[Boatanchors] Lettine 240 Transmitter Plug In Coils

[LEE BAHR]

Well I was able to purchase a couple B&W JCL and JEL coils for my Lettine
240.  (I will have to install or rework the coils on the present forms).  (I
still need more of them if anyone could help me out with them).

Is there anyone on here with a LETTINE 240 or has information about this
transmitter?  I specifically need coil turn information as my transmitter
has no osc coils or tank coils.  Apparently the transmitter used maybe B&W
Junior JCL coils for the osc and JEL coils for the tank circuit.  The rig
used plug in coils for 160, 80, 40, 20, 10 meters.  (Maybe MCL for the osc
coils).  (Horizonatal minidux coils mounted on their sides with links and
attached to egg shaped 5 pin base sockets fitting into a 5 pin tube socket).

I know Lettine sold this transmitter for close to 10 years, but they seem
pritty rare with little information on them.  The manual I downloaded off of
BAMA tells you nothing about the plug in coils.  (Maybe the BAMA manual is
not complete).  The tank circuit is link coupled and the resonating variable
is only 50 pf!  How this will tune across the 160 meter band is a mystery.
I am sure the Q will be terrible.  I plan to use it with a low pass tuner to
suppress the second harmonic.

It would be really great if I could find someone with one of these
transmitters and who could give me a turns count for all the coils or maybe
just a picture of them so I could count the turns off the photograph.  I
have looked and some pictures and they are all different.  Did the osc coil
use a center link and the plate coil and end link?  Also, was the osc coil a
JCL or a MCL type?  I'm pritty sure the final used the Junior size JEL
coils.

What is really disturbing is new B&W coil stock at 1 3/4 inches in diameter
with many turns per inch, which would be used to re-coil a 80 meter and 160
meter coil base, sells for $80 for a 4 inch long piece from B&W direct!  The
price is insane.  I think I can make my own coil stock for the high bands
which have few turns per inch but close wound ones for 80 and 160 meters
might be a real challange to make myself.

I guess 160 meter and 80 meter coils were more fragile then the higher band
coils and consequently are harder to find today as many were squeeshed and
destroyed over the years.  Has anyone on here been successful making many
turn per inch minidux type coils themselves?  I think number 24 tinned wire
was used in these coils.  If I could make these coils, it would be easy to
re-coil an old base for 80 and 160 meters for both the osc and final coils.

Please excuse my ramblings if this is of no interest to you.

Lee, w0vt