[SignalOne] CX-7 on the air

[EDWARD SCHUMACHER]

At long last my CX-7 is on the air. After much troubleshooting, purchase of upgraded test gear, delays, etc., the receiver is alive again. I did some practice tuneups into the dummy load and found power output is only 100W right now but everything is playing. Got on the air with it Wednesday evening and worked a bunch of dx, all with good signal reports and one ham who even knew what the rig was so he gave me actual s-meter reading! Used it yesterday to check into our 20M SATERN net with equally good results and later finally caught A61R with a good report. Could not get him earlier even running the Alpha 70V in the pileup.
   
  Wonder if anyone can give me any tips on the low power output. Could it just be a soft final or do I have to start looking at the drivers? Plate current seems normal on tuneup as does grid but that doesn't really help me much. For now it is just fun to have the rig on the air since most modern rigs don't run over 100W either. By the way, my radio is sn847 and does appear to have some upgrades, such as the "B" power supply board, but havn't determined the extent of the rest.
   
  Will check the last known net freqs I have if anyone is still keeping them going. 73, Ed (WA9GQK)>