View Full Version : Training for My Hobby
Guess the thought process started with my latest eBay purchase. A dirt cheap SB220 in good physical condition with an honest seller who fessed up that the amp had a few bugs. He also said the tubes in it were soft. Got the AMP and ordered a new matched pair of tubes. While waiting, I could see the plate connections in the clear so I tried to power up and the amp blew a breaker. Figured I had work to do.
Tubes arrived and I installed them and gave the AMP a good look-see. First problem was with the interlock was shorted which was my breaker blower fer shur. Apparantly the phenolic tab that depresses the interlock was gone. Easily fixed.
Amp powered up ok but no RX noise in my receiver. Went ahead and confirmed HV was ok and tubes lit up. Tuned into dummy load and was seeing 1KW with the 110VAC primary. Removed covers AGAIN and started looking at T/R relay. Yep... one of the top contacts had it's plastic broken. Had an old relay so I used a soldering iron to melt a little plastic to drip on the one in the amp. Got everything positioned right and added a drop of super-glue. The contact was just for rx signal so no voltage on that contact to worry about. Hooked up the rig to it and RX signal was just fine.
Took the book and checked a few more things....minor adjustments, then put the cover back on. Amp running just over a KW and cover is very cool to the touch.
Now the point. I only realized over the last few weeks of fixing old gear and getting it back on the air that my early career as a commercial radio tech was simply training for Amateur Radio today. And what a nice feeling it is to be able to use those old skills to add to the already exciting Ham Radio experience. It sure was nice of all of my former employers to finance my Ham Radio training... http://www.qrz.com/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/biggrin.gif
aa5te
05-06-2007, 03:17 AM
I studied for and became a ham back in 1987 when I was 13 years old, using the Ameco and ARRL books - so I learned a little electronics from them. Then, a few years later, I took the ASVAB to join the Navy. I scored high enough to become what I wanted to be, a nuclear plant operator & electronics technician (not that it was that hard...). The Navy trained me to be an electronics technician, but I didn't use it a whole lot since my primary job was reactor operations and being an instructor. I even received additional training to troubleshoot to the component level. #Now, even though I'm not employed directly in the electronics field (I'm employed in high energy physics and maintenance), my electronics training still comes in very handy at times at work and definitely at home.
kg4kww
05-06-2007, 03:21 AM
Charlie for you to be good at your hobby, you need to go to manners (charm school) and sensativity training too!!
ai4ep
05-06-2007, 03:32 AM
Charlie is a lot nicer than he was for a month or so back early this year.
We all have a bad week or two every now & then to go through.
wb7dmx
05-06-2007, 05:46 AM
I have found over the many years that there is no end to it, learning and studying new things is a ongoing process.
I have been studying electronics sence I was 13 yr old and I am still doing the same thing at the age of 65.
ofcourse a lot of it is reviewing a lot of things I have forgotten too.
KM5FL
05-06-2007, 06:25 AM
I've been coming here longer than anyone posting on this thread thus far. Through the years, one thing I've noticed about Charlie.. He's nice to those who are nice to him...
NUFF SAID!!!!!
KM5FL
ai4ep
05-06-2007, 11:36 AM
http://www.qrz.com/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/biggrin.gif Me ?
I am nice to every one, all the time.
Simple rule --- dont tap the keyboard in anger, you can in frustration and USE the anger icon, but dont tap the keyboard while in the anger mode......and based on my high # of posts, I dont stay angry very long.
'nuff said !! http://www.qrz.com/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/smile.gif
Quote[/b] (kg4kww @ May 05 2007,22:21)]Charlie for you to be good at your hobby, you need to go to manners (charm school) and sensativity training too!!
And stop making rude fart jokes?
Oh wait, that's you not him.
K5UOS
05-06-2007, 01:39 PM
i don't have any formal, military or employer electronics training to thank anyone for. But I do give serious credit and grateful thanks to several other hams for long telephone conversations, helpful letters with explanations of circuits, trips to my house to help, lending of books, free parts, etc.
Like Bob said, it is difficult, if not impossible, to learn it all. I am thankful for those who helped me.... both living and SK. The technical aspect of radio has been a magical experience since I was a very little boy.
K5UOS
Quote[/b] (wb7dmx @ May 05 2007,22:46)]I have found over the many years that there is no end to it, learning and studying new things is a ongoing process.
I have been studying electronics sence I was 13 yr old and I am still doing the same thing at the age of 65.
ofcourse a lot of it is reviewing a lot of things I have forgotten too.
Boy you said it. We never stop learning. I am living proof of the "Peter Principle". I have risen to my own level of incompetence as a manager type. LOLOL!
The way I got to the top of the local heap in the ET game was taking the tech books for new gear home to learn on my own time. I still download manuals and read them for most rigs. My advice to newbees is to learn how things work. Read antenna books, tuner manuals, rig books, amplifier books, etc.
Quote[/b] (kg4kww @ May 05 2007,20:21)]Charlie for you to be good at your hobby, you need to go to manners (charm school) and sensativity training too!!
ROFLMAO! Greg, your mouth is writing checks your brain can't cash.
W3MIV
05-06-2007, 10:09 PM
Quote[/b] (ai4ep @ May 06 2007,06:36)]......and based on my high # of posts, I dont stay angry very long.
High number of posts?
Why, you're still peekin' through a hole in the egg.
http://www.qrz.com/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/biggrin.gif http://www.qrz.com/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/biggrin.gif
ai4ep
05-06-2007, 10:21 PM
MIV --- things are slowly getting a tad bit better every day.
Then one day my stack of marbles will fall, and I will have to start ALL OVER again...!!
but that is part of life !! http://www.qrz.com/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/biggrin.gif
W3MIV
05-06-2007, 10:27 PM
Quote[/b] (ai4ep @ May 06 2007,17:21)]MIV --- things are slowly getting a tad bit better every day.
#Then one day my stack of marbles will fall, and I will have to start ALL OVER again...!!
but that is part of life !! # http://www.qrz.com/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/biggrin.gif
That's a good attitude, Robert. Don't let 'em git ya down, not even me!
http://www.qrz.com/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/wink.gif
ab8ro
05-07-2007, 08:41 AM
Have you guys heard, THERE'S NO MORE MORSE TESTING!!!
WA7KKP
05-07-2007, 04:29 PM
In my case, it was ham radio that opened the door to my profession, broadcasting.
Your inquisitiveness, and lack of fear under the hood got you a pretty nice piece of equipment for far less than paying retail.
I'd guesstimate that the percentile of hams who DON'T try are in the high 90's. And that makes them devout appliance operators, afraid to try, or learn anthing after they've passed their Tech/General/Extra test.
Gary WA7KKP
wa4ilh
05-07-2007, 05:50 PM
I learned Electronics back in the 60's, mostly in the Navy, when tubes were still the norm for most consumer electronics. (portable AM radios excepted). Now, 35-40 years later, tubes are seldom used except in some high power applications. What surprises me is some of the new ET's I work with don't have a clue on how to troubleshoot an old tube type radio. One of my junior ET's brought in a 1940's era receiver that his mother had in her attic. An ex Navy ET. Been to ETA school too. The radio didn't work and he asked me to look at it. A simple fix. It had an open plate load resistor in one of the stages. (no B+ on the plate) Of course, tube theory hasn't been taught in most classes in years.
Since then, two more people in my workplace have brought in old tube type radios that need repair. One of these is a mint Zenith Trans Oceanic. (complete with the old log book)
Tom WA4ILH
KE4YGS
05-07-2007, 06:37 PM
I was Navy ETN as well from 1968. We were some of the last classes to get all tube theory. We got maybe 2 weeks of transister theory and that was it out of 52 weeks in school. My "C" schools were (at that time) heavy in solid state gear and I had to do a lot of catch up or get left behind. Thank God I had a Chief who was also a HAM ! He took the time and got me to the point I could at least understand Hole Flow, majority and minority carriers. To this day I don't believe a single word of it but I DO understand it. Tubes make sense, transisters needed a line of lies and BS to make them work LOL ! http://www.qrz.com/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/smile.gif
Quote[/b] (wa4ilh @ May 07 2007,10:50)]I learned Electronics back in the 60's, mostly in the Navy, when tubes were still the norm for most consumer electronics. (portable AM radios excepted). Now, 35-40 years later, tubes are seldom used except in some high power applications.
Same here. I cut my teeth on tube gear and made the transition to transistors. Taught myself Transistors. Taught myself ICs. Taught myself Microprocessors.
wa4ilh
05-07-2007, 07:47 PM
I don't even remember my "A" school instructor at Great Lakes going into "hole theory" I do remember that we had a week or two of "solid state" theory and lab. I burned up a couple of germanium transistors in the lab before I got a simple amplifier to work. My instructor told me not to worry about it because I wouldn't see any transistors in the fleet for years. Boy was he wrong! As soon as I hit the fleet, (USS Columbus CG-12) They started giving me transistorized stuff to troubleshoot. Mostly test equipment. My "C" school was on the AN/URC-32 Transmitter/receiver. All tubes except for a very few transistors in an oscillator module (VCO?) and a few in metering circuits. Later, I went to AN/WRC-1 school which was all solid state except for the final. Really had to hustle to keep up with that school.
Tom WA4ILH