[ARC5] SSB Transceiver from a BC-453

[CARL HUETHER]

Wow, that is about the worst (or elaborate if that is your view) Command set hack Ive seen! But certainly not anything to give others stained undies back then.
The TX output must have been pretty IMD dirty, looking at the circuit, nobody cared then,

Using LF IF cans was common as a filter and one commercial version was the 1954 Hallicrafters HT-30 at 50 kc, plus several magazine and Handbook articles. I provided one plus a "loaner" NCL-2000 at various multi-multi contest sites I operated from in the 60's as well as bringing my own 75A4, CE-100V, and NCL-2000 prototype; I still use all three.  

Carl


> On January 30, 2020 at 9:06 PM Robert Nickels <ranickel at comcast.net> wrote:
> 
> 
> Thanks for the comments.    I'll just add a few clarifying comments 
> since the common element is the glut of inexpensive surplus Command Sets 
> that hit the market in the 50s' at the same time hams were exploring the 
> new mode of single sideband.
> 
> The W2EWL "Cheap and Easy SSB" transmitter from March 1956 QST was a 
> pretty straightforward clone of Don Norgaard's 1948 concept where a 9 
> MHz SSB exciter using the phasing method and a VFO tunin the 5 MHz range 
> made it easy to put a SSB signal on the two most popular bands where it 
> was starting to appear.   Central Electronics, Lakeshore, Gonset,and 
> others produced nicer commercial versions,  but Tony's design made it 
> possible for average hams to build their own SSB exciter with about the 
> same skills required to build and AM rig or receiver.   He cleverly 
> found a way to fit it all into a BC-458 transmitter chassis, with the 
> option of 80 or 20 meter operation, or both.    Tony operated his mobile 
> and later added a linear amplifier using four 837s, mounted in the 
> trunk.   After it's publication in QST, the W2EWL Special appeared in 
> other ARRL publications for years, so it was widely known and quite a 
> few were built.
> 
> In contrast, the "SSB transceiver from the BC-453" I am inquiring about 
> was written up in a 54 page book published by the lesser known Western 
> Radio Amateur magazine.   The documentation is extremely detailed, but 
> the project was much more complicated and starts with "remove all parts 
> from the chassis".     By modifying the 85 kc IF transformers and 
> lightly coupling multiple stages, sufficient selectivity was obtained to 
> remove the unwanted 85 kHz sideband, and while they managed to make it 
> all fit the compact BC-453 chassis, it would doubtless be easier today 
> to build the transceiver conventionally using parts from junked 
> receivers. Because it was more complex and not as well publicized, very 
> few were probably built and I'm hoping to find out if any are still in 
> existence.
> 
> Both projects were possible because the high quality components provided 
> the required stability and Q needed for SSB.     Here's what they look 
> like - the W2EWL 80/20 meter transmitter on top and the W6IQY 40 meter 
> transceiver on the bottom:
> 
> https://i.imgur.com/HYDbbFw.png
> 
> The complete construction article can be downloaded here: 
> https://radionerds.com/images/1/1b/A_SSB_Transceiver_from_the_BC-453.pdf
> 
> I'm always looking for more information about these rigs or other 
> homebrew SSB rigs that may turn up.
> 
> 73, Bob W9RAN
> 
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