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Re: [TenTec] In praise of older technology

To: Discussion of Ten-Tec Equipment <tentec@contesting.com>
Subject: Re: [TenTec] In praise of older technology
From: bob barnes <k0wtz@yahoo.com>
Reply-to: Discussion of Ten-Tec Equipment <tentec@contesting.com>
Date: Tue, 25 Feb 2014 08:08:04 -0800 (PST)
List-post: <tentec@contesting.com">mailto:tentec@contesting.com>
hey some movie i see everyonce in awhile has a real spart station on a ship.  
its the most fasinating thing i have every seen. fire flying everyway and pure 
ac hum and crackling.  i dont understand it but remember those old cuban 
stations and their h/b cw rigs.

bob k0wtz
all things are possible in Christ Jesus our savior

--------------------------------------------
On Mon, 2/24/14, k6jek <k6jek@comcast.net> wrote:

 Subject: Re: [TenTec] In praise of older technology
 To: "Discussion of Ten-Tec Equipment" <tentec@contesting.com>
 Date: Monday, February 24, 2014, 2:23 PM
 
 There is something to be said for a
 chain saw CW note. You stand out in a crowd.
 
 And as for your station, have you considered an Alexanderson
 Alternator as a upgrade to your spark station? They are the
 cat's pajamas.
 
 Jon
 
 On Feb 24, 2014, at 10:30 AM, Doug Reid wrote:
 
 > Back when I started out, we used a spark generator and
 the frequency was determined by the length of our
 antenna......not really.....geez, how old do you guys think
 am I anyway !  Although, I did hear a station on 20
 meter cw the other evening that resembled a chain saw
 sending cq. I should have  sent him a few new caps for
 his power supply.
 > 
 > 
 > -----Original Message-----
 > From: Tony Lelieveld <va3dwi@gmail.com>
 > To: R. Eric Sluder-W9WLW <resluder@yahoo.com>;
 Discussion of Ten-Tec Equipment <tentec@contesting.com>
 > Sent: Mon, Feb 24, 2014 1:07 pm
 > Subject: Re: [TenTec] In praise of older technology
 > 
 > 
 > Hi all,
 > I remember the day when I got my first license, PA0MIH
 in the Netherlands.  My 
 > tation was inspected by the PTT (Post Telephone
 Telegraph, the Dutch equivalent 
 > f the FCC) four months after and was approved because I
 had a GDO (Grid Dip 
 > scillator) so I could determine that I was not
 transmitting out of band 
 > i..hi..  They even measured the level of the third
 harmonics and assured that I 
 > ad a plate current meter so I could determine my power
 input level.  I doubt if 
 > hey still do that.  Aaaah the good old days.
 > 73, Tony VE3DWI.
 > ********************
 > ----- Original Message ----- 
 > rom: "R. Eric Sluder-W9WLW" <resluder@yahoo.com>
 > o: "Discussion of Ten-Tec Equipment" <tentec@contesting.com>
 > ent: Monday, February 24, 2014 12:03 PM
 > ubject: Re: [TenTec] In praise of older technology
 > 
 > ohn:
 > That is a great summation of Rick's words! 
 > Eric
 > 9WLW
 > 
 >> ________________________________
 > From: John <jh.graves@verizon.net>
 > To: Discussion of Ten-Tec Equipment <tentec@contesting.com>
 
 > Sent: Monday, February 24, 2014 10:40 AM
 > Subject: Re: [TenTec] In praise of older technology
 > 
 > 
 > Rick,
 > 
 > I think what you are implying,is that we spend too much
 time spending 
 > and not enough time learning. How to make my antenna
 work...Is this 
 > REALLY an antenna and what do you mean tune my
 transmitter, it goes 
 > right to peak as soon as I turn it on. The salesman
 said this will cure 
 > all the issues (pick your own salesman and issues) Oh
 well. Ham radio 
 > is fun, and if you really work at it, your reading
 speed will increase 
 > as well. Personally, I look for the articles I don't
 understand, but 
 > then, why not!
 > 
 > Cheers,
 > 
 > John - WA1JG
 > 
 > 
 > 
 > 
 > On 2/24/2014 10:28 AM, Rick - DJ0IP / NJ0IP wrote:
 >> ...and then there were the receivers and
 transmitters that we home-brewed
 >> ourselves, which didn't have any frequency readout
 on them at all. We had
 >> to depend on the frequency printed on a crystal to
 have an idea of about
 >> where we were. I guess it was usually within a "kc"
 or 2 of what was
 >> printed on the front plate of the crystal.
 >> 
 >> The term Hertz was introduced in 1960 but for the
 first 5 to 10 years,
 >> people were still using "kc's" on the bands.
 >> 
 >> One of my favorite receivers was an old military
 surplus National HRO (like)
 >> which was the NC-100 series, with that huge knob
 with even bigger skirts,
 >> but with a readout of 0 to several hundred. Mine
 had sliding coils inside,
 >> rather than plug in modules. I don't recall how
 many ranges it had, perhaps
 >> 5 or 6. I believe mine was an NC-101X; can't recall
 for sure. The only
 >> readout was in meaningless numbers. Again the xtal
 controlled TX helped to
 >> locate the frequency. Despite that, it was one of
 the most fun receivers I
 >> ever had. That was in 1963.
 >> 
 >> Back then we were worried about things like cw
 tone, chirp, and drift.
 >> Accuracy was not even considered. We didn't even
 have frequency counters.
 >> If you were lucky, you had a surplus BC-221
 frequency meter, of course we
 >> had no way of knowing how accurate it was
 calculated.
 >> 
 >> Now that all of those problems have gone away,
 there is not much left to
 >> gripe about, is there?
 >> So let's take Hz.
 >> 
 >> BUT WAIT . . .
 >> 
 >> What about stuff like:
 >> ..> Our transmitters are now the big challenge
 of reducing the problem with
 >> QRM on the bands, not the receivers; yet nobody is
 doing anything about it.
 >> ..> Some matchbox OEMs are still selling
 matchboxes with Voltage Baluns in
 >> them and calling them symmetrical matchboxes, which
 they are NOT.
 >> ..> Most Balun manufacturers are selling what
 they call a 4:1 Guanella
 >> Current balun, wound on a single torroid and
 calling it a Balun, which it
 >> definitely is NOT. It forces an unbalance all the
 time. Yet they are
 >> selling loads of them, and some poor Joe Ham is
 buying this stuff.
 >> ..> Some matchbox OEMs are selling matchboxes
 with this single core 4:1
 >> Guanella and calling it a symmetrical matchbox,
 which it definitely is not.
 >> ..> Several antenna companies are making
 antennas with some random length of
 >> wire or aluminum and a "magnetic balun" and
 flogging it as a wonder all-band
 >> antenna, and many Joe Hams are buying these in good
 faith...
 >> 
 >> I could go on.
 >> 
 >> Now compare the list above with the problem of
 being 30 Hz off frequency.
 >> Talk about majoring in minors!
 >> 
 >> How about we all get focused on the broadband noise
 that all modern
 >> transmitters these days generate, some less so,
 some more so, and some are
 >> really culprits. Now that's a technical discussion
 that might someday lead
 >> to improving our hobby!
 >> 
 >> 73 - Rick, DJ0IP
 >> (Nr. Frankfurt am Main)
 >> 
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 >> 
 > 
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