Topband: Fw: Trans-Atlantics Revisited

[Brian Mattson]

----- Original Message ----- 
From: Brian Mattson 
To: topband at contesting.com 
Cc: f5in at wanadoo.fr 
Sent: Tuesday, November 13, 2007 11:18 AM
Subject: Trans-Atlantics Revisited


Success at last....

Last night I completed a qso with Mike, F5IN. His professional operating techniques helped to be sure, and are much appreciated.

What made this qso unique is that it was entirely random, no spotting or skeds involved, and the station here is all homebrew using designs AND components from the 1920's!
The receiver was inspired by the December 1927 issue of "QST", which featured the new "Shield Grid Tube". My receiver is very close to R.B. Bournes' unit on page 35. It uses the copper lined wooden case concept (my case is from an early 1920's battery receiver & has been cleaned, but not refinished at all). I brought the receiver to the TopBand Dinner at Dayton several years back, so some of you may remember it. It has a UX-222 RF amp into a UX-201A regenerative detector, followed by two steps of UX-201A audio. The CW filter is an L/C affair, using a Ford spark coil secondary.

The transmitter is still in the breadboard stage, literally...A UY-227 oscillator, either crystal controlled or variable as a TNT, drives a UX-245 driver stage; this drives a push-pull pair of "Fifty Watters", either 211's or 203A's (both were announced in 1921). I have the antenna current up to 1.9 Amps on the vintage Weston meter, so am putting about 180 watts into the 50 ohm antenna (a pair of inverted L's broadside to Europe).

I've been a ham for over fifty years, but only got on 160 six years ago. After WAC & DXCC, I felt the need for a new challenge. Reading the histories of TopBand, and of the intense excitement of the first Trans-Atlantic tests in general, I decided to give it a shot using period stuff. Researching the designs & scrounging the parts have been pure pleasure. I am continually amazed by the ingenuity and resourcefulness of the early hams & by the results they obtained.

Next, I've GOT to get a Beverage going towards Europe, perhaps with a "Pre-amp" to make up for its' lower output AND gain some much needed additional selectivity. Eventually, I'd like to use antique furniture & lighting to create a completely period shack..

It was interesting that although the first Trans-Atlantic tests were started with British stations, the first two-way QSO was completed with France! Although I called CQ DX for a few evenings, and called several European stations near my crystal frequency, F5IN was the first to complete a QSO. History repeats itself....Thanks Mike!

Brian  K8BHZ