----- Original Message ----- From: "Garey Barrell" <k4...@mindspring.com>
To: <drakelist@zerobeat.net>
Sent: Friday, June 17, 2011 8:22 PM
Subject: Re: [Drakelist] Sidetones (was Ten-Tec and Drake Compared)


Darrell -

Most equipment sold before the early 1960's was NOT 'integrated'. I would say the vast majority of ham stations had a receiver made by one company and a transmitter either homebrewed or made by another company. Johnson and WRL didn't make receivers, and National and Hammarlund didn't make transmitters. There were exceptions, but most did one or the other.

Just about all receivers had a pair of terminals that had to be shorted to activate the receiver if the front panel switch was in STANDBY, and just about all transmitters (or their associated antenna relays) had a pair of contacts to control the receiver.

Most electronic keyers had monitors built into them, and Bud and a few others made external boxes that sensed RF and generated a sidetone. A lot of us would listen to the transformer hum when the transmitter was keyed as our 'monitor'.

Collins radios were among the first to be 'integrated' with receivers and transmitters designed to work together, but even those didn't ALL have sidetone.

On the other hand, once the S-Line, Drake 4 Line, Heath SB pair, etc. came along, everything was working together and sidetone was standard.

73, Garey - K4OAH
Glen Allen, VA

Drake 2-B, 2-C/2-NT, 4-A, 4-B, C-Line
and TR-4/C Service Supplement CDs
<www.k4oah.com>

That is something that had not occured to me believe it or not. I think that Collins was probably the first to "integrate" their equipment, especially the 75A and 32V series. The first two versions of the 32V did have side tone, it was dropped in the 32V3 supposedly because they could not get sufficent TVI suppression with it. All of the big three made transmitters at one time or another, especially National for the Navy, but only Hallicrafters made them as a main part of their catalogue. I think all of these were crystal controlled TX with no VFO being offered. There _were_ some separate VFO's, the Meissner (Sp?) Signal Shifter being one of the earliest. Hallicrafters eventually offered a VFO that could be used with a variety of rigs or as a stand alone exciter. I am not sure when the Viking Ranger came out first but it had a built-in VFO and was complete in one package. Collins OTOH, did not make ham or general coverage receivers before the end of WW-2 although they made special purpose receivers for point to point and aeronautical use.


--
Richard Knoppow
Los Angeles
WB6KBL
dickb...@ix.netcom.com

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