[HBR] Birdies

[Brian Burns]

Hello Bill,

 

~ My post didn't really have anything to do with those threads over on
regenrx. As for 'putting up' with the regen overloading on strong signals
that is really just part operating the radio. You will have to operate your
HBR, too. Just it's different from a regen. With the regen you have to
personally manage the gain control and incoming signal levels.

 

~ Once upon a time "Amateur Radio Licensees" were also referred to as "ham
radio *operators*". Radios had to be "operated", not just listened to. 

Some still do. Regens in particular still do. There are quite a few knobs on
that HBR. You might not have to use them as much as you use the few on a
regen but you will have *operate* that HBR, too. 

 

~ I recall offering you encouragement with your HBR after you decided to do
that instead of a regen. I'm not trying to change your mind. It's all good.

 

I'm sorry if I sounded a little testy in my email. I was kinda disappointed
in the lack of response from the guys on regenerx. My very first radio was a
Knight Ocean Hopper, and I have a soft place in my heart (head?) for regens.
I was hoping that some clever fellow over there would come up with a design
for a regen that would perform well enough to be enjoyable to use on the
air. 

 

I was licensed once upon a time, back in 1953. The receivers I had then
didn't have many knobs to use, and no options when a strong signal came on.
You just turned down the RF gain, and the guy that you were having a QSO
with disappeared. I'm looking forward to having a bunch of knobs to twist!

 

I had a borrowed ARC-5 for 40 meters, and then managed to save my lunch
money and coke and beer bottle deposits to get together the $35 for an
S-20R. Selectivity was just not part of the deal with either of those. Half
a dozen CW signals audible all at the same time was not unusual.

 

I got pretty good at using the selectivity between my ears, but I was an
energetic teenager then. Now I'm 75, and am looking for the comfort of being
able to listen just to the guy I'm rag-chewing with. Since I'm now in W6
land, with "California Kilowatts" and antennas by Eimac, the strong signal
problem is rather more severe than in South Texas in the fifties.

 

~ So are you going to clean up the HBR-8 or strip it for parts? I will
suggest that getting the HBR-8 running nicely could help you with experience
when you build your new HBR-32 <evil grin>.

 

As of this moment it hasn't arrived, so I haven't laid eyes on it yet---it's
supposed to be here late this afternoon. I have a real aversion to carving
up a radio that could be restored. I have a Viking II that I got for parts,
and I can't bring myself to do anything to it but clean it up. 

 

So, if the HBR-8 looks like the builder was trying to do a good job, I'll
probably just try to get it working. I'm putting together a test bench with
some test gear. I worked as a tech at Stanford labs and HP in the late
1950's, so I do have some trouble shooting experience stored way back in the
dark recesses of my mind (;->).

 

Cheers,

 

Brian

 



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