[RTTY] What should I expect from 3db improvement in SNR?

[Bill, W6WRT]

ORIGINAL MESSAGE:

On Thu, 17 Feb 2011 01:00:22 -0600, "Jeff Blaine"
<keepwalking188 at yahoo.com> wrote:

>Don't bet on the "cheaper" as a given.  That depends in a HUGE 
>way on the quality of your junk box and the amount of time you have 
>to dedicate to the project.

REPLY:

That's true. Here's my breakdown on my homebrew amp's most expensive
parts:

Two Hammond cabinets:  $320
Power transformer:  $400
8877:  $550 (Chinese)
2x vacuum variable caps:  $300 (used)
2x turns counters:  $160
Bandswitch:  $300
3x meters:  $240
Blower, 91 CFM:  $145

Total:  $2415. All parts are new except the vacuum variables. If you're
a good scrounger the cost can go WAY down. 

That is just for the most expensive parts. Other stuff like wire,
resistors, capacitors, nuts and bolts, etc, etc, probably added another
$400 or so. And of course, my time was free.   :-)

Roughly half the cost of a new Alpha 8410, but it did take nearly a hear
to put it together. It could have been done in a month or two but I took
my time. Of course it does not have the bells and whistles that an Alpha
has, but there's less to go wrong, too. So far I haven't needed any
bells and whistles. Haven't needed any repairs either. 

And it will do brick-on-the-key with the best of them, mainly because of
the oversized blower. The exhaust temp never gets over 145 degrees F,
even during a contest. I have owned three Alphas over the years and this
runs cooler than any of them. (91b, 89 and 9500)

Like I said, not for everybody, but it has the big advantage that I can
fix it myself - no expensive trips back to the manufacturer, ever. 

73, Bill W6WRT