[Milsurplus] TCS-9 Output matching?

[Roger Basford]

Hi Thomas,

Thanks for the congrats!

The station I worked on 60m didn't know what rig I was running but he 
did say I had  slight chirp and was I keying the oscillator? 
Straightaway I knew this chap was an old-school ham and it turned out 
his rig was home-brew.  I also use some 1980s era ex-mil solid-state 
gear on 60m and that gets reports of slight chirp too, maybe the 
military know something we don't about readability? These days, if you 
give someone a less than T9 report they are liable to get really upset, 
I don't know why as a chirpy signal would stand out in a pile-up.  Back 
when I started in ham radio in the 60s some of the hams from Warsaw Pact 
countries put out rotten notes, but at least they built their own gear 
and often had to make do with less than optimal power supplies.

I'd agree on the keying speed, I bet I could beat the relay if I tried 
but it's an incentive to keep the keying to a reasonable speed. The TCS 
here is running from a Heathkit HP-13 DC/DC converter and that's poking 
out about 390 Volts to the PA, but I am going to build a mains PSU as 
well, with volts around what you are using.

73 ES TNX

Roger/G3VKM



On 06/05/2011 19:04, Thomas Adams wrote:
>
> */CONGRATULATIONS!!!    :o)
>
>
> Re. the chirp; that seems a perpetual problem with the TCS.
>
> With mine, everything is good on 160 and 80. I get a slight chirp on 
> 40, but it's acceptable.
>
> On only one occasion have I fired it up on 30 metres. I sounded sort 
> of ranchy to me (I have
> my rig set up for a sidetone), but when I heard a Cuban calling CQ a 
> few KHz up from me, I
> answered him anyway.
>
> Even tho it's a case of The Pot commenting upon The Kettle's incipient 
> Negritude, you REALLY
> KNOW that you have a chirp problem when a CUBAN operator complains 
> about it!
>
> BTW, I meant to mention...   I'm cheating a little bit with my TCS.
>
> The PAs are rewired so that BOTH 1625s are in use in AM mode 
> (overruled the filament
> switch).
>
> Also, for a bit more power...   my homebrewed power supply provides a 
> PA and modulator
> plate voltage of 550 VDC under load.
>
> Finally...  I have to keep my bug in 1st gear when it's on the TCS. 
> I'd say that the keying relay
> follows pretty well to maybe 15 - 18 WPM, but it gets shaky from there.
>
>
> Mr. T.   W9LBB
>
>
> /*