Ready for Novice Rig Roundup?

Novice Rig Roundup 2021

Every year I've put off until the last minute and then hit a snag. This year, something's gonna have to blow up or let out too much smoke. I'm ready!

 

My 6L6 has good emission and is ready to go!

 

This year, I'm going De-Luxe!! But I'll try to stay with xtal control. And a mechanical key, either a bug or a straight key. Sadly, I don't have a vintage straight key any more.

 

Curious if anybody plans on using an AMECO AC-1. For all the chatter I don't think I have ever heard one!

 

Guess I'll set up the Don Mix 6C4- 5763 rig, short out the Mod. transformer
secondary, and plug in the straight key.
It's been on A.M. since built one weekend in Jan. 2008, so now I have an
excuse to try it on A1A.

 

The 1971 ARRL handbook version of that was my first rig. Never put it on AM. Worked far better than most of my friends' "one-tube wonders."

 

I built the rig as a kind of dare/challenge from a couple of
A.M. oriented hams in the area, to prove I could build an
A.M. transmitter completely from my "junk box".
Spent a Saturday digging through the crates for the parts.
and Sunday with the soldering iron. By Sunday P.M. at 4:30,
I was doing on-air testing with one of the hams.
12AX7 speech amp, 6C4 driver to a pair of 6AQ5s in PP. into a
cute little U.T.C. S-18 mod. transformer.
The only maintenance in 13 years was replacing the very tired
5763 I had scrounged from an ancient Moto. VHF rig.
To check into the Texoma AM Traders Net on Saturday
mornings, I run it into the old SB-220 for about 70 watts
out.
I get compliments on the audio every time I use it.

 

Drake 2-B, Heathkit HX-11, a bag of crystals, Vibroplex straight key, and a Gonset Monitone. Ready to go! Don't have an 80m antenna right now, though. With any luck, I'll have one up before the festivities begin.

 

As a Novice I was all over the place from a homebrew MOPA rock-bound 40M transmitter and HQ-100 clear through a TS-830S with just about everything else in between; this in a span of 8 months.

What shall I run from the period...

 

Curious why you bothered with a push-pull modulator on a low power rig?

My first AM/CW rig was homebrew, using an ECF82 (VFO/Buffer) into a 5763 PA . . . Modulator was a 12AX7 into a 6BW6.

The 6BW6 being in Class A sounded really nice, and I just used Choke Modulation, which has the added advantage that you can't over-modulate !

Roger G3YRO