[TenTec] Orion as AM radio

[Rideout Family]

Rob, if what you said were true no new vacuum tube equipment would be 
sold but it is.  The audio purest will tell you solid state comes close 
but tubes are still the best.

As for AM rigs one reason I like amateur radio is to operate the fine 
old equipment of yesteryear.  It's just like driving an old car on a 
Sunday some people wouldn't be found dead driving an old T around but 
lots of us enjoy such carrying ons.  And as far as bad audio I hear more 
bad SSB audio than anything on AM and I contribute that to the AM 
operators who are more than just knob twisters.

Art WA6IPD



Rob Atkinson, K5UJ wrote:
>>> If I wanted to get into AM operation, no solid state rig could ever 
>>> satisfy me. I'd want a big tube transmitter. <<<
>>>       
>
> There's this mythical idea hams seem to have, that decent AM can only happen 
> with a big plate modulated tube rig.   I have no idea where this comes from, 
> given the fact that broadcasters are ditching this techology for solid state 
> transmitters as fast as they can.  Turn on your medium wave AM receiver and 
> tune around to any radio station.  Odds are 3:1 that you are hearing a solid 
> state rig, especially if you are tuned into a big 50 kw station.  About the 
> only ones left running primary vacuum rigs are the dinky daytimers that 
> aren't generating enough revenue to go solid state.
>
> the best sounding ham AM rigs out there now are solid state, either class E, 
> dsp generated AM from the flex radio, or low level modulated exciters 
> driving amps.  a few guys are doing well with old tube broadcast rigs and 
> globe kings, gold dust twins etc. but for every one of them there are 100 
> with dx100s who are unbearable.
>
> rob / k5uj
>
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