From: "W6OM" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
... I have two, one connected to the plate of
the 2nd IF on an NC 300 for monitoring the incoming signals and for
transmit
it monitors a Ranger driving an SB 220 on AM.
The second on is connected to the grid of the 2nd detector stage on my
75A4
to monitor incoming signals and also watch my transmit signal on a Bauer
707
converted to 75 meters.
You are much better off monitoring your transmitted signal using a sample
of the signal goind directly to the antenna, than using the output of the
detector stage of your receiver. The receiver will inevitably alter the
waveform of the signal. There are nonlinearities in the amplifier stages,
but most significantly, the i.f. transformers and selectivity filters may
completely change the appearance of the envelope pattern. The only way to
avoid this would be to use a selectivity that is many times wider than your
transmitted signal. Selectivity in the i.f. will cause phase shifts, as
well as filter away higher frequency components of the waveform, leaving you
a false image of your signal.
I don't even like to use the built-in vertical amplifier. The most accurate
image is obtained by feeding the deflection plates of the scope tube
directly with the rf sample. I use a highly modified HO-10. I believe it
is the same scope, with a different style cabinet. It even has the same
problem with those 1600V caps.
Mine had loads of built-in hum and the image was fuzzy when I first got it
going. The Heath manual says not to worry about that; it's inherent to the
design, and won't make the scope any less useful for modulation monitoring
purposes. What a load of crock! The designers were either incompetent,
too lazy or in too much of a hurry get the thing into production, and they
probably didn't want to run up the cost any more by using a real magnetic
shield for the CRT. I was able to get a sharper image by adding astigmatism
control to the scope tube circuitry, and to get rid of the hum (which was
modulating not only the horizontal pattern, but the brightness of the
pattern, too), I re-routed the filament wiring, using a wire lead for both
sides of the filament line, not the chassis base for one side (figured those
mods out, one at a time, by trial-and-error). The piece of tin they wrap
around the neck of the scope tube is totally worthless as a magnetic
shield. I found an old military surplus gadget in my junk pile, that used
the same size scope tube (I think it was some kind of RTTY monitor), and
used the black anodised metal magnetic shield that was in that unit. That
fixed probably 75% of the rest of the hum. I then further reduced the
remaining hum by beefing up the power supply filtering.
Hard to imagine a more versatile inexpensive monitor scope available now
days as they sell for anywhere from $60.00 to $80.00 on eBay and else
where.
If the face plate is good, cabinet paint is available from a couple of
sources and if needed to match a vintage IF strip 455Khz IF cans are
cheap
and plentiful at Tubes and More in Phoenix for less than $3.00.
One word of caution, every one I have owned has had the 1600V mylar caps
go
bad, so if you buy an SB610 order some replacements ($12.00 from Mouser)
and
replace them first.
With the HO10, and I assume with the SB-610, the power transformer is
another troublesome component. The xfmr in my original one crapped out with
a dead short somewhere in the winding. I found another HO-10 at a hamfest
that had been dropped, for $10. The cabinet was mangled, but all the
components were still there and intact, including the scope tube. I used it
as a parts rig, and dropped the xfmr into my original one and restored it to
operation. Since then, I have found another one for a back-up parts rig.
So I have a spare power xfmr, compactron tubes, and a couple of spare scope
tubes.
Since I don't use mine with SSB, and don't use the vertical amplifier, I
pulled the tubes from both of those stages, just keeping the tubes that
operate the horizontal sweep circuitry. That liberated some spare
compactrons, plus it lightens the load on the power transformer, and
hopefully that will make it last longer. So for, after nearly 10 years,
that replacement transformer has held up.
Don k4kyv
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