[R-390] R-390 Digest, Vol 90, Issue 11

Sun Oct 30 13:16:33 EDT 2011

Aren't we all pretty much on the national power grid. I know it is broken up by regions and distance from a transformer is a factor. 
However, unless someone is on a Co-Op shouldn't our AC feeds be close???? Can't we all just get along???
 I can say that and R 390A working RIGHT looking at 125VAC compared to 115VAC has no significant increase in sensitivity.
I do hear a little more IF noise when testing at the higher voltage compared to 112VAC on the shop Variacs. Open framed Variacs are cheap and I often find them at Ham Fest for under $10.
I run my 390, 390A, 391 and 389 receivers at 112VAC and do alignments at that voltage.

Glenn WA4AOS
DSM Labs

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Sent: Sun, Oct 30, 2011 8:04 am
Subject: R-390 Digest, Vol 90, Issue 11

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Today's Topics:

   1. Line Voltage Survey (Perry Sandeen)
   2. Re: Line Voltage Survey (rbethman)
   3. Re: Line Voltage Survey (Ron Hunsicker)
   4. Re: Line Voltage Survey (KA9EGW)

----------------------------------------------------------------------

Message: 1
Date: Sat, 29 Oct 2011 21:20:55 -0700 (PDT)
From: Perry Sandeen <sandeenpa at yahoo.com>
Subject: [R-390] Line Voltage Survey
To: r-390 at mailman.qth.net
Message-ID:
	<1319948455.1179.YahooMailClassic at web38001.mail.mud.yahoo.com>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=utf-8

List,

When checking the voltages on a SP 600 I discovered a problem primarily with my 
filament voltages.

The basic problem is that in my semi-rural Tennessee area my line voltage 
consistently is 124 to 125 volts.  This was also true of my rural Colorado 
house.  Both also suffer from small surges and very short drop-outs.

With the transformer tap set to 117 volts the filament voltage is:   

Line Voltage	B+ Volts	Filament Volts	Bias (S/B -51V)	Tap Setting
117 (Variac)	244	6.3	-52	117
124	252	6.7	-55.2	117
124	227	5.87	-48.3	130

Tube manuals rate receiving tube voltages as plus or minus 5 percent.  So the 
acceptable value is 5.985 to 6.615.  So from a filament standpoint, the 130 volt 
setting is the lessor of two evils, while not considering the effects of the 
lower B+ and Bias voltages.

This poses several questions:
1.  What do others have for their line voltage?  Please reply off list.  I?ll 
report the results to the list.

2.  Has anyone been able to test a SP 600 with a signal generator to see what, 
if any performance difference this might make.  (My signal generator is packed 
away for the moment.)

The R390A largely avoids this filament problem as the power transformers I have 
are marked as 6.1 volts for the filaments.

Thoughts?

Regards,

Perrier

------------------------------

Message: 2
Date: Sun, 30 Oct 2011 10:15:09 -0400
From: rbethman <rbethman at comcast.net>
Subject: Re: [R-390] Line Voltage Survey
To: r-390 at mailman.qth.net
Message-ID: <4EAD5BED.8040201 at comcast.net>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=windows-1252; format=flowed

Perry,

The line voltage here in Northern Virginia is pretty consistent at 127 
VAC. The SP-600 is very happy with the 130 tap.

Since I went that route, I've had no problems.

The R-390A gets the buck/boost treatment. Therefore it is happy.

Bob - N0DGN

On 10/30/2011 12:20 AM, Perry Sandeen wrote:
> List,
>
> When checking the voltages on a SP 600 I discovered a problem primarily with 
my filament voltages.
>
> The basic problem is that in my semi-rural Tennessee area my line voltage 
consistently is 124 to 125 volts.  This was also true of my rural Colorado 
house.  Both also suffer from small surges and very short drop-outs.
>
> With the transformer tap set to 117 volts the filament voltage is:
>
> Line Voltage	B+ Volts	Filament Volts	Bias (S/B -51V)	Tap Setting
> 117 (Variac)	244	6.3	-52	117
> 124	252	6.7	-55.2	117
> 124	227	5.87	-48.3	130
>
> Tube manuals rate receiving tube voltages as plus or minus 5 percent.  So the 
acceptable value is 5.985 to 6.615.  So from a filament standpoint, the 130 volt 
setting is the lessor of two evils, while not considering the effects of the 
lower B+ and Bias voltages.
>
> This poses several questions:
> 1.  What do others have for their line voltage?  Please reply off list.  I?ll 
report the results to the list.
>
> 2.  Has anyone been able to test a SP 600 with a signal generator to see what, 
if any performance difference this might make.  (My signal generator is packed 
away for the moment.)
>
> The R390A largely avoids this filament problem as the power transformers I 
have are marked as 6.1 volts for the filaments.
>
> Thoughts?
>
> Regards,
>
> Perrier
>
>
>
>

------------------------------

Message: 3
Date: Sun, 30 Oct 2011 11:32:39 -0400
From: Ron Hunsicker <ronhunsi at ptd.net>
Subject: Re: [R-390] Line Voltage Survey
To: R-390 List Serve <R-390 at mailman.qth.net>
Message-ID: <4EAD6E17.6000305 at ptd.net>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1; format=flowed

Wyomissing is near Reading, Pennsylvania.

My WV-120A shows 125V this morning.  My experience is that this is a 
little low.  It usually indicates 127.

Ron
-- 
Ron Hunsicker
1238 Cleveland Avenue
Wyomissing, PA 19610-2102
610-478-0371
ronhunsi at ptd.net

------------------------------

Message: 4
Date: Sun, 30 Oct 2011 10:54:13 -0500
From: "KA9EGW" <ka9egw at britewerkz.com>
Subject: Re: [R-390] Line Voltage Survey
To: <r-390 at mailman.qth.net>
Message-ID: <[email protected]>
Content-Type: text/plain;	charset="us-ascii"

127-128 is typical here just east of Beloit too.  

Funny story--a neurotic ex-YL [as opposed to XYL] bought new ceiling
fans...and she *had* to have the kind with remote controls [!]...and
switching power supplies...so every time the People's Democratic Electric
Collective [aka Commonwealth Edison] put the line voltage above 124 [like
during peak load A/C times HI HI]...the fans would self-protect...and simply
refuse to work til the line voltage went back down...kind of defeated the
entire purpose...

I have a variac dedicated to my boatanchors, end of problem...

73, Brian KA9EGW

------------------------------

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