[Drakelist] 100 KC Calib.

[Byron Tatum]

Hello-
    I am going through an R-4 receiver and the 100 KC calib output is weak. The 
receiver sensitivity is very good. The calibrator will only push the S-meter up 
to 5 dB over S-9 on 80 meters, and it barely moves the meter pointer on 10 
meters (S-meter at max sensitivity setting). Some of the stronger 75 meter 
signals are giving 40 over S-9 on this R-4. Another R-4 here moves the S-meter 
to around S-5 on 10 meters.
    I have checked voltages on the 12BA6 calib tube and all are close, 
except the pin #1 (grid) voltage measures -37 v. The manual says it should be 
around -28 V. The 1 meg grid leak measures 1.05 meg, I didn't change it 
out. Would the higher neg voltage on grid decrease the output? If so, should I 
lower the value of the grid leak?
    I thought I would ask before I go to trying to compare the outputs of the 
R-4 calibrators, or tear into the other R-4 to measure voltages, etc.
                                                        Thanks, Byron WA5THJ ___
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Re: [Drakelist] L-7 Panel Meter Problem

[Jim Shorney]

On Wed, 9 Mar 2011 17:12:37 -0700, J. Steven Cochrane wrote:

>I don't know that particular meter, but it sounds like someone may have taken 
>the cover off and then not gotten the meter adjustment "pin" back into the 
>meter adjustment "slot".
>
>If that makes sense, see if you can look inside the meter to see it looks like 
>that is what has happened.  If so, it might be repairable by "simply" 
>disassembling and correctly reassembling.

A "worst case" is the pin could be broken off. I've seen it happen. The options
are to repair the adjuster by adding a new pin somehow, finding another meter
with the same or similar cover for parts, or adjust it to zero by hand with the
cover off, then put the cover back on and hope for the best.

73

-Jim

--
Ham Radio NU0C
Lincoln, Nebraska, U.S.S.A.
TR7/RV7/R7A/L7, TR6/RV6, T4XC/R4C/L4B, NCL2000, SB104A, R390A, GT550A/RV550A, 
HyGain 3750, IBM PS/2 - all vintage, all the time!

"Give a man a URL, and he will learn for an hour; teach him to Google, and he 
will learn for a lifetime."

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[Drakelist] The Heathkit Shop L-4/L-7 Power Supply Upgrade Board

[LEE BAHR]

I just got another batch of The Heathkit Shop L-4/L-7 Power Supply Upgrade 
Boards from Mike Bryce for some Drake amps around here.  (Bare Boards). 
Everytime I look at them I am amazed at the quality of these 1/8th inch 
thick boards.  This was my third or fourth order for them.   As far as I am 
concerned, this is the only way to go!  They truly are Upgrade Boards from 
original. (1/8th inch thick fiberglass, silk screened and masked for 
accepting modern 105 degree C "snap in caps" plus use of all new 3 amp 
diodes, 2 watt balancing resistors and 5 watt bleeder/balancing resistors 
and all on one board too.)


I've got an old Swan Mark 1 amplifier using 3-400Z tubes sitting around here 
too and plan to also put one of these boards in there.  (lots of room to do 
this).  I am also thinking of installing 2 or 3 Russian GI-7BT ceramic tubes 
in this amp. They only cost around $20 to $25 each so they would be fun to 
mess plus I have some around the shack.


Lee, w0vt 



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[Drakelist] New Dial For B line

[ralphshorts]

Hello to all b-line lovers the only Person that has the new dials for B/C line 
is Jeff Covelli  Wa8saj  the only Drake repair man in Ohio. Jeff has repaired 
all my drakes TR-7  Both B lines I use every day  Call Jeff to send your drake 
for the best Job  73 all RalphShorts  K5SHO  ___
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Re: [Drakelist] New (to me) B Line...

[Eugene Balinski]

Bill,

   You will love the B-line. The B-line is my daily
operational rig.  Check with Ron WB4HFN about methods to
clean the dials.  His web site has a lot of great
information.  

   Also once the you are sure that the Tx is running
correctly, a good speech processor such as the new Ten Tec
or the classic Vomax (available at Hamfests everywhere) can
help in the DX pile-up situation.  Just be sure you are
using a good Hi-Z mic.

73
Gene K1NR

On Wed, 9 Mar 2011 14:52:42 -0700
 "Bill V."  wrote:
> Hi All!
>  
>   My name is Bill and I'm a boat anchor-aholic.  ;)  My
> shack consists of mostly 60's era rigs that I have
> restored including National, Swan, Ameco, etc.  I do have
> some modern stuff like an R8 that I bought new and a few
> older Yaesu and Kenwood rigs.
>  
>   I just picked up a pretty nice B-line from a local
> CraigsList ad.  My original intent was to clean it up and
> pass it along, but now I don't want to part with it.  It
> had a few minor issues like the usual dirty switches and
> pots, a shorted diode in the vox circuit that kept the
> relay pulled in, a couple of cold joints, etc...  The
> receiver performance is outstanding.  The transmitter is
> a little anemic in the audio department, but otherwise
> pretty good.
>  
>   One thing that I do need is a vfo dial plate for the
> T-4XB.  I have seen yellowed dials before, but this thing
> is opaque brown/black!
>  
>   I hope to contribute to this reflector.
>  
> 73!
>  
>  Bill V.
> 
> ___
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-
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http://www.nni.com/

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Re: [Drakelist] Station upgrade?

[Eugene Balinski]

There have also been a number of articles in QST in the
past year or so about the 43 foot vertical, and how to feed
it,  and how it will perform on various bands including
75/80 & 160.   The articles, along  with the referenced
materials are worth a read.


73,
Gene K1NR


On Wed, 9 Mar 2011 13:48:50 -0800
 "Richard Knoppow" <1oldle...@ix.netcom.com> wrote:
> 
> - Original Message - From: "Doug Smith [W7KF]"
> 
> Cc: 
> Sent: Wednesday, March 09, 2011 10:28 AM
> Subject: Re: [Drakelist] Station upgrade?
> 
> 
> >I think a 43 foot vertical (with sufficient radials)
> would make a decent antenna on 160 meters and an
> excellent antenna on 80, 40 and 30 meters.
> >
> > On 20 meters the antenna is a bit more than 5/8
> wavelength 
> > in length and a significant portion of the radiated RF 
> > will go nearly straight up and will not be reflected by
> 
> > the ionosphere due to the high angle.  This gets worse
> as 
> > you go up in frequency.
> >
> > Could you work people on 20 and above?  Sure, but it
> would 
> > be on a secondary lobe as the primary and strongest
> lobe 
> > of RF will be "lost in space".  Above 20 meters a 43
> foot 
> > vertical is really a long wire pointed straight up.
> >
> > The other issue is that the required antenna coupler 
> > should be mounted at the base of the antenna to be
> fully 
> > effective.  Yes, an apparent match condition could be 
> > achieved by using a coupler in the shack but that
> apparent 
> > match only serves to make the rig happy.  Considerable
> RF 
> > is burned off as heat in the mismatched coax run to the
> 
> > antenna.
> >
> > It would also be interesting to measure the losses in
> the 
> > matching unun.  If it's a ferrite or iron core those 
> > losses could be significant because UNUN's and BALUN's
> are 
> > not operating within their design spec if they are 
> > operating in an environment where the impedance is not 
> > purely resistive.  RF transformers of this type are not
> 
> > meant to be used in reactive circuits.
> >
> > In my opinion, the antenna manufactures do a disservice
> to 
> > the community by promoting vertical antennas that are 
> > longer than 5/8 wavelength.  Yes, you can get a decent
> SWR 
> > if you use 150 feet of lossy coax and an in-shack
> coupler. 
> > Yes, you can get a decent match with a 3/4 wavelength 
> > antenna.  But, having a decent match and a decent
> antenna 
> > system can be two very different animals.
> >
> > OTOH, I applaud the use of non-resonant antenna
> designs. 
> > Being non-resonant makes for an easier job of impedance
> 
> > matching on harmonically related frequencies such as we
> 
> > enjoy in our HF spectrum.
> >
> > If you are primarily interested in 160 through 30
> meters 
> > then I'd say the 43' vertical would be a good choice.
>  If 
> > you're primarily interested in 20 and above then I'd go
> 
> > with a shorter vertical.  In either case, I'd do my 
> > impedance matching at the base of the antenna.
> >
> > If you want all-band coverage and don't want to fool
> with 
> > an external coupler then I'd look at an all band
> vertical 
> > that has traps or stubs or variable length or
> *something* 
> > that makes the antenna a reasonable electrical height
> on 
> > the bands of interest..
> >
> > Of course, this is all opinion and worth maybe a bit
> less 
> > than what you paid for it!  ;-)
> >
> > 73,
> > -Doug, W7KF
> >  http://www.w7kf.com
> >
>  I think its helpful to look at some older books on 
> antennas that show the effect of length on radiation
> angle and the effect of the ground system on pattern. The
> ground is very significant, good antennas need good
> ground systems and, in general, its harder to get a good
> ground than a good antenna.
>  Vertical antennas have a single lobe whose vertical 
> angle becomes lower as the antenna length increases up to
> 1/2 wavelength. When it becomes longer than 1/2 wave the
> antenna begins to have a higher angle lobe, as mentioned
> above. While the main lobe continues to become lower in
> angle the performance will be affected by the high angle
> lobe. If the antenna is made longer eventually more lobes
> will appear. This is illustrated in a number of books. It
> _is_ possible to concentrate the radiation in a single
> low-angle lobe by using an array of stacked antennas but
> this becomes complicated, requires rather high structures
> for the lower ham bands, and, like most directional
> antennas, begins to be rather narrow band.
>  The problem with antennas is that good performance 
> requires space and the lower the frequency the greater
> the space needed. Some compact antennas work pretty well
> but they are always compromised in some way.
>  I certainly agree that getting a good impedance
> match 
> at the transmitter is no guarantee that any of that power
> is getting anywhere useful.
> 
> 
> --
> Richard Knoppow
> Los Angeles
> WB6KBL
> dickb...@ix.netcom.com 
> 
> __

Re: [Drakelist] New (to me) B Line...

[Don Cunningham]

Bill,
Welcome to the Drakelist!!  Sounds like you have the Drake 4 Line fever, for 
sure.  You will find a lot of knowledge both here and on the Yahoo list as 
well.


I have the dial plate you are looking for, but I have put out at least once 
a hope that someone would take this NOS one I have and start making 
replacements that we can buy!!  If no response on that, give me an idea what 
it's worth (or an interesting trade) and I'll get it to you.  I bought a box 
full of "spares" a while back just to help out when someone needs 
replacement parts.  I would still rather have someone take on making them, 
and this "mint" one would be great as a pattern.

73,
Don, WB4HAK 



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[Drakelist] (no subject)

[Eric Berty]

The best place where you can find everything you need!... 
http://roxanarao.com.ar/links.php?zegoogleId=04e4
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Re: [Drakelist] L-7 Panel Meter Problem

[J. Steven Cochrane]

Hi Lloyd,
I was going to suggest the same thing as Ron. I have a Collins meter on a 
312B-4 that had that problem and it acted the same. Mine was caused by a sudden 
jolt when I accidently dropped the B-4 on the floor. Thank goodness it was on a 
rug and caused no other damage.
73,
Steve W7JSC
  - Original Message - 
  From: Ron 
  To: drakelist@zerobeat.net ; 
Lloyd 
  Sent: Wednesday, March 09, 2011 4:56 PM
  Subject: Re: [Drakelist] L-7 Panel Meter Problem


Lloyd,
I don't know that particular meter, but it sounds like someone may have 
taken the cover off and then not gotten the meter adjustment "pin" back into 
the meter adjustment "slot".

If that makes sense, see if you can look inside the meter to see it 
looks like that is what has happened.  If so, it might be repairable by 
"simply" disassembling and correctly reassembling.

Oh BTW be careful with removal of meter covers.  I have a piece of a 
T4XB meter in the center of my right eye. I did not have safety glass on when a 
meter cover cracked sending a small piece of plastic into my lens.  Plastic is 
still there, and I look through it similar to dust on eyeglasses.  At least I 
didn't loose my vision!!!  Please be careful.

73,
Ron WD8SBB
 
--- On Wed, 3/9/11, Lloyd  wrote:


  From: Lloyd 
  Subject: [Drakelist] L-7 Panel Meter Problem
  To: drakelist@zerobeat.net
  Date: Wednesday, March 9, 2011, 11:17 AM


  I am trying ot repair an L-7 with a Plate Meter problem. The meter 
pointer is free, but will not go below  .2 amps on the1 amp scale. The zero 
center adjustment is also free, but has no affect on the pointer position. I 
ran a .5 amp current through to meter and the movement works. I am hoping you 
guys have some ideas for me, because I am sure it well be next to impossible to 
find a replacement.

  Thanks.


  LLOYD -K4HWB




  -Inline Attachment Follows-


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Re: [Drakelist] L-7 Panel Meter Problem

[Ron]

Lloyd,
I don't know that particular meter, but it sounds like someone may have taken 
the cover off and then not gotten the meter adjustment "pin" back into the 
meter adjustment "slot".

If that makes sense, see if you can look inside the meter to see it looks like 
that is what has happened.  If so, it might be repairable by "simply" 
disassembling and correctly reassembling.

Oh BTW be careful with removal of meter covers.  I have a piece of a T4XB meter 
in the center of my right eye. I did not have safety glass on when a meter 
cover cracked sending a small piece of plastic into my lens.  Plastic is still 
there, and I look through it similar to dust on eyeglasses.  At least I didn't 
loose my vision!!!  Please be careful.

73,
Ron WD8SBB
 
--- On Wed, 3/9/11, Lloyd  wrote:

From: Lloyd 
Subject: [Drakelist] L-7 Panel Meter Problem
To: drakelist@zerobeat.net
Date: Wednesday, March 9, 2011, 11:17 AM



 
 

I am trying ot repair an L-7 with a Plate Meter 
problem. The meter pointer is free, but will not go below  .2 amps on the1 
amp scale. The zero center adjustment is also free, but has no affect on the 
pointer position. I ran a .5 amp current through to meter and the movement 
works. I am hoping you guys have some ideas for me, because I am sure it well 
be 
next to impossible to find a replacement.
 
Thanks.
 
 
LLOYD -K4HWB
 
 
 
-Inline Attachment Follows-

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Re: [Drakelist] Station upgrade? THE VERTICAL

[Kris Merschrod]

Back in the early eighties there was an interesting verticle in QST that was 
a multiple band homebrew vertical that consisted of small-dimension 1/4 wave 
elements that were bolted to sections of 4"or 6" PVC rings.  One vertical 
for each band. That provided a no-tuner-needed vertical that, of course, was 
dependent upon the ground system,  I saw one in use at the school radio 
station in Costa Rica - it was mounted in the steel roof of the gym - nice 
ground plane!  The beauty of that design is that it provides structural 
integrity from small diameter elements and, in theory any and all bands 
could be included with one feed-line.


Now, staying with the same sort of concept, Gonset made an interesting beam 
that had elements consisting of tubes, thin-walled tubes, inside of each 
other all grounded at the beam end of the element.  The 10 meter tube was 
the largest diameter and the 20 meter the smallest diameter with 15 meters 
in between.  A friend lent me one of those beams and my 
first-anxious-to-get-on-the-air attempt was to use one of those elements as 
a vertical.  The ground system was the steel roof structure.  It worked like 
a charm - that was in Guayaquil Ecuador.  BTW one I had the three element 
Gonset up it was a real performer - no traps.


Oh, the Gonset used a series of rubber grommets to keep the three tubes 
separate from each other and the end of the 20 meter element was adjustable.


Yes, I would go or the DX engineering radial plate and also a similar tip 
over post.


73,

Kris KM2KM
Merschrod
123 Warren Road
Ithaca, NY 14850
www.merschrod.net 



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Re: [Drakelist] Running a TR-7 on a L-4B

[Garey Barrell]

Bob -

Yes and no.  There are jacks on the PS-7 (RCA) for VOX and ALC connections.  If your L-4B still has 
the two conductor VOX connector on it, you'll need to either make a two-pin connector or replace it 
with the RCA jack conversion from John Kriner.  If you have the two-pin connector then the only 
caveat is that since it is NOT polarized you may have to reverse it.  If the L-4B keys as soon as 
you plug in the connector, (assuming the other (RCA) end is connected to the TR-7,) just reverse the 
two-pin connector.


If you don't have the PS-7, both functions are available on the PS-7 Control connector on the back 
of the TR-7.  This is the 10 pin Cinch connector.  Pin 8 is the VOX and Pin 9 is the ALC.  Pin 10 is 
the common ground.


73, Garey - K4OAH
Glen Allen, VA

Drake 2-B, 2-C/2-NT, 4-A, 4-B, C-Line
and TR-4/C Service Supplement CDs



ROBERT SMITH wrote:

Will a Drake TR-7 radio work on a Drake L-4B,without any mods?
Thanks
Bob w0vu



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Re: [Drakelist] Running a TR-7 on a L-4B

[Jim Shorney]

On Wed, 9 Mar 2011 15:06:06 -0600, ROBERT SMITH wrote:

>Will a Drake TR-7 radio work on a Drake L-4B,without any mods?


Yes.

73

-Jim


--
Ham Radio NU0C
Lincoln, Nebraska, U.S.S.A.
TR7/RV7/R7A/L7, TR6/RV6, T4XC/R4C/L4B, NCL2000, SB104A, R390A, GT550A/RV550A, 
HyGain 3750, IBM PS/2 - all vintage, all the time!

"Give a man a URL, and he will learn for an hour; teach him to Google, and he 
will learn for a lifetime."

HyGain 3750 User's Group - http://groups.yahoo.com/group/HyGain_3750/
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[Drakelist] New (to me) B Line...

[Bill V.]

Hi All!
 
  My name is Bill and I'm a boat anchor-aholic.  ;)  My shack consists of 
mostly 60's era rigs that I have restored including National, Swan, Ameco, etc. 
 I do have some modern stuff like an R8 that I bought new and a few older Yaesu 
and Kenwood rigs.
 
  I just picked up a pretty nice B-line from a local CraigsList ad.  My 
original intent was to clean it up and pass it along, but now I don't want to 
part with it.  It had a few minor issues like the usual dirty switches and 
pots, a shorted diode in the vox circuit that kept the relay pulled in, a 
couple of cold joints, etc...  The receiver performance is outstanding.  The 
transmitter is a little anemic in the audio department, but otherwise pretty 
good.
 
  One thing that I do need is a vfo dial plate for the T-4XB.  I have seen 
yellowed dials before, but this thing is opaque brown/black!
 
  I hope to contribute to this reflector.
 
73!
 
 Bill V.

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Re: [Drakelist] Station upgrade?

[Richard Knoppow]

- Original Message - 
From: "Doug Smith [W7KF]" 

Cc: 
Sent: Wednesday, March 09, 2011 10:28 AM
Subject: Re: [Drakelist] Station upgrade?


I think a 43 foot vertical (with sufficient radials) would 
make a decent antenna on 160 meters and an excellent 
antenna on 80, 40 and 30 meters.


On 20 meters the antenna is a bit more than 5/8 wavelength 
in length and a significant portion of the radiated RF 
will go nearly straight up and will not be reflected by 
the ionosphere due to the high angle.  This gets worse as 
you go up in frequency.


Could you work people on 20 and above?  Sure, but it would 
be on a secondary lobe as the primary and strongest lobe 
of RF will be "lost in space".  Above 20 meters a 43 foot 
vertical is really a long wire pointed straight up.


The other issue is that the required antenna coupler 
should be mounted at the base of the antenna to be fully 
effective.  Yes, an apparent match condition could be 
achieved by using a coupler in the shack but that apparent 
match only serves to make the rig happy.  Considerable RF 
is burned off as heat in the mismatched coax run to the 
antenna.


It would also be interesting to measure the losses in the 
matching unun.  If it's a ferrite or iron core those 
losses could be significant because UNUN's and BALUN's are 
not operating within their design spec if they are 
operating in an environment where the impedance is not 
purely resistive.  RF transformers of this type are not 
meant to be used in reactive circuits.


In my opinion, the antenna manufactures do a disservice to 
the community by promoting vertical antennas that are 
longer than 5/8 wavelength.  Yes, you can get a decent SWR 
if you use 150 feet of lossy coax and an in-shack coupler. 
Yes, you can get a decent match with a 3/4 wavelength 
antenna.  But, having a decent match and a decent antenna 
system can be two very different animals.


OTOH, I applaud the use of non-resonant antenna designs. 
Being non-resonant makes for an easier job of impedance 
matching on harmonically related frequencies such as we 
enjoy in our HF spectrum.


If you are primarily interested in 160 through 30 meters 
then I'd say the 43' vertical would be a good choice.  If 
you're primarily interested in 20 and above then I'd go 
with a shorter vertical.  In either case, I'd do my 
impedance matching at the base of the antenna.


If you want all-band coverage and don't want to fool with 
an external coupler then I'd look at an all band vertical 
that has traps or stubs or variable length or *something* 
that makes the antenna a reasonable electrical height on 
the bands of interest..


Of course, this is all opinion and worth maybe a bit less 
than what you paid for it!  ;-)


73,
-Doug, W7KF
 http://www.w7kf.com

I think its helpful to look at some older books on 
antennas that show the effect of length on radiation angle 
and the effect of the ground system on pattern. The ground 
is very significant, good antennas need good ground systems 
and, in general, its harder to get a good ground than a good 
antenna.
Vertical antennas have a single lobe whose vertical 
angle becomes lower as the antenna length increases up to 
1/2 wavelength. When it becomes longer than 1/2 wave the 
antenna begins to have a higher angle lobe, as mentioned 
above. While the main lobe continues to become lower in 
angle the performance will be affected by the high angle 
lobe. If the antenna is made longer eventually more lobes 
will appear. This is illustrated in a number of books. It 
_is_ possible to concentrate the radiation in a single 
low-angle lobe by using an array of stacked antennas but 
this becomes complicated, requires rather high structures 
for the lower ham bands, and, like most directional 
antennas, begins to be rather narrow band.
The problem with antennas is that good performance 
requires space and the lower the frequency the greater the 
space needed. Some compact antennas work pretty well but 
they are always compromised in some way.
I certainly agree that getting a good impedance match 
at the transmitter is no guarantee that any of that power is 
getting anywhere useful.



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



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[Drakelist] Running a TR-7 on a L-4B

[ROBERT SMITH]

Will a Drake TR-7 radio work on a Drake L-4B,without any mods?
Thanks
Bob w0vu
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Re: [Drakelist] Station upgrade?

[Doug Smith [W7KF]]

I think a 43 foot vertical (with sufficient radials) would make a decent 
antenna on 160 meters and an excellent antenna on 80, 40 and 30 meters.


On 20 meters the antenna is a bit more than 5/8 wavelength in length and a 
significant portion of the radiated RF will go nearly straight up and will not 
be reflected by the ionosphere due to the high angle.  This gets worse as you 
go up in frequency.


Could you work people on 20 and above?  Sure, but it would be on a secondary 
lobe as the primary and strongest lobe of RF will be "lost in space".  Above 
20 meters a 43 foot vertical is really a long wire pointed straight up.


The other issue is that the required antenna coupler should be mounted at the 
base of the antenna to be fully effective.  Yes, an apparent match condition 
could be achieved by using a coupler in the shack but that apparent match only 
serves to make the rig happy.  Considerable RF is burned off as heat in the 
mismatched coax run to the antenna.


It would also be interesting to measure the losses in the matching unun.  If 
it's a ferrite or iron core those losses could be significant because UNUN's 
and BALUN's are not operating within their design spec if they are operating 
in an environment where the impedance is not purely resistive.  RF 
transformers of this type are not meant to be used in reactive circuits.


In my opinion, the antenna manufactures do a disservice to the community by 
promoting vertical antennas that are longer than 5/8 wavelength.  Yes, you can 
get a decent SWR if you use 150 feet of lossy coax and an in-shack coupler. 
Yes, you can get a decent match with a 3/4 wavelength antenna.  But, having a 
decent match and a decent antenna system can be two very different animals.


OTOH, I applaud the use of non-resonant antenna designs.  Being non-resonant 
makes for an easier job of impedance matching on harmonically related 
frequencies such as we enjoy in our HF spectrum.


If you are primarily interested in 160 through 30 meters then I'd say the 43' 
vertical would be a good choice.  If you're primarily interested in 20 and 
above then I'd go with a shorter vertical.  In either case, I'd do my 
impedance matching at the base of the antenna.


If you want all-band coverage and don't want to fool with an external coupler 
then I'd look at an all band vertical that has traps or stubs or variable 
length or *something* that makes the antenna a reasonable electrical height on 
the bands of interest..


Of course, this is all opinion and worth maybe a bit less than what you paid 
for it!  ;-)


73,
-Doug, W7KF
 http://www.w7kf.com


Michael & Sue Trussell wrote:
The weather and old age have taken its toll on my old AV5 Cushcraft 5 
band vertical antenna. I am considering a purchase of another all band 
MBVE-1UP 45 foot vertical by DX Engineering. Because I have been out of 
amateur radio for many years the technical knowledge that I thought knew 
about antennas and such has evolved so much by the various equipment 
manufactures that my knowledge base has become outdated somewhat. I need 
to stick with a vertical because of lack real estate and living in a 
city lot!


I would like some suggestions from you who have been keeping up on the 
art and technology to offer some suggestions on using an antenna like 
the above mentioned MBVE-1, with my Drake MN2700 antenna tuner. I would 
like to use all of the capacity of this antenna; I also understand that 
the capacity of the MN2700 is limited to the standard amateur radio 
frequencies.  I would like to use the WARC bands that I now have the 
capacity to use with my TR7 along with the L4B amp just recently 
rebuilt. It works even better now with a new power supply.


Should I look for another tuner to use or purchase another MN2700 and 
attempt to modify it?


Any suggestion or ideas would be greatly appreciated


Thank you in advance

Michael J TrussellKA8ASN



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[Drakelist] L-7 Panel Meter Problem

[Lloyd]

I am trying ot repair an L-7 with a Plate Meter problem. The meter pointer is 
free, but will not go below  .2 amps on the1 amp scale. The zero center 
adjustment is also free, but has no affect on the pointer position. I ran a .5 
amp current through to meter and the movement works. I am hoping you guys have 
some ideas for me, because I am sure it well be next to impossible to find a 
replacement.

Thanks.


LLOYD -K4HWB


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Re: [Drakelist] Drakelist Digest, Vol 33, Issue 12

[grant vyborny]

I'm with you , Don - I was wondering : what am I missing?  Actually, from
what I understand, we should all go back to the old ladder line to feed the
antenna because it has the lowest losses - not convenient in most cases

73 de Grant

I

On Wed, Mar 9, 2011 at 7:32 AM, Don Cunningham  wrote:

>  Grant,
> It's a matter of "personal preference", and you'll get as many yeas as
> nays.  I subscribe to the old school, "If it ain't broke, don't fix it!".  I
> suspect some of this comes from VHF/UHF usage of coaxes, and they DO make a
> tremendous difference there, but under 30 megs, loss is minimal in good
> quality coax.  When we could get Belden Coax at a decent price, most thought
> RG-213 was better than "regular" RG-8, but likely there was little
> different.  You will have some more loss with RG-8X, but with low power, you
> shouldn't notice enough difference to warrant a change.  Only my opinion, no
> more factual than any else, hi.
> 73,
> Don, WB5HAK
>
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Re: [Drakelist] Station upgrade?

[Steve Berg]

I have had good performance from a Hy-Gain DX-88 vertical.  It is a bear 
to put together, but it works well.  I have not had much luck on 80CW on 
QRP, but have worked numerous European and South American stations with 
100 watts on that band.  One item I highly recommend is the DX 
Engineering radial plate.  I got one of these, and now have about 70 
radials ranging from 18 to 22 feet long out in the back yard.  I have a 
small lot on a hillside, so I am thoroughly blocked to the west and 
north west.  I am looking forward to seeing how this works when I retire 
and head north to a much quieter and less obstructed location.


73,

Steve WA9JML

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Re: [Drakelist] Drakelist Digest, Vol 33, Issue 12

[Don Cunningham]

Grant,
It's a matter of "personal preference", and you'll get as many yeas as nays.  I 
subscribe to the old school, "If it ain't broke, don't fix it!".  I suspect 
some of this comes from VHF/UHF usage of coaxes, and they DO make a tremendous 
difference there, but under 30 megs, loss is minimal in good quality coax.  
When we could get Belden Coax at a decent price, most thought RG-213 was better 
than "regular" RG-8, but likely there was little different.  You will have some 
more loss with RG-8X, but with low power, you shouldn't notice enough 
difference to warrant a change.  Only my opinion, no more factual than any 
else, hi.
73,
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Re: [Drakelist] Station upgrade?

[Curt]

For the last six years I have used a Hustler 4BTV with 17M and 30M added. 
It is ground mounted with 10 radials of various lengths buried in the lawn. 
I don't own an amplifier, so mostly 50-100W, using an automatic tuner.  The 
antenna has held up well, made here in Texas and was cheaper than most of 
the alternates.  No complaints from here, no maintenance has been necessary. 
I mounted mine on a DX Engineering tilt mount so could lower it when heavy 
weather ( like a hurricane ) threatens, because it is only rated for about 
70 mph winds.  It came through Hurricane Ike, of course lowered to the 
ground, but still works FB.


Regarding performance, I've worked a lot of DX with it, even with QRP.  One 
watt from an SST to ZL several times.


GL & 73, Curt KB5JO 



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Re: [Drakelist] Station upgrade?

[Gary Poland]

Go for the gusto ... Hygain Hytower!

73, Gary___
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Re: [Drakelist] Station upgrade?

[Bob Spooner]

Michael,

 

If you want the most versatility, my suggestion would be to look at the
SteppIR vertical antennas. They are continuously tunable and will work all
the way to 6 Meters. The big one covers 40 meters, and there is a loading
coil that can be used for 80.

 

73,

Bob AD3K

 

From: drakelist-boun...@zerobeat.net [mailto:drakelist-boun...@zerobeat.net]
On Behalf Of Michael & Sue Trussell
Sent: Tuesday, March 08, 2011 6:31 PM
To: drakelist@zerobeat.net
Subject: [Drakelist] Station upgrade?

 

The weather and old age have taken its toll on my old AV5 Cushcraft 5 band
vertical antenna. I am considering a purchase of another all band MBVE-1UP
45 foot vertical by DX Engineering. Because I have been out of amateur radio
for many years the technical knowledge that I thought knew about antennas
and such has evolved so much by the various equipment manufactures that my
knowledge base has become outdated somewhat. I need to stick with a vertical
because of lack real estate and living in a city lot!

 

I would like some suggestions from you who have been keeping up on the art
and technology to offer some suggestions on using an antenna like the above
mentioned MBVE-1, with my Drake MN2700 antenna tuner. I would like to use
all of the capacity of this antenna; I also understand that the capacity of
the MN2700 is limited to the standard amateur radio frequencies.  I would
like to use the WARC bands that I now have the capacity to use with my TR7
along with the L4B amp just recently rebuilt. It works even better now with
a new power supply. 

 

Should I look for another tuner to use or purchase another MN2700 and
attempt to modify it?

 

Any suggestion or ideas would be greatly appreciated 

 

 

Thank you in advance

 

 

Michael J TrussellKA8ASN

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