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I know this has been covered in depth in the past, but after reading all the old posts, I ended up ordering these () on eBay and installed them today.? They are very bright and the color is ice blue.? To my eyes, the result is about the same color as the original blue filters.? I left those in place as they were faded out where the light shines through.? These LED lamps are the size of the #47 bulbs and fit perfectly in the T4Xc and R4C.? Unlike my #47 bulbs, these illuminate the little XTALS window on the R4C very well.??
?
73, K8AC
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Interesting, and less amps on the power supply.? (I think incandescent 6.3V 47s were 100mA). Any before and after photos?
I know this has been covered in depth in the past, but after reading all the old posts, I ended up ordering these () on eBay and installed them today.? They are very bright and the color is ice blue.? To my eyes, the result is about the same color as the original blue filters.? I left those in place as they were faded out where the light shines through.? These LED lamps are the size of the #47 bulbs and fit perfectly in the T4Xc and R4C.? Unlike my #47 bulbs, these illuminate the little XTALS window on the R4C very well.??
?
73, K8AC
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No before photos, but here's an after photo, stopped down so the color is more visible.  ?
The blue on the meters looks much darker here that it really is.??
?
73, Floyd - K8AC
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Looks nice.?? Some other blue LED lamps looked like bug zappers or UV lights. Thanks & 73
No before photos, but here's an after photo, stopped down so the color is more visible.  ?
The blue on the meters looks much darker here that it really is.??
?
73, Floyd - K8AC
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I was an early adopter of blue LEDs. The pure "ice blue" is hard on the eyes because it is monochromatic. Some ops get tired of it after a while and gravitate back to warm white LEDs behind Lee #172 or equivalent gels. I know I did, I and even documented it on a web page. On Sun, 05 Jan 2025 17:17:16 -0500 "Jay W6CJ via groups.io" <lastradioman@...> wrote: Looks nice.
Some other blue LED lamps looked like bug zappers or UV lights.
Thanks & 73
On Sun, Jan 5, 2025 at 1:04?PM Floyd - K8AC via groups.io <floydsense=
gmail.com_at_groups.io_lastradioman@...> wrote:
No before photos, but here's an after photo, stopped down so the color is
more visible. The blue on the meters looks much darker here that it really
is. 73, Floyd - K8AC -- 73 -Jim NU0C
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Short answer/comment...I'm with Jim on this?one and have been for 20 years or more.? OK - not on the LED lamps for that long (though maybe 10 years now) but warm white coupled with new WA9TGT supplied blue and white film is the closest thing to what _I_ believe was original, before the white filters yellowed and the blue filters hadn't faded from bulb heat.? IMO, the blue LED's?just look gross.? WAY too blue for me at least.? To each his own though.
It's too bad Donnie's sources are no longer available for the blue and white film....and I am, for all practical purposes, out of the large stock I bought 17-18 years ago.? Too many Drakes I guess!
73 Peter VE7PS
I was an early adopter of blue LEDs. The pure "ice blue" is hard on the eyes because it is monochromatic. Some ops get tired of it after a while and gravitate back to warm white LEDs behind Lee #172 or equivalent gels. I know I did, I and even documented it on a web page.
On Sun, 05 Jan 2025 17:17:16 -0500
"Jay? W6CJ via " <lastradioman=[email protected]> wrote:
> Looks nice.
> Some other blue LED lamps looked like bug zappers or UV lights.
> Thanks & 73
>
> On Sun, Jan 5, 2025 at 1:04?PM Floyd - K8AC via <floydsense=
> gmail.com_at_groups.io_lastradioman@...> wrote:?
>
> > No before photos, but here's an after photo, stopped down so the color is
> > more visible. The blue on the meters looks much darker here that it really
> > is. 73, Floyd - K8AC
--
73
-Jim
NU0C
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Lee #172 is readily available. I bought a roll of it on eBay some years ago for not a lot of money. As for the pure white, use your imagination. There's a lot of ways to skin that feline. :D On Sun, 5 Jan 2025 16:23:30 -0800 "VE7PS via groups.io" <ve7ps@...> wrote: It's too bad Donnie's sources are no longer available for the blue and
white film....and I am, for all practical purposes, out of the large stock
I bought 17-18 years ago. Too many Drakes I guess! -- 73 -Jim NU0C
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Jim:
I still have a pretty good stock of the white 4-line filters from Donnie but the blue is essentially gone.? Thanks to a friend, I have tried the Lee Lighting #172 gels, and yes, the color is close, but I find the film pretty thin, and especially when making a filter for the SPR-4....which is a twice the length....it tends to develop "warps" in the film when you tighten the screws.....it doesn't lie flat.? I believe a thicker one would. I had no trouble making SPR-4 filter with two of Donnie's 4-line filters.? I freely admit I am spoiled and maybe color biased by WA9TGT's filters...but it is what it is.? Not likely adding any more Drake radios these days anyways, and I think most of mine have replacements now...if not all.
After speaking with Donnie not long ago....it kind of sounds like when his sources dried up, that may have contributed to his decision?to close the business (2-B Radio Parts, LLC), though he had many other things of great value for us Drake gear restorers beyond the dial filters.? He tried very hard to find decent replacements for the blue and white dial filters, but was unsuccessful.? I have tried too....to no avail.
73 Peter VE7PS
Lee #172 is readily available. I bought a roll of it on eBay some years ago for not a lot of money. As for the pure white, use your imagination. There's a lot of ways to skin that feline. :D
On Sun, 5 Jan 2025 16:23:30 -0800
"VE7PS via " <ve7ps=[email protected]> wrote:
> It's too bad Donnie's sources are no longer available for the blue and
> white film....and I am, for all practical purposes, out of the large stock
> I bought 17-18 years ago.? Too many Drakes I guess!
--
73
-Jim
NU0C
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Both Lee and Rosco make gells for lighting. You can get thicker, heavy duty filters that will take heat and not warp from either brand.
There is info on the web about the closest colors from both to whatever Drake used. My memory of new Drake equipment is that the dials were similar in color to P-31 phosphor used on oscilloscope CRTs. You can probably get free samples of either brand from places that sell theatrical or photographic lighting supplies.
If you use LED's that are similar in spectrum to incandescent lamps the dials will look pretty much the same.
Note that the judgement of the eye in matching colors is very close when a direct comparison is made but not at all close if you go by memory, even if the two sources are just on opposite sides of the room.
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On 1/5/2025 5:22 PM, VE7PS via groups.io wrote: Jim:
I still have a pretty good stock of the white 4-line filters from Donnie but the blue is essentially gone.? Thanks to a friend, I have tried the Lee Lighting #172 gels, and yes, the color is close, but I find the film pretty thin, and especially when making a filter for the SPR-4....which is a twice the length....it tends to develop "warps" in the film when you tighten the screws.....it doesn't lie flat.? I believe a thicker one would. I had no trouble making SPR-4 filter with two of Donnie's 4-line filters.? I freely admit I am spoiled and maybe color biased by WA9TGT's filters...but it is what it is.? Not likely adding any more Drake radios these days anyways, and I think most of mine have replacements now...if not all.
After speaking with Donnie not long ago....it kind of sounds like when his sources dried up, that may have contributed to his decision?to close the business (2-B Radio Parts, LLC), though he had many other things of great value for us Drake gear restorers beyond the dial filters.? He tried very hard to find decent replacements for the blue and white dial filters, but was unsuccessful.? I have tried too....to no avail.
73
Peter
VE7PS
_._,_._,_
--
Richard Knoppow
Los Angeles
WB6KBL
SKCC 19998
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Yes, Lee 172 is thin. It is not uncommon for ops to use a double or even triple thickness. What I bought was the high temp version of #172. I have not used it anywhere except the 7 line at this point but I am sure there are ways to mitigate the warping issue because a lot of people have used the stuff. On Sun, 5 Jan 2025 17:22:50 -0800 "VE7PS via groups.io" <ve7ps@...> wrote: I still have a pretty good stock of the white 4-line filters from Donnie
but the blue is essentially gone. Thanks to a friend, I have tried the Lee
Lighting #172 gels, and yes, the color is close, but I find the film pretty
thin, and especially when making a filter for the SPR-4....which is a twice
the length....it tends to develop "warps" in the film when you tighten the
screws.....it doesn't lie flat. -- 73 -Jim NU0C
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Something else to keep in mind about perceived colors, especially white is the average age of most of us in this group and how we see color these days.? As an example for me at least, last January I joined the Cataract removal "club" and as is typical colors changed quite a bit, particularly in the white portion of the spectrum.? To me the whites are quite brilliant now.? This may be entering into the picture of the whites that have been discussed of late.
Ron, wa7gfe
Both Lee and Rosco make gells for lighting. You can get thicker, heavy
duty filters that will take heat and not warp from either brand.
There is info on the web about the closest colors from both to whatever
Drake used. My memory of new Drake equipment is that the dials were
similar in color to P-31 phosphor used on oscilloscope CRTs. You can
probably get free samples of either brand from places that sell
theatrical or photographic lighting supplies.
If you use LED's that are similar in spectrum to incandescent lamps the dials will look pretty much the same.
Note that the judgement of the eye in matching colors is very close
when a direct comparison is made but not at all close if you go by
memory, even if the two sources are just on opposite sides of the room.
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Oh, yes. I am a couple of months away from cataract surgery. Was not aware until I had my eyes checked recently just how bad my cataracts are. Hopefully, the implants will make things a LOT better.
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On 1/5/2025 8:17 PM, Ron Magnus via groups.io wrote: Something else to keep in mind about perceived colors, especially white is the average age of most of us in this group and how we see color these days.? As an example for me at least, last January I joined the Cataract removal "club" and as is typical colors changed quite a bit, particularly in the white portion of the spectrum.? To me the whites are quite brilliant now.? This may be entering into the picture of the whites that have been discussed of late.
Ron, wa7gfe
--
Richard Knoppow
Los Angeles
WB6KBL
SKCC 19998
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Floyd - K8AC
Jay W6CJ
Jim Shorney
Ron Magnus