Well, the receiver is ready for the upcoming 1929 QSO Party...in fact, all I have to do, really, is button down the bottom cover & it's off to the races!
Since sharing the pix with everyone, I've re-built the detector AND the BFO- --changed some component values around, is all. I've also made the two regenerative controls (one per IF stage) operational---what an improvement in sensitivity AND selectivity! On AM, signals just seem to "plop" into the passband---they peak incredibly sharp, too, but with no lack of definition: fidelity remains A-OK. I'm happy that I incorporated an HQ-170-style large-knobbed "fine tuning" control, though...makes all the difference in the world. When peaked-up right on CW, one DEFINITELY experiences near classic single signal selectivity: the past weekend saw an "LZ" DX contest going down on 80-meters, & I merrily logged several stations from east Europe, with no problems from QRM whatever. Just as described in the ARRL's first edition of UNDERSTANDING AMATEUR RADIO (pp. 142-143), signals peak up beautifully. What a joy! I can't describe to you the feeling one gets when a rag tag collection of ancient bottles & components like this come together & facilitate communications-quality signals like that...why EVERYONE doesn't homebrew even a simple item for daily use in the shack is lost to me. Ham Radio just wouldn't be Ham Radio without the ability to "...roll my own" in this manner. Thanks so much for letting me share this with the group---and now do, please, get something on the air for the two weekends of the AWA Bruuce Kelley 1929 QSO Party, so that the QST Super 12 might hear YOUR signal! It's TWO weekends in duration, back-to-back, starting THIS COMING SATURDAY NIGHT. It starts at 6:00 PM Saturady evening (that's 6:00 PM EST---2300 UTC), & ending at 6:00 PM SUNDAY evening. Frequencies generally are from 3550- to about 3580-KHz. Maximum input of 10-watts, with the exception of after midnight, when 20-watts is allowed. Close your eyes on the dawn of the vent, & imagine yourself to be sitting next to a big millpond in the Spring---you'll know we're there from all of the chirps, yoops, beches, groans, & buzzes that the old buzzard rigs are famous for emanating forth! Hi Hi. See you then...? ~73!~ Eddy VE3CUI - VE3XZ
