[Boatanchors] AX 190 SX 190 modif

Wed, 6 Aug 2003 17:44:39 -0500

I kind of like mine.  The quality control on them was highly variable, as I
recall.  Some people swore by them, some swore at them.  The guru, Shaw, got
some of each.  I think that subject is well covered in the pdf.  The one I
have works pretty good below about 20 Mhz.  I never listened to much above
that, mostly the 90 and 60 meter tropical bands.  Theres some fixes in the
pdf, I think, although I don't know how effective they are.

I used to use "exhalted carrier" SSB with it quite a bit - never had any
stability trouble.  Trouble being a relative term, I suppose.

They are very sensitive at lower HF and prone to overload.  WWV on 5.0 MHZ.
would peg the "S" meter then drop out as you tuned down (as you would
expect) but when you got to R. Barquisemeto on 4990, old WWV would be
ticking away in the background.  No het, just WWV's audio.  Same thing when
you got to R. Nacional on 4980 or whatever.  What is this phenonomena
called?  Oddly enough, I don't remember this being a problem on 49 meters
with all the high powered SWBC'ers.  Shaw experienced it on 31.

Al, KØVM, looked at mine and felt the mixer was poorly designed.  I wonder
if there's a mod to bring that up to more state of the art.  Do you suppose
there is?

Actually, Tandy's most embarassing turkey was the DX-300, circa 1979, which
was also a really nice looking rig.  The problems they had with it would
make a nun curse.  I got a full refund for mine.  In the shortwave clubs
like NASWA and SPEEDX back then, you didn't even want to admit you owned
one.  The follow up DX-302 was better, but still had many problems.
Nowadays, people go crazy over the DX-300 on the bay place.  I remember
laughing when I read in Consumer Reports that the highest rated SW receiver
was...you guessed it, the DX-300.

To be fair, PLL synthesized receivers were just absolutely coming on the
market in droves about then and they ALL overloaded.  Yaesu FRG-7 and 7700,
Panasonic, you name it.  About the first ones I remember that weren't
plagued by images and spurs were the Kenwood R-1000,  followed by the superb
Icom R-70.  JRC was in there too, but way out of my league at the time.

I'll quit digressing.

73,
Tom

----- Original Message ----- 
From: <[email protected]>
To: <[email protected]>
Sent: Wednesday, August 06, 2003 5:13 PM
Subject: Re: [Boatanchors] AX 190 SX 190 modif

> Ok, it's not 108 pages worth of modifications. I had one of these
> receivers about 15 years ago. Bad drift on higher frequencies, SSB was
> unstable and distorted badly on strong signals. Higher frequencies lacked
> sensitivity.  Finally traded if off. Looks like one of Trio's early
> designs.
> Pete, WA2CWA
>

----- Original Message ----- 
From: <[email protected]>
To: <[email protected]>
Sent: Wednesday, August 06, 2003 5:13 PM
Subject: Re: [Boatanchors] AX 190 SX 190 modif

> Ok, it's not 108 pages worth of modifications. I had one of these
> receivers about 15 years ago. Bad drift on higher frequencies, SSB was
> unstable and distorted badly on strong signals. Higher frequencies lacked
> sensitivity.  Finally traded if off. Looks like one of Trio's early
> designs.
> Pete, WA2CWA
>
> On Wed, 6 Aug 2003 12:37:33 -0500 =?iso-8859-1?Q?Tom_N=D8JMY_-_AAR7FV?=
> <[email protected]> writes:
> > Okay, here it is.  A little slow on the download, but it's all there
> > and
> > quite worth the wait:
> >
> > http://deane.bio.ucalgary.ca/Allied-SX-190-Info-Oct02.pdf
> >
> > I remember back in the late 70's, Ed Shaw, wh had owned every radio
> > there
> > ever was, was absolutle in love with this rig.  He felt it might be
> > the best
> > 60-meter tropical band receiver ever built.  I've got a AX-190
> > that's been
> > re-crystalled to a SX-190, BTW.
> >
> > 73 es happy listening,
> > Tom
> > WPEØFQQ (1970)
> >
> > ----- Original Message ----- 
> > From: <[email protected]>
> > To: <[email protected]>
> > Sent: Wednesday, August 06, 2003 12:26 PM
> > Subject: Re: [Boatanchors] AX 190 SX 190 modif
> >
> >
> > > A 108 page modification to the AX/SX 190?? Is this a complete
> > electrical
> > > and mechanical redesign of the entire receiver?
> > > Pete
> > >
> > > On Tue, 5 Aug 2003 21:38:53 -0400 "Martin Benoit"
> > > <[email protected]> writes:
> > > > Hello anybody know where on the web i can find 108 page (PDF
> > FILE)
> > > > about AX 190 or SX 190 modification.
> > > > OR maybe someone can send me the files ???
> > > > Tnx
> > > > Martin
> > > > VA2ZO
>
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