WRL Site

[W3SLK]

I was just crusin' over at QRZ.com and stumbled across this URL:http://www.worldradiolabs.com/content/index.php

Check out Leo's 'Custom Transmitter'. I didn't get into it all too deep but I figured it was worth while to mention here.

[Herb K2VH]

Interesting site, Mike.  Thanks for sharing.

[Vortex Joe - N3IBX]

Mike(y),
           I second Herb, VH (Vell Hung) in his appreciation of you posting the website. I really enjoyed seeing "Uncle Leo's" 1938 fone rig and HQ-120 in particular. I wonder what became of it?

Some of the various articles and postings on the site were very good as well. In spite of Uncle Leo's rep for having college kids assemble his rigs and using cut-rate toobs, etc., he really did make a few good rigs, and they're all straightforward.

If I gotta go slopbucket, I still love to use the WRL Globe 300. It looks like the radio version of a 1961 Oldsmobile!

BTW, 160M has been in pretty good shape recently and the cratic stashes have been tolerable to very mild. Have you taken your antenna down yet? If not, I'd love to hear you on the band.

Mod-U-Later,
                  Joe N3IBX

[Herb K2VH]

Joe's right about those straight-forward WRL rigs.  I have a Globe Champion 165, and love it.  It runs a single 812A in the final modulated by 4 6L6s in push-pull parallel.  It's all plug-in coils, including a set of B&W BVL center swinging link 150 watt coils in the final.  As per 812A ratings, the power is 175 watts in; 125 watts out.  Can't get much more straight-forward than that.  Oh yes, and the 6L6 modulators are triode-connected zero bias Class B.  Not elegant, but a great medium power rig!

Joe, I think the Champ looks like the radio version of a 1948 Chevy.

Vell Hung?

[Todd, KA1KAQ]

A clean looking Scout just screams old buzzardly Novice station. Both it and the Griefkit AT-1 are pretty simple, yet attractive for what they are. Especially for low end gear, although they were no doubt a step up from most surplus available then.

Over the years I've heard a number of folks bash Leo's stuff, everything from the lack of safety margin in power supplies to the evil couplettes to recycling WWII surplus parts. Fact is, Leo and Heathkit made ham radio affordable to many folks with some basic, no frills gear. It might not be Collins or Johnson-grade, but it still filled a need and accounts for many a QSO.

When it comes to a table top transmitter, the Globe King is right there at the top of the list for me. Sure, it has its issues, but what a way to decorate your desk!

~ Todd, 'KAQ

[Herb K2VH]

Right, Todd, and speaking of the Globe King, all the versions of them worked well, beginning with the original Globe King 275, through all the Globe King 400s, and into the Globe King 500s--the A model, the B, and the C.  IT IS PRETTY OBVIOUS THAT THE SO-CALLED GLOBE KING 500 D WAS NOT MADE BY WRL OR LEO!

[Vortex Joe - N3IBX]

Joe, I think the Champ looks like the radio version of a 1948 Chevy.

Vell Hung?

Herb,
        Uncle Leo was good for things like that. Your Champ must be the Amateur Radio transmitter equivalent of a  '48 Chevy "Stylemaster" with all the gingerbread, etc etc. A "stovebolt" 235 ci OHV six banger mated to a manual tranny is like the 812A modulated by a quad of 6L6's in PP-Parallel. A FBOM combination!

[nq5t]

There's just something about the 500, 300 and 680 radios.  Johnson may have built a bit more robustly, but they don't look like THIS

[w8rca]

Boy did that picture make me miss my Globe Champion 300!! Didn't realize how much till I looked at the picture. Forget a Valiant I want my Globe Champ!! Thanks for the pic you made my day.....W8RCA

[Herb K2VH]

Hey Joe----

You sure know your old Chevys!!

K2

[nq5t]

Thanks for the pic you made my day.....W8RCA

I've been running the Champion 300 lately rather than the Globe King.  Simple to use, and plays really well with just a few audio mods.  Finally got it out of storage, where it had been languishing for a number of years.

One thing that's readily apparent when you put these rigs together is that Leo had a good bit in common with Heathkit relative to paint colors -- all over the map :-)  All three of these radios are from the same year or two, and yet there's little consistency in color.  

The Globe King and Scout 680 have similar panel gray, with the logos and control screening in a light blue-green.  But the dark trim on the Globe King is close to black, while the Scout's trim is much more a very dark green.  The Champion has a much different gray for a panel color with a lot of brown in it, white screened lettering, and a very brown cast in the dark trim.  Don't know if these paints started out this far apart or have just aged differently.

Grant/NQ5T

[wa2zdy]

My 680 had off-white lettering.  I'll never forget that rig.  Was my second transmitter, after the 6L6 oscillator.  The Scout I used on 7123 for a while, then got the VF-1.  

Looking at NQ5T's pic there, I'm getting all misty eyed.  I have no photos of my Novice station, and that 680 of his is just in such wonderful shape.  Better than mine was when I had it - 30 years ago.

Another boat anchor I would enjoy having another of.  Oh well.  Maybe if there's reincarnation . . .

[Steve W8TOW]

Didn't realize I missed this...
I musthave been on vacation that week...
anyway...


I have a WRL Catalog from 1940 which advertizes WRL would be happy to custom build tx for folks...a picture of Leo and his rig are proudly displayed inside... Along about 1946 (late) he offered the Globe Trotter...nice little cw rig, but around 1947, a model called the "Champion" was advertized in QST.
It was a prototype to test the market. The design was  copy of Thordarson (and others) from pre WWII. Using a single Taylor TZ40 in the rf section, it used a pair of 6L6's as modulators. TZ40s were available for pennies after the war. Taylor had made ten's of thousands for the war effort.
Because of this, and the sharing of patent info, Taylor was loosing ground fast. THey offered a 813 and even a 35TG...but companies like Lewis and Eimac (and the obvious others) were developing 4-125's 4-250's and the like...plus ceramic tubes!....
The life of Taylor was gonna be short.


Leo bought lots of TZ40s!

The proto type CHAMP Rig was a hit, but people wanted more power. The TZ40 was changed to a 812A, PP parallel 6L6 modulator was designed, and after a 3 month trial, the NEW Globe Champ 150 was offered!!!
This was the same mod deck design used in some early Globe King 275's...
Then with the King 400, TZ40s (sitting on the shelf) were used as a sub for 5514's...in the modulator...direct plug and play...

vri 73 steve