Woodbox Radio no longer makes them. Same for Misty Hollow Enterprises.
-----Original Message----- From: Guy Giacopuzzi <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Sent: Thu, 20 Dec 2007 5:17 pm Subject: Re: [drakelist] R-4 Series Crystal Alternatives Guy Giacopuzzi <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> made an utterance to the drakelist gang? ----------------------------------------------------------------------? Ok, can someone give some details as to the "Italian outfit" that makes the DDS synthesizer?? ? Guy,? WA6OQQ? ? Jim Pruitt wrote:? ? >"Jim Pruitt" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> made an utterance to the drakelist gang? >----------------------------------------------------------------------? >Hello Eddy.? >? >I have built 2 of the Steve Hageman "Give that Drake Receiver a New Lease on? >Life" ( http://www.arrl.org/qst/2004/06/hageman.pdf ) projects from the? >June 2004 issue of QST and troubleshooting info at? >http://www.geocities.com/hagtronics/r4.html and more troubleshooting info at? >N0SS site at http://www.n0ss.net/drake_het_osc_xtal_elim_notes.pdf off of? >his page at http://www.n0ss.net/index_general.html . Tom has an Excel? >spreadsheet bill of materials at? >http://www.n0ss.net/drake_xtal_elim_proj_parts_list.xls but it has not been? >updated since 2005. The Hageman FS4 clone works well and looks good. The? >cost is a bit high (but what DIY projects are not more expensive than? >commercial products these days( (I think mine cost in the neighborhood of? >$150 with all new parts and a pc board from Fred at FAR Circuits) and I was? >not that impressed with some of the methods used in the design but it is? >still a good item and does the job very well. The part that I did not like? >was that the segments were 500khz segments (starting at 12.6mhz for 160? >meters). Why does that matter since most band segments tuned are 500khz,? >you ask. I am in MARS and some of the frequencies fall close to the IF area? >where Drake recommends using crystals that start in the middle of the band? >segment (when using the T4X series and transceiving). This is mostly a non? >issue now, since MARS outlawed older amateur gear on their frequencies.? >Other than that the Hageman FS4 clone is ok. It does look nice in the MS4? >enclosure with the vinyl overlays that Tom Hammond, N0SS had made that? >resemble the face of the FS4. Tom also had ovelays made for a Hammond? >enclosure for those that did not want to put it in a MS4.? >? >I also looked very hard at the project at? >http://www.jimcom.net/elehobby/r4cdds/index.html which uses an Analog? >Devices AD9850 DDS chip. The web page is in Japanese (I do not read or? >speak Japanese) but the schematic is viewable and the code for the Pic 16F84? >is there.? >? >There are other Analog Devices chips that would probably work better like? >the DDS_Controllers group project that uses a AD9912 (I think) DDS chip.? >? >You can also cheat and use a signal generator to replace the FS4 (expensive? >waste of test gear) or use a vfo if you have one that covers those ranges? >that you need.? >? >The DDS signal generators that use the AD9850 series are probably the? >easiest and cheapest to come by as there were many scattered across the web.? >? >I personally do not like having to buy a bunch of crystals since? >International Crystal is harder to deal with these days and Jan Crystals web? >page is hard to use. I guess Bomar is still in business (correct me if I am? >wrong). It is getting harder to buy crystals from crystal manufacturers (at? >least at a reasonable price) because the mass production market has moved to? >cpu clock crystals.? >? >The Italian outfit that is making a DDS synthesizer for the Drake twins? >makes a good product from what I have gathered on this list but that price? >is way out of my budget.? >? >If you are inclined to make one of the DDS sythesizers you might look at the? >NJQRP DDS daughtercard at http://www.amqrp.org/kits/dds60/ . It uses a? >AD9851 which is not included with the kit but may still be available? >directly from Analog Devices as a free sample (they are really good about? >samples of current production chips but samples are not available for chips? >that are at the end of their production life).? >? >Trev (now K6ESE) had a DDS pc board available on the QRP-L group for a while? >that used an Atmel AT89S8252 cpu. That project is written up at? >http://www.k6ese.com/DDS_Project.htm but is no longer available but the? >schematic as well as the source code are available on his site.? >? >There are many many other web sites that have a AD9850-51-54 series DDS? >synthesizer project outlined as well as some newer ones like the? >DDS_Controller Yahoo group.? >? >Craig Johnson, AA0ZZ, and the group hanging out at the DDS-VFO Yahoo group? >and are a great bunch of guys. Craig made the IQ-Pro DDS project for NJQRP? >or AMQrp group and now are working on a better version. Craig's homepage is? >at http://home.comcast.net/~aa0zz/aa0zz-main.html so you might look at that.? >? >I do not know if the above helps or just muddies the waters but I hope that? >it shows you that there are other alternatives to the FS4.? >? >Good luck.? >? >Jim Pruitt? >? >----- Original Message ----- >From: EP Swynar? >To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] >Sent: Wednesday, December 19, 2007 9:33 AM? >Subject: [drakelist] R-4 Series Crystal Alternatives? >? >? >Good Afternoon All,? >? >I'm curious about the experience of others in the matter of utilizing? >possible "...substitutes" for the frequency band oscillator crystals --- be? >they synthesizers, self-excited "analog" oscillators, whatever --- in the? >R-4 series of receivers, to expand the frequency coverage of same...? >? >To date, my research has come up with three different articles on the? >subject, i.e.:? >? >--- August 1972 HAM RADIO magazine ("Frequency Synthesizer for the Drake? >R-4";? >? >--- May 1981 QST magazine ("General-Coverage Reception with the Drake R-4C",? >and,? >? >--- June 2004 April QST magazine ("Give that Drake Receiver a New Lease on? >Life").? >? >Of all these, the May '81 QST appears to be about the simplest to construct,? >even though it uses a pair of the now relatively expensive ECG222 (come? >NTE-222) dual-gate Mosfet transistors...but how in the world does one attain? >(and maintain) solid, stable, & steady crystal-like oscillation in a? >relatively simple Colpitts circuit, as high as 40.8-MHz...?!? >? >I'm putting out feelers at this time, because in three short days from now,? >I shall be the proud owner of a pair of Drake Twins here...a Christmas? >present that I am presenting to myself, just a few days ahead of THE BIG? >DAY, Hi Hi.? >? >Thanks in advance, & my vy? >? >~73~ Eddy VE3CUI - VE3XZ? >? >? >----------------------------------------------------------------------? >Submissions: [EMAIL PROTECTED] >Unsubscribe: [EMAIL PROTECTED] - unsubscribe drakelist in body? >Hopelessly Lost: [EMAIL PROTECTED] - help in body of message? >Zerobeat Web Page: www.zerobeat.net - sponsored by www.tlchost.net? >----------------------------------------------------------------------? >? >? >? > >? ? ----------------------------------------------------------------------? 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