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"I THE cantenna unveiled!
5
Nice history and notes¡ STAY SAFE AND STAY WELL! Respectfully, Thomas K. Lanieri, NU2W NJ DOH Licensed EMT; PHTLS, AMLS, PHPEC Millenium EMS ARC N.E. BioMedical Services ARC N.E. Disaster Cycle Services
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"I Never Should Have Gotten Rid Of......
6
In the 70¡¯s, I built my entire station¡Heathkit. First it was the HW-101, the HA-10 Warrior amp. Warrior was just too big and didn¡¯t match the 102, so I built the SB-200. Not done yet¡.wanted more power, so You guessed it, the SB-220 was next. Had to have the Cantenna, so it was added to my kit building! Welp, no AM in the 102, so the SB301/401 was next. (The world of split frequency operations was soon discovered and quickly loved that capability! Outside of the ham equipment, I built lots of Heath kits¡.Color tv¡¯s, multi meters, O-scopes, automobile scopes and tuners, weather station, digi clocks¡Don¡¯t remember all else, but there was a lot of stuff, I loved building. I still have some of the Heath stuff, but with the exception of my cantenna, all the Heath amateur gear is gone. L The automobile scope still works but no longer really needed with today¡¯s cars. I still have my weather station and digi clocks as well my multimeters (VOMs and VTOMs) Yeah..hindsight is a bear¡. Wish I still had all that ham stuff. They worked beautifully! From: [email protected] [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of C Mark Cring - N8COO via groups.io Subject: Re: [DRAKE-RADIO] Thoughts on Dayton Hamfest you know, it¡¯s easy to say I never should¡¯ve got rid of that rig, whatever that rig was, but back when, I always had to trade or sell stuff to be able to afford newer equipment,.
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Hello all. I¡¯ve been out of the ham hobby for 47 years and very rusty in everything. I have an old Drake 7077 Microphone I need to wire for my TR4C. Can someone help me with the wiring please? 73s Ralph AD9FM
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I have for sale a Heathkit TC-1 Tube Tester. If you need a basic tube emission tester, this is a pretty decent one. I replaced the Selenium rectifier and the 0.1 uF capacitor. I also replaced the cracked grid/plate cap wire. I cleaned the switches. It works as it should. It looks very good too. $90 plus shipping. Gary W0DVN
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Thoughts on Dayton Hamfest
3
First time since 2000. Certainly a different vibe at the Xenia fairgrounds. There were a fair number of C-lines for sale. Don't recall seeing ANY B-lines, and only one or two R-4A/T-4X. I did see a couple of TR-7s and even a TR-5 for sale. Several 2-C and 2NT sets. Also saw several TR-3 units which was surprising, and don't recall seeing any TR-4's or 4C's. I bought a box of TR-7 parts that was supposedly a "full TR-7" that was cannibalized for the case. Boards, modules, switch wafers, etc. I can't wait to explain the benefits of this acquisition to my wife when I return. -- Craig/W8CS Greenville, SC
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Saving the TR7 power switch
9
Could someone recommend a good remote AC outlet? Thanks... joe graif K4JNG
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PLJ-8LED Freq Counter Debacle Update
6
This is my third unit (the first 2 failed). I ordered this one from AliExpress. It arrived from China in 8 days and continues to operate properly. It was 1/3 the price Amazon was showing and was a hassle-free purchase. I received excellent updates on status and location of the unit during transit from China. This is the first time I have used AliExpress, and I was impressed. This unit is about 3 dB more sensitive than the previous two units that I purchased from Amazon and is less sensitive to spurs on the R4-C ¡° INJ¡± line. Freq readings are stable on all bands. I installed a J310 JFET buffer to drive the counter. Although the insertion loss of this device ranged from 4-5 dB over the freq range of interest (2-34 MHz), there was still at least 6 dB of margin above the threshold of the counter, so I didn¡¯t feel additional gain was necessary. This unit also had the problem with the color code on the provided cable for the signal input- red is gnd and black is the signal line. The color code for the DC power connector is correct. Bill N0CU -- Bill N0CU
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Crystal Baking
3
Several weeks ago, I posted a problem with the 9 MHz oscillator in my TR-4 could not be gotten down quite to 9.000000 MHz. At the suggestion of a list member (one of the Garys?), I placed a 2pF across the trimmer and that resolved the problem. I didn't really like leaving it that way as it makes the rig a bit less original. I ordered a small assortment of 9 MHz crystals from Mouser. Two were parallel resonant and one was a series resonant. I had read where that oscillator should take a series resonant crystal, I tried it first but that crystal resulted in the oscillator being at least 1 kHz high and it appeared I'd need on the order of 30pF or 40pF extra to get it working (even if it could be "pulled" that far). With all the talk recently regarding baking crystals, I gave it a try. To be a bit on the safe side as I didn't have an accurate thermometer, I set the oven to 330F and baked it for three hours. I reinstalled it in the rig and, without the extra 2pF capacitor, I can easily get it to 9 Mhz now. Nice! Thanks, Barry - N4BUQ
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ATTN BILL Leonard
2
Bill Contact me offline, PLEASE STAY SAFE AND STAY WELL! Respectfully, Thomas K. Lanieri, NU2W NJ DOH Licensed EMT; PHTLS, AMLS, PHPEC Millenium EMS ARC N.E. BioMedical Services ARC N.E. Disaster Cycle Services From: [email protected] <[email protected]> On Behalf Of Bill Leonard N0CU via groups.io Sent: Thursday, May 15, 2025 1:06 PM To: [email protected] Subject: [DRAKE-RADIO] PLJ-8LED Freq Counter Debacle Update This is my third unit (the first 2 failed). I ordered this one from AliExpress. It arrived from China in 8 days and continues to operate properly. It was 1/3 the price Amazon was showing and was a hassle-free purchase. I received excellent updates on status and location of the unit during transit from China. This is the first time I have used AliExpress, and I was impressed. This unit is about 3 dB more sensitive than the previous two units that I purchased from Amazon and is less sensitive to spurs on the R4-C ¡° INJ¡± line. Freq readings are stable on all bands. I installed a J310 JFET buffer to drive the counter. Although the insertion loss of this device ranged from 4-5 dB over the freq range of interest (2-34 MHz), there was still at least 6 dB of margin above the threshold of the counter, so I didn¡¯t feel additional gain was necessary. This unit also had the problem with the color code on the provided cable for the signal input- red is gnd and black is the signal line. The color code for the DC power connector is correct. Bill N0CU -- Bill N0CU
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WANTED Drake TR-4C or TR-4CW
4
Looking for a TR-4C or TR-4CW in good shape. Email is good in QRZ. Thanks, Jim kq4e
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TR-4 : Constant tone with 100kHz Calibrator
20
When I switch on the 100kHz calibrator in my TR-4, I get a constant tone regardless of the frequency of the PTO. It's rather high-pitched, perhaps 4 kHz or 5 kHz in frequency. If I recall correctly, it seems more prevalent in one sideband setting or the other (not sure which at the moment). I presume this is not normal, correct? If it isn't, any suggestions as to what might be the problem? I know the crystal and tube are pretty close to the RF TUNE capacitor (which is in a metal cover) and am wondering if that may be where it's getting picked up but that might not have anything to do with it. I'm hoping someone else has seen this and might know where to look. Thanks, Barry - N4BUQ
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It was the best of times. It was the worst of times. I had been off the air for 35 years. I purchased the complete station of a silent key that included a TR7 (serial #3900). I worked 49 states and 39 countries with that radio as I slowly acquired the rest of the equipment which today makes up my Drake 7-line station. Then, the display went haywire. Thinking this would be a good time to get the rig ¡°spec¡¯d up¡±, I sent it to a recognized Drake ¡°guru¡±, who worked on it and pronounced it ¡°good¡±. Sadly, it was not and after two more attempts, one of which involved driving to his residence with all of my gear, I gave up. Fortunately, I came across The Radiosmith online and sent ¡°3900¡± to him. Here¡¯s what he did to the radio previously proclaimed to be ¡°up to spec¡±: Work Performed (TR7 Serial #3900) Reworked completely mis-wired ALC LED circuit Repaired 26V and -5V power supply sections Repaired 5645 KHz oscillator on PBT board Attempted to repair damaged PA block, but still had low output on 10m Display spontaneously began erratic operation **Note** Customer elected to not pursue further repairs and sent us another TR7 ¡°7359¡± proved to be a gem; easily brought up to spec and now enjoying pride of place in my shack. Perhaps you have room in your heart for ¡°3900¡±. Consider it a rescue. At $450 plus $100 for shipping via FedEx (I¡¯ll refund any difference immediately), it¡¯s makes for an attractive project. Need a power supply to go with it? PS7 #5028 is available for an additional $175 plus shipping and PS75 #706 is available for $125 plus shipping. Both come with a handy stand that promotes generous air circulation. Photos of ¡°3900¡± are attached. Photos of the PS7 and PS75 will be sent shortly. Please contact me privately with any questions or requests for more photos or information. Best 73, Joe K4JNG
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I had a TR7 about 15 years ago and loved it but I sold it to help finance my K3 purchase, which I also love and still have. I acquired a TR7 today from an estate today with the PS7. It's S/N 2713. The thing was pretty dirty and will need a case repainting but seemed OK otherwise and the price was right. Here's what I have gleaned so far: 1. The PS7 doesn't work. I hear the transformer thunk when I turn on the rig and the fans on the PS and TR7 both come on but nothing else. The fuse is good and not blowing so I'll need to fix that at some point. 2. The rig came on fine with a different PS and seems to RX and TX fine but power out was around 170 watts and the ALC light was not coming on. I adjusted the control on the ALC board to about 150 watts on 20M at full drive and the ALC light now works but stays on no matter how low I adjust the drive. I know there's another adjustment for that on 10M on a diffferent board but I haven't gotten to that yet. Power doers adjust down to zero now. 3. The S-meter reads very low but signals sound fine so guess that's another adjustement I need to make. Forward and reflected hardly move the meter and adjusting the controls by the antenna socket make no difference. 4. Some good news is that all 4 filter slots are full which is great news for a CW op like me. 5. There's a big change in noise between USB and LSB looks like carrier balance is off. 6. The sidetone volume level is very low, I have to turn the volume control way up to hear it. I do have a PDF copy of the service manual. The big question is will I need the board extenders to fix all this and properly align the rig? If so wheer can I find some that won't cost me too much? My apologies in advance for the many stupid questions I'm sure I will ask as this project moves foward! 73, Bill NZ0T
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TR-4 Filter Match
3
Okay, I need a little help from the real engineers here. When doind a TR-4 filter match adjustment, I invariably come up with having to redo the adjustment several times. T6 and T13 appear to be at opposite ends of the filters. I can see why you want to get the received strength the same by tuning the PTO to the one place where the signals on opposite sidebands have the same strength and I get using S3 as the signal before tweaking the transformers so that you're not overloading anything (overcoupling?) Why does it seem to take 3-5 cycles of this? The TR-4 I'm working on has a host of problems (and I'm about to set it aside for a couple of months, as the owner has told me to "take my time". and the filter match was way out of adjustment -- implying that someone else was "in there" and didn't do the procedure quite right. Do these filter match transformer adjustments interact? I am inclined to believe that they do. What happens if the adjustment is off? Simply reduced response on one sideband? This TR-4 has had 4 bad tubes, plus bad finals, and an intermittent fault that comes as the rig warms up -- but -- the problem also disappears with the rig warmed up. Voltage checks on some of the tubes have revealed some voltage differences that I'd largely chalk up to old resistors. They're in the ballpark. It's too bad, because this set is about an 8.5 cosmetically... 73, Steve Wedge, W1ES Time flies like an arrow. Fruit flies like a banana. Sent with Proton Mail secure email.
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Hamvention event, local restaurants
3
Fellow Drake Enthusiasts, Having been asked about where to eat come Hamvention time, I thought I'd throw out my favorite restaurants since I live in Greene County. Lumberton General Store is on Route 68 south between Xenia and Wilmington. It is family owned, great food, and excellent customer service, with reasonable prices. Open from 7:30 AM until 2 PM, but closed on Monday. Sam and Emma are the owners. Just tell them or the servers "Evan sent me". Cherry House in Beavercreek off of Dayton-Xenia Road. Also family owned, wide selection of great food with excellent staff. When you walk in don't be discouraged by the crowd, there is a whole section to the right, the overflow room, with fast service. Open from 7:30 AM until 8 PM, closed on Sunday. Bill and Annette are the owners. Just tell them or the servers "Evan sent me". Nick's Restaurant on Route 68 North out of Xenia, not far from the Hamvention. Fantastic, huge burgers and many other selections. Lisa and Nick are the owners I believe. All of the above have websites showing their menus and pricing. I have no financial benefits from these restaurants, I'm just a satisfied patron! Let's all enjoy Hamvention!!! Bring rain gear and sunscreen, you'll need both as in past years. 73, Evan, K9SQG
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Sylvania 6JB6 tube - NOS
I am liquidating radio assets here (I have quit eBay selling after 27 years). I am selling the last new old stock Sylvania (rebooted, tested) 6JB6 that I have. The test data is in the photo. It tests as a new tube should. The tube is 3.15 inches tall, not counting the pins. Including the pins it is 3.52 inches tall. $30 shipped in CONUSA. Gary W0DVN PPS: If you¡¯d like to know WHY I quit eBay, drop me a direct note and I will tell you! It¡¯s not appropriate to post in this forum.
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While cleaning, I found that I have a TR7 R7 left Endcap. It is in very good condition, no cracks near the screw holes. It is original, not a reproduction, so it will not shrink over time. $15 mailed in CONUSA. Gary W0DVN
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R7 "Cadaver"
I am liquidating radio assets here so I am posting my R7 ¡°Cadaver¡± (I have quit eBay selling after 27 years). It does not work. The PTO is gone. It does not have a case or knobs. It has all boards, but the DR7 is known to be bad with missing parts. The other boards were tested. In my other R7 before it went away. He power supply boards do not work, but ar not toasted so would easily be repaired. To my recollection, all of the other boards worked when tested in that same R7. I can sell it as complete as it is for $300 plus shipping. If no one wants it this way, I can sell off parts to those who need them. PS: The front panel extrusion and sub-panel are quite nice. Gary W0DVN PPS: If you¡¯d like to know WHY I quit eBay, drop me a direct note and I will tell you! It¡¯s not appropriate to post in this forum.
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TR7 R7 left Endcap
While cleaning, I found that I h ave a TR7 R7 left Endcap. It is in very good condition, no cracks near the screw holes. It is original, not a reproduction, so it will not shrink over time. $15 mailed in CONUSA. Gary W0DVN
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6EA8 - Brand Recommendations?
28
Still trying to troubleshoot my TR-4. I started checking the tube voltages and found a very weak 6EA8. I was getting about -1.7v at the test point so I tried swapping V1 and V3. That resulted in the test point dropping to about -0.5v. The Hickok 752A also showed the triode being only slightly above the minimum for that tube so I'm thinking of getting a pair where both halves of both tubes will be strong. Any recommendations on brands? Mine are RCA and I suspect that should be a good brand for them but I also figure that brand may not be as critical as for, say, the PA tubes. Thanks, Barry - N4BUQ
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Sat 8:39am
Sat 8:39am