[Heathkit] Building for Pleasure

[Bill Cromwell]

On 07/11/2013 04:49 PM, Bob Macklin wrote:
> Lee, w0vt comments:
>
> " I have very little in common with most hams on the air today. I've 
> been a ham for 60 years and the operators as a whole on the air today 
> are much different then those of days gone bye."
>
> This is the same thing I found after restarting in ham radio about 12 
> years ago.
>
> So my main interest has become restoring old radios and building 
> things similar to those in the 50' and 60's handbooks. The problem now 
> is a lot of the parts for the old HB projects are not easy to come by.
>
> In the 50's and 60's we used to scrap[ out old AM/SW BC sets for parts 
> to make our own ham band receivers. Those items are no longer 
> available and if they were ewe would probably not scrap them.
>
> But I do have an old 12V car radio I bought for parts. But it is solid 
> state. I need a 12V tube type car radio for a project.
>
> Bob Macklin
> K5MYJ
> Seattle, Wa.
> "Real Radios Glow In The Dark"

Hi,

I have built some gear from kits - most recently a NEScaf audio filter 
that I really like. I have a SoftRock 20 meter receiver kit here and I 
am going to eventually give that a try to see what this SDR stuff is 
really all about. The comment about "today's hams" being different is 
sometimes painful. I was curious about SDR techniques but I was put off 
several times reading the mail on a couple of SDR lists. It seems like 
those guys are pulling their hair out for the longest time with apparent 
software glitches and a lot of computer technology. Eventually some of 
the problems were resolved and it seems those hams had their problems 
"enhanced" because they did not (and still do not) understand things as 
simple as "zero beat" (for example). Some of those hams really are 
pretty sharp but they are appliance operators. "Appliance Operator" is 
considered to be a personal attack on some of the ham lists - I guess 
they are ashamed of it. To me it's just a matter of fact description of 
one one way to be a ham. Just not my way of being a ham. Maybe when I 
get more familiar with building and using SDR gear I can help some of 
those newer hams get "up to speed".

I prefer to scratch build - often with "found" junk. It doesn't pay very 
well to use junk caps or items that don't fare very well with age (like 
electrolytic and paper caps). I can go to the hobby store and buy brand 
new aluminum, copper, brass, and steel panels and tubing to cut, bend, 
hammer, and weld into new frames and panels for radios. Using "found" 
junk costs a lot less, isn't really much more work, gives the same end 
result, and durability is good. The fact is I haven't been transmitting 
an awful lot with a lot more listening. I am ramping up a building 
'spree' with the aim of improving the "fun" of operating.

73,

Bill  KU8H