[HBR] HBR 16 Owner Pondering Building My Own

[waltah at earthlink.net]

Scott wrote:
> Boy I dunno if I have the skills to build an HBR 11 or 16.  I'm really
> torn too because the HBR-16 that I own is a sweet sounding receiver on 80,
> 40, 20 meter cw and ssb.  I'd sure like to build a sweet sounding receiver
> too but not sure I have the ability to build a  complicated radio.

What about building something a lot simpler, first?   There are 
hundreds of published receiver designs, all the way from one-tube 
regens up; four or even three tubes will give you a darn good little 
superhet.   

(By using 'band imaging' a superhet can tune two bands without 
bandswitching, just by tuning the front end.  80 and 40 meters is 
the easiest because you can get both bands just by swinging the 
tuning cap.)   

>From layout through checkout, such projects take a fraction the 
time; you just do not run into the complexities with four tubes that 
exist with 16!  The late 50's through 60's *Handbooks* have a good 
selection, running from a one tube regen right on up.  

Looking just at the projects that succeeded, I started out with fairly 
simple sets in the 1990's -- four, five, six tube designs.   However 
even the failures improved my construction skills.   

The main thing I did wrong was to build original designs right from 
the start.  They were certainly educational but a lot of times it was 
'education' instead of 'a working receiver.'   Someone with the 
wisdom to copy an existing design would have done far better.  

Walt
KJ4KV