[Heathkit] AT-1 Dummy load

[Glen Zook]

A light bulb doesn't really make a non-radiating load.  Remember the fellow in the mid west that made DXCC using a light bulb for his antenna.

In the very early 1960s there was a group that met on 7290 kHz every afternoon after school (we all were running AM).  One day the group got into a competition as to who could work the farthest on the worst antenna.  The declared winner was a fellow north of Detroit who got a 5x7 report out of St. Louis.  That operator was using a light bulb with his Viking II from the basement of his parent's house.

When I was in high school, I built a 2 meter AM transmitter with a 2E26 in the final.  Since I was pretty "short on funds" I didn't include a meter.  To tune it up I used a pilot lamp mounted on a PL-259 and tuned for maximum.  Then I connected the antenna which was 300 ohm twin lead down to a coaxial balun which then fed the transmitter / converter.  This was in the basement of my parent's house.  Everyone in town who operated on 2 meters always knew when I was getting on the air because the pilot lamp put out a pretty good signal.

Glen, K9STH

Website:  http://k9sth.com


--- On Wed, 1/28/09, David Thompson <thompson at mindspring.com> wrote:

Use a light blub as we did years ago.  The AT-1 can take it.  60 watt is fine.  No need to buy a dummy load.