[Elecraft] [OT] Jurrasic Radio vs. K3

[David Y.]

I got my license in 1955, at age 13.  My "elmers", W7UFR and W7GNJ took pity 
on me, and gave me all the parts I needed for a transmitter.  W7GNJ had 
already purchased a BC-348 receiver for me, then sold it to me for the same 
price at $5/month from my paper route money.  Most of the building took 
place at Carl's bicycle shop (W7GNJ).  Carl was wheelchair bound, and had 
horribly deformed hands and feet from rheumatoid arthritis, but could do 
wonders nevertheless.  He sketched out the circuit diagram on the spot, and 
we started building--from the ground up!  We made the chassis from sheet 
aluminum, wound all the transformers using a converted old singer sewing 
maching, even the small coils, etc.  Everything came from the junkbox Carl 
had.  The transmitter was 80 meter CW only, but VFO controlled, and rock 
solid.  It used an 807 in the final, and put out about 60 watts--well, 
actually that was "input".  Admittedly, Carl did much of the building, but 
let me participate at each step so that I had my hand in it.  The "deal" was 
that I had to get 150 QSL cards on CW before I could actually consider the 
transmitter to be mine.  Those guys were smart!  I've been a CW enthusiast 
ever since.  I didn't even venture up to the "AM" portion of the band for 
about a year, when I added a plate modulator--which was bigger than the 
transmitter--made by Eldico, and cost me $10!

Alas, this transmitter "disappeared" while I was in the Army, and my dad got 
transferred to another city.  I guess he thought it was junk, since it 
wasn't fully enclosed in a cabinet!

Dave W7AQK
Original Message ----- 
From: "Wayne Burdick" <n6kr at elecraft.com>
To: "Elecraft Reflector" <elecraft at mailman.qth.net>
Sent: Wednesday, November 04, 2009 9:17 PM
Subject: [Elecraft] [OT] Jurrasic Radio vs. K3


> In 1971, at age 14, I had a Heath DX20 (from a swap meet) and a
> Hallicrafters SX111 (from an SK). I wonder which of the controls on a
> K3 I would have been able to figure out back then?  :)
>
> That's about the time I first dreamed about designing my own kits. I
> even tried one: a digital tach. But those SN7490s were just too
> expensive....
>
> 73,
> Wayne
> N6KR
>
> ______________________________________________________________
> Elecraft mailing list
> Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft
> Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm
> Post: mailto:Elecraft at mailman.qth.net
>
> This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net
> Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html