Re: [AMRadio] Antennas

[D. Chester]

> From: "Larry Szendrei" 

>>> There have been some interesting cases with short loaded antennas
>> in the BC band, the bandwidth has occasionally been so narrow that the AM
>> sidebands become attenuated!  Not going to see that effect in the amateur
>> bands unless someone is running an antenna only a few feet long!!
>
> Correct. This has been observed on my 75M AM mobile signal, with reports
> of one sideband being attenuated relative to the other. Antenna is a
> Webster bandpanner ("a few feet long").
>
> 73,
> -Larry/NE1S

The first commercial use of SSB was around 1920 for transatlantic telephone 
links using VLF.  Even the tallest tower in the world would be only a tiny 
fraction of a wave length at those frequencies. The bandwidth was too narrow 
to pass both sidebands, but they found that they could get by transmitting 
only one.  Thus, the sideband filter was the antenna itself! The balanced 
modulator circuit was known during the WW1 era. I have seen descriptions of 
the circuit in old radio books of that day.

The first SSB ham rig was described in a series of construction articles in 
R/9 magazine in 1933 and 1934.  I have the issues with the articles.

A lot of to-day's Hammy Hambones think that SSB was invented during or 
shortly after WW2.

Don k4kyv

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Re: [AMRadio] Antennas

[D. Chester]

> There have been some interesting cases with short loaded antennas
> in the BC band, the bandwidth has occasionally been so narrow that the AM
> sidebands become attenuated!  Not going to see that effect in the amateur
> bands unless someone is running an antenna only a few feet long!! 
> Bernie W8RPW

I  almost have that situation on 160m when I use my 80m dipole, fed with 
open wire line and balanced tuner.  I can move maybe +/- 5 kHz before I have 
to retune.  Using that antenna set-up is like being crystal controlled, 
since I have to go down to the tower to re-set the tuner.

Hopefully, by upcoming season I'll have my remote tuning system, with 
reversible DC motor, so I'll at least be able to QSY within the same band 
without a trip to t he tower.  I hope to eventually make it so I can change 
bands remotely as well.


Don k4kyv






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Re: [AMRadio] AMRadio Digest, Vol 75, Issue 18

[D. Chester]

>From Rob K5UJ:

> I also have decided it was a mistake to eliminate the CW
> requirement for the license, not because it is necessary for
> communication (it is not) but because it is necessary to communicate
> with the most basic simple homebrew rig, a CW transmitter.
>
> Now, even if we teach homebrewing in the form of electronics lessons
> and construction skills, the builder of the most basic rig, a crystal
> controlled cw transmitter, will not have learned cw already from
> getting his license.  He will have his completed project and not be
> able to do anything other than key a dead cw carrier and un-key it.
> Of course he can learn the code at that point, but wouldn't it be more
> fun and easier if he already had that skill ready to go? Many have
> said, and I also in the past, that no one wants to learn CW now with
> all the high-tech gadgets in our lives these days.  They miss the
> point--it is not all about CW only, but CW in combination with
> learning about radio, building a basic rig as a learning experience
> and then using CW to communicate with it before moving on to more
> advanced circuits and transmitters.
>
> Dropping CW from the license test has been one more step in turning
> ham radio into glorified CB.

Another  step in that direction occurred years ago with "Novice 
Enhancement", when the FCC granted Novices and Technicians access to 10m 
phone, but restricted it to SSB.  A Novice (now Technicians) cannot legally 
build up a simple, low power AM transmitter and use it to get on the air on 
phone for the first time. He can't even re-crystal an old crystal-controlled 
CB rig, or reset the synthesiser in a more modern one. It is highly unlikely 
that a new Novice or Tech would undertake the project of building a homebrew 
SSB transmitter.  Instead, he must buy a plastic radio, setting him 
immediately on the path of appliance operation.

I recall my very first attempt at phone, a "cathode modulator" that used a 
6Y6 tube and carbon mic, that plugged into the key jack of my single 807 CW 
transmitter.  I didn't really know much about modulation and how to properly 
tune and load the thing, so my modulation was probably no more than about 
20%, but I was able to get on the air and make my voice heard.  I must have 
had a half dozen contacts with that rig before I built up a simple plate 
modulator with a pair of 1625s.

> I think we need to focus on learning electronics as an attraction to
> ham radio and bring back a Novice type HF privilege CW license because
> we lost the introduction to ham radio that involved building and
> getting on HF right away.  Now we have new people starting out with 2
> meter FM handy talkiies and it is not the same.
>

In Canada and UK they now have an entry level class called a "Foundation" 
licence. Licensees in that class are not even allowed to build or modify any 
kind of a transmitter.  They must start off using plastic appliances from 
the outset. There has been a lot of clamour in recent years, since the 
elimination of the old Novice class,  to re-establish some kind of entry 
level licence other than the Technician in the US.  I am afraid that if such 
a ticket were ever created, it  also contain a similar  restriction against 
homebrewing.

Things improved slightly with the phone band expansion and elimination of 
the old Novice sub-bands. Technicians can now operate CW (restricted to the 
former Novice power level, IIRC) in the General class CW bands. So 
conceivably, a new Tech could start out on HF with a homebrew CW rig even 
though the code test was not part of his exam.  This may encourage a few 
Techs or prospective Techs to learn CW, since that is one way they can 
operate in the lower HF bands before taking the General class exam. But last 
time I  looked over the Technician question pool, there weren't a lot of 
questions about that type of operation.  The exam was oriented  more towards 
VHF/UHF and repeaters.

Don k4kyv



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Re: [AMRadio] Ham Radio Growing in the age of Twitter

[D. Chester]

>> why I work AM.  ten was open a bit yesterday and I worked a few
>> stations.(SSB)  the conversations were short ( not on my end) and sounded
>> like CB jargon.

Not just on 10m.  I notice the same thing on 75, 40 and 160.  And not just 
SSB, I also  hear it on AM.

Little short 3-4 word transmissions.  Sometimes it goes by so fast I can't 
even get the call sign.  Something I really have a problem with is people 
just dropping the carrier in mid sentence without saying "over" or "go 
ahead".  I'm not always sure they turned it over to me, if their rig just 
crapped out, or if propagation conditions have taken a sudden change.

I few times I have had to ask the other station to please repeat your call a 
couple of times; you are running it by too fast. Also, I usually make it a 
point by saying, "I wasn't sure you turned it back to me.  You didn't say 
"over" or anything to give me a clue that your transmission had ended."

This happens a lot when I call CQ and indicate that I am listening in AM 
mode.  Often the station coming back tells me this is the first time he has 
tried the rig on AM, and I assume he is not familiar with normal AM 
operating procedure.

I usually try to have patience and explain  the procedure to newcomers. I 
have quite often had stations to say they were impressed with the sound of 
AM and would try it out some more.  A couple that I have known of have 
eventually taken the plunge, acquired a plate modulated tube type rig, and 
AM has become their primary mode of operation.

But some operators who drop the carrier without warning have been operating 
AM for quite a while and still do that.  I find it annoying, particularly 
with stations that are weak and in the noise level, and I don't have a clue 
when they stand by.  Maybe they used roger beeps when they were on CB.

Don k4kyv
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Re: [AMRadio] SDR IQ

[D. Chester]

> From: "Jay Bromley" 

> For years I have used SpectraPlus.  They sure seem to be pricey these 
> days,
> since I have purchased the software.  Here is the link:
> http://www.spectraplus.com/  I guess 14 years or more has flown by since I
> purchased mine?  Seems it was expensive then, but I can't remember how 
> much.
> I am still using he original copy without any problems.  I have sure got 
> my
> money worth out of it.  Works great, but a few times I have had ground 
> loops
> throw me off until I figured out what was going on.  Computer power 
> supplies
> are horrible in this regard.

That one is a lot more expensive than the True Audio.

I have had so much trouble with these problems, that I wouldn't even attempt 
to cope with the ground loops and hum issues that would inevitably result 
from using any kind of audio test software with a computer with a.c. supply. 
I have a laptop that is faster, has a bigger HDD and more memory than my 
regular computer has, so I would install the spectrum analyser in the laptop 
and run it off battery-only when using the analyser.  It looks like that 
software could convert a laptop into a lab instrument that would be more 
expensive than the laptop itself if purchased in the form of a dedicated 
unit.

Don k4kyv

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Re: [AMRadio] SDR-IQ

[D. Chester]

Bernie, your experience with the SDR-IQ has about convinced me to save my 
money.  I had entertained the idea of purchasing one, but maybe I'd better 
at least wait till they work some of the bugs out of it.

Here is another digital gadget (software only) that I am considering. It 
would convert a laptop to a portable audio spectrum analyser for checking 
everything from microphones, audio amplifiers, incoming signals off the 
radio, individual voice responses, or every combination thereof.  It would 
seem a  lot better for checking the speech amp than the old audio signal 
generator and scope or level meter method,  since you could check the 
instantaneous response curve of your entire system, all the way from your 
larynx to the transmitting antenna.  And this one costs only 100 bucks. 
Bernie KC8RPW in Columbus OH has the cheapie version and he is  highly 
satisfied with it, but I think I would spend a few more $$$ for the true 
spectrum analyser instead of just the bar graph.  Wonder if anyone else has 
used one of these?

It is called the TrueRTA Audio Analyzer.  Best of all, it's downloadable, so 
no waiting for a CD to arrive in the mail.  There is also a free version, 
with very limited functionality, but I would try that before investing money 
in the "good" one.

http://www.trueaudio.com/rta_abt1.htm


Don k4kyv
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Re: [AMRadio] AMRadio Digest, Vol 74, Issue 53

[D. Chester]

> I encountered the same situation with the FCC over the air handler unit
> to my HVAC,  it is a multi speed motor that is controlled by a PWM
> signal.The noise it puts out is nothing like this thing though but I
> followed up with the manufacturer and they would not, (first) admit the
> problem with in their unit, and (second) would not provide any help
> other than telling me to buy a filter from Radio Shack.
>
> I contacted the FCC about the problem and found that the only
> requirement in Part 15 below 30 Mc. has to do with conducted signals,
> not only that, the limits are very liberal.  So ,if you have one of
> these phones  near you, probably the best thing to do is transmit on the
> frequency their oscillator is using with a lot of power and hope the
> user will experience enough trouble to dump the damn thing.
>
> We need a re-write of the re-write of part 15 for signals below 30 meg
> but don't hold your breath unless you have a Congressman or Senator who
> is on the budget committee.
>
> Jim/W5JO

Here is a strategy worth consideration by ALL hams everywhere in the 
country. Next time one of your local politicians holds a "town-hall 
meeting", get together with a few other hams, SWL's, AM broadcast radio 
listeners and any other concerned radio users in your area, and raise holy 
hell over the RFI issue and DEMAND that the FCC do its JOB enforcing laws 
and regulations already on the books. Demand also that manufacturers and 
importers of all types of gadgetry be required by federal law to meet 
certain emission standards and that those standards will be strictly 
enforced. Make enough noise for long enough, and someone will begin to take 
notice. This is an ENVIRONMETAL issue.

A few thousand highly motivated and highly vocal individuals nationwide this 
past summer had a tremendous impact, for better or for worse, regarding 
health insurance reform. Why can't we do a similar thing, and demand an end 
to illegal pollution of the airwaves?

Pass this on to all the hams you know and talk it up over the air... WATSA?

(And PLEASE, no highjacking this thread for off-topic, non-radio related 
comments or remarks!)


Don k4kyv


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[AMRadio] More Hash and Buzzies

[D. Chester]

The other day I posted a message that contained the following:

"Right now, I believe our greatest threat is not that the FCC might outlaw 
AM
or that commercial interests will take our HF bands away at the next WARC
(although we must always keep our eyes open for any such indications); our
greatest concern at the moment has to be the proliferation of cheap, poorly
designed consumer products and other technology that unnecessarily pollutes
the HF spectrum with buzzies and hash.  Just a few examples include BPL, the
new digital/LED traffic signals, plasma TV's, touch lamps, HomePlug gadgets,
and whatever new product came on the market this morning to spew additional
trash in our bands"

If you were wondering what that new product might be, well, here it is. 
This just came in off the RFI reflector.

Don, k4kyv



Date: Thu, 25 Mar 2010 19:01:50 -0700
From: Dennis Vernacchia 
Subject: [RFI] 40M RFI from Ooma VOIP phone hub - HELP!
To: SCCC Reflector , sddxcn...@yahoogroups.com,
CQ-Contest , rfi reflector

Message-ID:
<265781b31003251901l166d3c93qd868c5fe12612...@mail.gmail.com>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1

*eHam.net Forum  :
RFI: 40M RFI from Ooma VOIP phone hub
- HELP!
*  *Forum Help* 
--
  *1-1 of 1 messages*

*   Page 1 of 1   *
  --
 *40M RFI from Ooma VOIP phone hub - HELP!*
  by KE6L  on March 25, 2010
   Recently, I experienced RFI
on 7.040 MHz. It sounded like a buzz saw, with many sidebands +/- 10 KHz.
The signal was 20 dB over S9 on my FT-1000D. N6KI assisted me, and we chased
the problem to a neighbor about a block away. It did not take long to
isolate the source: An Ooma phone hub VOIP phone. People buy these for $250
and get free phone calls over the net. It's just the hub - you plug a phone
into it. You also plug it into your residential telephone wiring (after
disconnecting from the local carrier), so you can use other jacks.

I tested the unit, and it is always oscillating. Most of the energy radiates
from the unit via the "wall" jack, which is what you use to access your
house wiring system (just my luck - nice antenna). The oscillation frequency
is stable. If you unplug the "wall" jack, problem is gone (will only radiate
2-3 feet).

I've tried contacting Ooma, and they are stonewalling me. FCC Part 15 has no
limits for radiation under 30 MHz (thanks FCC). There is some language about
ALL radiations being minimized, however. How do I get to Ooma engineering?
They are selling thousands of these things, and they are the kiss of death
for 40M CW. Anybody know who/where Ooma engineering is?

For a picture of the FCC label and model number for this unit, please use
this link: www.jenmat.com/ooma.jpg.


Jeff KE6L   jsloa...@san.rr.com

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Re: [AMRadio] Tips on Posting

[D. Chester]

Todd said:

> If you need to think about whether or not a post belongs on here, it
> probably doesn't. You should be able to tap out a response and send it
> without having to think about whether or not it meets muster of our
> simple rules.

I don't think we even need to go that far.  If you  need to think about 
whether a post belongs on here, open Notepad and type it out as a simple 
text message and save it to desktop.  Let it sit overnight, and review it 
the next day.  If it still  looks OK, copy and paste it into your post and 
send. Otherwise, revise or trash it.

That works for me.  Sometimes in the passion of the moment, a  response or 
post seems perfectly OK, but in retrospect it may appear entirely 
inappropriate.  Not only might you catch something before you send it only 
to regret it later, it's amazing how often embarrassing grammatical and 
syntax errors that you didn't notice first time will stick out like a sore 
thumb when you review a composition a  little while after you first wrote 
it.

Don k4kyv
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[AMRadio] Amateur radio privileges and policy discussions

[D. Chester]

Regarding the inappropriate political comments and topics that have appeared 
on this board recently, one thing we have to keep in mind that amateur radio 
is inexorably attached to government policy and that means, to a large 
degree, politics.  Since we are directly governed by the Communications Act 
and federal regulations, amateur radio is probably involved with federal law 
(acts of Congress) and Executive branch decisions more than any other hobby 
in existence, equally or even more so than such interests as hunting rights, 
gun ownership and flying private aircraft.



The problem we have seen here appears when people often try to subtly, or 
not so subtly, inject comments and oblique references to support their own 
political agenda or point of view, on highly controversial topics that have 
nothing remotely to do with AM or amateur radio. I read the newspaper.  I 
listen to the radio.  I follow a few politically oriented blogs on the 
internet. I even watch a little TV every now and again. The point is, I 
already hear and see enough national politics via other media on a daily 
basis, and I see no need to follow this message board to read more of the 
same. Unfortunately, the lunatic fringe of every conceivable political 
persuasion have succeeded in whipping the public into such frenzy, that many 
folks see political evil in everything imaginable, or share the delusion 
that all ills of society can be cured by blindly adhering to some 
questionable political ideology.



I think it not only desirable, but IMPERATIVE that we openly discuss 
government policy and political shenanigans in the context of amateur radio 
privileges and the status of the AM mode. Inevitably, some of this will 
relate to decisions by politicians in Washington. With the advent of 
computers and the internet, whenever something potentially affecting our 
operating privileges pops up, whether in the form of FCC proposals, 
Rulemaking Petitions submitted to the FCC, ARRL policy decisions, 
enforcement actions, acts by  large corporations or whatever, within a 
matter of hours a large portion of the amateur community will be aware of 
it.  Compare this to the pre-internet days when we had to rely on printed 
media to disseminate such information.  Often, the deadline for filing 
comments to the FCC would have already expired by the time the news first 
appeared in mainstream publications like QST and CQ. We had to depend on 
newsletters like ARRL Letter, H/R Reports, W5YI Report and The AM 
Press/Exchange for timely information.



If the AM community had not become politically involved during the FCC's 
Docket-a-Month era that ran roughly from 1974 to 1990, and had not mounted 
widespread opposition to anti-AM petitions and Dockets like 20777 and its 
ilk, there would be no AM on the amateur bands to-day. Reportedly, FCC 
officials were "shocked" at the degree of opposition to bandwidth Docket 
20777 resulting from its proposal to outlaw AM on all frequencies below 28 
mHz.



Right now, I believe our greatest threat is not that the FCC might outlaw AM 
or that commercial interests will take our HF bands away at the next WARC 
(although we must always keep our eyes open for any such indications); our 
greatest concern at the moment has to be the proliferation of cheap, poorly 
designed consumer products and other technology that unnecessarily pollutes 
the HF spectrum with buzzies and hash.  Just a few examples include BPL, the 
new digital/LED traffic signals, plasma TV's, touch lamps, HomePlug gadgets, 
and whatever new product came on the market this morning to spew additional 
trash in our bands.  EACH OF THESE ISSUES RELATES TO POLITICAL DECISIONS 
MADE BY THE THREE BRANCHES OF OUR FEDERAL, STATE AND LOCAL GOVERNMENTS, aka 
"politics".



If discussions on the AM and amateur radio message boards, email reflectors 
and over the air is to be limited to technical topics, equipment exchanges 
and trivial chit-chat because everyone is fearful of  becoming too 
"political", we might just as well kiss AM and amateur radio as we know it 
good-bye now, while the kissing is good. Regarding this forum, I suggest 
laying off the snide remarks, wisecracks and end-run non-radio related 
political statements that have lately been slipping into numerous threads 
and topics, without hesitating to bring up any subject that might involve 
our radio operation.



For those who enjoy openly discussing politics with fellow amateur radio 
operators, I suggest QRZ.com. They have a closely moderated forum called 
"Political Junkies" specifically designed to allow political talk while 
keeping it off their other, amateur radio related forums. In order to post 
messages, one must sign up separately from the other forums and explain to 
the satisfaction of the moderators why you want to join, and those who 
violate prescribed policy may find themselves banned from PJ even though 
they may still be allowed to participate in the other QRZ.com foru

Re: [AMRadio] FCC engineers

[D. Chester]

> One of Bill Clinton's endeavors with the federal government was to change 
> it to a social club of sorts.  It became necessary to hire as needed, 
> individuals who >would fill out the social makeup of gender, race, and 
> sexual orientation.  If a highly qualified Caucasian male was hired or 
> promoted, a letter had to be written,
>outlining why any member of the aforementioned groups, was not selected for 
>a position.  Today, in many technical jobs the government is involved in, 
> >management and upper management meets the social goals, but are mostly 
>full of incompetents.  The FCC is in that group.  So is the FAA, which is a 
>good >reason to drive yourself or take the train.
>
> Charlie, W4MEC in NC


This pre-dates the Clinton era by at least a decade.  Remember, one of  the 
reasons the FCC gave for the change to a one-size-fits-all AM power limit 
rule was that the number of active AM'ers on the air did not justify the 
costs of the "special training" that would be necessary, to teach FCC field 
inspectors how to use different power standards for measuring AM and SSB 
transmitter power.

This rulemaking proposal was released in 1982 as I recall.  I still have a 
thick folder full of paperwork from that proceeding on file.

Don k4kyv


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Re: [AMRadio] mods.dk and Heath info

[D. Chester]

90% of the content of Heathkit manuals is assembly instructions. Once a kit 
has been built, all the owner needs is schematic, operating instructions, 
theory of operation and troubleshooting data.  In every Heath manual I ever 
saw, this information was contained entirely in just a few pages.

The bottom-feeder is unlikely to have the deep pockets of a large 
corporation for going after copyright violators, especially ones originating 
in a foreign country.  He would have to put up his own legal expenses, and 
the alleged violator would unlikely have enough assets to make legal action 
worthwhile in an international court case. Even if the copyright holder won, 
I doubt that he would be able to even recover his attorney fees from the 
lawsuit, let alone come out ahead by selling photocopies of old Heathkit 
manuals to hams.

Even if he were successful in his effort to enforce his alleged copyright, 
someone with a little determination to provide a service to the ham 
community could by-pass the legalities and publish his own version of the 
manuals by paraphrasing the operating instructions, circuit theory and 
troubleshooting data into his own words, and  redrawing the schematics 
rather than photocopying them.  A re-drawn schematic would not be provable 
as a copyright violation, since one could have reproduced the schematic from 
scratch by tracing the wiring in an actual rig, and there would be no way to 
prove otherwise.

Don k4kyv
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Re: [AMRadio] Broadcast stuff

[D. Chester]

> When you think of it, what is up with ham radio, two guys trying to work
> each other with qsb, qrm, using expensive equipment, big antenna's,
> towers,etc, when you could do voice and video over the internet on a cheap
> laptop or an I phone...on the beach, in the den, on a train, anyplace...
>
> Brett

That's what makes it interesting.  Ham radio communication, particularly on 
HF, is uncertain, and largely governed by Mother Nature (T-storm QRN, 
ionospheric propagation, etc).

People enjoy communicating via ham radio and sometimes spend tons of money 
on their hobby for the same reason that others enjoy hunting,  fishing and 
gardening, despite the fact that commercially prepared meat, vegetables and 
seafood are more easily and usually more cheaply available at the local 
supermarket. There is a certain aspect of sport and anticipation of the 
unknown whenever you  fire up the rig just as there is before a hunting or 
fishing trip or anticipation of the  harvest when you plant the veggie 
garden in the spring.  That is the "magic" that creates the excitement. Plus 
most hams find magic in our toys, just as hunters find magic in their 
favourite guns and fishermen find magic in their boats, along with the 
one-upmanship we sometimes enjoy as we spar with our fellow hobbyists.

It would be extremely boring if every QSO were 100% reliable, noise free, 
and all signals had a prescribed set signal strength. That's why Skype and 
some of the so-called virtual ham radio web sites have so far met with so 
little success.

Don k4kyv
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Re: [AMRadio] FCC Non-cooperation

[D. Chester]

> What is to interfere with?
> All radio stuff is going 900 MHz or higher, cable satellite or fiber feed,
> spread spectrum, phasing noise and interference null, etc.
>
> No one listens to AM anymore, or even FM much.
>
> You think anyone is going to worry about ham radio?
>
> I don't think so...
>
>
> Brett

But still, these are all licensed services, and the FCC is mandated by 
congress to protect licensed users from unlicensed interference.  The  law 
is the law. Somebody is not doing their job as this is allowed to continue 
proliferating.

The state is legally obligated to properly install its traffic signals so 
that they don't generate interference.  The FCC inspectors are legally 
obligated to check out interference from poorly designed consumer crap.  As 
much money as the government wastes on trivial stuff, enforcing Part 15 
would be a drop in the ocean as far as their budget goes. "Listen to a 
stronger station" doesn't cut it.

Evidently, someone in officialdom thinks HF is still worth protecting. 
Remember, they denied us a real 60m ham band because after 11SE01, the feds 
decided that frequencies in that vicinity were "essential" for "national 
security".

Don k4kyv

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Re: [AMRadio] Buzzies and hash all over the spectrum

[D. Chester]

> I have been saying  for the past six months or so that about the only
> solution to the appliance RFI problem is every man for himself, i.e.
> put up a low noise rx antenna, employ a phase shifting nulling box on
> receive, and forget QRP or even 100 w.  Everyone has to raise the
> desired signal level by running legal limit...

> Rob
> K5UJ

Why stop at the legal limit?  Since the FCC is not enforcing Part 15 rules 
that prohibit harmful interference, what makes one think they are any more 
likely to enforce Part 97 rules that  limit transmitter power?

Strap softly and turn up the wick.

Don
k4kyv

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Re: [AMRadio] FCC Non-cooperation (was ILLEGAL STUFF ON E BAY)

[D. Chester]

> This as a VERY serious problem for all radio users -  there seems to no
> longer be any interest in control of incidental RF radiators.  For
> example, when I got an FCC field engineer  to come out and test some
> noisy LED traffic signal systems, he said (paraphrasing), "Yes, I can
> see none of these are meeting Part 15 requirements, but hey, people can
> just listen to the stronger signals that get over the noise."  And
> shrugged and went back to the office.
>
> Steve WD8DAS

Steve,

Did you attempt to contact his supervisor?  Sounds to me like this guy was 
not doing his job.  We are paying his salary with our tax money and we 
should expect service in return.  Since, by his own admission, the traffic 
signals were found not to meet FCC requirements, the decision to "do 
nothing" is not his to make.

If the supervisor offered no better cooperation, I would keep going up the 
chain of command and then start contacting congressmen and senators, 
demanding action.  One of them just might jump on this, since it would at 
least leave the appearance that as a member of the present do-nothing, 
grid-locked congress his was actually attempting to provide some kind of 
service to the pubic beyond promoting a political agenda.

This might be something that would catch the attention of NAB and other 
broadcasting interests, since any broadcast station might be next in line 
not to be "strong" enough to "get over the noise", and apparently these 
traffic signals are proliferating nationwide. And it wouldn't hurt to notify 
the ARRL's RFI committee, particularly Ed Hare, W1RFI.

I overheard another ham discussing the same issue a short while ago, and he 
implied  that he was afraid to complain about a traffic signal because he 
was fearful of what local officials might do if he tried to "fight city 
hall".  Come on, this isn't Iran or N. Korea just YET.

>From recent reports, Laura Smith really is going after electric utilities 
that have neglected to clean up power line noise.  See "RFI Matters" at 
http://www.fcc.gov/eb/AmateurActions/Welcome.html

This is a far more serious issue than some ham hitting 20 watts over the 
power limit on a voice peak or allowing 10 minutes and 15 seconds to pass 
before ID'ing.

Don k4kyv



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Re: [AMRadio] ILL LEGAL STUFF ON E BAY

[D. Chester]

Since it's not something likely to end up in use on the ham bands I wouldn't 
waste my time worrying about it.  Let the broadcast people take care of the 
problem, if there is one.  The commercial FM and AM bands have degenerated 
to little more than a vast wasteland anyway.

I'm far more concerned about all the consumer crap on the market to-day that 
dumps buzzies and hash all over the HF spectrum, with apparent impunity .

Don k4kyv
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Re: [AMRadio] FW: Radio Broadcast magazine from 1922 to 1930

[D. Chester]

I have skimmed through the 1922 and 23 issues.  These are a real treasure 
trove of information and early history of radio.  Some of the technical 
topics are still of pertinence to-day.  There are topics of interest not 
only to broadcast listeners, but amateurs as well, including transmitter 
principles and circuits.  Many photos of early broadcast stations, 
transmitters, antennas and a few ham  stations. Some detailed articles 
regarding patents and copyright, including what appears to be the same exact 
royalty issue as the one being debated to-day regarding broadcasters playing 
records over the air.

These PDFs average about 9 MB per issue, and my computer loads each one in 
less than 15 seconds.  I plan to get them all on disc ASAP, since anything 
on a website may be taken down at any moment without notice, particularly if 
someone raises a copyright issue, they experience technical difficulty, or 
the web site owner may just decide to be ornery.  The person who went to the 
trouble to scan those issues should be congratulated because the quality is 
excellent.  Much better than that of the early QSTs on my ARRL CD set.

Don k4kyv


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Re: [AMRadio] AM IARU Bandplan

[D. Chester]

> I have enough of a time keeping the BEASTs reined in at 1500W PEP.  If I
> set the microphone resting current at the specified in the TM at 40ma,
> the darn thing WILL hit 2500W PEP.
>
>
> Bob - N0DGN


Bob, what are you using to measure your PEP?

All the stock BC-610's I ever worked on back in the 60's and 70's would just 
about make 100% on positive modulation peaks before flat-topping. This is 
inherent to the factory design because of the modulation transformer 
step-down turns ratio.  If the 610 is run according to the TM's instructions 
(also saving the 250TH from premature failure), you run 2000v on the final 
at 250 milliamps for 500 watts DC input.  This optimistically gives about 
350 watts carrier out, based on the (optimistic) assumption of 70% 
efficiency. No way that stock BC-610 could even make 1500 watts peak power, 
let alone 2500 watts.

That's why the FeeCee deleted the requirement that hams have "accurate 
instruments" to measure power when they changed over to the p.e.p. 
bullshi'ite.  As stated in their own Report and Order, they knew it would be 
unrealistic to expect the average hammy hambone to be able to accurately 
measure power output with commonly-used instruments and typical hammy 
technical knowledge (and remember, that was during the era when the average 
amateur radio operator was still expected to actually know something about 
what was inside his "box" and how it worked).

>From what I constantly hear over the air, to-day's hams seem about equally 
obsessed with two things: peak power and SWR. Both are way overblown beyond 
their actual significance.  I suspect a lot of hams have an inflated idea of 
how much power they are actually running, using a typical el-cheapo hammy 
hambone wattmeter, combined with grand delusions of "Strap".

Don k4kyv
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Re: [AMRadio] AM IARU Region 2 Bandplan

[D. Chester]

> The problem is that once the bandplan is adopted, essentially a treaty, 
> the FCC would eventually need to modify the rules to align with it.
>

Not true.

You are confusing IARU with ITU.  The International Telecommunications Union 
formulates the international treaties that determine what frequencies are to 
be used by hams, broadcasters, etc.  These are mostly hashed out at the WARC 
conferences that are held every few years. They have little or no concern 
about the regulations or band plans internal to the amateur bands.  That is 
strictly up to the governments of the individual countries.

The IARU is the International Amateur Radio Union.  It has exactly the same 
jurisdiction over the international amateur radio regulations as the ARRL 
has over the US amateur regulations: zero.  It is an advisory body and 
nothing more.  IARU is an umbrella organisation whose membership is made up 
of the national amateur radio organisations of the various countries.  In 
the US, that's the ARRL. In Canada, it is Industry Canada.  In France it is 
Réseau des Emitteurs Français.  And so on. These national amateur radio 
organisations get together from time to time as a group to coordinate 
amateur radio activity worldwide so that operations in one country conflict 
as  little as possible with those of other countries.  The resulting band 
plans carry no force of law, and governments of individual countries are 
under no obligation to formulate their rules to align with the band plans.

Don k4kyv
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Re: [AMRadio] AM IARU Region 2 Bandplan

[D. Chester]

> I have enough of a time keeping the BEASTs reined in at 1500W PEP.  If I
> set the microphone resting current at the specified in the TM at 40ma,
> the darn thing WILL hit 2500W PEP.
>

There is nothing in Part 97 that says we even have to have instruments 
capable of measuring PEP.  They specifically deleted the provision requiring 
accurate power measuring instruments when they changed the power limit 
rules, because in the Report and Order they admitted that many hams would 
not be able to ACCURATELY measure output power.

If you are worried about the power you are running, just keep the DC input 
at 500 watts or less, or if you think you have good accurate rf power output 
measuring capability, run the carrier at 375 watts output. Check the 
envelope pattern on a scope to make sure the negative peaks don't go over 
100% and that the positive peaks don't flat-top, and run the modulation as 
high as you can while still avoiding those extremes. I can't see why some 
people are so nit-picky. If your signal is clean, nobody is going to come 
busting down your door because an occasional voice peak exceeded a certain 
limit.

Don k4kyv
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Re: [AMRadio] AM IARU Region 2 Bandplan

[D. Chester]

> All that is need for communications grade AM is 300Hz to 3KHz audio. Just
> use a 6db/octave rolloff at 3KHz.
>
> There is not much 3KHz or higher energy in the human voice.And we are not
> supposed to be playing music.
>
> Bob Macklin
> K5MYJ

There is nothing in the rules that says we have to use "communications 
grade" audio (the space shuttle sound) on the ham bands.  Besides, there IS 
intelligibility information contained in frequencies above 3 kHz. The 
frequency range between 3 and 5 kHz contains most of the articulation, or 
sibilance sounds that make consonants clearly distinguishable from each 
other.  With space shuttle audio, some of this information is lost, and the 
human brain subconsciously attempts to fill in the missing pieces, so the 
casual listener may not be aware of what is missing but the message doesn't 
get through 100%.  That explains why SSB operators tend to use phonetics so 
often. This also causes listener fatigue after a short while.

Don k4kyv

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Re: [AMRadio] AM IARU Region 2 Bandplan

[D. Chester]

I haven't attempted to formulate a response yet, but two things immediately 
come to mind.

One, the bandwidth issue.  The Region 1 plan specifically accommodates AM on 
any phone frequency despite nominal maximum bandwidths posted in the chart. 
This is conspicuously absent from the current Region 2 plan.

Two, 40m. Although this would take FCC action to correct in the USA, 
phone/cw segregation should be more closely aligned with that of the other 
regions. Specifically, in light of the removal of (most) broadcast stations 
from 7100-7200, the N. American band plan should accommodate phone down AT 
LEAST to 7100 kHz. (Most other Region 2 countries are already operating 
phone well below 7100 anyway).

This would apply immediately to Canada, Mexico and other countries in the 
Americas, since nearly every country in the world, except for the U.S., long 
ago phased out government-mandated subbands.

It is ridiculous that 25% of the newly-vacated frequencies are off limits to 
US phone operators, yet at best there are hardly ever more than a half dozen 
or so CW/RTTY/data QSO's on 7100-7125 at any given moment, while 7060-7100 
remains under-used by U.S. non-phone ops as well. SSB ops are fond of 
complaining about AM activity in the vicinity of 7160 because of the 
"limited band space" to operate phone in the newly vacated segment. We need 
to be thinking of a petition to the FCC to further expand the 40m phone 
band.

Don k4kyv
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Re: [AMRadio] Comment from N0JEF

[D. Chester]

When running a  transceiver on AM you want to avoid hitting the ALC 
altogether.  This includes the ALC function in the radio as well as the 
linear. As soon as you trigger the ALC, the carrier level abruptly drops 
down, producing a distorted, anaemic sounding "negative controlled carrier" 
effect.  If there is an easy to do so, disable the ALC altogether when 
running AM.  Otherwise, keep the positive peaks just below the ALC 
threshold.  ALC is designed for SSB and was never intended to be run with 
AM.

If the ALC cannot be disabled, it can serve a useful purpose as a positive 
peak overmodulation indicator.  Run the output just under the point where 
you begin to see some indication of ALC action on voice peaks.

The best way to make sure the signal is fully modulated but that nothing is 
being pushed into the flat-topping/distortion region is to monitor the 
envelope pattern of the signal with an oscilloscope. At one time, all major 
manufacturers offered a monitor scope as a matching accessory to go with 
each of their transceiver lines. A modulation monitor scope is NOT the same 
thing as a modern transceiver's panoramic display.

To me, operating a phone transmitter (AM or SSB) without a monitor scope is 
like driving a car at night with the headlights turned off.

Don k4kyv
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Re: [AMRadio] More on "Electromagnetic Allergies"

[D. Chester]

Sometimes these lunatic fringe nutcases can be dangerous, especially if some 
lawyer thinks he has stumbled across a deep pocket.

People have the right to sue anyone for anything, if they can find a lawyer 
who will take the case.  I have the theoretical right to sue you because I 
don't like the style of your tee-shirt. Unfortunately, I have heard of cases 
where people ignored totally frivolous and insane lawsuits and ended up 
losing the case by "default" and having a serious judgement placed against 
them, which they were  legally obligated to pay, simply because they failed 
to respond.  One such case was a paternity suit filed by a woman that the 
defendant had never even heard of and who lived in another state, and the 
defendant wasn't even aware of the suit because the only notice was placed 
in an out-of-state newspaper.  She evidently found his name and address 
somewhere and concocted a story that he was the father of her now adult 
child.

The reason the code speed was reduced to 5 wpm before the FCC dropped it 
altogether was that someone sued the FCC under the Americans
with Disabilities Act, claiming that their "disability" prevented them from 
learning to copy code at 13 or 20 wpm.  The FCC resolved the case by 
granting "waivers" to anyone who had a doctor's note attesting that they had 
such a disability, and allowing them to pass General and Extra with only a 
Novice code test.  Later, the FCC determined that a large number of the 
waivers were fraudulent, since it was not difficult to find a medical 
doctor, who might not have a clue what morse code is or how it is copied, 
who would write a note.  So the FCC took care of the fraud problem by 
granting a waiver to EVERYBODY.  They simply reduced the code requirement to 
5 wpm for all classes.

Don, k4kyv
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- Original Message - >  Here's the text of the referenced newspaper 
article... See LAST line...
>
>  ...Larry, W1GOR
>
>  Santa Fe Residents Allege City's Wi-Fi Affecting Their "Electromagnetic
> Allergies"
>  January 12, 2010 2:44 p.m. EST
>  Topics: United States, Technology
>
>  Ayinde O. Chase - AHN Editor
>  Santa Fe, NM, United States (AHN) - A small group of Santa Fe residents 
> is
> trying to get all public Wi-Fi hotpsots in the city banned. They allege 
> the
> city's Access Points (AP) irritated their "electromagnetic allergies."
>
>  In their legal effort to ban the signals, the group is using the 
> Americans
> with Disabilities Act as a measure to have city lawmakers bow to their
> pressure. The case has now reached a new level with published reports
> stating that one of the individuals in the original case is suing his
> neighbors for refusing to turn off their cellphone and Wi-Fi hotspot.
>
>  Artuhur Firstenberg is claiming his neighbor's technology forced him to 
> be
> homeless. He's unable to stay in a hotel or motel because they employ 
> Wi-Fi
> connections so he's been forced to sleep in his car.
>
>  Health officials have repeatedly stated that there is no evidence to
> suggest Wi-Fi signals have any impact on the human body. Additionally,
> scientific studies have shown that people who claim to suffer from
> "electromagnetic sensitivity" are in fact suffering from psychosomatic
> disorders and are best treated by therapy or medication.
>
> --

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Re: [AMRadio] copper sheet

[D. Chester]

I'm not sure, but I seem to recall someone saying that copper flashing is 
not the best thing to use, because it is not pure copper, but some kind of 
alloy that combines the copper with another metal, and reduces conductivity.

It would probably still be better than something like brass or galvanised 
steel.

Luckily, for my vertical antenna project I had some heavy gauge copper strap 
about 2" wide. I salvaged it from some kind of rf transformers I picked from 
a scrap pile.  Each one had a piece of strapping spirally wound, about 10' 
long, which was used as the low-Z winding, while the high-Z winding was made 
of copper tubing wound on a 6" mica form in solenoidal fashion.

Don k4kyv
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Re: [AMRadio] CQ sweepstakes, CQ sweepstakes

[D. Chester]

> Reminds me of the night back in the late 1970's when the ARRL CD contest
> wandered onto 3895. The '95'ers started calling CQ CB and started giving
> CB calls and handles e.g."Moon Pie" as their exchange. The guys who were
> looking for other CD(SCM,etc.) stations were trying to explain what CD
> was, and that made it worse, so after 10 minutes or so, they scrammed off
> 95 or anywhere close by.
>  Joe W4AAB


I recall locking horns with the 3895 slopbucket group back in the early 
70's.  I had just had a run-in with one of their ringleaders and naturally I 
was on the faeces list of the whole group.

One night I heard them in QSO doing a CB spoof, using made-up callsigns with 
the proper  FCC format for CB calls when the commission used to issue them, 
with my suffix as their prefix:

"KYV2940 this is KYV1734, ten four?"

I suppose they thought it was funny and that if I  heard it I would be 
highly offended.  Actually, I found it hilarious and was practically rolling 
in the floor with laughter.

Don k4kyv

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Re: [AMRadio] heath manuals

[D. Chester]

I checked out the site.  They say you have to register and create an 
account.  I registered.  When I tried to view a manual, I entered my 
username and password, then the error message came on saying that I have to 
register to view the manual.  WTF?

Don k4kyv
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Re: [AMRadio] AMRadio Digest, Vol 70, Issue 7

[D. Chester]

> Someone did find a source for the 22 vdc battery so you should have that
> info shortly.  My AF 67 uses three 9 vdc batteries and a couple of hundred 
> K
> resistor to get the bias dead on.  There is space on the top of the 
> chassis
> on the right had side to velcro in the 3 battery pack.

Two 9v batteries and a 4½ volt one in series, all standard currently 
available voltages, would give the exact voltage.

Sometimes the local Dollar Store has their house brand alkaline 9v batteries 
on sale in packages of  4 or 6 at less than $1 per battery.  A bunch of 
these wired in series would make a good economical substitute for 90v and 
135v batteries, which I have found to be very expensive and probably beyond 
their expiration date if you can even find them.

Don k4kyv


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Re: [AMRadio] Open vs Closed -expanded

[D. Chester]

> Well, a big plus is if they actually say 'break' instead of the word 
> 'contact', which is sure to get an ignore response from me

> Charlie, W4MEC in NC


Same here.  I have been hearing that a lot lately but it sounds awfully 
phoney to me.  Is this a carry-over from CB, like saying "personal" instead 
of "name"?

I don't even like to use "break".  I just wait till I catch a pause between 
carriers and give my callsign.

Don k4kyv

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Re: [AMRadio] Open vs Closed QSOs

[D. Chester]

Unless you have something specific to communicate to one of the ops in a 
QSO, I think it is the ultimate in rudeness to break in just to shoot the 
breeze when you cannot hear the other station on 75 or 160.  OTOH, that is 
the norm on the higher frequencies because of the skip zone.  Years ago I 
used to work a daily get together on 20m and you could count on at least a 
third of the stations being inaudible at a given location, and thus much of 
the time was spent listening to noise and QRM. That is one reason I lost my 
enthusiasm for 20m.  40m can be the same way in the evening.

Another operating practice I find particularly annoying these days is when I 
am working AM, we are not using rapid fire break-in, and the other station 
makes a lengthy transmission then just drops the carrier without giving a 
callsign, saying "over" or "go ahead", or leaving some clue that he is 
standing by for me to transmit. Even that silly sounding CB practice of 
ending transmissions with "c'mawn" is better than nothing at all. I am never 
sure if they faded out,  had rig trouble or if they stood by  for someone 
else to transmit.  This seems to occur frequently with new licensees or 
newcomers to AM.  I  suspect they are accustomed to working SSB with vox, 
where everyone just stops talking when they want to stand by. Unfortunately, 
I am afraid the practice is catching on with AM operators as I hear it more 
and more frequently, and it is not always from newbies.

Don k4kyv
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[AMRadio] Open vs Closed QSOs

[D. Chester]

Should "breakers" *always* be welcome to join in a QSO regardless, or are 
there times when it is best not to interrupt an on-going QSO, and when is it 
OK for the participants in a QSO to ignore would-be breakers?

One of things I often find annoying when attempting to carry on a contact 
near any of the popular AM operating frequencies is the near impossibility 
of avoiding a large, cumbersome roundtable.  The band may be completely 
devoid of any AM activity for a half-hour or more, but as soon as one 
station starts up a QSO with one other, within minutes you can expect the 
inevitable breaker wishing to join the conversation. Then another.  And 
another.  The more participants in the QSO, the more frequent the breakers, 
until a group has developed with 5, 8 or more stations. If the old buzzard 
roundtable procedure is observed with a large group, you can count on at 
least one participant getting the sequence wrong, per go-round, and someone 
often gets left out for one or more rounds. It goes without saying that one 
or more the breakers will be piss-weak, and the general rule is the weaker 
they are the longer they talk. Before long, each member of the roundtable is 
waiting 45 minutes between transmissions, which tends to encourage long 
old-buzzard transmissions when one finally does get a turn to transmit. It 
is virtually impossible to carry on a simple conversation with one other 
station on a topic of interest during prime-time operating hours.

Not that I mind joining in a nice chat with a group of AM stations or having 
others join in on a relaxed informal conversation, and maybe attracting a 
newcomer or two to the mode. But sometimes I find myself engaged in 
conversation with another station on a specific topic of particular interest 
to both of us, but then the inevitable breakers enter the QSO without 
displaying any interest in the topic of discussion, and before long the 
whole conversation is redirected off topic and the original discussion 
fizzles before it is allowed to reach a conclusion.  I find this highly 
annoying to say the least.

What's the best way to handle this situation?  With CW there is a convenient 
pro-sign that specifically tells the other station and only that station to 
transmit, and that all others should stand  by until the ongoing 
communication is finished.  That pro-sign is KN in lieu of a simple K at the 
end of a transmission.  But I know of no corresponding pro-sign for use with 
phone.  Is it rude to ignore breakers, or must they always be made to feel 
welcome to join any conversation regardless?  One technique when everyone in 
the QSO has a strong signal, is to overlap the carriers as one station turns 
it over to the other so that there is no pause between transmissions. Some 
people say they find that rude, but wouldn't it be equally rude to approach 
two or more strangers on the street, and to butt into their conversation 
without being invited?

I would suggest listening to the content of the conversation in a QSO before 
attempting to break in.  If the participants are discussing a specific 
topic, do not attempt to interrupt unless you have something to contribute 
to the topic at hand.   Listen carefully, and you will likely hear clues to 
whether or not they would welcome others to join.  If there is any doubt, 
QSY to a nearby frequency and call CQ, or scan the band for another on-going 
QSO that would appear to be more welcoming to breakers.

We will generate more AM presence in the bands with several simultaneous 
QSO's with 2 or 3 participants each, than with everyone falling into one 
large, boring roundtable with 8 or more stations, each taking their turn to 
make a 10-20 minute transmission. On 75m, if 3870-90 is fully occupied, 
consider moving "down below" to 3600-3750 or thereabouts, or give 160 or 40 
a try.

Don k4kyv
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Re: [AMRadio] AMRadio Digest, Vol 69, Issue 22

[D. Chester]

> Wouldn't it be more appropriate for today's operations if, instead of
> "RST", "Report" is used (unless you're making it just for CW contacts)?

> Pete, wa2cwa

But aren't all signal reports these days supposed to be 599 or "five nine", 
regardless, and isn't it rude and poor operating practice to report 
otherwise?


Don k4kyv



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Re: [AMRadio] 3.875

[D. Chester]

For years I have heard multiple SSB groups competing with AM stations on 
3875.  Some members of at least one of the SSB groups regularly occupying 
the frequency are also prominent well-respected AM'ers. I have no problem 
with anyone using the frequency, first come, first served, regardless of 
mode.  Use it or lose it.  But deliberately firing up on frequency when one 
knows it is already in use and that the transmission will cause QRM to an 
existing QSO is quite another matter.

There are similar issues with the west coast AM groups operating on 3870, 
particularly when AM'ers from the east join in.

BTW the "Macaroni" net seems to have disappeared from 3872.  Evidently the 
group fizzled or they found a more suitable frequency.

Now that the QRN is diminishing, 3870-90 is getting more crowded and 
roundtables are getting larger and more cumbersome, how about a little more 
AM presence down in the vicinity of 3700?  There are wide open spaces on the 
lower end of 3600-3700 and some CW ops have talked about petitioning the FCC 
to "return" part of their "lost" segment.  Of course, they are still free to 
use those frequencies any time they wish and the CW operators didn't lose a 
thing with the phone band expansion.

Don k4kyv
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Re: [AMRadio] Get Ready for 15 meters

[D. Chester]

> From: "Mike Duke, K5XU" 
>
> It's funny how the bands almost always open for contests.
>
> Today, 15 meters was filled with strong ssb signals from the bottom up
> to above 21.350.
>
> The upper end was not nearly as crowded.

I suspect the bands are open a  lot more than we think, but if everyone 
assumes the band is closed or waits for someone else to call CQ and no-one 
transmits,  no signals will be heard and the band WILL  sound dead

I often hear multiple CW beacons chirping away at the bottom end of the 
"dead" 10m band.

Don k4kyv
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Re: [AMRadio] 575A's

[D. Chester]

Some of the older, "built like a brick Scheiße-Haus" kw broadcast 
transmitters, used 575A's to run 2500-3000 volts to 833A's.  But the later 
"Lite" versions of the 833A kilowatt rigs by the same manufacturers used 
872A's, which seemed to work OK up to 3 kv or so.  IIRC, the PIV of 575A's 
is 15 kv, while that of 872A's is 10kv.  10kv piv should be ok up to 3100 
volts DC using the full wave midtap circuit.  Apparently when the 
manufacturers cheapened their rigs, they decided the extra 50% safety margin 
was unnecessary, and with good 872A's, rectifier flash-over was never a 
problem if they were operated properly.  I believe 575's and 872's run at 
the same filament voltage, so they should be directy interchangeable.  Four 
872A's (or 4B32's) in a full wave bridge should be good for about 6 kv at 1 
amp.

I haven't tried to build my own solid state  rectifier stacks for many 
years, but back in the 60's and 70's I never could get them to work very 
long before having a firework display, no matter what equalising resistors 
and by-pass capacitors I used, or how many extra diodes I included in the 
string for safety margin.  So, with several bushels of mostly used 866A's, 
3B28's, 872A's and 4B32's on hand and plenty of filament transformers to run 
them, I have always stuck with hollow state rectifiers.  I use commercially 
built, direct replacement solid state 872A's and 866A's in my Gates BC1-T 
and after 5 years they have never given me any trouble.  I replaced the 5R4 
bias  rectifier with diodes purchased brand new (don't recall if I used two 
in series for each leg or just one in each leg) but I used the highest piv 
diodes I could find and so far, no problem with those, either.  I solid 
stated the bias rectifier to free up the octal  socket, to hold the 6AS7G I 
use as a DC regulator to isolate the protective bias tap that allows me to 
run the Gates on CW.

Don k4kyv
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Re: [AMRadio] AMRadio Digest, Vol 69, Issue 4

[D. Chester]

> You can expect somewhat higher voltage from the new stack than the
> original tube rectifier - if that is a problem for the rig, then add a
> series power resistor to simulate the internal voltage drop of the
> earlier tube.  So far I've only needed to do that once when the new
> higher B+ exceeded the rating of the by-pass caps in the other sections
> of the rig.  Otherwise the rigs seemed to thrive on the higher voltage.
>
> Steve WD8DAS

That would be true only if the original rectifiers were high vacuum tube 
types.  With mercury vapour or xenon gas rectifiers, the voltage drop across 
each tube is about 15 volts, regardless of the current.  When you are 
talking about 2500 or 3000 volts total on the plate, the voltage drop across 
the rectifiers is insignificant.

With solid state, the voltage drop across each diode is about 0.7 volts.  So 
if you have 20 1kv diodes series strung to give 20kv p.i.v., you will have 
approximately the same rectifier voltage drop that you would have with a set 
of MV tubes.

Don k4kyv


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Re: [AMRadio] Extra Class

[D. Chester]

The big difference between Extra class of  to-day and the one of the 50's is 
that back then it  really was something "extra".  It afforded no additional 
operating privileges beyond the General, so the only reward was pride of 
accomplishment and a nice certificate to hang on the wall.  The callbook 
listings didn't even show licence class IIRC.

To-day's Extra is mandatory to enjoy full amateur privileges.  Especially 
since Advanced Class was discontinued, unless you take the Extra class exam, 
your operating privileges are substantially restricted. The reward for 
passing the Extra is something completely different now, so we shouldn't 
expect the test to be close to the same thing it was back then.

The name is somewhat deceiving; it ought to be re-named from "Extra", to 
something like "Full Licence", with the General re-named something like 
"Restricted Licence", and the Technician should be renamed "Communicator 
Class".

And I don't understand why some people get their knickers in a twist 
whenever the topic of to-day's ham radio exams and privileges vs what old 
timers remember theirs were like when they first got on the air.

Don k4kyv 

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[AMRadio] AM 75- 80 meters

[D. Chester]

> From: "Bernie Doran" 

> what is this fascination with 3880 to 3885? last evening my s meter did 
> not
> fall below +20 tuning through that area and each side. there is no 
> possible
> way to have a QSO at times like that unless you are talking to your next
> door neighbor!  Of course maybe it is just that no one wants to talk to
> me!!   I have also been listening and calling on 7160 and 7290 for several
> days without a nibble.Just about ready to throw in the towel and get 
> rid
> of my junk. Bernie

I got on the air later in the evening, about 11 PM local time, and had a 
good QSO on 3885 with no QRM, SSB or otherwise.  The QSO outlasted me, and I 
consider myself a night-owl.  I have found it easy to operate "down below" 
during the autumn/winter months when the QRN is low, but during static 
season, activity drops off, and usually about the only activity I can find 
is up in the Ghetto.  When condx improve, I find the Ghetto too crowded, not 
only with SSB QRM, but with AM stations, and any QSO established very 
quickly accumulates 5, 6, 7 or more stations and I don't care for large 
groups, so I find that the ideal time to QSY down lower in the band.


>I gave up and went to 3705, called cq for 30 minutes untill
> dave w9ad ran across me.

My solution to that was to build my automated CQ caller.  I just turn it on, 
the recorded CQ is transmitted, and after the initial call it automatically 
stands by for 30 seconds and then transmits another CQ, until I manually 
take control of the station.  That way I con work on a project at the bench, 
read something, or round up my tools and tidy up the shack while the CQ is 
running.  If, during one of the stand-by periods, I hear someone come back, 
I run over and take manual control of the station and reply to the CQ.  That 
way, I am not wasting a half hour or more sitting at the rig calling CQ 
before I can contact someone when the band is sparsely populated.


 >I could find only three or four ssb stations
> between 3.6 and 3.7.   the low end is almost not used, if it is not going 
> to
> be used the band might as well be changed back where it was.

Well, from what I have read on some of the CW mailing lists, they are trying 
to gather support for a petition to the FCC to do just that.  They feel that 
a big hunk of  the  "cw band" was stolen from them.  Their justification for 
changing it back is that phone stations are rarely using the segment from 
3600 to about 3680, so it should be "returned" to CW. But in rebuttal, I 
would point out that the CW ops have not lost any  frequencies.  It is still 
perfectly legal to operate CW on 3600-3700, so if they find that segment 
devoid of phone activity, there is no reason why they can't operate CW 
there, just as they did befor the phone band expansion.  But most of the 
time, unless there is a QRMtest going on, there is plenty of empty space 
between 3500 and 3600 as well.  And I can't see altering the band 
allocations just to accommodate QRMtests that might occur a  few weekend 
nights a year.

But they do bring up a point.  When the band was first expanded, there was a 
big scramble to get on the air on the "new" frequencies, and there was 
loads of AM activity down in the lower part of the band.  People were 
ecstatically commenting on how much better it was down there, away  from all 
the QRM and chaos up in the Ghetto.  But as weeks passed, the activity down 
below gradually dwindled, and one by one, stations migrated back up to the 
old frequencies, until it became somewhat of a rarity to hear any AM below 
3875, and particularly, below 3600.  The SSB activity on 3600-3700 has 
fallen off as well.

At one time the entire CW band from 3500 to 3750, past the old Novice band, 
was as congested with CW activity as 3500-3580 is now.  But just  before the 
change, 3600-3700 was almost always empty of signals, except for a few early 
evening traffic nets and a few RTTY/data signals.  That was one reason the 
FCC reallocated the frequencies.  Use it or lose it.

If we don't start using those frequencies, next thing we know amateurs will 
be kicked off part of the band and we'll be listening to Brother Stair on 
those frequencies.


>And yes, I
> know this has been brought up before, and yes I know there are generals, 
> not
> an excuse for most, a few hours with the license manual and you are an
> extra. I talked with a 13 year girl a while back that was an extra!!

That brings out the point that the situation on the bottom end of the phone 
band is more a matter of Incentive Licensing and licence class sub-subbands, 
than phone vs CW/data allocations.


> I will be back on the low end tonight around 3.7 +or -15, maybe I can get 
> a
> ssb to respond.

Try calling CQ-AM.  You might be surprised how many SSB'ers will try out 
their ricebox appliances on AM for the first time.  Once in a great while, 
someone will like AM well enough to want to try it again, and eventually end 
up setting up a "real" A

Re: [AMRadio] MCM Electronics digital multimeter for $2.99

[D. Chester]

> From: "Jim Isbell, W5JAI" 

> When dealing with a small number of items, a high percentage profit is
> needed to make it worth the time.  If they bought 10 and sold them for
> a $6 profit, thats only $60 for a lot of gathering and distributing.
> Now if we were talking 100 items and all could be sold in one
> afternoon at the Hamfest, that would be a different storymaybe
> But just 10 items which would probably take a couple of Hamfests to
> get rid of them all.  Thats a LOT of work for 60 bucks!
>
> Personally, I wouldn't do it just for dinner money!!

That's why I would much rather trade  radio stuff for other radio stuff, 
rather than to try to sell for cash.  Inevitably, whenever I ask enough $$ 
to make a sale worth my while, someone thinks I am asking too much and 
ripping the other person off.  All dollar(ette)s are exactly the same, 
steadily lose buying power every day that passes, and will probably be gone 
without a trace within weeks, if not days.  But if I can trade what I think 
is a nice piece in exchange for a different piece that someone else thinks 
is nice, and both of us are happy and we each have a unique item that we may 
keep for years.

Don k4kyv





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Re: [AMRadio] Microphone recomendation

[D. Chester]

I currently use two microphones mixed together in proper phase, with a 
homebrew tube type 2-channel audio mixer.  One mic is a vintage hi-Z Astatic 
D-104 and the other is an Electrovoice model 670 dynamic that otherwise 
might have been tossed out because it somehow developed very poor high 
frequency response.  I mix in some audio from the dynamic to give the D-104 
a little more bass response and mellow out the characteristic shrillness.

Each channel of the mixer pre-amp has two hi-mu triode stages of 
amplification using a 12AX7 tube.  Since the audiophools have driven up the 
price of n.o.s. 12AX7's to ridiculous extreme, a good alternative is a pair 
of older tubes, the 6F5 or 6SF5, which are electrically identical and have a 
mu of 100, just like the 12AX7.  The D-104 has a built-in acoustical 
pre-emphasis curve, achieved by a response peak, that gives it the unique 
D-104 sound.  But I added some additional pre-emphasis to the D-104 by 
careful choice of cathode resistor by-pass in the 12AX7 stages, so that the 
pre-amp has a rising characteristic starting about 800~ and rising up to 
about 9 dB at 2000~ and then levelling off.

The combination of electrical pre-emphasis and peaked response curve of the 
D-104 gives it good punch by emphasising the sibilance frequencies of the 
voice. The bass response of the dynamic balances out the shrillness of the 
D-104 to give the overall audio a pleasant sound, at least with my voice.

I use a low-pass filter in the audio line between the pre-amp/mixer and the 
compressor/peak limiter.  It gives me the switchable choice of two passive 
L-C filters.  One, which I use most of the time, has a gradual roll-off, 
beginning at about 5000~ with complete attenuation at about 7500~.  For 
congested band conditions I switch to a sharp cut-off brick-wall filter that 
is flat out to about 3300~, but near complete attenuation at 3400~.  I can 
switch out the filter entirely, but rarely run that way because I know some 
of the "broadcast quality" audio transformers in the chain have measurable 
phase shift distortion beginning around 10K, and this could cause some of 
the push-pull stages to generate splatter and distortion around 10 kHz from 
my carrier frequency.  Besides, very few receivers used by amateurs would 
respond to 10 kHz audio because of the necessary selectivity for listening 
on the ham bands.

Even with the 3400~ filter, the rising characteristic and peak in the 2-3.5 
kHz region compensates for the lack of highs above the cut-off frequency 
while balancing out the low frequency response of the dynamic, and I 
routinely get reports of "broadcast quality" even when everything is cut off 
above 3400~.  Most signal reports say there is only a subtle difference 
between the 3400~ and 7500~ cut-off, although with wide-open selectivity at 
the receiver the difference is said to be  readily noticeable.

The filter is followed up with a UREI BL-40 Modulimiter, which is a 
processing device built for AM broadcast use.  It keeps the modulation level 
near 100% without overmodulating, and I don't have to ride the gain and 
closely watch the scope at all times to maintain a good modulation 
percentage without pinching off the carrier.  Reports say the limiter is 
very transparent and has  little effect on the sound of the audio.  I do not 
try to compress or limit excessively in hopes of increasing the average 
power level in the sidebands; that produces distortion with little benefit. 
I just follow the manufacturer's recommendation for broadcast operation. 
The Modulimiter has two limiter stages, the first one called "RMS limiting", 
which is basically the same thing as compression, followed by "peak 
limiting" which is pretty much the normal meaning of the term.

All units in my audio chain: pre-amp/mixer, low-pass filter unit, 
Modulimiter, line amplifier and transmitter are linked together with 
balanced 500/600 audio lines.

Click on the link below to see where I first got the idea for my audio 
response curve when I built the mic pre-amp some 30+ years ago.  I didn't 
follow his instructions exactly, and I don't guarantee that George's theory 
is 100% correct, but using it as a starting  point for trial-and-error 
experimentation I got the best sounding audio possible with the microphones 
I had on hand. Since then I have tried some expensive broadcast type 
microphones running the pre-amp at flat response, and the audio was always 
inferior to what I get with my two-mic combination.

Note: results may vary with different voices.  I have monitored my audio 
while visitors were at the mic, and while some sounded great, others sounded 
like crap. I firmly believe you need to tailor your audio to sound best with 
YOUR voice over the air.

http://www.amwindow.org/tech/pdf/eam.pdf


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Re: [AMRadio] Message Volume (was Microphone recommendation)

[D. Chester]

> Isn't it time we found something else to talk about?  My mailbox is
> clogged with mic recommendations!
>
> Thanks and 73,
>
> John,  W4AWM

You need to change over to the Digest Mode.  That way you receive a bundle 
of messages in one e-mail and your in-box doesn't get clogged up whenever 
there is heavy  response to a particular topic.

I subscribe to several mailing lists and all of mine are set to digest mode. 
If I received a separate e-mail for each message sent out in each list, I 
would sometimes get hundreds of separate messages a day, and no way could I 
deal with all that.  I just open the digest and go down the list of topics 
and read the messages that interest me, then delete the whole thing when I 
finish, unless I want to save something.  If none of the topics look 
interesting, I just delete the e-mail without reading any of the messages.

Don k4kyv



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Re: [AMRadio] Microphone recomendation

[D. Chester]

The D-104 or any other crystal mic needs to work into PLENTY of megohms of 
load resistance.  Astatic recommends 5 megohms, but I run mine at 10 megs - 
probably about as high a grid leak resistance that you can use in a tube 
type preamp and maintain stable operation.  I have plans in the works to 
replace the single conductor shielded mic cord with a two-conductor one, and 
connect the mic up  in a balanced circuit for pushpull operation, and use a 
pair of high-mu triodes in a push-pull mic preamp.  That way, each tube can 
have its own 10 meg grid leak to allow for a 20 megohm  load on the xtal.

You can think of a crystal mic as an ideal a.c. generator with about a 500 
pf capacitor wired in series.  In order to get the best low-end response, 
the load resistance needs to be HIGH because of the high capacitive 
reactance in series.  But there are inherent limitations to how high an 
input impedance you can achieve with a tube or FET input device. With the 
tube, if the grid leak resistance is too high, the grid will begin to hold a 
static charge that is not being drained off fast enough, and the bias 
voltage and plate current will drift around, resulting in distorted, flaky 
unstable output.  10 megs is about the limit.

The instruction sheet that came with the earlier versions of the D-104 (the 
ones without the CB "power mic" feature) gave details on how to connect the 
mic up for a push-pull input stage.  The stock xtal element is built as a 
balanced device.  The unshielded bakelite case has two terminals, and either 
one can be used as "hot" or "ground" in the unbalanced configuration. For 
balanced output, connect the two wires from a two-conductor mic cord to the 
two terminals, and connect the shield to a ground point inside the mic head. 
Use a 3-connector mic plug, and at the mic preamp, let each conductor go to 
the grid (or gate) of one of the push-pull  input devices (tube or FET), and 
ground the shield to chassis.  The pushpull output is established by the two 
load resistors (grid leaks in the case of a tube pre-amp) of each amplifying 
device.  They must be very close to equal in resistance.  One end of each 
goes to ground.  The two load resistors in series makes up the load resistor 
for the xtal element, and they act as a voltage divider to provide the 
balanced push-pull audio output for the amplifier.  For a perfect match, I 
would recommend a pair of 10 megohm resistors, or two 5 megohm resistors in 
series for each, and using a DVM, match up the total resistances by adding 
smaller resistors series with the one with the lower resistance, until both 
give identical resistance readings.

Besides improving the low frequency response of the mic, the balanced 
configuration makes it more immune to 60~ hum and rf pickup.  Astatic 
recommends the balanced line for long mic cords more than a few feet in 
length.

Don k4kyv
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Re: [AMRadio] 40m

[D. Chester]

> Amateurs operating in IARU Region 1 can't operate above 3.8 MHz and
> amateurs in IARU Region 3 can't operate above 3.9 Mhz.  So, to be more
> consistant with the rest of the world, if you 're going to petition the
> FCC for more U. S. phone space on 40 meters to be more consistant "with
> the rest of the world", you should also agree that the petition should
> also include removal of at least the top 100 KHz of 3.5 MHz from use by
> all U. S. amateurs in IARU Region 2.  i.e. Just to fair and consistant
> with many countries in the rest of the world.
>
> Of course, we have beat this dead horse several times already.
>
> Pete, wa2cwa

I don't get the connection.  This is Region 2, NOT Region 1 or 3.  And what 
does 3.9-4.0 mHz have to do with it?  Canada, Mexico and other Region 2 
countries are all allowed to run phone below 7.125 and they still have full 
access to 7.2-7.3 as well as 3.9-4.0.  We are unique in that we are 
restricted to the back of the 40m bus just because we have a lousy American 
licence.

So give us one good reason for US amateurs being restricted form using phone 
on 7.100 to 7.125, or 7.075-7.100, since very few US CW or data ops use it. 
Hell, even US amateurs in Hawaii, Alaska, Puerto Rico, Guam and other US 
overseas territories have access to 7.075-7.100, but not those of us here in 
the lower 48..  What are the CW guys afraid of losing, since they would 
still be able to legally operate CW on those frequencies if they wanted to, 
but even now rarely operate there despite having "exclusive" access to it?

Those who currently gripe about something being "stolen" from them because 
the phone band was expanded  down to 3600 kHz can still legally operate CW 
on 3600-3700 but I rarely, if ever, hear any CW activity down there.

Maybe there was a legitimate argument for keeping US phone activity at the 
high end of the band back when we had a novice band on 7.10-7.15 and hams in 
Regions 1 and 3 were crammed down between 7.0 and 7.1, but those days are 
over.  There is no more novice band and 40m has been doubled in size outside 
of Region 2.

Don k4kyv

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Re: [AMRadio] 40M

[D. Chester]

To a  certain extent, the same thing has happened on 40m since (most of) the 
BC stations  went away, as happened on 75 when the band was expanded down to 
3600.  Back in the spring, there was a lot of activity on 7160 at first, 
until the novelty wore off, and gradually the activity has dwindled.

Then, there is the summertime QRN, combined with Daylight Shifting Time.  In 
the summer months, many of us are engaging in outdoor activities until 
sundown, and by the time we come in the house, grab a bite to eat, and then 
try to play radio, we find that many of the hams on the air are already 
signing out to play the go to bed early/get up early routine for the next 
work day.  And the remaining signals are often difficult to copy through all 
the atmospheric noise.

Hopefully, things will improve as the days get shorter and better conditions 
in late afternoon and early evening, the QRN begins to subside, and in a few 
weeks we will go back to real time.

A problem we may encounter as the bands get more active in the evening hours 
will be SSB QRM.  7285-90-95 is usually clobbered with broadcast signals 
during the evening hours, but 7160 is clear of broadcasting until about 
0400Z when the cat and mouse game between broadcasters and white-noise 
jammers starts up in Ethiopia and Eritrea, often wiping out everything from 
7155 to 7185.  7160 is usually excellent in the late afternoon and early 
evening, but it's also in prime DX territory.  I remember last spring, some 
of the SSB DX chasers would gripe about AM operating in what they considered 
their exclusive playground, and of course, there was plenty of adjacent 
channel QRM.  But this also gives us an opportunity to work Europeans on 40m 
phone.  Earlier in the year I managed to work a  few Europeans on 7160. 
They were on SSB, but said they could read my AM signal perfectly.  A couple 
of these stations even switched over to AM and we had two-way transatlantic 
QSOs.  If only some of the European group that meets on 3705 would give 7160 
a try...

The easiest way to grab 7160 for the evening is to start early before the 
activity gets heavy, call CQ if no AM is heard, and then continue the round 
table throughout the evening hours.  So far, I haven't heard the kind of SSB 
jamming we are so used to on 75m.

To the SSB DX chasers who gripe about AM on 7160 taking up too much of their 
precious DX space, my reply is that they should petition the FCC to extend 
the phone band down to 7100 or 7075 kHz.  There is very little US CW, RTTY 
or data activity above 7060, and when 7075-7125 is not vacantly lying idle, 
it becomes filled with foreign SSB. It is totally ridiculous that the 
continental USA remains the only country in the world restricted from 
operating phone in the prime DX segment.  Some die-hard CW enthusiasts want 
to hold on to that portion of the "CW band" at all costs, come hell or high 
water, but my response to them is "use it or lose it".  I rarely hear more 
than two or three simultaneous CW signals or QSO's in that whole 50 kHz 
segment.

Maybe the AM community should consider submitting our own petition to the 
FCC, but I would suggest waiting to see just how the 40m activity pans out 
this season, so we could formulate something well though-out, based on real 
observations, not just speculation over what "might" be.

Don k4kyv
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Re: [AMRadio] AM Transmitter "quality"

[D. Chester]

> I don't need to send or hear anything above and below about 100 Hz to 4000
> Hz, but extending the response well beyond those points cleans up the 
> audio
> to those points.
> If you build a rig that only goes 300 to 2800, the distortion at 300 and
> 2800 is usually high.

> Brett  N2DTS

The old UTC linear standard series catalogues recommend transformers to have 
a flat response at least one octave above and one octave below the target 
frequency response, to bring phase shift distortion to an acceptable level. 
To achieve reasonably good audio quality at the legendary 300-3000~ 
frequency range, your audio chain needs to be capable of flat response, at 
the very minimum, from 150 to 6000 Hz.  This is necessary to preserve the 
original audio waveform, and substantially reduces listener fatigue.

Using broadcast quality audio transformers  (UTC LS- series or better) and 
"hi-fi" circuit design without negative feedback, my homebrew transmitters 
test flat and relatively distortion-free  from about 40~ to 11,000~.  That 
means they are really optimum only for 80-5500 Hz.  That explains why so 
many vintage AM broadcast transmitters were designed with such a 
tremendously wide frequency response, 30-15K or better, even though everyone 
knew there were few, if any, AM receivers in existence with anywhere near 
that good a frequency response.  The designers were actually shooting for an 
optimum range of about 60-7500 Hz, pretty much typical for a good quality AM 
broadcast signal.  I recall  when I was working in broadcast engineering in 
the mid-60's, the bare-bones minimum acceptable standard for an FCC proof of 
performance was 100Hz  to somewhere between 5000 and 7500 Hz. I forget now 
if the exact high frequency number was 5, 6 or 7.5K.

Don k4kyv





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[AMRadio] AM Transmitter "quality"

[D. Chester]

 > I really don't care whether people chose to modify their old AM
> transmitters to "improve" sound quality, as they can do whatever they
> want with their radio. What does bother me a little is when people use
> words like "nasty" and "awful" to describe the audio quality of some
> classic transmitters, as if thedesigners of the day were not smart
> enough to design a decent transmitter.
>
> At the time these transmitters were built, the goal of amateur pone
> operation was effective radiotelephone service. Human speech falls into
> the range between 300 and 3000 Hz. There are sounds outside this range,
> but they do not contribute to intelligibility. So, in order to make the
> best use of the power available,  the bandwidth didn't need to be more
> than 4Khz.  The next logical step in the quest for efficient use of
> available power was SSB, which has an equally "nasty" sound but does the
> intended job quite well.

But, then, what's the point of running AM?  If all you are looking for is 
"efficient use of available power", why not just run space-shuttle quality 
SSB and be done with it?

It wasn't a matter of the designers of those rigs not being smart enough to 
design a decent sounding transmitter. Many of those stock "nasty" sounding 
rigs were designed with cost in mind, more than intelligibility or natural 
voice quality.  Others were trying to climb onto the "communications 
quality" bandwagon that became all the rage during that era, with the advent 
of SSB.  Many of the AM operators of that era were watering at the mouth to 
convert to SSB, but simply couldn't afford to buy the commercial equipment 
that was available at the time, and didn't have the technical know-how to 
build their own SSB rigs.

The original stock Collins KW-1 sounds pretty good.  Maybe not quite 
broadcast quality, but very good "amateur radio quality".  Later production 
runs were modified for "communications quality", and sound more like a phone 
patch from a land-line telephone using a carbon microphone.  Collins 
intentionally used under-sized coupling capacitors between stages, and 
by-pass capacitors to limit both high frequency and low frequency response. 
These later models sound more like an ART-13 or ARC-5 military transmitter 
than even classic "amateur radio quality" audio, let alone anything near 
broadcast quality.

I  helped Jay, W5JAY modify his late-model KW-1 back to the original Collins 
design, and the audio quality improvement was like night over day.

Don k4kyv

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Re: [AMRadio] AMRadio Digest, Vol 68, Issue 19

[D. Chester]

> FYI - you need not apply a primer when using wrinkle paint.
>
>
> David Knepper, W3ST-W3CRA

I have seen old black-wrinkled equipment that had been left in a humid 
environment for a long time. The wrinkled finish had blistered and peeled, 
but beneath the wrinkle coat there was an unwrinlked black coat still 
intact.  I don't recall if that sub-layer was gloss or  flat, but apparently 
it was used as a primer under the wrinkle coad.

Maybe that's why the wrinlke coat blistered and peeled.

I have noticed that the wrinkle finish on1930's era pre WW2 gear has a 
texture that is very different from post WW2 wrinkle  finishes.  I have 
looked in vain for any information on how that 1930's finish was attained or 
how to duplicate it.  The old-style wrinkle has a grainy texture, while the 
more recent wrinkle finishes are very uniform, whether the wrinkles are 
coarse or fine.

Don k4kyv












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Re: [AMRadio] SP600 Question

[D. Chester]

>  I have started replacing caps in an SP-600 JX-17. I removed the crystal 
> unit and was wondering if there is a need for it other than using 
> crystals. In other words can I leave it out and if so what connections 
> need to be made to bypass it.
>
>  Thanks all, Paul WA3GFZ


If you are not using the crystal unit, but it is not impairing the function 
of the receiver, what is the point of removing it?  You might find it useful 
sometime in the future, or if you eventually sell or swap the receiver, a 
subsequent owner might want it in original condition.  Besides, you will 
either have a useless function control on the front panel or some empty 
holes.

IMO it decreases the value of a piece of equipment to butcher it with a 
"modification" that serves no useful purpose.

That reminds me of AM transmitters that sometimes appear at  hamfests that 
have had all the components in the speech amp and  modulator removed to make 
"CW transmitters" out of them after SSB came along.  Or a Hallicrafters 
receiver I saw once in which a CB'er had removed all the coils except for 
the band that had 11m.

Don k4kyv
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[AMRadio] And you thought OUR bureaucracy could be daunting...

[D. Chester]

French amateurs have yet to be granted access to 7100-7200 kHz. Here's the 
response to the inquiry submitted by Betty Magnin, President of the REF 
(French counterpart to ARRL, RSGB, RAC, etc.).

From: ERPELDING Florence
Sent: vendredi, 28. août 2009 15:52
To: Betty Magnin
Subject: RE: Modification du TNRBF



Hello,

The opening of the 7100-7200 kHz band to the amateur service was approved at 
the CPF on March 11, 2009 (change of affectataire CSA ARCEP). Following the 
publication of the decree of June 25, 2009 amending the national allocation 
table of frequency bands, ARCEP has prepared a draft decision amending 
Decision No 2008-0841 dated July 24, 2008. The draft decision will be 
presented at the next Advisory Committee on Electronic Communications 
(October 19 or November 9, the date to be determined). The conditions of use 
specified in the decision will be subject to approval by the Minister in 
charge of electronic communications, before the decision can be published in 
the Official Journal.

Sincerely,

Florence Erpelding

Regulatory Authority,
Electronic Communications and Postal Department regulation for operators and 
scarce resources frequencies Unit 7
Square Max Hymans
75730 PARIS
Cedex 15
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[AMRadio] AM Slide Show Music

[D. Chester]

> Nice photos..but, I am from a different generation on the music  :))
> 
> 73, ( not 73s)
> 
> Tom - W?TDH


Yep, he's an old buzzard.  

That's Sammy Hagar of Van Halen. He was born in 1947.



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Re: [AMRadio] CONSOLE FS

[D. Chester]

Here we go again...

> FOR SALE, Harris Meadalist 12 STEREO Broadcast Audio Console. This is a 12 
> input stereo console. Has built in que amp, 2 digital timers and many 
> other features. Has 5 analog VU meters of which 2 need replacement. Many 
> other features. All solid state. Rack mounted external power supply 
> included. Dimensions: IN INCHES: 20D X 11H X 49H. Weight: 80Lbs, not 
> including power supply. The physical condition is good. There is some 
> magic marker labeling on the slider housings which will come off with a 
> bit of elbow grease. Inside is very clean.
>
> Very comprehensive original manual included.
>
> This console was used in a church and was in working condition when 
> replaced with a larger board. No further testing has or will be done.
>
> Please contact me off list if you are interested.?


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Re: [AMRadio] Just Gotta Have One of These!

[D. Chester]

Clever idea!  In the same class as the combination butcher block and kitty 
litter box.

> Talk about a Useless combination!
> - Original Message -
> * CLEARANCE *
> Connex CX-33TLM3 10 Meter Radio with MP3 Player and LCD Display
> The Connex CX33TLM3 is the first 10 meter radio on the market that has a
> built-in MP3 player that can play songs stored on either a USB Flash card 
> or
> SD card. There are a pair of L/R speaker outs in the back so you can 
> listen
> in stereo instead of just a single speaker. There's also an auxiliary 
> input
> on the back making it easy to connect an iPod or other portable audio
> device.
>
> The LCD not only gives you a variety of ways to view the metering, but it
> also allows you to display pictures stored on the SD or USB cards.
>
> Features
> Accessories
> Dimensions
>
> Built-in MP3 Player with Stereo External Speaker Jacks
> 1 1/4 X 1 1/2" LCD Display: Displays Metering and Photos Stored on SD or 
> USB
> Card
> Approx. 45 Watts Modulation
> Dual Control Echo
> Hi/Med/Low RF Power Switch
> AM/FM/PA Modes
> Noise Blanker/Automatic Noise Limiter
> 6 Frequency Bands
>


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Re: [AMRadio] MJ comments

[D. Chester]

> OK guys, this is enough on the topic of Michael Jackson or anything
> related to this type of thing.  No more will be accepted at all and
> if you do, I will place you on moderation.
>
> There are blogs for this type of thing and this reflector is about
> radios.  So this is your last warning, stop it.
>
> Jim/W5JO
> Moderator
>

A good place for  that type of discussion if you want to stay within the 
amateur radio community is QRZ.com.  They have two forums available for 
non-radio related topics.  One, no politics allowed, is called "Ragchew". 
The other, which is dedicated to political discussions (and supposedly 
closely moderated), is called "Political Junkie".  I would suggest you take 
such discussions there.  Post comments on almost any topic and you are 
guaranteed to get plenty of "bites", ranging from well-thought-out and 
reasonable, to totally idiotic.

Don k4kyv

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Re: [AMRadio] more grousing

[D. Chester]

Some time ago a thread appeared on two other amateur radio forums concerning 
US amateurs using phone below 7125. Several comments suggested that we 
should lobby the FCC to expand the US phone band down to 7100 or even to 
7075. Others harshly responded with suggestions to the effect that this was 
nothing but more "anti-CW rubbish".

Saturday night (Sunday GMT), I decided to give 40 a listen while the Field 
Day operators were in full force. Since this contest includes all modes, and 
during the evening 40m seems to be the most active band for the contest, I 
thought this would be a good opportunity to take a snapshot of the usage of 
the various modes throughout this band. So I scanned the band several times 
between 0315 and 0340 GMT, when contest activity was probably at its peak.

One thing I noticed right away was that the CW band seemed substantially 
more active with signals than the phone band, although more than the usual 
amount of phone activity was heard competing with broadcasters on 7200-7300. 
7125-7200 was fully occupied, but the congestion was not unbearable as I 
recall the phone band on FD in years past.

I slowly scanned the band several times during this time period, and here is 
what I observed:

7000-7067: Heavily congested with CW, peaking around 7040. Somewhat less 
active above 7050, but well occupied by CW stations all the way up to 7067. 
No RTTY, data or foreign SSB was heard on this segment.

Data signals were heard on 7068, 7071, between 7073-7075 and 7101. One RTTY 
signal was heard on 7080.

The only CW to be heard above 7067 were three signals: on 7108, 7113 and 
7117. At one time during that 25-minute period I heard a total of four CW 
signals above 7067.

At any one time, a total of 3-4 foreign SSB signals were heard between 7075 
and 7125.

The question I have to ask is this. If maintaining the current U.S. subband 
restrictions in the 7075-7125 segment is so essential for the preservation 
of the CW mode as some claim, why was there not more CW activity to-night in 
this segment during the contest, which brings stations of all modes out of 
the woodwork? Why was over 90% of the RTTY/Data activity between 7068 and 
7075? Why was the rest of the band moderately to heavily congested with 
contest and other activity, while 7075-7125 was practically devoid of 
signals?

There would be less griping from the DX crowd about AM'ers operating near 
7160 if US amateurs, and US amateurs only, were not restricted by the FCC 
from using almost half the segment of the "new" 40m band where phone 
operation takes place world-wide.

Don k4kyv
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Re: [AMRadio] AMRadio Digest, Vol 65, Issue 10

[D. Chester]

> Good for you Bernie! I have heard more illegal trash up there and we all 
> have to
> be very
> wary of it.   Have fun up there on10, hope to be up there on AM this 
> summer
> myself.
> Dave VE1UJ
>
> Bernie Doran wrote:
>
>> I have a question. was on 10 meters a few days ago, band was wide open 
>> based
>> on beacons, called CQ a few times and had responses from two who chose to
>> only respond by apparently the last three letters of their call, IE abc
>> etc. What is that all about? is this CB, freebanders, lazy, stupid,  or
>> what? I did not and will not respond to this sort of BS.  I hope that is 
>> not
>> the norm for 10 meters.Bernie W8RPW

What I might have done would be to have played with their head a little, by 
pretending like I thought it was a legitimate station but I just didn't copy 
all of the call sign, and asked for a repeat:

"ABC station, I didn't get your prefix.  Please repeat your call"

or "Question mark ABC?  Please repeat your prefix and the number in your 
call,  go ahead. 

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Re: [AMRadio] 7160 hot

[D. Chester]

Listened, heard KD0HG, WA3VJB, W9AD, W0VMC, W8VYZ, with slopbucket 
QRMtesters in the background whining about the AM carriers.

Later, 7160 was clear, and W3GL was heard testing.  I called him and we had 
a brief contact until he began to fade just about the time the jammer came 
on.  The jammer was on 7165 early, about 0358Z.  If Ralph hadn't dropped 
down in strength, his signal would have come through the jammer hash without 
a problem.

Don k4kyv
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Re: [AMRadio] Good or bad?

[D. Chester]

> The lead article on the ARRL website today is one about a group of hikers 
> encouraged to get ham tickets so that they can run their own 
> communications.  The club that sponsored it reports that after a one day 
> class, they all passed their Technician tests.
>
> When I think of how and why  I got into this game, that story made me sort 
> of sad.
>
> Charlie, W4MEC in NC

I agree.  While I think it is a  good thing to introduce  younger people to 
amateur radio (let me qualify "younger"; in this case we are talking about 
people who are still physically capable of even going on hikes), it seems to 
me that this story is a clear-cut example of using amateur radio as a 
personal communications service by people who otherwise have no interest in 
the nuts and bolts of radio.  The League unabashedly caved in to that 
philosophy  years ago when they took most of the technical articles out of 
QST and crammed them away in that other publication, QEX, that even full 
members have to pay extra for.  Their justification, which I have heard 
repeatedly, is that technical articles are of "limited interest" to 
present-day QST readers.

"...we were approached by members of the Rachel Carson Trails Conservancy a 
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania group. They were looking for radio amateurs to 
provide communications for the Rachel Carson Trail Challenge, a 34 mile 
long, 1 day, sunrise to sunset endurance hike...  After a couple of years of 
working the hike we decided to ask the event coordinators if they might be 
interested in obtaining an Amateur Radio license. After some thought and 
discussion, they agreed. We had a 1 day class at our club, the Skyview Radio 
Society, and by the end of the day all the attendees had passed their 
Technician class tests... While we were doing the class, we knew that their 
main interest in getting the license was for the purpose of communications 
for their event."

This reminds me of recent stories about police and fire departments 
requiring their officers and employees to get amateur radio licences so they 
can use the radios as part of their jobs. What does it say about to-day's 
licence exam, if people who are totally unfamiliar with, and have little 
interest in, the workings of radio, are able to pass the Technician exam 
after a one-day class?  I can recall when one studied for weeks, if not 
months, to pass that test. At the very least, that says that the nature of 
the licence has changed so that the name of the licence class, "Technician" 
is now a misnomer and should be changed to "Communicator Class".

If even one of those hikers develops a genuine interest in amateur radio, I 
would be the first to concede that the positive outcome made the effort 
worthwhile.  But I also see the potential for this sort of thing being 
promoted, gaining in popularity and taking AR even further away from its 
fundamental basis and purpose, with the "communicators" and their 
type-accepted equipment eventually shoving the nuts-and-bolts hams out the 
door.  Canada and UK are already headed in that direction, with a "Basic" 
entry-level licence class under which building, modifying or otherwise 
working on transmitting equipment is prohibited.

Why do we still have the remaining  vestiges of incentive licensing, 
particularly all that segmentation of the bands into restrictive subbands 
and sub-subbands, when incentive licensing was clearly a dismal failure in 
terms of its originally stated purpose, to enhance the knowledge and 
technical skills of the amateur radio community?  If you are not already 
convinced, look at any issue of QST, 73 or CQ from the pre-incentive 
licensing days, and compare the content to what you see in an issue of QST 
or CQ to-day.

Here is a link to the ARRL article. 
http://www.arrl.org/news/features/2009/04/29/10788/


Don k4kyv
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Re: [AMRadio] Seeking advice on "wires in trees"

[D. Chester]

I would never use a pulley, springs or weights.  Use some good, heavy duty 
UV-resistant rope.  Instead of a pulley, use a medium size "johnny ball" 
strain insulator, like you would use on guy wires.  Don't use the smallest 
size. Attach the insulator to the rope that goes across the limb, just as 
you would a guy wire, and securely tie the  rope.  Then run the rope that is 
attached to  the end of the antenna through the hole.  Pull the first  rope 
until the insulator is just a few inches over the limb and firmly tie it 
down.  Now pull the antenna rope, letting it slip through the hole in the 
insulator until the antenna is as tight as you can get it.  If you leave 
too much slack and sag, it will bounce all over the place and likely shake 
itself apart in a windstorm, and sometimes the feedline can manage to tangle 
itself up with anything else it can.

The insulator has no moving parts, and if the  ropes are inserted properly, 
about the only thing that could go wrong would be to break the insulator, 
which is unlikely since they are  designed to handle at least 3000  lbs. 
The rope just slips through  the hole over the glazed porcelain. Pulleys 
have a bad habit of freezing up over time, or the rope derails off the 
groove at the edge of the wheel and manages to bind between the side of the 
wheel and the frame of the pulley. Or the whole thing rusts over time and 
falls apart.

The spring is even a worse idea.  If it doesn't stretch out in a windstorm, 
it will very quickly  rust in two and break.

The rope over the limb should not be able to slip back and forth.  That will 
wear the rope in two and cause chronic damage to the tree as well.  Better 
to let the tree limb grow over the rope with time, and use the insulator for 
the antenna rope to slip through.

Generally, it is a bad idea to tie the rope or wire  round a tree limb if 
that can possibly be avoided.  This may eventually cause rot to set in and 
you lose the entire  limb or even the tree.  If you can climb up to the 
point of attachment, a better idea is to get  a hot-dipped galvanised (not 
zinc-plated) threaded eyelet with about a 1/2" diameter threaded rod and 
about 3" longer than the diameter of the limb, drill a slightly larger hole 
all way through the limb, insert the eyelet through the hole, and secure it 
in place with galvanised washer and two nuts.  Use the first nut to hold the 
eyelet, and use the second nut as a "pal nut", torqued down tightly against 
the first one, to avoid the possibility of the first nut managing to unscrew 
itself from the eyelet.

They also make eyelets with a shank like a wood screw, which will work if 
you can get them screwed most of the way through the limb, but that may be 
easier said than done.  I have found it easier to pierce a hole with a 
cordless drill and use the nuts and washer method of attachment, especially 
while hanging onto a tree limb at  40-50 ft. in the air.  A good climbing 
belt is highly recommended.

When I  had my antenna in a tree, I could climb to where it was attached, at 
both ends.  I had better luck using #10 copperweld wire for the antenna, 
good *heavy duty* insulators, and attaching the antenna rope directly to the 
tree, pulling it as tight as I could, and permanently fastening each end so 
nothing was slipping through anything or over limbs.  During windstorms, the 
antenna would actually hold the limb stationary and the feedline would 
bounce around less.  That antenna stayed up at least 5 years before I had to 
re-do it.  With rope looped through the insulator or over the limb, I  could 
count on putting the antenna back up after every heavy windstorm, at least 2 
or 3 times a year.  But flimsy wire and/or antenna rope will break.

Don k4kyv



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Re: [AMRadio] Tower Base Insulator for 160m Vertical

[D. Chester]

> A friend of mine is thinking of putting up a 125' tower for 160m use on 
> AM.
> He's collecting up old TV tower sections
> from folks who are no longer using them for TV, and the plan is to build a
> vertical out of it. Here's the $65K question he threw at me
> and I thought I'd open it up to the group. What can he reliably use as 
> base
> insulators for this tower/antenna project??
>
> Anyone had any experience with building a vertical like this, and have a
> suggestion?
>
> Mike - N3EAQ

My first choice would be to find an old broadcast station base insulator and 
make an adaptor plate to fit the tower on  hand.  That's what I did for 
mine.

The next choice would be to use a large power pole or substation insulator, 
something at least 3-4 inches in diameter and at least 6" tall, solid 
ceramic.  Fabricate some kind of metal base plate to mount it onto the 
concrete pier and some kind of metal adaptor to fasten it to the bottom of 
the tower  section. That has worked for me for previous verticals.

You want something that pivots and rotates freely at a single point at the 
base, and depends only on the guy wires to hold the tower vertical. This 
allows the tower to sway in the wind and rotate slighty in case there is 
ever some torque stress under heavy turbulent wind condx, that could pop the 
welds and make a flimsy TV tower collapse in a windstorm. You DON'T want to 
rigidly attach the bottom of the tower to the concrete base pier. As long as 
there is no other antenna on the tower, TV tower sections should be good for 
that height if they are well guyed.  Find a Rohn catalogue and follow their 
instructions for assembling and attaching guy wires and anchors.  Don't take 
shortcuts just to save a few bucks.  I learnt that years ago, the hard way.

If you use metallic guys, be sure to break them up with insulators. 
According to the National Ass'n of Broadcasters engineering handbook, the 
maximum recommended length for each section of  guy wire between insulators 
is 1/7 wavelength.  If you plan to use the tower only  for 160, you need to 
put an insulator every 72 feet.  If you plan to use it also on 80, they 
should be broken up into 36' lengths, for 40 18' lengths, etc.

For something as permanent as a 125' tower, I wouldn't dick around with some 
kind of jury rigged insulator made out of sheet plastic and wood.  That 
might be OK for TV push-up masts and water pipe or gutter pipe verticals, 
but I would never use anything like that with a tower that I planned to have 
stay up for decades.

I have seen a few small tower base insulators at hamfests, although rarely. 
I have also seen large ceramic stand-off insulators, some 3" in  diameter 
and several inches tall, that ought to hold a light-duty tower like old TV 
tower, provided there is no huge antenna array mounted on top.

Don k4kyv

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Re: [AMRadio] Is the novelty of the "new" 40mbandwearing

[D. Chester]

> I agree. Just get on and talk to as many as will respond. Our frequencies 
> are still in jeopardy.
>
>
> Allen KA1KIX

That is undoubtedly true at VHF, UHF and microwave, but I don't think 
commercial and government interests are knocking themselves out fighting 
over HF allocations.

That's exactly the reason broadcasters vacated 7.1-7.2.  Point-to-point 
fixed and mobile users above 7.3 didn't have enough use for those 
frequencies, so they were given to the broadcasters, freeing up the ham band 
from the SWBC QRM.

No doubt, the same holds true for 60m.  But just as we were about to get a 
new ham band, the tragic unforeseen events happened and immediately someone 
shouted "9-11" (sound familiar?), and suddenly those frequencies were of 
prime importance  for national security reasons, and we were given that 
pitiful excuse  for a ham band that we ended up with.

I recall before the final FCC decision, it was a foregone conclusion that we 
would be getting a new band, and the big debate going on in ham radio 
circles was whether the band should have mode sub-bands, or be like 160, 
with no sub-bands whether licence class or emission mode.

Don k4kyv

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Re: [AMRadio] Is the novelty of the "new" 40mbandwearing

[D. Chester]

> Probably the best way to attack this situation is, all of us who
> can, use all frequencies available.  I am a extra so when I go into
> the shack to check for activity, I tune to 7.280-95 then down to
> 7.160 to see who is on the air.  I don't make a decision about who
> to talk with by frequency.
>
> So if there is a good signal on 7.293, I will be there.  I urge
> others to do the same and those who are Generals to upgrade if they
> choose.  Personally I was a General (Conditional class) from 1956
> until 1973 and saw nothing bad about it.  I did the upgrade in 1973
> because of the possibility of Incentive Licensing restrictions.
> Then I went to Advanced and stayed there until the next round of the
> FCC actions about licenses in 2000.  I decided to get the Extra
> because I was tired of them fooling with my frequencies and
> privileges.
>
> So if someone doesn't want to change license class that is just
> great with me.  As I said I don't make my decisions about my
> conversations by license class but by signal strength and quality.
> Knowing most of the people who posted to this discussion topic, I
> don't believe it was meant to be exclusionary, just an attempt to
> promote activity and to use frequencies most AM operators haven't
> been using for quite a while.  Welcome aboard to all.
>
> Jim/W5JO

I don't know why they even bother to keep the US amateur bands segmented 
with all these subbands and sub-sub bands.  The whole concept of incentive 
licensing was obviously abandoned long, long ago; even the ARRL now publicly 
admits that amateur radio is no longer a technically oriented endeavour but 
a "communicator's hobby". The League even took  most of the technical  stuff 
out of QST and squirreled it away in that separate publication that even 
full members have to pay extra for, QEX, based on the notion that the 
majority of QST readers would have no interest in technical articles.  Not 
only did incentive licensing prove to be a dismal falure in terms of its 
stated purpose, which was to enhance the technical knowledge and skills of 
the amateur radio population, if anything, IL after it went into effect in 
1968, *accelerated* the demise of technical experimentation, home-building 
and AM phone.  Just look back at any of the amateur radio magazines of the 
pre-inncentive licensing era, 73, CQ, Ham Radio or QST, and compare the 
content to what you see in CQ or QST to-day.

Due to the present sub-band/sub-sub-band structure, large segments of every 
HF band have turned into vast wastelands with no US activity, period, while 
other segments remain overly congested, and much of the spectrum where phone 
is used world-wide remains off limits to US hams and US hams only.  It 
reminds me of the Jim Crow South in the pre-civil rights era: when using 
phone US hams are relegated to the back of the bus.

We should simply go the way of Canada, UK and many other countries round the 
world that have only a couple of classes of licence, offering "limited" and 
"full" privileges.  The limited entry level class would have limited 
privileges not based on band segments, but perhaps based on maximum power 
level and/or access only to certain bands or modes.  That was the way it 
actually was prior to 1968, when we had Novice (very limited CW privileges), 
Technician (all privileges above a certain  VHF/UHF frequency), and General 
(full amateur privileges). Our sub-bands and sub-sub-bands based on such a 
complex matrix of operator class and modes of emission is nothing short of 
ridiculous, and no such a thing exists anywhere else in the world.

Don k4kyv
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[AMRadio] How to reply to someone else's post

[D. Chester]

Users of this reflector need to review the proper etiquette for responding 
to other people's messages.

I subscribe to the digest versions of all the mail groups I participate in; 
otherwise I would literally have to sort through hundreds of e-mail messages 
every day.  One thing that annoys me TO NO END is scrolling through the 
messages and seeing the same original message  repeated again and again, 
sometimes dozens of times.  The same would still be true if I  received each 
posting as a separate e-mail message, maybe even more so.

Not only is it annoying to have to download the same text over and over 
again, it loads down the server with unnecessary bandwidth.

It is a very simple matter, when responding to a message, to go through and 
delete everything in the original message except  those  lines that are 
pertinent to the comments you make in your reply.  Sometimes, messages are 
laden not only with the complete verbatim text of the most recent reference 
including all the headers and signatures, but often the full text/headers of 
the preceding Re:'s and Re:Re's.  It becomes difficult to sort out exactly 
what the new message has to say because the text of the current posting is 
well hidden between the lines of all the unnecessary repetitive garbage.

Please, when replying to someone else's posting,  have a little 
consideration for those who will have to sort through all the repetitive 
text to find out what you just typed.  If  your posting includes the text of 
the original message at all, go through, highlight and delete everything 
that does not directly relate to your reply.

Don k4kyv
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Re: [AMRadio] Is the novelty of the "new" 40m bandwearing

[D. Chester]

> From: "Bob Carpenter" 

> Thanks for your comments regarding "all" hams. I didn't meant to get a 
> small
> fire going the other day when I made my comments regarding the "extra"
> waiting at 7160 with nothing going on down there.
> I've been on this list for some time, and with the recent changes in the
> B'cast stations on 40 all you would see were comment about the "old a.m.
> freq of 7160 and let's all hit it and get going with A.M. again.
> Well looking at the March issue of QST page 59 shows that there are 
> 207,000
> general and advance licensees, and 115,500  Extra's.  One would think that
> we all would not want to leave out the 207,000 general/advances potential
> a.m. op's in our conversation.

> KB4WEC

There is no exclusive Extra Class phone portion on 40.  7125-7175  *is* open 
to advanced class licensees.  Of course, if you now hold a General class 
ticket it is effectively limited to Extra Class since that is the only 
available upgrade above General.

Don, k4kyv

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[AMRadio] Is the novelty of the "new" 40m band wearing off already?

[D. Chester]

I wonder...

The past few days I have heard little, if any, AM on 7160.  The DX chasers 
scared everyone away?  Later at night after most Europeans have gone to bed, 
the band is sometimes still open for good solid stateside QSO's, 
particularly from here to the west coast.  But I have heard very little 
west-coast AM operation on 40 since the band changes took effect.

During the daytime I haven't heard much AM activity period, either near 7160 
or 7290.  I fired up my automated CQ on 7160 about 1600 GMT yesterday 
morning and ran several CQ's, and the only response I got (on what sounded 
like ricebox AM) was someone griping about how long my CQ's were (each cycle 
of the automated recording runs 2 minutes with frequent CQ's and callsign 
ID's, then pauses into listening mode for 30 seconds), but he apparently 
wasn't interested enough in a QSO to came back to my call or even to give 
his call sign. I did hear a weak  signal from VA calling CQ about 2300 GMT 
yesterday running 40 watts from an Icom.  We chatted briefly, but I had to 
get back outside to finish what I was doing, before dark.

And where are all the Euro-AM'ers?  I have yet to hear a single one of the 
3705 kHz crew anywhere on 40m AM since the band opened.

French stations were allowed on 7.1-7.2 as of 29 March, but so far I have 
heard only ONE  F-callsign (on SSB), period.  Maybe that bloke was right 
about driving across France recently and no longer seeing any ham radio 
antennas on rooftops.

Don k4kyv

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Re: [AMRadio] 7160

[D. Chester]

> From: Peter A Markavage 
>
> If everyone also logged into SKYPE via the Internet, then you could then
> hear what the stations were saying that weren't in your skip zone. When a
> station transmitted, they would also key up the SKYPE connection.
> Listening to dead air is not my idea of fun. When I listened earlier this
> evening, out of the 6 or 8 stations in one roundtable, I could only hear
> 3 above the noise. I kept tuning off a few KC's to listen to the DX
> rolling in when I couldn't hear anyone above the noise. Later, I rolled
> up the band and worked a bunch of European's on SSB with the National
> NCX-5.
>
> Pete, wa2cwa

A member of the slopbucket group on 3889 back in the winter let it slip that 
that was what they were doing to allow them to hear each other through the 
QRM from the AM QSO down on 3885, that had been in progress for hours before 
they came on, even though there were other nearby clear frequencies not in 
use.

Don k4kyv
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Re: [AMRadio] 7160 tonight: Suggestion

[D. Chester]

> From: "Todd, KA1KAQ" 

> On Thu, Apr 2, 2009 at 1:45 PM, D. Chester  wrote:
>> One suggestion. We need to be more careful about zero beating each other
> on
>> the 40m frequency. At times in the QSO, stations are so scattered out 
>> over
>> a 1-2 kHz range, that my sync detector won't stay locked when one station
>> turns it over to another. But the real problem is that this frequency
>> scattering is bound to be generating unnecessary hostility from the SSB
>> DX'ers, and will likely to result in deliberate QRM and other hostile
>> actions against the AM'ers

> When has that ever bothered you before, Don? To borrow your own words
> on such matters, 'strap and ignore', 'turn up the wick' etc. I'd agree
> with you if folks were scattered out over 4-5 kcs or more, but 1-2
> seems m ore related to sync detectors not locking up than to offending
> any SSB ops. After all, it's been one of the ways to discourage
> anti-AM SSB types from crowding in close to a QSO in progress.

I have ALWAYS, ever since the early 60's, advocated operating zero-beat with 
the other station whenever possible.  One exception might be when two or 
more stations are xtal controlled, and some of the older VFOs do drift.  But 
failure to zero-beat when it is easily possible and convenient is just plain 
sloppy operating.

This is an example of the difference between necessary bandwidth and 
occupied bandwidth.  If you are running audio out to 5 kHz, 10 kHz is the 
NECESSARY bandwidth of the signal.  But if two stations in the QSO are 3 kHz 
apart, then the OCCUPIED bandwidth of the QSO becomes 13 kHz.  There is no 
rule that says all stations in a QSO have to be on the same frequency. 
Hell, DX'ers routinely take up two whole SSB communications channels for one 
QSO by working split frequency (and these are often the very same 
self-righteous kilocycle kops who gripe the loudest about all that 
"bandwidth" that AM and ESSB signals take up).  Nevertheless, conspicuous 
sloppiness about zero-beating just unnecessarily gives the slopbucketeer 
lunatic fringe more ammunition to use against AM.

Another often-overlooked advantage of carefully zero-beating (whenever 
practicable) is that a "breaking" station attempting to enter into the QSO 
is less disruptive.  If you can hear his audio underneath the transmitting 
station, and at most, the puttering sound of a nearly zero-beat carrier, 
this is far less disruptive to the conversation, than a loud 1-2 kHz squeal 
of an off-frequency carrier, which garbles up the sidebands of both signals. 
You often miss what the transmitting station was saying, while at the same 
time, missing the callsign of the breaking station. It is not unusual that 
"breakers" into a QSO are ignored for this very reason.

But older transmitters with drifty VFO's are not the only problem.  Some of 
the worst offenders are using modern transceivers on AM.  Even if the audio 
level and carrier level are adjusted properly, so that a good, undistorted, 
plate-modulated quality AM signal is generated, many transceivers lack any 
kind of frequency spotting function.  In AM mode the received signal is 
clearly audible as long as it lies within the transceiver's passband. So it 
is easy to tune in the signal on the receiver and then transmit, and end up 
with a carrier 1.5 kHz or more off frequency.  If everyone is using a wide 
bandpass at the receiver and there is little congestion on nearby 
frequencies, this is  no big deal and no-one may even notice.  But if the 
band is crowded and many stations in the QSO are operating with the receiver 
in narrow bandpass, with heavy QRM off to both sides, some people in the QSO 
may miss the call entirely.

I have seen modifications to transceivers that allow a spotting function for 
zero-beating purposes.  Depending on the circuit design, this may be very 
easy with minimal alteration of the circuitry, while on others it simply 
isn't practical.  Lacking a spotting function, the easiest method would be 
to put the rig in SSB/CW mode and zero-beat the AM carrier, then switch back 
to AM.  But on some rigs, this automatically produces a frequency error, 
because there is a built-in frequency offset when switching between modes. 
In that case, you have to note the digital display frequency, and retune 
back to that frequency in AM mode.  Even then, there may also be an offset 
in the digital display reading that  must be taken into account.  It is a 
matter of figuring out exactly what works with a particular ricebox and 
getting into the habit of using it.

One factor that hinders proper zero-beating with any receiver is 
space-shuttle quality, so-called "communications grade" audio, that cuts off 
everything below about 500 Hz.  That makes it nearly impossible to hear two 
carriers

Re: [AMRadio] 7160 tonight: Suggestion

[D. Chester]

One suggestion.  We need to be more careful about zero beating each other on 
the 40m frequency.  At times in the QSO, stations are so scattered out over 
a 1-2 kHz  range, that my sync detector won't stay locked when one station 
turns it over to another.  But the real problem is that this frequency 
scattering is bound to be generating unnecessary hostility from the SSB 
DX'ers, and will likely to result in deliberate QRM and other hostile 
actions against the AM'ers. I have already heard the griping, and I'm afraid 
it's just starting.  Last night someone tried to fire his  ricebox up on AM, 
and kept saying (with extreme distortion), "Why are you on AM down here?  Go 
back to 7290".

Remember, we don't own 7160 kHz any more than slopbucketeers own any of 
"their" frequencies.

Because of the limited spread of this "new" phone band, we need to operate 
more  like precision sharpshooters, than users of a sawed-off shotgun in the 
early evening.  With the new situation on 40m, maybe it's time to seriously 
consider a petition to the FCC to further expand the phone band, down to 
7100 or 7075.  Much of the foreign DX is below 7125, and US amateurs are 
about the only ones in the world who are not allowed to operate phone down 
there (not sure about VK's and ZL's).  I hear 7075-7125 filled with a LOT 
more foreign SSB than CW.

Don k4kyv
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Re: [AMRadio] Lots of AM on 7160 Right Now!

[D. Chester]

I have worked many AM  stations Sunday and Monday evenings and early the 
morning to follow.

This includes some Europeans.  The Euros have mostly been SSB, but one or 
two of them have switched over to AM to be perfectly readable, and they all 
gave me good signal reports.  I think two-way transatlantic AM QSO's should 
be easy, running only moderate power and antennas.

I have been running 450 watts input to a pair of 8005's modulated by 805's - 
the same rig I built when I was in Cambridge, MA and used when I was in 
Houston, TX.  The antenna is the 80m dipole, 110' high, fed with open wire 
line, broadside NE/SW.

I think for night time operation, this band is less useful for large 
roundtables like we are used to on 75 and 160.  Kind of like 20m, 
inevitably, someone in the group is skipping over someone else, and that 
person has to wait several minutes listening to background noise and dead 
air.  I  think it would be better, and make for more AM presence on the 
band, to break away from the original QSO once it begins to get large, and 
start new QSO's off to the side when a clear frequency can be found, and try 
to maintain small groups and one-on-one QSO's.

Some of the Europeans have indicated they still hear several broadcast 
stations occupying the usual channels on 7100-7200.  Evidently, as the major 
powerhouses have moved out of the band per the WARC agreement, lower power 
broadcasters from Africa and Asia are filling in the void to take advantage 
of the clear frequencies.  I  still hear broadcast activity from the Horn of 
Africa, Ethiopia and Eritrea on 7110, 7165 and 7175 to be specific.

Unfortunately, the whole region is in political turmoil right now, and armed 
conflict involving Eritrea, Ethiopia, Somalia and Djibouti could break out 
at any time.  Reportedly, there are troops from all sides amassed at the 
borders.  Ethiopians are already fighting inside Somalia, and Eritrean 
troops have reportedly crossed over into Djibouti territory.  Along with the 
armed tension, some of these broadcasts are being jammed with a transmitter 
that puts out white noise, sounding a lot like some kind of digital 
transmission, but I suspect it is only random noise.

Last night I listened in as the whole episode started up.  Radio Ethiopia 
has been  regularly signing on at 0300 GMT on 7110, and they are strong in 
here until fade-out, usually between 0600 and 0800 GMT, depending on band 
condx.  Starting about 0340 GMT, two strong unmodulated carriers appeared on 
7165 and 7175.  A few minutes before the hour, 7175 began broadcasting what 
sounded like Ethiopian or Eritrean music, with frequent announcements.  I 
don't understand the language, but I believe it was Tigrinya, and I could 
make out "Eritrea" in the announcements.  A ham in VK land  has identified 
this station as the Voice of the Broad Masses of Eritrea.  About the same 
time, similar music began to modulate the 7165 carrier.  Seconds before 0400 
GMT, the white noise opened up on top of the 7175 station.  It immediately 
moved to 7165, nearly exactly zero-beat with the station on there.  You 
could hear the simultaneous modulation of both signals and the carriers 
beating against each other.  Then the noise moved down to cover up both 
stations.  Occasionally the noise stops for 2-3 seconds, as if the operator 
is  listening to see if the stations are still transmitting.  Each pause, 
both signals were clearly audible.  This noise  can be very strong at times, 
and render useless an entire swath between 7155 and 7175.  A nearly 
identical sequence of events occurred Sunday evening.  I was able to sort 
out what was happening by the time Monday evening was over.

Here is my suggestion.  AM'ers should continue to use 7160 as a  gathering 
point, since this frequency has a long history of AM usage going back at 
least through the 70's.  But we should avoid huge roundtables and instead, 
spread out.  But we should avoid whenever possible, frequencies at even 5 
kHz intervals ending in 5 or 0 that have long been used as broadcast 
channels, for two reasons.  (1) A few broadcasters, as expected, continue to 
occupy these channels and cause QRM, particularly in Europe, VK/ZL and the 
Far East.  We will have a better chance of being heard by foreign DX if we 
operate in between the former broadcast channels. (2) Many US SSB stations 
are so used to hearing the foreign broadcast carriers at even 5-kHz 
intervals, that they are likely to mistake amateur AM carriers for broadcast 
signals without further listening, and fire up right on top of the AM QSO, 
even if they have no malicious intention of jamming amateur AM operation.

Don k4kyv
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Re: [AMRadio] More on the T-368 exciter

[D. Chester]

It is my understanding that the heating element that envelops the PTO in all 
these rigs is designed for operation under extreme temperature conditions, 
and it is not meant for improving stability at normal ambient temperatures. 
The drift problem is caused by turning the oscillator stage off during 
receive periods and starting it back up at every transmission.  It takes a 
few minutes for the components inside the can to come to constant operating 
temperature.  Running the tube filaments all the time won't cure the 
problem; you need to run the oscillator plate voltage all the time too.  My 
75A-4 does the same thing when I first turn it on from a cold start. 
Isolating the oscillator stage well enough that I can keep it running all 
the time completely cured the problem with mine.

Another cause of drift in both my exciter PTO and the 75A-4 is slight 
variations in oscillator tube filament voltage due to line voltage changes. 
I found that even a change of only one or two volts from the nominal 115 
volt mains voltage was enough to cause noticeable drift.  So I run my T-360 
PTO unit tube  filaments off a  regulated 6-volt DC supply that I happened 
to have on hand.  For the 75A-4 I run the whole receiver off a miniature 
Sola constant voltage transformer that I found at a hamfest.  It was 
probably manufactured sometime in the  mid 1980's, and was  designed to run 
a personal computer in an office setting, so it is very quiet, without the 
loud buzzing noise that most of these transformers are notorious for. It is 
rated for 75 watts, just about exactly what the 75A-4 draws.

The T-368 drift shouldn't be enough to hurt anything when running AM, but it 
can be a problem with CW on the higher frequency bands, since the oscillator 
frequency is multiplied for the upper ranges.

I once tried connecting up the heater in one of my R-390A's.  It actually 
worsened the frequency wandering as the thermostat tripped on and off.  It 
takes a substantial temperature variation to activate the thermostat.

One possibility might be to disconnect the thermostat and run the heater at 
reduced voltage during stand-by periods, using a relay powered by the 
station's transmit-receive switching system. Feed the heating element from a 
variable voltage power supply, perhaps a 24v transformer running off a 
variac, and experiment to see if there is a voltage setting  that exactly 
compensates for the cool-down while the oscillator is on stand-by.  Then a 
small transformer with the proper output voltage could be wired in 
permanently.

Don k4kyv

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Re: [AMRadio] Cabinet for the T-368 exciter?

[D. Chester]

Probably the best bet is to make one.  I modified one and use it as my 
station VFO, capable of driving any of my rigs.

I still found the drift objectionable when the PTO is turned off during 
stand-by, particularly when working 40m CW, so I modified mine to let the 
oscillator run all the time even when the rest of the unit is turned off. 
The problem with doing that is that the oscillator is audible in the 
receiver, which can be a problem with weak signals when  the band is quiet. 
I built a metal shielded enclosure to encase the  whole thing, PTO, 
buffer/multiplier unit and all.  I used about 1/16" sheet aluminium and some 
1/4" square rods of aluminium stock salvaged from something long forgotten. 
I cut side and top panels, using the original bottom cover, rear panel and 
front sub-panel behind the mechanical dial assembly.  I carefully drilled 
and tapped holes for 4-40 screws, using the square stock as a skeleton to 
hold the sheet metal panels together at the corners.  The front and rear 
sub-panels in the unit are thick enough that I was able to drill and tap 
directly into the edges, without the square stock.  I used standard circuits 
for TVI filtering and bypassing for all power supply, filament and control 
leads going in and out of the unit, except that the inductances and 
capacitances were optimised for the 1.5-20 mHz range instead of for VHF.  I 
was able to reduce the rf feed-through to the  receiver to negligible with 
the receiving antenna connected, although it is faintly audible when the 
antenna is removed from the receiver.

I  replaced the type 6000 tube with a 6AG7.  I had to re-wire the octal tube 
socket, but the capacitances of the two tubes are nearly the same.  I put 
only about 150 volts on the 6AG7, and that gives me about 200-250 milliwatts 
of power out, which is comparable to the output from a ham type VFO like the 
Johnson 122 or Heathkit VF-1.

The next problem was coupling the output to the transmitters.  In the 
original T-368 setup, a short length of coax is used to directly couple the 
plate of  the output  to the grid of the final amplifier, and its 
capacitance was not enough to cause a problem with resonance at the output 
coil. Some of my rigs are as far as 10' away from the operating table, and 
that much coax loads down the output circuit with too much capacitance, and 
the alignment parameters changed with different lengths of coax to the 
different  rigs.  So I decided to make mine  link  coupled.  I salvaged a 
spare bandswitch wafer from a T-195 multiplier/buffer unit I had on hand, 
which is very similar to the one in the T-368.  I disassemble the 
bandswitch, cut two of the hollow tubes used as spacers between wafers to 
accomodate the additional wafer, and re-assembled the bandswitch.  I then 
took out the output coils and removed the shields, then wound a coupling 
coil over the cold end of each coil and brought the new  lead out the bottom 
of the  coil.  I don't recall if there was already an extra banana plug at 
the coil bases, or if I added one or simply brought the wire out through a 
hole (I made these mods about 20 years ago).  The new wafer section was used 
to select the coupling coil.  As I recall, I used about 2 turns for the 
highest frequency coil, 4 for the next, 8 for the 3-6 mHz coil and 16 for 
the 1.6-3 mHz coil.  I removed the original BNC connector and relay at the 
top of the buffer assembly, and relocated the BNC to the rear of the unit as 
the output jack.  With the modified output, I can get about 1/4 watt of rf 
into a 50-ohm dummy load.

Before the mod, the unit would track perfectly over each one of the tuning 
ranges.  I was amazed that I could put an RF voltmeter at the output and it 
would show a constant reading no matter what band or frequency I tuned it 
to.  Adding the coupling links somewhat screwed up the linearity, and I 
could never get the ranges to track as well as they did before the 
modification.  I possibly could have experimented with  the exact number of 
turns of coupling coil on each output coil, and been able to get the unit to 
track perfectly over each frequency range, but I didn't go to the trouble, 
since I use each frequency output range of the unit for only one ham band: 
1.5-3 for 160, 3-6 for 75/80, 6-12 for 40m, and 12-20 for 20m.I found 
that I could align the output coils well enough that the unit would still 
track perfectly across the entire ham band in each frequency range, but the 
output would fall off at the extreme ends.  Since I don't do pirate 
broadcasting on shortwave and have no use for frequencies outside  the ham 
bands, the tracking error made zero difference to me, so I didn't bother. I 
haven't tried using it on 30m or 17m, but hopefully I would still be able to 
get enough output on those bands to drive whatever transmitter I might use.

The final modification was to add a Jackson Brothers planetary dial drive to 
the tuning knob, because the stock tuning rate was to

Re: [AMRadio] another thought

[D. Chester]

> Not to be preaching to the choir, and not that I'm disagreeing, but this 
> is a?very very?fine line to tread in that it borders on broadcasting. 
> During the Riley Hollingsworth days there were FCC actions against hams 
> who were hogging THEIR (in their opinion) frequency by doing the same 
> thing. I'm sure you all know the person or persons at fault. They were 
> being curmudgeonly just to be a-holes.

> Bill AD5OL

To make that work, you would need two stations, each running in timed 
sequence so that one transmitter would come on frequency just as soon as the 
other one went off.

But you would have to make sure your Radio Shack timers all worked properly 
:-)

I use an automated CQ caller, made from a Sony minidisc player set to repeat 
mode.  I use a tone on the left channel and the voice is recorded on the 
right channel.  There is zero cross-talk with the minidisc; the minidisc 
seems to have perfect channel separation.  The tone activates the T/R relay, 
kind of the way vox works on SSB.  I can let it run over and over again for 
hours if I want.  It will call CQ for about 90 seconds, then go to standby 
for 30 seconds, and keep on repeating until I take manual control of the 
station. I just put it on, then go  to the bench and work on a project.  I 
listen during standby periods for any calls and take manual control if I can 
hear someone come back.  The CQ recording specifies that I have my receiver 
set to AM mode.

Don k4kyv 

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Re: [AMRadio] 40 m SWBC

[D. Chester]

Early Tuesday evening, at about 2400 GMT I worked Steve HUZ on 7160 kHz 
until the band went long and I lost him at 0030 right in the middle of a 
transmission - just as if he had flipped a power switch and dropped from 1 
kw down to a few milliwatts.  All in about 5 seconds. But the whole time, no 
broadcast QRM. My antenna is an 80m dipole, fed with open wire tuned 
feeders, average height 110' off the ground.

At 0630 GMT I ran my automated CQ on 7160, and had Sergio, IT9QJM come back 
to me on slopbucket.  He said I was S7 to S9 and perfectly readable, 
although there was a language barrier.  I should have tried out my rusty 
Italian!  He did understand that I was on AM.  He said he was using a 
homebrew transceiver.

He also said he was running only 10 watts to a half wave dipole!  He was not 
pinning my S-meter by any means, but he was perfectly readable, well above 
the background noise.  There had been an English-speaking Bible Beater on 
frequency earlier (from South Africa, I believe), but it had shut down and I 
didn't hear any other broadcast on the frequency. No amateur slopbucket QRM 
either.

Hearing a 10 watt SSB station that well, and being heard at up to S9 with 
approximately 300 watts carrier output,  leads me to believe that 
transatlantic AM should be a breeze whenever band conditions are half way 
decent.  I would say the best time to try would be between 0430 and 0630 
GMT.  Maybe earlier as the days get longer.

If most of the broadcast stations really do go away, T/A QSO's should be 
possible all evening long.  As Tom, K1JJ pointed out, as long as it's dark 
or within an hour of darkness in both locations, the USA-EuropeDX can be 
worked. The Euros on 40M should be workable any time from OUR own local 
sunset to perhaps two hours before our own local sunrise, depending on 
season. USA stations can be heard working them throughout that time, which 
varies depending on  the season. Tom says  he has worked Europeans even 
though they are a couple hours past their sunrise. The problem is on both 
sides of the pond, people tend to sleep between 12 midnight and 4AM local 
time. But this could be a window of opportunity for the night-owls who are 
still up at the bewitching hour of 3 AM  local time, because of the lack of 
QRM.

I predict a reduction in broadcast QRM, but that it won't go away entirely. 
Already, there are big holes in the broadcast QRM, below and above 7200. 
The most significant change is that amateurs outside Region 2 (the Americas) 
will once again have use of 7100-7200 after more than a half century. 
European and American hams will have exclusive or at least primary use of 
the segment, while those in other parts of the world will have access at 
least on a shared basis.  British, Spanish and Italian hams are already 
active on the new frequencies, and Ireland, Netherlands and France are 
supposed to gain access on the 29th (supposedly along with the rest of 
Europe).

PE1MPH reported vacant broadcast channels on the following frequencies:
7130
7145
7155
7160
7185
7190
7195
He suggests maybe 7160 and 7185-7195, although the broadcasters change 
frequencies all the time.

One of the significant aspects of the 29 March date is that's about the time 
of the normal seasonal shift in international broadcast frequencies anyway, 
so mandating the changes on this daty may enhance compliance.

On this side of the Atlantic, here is a quick snapshot of what I heard on 
40m on the 1st of March, listening with the 900' beverage that is generally 
directional towards Europe.  I started to scan the band a few minutes before 
0300 GMT.  Between 7100 and 7200 I heard broadcast carriers on the following 
frequencies:

7120
7125
7150
7155
7165
7175
7190
7200

At 0300 on the dot, the 7200 station closed down.  I continued to scan above 
7200.
Broadcast carriers were on the following frequencies:

7205
7225
7235
7245
7250
7255
7260
7265
7275
7280
7290
7295

Then I re-scanned 7100-7200, because stations often start up or close down 
at the top of the hour.  BC stations were heard on:

7105
7110
7130 (very weak)
7150
7165

Amateur SSB was heard on only a couple of frequencies between 7200-7300. 
Dozens of slopbuckets were audible on vacant frequencies between 7100-7200. 
A few Europeans, mostly Italians were heard amongst them, some quite 
strapping.

No amateur AM was heard at all.

On the 9th of March, Steve WB3HUZ reported:

Freq (kHz) BC Station Signal Strength

7125   Y  5/9+20
7130   Y Very Weak
7135   N
7140   Y Very Weak
7145   N
7150   N
7155   N
7160   N
7165   Y Very Weak
7170   N
7175   N
7180   Y Very Weak
7185   Y Very Weak
7190   N
7195   Y Very Weak
7200   Y  5/9+10



Don k4kyv

_

Re: [AMRadio] 40m SWBC QRM to end 3/29/09

[D. Chester]

Hopefully, most of the broadcasters will move by the 29th, but I suspect 
many will drag their feet.  I doubt that UN forces are going to send in 
troops or tanks to force a few broadcast stations to QSY.

The world financial crisis will be a convenient excuse for the broadcasters 
to stay put, pointing to the costs involved in finding new frequencies and 
re-adjusting equipment and antennas (kind of like the burden US AM'ers claim 
it would be to QSY from 3880-3885 to frequencies below 3750).

At least the Europeans will be allowed to operate on 7125-7200, so that 
two-way phone contacts with the US will be possible without having to waste 
spectrum space by operating split frequency. But don't be surprised if this 
still means finding holes in the broadcast QRM.

Maybe we'll be able to find some common frequencies that are relatively 
QRM-free on both sides of the pond for transatlantic AM.  40m is optimum for 
transatlantic propagation during the prime evening hours in the US, which 
coincides with pre-dawn and early morning operation in Europe.  This is 
especially true after about 0530 GMT when most US slopbucketeers are about 
to go to bed, while early risers in Europe are already up, for making a few 
QSO's before leaving for work or having a leisurely breakfast.  7160 has 
reportedly been broadcast-free in Europe. That might be a frequency to keep 
an eye on, since it was widely used a couple of decades ago by certain US AM 
groups.

A great pity that the US phone band expansion didn't extend down to 7075.

But in any case, we will have no transatlantic AM QSO's on 40m unless 
someone on each side of the Atlantic transmits on AM there.
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Re: [AMRadio] Heathkit Daystom in England

[D. Chester]

The power transformers would have to be different.  In western Europe, 
including UK, they use 230 volts @ 50 Hz.

It the UK, as I  recall, the mains plugs used to have two round prongs, 
similar to the ones used on the continent, but they were a different size 
and weren't interchangeable.  Last time I was there, the UK had changed over 
to a gigantic three-prong thing that looks like what we use here for an 
electric kitchen range, with massive copper or brass prongs.  With small 
hand-held electric appliances, the plug is larger and heavier than the 
device itself.  I wonder what genius came up with that idea.

Here is a list of countries of the world and the nominal power line voltages 
and frequencies.

http://www.kropla.com/electric2.htm

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Re: [AMRadio] Ranger solid state

[D. Chester]

> From: "Robert Perdue" 

> I am looking for the procedure to convert the 5R4 to solid state. Is it 
> cathodes to pin 4,6 and tie the anode to pin 8 does anything need to be 
> done with the filament wiring?

The ANODES go to pins 4 and 5.  Tie the cathodes together and run them to 
either pin 2 or 8.  Depending on how the transmitter is wired, if you remove 
the 5 volt filament transformer, you may need to short pins 2 and 8 
together.

In my Gates BC1-T, I removed the wiring  from the 5R4 socket entirely, and 
mounted the diodes on a separate terminal strip.  That freed up the octal 
socket for a 6AS7G tube that provides protective bias to the 833A stage for 
CW operation.

Don k4kyv
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[AMRadio] 75A-2 power consumption

[D. Chester]

Don't sweat or nitpick the power consumption.  Bring it up slowly with the 
variac if you have one, and if it doesn't blow a fuse or show abnormally 
high current drain as you go, bring it on up to the full line voltage.  If 
it still hasn't blown a fuse, listen for hum, in case the electrolytics have 
fizzled.  If all is OK so far, check to see if the VR tubes are ignited.  If 
so, everything is probably go.  If not, measure voltages and see why the 
power supply output voltage is below normal.  The normal power consumption 
of a receiver like that should be somewhere between 75 and 100 watts.  That 
means about 1 amp of line current.

If you don't have a variac, just make sure the proper line fuse is in place 
and hope it doesn't blow when you apply power.  A bank of  3-5 100w light 
bulbs in parallel could be inserted in series with the line cord as a 
current limiting resistor the first time it is fired up.  If it pulls a 
little too much current the first time it is turned on, once the 
electrolytics have re-formed, the power drain should decrease down to 
normal. The main thing to worry about is that something might be shorted and 
damage the rectifier tube, power transformer or both the first time it is 
powered up if no precautions are taken.  But that's what the manufacturer 
put a line fuse in the circuit for. Once it passes the smoke test, be gentle 
with it until it accepts full line voltage without abnormalities.

Don k4kyv

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Re: [AMRadio] Broadcast transmitter rescue

[D. Chester]

> Don, I'd be curious to hear your thoughts on maximum connection
> distance electrically for a VFO. Barry used to run a VFO on the 300G
> and included a short cable with it for that purpose. I know someone
> (maybe Paul, VJB?) actually removed the lower window in the door and
> stuck the same T-368 unit inside their 300G. I'm hoping to have it
> back on the air by fall and don't mind starting out crystal-controlled
> to get things sorted out, but will want the flexibility to move around
> for the exact reasons you mentioned. I'd like to have it on the bench
> next to the transmitter, but that could end up being 8-10 feet going
> through the transmitter's access holes.
>
> ~ Todd,  KA1KAQ/4

If it is a high-Z output directly from the plate of the tube through a 
parallel tuned circuit, like the stock T-368 unit or commercial ham VFO's 
like the VF-1 or Johnson 122, I would say maybe 5-6 feet at most, because 
the capacitance of the coax running to the transmitter begins to swamp out 
the tuning capacitance in the VFO output circuit.

If it uses link coupling or other system of low-Z output, you can probably 
use a long a run as you need without any problems.

I modified my T-368 unit to link coupled output..  I salvaged a bandswitch 
wafer from a junker parts unit, disassembled the bandswitch in the good unit 
and added the new wafer.  I cut the metal sleeves and shortened one section 
by the thickness of the wafer, and reassembled the switch with the 
additional wafer.  I then removed each of the slug tuned output coils and 
added a few turns of wire at the cold end.  One end of the coupling coil was 
grounded and the other end went out through a new connection terminal.  I 
don't recall whether there was a spare terminal or if I had to fabricate an 
additional one.  The new bandswitch wafer is used to select the appropriate 
output coil link and take the output to a BNC connector I installed at the 
rear of the unit.  I  removed the stock BNC near the output tube and 
disconnected the wire lead going to it.  After the mod, I can get 200-250 mw 
of power into a 50-ohm  load.  I replaced the 6000 tube with a 6AG7, which 
required rewiring the octal socket.  I run only about 200 volts on the 6AG7 
and the rest of the tubes in the unit.

The unit wouldn't track perfectly across the entire range as it did before 
the mod, but it does track across each of the ham bands with negligible 
error.  Since I don't have any use for frequency coverage outside the 
amateur bands, that's no problem.  I might have a slight problem to work out 
if I ever try to cover both 40m and 30m using the 6-12 mHz range; I have 
never tried it to see  how much output I get on 30m.  I use RG-59 to couple 
the VFO to each of the transmitters.  The longest run goes to the Gates on 
160m, about 15 ft.

I get more than adequate drive for any of the rigs.

Don k4kyv

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Re: [AMRadio] AMRadio Digest, Vol 61, Issue 24

[D. Chester]

> Well...it was my intent to do so. I pulled them out, set them to the 
> side and asked the station's operations manager to tell the people he was 
> having move the carcass out to leave them so I could pick them up on my 
> next trip. They didn't.
>
> I also told him to tell the painting and repair guy who had started 
> caulking heavily around the old cracked Plexiglas feed line exit panel?to 
> stop because I was going to replace it with a new piece of 1/2" Lexan. He 
> didn't do that either. I had to spend half a day digging 2 or 3 tubes of 
> caulk out so I could put in the new panel.
>
> Some people need to have their Push to Listen Switch exercised more than 
> others.
>
> Bill AD5OL

That's a shame about those components, but I would say, typical.  Rule # 1 
is to NEVER leave something you want to take home, lying around while 
trusting someone else to take care of it for you.  Use whatever means 
necessary to remove it from the premises immediately, or if that is 
absolutely totally impossible, secure it  with a wire rope and padlock like 
the ones stores use to secure removable items like lawnmowers, and securely 
attach a note that clearly states that this is not trash to be hauled away. 
People can be incredibly stupid when it comes to things like that.

Don k4kyv 

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Re: [AMRadio] Broadcast transmitter rescue

[D. Chester]

>> So my question to the group. Who is the Collins 20v-2 guru and how much 
>> will
>> be involved to move it from 610khz to 1885khz.
>>
>> 73, Al  K3TKJ

Why be content to operate on just ONE frequency?

It is very easy to convert those xtal oscillator stages to function as 
buffer stages for an external VFO, and to make rf stages the rig tuneable 
across the band so that the rig will function with VFO or multiple xtals.

If you have a VFO with low impedance output, and capable of at least 0.25 
watts, the best solution is to ground the grid of the xtal oscillator stage, 
disconnect any feedback circuitry going to the cathode, add an rf choke from 
cathode to ground if necessary, and inject the rf signal from the VFO 
directly to the cathode through a coupling capacitor.  That is what I do 
with my Gates BC1-T and homebrew HF-300 transmitter.  With the other 
homebrew rig presently tuned to 40m, I inject the VFO signal directly to the 
control grid of the 6AG7 1st buffer/amplifier stage.

I converted my BC1-T to external VFO, which is a modified T-368 m.o. unit, 
and it will tune from 1800 to 2000 with all the transmitter tuned circuits 
accessible from the front panel, and the neutralisation holds perfectly from 
one end of the band to the other without readjustment.

One of the faults I find with much of the present-day AM operation on 160 
and 75 is the same as with the SSB dead-air groups: insisting on operating 
on one and only one frequency, with daily 8 to 10 member roundtables amidst 
QRM from adjacent QSO's less than 5 kHz away in both directions, while there 
may be tens of kHz of vacant space in other parts of the band.  We need to 
spread out a little and maintain more widespread AM presence throughout the 
bands, with reasonable sized QSO's and roundtable groups.

Don k4kyv


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Re: [AMRadio] 1 kw broadcast transmitter available

[D. Chester]

>> Like I posted earlier, I think I have a large size schematic for the
>> thing left over from trying to resurrect one that had fried several
>> too many times at KBST in Big Spring, Texas. May it rest in pieces. It
>> had water damage, bird's nests, rodent damage, and far too many
>> encounters with Zeus to make it worth saving. Not to mention snake
>> skins inside..
>> Bill AD5OL

I hope someone salvaged the modulation and power supply iron and rf tank 
components before the rest of the rig went to the scrap heap.

Don k4kyv


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Re: [AMRadio] VIM video clip

[D. Chester]

> Quite a shame that these stations are becoming a thing of the past. All
> digital, satellite and SS equipment taking its place. Perhaps when the
> sun peaks next, the resulting solar storms will force the comeback of
> "REAL" tube stations :-)

> Bob de k2ki

The real shame is that most of that equipment and antenna hardware may well 
have ended up in a landfill or at a metal recycler.  Those were quite some 
open-wire feeder systems and tower arrays.  Wouldn't mind having a few of 
those on my 100 acres.


Don k4kyv


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Re: [AMRadio] 833 AM rig

[D. Chester]

> From: John Coleman 

> Ok here's the deal.  Otis runs a single 833 in the class C final and 
> modulates with a pair .  The single 833A is in a circuit for push pull but 
> only has the one tube in it. and only one nuetralizing capacitor and only 
> one coupling capacitor to the ballanced tank with swinging link.  The grid 
> circuit is a push pull tank but  any other typewill work  as it's only 
> function is to supply the proper driver to the final grid.  The plate tank 
> is a push pull balance type because the phase inversion for the 
> neutralizing cap is accomplished by the ballanced plate tank.  The tank 
> circuit is shunt fed to keep the DC and audio off of the tank circuit. 
> The center tap of the >coil does have a RF choke but it goes to ground to 
> insure that there is no audio or DC on the tank components.

I could have sworn when I lived in Houston that he had a pair of 833A's in 
the final of that  rig.  Did he once run a pair and later take one out?  I 
also remember the unique spiral wound output coupling link as opposed to the 
more common solenoidal form, with each turn the same diameter and all turns 
side-by-side.

I have thought about duplicating that link, because it would take up less 
space and allow more spacing between tank coil and link.  I series feed my 
tank coil, so it has the full modulated DC on it.  It has never arced over 
in the 36+ years since I built that rig, but if I finally get "round to" 
building the push-pull 833A rig I have had the parts for ever since I moved 
back here, I have thought about constructing the link in similar spiral 
fashion.  But one thing I don't recall is exactly how he gets the lead from 
the central turn back outside the coil, past the other turns.  Did he use 
some kind of insulation in between or just air spacing?  There shouldn't be 
much voltage across the link, so I wouldn't think a lot of insulation would 
be necessary, but winding in that form would allow 6-8 turns of link to fit 
into the same space as a 2-turn link.

I prefer to run the entire tank circuit above ground at full modulated plate 
voltage because that eliminates the problem of the plate choke(s), which 
must bear the full rf output voltage from the plate of the tube on all the 
bands that the transmitter works.  The RF choke to the midtap of the tank 
coil is connected at an rf null point, so it is much less critical, and 
about any choke will work if it is capable of carrying the plate current.

What did he ever do with the crapped-out 1930's vintage VM-5 modulation 
transformer he used to have sitting behind the transmitter at his old QTH? 
It would have been a shame to throw it away because that 600-watt 
transformer core with the audio laminations would be good for custom 
rewinding a new mod xfmr or mod reactor.  I understand UTC used a different 
grade of iron for winding audio transformers from what they used to wind 
power transformers.

Don k4kyv 

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Re: [AMRadio] TEST

[D. Chester]

> ...I'd be willing to venture that over 80%
> of the jerks, lids, troublemakers and miscreants who give us  a hard
> time for running AM, are ex-CB'ers.  And as you well know, CB'ers, ex
> or other wise (freebanders in particular), disdain the use of AM as
> being unworthy of true radio operators.  Only kids, drive-time
> suburbanites and  losers use AM. Every "professional" radio operator
> knows that!
>
> Ed, VA3ES

The original anti-AM element in amateur radio probably go all the way back 
to the days before CB.

Those were the first converts, the true-believers, who jumped on the SSB 
bandwagon when it was being heavily promoted during the 50's.  During that 
era, nearly every ham magazine, radio club, national radio organisation, 
etc. became a propaganda agent for SSB.  From the beginning there was some 
conflict between users of the two modes, but they seem to get along pretty 
well until the early 60's, when the cheap transceivers like Swans, Galaxies, 
Heathkit "Hotwater" rigs, and others, came on the market.  "Sideband for the 
masses"  ...and a wide open market for a new product!  Up till then, the 
only way to get on SSB was to spend a considerable sum of money on Collins 
or Central Electronics gear, or else build your own.  Many of the wannabe 
slopbucketeers had neither the financial resources to buy a commercial rig, 
nor the knowledge, expertise and test equipment necessary to build a SSB 
rig.  Once those cheap rigs hit the market, the floodgates were opened and 
that was when the great AM/SSB wars erupted in the mid-60's.  A legacy of 
this conflict that still persists to this day throughout ham radio is the 
deliberate interference and jamming that became commonplace during that era.

By the time Incentive Licensing had been in effect for a year or two, AM had 
all but disappeared from the air.  The few of us who stayed on AM were 
harassed and heckled as could be expected for anyone who refuses to go along 
with the crowd, plus the SSB warriors thought they had won, and it was an 
extreme thorn in their side whenever they heard the few remaining AM 
stations on the air.

AM started coming back in the early 70's, only a few years after it 
supposedly had died, and now AM has been "coming back" for about 35 years, 
longer that it had ever been "dead" in the first place, and for almost as 
long as it was ever used by amateur radio operators before its 
officially-declared "death" in the late 60's.

So, some of the anti-AM crowd we hear to-day are old timers, veterans of the 
60's AM vs. SSB wars, although many of those are now SK, and others have 
mellowed out in their old age, some of whom have actually returned to AM..

But you are correct, most of the remaining disdain for AM that you witness 
to-day originally probably has its roots in the 11m crowd.

Don k4kyv

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Re: [AMRadio] TEST

[D. Chester]

> Hah!  If you really want to hear some "ghost-talking" just listen to
> 27.025 anytime the band is open!I sometimes think those guys are
> yammering, just to hear their own voices.   Lot's of calling out, but
> no conversation that I can discern!
>
> Ed, VA3ES

"Ghost-talking" eh?

Now that's the exact term I've heard slopbucketeers accuse me of, when I 
would be in an AM QSO that happened to fall near their dead-air frequency, 
and they could hear me but not the other station in my QSO.

Don k4kyv



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Re: [AMRadio] TEST

[D. Chester]

>From: "Tom Chesek"  We are not doing tests today, only quizzes to prepare for tests.

According to what I have monitored on 75m, the way you are supposed to do 
tests over the air is to (1) connect the crappiest sounding microphone you 
can find, (2) put your transmitter in SSB mode, (3) turn your audio up as 
high as it will go, way past the point of distortion, turn on your leenyar, 
making sure the blower noise comes  through loudly enough to make the meter 
read at  least half-scale, then (4) tranmit, yelling into the microphone: 
"Audio - audio -audio - uuudio"

You can be assured that another SSB op will come back to you and tell you 
what a good sounding signal you have.  :-)


Don k4kyv





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Re: [AMRadio] Question about Seller of Viking II's on the

[D. Chester]

I have never dealt with that guy, but over the years I have heard little but 
negative comments and complaints.  He apperantly is a well-known ripoff 
artist.  One person said they sent him a piece of equipment but somethig 
about the deal fell through, so they both agreed that they would cancel the 
deal and he would ship it back to the seller.  When the unit arrived, the 
seller noticed that some of the parts inside the radio had been replaced 
with defective ones.

I  wouldn't touch him with a 10-foot pole.

Don k4kyv 

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Re: [AMRadio] Mod Transformer

[D. Chester]

> From: "John Coleman" 

> The output voltage of a modulator is determined by its plate supply 
> voltage
> and the modulation XFMR turns ratio.

> You need to think in terms of voltage transformation.  If you are using a
> common power supply on the final and modulators, or more exact, the
> modulator plate supply and the final plate supply have the same voltage,
> then the ratio that you use is what determines the maximum modulation.

That is true irrespective of the nominal impedance of the transformer, the 
p-p load impedance of the modulator tubes or the modulating impedance of the 
final.  Of course, the tubes have an optimum p-p load impedance at any given 
plate voltage, and a transformer has an optimum primary and secondary 
impedance at which it works best.  But the actual transformation is based on 
turns ratio.  The impedance ratio stamped on the nameplate of the 
transformer is a nominal value, and a good transformer should be able to 
work at up to twice the nominal value and as low as half the nominal value 
with little degradation in performance.  The impedance transformation ratio 
is the square of the turns ratio.  For example, a transformer with a 2:1 
turns ratio has a 4:1 impedance ratio.


> 100% modulation occurs when the audio voltage from the modulation XFMR is 
> 2
> X the plate supply.

Actually it's when the peak output voltage, the combined audio and DC 
voltage from the winding adds up to 2 X the plate supply voltage.  The peak 
a.c. output voltage from the transformer is equal to 1 X the DC plate supply 
voltage.  When it is in the same polarity as the DC voltage, the two 
voltages add together to produce a sum that is 2 X the plate voltage at the 
positive modulation peak.  At the opposite peak of the audio cycle the 
polarity is reversed and the two voltages cancel, leaving zero volts on the 
plate of the final.  This is the negative modulation peak.

>
> At maximum drive the modulator tubes conduction (assuming they or big
> enough) takes the plate voltage close to 0 Volts at the peak of the audio
> for that conduction cycle.  Nothing you can do will take the voltage lower
> than zero.  As one tube hits the Zero volt peak then the other tube will 
> hit
> the 2 X plate voltage point.

That is theoretical.  In actual practice, there is nothing you can do to 
pull the instantaneous plate voltage below about 20% of the power supply 
voltage.  In the case of screen grid modulators, the plate voltage can never 
be pulled to a lower voltage than the DC screen voltage.  As one tube 
reaches maximum conduction, the instantaneous voltage on the plate of the 
other tube will reach about 1.8 X the DC plate supply voltage.

> Something between 2:1 and 1:1 is what is needed.  You need a little extra 
> to
> make up for the fact that the modulators will use some power in plate
> dissipation and you will want a little head room for voice lopsidedness
> (everything is not a perfect sine wave).
>
> Experience information from Don, K4KYV, indicates that between 1.2:1 and
> 1:4:1 is generally a good choice.  1.2:1 will give you more head room but
> will require more modulator current perhaps larger tubes.  1:4:1 will
> probably just be enough audio with very little head room, but will require
> less modulator current and lighter demand on the modulator tubes.  If you
> chose 1.2:1 for plenty of head room then choose modulators with a little
> more current capability or double up (push pull parallel).

Using a higher step-down ratio of 1.6:1 will just barely allow you to reach 
close to 100% modulation with no headroom whatever, but the modulator tubes 
will run more efficiently.  Somewhere between 1.2 and 1.4 will allow more 
headroom at the expense of efficiency.  But that extra headroom is needed 
for minimum distortion and splatter, since driving a modulator or linear 
amplifier (exactly the same thing except the modulator amplifies audio while 
the linear amplifies rf) right to the saturation point results in more 
distortion.  But watch the modulator plate current and make sure you don't 
exceed the tube ratings.  If so, double up to use a pushpull parallel 
modulator.  However, this may increase the audio driver requirements.

>You may want to
> consider a modulation reactor even if your XFMR says it can handle the
> secondary current.  Keeping the current out of the secondary will greatly
> improve the low frequency capability of the XFMR.  You want regret it.

Taking the DC off the secondary greatly reduced the talk-back when I was 
using a UTC VM-5 modulation transformer.  With the DC going through the 
secondary, the thing sounded like a small speaker inside the transmitter 
cabinet.  With the reactor, it was totally quiet.  This will also reduce the 
distortion from the modulator, since it will reduce the magnetic saturation 
of the core over the audio cycle.

A modulation transformer designed to run DC through the secondary will 
usually have a gap in the core, filled with paper 

Re: [AMRadio] Shocking Stories

[D. Chester]

My shocking story dates back to November, 1960, the night of the 
Kennedy-Nixon election.

I had stayed up to the wee hours listening to election returns on the radio. 
In the meantime I decided to work on my transmitter, a homebrew pair of 
807's, which I was attempting to modulate with a hi-fi amplifier working 
into a backwards connected single plate to 8 ohms output transformer, which 
served as the modulation transformer.  I had about 1000 volts on the plates 
of the 807's.

I was holding the microphone in one hand and reached to make an adjustment 
on the transmitter with the other, when I got zapped from arm to arm from 
the 1000-volt supply between the microphone and transmitter cabinet.  I had 
not taken the precaution to ground the amplifier, and the 
backwards-connected output transformer shorted from primary to secondary, 
but the insulation in the power transformer in the amplifier held up intact, 
leaving the entire chassis of the amplifier 1000 volts above ground.

I could not turn loose of the microphone or release my grip from the 
transmitter case.  The only way I managed to disengage myself from the high 
voltage was when I stood up, I fell over backwards and ripped the microphone 
cord out of the connector.  I remember  falling to the floor and hitting the 
back of my head on a glass 6L6 that was lying in the floor and breaking it. 
My arms contracted towards my chest spastically and uncontrollably.  I had 
severe burns on both hands, and my chest and arms were extremely sore the 
next day.

If I hadn't managed to break loose more or less by accident, someone would 
have found me hanging on the transmitter the next morning, since everyone 
else in the house  had gone to bed hours earlier and I was in the upstairs 
ham shack well out of earshot.

Don k4kyv
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Re: [AMRadio] Beautiful Homebrew AM transmitter

[D. Chester]

Actually, I don't care for that machine-turned panel finish.  To me, it's 
kind of ugly.  I would  much prefer black wrinkle.

But I wouldn't be picky about a good rig just because of the type of cabinet 
finish.  If got the rig going and really liked it but hated the finish, I 
could always re-finish the panels.

The rig does  look like it has a lot of tubes and iron in it for cw-only.

Don k4kyv


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Re: [AMRadio] 24 THINGS ABOUT TO BECOME EXTINCT IN AMERICA

[D. Chester]

Here is the full text.


24. Yellow Pages: This year will be pivotal for the global Yellow Pages 
industry. Much like newspapers, print Yellow Pages will continue to bleed 
dollars to their various digital counterparts, from Internet Yellow Pages 
(IYPs), to local search engines and combination search/listing services like 
Reach Local and Yodle Factors like an acceleration of the print 'fade rate' 
and the looming recession will contribute to the onslaught. One research 
firm predicts the falloff in usage of newspapers and print Yellow Pages 
could even reach 10% this year -- much higher than the 2%-3% fade rate seen 
in past years.

23. Classified Ads: The Internet has made so many things obsolete that 
newspaper classified ads might sound like just another trivial item on a 
long list. But this is one of those harbingers of the future that could 
signal the end of civilization as we know it. The argument is that if 
newspaper classifieds are replaced by free online listings at sites like 
Craigslist.org and Google Base, then newspapers are not far behind them.

22. Movie Rental Stores: While Netflix is looking up at the moment, 
Blockbuster keeps closing store locations by the hundreds. It still has 
about 6,000 left across the world, but those keep dwindling and the stock is 
down considerably in 2008, especially since the company gave up a quest of 
Circuit City. Movie Gallery, which owned the Hollywood Video brand, closed 
up shop earlier this year. Countless small video chains and mom-and-pop 
stores have given up th e ghost already.

21. Dial-up Internet Access: Dial-up connections have fallen from 40% in 
2001 to 10% in 2008. The combination of an infrastructure to accommodate 
affordable high speed Internet connections and the disappearing home phone 
have all but pounded the final nail in the coffin of dial-up Internet 
access.

20. Phone Landlines: According to a survey from the National Center for 
Health Statistics, at the end of 2007, nearly one in six homes was cell-only 
and, of those homes that had landlines, one in eight only received calls on 
their cells.

19. Chesapeake Bay Blue Crabs: Maryland 's icon, the blue crab, has been 
fading away in Chesapeake Bay. Last year Maryland saw the lowest harvest (22 
million pounds) since 1945. Just four decades ago the bay produced 96 
million pounds. The population is down 70% since 1990, when they first did a 
formal count. There are only about 120 million crabs in the bay and they 
think they need 200 million for a sustainable population. Overfishing, 
pollution, invasive species and global warming get the blame.

18. VCRs: For the better part of three decades, the VCR was a best-seller 
and staple in every American household until being completely decimated by 
the DVD, and now the Digital Video Recorder (DVR). In fact, the only 
remnants of the VHS age at your local Wal-Mart or Radio Shack are blank VHS 
tapes these days. Pre-recorded VHS tapes are largely gone and VHS decks are 
practically nowhere to be found.

17. Ash Trees: In the late 1990s, a pretty, irridescent green species of 
beetle, now known as the emerald ash borer, hitched a ride to North America 
with ash wood products imported from eastern Asia. In less than a decade, 
its larvae have killed millions of trees in the midwest, and continue to 
spread. They've killed more than 30 million ash trees in southeastern 
Michigan alone, with tens of millions more lost in Ohio and Indiana . More 
than 7.5 billion ash trees are currently at risk.

16. Ham Radio: Amateur radio operators enjoy personal (and often worldwide) 
wireless communications with each other and are able to support their 
communities with emergency and disaster communications if necessary, while 
increasing their personal knowledge of electronics and radio theory. 
However, proliferation of the Internet and its popularity among youth has 
caused the decline of amateur radio. In the past five years alone, the 
number of people holding active ham radio licenses has dropped by 50,000, 
even though Morse Code is no longer a requirement.

15. The Swimming Hole: Thanks to our litigious society, swimming holes are 
becoming a thing of the past. '20/20' reports that swimming hole owners, 
like Robert Every in High Falls, N.Y., are shutting them down out of worry 
that if someone gets hurt they'll sue. And that's exactly what happened in 
Seattle . The city of Bellingham was sued by Katie Hofstetter who was 
paralyzed in a fall at a popular swimming hole in Whatcom Falls Pa rk . As 
injuries occur and lawsuits follow, expect more swimming holes to post 'Keep 
out!' signs.

14. Answering Machines: The increasing disappearance of answering machines 
is directly tied to No 20 our list -- the decline of landlines. According to 
USA Today, the number of homes that only use cell phones jumped 159% between 
2004 and 2007. It has been particularly bad in New York; since 2000, 
landline usage has dropped 55%. It's logical that as cell

Re: [AMRadio] WABOOF - Good News on HAM RADIO

[D. Chester]

> Amateur radio operators enjoy personal (and often worldwide)
> wireless communications with each other and are able to support
> their communities with emergency and disaster communications if
> necessary, while increasing their personal knowledge of
> electronics and radio theory. However, proliferation of the
> Internet and its popularity among youth has caused the decline of
> amateur radio. In the past five years alone, the number of people
> holding active ham radio licenses has dropped by 50,000, even
> though Morse Code is no longer a requirement.
>
>
> Jim/W5JO

But one thing amateur radio has that the internet doesn't have is 
independence from the infrastructure.  If we can find the electricity to 
power the rig, we can string up a wire and communicate worldwide even if 
every  internet server and every telephone in the country is out of 
commission.  A generator and some fuel is all it takes to keep us in 
business if every utility service is down.

Don k4kyv



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[AMRadio] Transatlantic AM (was 3600-3700)

[D. Chester]

> Dont forget to give us Brits and Europeans a shout around 04.00+ GMT on
> 3705, during the weekends and sometimes during the week.
> 73 Max M0GHQ

I hear you blokes on the band from time to time, but signals usually are 
right at the noise level, just a bit too weak for me, 1200 miles into the 
hinterlands where that extra hop over land attenuates signals into the noise 
floor.  The east coast AM'ers have a much better pipeline into Europe.  I 
did have a nice QSO with Jean from France a couple of weeks ago.  Henke 
called in, but his signal was unreadable in the noise.

I regularly hear British and European slopbuckets in the so-called DX window 
at 3780-3900, and many of their signals are comparable to those of N. 
American stations if not stronger, kicking the S-meter above S-9,  but the 
European stations I hear in QSO on 3600-3700 are usually very weak.  I don't 
know what kind of power and antennas the DX'ers use to put such strapping 
signals this way, but if a few AM'ers across the pond could generate 
comparable signals, transatlantic AM QSO's would be routine.

For years I have attempted to monitor the French-speaking AM group on 3550, 
but they are usually just barely too weak to catch the callsigns, even 
though some of the conversations are comprehensible at times.

Don k4kyv



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Re: [AMRadio] 3600-3700

[D. Chester]

> Every body that wants to run A.M. go ahead and move down to the extra 
> band,
> then don't ask why A.M. is a dying mode !! A lot of "working stiff" still
> have to work 40 to 60 hrs a week, and for what ever reason don't have our
> "extra" but I really love A.M.
> Got to say, I'm beginning to feel like it's a one way relationship , you
> see. I'm not retired yet, and no I don't have a room full of old tube
> xmitters (but would love to have )Do have a old DX 40 that I'm close to
> getting on the air, and a three tube 811 amp, that may allow me to get 
> into
> a short QSO with some of you. It's really sad that in order to be "in the
> group" you've got to run a tube xmitter and a amp, at 300 to 800 watts,
> other wise, your just noise, and something to be tolerated with a short
> reply, and then move on to another "big rig" sounding station.
> This will most likely be my last post, sorry about the bitter mood, just
> letting my feeling show I guess. Maybe after the bands get better in a few
> years, I can have a little A.M. fun on 10 & 20 meters.
>
>
> A.M.,,,the EXTRA mode
>
> Bob Carpenter
> KB4WEC

You don't need to worry about "everybody" moving down to the Extra portion. 
If some of the AM operators do QSY, it will make operation on 3870-90 a lot 
more tolerable.  I tend to stay away from the "Ghetto" during prime time 
early evening hours because it has become too chaotic.  Start a QSO, and 
within 20 minutes the group will have grown to 5 to 8 members or more, one 
or two of which are guaranteed to have unreadable signals.  Add to that, 
mutual interference from another AM QSO 5 kHz away or possibly one to each 
side of the frequency, plus all the SSB trying to nudge in between.  If the 
QSO's become more manageable in size, everyone will enjoy AM operation more.

We need to maintain solid AM presence in EVERY segment of the band.  Another 
segment that begs for some nighttime AM activity is somewhere between 3800 
and 3850.  That's within the General privileges, new General-class territory 
created with the phone band expansion.  I often hear some activity there in 
the afternoon, but it always seems to disappear by sundown.  Best to get 
started in the late afternoon before the rock-bound VFO crowd shows up.

There was PLENTY of AM activity in the new Extra and Advanced segments right 
after the expansion (remember the AM Bandwarming Party?), but as soon as the 
novelty wore off, most of the AM ops retreated back to the congestion and 
QRM.

I don't think those CW guys have anything to gripe about, since they haven't 
lost any mode privileges, just licence class privileges.  And I doubt that 
the FCC would reconsider returning to restricting the segment to CW/data or 
otherwise reversing the expansion, since that would imply that they made an 
erroneous decision when they initially expanded the band, and bureaucratic 
government agencies are not very prone to do that -  witness  the AM power 
debacle.  So if they do start a petition, it might be more appropriate to 
seek to reduce or eliminate the exclusive Extra Class segments, not reduce 
phone privileges.

Time and the CW ops' complaints about the dearth of activity on 3600-3700, 
are proof enough that their worries about hoards of SSB'ers moving down and 
wiping out the low end of the band as soon as the mode restrictions were 
lifted, were unfounded.

It can only be a healthy move for the AM community to show more presence 
across 3600-3750 and 3800-3850.

Some of the frequencies "down below" where AM activity has been noted in the 
past include the vicinity of 3720-30, 3705, 3685 and 3675.  I have xtals for 
3610, 3620, 3645, 3711 and 3720, which I like to exercise occasionally, 
although I have full VFO capability and my VFO is not rock-bound to a single 
frequency like the VFO's appear to be on many of the whizz-bang digital SSB 
appliances.

Don k4kyv



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[AMRadio] Effort afoot to "reclaim" 3600-3700 CW subband

[D. Chester]

The following message is being forwarded around on the internet via e-mail 
and on some of the mailing lists.  They do have a point.  There is very 
little phone activity in this portion of the band, now that the novelty of 
the expanded phone band has worn off.  Why not re-warm the band with AM? 
I'll be exercising my 3620 kHz xtal a little more often.

(QUOTE):

"Since the changes were made taking away exclusive use of the 3600-3700
portion of the 80 meter band for CW, I have done extensive monitoring
in it. There is very little use of this portion of the band now. I
have heard some ssb activity in the upper 25 khz (3675-3700). Percentage
of use during a one month period is less than 10%. From 3650-3675, 
percentage is less than 7%. From 3600-3650, percentage is less than 4%.

That is an awful waste of band space. There has been ample time for
someone to make use of these frequencies. Since they are not being
used enough, I think it should be given back to CW/RTTY/Digital.
During contest weekends, the present allocation of frequencies for
CW,etc. makes it almost unusable for net operation and QSO's.

Who else should I contact with these recommendations and statistics?
I will be glad to do so. Me and thousands of other CW ops would like
to see this portion given back to us.

Thanks for your help and 73,
Rodney Baker, W5DY
STX Section Traffic Manager
Tex CW Asst Net Manager
TCC Member
ORS  (END QUOTE)

Click or copy/paste the following link to read some of the replies to this 
message:

http://mailman.qth.net/pipermail/cw/2009-January/subject.html


Don k4kyv



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Re: [AMRadio] WABOOF - Good News on HAM RADIO

[D. Chester]

> WABOOF WHAT A BUNCH OF OLD FARTS!! ( I can say that because I am old 
> too! )
>
> Here a guy is trying to convey a little good news and all you guys can do 
> is make disparaging remarks!! ...
> A new ham is a new ham, it doesn't matter what the initial motivation was, 
> if they have a license it's our job as Elmer's to mold them into amateur 
> radio operators! Don't sit around and whine!!! Get up and do something to 
> help them appreciate and enjoy the hobby.
>
> K3PID Ron H

To me, what really counts is hams who gain HF privileges, and who might 
potentially become AM'ers.  I doubt that would be of interest to many of the 
shack-on-a-belt wannabe cops the the least bit.  But maybe a few will become 
curious enough to listen to what's on HF.  There certainly isn't anything 
much on shortwave to attract SWL's any more.

Once upon a time most new hams who didn't happen to have a personal mentor, 
first got exposed to radio by listening to foreign broadcasts on AM radios 
that also included a couple of shortwave bands, and ran across hams 
conversing on AM phone. When most hams converted to SSB, we lost that 
avenue, and CB became the new gateway.  Now  that interest in CB has about 
fizzled, what do we have left?

Don k4kyv

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[AMRadio] Re: Merry Christmas

[D. Chester]

Ah, once again  it's time for the annual Christmas Wars (yawn).

This is so silly; I have heard phrases like "Seasons Greetings" and "Happy 
Holidays" all my life, perhaps encouraged by post-Holocaust and Civil 
Rights-era ecumenicism, the fact that all the major world  religions have a 
holiday tradition for this time of year and the fact that the "holiday 
season" also includes New Years Day.


A few years ago while I was publishing The AM Press/Exchange, one of our 
out-of-state subscribers rang me about submitting an article.  It was just a 
few days before Christmas, so I wished him a  "Happy Christmas".   He wasted 
no time informing me that he was Jewish and did not recognise the Xmas 
holiday.


Wouldn't a devout Christian be expected to tire of exchanging "Happy 
Ramadan, Hanukkah or Visakah Puja (Buddha Day)" for weeks on end every year? 
A retailer, especially in to-day's economy, may feel that he has to walk a 
thin line so as to offend as few customers as possible,  hence the generic 
holiday greeting.


But this may not be a matter of faith or no faith at all, but a matter of 
marketing. Christmas SALES begin at Halloween if not before. Therefore, 
"Happy Holidays", "Get your Christmas shopping done early". Now that 
retailers sell "Christmas" through Halloween, Thanksgiving AND Christmas. 
"Happy Holidays" takes in the whole 3 months.


Don k4kyv

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[AMRadio] Re: BUMMERS! TUBE RADIO OPERATING EVENT

[D. Chester]

The rules say "Heavy Metal Rally is a night for friendly AM QSO's" but
the number of points you gather is directly dependent on the number of
QSO's. There is no trophy or additional points for how many listeners you
might put to sleep while engaging in old buzzard type transmissions.
There are 364 other days you can engage in "ragchew" type AM contacts.

Pete, wa2cwa



But that's just the point (pun intended).  The main objective of the event 
is to promote AM by creating a heavy-metal presence on the band with 
"friendly AM QSO's".  Gathering points is secondary for most participants. 
Many of those who participate don't even bother to submit reports to gain 
the points.


Don k4kvy 


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Re: [AMRadio] BUMMERS! TUBE RADIO OPERATING EVENT... Heavy

[D. Chester]

There is a fundamental difference between a RALLY like this and a QRMtest. 
In a QuaRMtest, everyone exchanges signal reports (always 5-9, regardless) 
and signs as quickly as possible so as to work the next station.  The idea 
is to make each contact as brief as possible. In this event, participants 
are encouraged to hang out and actually converse with each other in a 
ragchew type QSO, the more the participants and the longer the contact, the 
merrier.


Don k4kyv
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[AMRadio] GCARA Historic AM Night Thurs 18 Dec. 9 PM EST (0200Z) 1936 kHz

[D. Chester]

The Greater Cincinnati Amateur Radio Association will hold it annual 
Historic AM Night Thursday, 18DE08, starting at 0200 GMT on 1936 kHz.


The net meets regularly on 1936 kHz, and once a year the net session is held 
in AM mode to commemorate emergency communications provided by the amateur 
radio community during the 1936 Ohio River flood crisis.  After the waters 
receded, the net continued to meet weekly on 1936 kHz until the Pearl Harbor 
shut-down, and many amateurs in the greater Cincinnati area had crystals 
ground for that frequency.  After the war, the net started back up as soon 
as 160m was re-opened to amateur use, but because of LORAN restrictions, did 
not return to 1936 kHz until the 1900-2000 segment became available in the 
mid 1980's.


All amateurs worldwide are invited to participate in this annual AM 
get-together.  Fun is guaranteed for all. Be sure to mark the date/time on 
your calendar.


Thanks to George K8RRH for passing along this announcement.



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