[Boatanchors] OLD HOMEBREW TRANSMITTERS

[Michael Tauson]

On Fri, Feb 20, 2009 at 2:42 PM, Mr. and Mrs. Magoo <magoo at isp.ca> wrote:
> Those old ARRL project radios described here in a few posts sure bring back
> a lot of memories.  The best part is that they were designed to work by hams
> who knew what they were doing.  If you built it as described you could not
> go wrong.

I know - I'm a bit slow in catching up on things.  :-)

Back in the mid-50s, I started building radios and other goodies from
some booklets that Hugo Gernsback published in the 30s.  That was my
start and I loved breadboarding them then playing with the circuits to
see "what happens if".  I also learned how to roll my own paper
condensers (Remember when they were called that?) and make sliding
plate tuning condensers & pencil lead resistors.  (I had junk &
surplus chasses to strip but it was more fun to make what I could.)
SCC, SSC, DCC, DSC and Litz wire were all in easy supply as was fabric
over rubber insulated wire.  2-digit tubes and their globe equivalents
weren't difficult to come by and I had a small forest of them as well
as breadboard sockets, Fahnstock clips and binding posts.  Oh, and
headphones of every sort imaginable.  I kind of got carried away with
them and, later, straight keys.

My favorite receivers were TRFs and regens (in that order) with
superhets coming into the picture only when I started playing with
command sets (more accurately Type K since the earlier Models B & D
equipment was also referred to as command sets) in the late 50s.

Aside from the book and Noelle-machines, I'd love to get back building
some of those old radios and maybe add a couple transmitters to the
mix only I haven't seen those publications for eons or anything to
take their place.  There were both breadboard and cakepan transmitters
that were simple and reliable that didn't put a lot into the air but
had a reasonable note with what they had.

Hmmm ... a small '30s breadboard station running from the back of the
Jeep.  Now that would be cool!

Best regards,

Michael, WH7HG