[Boatanchors] WTB 3880 3885 Xtals for my DX-60

[Glen Zook]

HC6/U crystals are about as robust as the FT-243 crystals and are of the same size except that they have small pins.  It is very easy to add larger pins to HC6/U crystals so that they fit the FT-243 socket.


It is the HC49/U size crystals that are often put inside FT-243 holders that are not as robust.  Those crystals work fine with most "boat anchor" transmitters made after World War II.  However, they definitely cannot handle any where near as much current as the original FT-243 crystals.

 Glen, K9STH 
Website: http://k9sth.net

      From: Rob Atkinson <ranchorobbo at gmail.com>
 To: Bry Carling <af4k at hotmail.com> 
Cc: BoatAnchors QTH <boatanchors at mailman.qth.net>
 Sent: Saturday, August 13, 2016 10:56 AM
 Subject: Re: [Boatanchors] WTB 3880 3885 Xtals for my DX-60
   
On Sat, Aug 13, 2016 at 5:57 AM, Bry Carling <af4k at hotmail.com> wrote:
> Rob & Howie,
>
> I sell dozens of FT243 crystals on these frequencies every year! Hundreds of
> AM ops use them!
>

You certainly do and thank you for providing a solution that is better
than nothing but the genuine FT-243s you have on desired frequencies
are a bit pricy, and the others are HC-6 crystals inside FT-243
holders.  They may work (I think I have one that works with a fast
chirp on transmit, but it is okay for AM) but they aren't the real
quartz one would expect to find in a FT-243 holder.  The only problem
with that is that if your ersatz FT-243s wind up in a flea market no
one will know that they aren't the real thing without opening them up
and looking inside.