it. Well I have a few reasons if your are interested.
1) I like to go through and re-cap, clean and try to find problems with stuff first before I plug it in.
2) The Viking is a little intimidating for a newbie.
3) I am a Tech and have full AM priviledges on 6 & 2 so I am focusing my efforts on 10 meter SSB and VHF
4) I love the idea of having electrical stages in modular forms. I want to buy either the mod/PS or a Eico 730 so I can learn the circuits of these stages more easily.
5) I have a couple of HP-23's and I was thinking of capping and modifying one for the 6N2, then either building or buying an AM modulator.
6) The JV2 weighs 70 lbs and looks really good right where it is.
Does any of that make any sense? Thanks for telling me about the IF outputs on the converter, I had no idea that was the case neither do I know the answer to the question. It is on the way from CA.
 
http://www.ebay.com/itm/E-F-Johnson-6-n-2-Converter-/171365525621?ssPageName=STRK%3AMEWNX%3AIT&_trksid=p2047675.l2557&nma=true&si=jym21MTBOaHaNYi76bBKDmP61rg%253D&orig_cvip=true&rt=nc

So the divisor 6 for 6 meters becomes 18 for 2 because of the ratio between the 6 and the 2. Like 3 x 2 = 6 and 3 x 6 = 18

[WA1LGQ]

    Ok Dan, yeah it makes sense, you want to play, tinker and learn. That's at least half the fun. Pete is right on about the Clegg and Viking and the Johnson instructions. I don't blame you for not wanting to tackle that modification right away. Go ahead and wire up the HP23 and get the 6N2 going first, its a great idea. After you get it going with the HP you might even want to set up an external modulator using a hifi or pa or whatever audio amp. That is another discussion. You would find lots of information about that on this site and the AM Window and of course by asking questions. The converter looks a lot nicer than my 6N2 converter. Mine is functional, but it has problems. I take the lazy way and use a converter that already works fine. The converter is a Parks Nuvister converter with a 14Mhz IF. Works great.
     A couple months ago I found the power supply/modulator unit for the Clegg at a hamfest on their club table. They did not know what it was, I recognized it and could not let it end up who knows where, though I did not know exactly what I wanted to do with it.  They did not have the radio section or maybe sold it, not knowing that it was a 2 piece arrangement. Then on the way home I stopped in at a nearby permanent indoor flea market and lo and behold there was a 6N2 for sale. So I had to buy that too and now I had a use for the Clegg!
      The other 6N2 will stay with the Viking I. I obtained a beautiful copy of the Clegg manual from someone that hangs out here and now this project is waiting in line along with several others competing for my time.
       We have a small but dedicated group on 6 AM around here and its a lot of fun. There are other similiar groups in the New England region also. Just saying that there may be a group in your area already, if not start one.

.......Larry