As my final post on this thread:
Finally - Success! At 12 Midnight, Don, K4KYV was calling CQ on 3875. I fired up Hollywood for the first time on the air and gave him a call.
I've spent a few days running tone tests and making some mods to get Hollywood sounding the best I can. I believe a rig can sound excellent before ever seeing real time QSOs.
Don was QSO #1. He said it sounds exactly like the 4-1000A plate modulated rig. I didn't touch the audio chain, EQ or anything related to audio except the level. It was a summer night and the shack remained cool. Great tubes, those 813s.
I'm real pleased with the sharp +- 6 KHz bandwidth audio skirts I see on the receive SDR spectrum, the REA modulation peaks as well as general sound in the mod monitor. It sweeps cleanly from 19 Hz to about 10KHz. I haven't added in NFB yet due to some circuit mods that need to be done, so it shud get even better.
I put the cover on and consider it a done project for now. As I was working Don, I was laying out the chassis and front panel for my new 125 watt summertime rig; a 4D32 plate modulated by a pair of 6LF6 big sweep tubes - or maybe plate modulated by a 75 watt SS 8 ohm amplifier using a 1642SE Hammond 53 Henry 28 pound super hi-fi output transformer. The little rig for summertime.
But for now, Hollywood ran a couple of hours last night without a single problem at 1/2 gallon out. (500 watts) I have a HV PS that will do 1500-3KV. 2200 V is a great voltage for the lashup.
So there's now two plate modulated rigs in the harem with a third to be added soon. I shud be on the air with it quite often over the next few weeks, so give me a call.
T
This thread continues:
http://amfone.net/Amforum/index.php?topic=45941.0