• You can now help support WorldwideDX when you shop on Amazon at no additional cost to you! Simply follow this Shop on Amazon link first and a portion of any purchase is sent to WorldwideDX to help with site costs.
  • Click here to find out how to win free radios from Retevis!

Old school radio question

Crambone

Well-Known Member
Jan 22, 2019
516
160
53
56
Johnson Viking 11 Transmitter, Hallicrafters SX110 receiver and Dipole.
What type of Dow Key is needed for this set up, if it is a Dow Key that is needed?
 

Typical setup used 120 Volts AC that comes out two terminals on the rear of the transmitter when the transmitter is keyed.

This feeds to the coil of an external antenna relay. The Dow-Key coaxial relays had three coax sockets: one for the antenna, one each for the transmitter and receivers' antenna sockets. They came with more than one kind of coil voltage as well as the 120 Volt AC model.

In addition to the three coax sockets on the external relay was a small set of contact points used to shut down (mute) the receiver while transmitting. Those would get connected to the mute hookup on the receiver.

More than once I have seen used Dow-Key relays offered for sale that don't have that second set of external contact points.

And there are folks out there who will sell you a small metal box with three coax sockets on it and a conventional relay inside. As a rule, they'll do just as good a job.

73
 
  • Like
Reactions: tecnicoloco

dxChat
Help Users
  • No one is chatting at the moment.
  • @ BJ radionut:
    EVAN/Crawdad :love: ...runna pile-up on 6m SSB(y) W4AXW in the air
    +1
  • @ Crawdad:
    One of the few times my tiny station gets heard on 6m!:D
  • @ Galanary:
    anyone out here familiar with the Icom IC-7300 mods
  • @ Crawdad:
    7300 very nice radio, what's to hack?
  • @ kopcicle:
    The mobile version of this site just pisses me off