OM's 1946 AM Rig About To Be On Air

[nu2b]

Very nice Tom,
Looking at the pictures was kind of like looking at a 1940's QST...But in Color!
Regards,
BobbyT

[Rob K2CU]

Surely a thing of beauty!

[W2PFY]

Nice stuff Tom, I didn't see this when it was originally posted. That home brew transmitter is a work of art.

[k4kyv]

Looks like a couple of nice mid-30's HROs in the photo in the first post.  Obvious by the German silver dial.

Wonder if  he still has those.

[Tom WA3KLR]

Don,

My father retains one HRO, the one with the silver dial.  He has sold off much of his collection which included a number of HRO's and many SW-3's.

In the shack photo just above, the RME-69 spot is now occupied by a restored rack-mount HQ-120X.  The Tripplett? modulation meter sitting on top of the Ranger II is gone from the operating position and may have been sold - not sure off the top of my head.

[WQ9E]

Tom,

Thanks for sharing all of the photos, great looking gear!  It is even better to learn that some of it is going to be active again.

I hope he still owns the RME-69; it looks great with the other black finished gear.  I am a little biased since I live near RME's original hometown.

Rodger WQ9E

[Steve - WB3HUZ]

Thanks for sharing your great family radio heritage. Cool stuff!

[Tom WA3KLR]

Roger and Steve,

Thanks for the comments. 

The RME-69 was sold recently after my father restored an HQ-120X.  He had a HQ-120X once before and came to regret selling it.

When my father bought the VHF-152 converter brand new from RME back when, supposedly it was picked special from the production line as a unit with above average performance.  He also was able to get a matching cabinet and built an AM and FM i.f. receiver in it to go along with the VHF-152.  The 2 cabinet combination can be seen in two of the old black&white shack photos on page 1 of this thread.

[K5UJ]

That's one gorgeous rig.  ooo la la 

Rob

[KI4YAN]

WOW! this rig is very close to the scheme I planned on making. Too bad you can't find 812H's anymore; maybe shuguang will start making them? they already make carbon plate 811H's, and metal plate 812A's, just a simple plate swap would work.

[Tom WA3KLR]

My father passed away January 30, 2010.  I am adding a photo below of his first station in Fremont Ohio, November 1941.  Contrast that shack photo with his shack just 13 years later in the northern suburbs of Philadelphia, posted in reply #23.

His first station used a Thordarson All-Star Senior receiver public-domain kit built by him in high school, and his home-brew all-wood rack transmitter with masonite front panels.  The transmitter has a power supply at the bottom with 866 Jr. window, modulator with 46's, exciter with 47 crystal oscillator and 46 buffer, final PA with 46's then upgraded to 6L6GX's, and antenna tuner on top.

[W3GMS]

Tom,
Neat looking OT set-up for sure.  From the picture it is a bit unclear of what microphone he was using.  I have a 30's D-104 that is on a totally different stand that was used in later years. It may be the same one as in the photo.  When I have a chance I will take a picture and post it. 

I know you have been busy, but I am assuming that your going to get your Dad's 812H rig on the air someday.

Joe, W3GMS

Oh, we enjoyed the China Buffet yesterday! 
   

[W4AAB]

Tom, those are some fine photos!! I am curious as to the frequency split that was used on the 10m AM repeater.Some friends of mine and I had a 10m FM repeater in Huntsville, AL in the late 1980's. 100 watts with 100 kHz spacing at 1 1/4 mile separation worked out for us.Unfortunately, my friend whose call was on the machine had his job abolished when the state ETV went to sold-state and we had to vacate both sites( he was able to put it back on in south Alabama when he got another job with the state Highway Department maintaining their radios). I understand that there was a 6m AM repeater in CT until recent years.

[W1UJR]

Love that photo Tom, what a classic!
Sure wish my shack looked like that, simple, clean, focus on radio, not techno gizmos.

I've always had in the back of my mind to set up such a station, think once that was up,
any interest in my modern gear would soon vanish.

Thanks for sharing with us!

-Bruce

[W7TFO]

Tom,

Your father's legacy is something to really be proud of.  Family pass-downs of ham gear are rare today, just look at all the SK estate sales going on.

a wonderful story, indeed.

73DG

[Carl WA1KPD]

Hi Tom,
Would like to use one or more of the pics in the 2012 WA1KPD Old Tyme Radio Calendar if that is OK.
Thanks and 73
Carl

[W2DU]

Tom, that's really great that your Father is still around and active in hamming. You're very fortunate indeed to have him with you in this hobby. I hope to make contact with him in the future. I lost my Dad in 1958, just as I was becoming active in Space technology, but still hamming. I'm attaching a pic of him and his three AM rigs, two having P-P 450-TLs and the other with 250-THs.

Walt

[KA2DZT]

Great stuff Tom.

Great looking xmtr,  real Ham Radio is black wrinkle.

I spotted the HROs in the first photo.

My HRO-M is rack mounted but has the black dial.  I use it as my main-station receiver.

Reading the posts, I didn't realize it was an old thread until I got to the sad news of your father's passing.  Sorry to hear that.

Hope to work you with your dad's black wrinkle xmtr.  We can bang heads together with my black wrinkle 813 xmtr.

We'll smoke the airwaves with this stuff.

Fred, KA2DZT

[flintstone mop]

I like the great pics..........It grieves me to see these transmitters cuz I used to have one that was built by an SK Ham in Ohio. Almost the same design and black crackle. A pair of 4-400's link coupled tank circuit with the B&W plug-in coils modulated by a pair of 811A's.
Back breaker plate transformer..............1 KW of RF of A.M.

[W2DU]

Tom, I'm sorry to have learned that your Father has passed away. I didn't read the dates on your earlier posts, so I believed that you and he were working together on the old rig.

Sorry to have misunderstood, Tom, so please accept my belated condolences.

Walt

[KM1H]

Very nice history and photos Tom and your dad was way ahead of his time with coax in those days.

That 129X photo is a bit similar to my late 50's station:

HQ-129X, DB-22A, VHF-152A. Meissner EX Shifter into a pair of 813's for CW. AM was a Viking I, 122 VFO and PP 250TH's with 810 mods. The 6 and 2M TX gear was on another table.

Ive had that exact same Steelcase desk since moving back to NH in 73, these days its full of VHF/UHF stuff, it will hold anything.

Carl

[K5UJ]

I went back through alll the posts and photos again and am impressed all over with the look of ur OM's rig Tom, and all the other station gear.  Vy sri to hear of his passing away.

Rob

[W3GMS]

I had the distinct pleasure of knowing Tom's Dad very well. He was an extremely competent individual.  He was so smart that he never had to tell anyone how smart he was!  Did you ever notice that some guys get a real kick about claiming themselves as an expert?  The guys that really know their stuff never have to even come close to hinting how good they are.  Tom's Dad was one of those kind of guys.  He was also the ultimate gentleman.  He always took the time to explain things in a way that was easily understood by his audience.  He was an expert in many things, but many of us locals that knew him called him the expert on the National SW-3.  The amount of research he did on all the various versions of the SW-3 was amazing.  I distinctively remember when he was restoring his 812H rig and was one of the first stations to work him when he got it back on the air. 
Tom is a lucky guy to have such a father.

Joe, W3GMS       

[KG6UTS]

Wow!! That is one handsome radio!!  Great you could save it for use on the air, congrats a bunch.

....and I'll be on the local net tonite with a 7.5Watt GRC-9. A tad 'yellowie' as they say but Monday is 'Kids' set night.

EdZ KG6UTS
San Diego/Borrego Springs

[Opcom]

That's some of the best looking stuff I have seen lately. Very stately and dignified equipment.