[TowerTalk] Johnson Match Box

[K7GCO@aol.com]

Charles:  The suggestions below are very good.  I would go further and take 
it appart totally and look for brunt switches etc as I suggested in one of my 
posts.  It's over 50 years old and feedline of the wrong length could have 
been used with it.  Why didn't you ask me directly?  I have as much 
experience with them as anyone and am always glad to help MB users--do the 
impossible.  Did you get the other suggestions of adding a swtich to select 
different taps and to make sure the 50 ohm tap in the 275 W version is 
connected to 2 turns of the link?

Many like N4KG have had great success with the MB.  If you listen to those 
with all the math it probably won't work for you.  With all due respect to 
math which I use all the time there is a test that will save you a lot of 
math-professional-know-it-all- embarrassment which is this Old K7GCO Axiom."
                           "ONE TEST IS WORTH 1000 OPINIONS"
No Engineering Degrees are needed either.  Remember the Bumble Bee is not 
supposed to be able to fly either the Air Flow Math people claim also.  It 
does indeed fly.  There is a rumor that one of the TT contributors actually 
wrote that report but it's being suppressed?  I would suggest you listen to 
those who know how to make things work in HR--preferably without all kinds of 
math.  You are free to take you pick.  If I can help you in any way to 
enhance your $20 investment feel free to call on me at any time.  The math 
people often tell you what you CAN'T do.  Challenge them if they actually 
tried it and ask to see their data.  The often become very quiet.  I'll tell 
you what you CAN DO and at the least cost like the $20 you paid where 
commercial tuners are very very expensive.  Another Match Box Success Story.  
Keep me posted on your progress.  Until then The "Lone Defender" says 73's 
and rides off into the RF Sunset on my Silver Plated Horse Vector.  K7GCO

<< Date:    9/28/00 10:10:04 AM Pacific Daylight Time
 From:  cburk001@juno.com (Charles W BWW Burkhardt)
 Sender:    owner-towertalk@contesting.com
 To:    towertalk@contesting.co 
 
 Gentlemen: I picked up a Johnson Match Box for $20, at a garage sale of
 all places. Thought I'd try it  with ladder line to a 40 meter vertical.
 There is no model No. on the unit-says catalog no. 250-23 on the back. No
 diagram. It  has a 115 VAC relay to connect the tx to the antenna and
 this has to be actuated to connect the antenna  to a transceiver.  I
 would just as soon not have to activate it whenever I am using the rig.
 Has anyone  worked out some way to bypass the reley-after removing what
 seems to be a hundred screws? Thanks in advance. Charlie, K0GPf  
  >>

In a message dated 9/28/00 1:41:35 PM Pacific Daylight Time, n4kg@juno.com 
writes:<< 
 My solution was to bite the bullet,
 remove the "100" screws, and to 
 BYPASS the relay, i.e., connect the
 input winding directly to the input
 coax connector.
 
 You have a 250 Watt Matchbox,  but 
 those were rated for plate modulated
 radios.  Plate modulation doubles the
 voltage which corresponds to 4 times
 the power (1000W).  I have had no
 problems using my 250 W Matchboxes
 at 600 to 1000W on ladderline fed dipoles.
 **********I don't either with 600W SSB on 10M
 de  Tom  N4KG
 
  In a message dated 9/28/00 10:10:04 AM Pacific Daylight Time, 
cburk001@juno.com writes:
In a message dated 9/28/00 11:08:55 AM Pacific Daylight Time, k6ll@juno.com 
writes:

 That relay is pretty slow. I had mine wired to activate whenever
 the "big switch" to turn on the radios was on. I put a regular two-
 prong AC plug on it and just plugged it into a power strip.
 
 Dave Hachadorian, K6LL
 Big Bear, CA
  >>

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