[Boatanchors] [Glowbugs] Re: Found while looking for a RAL

[Bill Cromwell]

On Sun, 2012-05-06 at 13:15 -0500, Robert Nickels wrote:

---snip---

> > When I was much younger, I looked upon them with the feeling they were 
> > just old fashioned and useless.
> As did I, after all they (speaking of the RAL and RAK now) were lowly 
> regens after all, and having started my radio life with a Knight Kit 
> Span Master, I figured this was one of those things you only did 
> once.

Only a slight deviation from my own early experiences with regens.

>     But the postings of a fellow you probably remember, Sandy - 
> "Boatanchor Bob", aka R.D. Keys, NA4G did much to change many minds on 
> that subject, an example of which can be read here:
> 
> http://www.qsl.net/n6ev/Regen1.txt  and elsewhere on the web.
> 
> The one thing I learned well from Mr. Keys was the desirability of 
> running regenerative detectors on the minimum plate voltage possible.

The RAK7 itself was what changed my mind. I saw that big regen control,
shrugged my shoulders and fired it up. 100 kc was already listed on the
paper logging chart and I immediately got down to the business at
hand...examining LORAN signals. I was an instant "believer".

>   
> So don't worry about acquiring that massive-overkill BuShips power 
> supply.  It'll be hard to duplicate the mechanical construction of the 
> RAK/RAL but building a very good regen is well within the scope of home 
> construction.    Bruce Vaughan's series of "Ultimate Regen" articles 
> beginning in the Dec. 2001 issue of Electric Radio offers a good 
> starting point.
> 
> 73, Bob W9RAN
> 

I have started thinking about building a regen based on the RAL. It
might not look so very much like a RAL (a real RAL would still be
welcome here) but I would want it to play like the RAL does and I might
make it somewhat resemble a RAL. I don't expect my radios to be near
naval guns firing broadsides or taking hits from other warships so I
don't need the construction to withstand that. But solid construction is
one of the critical features lacking in little toy radios that makes
them little toy radios - those regen kits I had as a kid. The last one I
homebrewed from an ARRL Handbook in the early 60s - the one with the
6SN7s. I didn't know how to to use it properly but I could have made
that one work with only slightly more info. I didn't know it then, of
course.

I have been making some slow progress on my "regenerodyne" -

http://www.qsl.net/wd4nka/TEXTS/REGENf~1.HTM

I can think of all sorts of ways to make modifications but I am going to
complete this one with only some substitutions of tube types and maybe
other materials as available. I have a HBR project I have accumulated
parts for next on my glowbug RX project list and after that maybe the
RAL clone if I still don't have one.

73,

Bill  KU8H