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Search results

  1. N

    Receive Preamp using 2N5109.

    No sir, I do not. Maybe the Wayback Archive? I'm preparing to rebuild feedline & antenna relay switch and UNUN needs another 240/43 core so I'm trying to get everything I need so I make the changes while I have box on bench. I'm fearful of a QRO drive by mistake ruin preamp. Need relay...
  2. N

    Receive Preamp using 2N5109.

    Has anyone experienced this receive preamp that uses a 2N5109? Sold online in 2 versions: with and without relays. I ordered one without relays and intend to install it when I replace my coax. I'll figure out something to take it out on xmit maybe another RF Keying board by nomad (they are...
  3. N

    Chinese rotary switches look & feel like ceramic but plastic.

    Better pic This is not ceramic. The white dots in circle on metal surface (top of switch body) are hardened bubbles of material from when the plastic was molten/heated and forced through the holes in the metal during manufacture. I mistook body for ceramic. KCT 1 Pole 6 Position 6mm Dia Shaft...
  4. N

    Chinese rotary switches look & feel like ceramic but plastic.

    The giveaway (beyond the price) is the way rotor is attached to shaft. Enlarge the pic and it becomes visible: When manufactured the rotor was attached to shaft by forcing the still-hot & fluid material to ooze thru the circle of holes before cooling/hardening. Looks like ceramic but it is not.
  5. N

    ATU-100 Ext and Andrew CNT400

    $45 delivered from AliExpress. This is the unit that comes with a battery. Sold complete but more like a pre-assembled kit. Item could power-up out of the box but no relay function at all from a broken wire. Every wire inside was made from stiff, plastic insulation with 'angel hair-thin'...
  6. N

    Chinese rotary switches look & feel like ceramic but plastic.

    I got beat twice over the last few weeks on switches advertised as ceramic but they were plastic. Thing is, the switch body looks, feels and even makes a ceramic-like noise when struck with metal tool but melt when heated. Useless. Beware
  7. N

    Tetrode breakthrough, PO on 10M!!

    Constructed a small T-match with a small 1 piece but dual 30-130pF air variables and a 6 position rotary switch with a 43-1.40 inductor w/ 6 taps from 2.5 to 56uH. I previously measured 2.5uH as the best inductance value for 10M when the MFJ T-match connected to amps RF input so-239. 10 meter...
  8. N

    HAM/CB operators ... how old are you?

    Perusing eBay you can identify SK items sold by non operators increasingly often. Over the past year or few I see a trend where prices are dropping for whole/complete units while the cost of Parts steadily rises. Tearful when the old sets are parted-out. I'd be interested to learn the extent...
  9. N

    HAM/CB operators ... how old are you?

    Thanks for the age-stat reveal.
  10. N

    Tx on all 40ch at once

    Thanks for posting Mustang 131. Had to see to believe.
  11. N

    Tetrode breakthrough, PO on 10M!!

    External T-match measurements that permit 10m operation: Xmit V Cap: 84 pF Inductor : 2.5uH Ant V Cap: 70 pF I have room to add a small T-match w/ these values behind input so-239 but there should be a more efficient way to do it by adapting the Pride input circuit already in place.
  12. N

    Tetrode breakthrough, PO on 10M!!

    Just a test setup (1 plate xfrmr, limited AC from socket, Load cap disconnected, etc). Two main revisions but somewhere north of 300w from 5w in (cw). Need to button up before going at it again. Previous 10M max was 60-80 so this is a big improvement. I was using a single shared 150R...
  13. N

    Grid-driven Tetrode Input Circuits

    I'm stumped with the higher bands. 40M PO is at times, stunning (factor of 100x no problem) and easy to tune. 10-20 no more than 60w from the same 5w drive and it's really hard to tune. Swapped-out plate choke from approx. 200 to 125uH (Heathkit-sized porcelain form approx 1/2" diameter, 28...
  14. N

    Grid-driven Tetrode Input Circuits

    Pride RF Input Circuit Copy Initial results from my copy of the Pride RF input circuit are encouraging to the extent that I see improvement on 10-11-15. 20M continues to be a dead zone. I note the Pride plate choke was 55uH while the Ameritron-ish AL-572 choke I’m using is about 200uH. (RF...
  15. N

    POW KW+ keying circuit

    Amplifier layout and chassis reminds me of the Elkin amps.
  16. N

    Grid-driven Tetrode Input Circuits

    Seems that way yes. I thought I had it working several times when attached to a DL. That was far short from an antenna. The impedance formula remains over my head with the imaginary value. I'll stick to copying circuits where I have a chance at success. Should receive the resistors by weeks...
  17. N

    Grid-driven Tetrode Input Circuits

    Saturday: The Inductance to ground running parallel to the RF input from the 50:450 unun is what was missing. I do not understand why 750 ohms swamping resistance is the optimum value given the 50:450 ohm unun, but 750 is spot on. I used a 10T Pot in place of 750 ohm fixed and 750 shows a...
  18. N

    Grid-driven Tetrode Input Circuits

    Stripped RF deck down to sockets. Rebuild looking better than my prior mess which worked great on a DL, lol. Antennas not so much. The 3 PSU's (plate, grid, screen) are in order so back to revising RF Input with an attempt to copy Pride's diagram for 10-11-20-40. Received a better Inductance...
  19. N

    Grid-driven Tetrode Input Circuits

    Thank you Nomad, wonderfully specific. Diagram shows 10 & 39pF shunt caps for 20 & 40M. Given that 2 tubes is twice 1, is halving the values (to 5 & 20pF) overkill? Someday I'd like to be able to recognize these concepts by sight instead of only copying them. Thank you again.
  20. N

    Grid-driven Tetrode Input Circuits

    Removed everything from inside Tube deck, starting fresh. Added terminal strip and ceramic post as foundation for mounting components. Will duplicate Pride input circuit best I can. Have picture of pride Input board to aid in part selection. Have good selection of red & yellow toroid cores to...