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Today's Topics:
1. Re: Need TR4 T-9 (Jim Shorney)
2. Re: Need TR4 T-9 (J. Steven Cochrane)
3. Re: Need TR4 T-9 (Jim Shorney)
4. L-4B follow-up (Peter Alterman)
5. Re: L-4B follow-up (Ron Baker)
6. Re: L-4B follow-up (Jim Shorney)
7. Drake 4-line accessory crystals available ([email protected])
8. Re: L-4B follow-up (Garey Barrell)
9. Re: Drake 4-line accessory crystals available ([email protected])
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Message: 1
Date: Sat, 28 Aug 2010 12:12:02 -0500
From: "Jim Shorney" <[email protected]>
Subject: Re: [Drakelist] Need TR4 T-9
To: "[email protected]" <[email protected]>
Message-ID: <[email protected]>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1"
On Sat, 28 Aug 2010 09:24:22 -0600, J. Steven Cochrane wrote:
I did something stupid
C'mon Steve, fess up! What did you do? :)
73
-Jim
--
Ham Radio NU0C
Lincoln, Nebraska, U.S.S.A.
TR7/RV7/R7A/L7, TR6/RV6, T4XC/R4C/L4B, NCL2000, SB104A, R390A,
GT550A/RV550A, HyGain 3750, IBM PS/2 - all vintage, all the time!
"Give a man a URL, and he will learn for an hour; teach him to
Google, and he will learn for a lifetime."
HyGain 3750 User's Group - http://groups.yahoo.com/group/HyGain_3750/
http://radiojim.exofire.net
http://incolor.inetnebr.com/jshorney
http://www.nebraskaghosts.org
------------------------------
Message: 2
Date: Sat, 28 Aug 2010 12:30:08 -0600
From: "J. Steven Cochrane" <[email protected]>
Subject: Re: [Drakelist] Need TR4 T-9
To: "[email protected]" <[email protected]>
Message-ID: <[email protected]>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1"
I really didn't want to go into all the gory details Jim, but since
you
asked....
I was listening to the Maritime Mobile Service net on 20 meters on
my TR-4,
great receive audio, while my Collins S Line and 30S-1 were warming
up for
the Collins Collectors Net also on 20 meters, but using a different
antenna.
I left the radio room for about an hour or so and when I came back
in net
control for the CCA net was calling for Rocky Mountain area
stations to
check in. I forgot that the TR-4 was still on (couldn't hear the
NCS anymore
and didn't even look in that direction), and pushed the high
voltage button
on the 30S-1 and started transmitting. Halfway through my
transmission I
heard a pop and then smelled smoke. The first thing I thought was that
something in the 30S-1 blew, but I was still putting out between
800 and
1000 watts. I turned around and saw that the TR-4 was still on and
connected
to it's antenna (its on the other end of the console) and I said @#$
%!!! It
was hard to tell at first where the burning smell was coming from
because
the TR-4 is mounted in the console and the fans were dumping the
smoke into
the room, but when I pulled the panel cover off of the console
there was no
doubt what had happened.
Interestingly, the MN-4 attached to the TR-4 suffered no damage. It
must
have passed the RF right through to the radio.
So the moral of the story is; don't get old and forgetful, and
always check
that all the other radios in the station are shut off and antenna
switches
are grounded before transmitting, especially when using an amplifier!
That's my story and I'm sticking to it!
:-(
Steve
J. Steven Cochrane W7JSC
----- Original Message -----
From: "Jim Shorney" <[email protected]>
To: "[email protected]" <[email protected]>
Sent: Saturday, August 28, 2010 11:12 AM
Subject: Re: [Drakelist] Need TR4 T-9
On Sat, 28 Aug 2010 09:24:22 -0600, J. Steven Cochrane wrote:
I did something stupid
C'mon Steve, fess up! What did you do? :)
73
-Jim
--
Ham Radio NU0C
Lincoln, Nebraska, U.S.S.A.
TR7/RV7/R7A/L7, TR6/RV6, T4XC/R4C/L4B, NCL2000, SB104A, R390A,
GT550A/RV550A, HyGain 3750, IBM PS/2 - all vintage, all the time!
"Give a man a URL, and he will learn for an hour; teach him to
Google, and
he will learn for a lifetime."
HyGain 3750 User's Group - http://groups.yahoo.com/group/HyGain_3750/
http://radiojim.exofire.net
http://incolor.inetnebr.com/jshorney
http://www.nebraskaghosts.org
_______________________________________________
Drakelist mailing list
[email protected]
http://mailman.zerobeat.net/mailman/listinfo/drakelist
------------------------------
Message: 3
Date: Sat, 28 Aug 2010 13:37:47 -0500
From: "Jim Shorney" <[email protected]>
Subject: Re: [Drakelist] Need TR4 T-9
To: "[email protected]" <[email protected]>
Message-ID: <[email protected]>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1"
On Sat, 28 Aug 2010 12:30:08 -0600, J. Steven Cochrane wrote:
That's my story and I'm sticking to it!
Great story, Steve. Thanks for sharing. Don't worry about it, every
one of us
has pulled a bonehead stunt like that at some point. More than
once, I would
guess.
73
-Jim
--
Ham Radio NU0C
Lincoln, Nebraska, U.S.S.A.
TR7/RV7/R7A/L7, TR6/RV6, T4XC/R4C/L4B, NCL2000, SB104A, R390A,
GT550A/RV550A, HyGain 3750, IBM PS/2 - all vintage, all the time!
"Give a man a URL, and he will learn for an hour; teach him to
Google, and he will learn for a lifetime."
HyGain 3750 User's Group - http://groups.yahoo.com/group/HyGain_3750/
http://radiojim.exofire.net
http://incolor.inetnebr.com/jshorney
http://www.nebraskaghosts.org
------------------------------
Message: 4
Date: Sat, 28 Aug 2010 17:07:48 -0400
From: Peter Alterman <[email protected]>
Subject: [Drakelist] L-4B follow-up
To: <[email protected]>
Message-ID: <[email protected]>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1"
Hello Fellow Drake Fans,
To recap: The wattmeter on my Palstar AT1500DT reports that I'm
getting variable output from my L-4B on dedicated 120v house
circuit. On 40 it looks like 800-900 watts out, but on 15 maybe
500. The matched 3-500Zs are about 5 years old, the power supply
was rebuilt from kit (Evan may even remember my plaintive cries for
help) and I keep a muffin fan over the power supply sucking warm
air out. So I promised to do some testing and report back. Here's
what I found.
First, the setup:
Yaesu FT-1000MP Mark V via RG-8X to Drake L-4B
L-4B output via RG-213/U to Palstar AT1500DT
Output via RG-213/U to Balun Designs 1:1 choke balun (unun) 5 kW
model 1115du to
Heath Cantenna via RG-8/U patch cable
10+ minute warmup
2600 volts key up in SSB mode
120v AC on a dedicated 15a. circuit
Grid current @ 200ma.
The results:
Band Freq est.drive volts/keydn ma/keydn meter on usual
antenna
80 3545.41 40w 2250 520 800w 700w
40 7012.54 72w 2250 520 800w 900w
20 14063.85 68w 2250 520 700w 600w
15 21045.28 70w 2250 550 700w 500w
10 28045.11 80w 2200 620* 600w 450w
Caveats:
The Cantenna is by no means the best dummy load but it worked.
I have no idea whether the Palstar wattmeter is anywhere near
calibrated and it may be frequency-sensitive.
Have no idea how accurate the L-4B meters are, but the voltage
readings seem to be spot-on, e.g., 1700v in CW/Tune and 2600v in
SSB modes.
Notes and Observations:
1. Regardless of the accuracy of the Palstar wattmeter, I WAS
cranking up the RF power knob on the Yaesu, so I am sure the
variation in required input drive is real, though the actual
readings are open to question.
2. Also, I only allowed the amp to draw 620 mils on 10 for a few
seconds, for test purposes, to keep the drive @ 200 grid mils
common. When I backed the drive down to 550 ma on the plate on 10,
the grid showed 160 ma. and the wattmeter read 500w.
3. The higher the frequency, the more a minor SWR imbalance showed
on the Palstar meter, though never more than 1:1-1. I suspect that
this means the Cantenna is not a perfect 50 ohm resistive load; but
then, we knew that.
4. The output readings on the dummy load differ sufficiently from
what they are with my antennas connected (see above) that it
suggests I could do well by doing some work on the transmission
lines, coax switch, etc.
Nevertheless, something seems to be sub-optimal with the L-4B. It
may be time to do some work on the RF deck. The question is, what?
Your thoughts and wisdom most welcome,
Peter W2CDO
------------------------------
Message: 5
Date: Sat, 28 Aug 2010 19:17:18 -0400
From: "Ron Baker" <[email protected]>
Subject: Re: [Drakelist] L-4B follow-up
To: "'Peter Alterman'" <[email protected]>, <[email protected]>
Message-ID: <05c4c1ebb30e4217bd7c3daf67c0e...@baker03>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"
Peter, from what I can see, from your results the drive
power vs. your power output I would say is about what you
should expect.
Remember running the L4B on 120V the amplifier will not be
as efficient as running on 220V. Also, running the
amplifier on a standard 120V, 15A house circuit is not near
what the amp requires. The specification for the L4B
running on 120V requires a 30A circuit minimum. So when
you are running the amp on a standard house circuit the
primary voltage is probably dropping down to something much
less than 120V. That is why I say from the measurements
you indicated using a 120V house circuit, the results are
about what I would expect to get.
For maximum efficiently of the L4B it should be run from a
220V 30A dedicated circuit. Also you drive level should be
closer to 100 watts drive. Under that condition, I would
expect an output ranging around 1200 watts on 80 meters to
1000 watts on 10 meters. If you need to drive the tubes
harder to get the output level the tubes may have become
weak over time with use.
Try your L4B on 220V on a dedicated 30A circuit, I think
you will see a world of difference.
Ron / WB4HFN
-----Original Message-----
From: [email protected]
[mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of Peter
Alterman
Sent: Saturday, August 28, 2010 5:08 PM
To: [email protected]
Subject: [Drakelist] L-4B follow-up
Hello Fellow Drake Fans,
To recap: The wattmeter on my Palstar AT1500DT reports that
I'm getting variable output from my L-4B on dedicated 120v
house circuit. On 40 it looks like 800-900 watts out, but on
15 maybe 500. The matched 3-500Zs are about 5 years old, the
power supply was rebuilt from kit (Evan may even remember my
plaintive cries for help) and I keep a muffin fan over the
power supply sucking warm air out. So I promised to do some
testing and report back. Here's what I found.
First, the setup:
Yaesu FT-1000MP Mark V via RG-8X to Drake L-4B L-4B output
via RG-213/U to Palstar AT1500DT Output via RG-213/U to
Balun Designs 1:1 choke balun (unun) 5 kW model 1115du to
Heath Cantenna via RG-8/U patch cable
10+ minute warmup
2600 volts key up in SSB mode
120v AC on a dedicated 15a. circuit
Grid current @ 200ma.
The results:
Band Freq est.drive volts/keydn ma/keydn meter
on usual antenna
80 3545.41 40w 2250 520 800w
700w
40 7012.54 72w 2250 520 800w
900w
20 14063.85 68w 2250 520 700w
600w
15 21045.28 70w 2250 550 700w
500w
10 28045.11 80w 2200 620* 600w
450w
Caveats:
The Cantenna is by no means the best dummy load but it
worked.
I have no idea whether the Palstar wattmeter is anywhere
near calibrated and it may be frequency-sensitive.
Have no idea how accurate the L-4B meters are, but the
voltage readings seem to be spot-on, e.g., 1700v in CW/Tune
and 2600v in SSB modes.
Notes and Observations:
1. Regardless of the accuracy of the Palstar wattmeter, I
WAS cranking up the RF power knob on the Yaesu, so I am sure
the variation in required input drive is real, though the
actual readings are open to question.
2. Also, I only allowed the amp to draw 620 mils on 10 for a
few seconds, for test purposes, to keep the drive @ 200 grid
mils common. When I backed the drive down to 550 ma on the
plate on 10, the grid showed 160 ma. and the wattmeter read
500w.
3. The higher the frequency, the more a minor SWR imbalance
showed on the Palstar meter, though never more than 1:1-1. I
suspect that this means the Cantenna is not a perfect 50 ohm
resistive load; but then, we knew that.
4. The output readings on the dummy load differ sufficiently
from what they are with my antennas connected (see above)
that it suggests I could do well by doing some work on the
transmission lines, coax switch, etc.
Nevertheless, something seems to be sub-optimal with the
L-4B. It may be time to do some work on the RF deck. The
question is, what?
Your thoughts and wisdom most welcome,
Peter W2CDO
_______________________________________________
Drakelist mailing list
[email protected]
http://mailman.zerobeat.net/mailman/listinfo/drakelist
------------------------------
Message: 6
Date: Sat, 28 Aug 2010 18:50:12 -0500
From: "Jim Shorney" <[email protected]>
Subject: Re: [Drakelist] L-4B follow-up
To: "[email protected]" <[email protected]>
Message-ID: <[email protected]>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1"
On Sat, 28 Aug 2010 19:17:18 -0400, Ron Baker wrote:
from what I can see, from your results the drive
power vs. your power output I would say is about what you
should expect.
I'm with Ron on this one. The L-4B was designed as a 2 KW PEP plate
input amp,
which translates to about 1200 out (give or take a little). A
little less on
higher bands. That seems consistent with your numbers, and the
other condition
that Ron mentions. There's always a little bit of reactance in
antennas, no
matter how well you try to tune them. In reality, SWR under 2:1 is
usable, and
under 1.6 isn't worth worrying about. What did hams do before SWR
meters?
And don't diss the lowly Cantenna. :) It is a proven design that
has been a
staple of ham shacks for longer than some of us have been hams.
73
-Jim
--
Ham Radio NU0C
Lincoln, Nebraska, U.S.S.A.
TR7/RV7/R7A/L7, TR6/RV6, T4XC/R4C/L4B, NCL2000, SB104A, R390A,
GT550A/RV550A, HyGain 3750, IBM PS/2 - all vintage, all the time!
"Give a man a URL, and he will learn for an hour; teach him to
Google, and he will learn for a lifetime."
HyGain 3750 User's Group - http://groups.yahoo.com/group/HyGain_3750/
http://radiojim.exofire.net
http://incolor.inetnebr.com/jshorney
http://www.nebraskaghosts.org
------------------------------
Message: 7
Date: Sat, 28 Aug 2010 22:24:37 EDT
From: [email protected]
Subject: [Drakelist] Drake 4-line accessory crystals available
To: [email protected]
Message-ID: <[email protected]>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"
I have a set of seven (7) crystals for Drake 4-line equipment that
I will
sell as one lot for $50 shipped. Although the crystals are well
used
(and look it) I have tested them in my R-4A using on-air signals
and a signal
generator and they all work. Frequencies are:
15.6 MHz (4.5-5)
21.1 " (10-10.5, 30m)
29.1 " (18-18.5, 17m)
35.6 " (24.5-25, 12m)
39.1 " (28-28.5, bottom of 10m)
40.1 " (29-29.5, top of 10m)
40.6 " (29.5-30)
Contact me by email if interested.
73, Paul K4MSG
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Message: 8
Date: Sat, 28 Aug 2010 23:42:43 -0400
From: Garey Barrell <[email protected]>
Subject: Re: [Drakelist] L-4B follow-up
To: "[email protected]" <[email protected]>
Message-ID: <[email protected]>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1; format=flowed
Jim Shorney wrote:
On Sat, 28 Aug 2010 19:17:18 -0400, Ron Baker wrote:
from what I can see, from your results the drive
power vs. your power output I would say is about what you
should expect.
And don't diss the lowly Cantenna. :) It is a proven design that
has been a
staple of ham shacks for longer than some of us have been hams.
UNLESS the resistor element has been overloaded and/or damaged by
certain types of oil coolant and is no longer 50 ohms. The Breune
wattmeter circuit becomes very inaccurate in other than a 50 ohm
system,
not to mention 'other' calibration errors with mismatch problems.
Particularly if you plan to measure the RF voltage across the dummy
load, it's nice to use the ACTUAL resistance for your calculations!
73, Garey - K4OAH
Glen Allen, VA
Drake 2-B, 4-B, C-Line& TR-4/C Service Supplement CDs
<www.k4oah.com>
------------------------------
Message: 9
Date: Sun, 29 Aug 2010 09:03:19 EDT
From: [email protected]
Subject: Re: [Drakelist] Drake 4-line accessory crystals available
To: [email protected]
Message-ID: <[email protected]>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"
Crystals have been sold.
73 DE K4MSG
In a message dated 8/28/2010 10:26:27 PM Eastern Daylight Time,
[email protected] writes:
I have a set of seven (7) crystals for Drake 4-line equipment
that I
will sell as one lot for $50 shipped. Although the crystals are
well used
(and look it) I have tested them in my R-4A using on-air signals
and a
signal generator and they all work. Frequencies are:
15.6 MHz (4.5-5)
21.1 " (10-10.5, 30m)
29.1 " (18-18.5, 17m)
35.6 " (24.5-25, 12m)
39.1 " (28-28.5, bottom of 10m)
40.1 " (29-29.5, top of 10m)
40.6 " (29.5-30)
Contact me by email if interested.
73, Paul K4MSG
_______________________________________________
Drakelist mailing list
[email protected]
http://mailman.zerobeat.net/mailman/listinfo/drakelist
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End of Drakelist Digest, Vol 26, Issue 45
*****************************************
