The AM Forum

  A lot of familiar voices and call-signs plus new ones too. But a few who were absent. :'(
 
    Six  Robert Smith WØVMC  Custom or Modified Transmitters.
    
    Six  Home-brews with tubes ranging from  254Ws, 833s, 450ths, and 100ths.

    Five  Collins KW-1s.

    Three  Johnson Desk KWs.
  
    Three  T-368s.
    
    Two  BC-610s.

    One  Bill Decker N4VMY Home-brew.  
    
    One  RCA.

    One  Millen.  ;)
  
    22 states, 2 Canadian providence's

    ...and to finish my night was teachings from the Master. Thanks Timmy 8)

    Vacuum Tubes and Heavy Iron Rule!!!!  ;D

    Happy New Year
       Mike

Mike, who had the N4VMY homebrew?  That guy built some absolutely incredible transmitters!

He built the mod deck for my GPT-750, which definitely woulda been on the air had I not been 5000 miles away at the time...

  Joel W8DCQ had one of his transmitters on the air. A 4-400 modulated by triode connected 813s. A few amateurs in my area were close friends of Bill, a true craftsman.
With the conditions we had your 750 would have commanded respect on the band.  ;D  The previous night NM4A was using his GPT-750 for net control on the GCARA AM night. What a
difference a day makes over 60 check-ins on 160 and then no contacts on the rally!!!  Looking forward to hearing you on the air.

Good working you, Mike, I'm sure you'll be sending that logbook and maybe a station shot while you were on the air to Ray at Electric Radio magazine.  (Ray@ermag.com)  I'll be tallying up the log here later this morning to send in and will update this post with it too. Only a few dozen contacts from 2240-0520 GMT, but wow, what an enjoyable night on the air.

I was only on 3705 the first night. And I found out that to enjoy it more was to slow down and listen to the stories and when it was my turn to try to relate to a few in the QSO. The roundtable was very big and it would take 30 minutes to address everyone in QSO. The roundtable mode was managed very nicely and many people were actually kind enough to remember the sequence.
I guess we have complained about buzzard transmissions in the past, that the 'turning overs' were moving right along.
I'm getting more into holiday stuff and the Rally would be nice with an 807 or some wine and a cigar.........but the cigar would not go over with my wife.

Fred

It certainly got a bit crazy early on when Chuck/FJJ was holding down 3.705. Stations were chiming in so fast that it was difficult to keep things moving, so a few of us peeled off and moved up to 3.725 for a while. This allowed some of us to work folks we had heard but couldn't get to in the 05 furball. Chuck held up well, but I bet he could've used a good, stiff shot of single malt by the time Paul took the reins.

Good tally, Mike. Pretty much mirrors many of the big stations heard here. Amazing that one of the Canadian provinces heard was a fellow using only a Ranger or Valiant if I'm remembering right. You sounded good here in NC with a solid 59 early on, when we worked later your signal had built to 10 over. It was cool hearing you working Warren/GUD, 610I to 610I.

The 'JN powerhouse should be back with us for next year's event! I tend to think the light attendance in recent years has more to do with calendar timing than anything else. This year seemed quite active, at least on 75/80. Fred, you're right on target: sit back, relax, enjoy the signals. Move up and down the bands at your leisure, working other groups.

Was on for a short time.  Had to go to work Saturday, so didn't stay around llike I would have liked to do.  Of course, my little Viking II and HQ-170 are lightweights in the Heavy Metal group.  Plenty of fine AM signals.

It is interesting to note that 1 or 2 of the signals were causing a slight vertical deflection on the mod scope.  Those were the ones that I could copy 59 with the RF gain all the way down on the 170 and the homebrew.  Makes you wonder what the actual voltage was at the receiver input.

Be sure to send in your log!

Yeah, Ray at ER last year said few logs were submitted. This year he heard for himself the hundreds of stations that participated, so he will probably use other ways to measure success.  Station photos still needed, preferably around the operating during HMR.

Mine: (will finish page 3 entries later, just calls for now)

---

3705Kc   2240GMT

W3RSW Rick  572Bs > 813s
W1ZB Jerry   GK400/R390A
W1UX Al  Valiant/R390A
W1GHW Gary  DX60
K3JRR Larry J500/75A4
W3FJJ Chuck  1952 FRT17/  pr. 4-125As>4-400

2327GMT

K0EOO Dennis  KW1/75A4
VE3CMM Mike  Ranger and a 200V
KA8WTK Bill 813s>4-400  R390

0035GMT
K0HGP Stan  T368  4-400s>4-400
W3GMS Joe   Ranger+pr 3-500z
WD8BIL Bud  T4X+pr 8874 + Guiness Black Lager
KA1KAQ Todd  KW1/75A4
W1AEX Rob  Flex5K+pr 3-500Z
K4HX Steve FT1000D+CL35/51J4
AB2KC George 304TLs>4-1000  Flex1K receiver
W8MNQ Bob 1938 HT9  "looks like a tired old warrior"
W4CT Ben AF67/HQ129
K4DEE Jim 500/75A4
N9OB Barry & Dale W9DKB  T368/R390A  T3 is pr. 4-400s>4-400
AG3N John 810s>304TL  SP600
K4NNP Bill DX40+Pr. 572Bs  2B
AK4GP Gary  TS440
VE6PG Tim  VkgII/HQ129X
W2GLN Bud 811As>HK54s
0215GMT
W0VMC Robert pr 10-277s>4-1000
KC4MOP Fred  Flex 1K+AL1500
WJ9Y  Marlon  pr. 811s>813
W0LS  Harry  pr. 4-400s>4-400 , Flek5K as rcvr
K0ARA  Mike  Beastie 610-I
KA0JW  Jeff  Valiant, 51J4
W9OTN  Bruce  KW-1 w/ mod iron from a BC1-T
W1GUD  Warren  Beastie 610-I
W8DCQ  Joe  813>4-400
AE3SX  Kim
WA1LGQ  Larry Viking I, R390A
W3GL  Ralph  mobile rig of some kind

0520GMT  closing station

In VJB's list:

Wasn't Warren running his Beasty 610I? I seem to remember a hookup of 610I to 610I sometime that night.

  Here's one of them.

Paul, VIP, you were also my no. 1 contact after I mentioned that it looked like local sunset here.  You could've started 20 minutes earlier at your longitude.   ;D

I really enjoyed working all the gangsta's, big rigs and small, in very relaxed mode with excellent propagation.

Yes, my voice cratered about the same time my HV breaker started spontaneously tripping.
We're the two related? Heh heh.

Nobody worked Hiram, KH6JS this year?  He was 40 over all night here  ;D

I think Hiram was on a different band.

Yes, Hiram and Ashtabula Bill were having such a nice QSO on "Top Band" I didn't have the heart to interrupt.

Top Band, indeed. Nice one.

---

---

Yes, Warren and Mike were the Beastie Boys

Well at least you didn't call me VJZ, Rick.  that used to happen a lot.

Yeah before we took the dogs out for their afternoon run, it was good working you on 40m for a while.  Broke there, moved down to 80m, and went out.

Then as I tuned in, Gary GHW was already in QSO, one-on-one, and not really doing the Heavy Metal Rally.  I just joined them to say hi. Eventually we all kinda gathered and / or passed through the frequency.

I worked,

Johnny Walker Red,

Sam  Adams

Sutter Home
 
Pale Ale

Jack Daniels


and - - - - - I think I was done at that point - - - - Don' Know

I bet they were all dupes too, right ?

Can't remember

I had a good time although I didn't stay up late. Lots of good signals and nice conversation.
As the title of this thread has to do with "observations", I was aparentely "observed" during the rally by an ARRL Official Observer. I received a "Good Operator Report" today complimenting my station as well as those I was in QSO with. I quote; "The on air operations of your entire group is a fine example of amateur radio for others to follow."

Kinda nice to hear actually......

Bill KA8WTK

Gary,
         Next time, don't forget to work the Glenfiddich also. Think I'll do that myself right now!

Phil

With that mixture, it's a wonder you didn't also work the porcelain bus  ???  ;D  ;D

Good on you!   Can you post a scan of that card?

I am sure Bill's is in real gold leaf, but a few years ago I got one too.
Proudest moment of being an AMer, recognition by the ARRL !!!
Glory be !!!

http://www.qsl.net/wa3vjb/GOR-1.jpg (http://www.qsl.net/wa3vjb/GOR-1.jpg)

How do you order one of them? I'm jealous, I never got one :'( :'( :'( :'(

I did get an OO report with my Westinghouse on 40 meters. It wasn't fancy as your certificate :-\ :-\ All because I was heard on the dark side of the moon :o :o

Echo....echo......echo.......


You guys need to get off your cell phones while you're on 'fone. No texting while you're typing, either.  ;D



Glen Sr. (33 yrs old now) has been a regular attendee at such events as Shelby and NEAR-Fest along with the HMR and AMTR. Rumor has it he'll be attending Frostfest in a few weeks. His visit to the command trailer at NEAR-Fest was enjoyed by many.

My friend Henry KB7OCY may have been the RCA. His pic w/ the rig is in FEB 2012 ER, page 48. I sold him that rig the summer  before last. It was gotten rid of by the BC station because several engineers had not been able to fix it. Henry found, as they did, the trouble to be a dynamic short in the HV plate voltage circuit. I doubt anyone will get in trouble if I reveal the fix now, because the rig was so old and they really wanted a new one.. drum roll..... carbon tracking in the dirt under the rectifier sockets. from the filament pins, around the ceramic, up the insulator to chassis ground.

The rig had sat in my storage building for 2 years after I got it because there was no electricity there for me to even try working on it. I figured, OK, I'd sell it to Henry, because he is interested in AM and he can fix whatever is wrong with it. You can also see his singing Tesla coils on youtube. Big ones.

He restored it to like new. I have seen pics of that restoration. Every last thing was taken apart and cleaned, this includes the gear drives, and the pins in the shafts of the gears, everything meticulously done. Some items were re-machined or new parts made.