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Author Topic: clegg 99'er  (Read 28326 times)
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W4EWH
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« Reply #25 on: August 24, 2015, 09:58:36 PM »

But my next question is how do I hide it from my wife?  Grin

Ha! You are new to this!

Just off the top of my head, and this tape will self destruct in ten seconds:

  • It prevents lightning strikes, darling
  • Honey, I asked a feng shui shaman to balance our exterior decoration, and she told me I needed it to provide a welcoming plictaff for the great utrsa.
  • Baby Cakes, that's a field balance distributor which prevents my radio from overloading your cell phone!

You'll get better as you progress in Ham Radio: the key is to think long-term. Here are some other things you'll find handy to know.

  • The next time you get a raise, don't tell your wife: just keep putting the old take-home amount in the joint account, and the rest in your ham-radio piggybank. Wink
  • Whenever your wife says she wants to see a new TV show, tell her that it requires a special antenna mounted on a fifty-foot tower, and that the whole thing costs too much for just a TV show.
  • When you want a new rig, wait until there's a flea market nearby, and tell the wife what you're going to spend, and make a deal that she can spend that much on herself. Then, get the rig you want, and put a sticker on the box that says "Discount - returned unit", and brag about the great deal you got. Don't forget to take the agreed-on amount out of the joint account!

(Brief puff of smoke comes from your screen)

W1AC
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KB2WIG
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« Reply #26 on: August 24, 2015, 10:37:52 PM »



"    Grin Well that would cover the antenna purchase but what about the 100' tower I'm erecting in the back yard?     "



          Doomed.             You are doomed.

      KLC
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What? Me worry?
w8khk
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« Reply #27 on: August 24, 2015, 11:07:11 PM »



"    Grin Well that would cover the antenna purchase but what about the 100' tower I'm erecting in the back yard?.... Snip   

With your 100 foot tower you would not be limited to a single ten meter stealth dipole/clothesline.  A few slopers with pulleys at the top and bottom, and you could dry clothes for the entire neighborhood. 
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Rick / W8KHK  ex WB2HKX, WB4GNR
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My smart?phone voicetext screws up homophones, but they are crystal clear from my 75 meter plate-modulated AM transmitter
kc1dgg
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« Reply #28 on: August 25, 2015, 07:38:35 AM »

HA! Thanks Ernest! I memorized the list before it destructed. I just hope my wife hasn't bugged my computer  Wink

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kc1dgg
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« Reply #29 on: August 25, 2015, 09:40:28 AM »

KLC, we are all doomed but I prefer to go out in a blaze of exploding tubes when I do  Wink

So I've got a crystal coming and my mic should be here on Friday. Looks like I've got some soldering and testing coming up in the near future.

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RolandSWL
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« Reply #30 on: August 27, 2015, 08:26:30 AM »

So, aside from clegg, who else made 6 meter toob radios? Inexpensive(now) easier to repair?

RSWL............
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W4EWH
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« Reply #31 on: August 27, 2015, 09:40:53 AM »

So, aside from clegg, who else made 6 meter toob radios? Inexpensive(now) easier to repair?

Well, the question is more like "who didn't ...?

Let's take a trip down memory lane:

  • Heath "Sixer" (Regenerative receiver, but surprisingly good performer)
  • Gonset G-50 and "Gooneybox"
  • Radio Shack HA-460
  • Knight-Kit T-60 transmitter with Ameco nuvistor converter for the receiver.
  • Johnson 6&2 transmitter with Ameco nuvistor converter for the receiver. (I had them: that transmitter put out serious power!).
  • Heath SB-110 (SSB/CW only)
  • Drake TR-6 (AM, SSB, CW)
  • Collins 62S-1 Transverter (Made for the S-line)

There are others, so I'll ask the other hams to chip in.

W1AC
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Pete, WA2CWA
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« Reply #32 on: August 27, 2015, 10:52:28 AM »

Heath "Sixer" (Regenerative receiver, but surprisingly good performer)
Personally, worthless as a real radio

Gonset G-50 and "Gooneybox"
Gonset Communicator II, III, IV

Radio Shack HA-460
It's a Lafayette HA-460; also HE-45 series

Knight-Kit T-60 transmitter with Ameco nuvistor converter for the receiver.
Johnson 6&2 transmitter with Ameco nuvistor converter for the receiver. (I had them: that transmitter put out serious power!).

Heath SB-110 (SSB/CW only)
Had issues; stick with a SB-110A

Drake TR-6 (AM, SSB, CW)
Doesn't fit inexpensive

Collins 62S-1 Transverter (Made for the S-line)
Doesn't fit inexpensive

Hallicrafters SR-46 or SR-46A, also made transverters

Utica 650 or 650A

Heathkit made numerous (cheap in today's market) 6 meter rigs
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RolandSWL
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« Reply #33 on: August 28, 2015, 08:14:06 AM »

Thank you for your replies.

Doing a quick search on ebay turned up very few 6 meter radios. Those that were advertised were in rough
shape and overpriced.
I guess most of these rigs have gone to their glory or are mouse hotels.

Cheers, Roland.............
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Pete, WA2CWA
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« Reply #34 on: August 28, 2015, 08:31:33 AM »

Thank you for your replies.

Doing a quick search on ebay turned up very few 6 meter radios. Those that were advertised were in rough
shape and overpriced.
I guess most of these rigs have gone to their glory or are mouse hotels.

Cheers, Roland.............

There are other places to buy radios: Hamfests, QRZ, QTH, Eham, For SAle/Swap forums, etc. Don't limit yourself to ebay. Post a WANT request on our forum.
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Pete, WA2CWA - "A Cluttered Desk is a Sign of Genius"
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« Reply #35 on: August 28, 2015, 08:28:38 PM »

Welcome John.  You will want a 3 element beam (best with a rotor) up in Wiscasset and aim it toward the PWM area where most of the activity is on 6.  A halo is a great antenna too.  A bunch of us around here built some halos together.  It is nearly an omni antenna. 

There is a group on most mornings and evenings on 50.4.  Get a crystal if you want to use the Clegg.  Most of the ops use vintage gear and those who dont deal with it.

The 99'er works fine.  It does require a significant warm up time...20 minutes at least.  It also does not have a squelch or limiter.  Its a bare bones radio,  The Gonsets are my favorites but there are others.  If the price is right use the 99er to start.  If not go to Nearfest and look for one of the Gonsets.

I'll start listening in on 6 as the WX cools.  The season is upon us Smiley Smiley

6 is a great band and can prepare you for how to work on the HF bands.  There used to be a bunch of people "trapped" on 6.  But the codeless HF tickets freed them to move to HF.  This left a vacuuuuum on 6 to some degree.  Here in this area as noted, there is a pretty active group still around however.


Cheers,

Peter
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kc1dgg
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« Reply #36 on: September 02, 2015, 11:33:19 AM »

Radio update:
Got my crystal for 50.4, got my mic and am going to get it wired up this weekend. I'm going for the Squalow that I can set out on my roof on a tripod for now and see what kind of results I can get.

So my next question is what are my options for testing the output of this rig? I thought the simplest solution was a receiver but there seem to be few modern reliable ones on 6 meter. The ones I saw where HF/6M and waayy out of my price range.
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kc1dgg
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« Reply #37 on: September 02, 2015, 11:34:14 AM »

Hey Peter, maybe you'll be my first contact on 6!  Smiley
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Pete, WA2CWA
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« Reply #38 on: September 02, 2015, 02:21:56 PM »

Radio update:
Got my crystal for 50.4, got my mic and am going to get it wired up this weekend. I'm going for the Squalow that I can set out on my roof on a tripod for now and see what kind of results I can get.

So my next question is what are my options for testing the output of this rig? I thought the simplest solution was a receiver but there seem to be few modern reliable ones on 6 meter. The ones I saw where HF/6M and waayy out of my price range.

If you just want to see if it outputs any power, connect a 15 or 25 watt light bulb to the antenna terminals and adjust for maximum brightness. Back in the "good old days" most amateurs didn't have any real jazzy power output meters. If you get the mike wired up, when you talk into it, the light will undulate as you speak.
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Pete, WA2CWA - "A Cluttered Desk is a Sign of Genius"
kc1dgg
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« Reply #39 on: September 06, 2015, 11:32:34 AM »

Just wanted to thank everyone for being so helpful and friendly here!

I wired in my mic and found some broken solder joints that I repaired in the radio. After a 30 min warmup the radio seemed to stabilize and I could "spot" the recieve to the crystal. Tuning around I picked up some code on the lower end of the band! Very exciting! I am having some mic element issues you probably saw me posting about but I have a good feeling I'll be on the air soon!

Thanks again everyone!
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RolandSWL
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« Reply #40 on: September 10, 2015, 09:07:30 AM »

Does the SWAN 250C qualify as a good candidate for 6 meter AM? Anyone ever use one?

Thanks,RSWL
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kc1dgg
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« Reply #41 on: September 10, 2015, 10:16:31 AM »

http://www.eham.net/reviews/detail/11102
http://www.eham.net/ehamforum/smf/index.php?topic=4240.0

Sounds like a good rig but I've never had any Swan radio so it's just what I see on a google search.
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kc1dgg
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« Reply #42 on: September 10, 2015, 10:28:29 AM »

It looks like it's SSB though with some option you could get to do AM?
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RolandSWL
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« Reply #43 on: September 10, 2015, 10:30:32 AM »

Spec sheet says "side band with carrier" at 75watts for AM operation. Is this cheating?

RSWL....
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kc1dgg
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« Reply #44 on: September 10, 2015, 10:34:00 AM »

I was just reading about that. Not sure exactly what they are talking about so hopefully someone more experienced will chime in. Might have better luck opening a new thread in the tech section.
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Todd, KA1KAQ
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« Reply #45 on: September 10, 2015, 11:37:01 AM »

Here's a shot of the Utica 650 Pete referenced, w/VFO to get around the crystal issue. These show up fairly regularly at hamfests for short money. In fact, I turned down a free one a few years back in good shape. The one in the photo came from a well-known 6m AMer in the northeast, Big Al/K1JCL, who used to operate a 6m AM repeater.

Also a shot showing some of the other Clegg 6&2 gear.


* Utica650_2.JPG (376.66 KB, 1600x1200 - viewed 434 times.)

* Clegg1.JPG (362.26 KB, 1600x1200 - viewed 453 times.)
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kc1dgg
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« Reply #46 on: September 10, 2015, 11:46:50 AM »

Nice! I just saw one of the Utica 650s on ebay last week I think.
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Pete, WA2CWA
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« Reply #47 on: September 10, 2015, 01:27:41 PM »

Swan 250's, and even the 250C's, are well known for their drifty oscillators. Set the receiver at one location and  signals will just drift on by. I believe it's AM only on one sideband and probably through a crystal filter. Probably not a good choice if you're looking for a higher power decent quality AM rig. I had a 250C for a few months several years ago. Besides the drift, after a short period of operation, you could fry eggs on the cabinet. Found it a new home.
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W4EWH
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« Reply #48 on: September 10, 2015, 08:01:13 PM »

Spec sheet says "side band with carrier" at 75watts for AM operation. Is this cheating?

It's just another way to make a sideband rig put out an "AM" signal: the balanced modulator is slightly unbalanced, and some small percentage of the carrier is allowed to radiate along with one sideband.

IIRC, Collins did the same thing with the KWS-1, using inserted carrier for AM, with only the upper sideband.

W1AC
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« Reply #49 on: September 10, 2015, 09:26:05 PM »

I live on top of one of the taller hills around but I also have a row of ancient maple trees on my property. There is a small opening between them that I was hoping to sort of aim the dipole between. It's in the direction that most of the activity around here will be. .

J,

That is the perfect situation to put up a stack of four 1/2 wave horizontal 6M dipoles. This would give you a broad horizontal pattern broadside and give you a vertically compressed lobe towards the horizon with ~6 dB of additional gain over a single dipole. Best antenna for "line of sight" locals and DX due to the low vertical takeoff angle.  Space them about 9 ' apart  and that's 27' of total vertical space.  Mount them as high as possible.

The top dipole strung as high as possible between the maple tress made of strong wire, will hold up the three stacked dipoles below it using insulators and rope.  

You can use either open wire or coax to phase/connect them. I won't get into the details now, but this would be a stealth antenna and give you a pretty healthy signal if done right. Cheap too.  Yes, the trees have some attenuation effect, but 6M isn't that bad compared to the higher UHF bands. And, in the Winter, no leaves.

T
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