[Milsurplus] AVT-15/AVR-20

[Mike Morrow]

Rick wrote:

>I am in the market for a decent AVT-15 transmitter and AVR-20 receiver.  
>If you have or know of either or both please let me know.  I think they 
>would make a cool 75 meter mobile setup.

The AVT-15 is nice in one aspect due to having an integral vibrator power supply that can supply the AVR-20, yet that makes the AVT-15 significantly deeper that the AVR-20.

BUT...the AVT-15 has only two tubes (6L6).  One is the modulator, the other is the RF.  In other words, the AVT-15 is a *modulated oscillator* (horrors!) which, even though crystal controlled, may *not* be something you'd want to run today.

I'd suggest a more commonly found and much, much better designed unit, the AVT-112.  It has all the metering "electric-eye" indications needed, and it is a good honest MOPA design using 6V6 tubes.  There's almost nothing bad about the AVT-112 design except that the antenna tuning/coupling control is very often broken and is a real chore to fix properly.

The AVT-112 is the same size in every dimension as the AVR-20 (MF/HF) or AVR-15 (LF/MF) receivers commonly used with it.

Also, you'll have to come up with a power supply and receive-transmit relay, since the AVT-112 is smaller than the AVT-15 and hasn't room for an internal supply or relay.  The intended one is the AVA-126, but they are harder to find than either transmitter, by far.

BTW, if anyone here is familiar with the 12vdc vibrator used in the AVT-126, and has a suggestion for obtaining a replacement (even a dead one), I'd sure like to know it. 

The AVT-112 and AVR-20 are two of my favorite radios.

73,
Mike / KK5F