mike wrote:

On 3/25/2013 7:27 AM, Michael A. Terrell wrote:

Gunner Asch wrote:

On Sun, 24 Mar 2013 02:51:54 -0400, "Michael A. Terrell"
wrote:


"DoN. Nichols" wrote:

On 2013-03-20, Lloyd E. Sponenburghlloydspinsidemindspring.com wrote:
fired this volley in
:

Anyone got a 50 ohm, 100 watt dummy load collecting dust I can
swap/trade for?

An incandescent lamp isn't perfect, but works.

Even better -- mount it in a gallon paint can, with a good RF
connector in the lid -- and oil inside to carry the heat from the lamp
to the walls of the can for cooling.

The higher the frequency, the more that lamp will differ from
the proper impedance -- with all those little curly Tungsten wires as
the filament. But the can will at least keep the RF from radiating.
The main risk with a poor impedance match would be damage to the final
of the transmitter.

Anyone ever have a Heathkit "Cantenna"? Was it an array of
carbon resistors in oil, or an incandescent lamp? The former would be
more constant impedance, at least.


Don, they used a 200 watt 50 ohm carborundum non-inductive oil
treated resistor immersed in transformer oil.
http://www.orcadxcc.org/content/cantenna_va7jw.pdf

Can anyone suggest an inexpensive radio for Technician class?

Ive been told that the Icom 706, the Yaesu 817 and 857s would fit my
needs..but they are more ..in some cases...far far more expensive than
I can afford this year.

The TS-520SE that I have has some "issues" that Im going to need to
resolve over time, as Im not a board level radio tech and its going to
be a learning experience...shrug


What kinds of issues?


Tube radio would be fine, but something a bit more easy to operate
would be far better for me. IE..digital freq display etc etc or the
ability to add one...

Thanks for pondering on it.



What bands are you interested in? 160/80/40/20/15/10/6/2 Meters
432/1296 MHz 10.5 GHz? Modes? CW/AM/SSB/FM/ATV? Power level?


There are a bunch of news:rec.radio.amateur newsgroups that
would have a lot more help for you. Just be ready to kill file a
couple dozen ass hats.

Ham radio is like any other hobby. Patience and some sweat equity in
the equipment...or "buy it now".
If you want something specific, you'll end up paying more than if you
snap up the "door buster" at the swapmeet.

I'd recommend against tube equipment...unless it's dirt cheap and the
tubes are good. The stuff usually falls into two categories...
junk stripped for parts and collector's items fixed using those
stripped parts.


Some of us cut our teeth on that old tube gear. Some of that group
can still take a piece of sheet metal, and build a radio around it from
scratch. I enjoy repairing old gear, and have since the mid '60s. I
built my first radio from a kit when I was eight. This approach isn't
for everyone, but some of us have experience from '20s radios, all the
way to DSP based deep space telemetry equipment.


Neither is a good deal if you just want to communicate.

If you have any hams in your area, you may be able to borrow
something to get your feet wet while you wait for the big score.


You have to be kidding. This area is all appliance operators who
bought imported radios when they retired & moved south. They can't even
solder a mic plug. I doubt it's much better where Gunner lives. I know
a former broadcast engineer in his area, and he can't even buy repair
parts where he lives. He couldn't even find a decent video cable with
BNC connectors.

--

Politicians should only get paid if the budget is balanced, and there is
enough left over to pay them.

Sometimes Friday is just the fifth Monday of the week.