When I was out at the Hamvention picked up a AN/PRC-74 with all its accessories, that included a CW key. So, I have decided that the next great challenge in life will be mastering CW and maybe using the 74 to check into the pack net this year at Gilbert (MRCA). It makes way too much sense to just set the 74 up with a power supply and practice that way so I decided to build up a CW operating position. Common sense would dictate using a more modern transceiver like my URC-94 or the big rack that’s used for RTTY but no, all that is to simple, the solution was to build up an entirely new operating position and use something that would be way over complicated.  I decided to use the 1938 HRO RAS along with a T-19/ARC-5 type transmitter. The power supply for the transmitter came from an old military sweep generator and provides 450 volts for the plates of the 1625 and a regulated 200 volt source for the MO tube in the transmitter and with keeping all the original tank can generate a whopping fifteen watts into fifty ohms. The panel provides a place to turn AC power on and off to the transmitter, a fat multi contact switch that works as a T/R relay, key line interlock and spot switch that allows the MO to receive B+ but not the PA and a high voltage relay is located on the back of the panel that is controlled by the key to provide HV and B+ to the transmitter. Now all I have to do is to develop my ability of being able to receive code to some level of proficiency.

 

Ray F/KA3EKH