[Amps] Decline of homebrewing?

[Roger (K8RI)]

My first project was a pair of 6L6s driven by a 6AG7 on the novice 
bands.  I built it on the corner of an old TV chassis in 61. In those 
days a B&W TV PS was as robust as a Collins PS. It looked crude and 
rough but it worked fine.
My second project was rebuilding a 6C21 into a pair of 813s. You could 
purchase all the "good" 6C21s and 813s you could afford for $5.00 ea.  
Unlike now days, a gassy 813 was rare. However, that was in 61-62, or 
abt 55 years ago

The PS didn't even have a cover, but was well out of the way, so I 
couldn't put my feet on it.  OTOH I had courses in electronics, TV, and 
Instrumentation, so I was comfortable around HV.  OTOH, I was 21 before 
getting into Ham Radio.  I had learned the CW in Boy Scouts, but that 
had been so long ago, I had to learn it again. 5 WPM was easy. 13 WPM, 
not so much.  I spent a lot of time on CW after earning the General 
class. I'd tune in a good sounding conversation and stretch out on the 
couch.  Before long, high speed CW was like listening to someone talk.

73, Roger (K8RI)

On 1/6/2017 8:17 AM, Jim W7RY wrote:
> 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 1961 give or take. About 55 years ago.  The 3 leg 
> fuses were just on the horizon.

>
> 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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