[CW] "Amp Sequencer"

[David J. Ring, Jr.]

I must be getting confused.

When you used your favorite QSK setup was my Heathkit SB-220 amplifier with 
any Ten-Tec rig.
I would increase the drop-out delay on the Ten-Tec to its maximum --- was 
this with or without a T/R switch?

I'm confused - it must be the weather - it's been happening a lot - simple 
things.

I just had a cascade of emails from Sonny Irons of Maxx-Com "fame" telling 
me how great his "tuners" are, but he is unwilling to have them evaluated 
professionally.  QST years ago cut this unit to pieces - saying it was a 
coil and a couple of non-inductive Dale resistors.

So with or without the T/R switch - ???

I don't think the ICOM 756PRO has a separate linear switch so that you can 
set a long delay and still have QSK like Ten-Tec did.  That's probably the 
hang up (groan what a pun...).

Maybe the ICOM has an adjustable amplifier delay, I don't know - good 
question.

73

David N1EA

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Mike Hyder -N4NT-" <mike.hyder.n4nt at charter.net>
To: "David J. Ring, Jr." <n1ea at arrl.net>; <cengh at juno.com>
Sent: Thursday, May 19, 2005 2:22 AM
Subject: Re: [CW] "Amp Sequencer"


Hi, David--

I don't use a T-R switch anymore, but I used to do it with the Heathkit
Apache and Mohawk receiver, being ever so careful to have the receiver
muted.  I got the Dow Key T-R switch because it cost $10.95 and their
coaxial relay cost $13 or $14.  One day I messed up and had the receiver set
to not mute and found that with the AVC turned off, my own signal was 579 --
not a trace of overload.  From then on, I had a perfect QSK station.

Seems that many old receivers muted by lifting the bottom of the RF Gain
control to ground.  There would be a fixed resistor between the RF Gain pot
and ground and it would be shorted to put the receiver into "operate" and
recovery is instantaneous.  With an electronic T-R switch, one could then
use a SPDT reed relay and have it operate the receiver, then when that reed
relay is keyed, it mutes the receiver and keys the transmitter, that'd work
wouldn't it?

My favorite QSK setup was my Heathkit SB-220 amplifier with any Ten-Tec rig.
I would increase the drop-out delay on the Ten-Tec to its maximum.  There
was plenty of signal that bled through the amp's antenna relay that I could
hear any station I ever worked between my dots, even though the amp relay
was still energized.  The really great thing about this was that when I went
into the transmit mode, there was a nice attenuation of received signals so
they didn't interfere with the sidetone.  I used that for years and years
(from 1975 until 2003 when lightning got it).  I never lost a relay because
of "hot switching."  The one thing I did about 5 years ago was to put in the
Harbach "soft key" mod to reduce the switching voltage and current of the
amplifier relay to lessen the potential damage to the transceiver's amp
relay contacts (but that had never been a problem, either).

73, Mike N4NT

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "David J. Ring, Jr." <n1ea at arrl.net>
To: "Mike Hyder -N4NT-" <mike.hyder.n4nt at charter.net>; <cengh at juno.com>
Sent: Thursday, May 19, 2005 12:18 AM
Subject: Re: [CW] "Amp Sequencer"


I've thought about that Mike, but I get nervous about using the "Receive
Antenna" position.  I remember that in the old vacuum tube days the receiver
still had a lot of R.F. on it.

I guess you're saying that the receiver would be muted while I transmit.

I had forgotten about that.

Are you doing this?  Does it work well?

I have an ICOM IC-756PRO as the main transceiver as well as this old work
hoss, the NCL-2000.

Think it would work?

73

David N1EA

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Mike Hyder -N4NT-" <mike.hyder.n4nt at charter.net>
To: "David J. Ring, Jr." <n1ea at arrl.net>; "CW Reflector"
<cw at mailman.qth.net>
Sent: Wednesday, May 18, 2005 8:59 PM
Subject: Re: [CW] "Amp Sequencer"


What you need is an old electronic T-R switch, David.  Just keep your
lead-length from the amplifier output to the T-R switch as short as
possible.

73, Mike N4NT




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