Test for humans

[Pete, WA2CWA]

As of 8:15 PM EST today, we've had 53 users log in BUT only 3 post. It's hard to believe 50 of you have nothing to say about anything. I even heard several of you on the air today and seemed fairly talkative.

Anyone fix something, bought a new radio, fixed a radio, destroyed a radio, read a good book, etc. Your hobby radio can't be that boring that nothing is going on!

It's the holiday season; don't people drink anymore  and post crazy dumb things!!

[KA3EKH]

Don’t know daddy O, maybe it’s because too many are imitated, or not wanting to put up with the interaction? You reach the end of the year and sometimes get introspective.
Is there speculation of us not being true to the topic, too much opinion, humor or wisecracks?  Perhaps I have been guilty of comments that have been off topic or post that are not technically relevant and if in the past year I have offended anyone I do apologies for my attitude.
Remember the Bad old days of eighty meter AM and some of the goings on 3890? To this day I rarely attempt AM on 3885 and tend to hang out more on 7290 or one sixty when doing AM. Do a lot of low power stuff at shows and fest on 3885 but still have feelings like that’s the big boys back yard and always remember the old saw “ If you can’t roll in the yard with the big dogs better stay on the porch with the puppies” but In a couple days it will be a new year! New challenges, more radios to repair and best of all more remote operations to plan. As Scarlet says 'After all, tomorrow is another day. ''
There you go, to early to start drinking yet but not so early that I cant post crazy stupid things.

May the New Year bring us all lots of new tubes, power FET, modulation monitors and on air operations.

[WQ9E]

I have been one of the readers/rarely poster types for years so guilty as charged.

I found a source of belts for the Hallicrafters SX-88, proper .25" pitch and 112 cog/28" total length but they are way too wide.  I have found a few unsuccessful methods of creating a 1/8" belt slice from a 1/2" belt and once I find the method that works I will post that here.

Rodger WQ9E

[KB2WIG]

R,

Try sharks with lasers.

KLC

[WQ9E]

Thanks KLC but only if I can find mini me to help 

I bought some 1/8" wide pinstriping tape and I will use this as a visual guide for an X acto knife.  I tried a leather cutter which looks like it ought to work but even with guides, a cogged rubber belt wants to move just enough to prevent a perfect cut for such a narrow width.  Using a metal clamped guide with the knife didn't work much better so I am going to try slowly cutting with a visual guided freehand method.

This shouldn't be so difficult!

Rodger WQ9E

[W1RKW]

I don't post as much as I used too for a variety of reasons and don't do many other things mainly because they are all related to essential tremor aka ET. Since I was a teen I had slightly shaky hands. Nothing concerning so lived with it for many decades. In the last 5 or so years the shaky hands progressively got worse and most recently to the point of not being able to do anything intricate like soldering. A screw driver requires 2 hands to get the screw driver into the screw.  I started treatment for ET a little over a year ago which helped considerably nearly eliminating it but it has come back with a vengeance.  ET makes it difficult to do a lot of things especially intricate things that require extremely steady hands and fingers. Typing is one.  Throw in being far sighted and it makes for a very frustrating and volatile temperament and in some cases very risky if using certain tools. So the easiest thing for me has been not to do anything unless it requires a sledge hammer or shovel.  That's my  excuse and I'm sticking to it.  

Regarding my QRZ post, what inspired it, I was searching for information on the FT-2000 data ports and stumbled across a WA3VJB QRZ post about expanding its AM bandwidth. I couldn't help but notice many of the AMfone regulars have gone silent here and  seemed to have congregated on QRZ. I figured I'd pose the question and see what sticks since things have been slow. That's all that was behind it.  It was just a question of curiosity, nothing more, nothing less.

[K4RT]

R,

Try sharks with lasers.

KLC

"frikkin lasers"  

I log in at times to just search the database.

It's not AM-related but for the sake of posting something, I recently acquired a WRL DuoBander-84 I've been working on. I was gathering parts to build a power supply for it when I found a matching power supply. Here's a pic of the transceiver. HNY!

[KL7OF]

I'm in Arizona for the winter.  I put up a deltaloop for 12 M.  30 ft at the pointy end, fed at a lower corner for vertical polarization and a lower takeoff angle.  I'm whirlwide with it but no AM as of yet.  10M has been really good from near the southern border with quite a few AM contacts............

[W1NB]

I’m repairing a Kenwood TS-950SDX that was given to a friend. So far I’ve replaced an RF amp FET and LO buffer transistor on the RF board, and a bad switching diode on the IF board. That got the radio working with the exception of AM transmit, which has been a real challenge.

The TX AM is generated in the DSP CPU as is the CW and SSB. I have excellent SSB and CW IF out of the CPU but no AM. All voltages and analog inputs are correct. I tried replacing the DSP unit with a known working substitute but had the same results. Mode switching of the DSP is done via a serial data link from the control unit CPU. The link is obviously working so I figured my next step was going to be confirming that all switching associated with AM transmit and linked to the CPU is functioning properly. I spent the better part of this afternoon going through the service manual and noting every active component that has any AM switching or signaling function. I figured that this weekend I’d start the long journey of going through them one at a time and confirming their functionality.

So, that’s my contribution to the thread.

But, wait, there’s more! As I was typing out my saga it occurred to me that I had not done a CPU reset. Before I hit “Post” I had better try it, lest someone suggest the obvious which would lead me to disappearing for six months until the embarrassment subsided. So, down to the shop I trotted, put the radio back on the bench, turned it on and confirmed that the repair fairies had not snuck into the shop and repaired it while I toiled elsewhere, then did a CPU reset. Voila! AM transmit is now functioning as it should.

Thank you AM Fone forum for your continued support. Once again, your talented contributors have helped solve another technical challenge.

Happy New Year everyone!

Scott, W1NB

[Opcom]

been looking at this vacuum tube auction.
https://www.icollector.com/Another-Great-Vacuum-Tube-Sale_as104419

also thinking about putting the freeze-miser on the outdoor faucet tomorrow, and setting up the space heaters in the shop to prevent freezing.