[Amps] Decline of homebrewing?

Mark Bitterlich markbitterlich at embarqmail.com
Fri Jan 6 19:45:09 EST 2017


17 year olds still join the Marines today to serve (and sometimes die) for 
their country.   I repeat, 17 year olds.

The fact that some young man or woman might decide to build a KW amp a week 
after getting their ham ticket (and coming here for help to do so) does not 
bother me at all, in fact it shows some common sense.

Honestly, I believe it would instill in most people of the people here a 
sense of responsability to act as a mentor as best as they could.

Mark
wa3jpy

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Jim W7RY" <jimw7ry at gmail.com>
To: <sm0aom at telia.com>; <amps at contesting.com>
Sent: Friday, January 06, 2017 8:17 AM
Subject: Re: [Amps] Decline of homebrewing?


>I completely disagree!
>
> My first amplifier project was at age 16, shortly after I got my general 
> class license.
>
> I modified (and extensively at that) a amplifier that was homebrewed by 
> someone else. I removed the choke in the power supply, converted it from 
> tube rectifiers (3B28) to 1N4007s that I bought from James Electronics, 
> built a tuned input circuit, built my own high voltage probe with 1 megOhm 
> resistors and used it with my Radio Shack range doubler voltmeter, and 
> then used it extensively on 40 meters SSB on 7235. AND lived to tell about 
> it! But then again, I'm very confident around high voltage.
>
> And this was in 1975-76.
>
> 73
> Jim W7RY
>
>
> -----Original Message----- 
> From: sm0aom at telia.com
> Sent: Friday, January 06, 2017 1:18 AM
> To: amps at contesting.com
> Subject: Re: [Amps] Decline of homebrewing?
>
> This was written almost 50 years ago, and gives some food for thought even 
> today:
>
> "Homebrew Kilowatt
>
> Dear 73,
>
> Did you ever write an article that you later wished
> you had not written? I have written several. The latest
> is the 6KG6 KW amplifier appearing in January 73.
>
> The third paragraph states, "It is assumed that the
> ham who starts out to home brew a kilowatt is not
> embarking on his first construction project".
>
> You wouldn't believe the letters I have received from
> neophyte hams, who, by their very questions, reveal
> that they have never built anything at all. So suddenly
> they decide to build a KW with 2000 volts on it.
> I sincerely hope nobody gets electrocuted as a result
> of my article.
>
> I belive you need a good article entitled, "If you
> want to get your feet wet, start at the shallow end of
> the pool". Then go on to describe a good linear (or
> other amplifier) that has a supply of less than 500
> volts. Go through it piece by piece and explain what
> the parts are for and why they have to be within
> a certain size range. The stock question about the
> above amplifier was "What's the size of the capacitor
> between the plate and the pi-network? This is noted
> in at least ten places in every handbook in the land.
> A ham who doesn't comprehend even vaguely, the pur-
> pose and limitations of a dc blocking and rf by-pass
> capacitor, has no business building anything as lethal
> as a KW final,
>
> R. D Baird W7CSD
> Klamath Falls, Oregon"
>
> 73/
> Karl-Arne
> SM0AOM
> 


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