[ADXA] Speaking of tube type mobiles.

[Jay Bromley]

I am fairly sure with the Galaxy he was running SSB.

 

The old cars with old tube base stations are stuck in my mind, hi.

 

73 de jay..

 

From: adxa-bounces at mailman.qth.net <adxa-bounces at mailman.qth.net> On Behalf Of WB5JJJ
Sent: Saturday, August 17, 2019 11:36 AM
To: ADXA at mailman.qth.net
Subject: [ADXA] Speaking of tube type mobiles.

 

How many of you have ever been guilty of this teenage indulgence?  This all happened probably 10 years before I got my license.  I knew all about Amateur Radio, but had too many other things on my mind back then to study and learn CW, to get a license.  

 

Back in my early Navy days (~1967), I was stationed in Maryland going to a school.  A classmate had a Galaxy (I think) tube rig in the floorboard on the passenger side of his car.  And what looked like a huge whip on the rear bumper, and I remember he was on 14Mhz and working the world at night.  Some things just stick to memory cells.  Now, I don't remember if he was running SSB or AM, but some of you old timers might chime in on the technology of the day.  

 

The radio was aglow in white light from the filaments and when he transmitted there was a loud kerchunk from the T/R relays, then a couple of the tubes got cherry red and the engine revved up bit.  In the summer, with the windows down (no A/C), my legs got hot from not only the tubes, but probably a lot of stray RF.  

 

Now the fun part.  He would park in front of the base movie theater and when he talked, the neon would modulate with his voice.  He was lighting up neon for about 10' either side of his antenna, which was within a couple feet of the bottom row of neon.  

 

Don't know what the other folks on base though of the light display, but we sure enjoyed the light show.  

 

George - WB5JJJ

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