Topband: Old Radios

[Eddy Swynar]

On 2012-09-16, at 12:47 PM, Tom W8JI wrote:

> 
>> Specifically, every year The Antique Wireless Association (NY, USA) sponsors the "Bruce Kelley 1929 QSO Party" for two weekends in late autumn: this year marks the first time that 160-meters will be added to the existing 80- and 40-meter bands of activity. Details may be seen at http://www.antiquewireless.org/pdf/AWA_2012-2013_Event_Schedule.pdf
>> 
>> The gist of the event is simply this: members dust off any available 1929 (and earlier) active devices---also known as "tubes"(!)---and incorporate them into homebrewed, self-excited transmitters, with a maximum limit of 10-watts input (double that, optional, after midnight).
> 
> I have a TPTG pair of 45 tubes, but I don't think 160 meters is a good idea during the ARRL contest. I hope someone made the AWA aware of the conflict.
> 
> 
> :-) 



Hi Tom,

Rest assured that both I, as well as Paul (N1BUG), reminded the gang of that fact!!! I think they're all resolved to the reality of the one weekend conflicting with the ARRL event, & so will restrict themselves (ourselves!) to specifically the 80- and 40-meter bands at that time...

Heck, it's tough enough by times during the ARRL 160 fray to be able to copy kilowatt stations through the wall of QRM with even the tightest of IF filters, never-mind attempting to QSO a 10-watt chirpy / yoopy signal whose self-excited & unbuffered frequency is only as steady as the wind that might be tossing about its antenna! Hi Hi

Well, Tom, if you have pair of 45s in a TPTG set-up, why not take a break during the non-contest weekend on the band & join us...? Or at least tune around & soak-in some of the on-the-air ambiance, & imagine that that's how things most likely sounded during the Roaring Twenties. It's really quite infectious, AND a whole lotta fun...seriously!

Do you have coils made to cover Topband...? If not, there's plenty of time to get that done, well in advance of the event. I hope to use a somewhat more "modern" rig here, i.e. a master-oscillator-power-amplifier consisting of a Hartley 227 oscillator, driving a paralleled pair of 227s (but it needs a bit of work here still to "tame" the frequency). For a receiver I want to employ the services this year of my homebrewed 1929-style 12-tube superheterodyne (224s, 227s., & 245s galore!).

~73~ de Eddy VE3CUI - VE3XZ