[HBR] THanks for Offers of Parts and Opinions

[whitebear1122 at comcast.net]

Thanks guys for your on-list of off-list emails with suggestions, recommendations, opinions, and parts.  I appreciate it.   



Two  guys emailed offering a junker or rough  HBR for sale or trade .  Those emails are on my computer at work so I'll get back to you Monday.  I don't know anything about them yet so maybe those could be great parts units for my project   



Several guys emailed with offers for 85 Kc IF's, thank you very much, and I will get some, so the IF's will be taken care of.  No one had the Miller IF's and I posted the WTB to several lists.  For some reason I had gotten the impression that the ARC-5 IF's were nowhere as good as the Miller IF's, so I sought the Millers out first .  Thanks for straightening me out on that misconception. 



Breck's fabulous webpage shows how he interfaced to the 85 Kc ARC-5 IF's using banana plugs.  Looks straightforward.  I was thinking that maybe a Delrin disk or plastic poker chip could be drilled to hold the banana plugs.  Or just solderinig directly to the banana pins would be fine too. 



I see Hammond has a suitable 14"x10"x3" aluminum chassis.  I was thinking of NOT putting the power supply on the chassis, and instead put it in a separate speaker box.  That would remove alot of heat and weight from the radio.   I saw one members HBR where he used a Charlier Byers aluminum chassis kit.  The kit has a removeable chassis top, making it alot easier to drill on and work on.  I see he has 0.063" thick AND 0.080" chassis kits.  Gads that 0.080" thick chassis would be built like a tank.  I do need to buy some chassis punches.  I see them moderately priced on Ebay.   I don't have a drill press, and I do dislike the hole quality and inaccuracy  of my hand drilling.  I may need to buy a small drill press. 



I have a question for you metal benders.  How do you shear or cut , and bend the alunimum shielding or supports that you make?  



I've been noodling over which HBR to build.  Based on recommendations from others here, and my own readings on Kees website and the W6HHT HBR CD, I am narrowing it down to either the HBR-16 or HBR-11/12.   I don't think I can go wrong with any of the HBR designs.  I'm just thinking the 16 or 11/12 would be a good one for me and my level of (or lack of) expertise. 



On the cabinet, several guys here emailed on-line and off-line thank you with suggestions.  One suggestion was to make a wood cabinet.  Initially I dismissed that suggestion thinking that it of course needs a metal cabinet.  After noodling on it for a while, I changed my mind and think a nicely done wood cabinet would look fabulous.  I don't need it for the shielding.  I'm also thinking of maybe not even doing a cabinet at all.  Half the fun of using this old style equipment is looking at it.   I'd surely regret it if something fell off the shelf into the radio though..  I dont' think there is a strong reason TO HAVE a cabinet. 



I was looking back in my HBR notes at work and was surprised to see that last March/April I had started pursuing parts for an HBR project.  I had forgotten about that effort.  I started talking it up on this reflector and making inquiries, getting Kees and W6HHT CD's, and then work announced a big upcoming layoff in a month, and the next 6 weeks was filled with angst, other thoughts, lots and lots of talk, contingency planning if the worst happens, etc.. No time for any hobby.  Luckily I survived that round.  Then last week my company announced the "Third Annual Layoff" (my term for it) for April so again this revelation consumed time.  This time I was told our immediate systems group was safe so I don't have to worry about it... this year... so the HBR project proceeds :) 



So again thanks for your advice and help.  73, Scott WA9WFA