On Fri, 17 Jun 2011 21:36:51 -0600, TC Dailey wrote:
>Steve brought up a radio that's quite overlooked, but was the ORIGINAL
>transceiver for hams - the Gonset G-76. It was pretty (still is),
Wow, that is a nice looking rig. For some reason, I just never could get past
that utilitarian military look of the Collins. I know that some people find it
attractive, I just don't so much. Of course, the group of young hams that I ran
with in high school all lusted after the C-Line ("poor man's Collins"). Collins
was way out of reach then, but the Drakes ... maybe someday. The C-Line was
more visually appealing anyway, and the TR-7 just looked classy.
My journey started with a Hallicrafters S-120. I wouldn't wish that radio on my
worst enemy, I'm probably lucky that it didn't sour me to the idea entirely. I
"upgraded" to a used Heath HR-10B. I don't recall using it very much, but at
least it was an improvement. When my ticket was imminent, my parents consented
to a third-owner HW-101, which I used for many years. Not a bad radio to start
with, and I learned a lot about electronics through abusing it and fixing my
mistakes. Got Bicentennial WAS on 75 meters in 1976 with that radio. Around
that time, cheap FT-101Bs started hitting the market thanks to the 11 Meter
crowd, and I begged my parents for one. Luckily for me, they declined - later
experiences with Yaesu receivers of that general era convinced me that I was
better off with the Heathkit anyway. (No offense meant to Yaesu fans: yes it is
was sensitve, etc., but they just weren't very "listenable", nor were they good
contesting rigs.)
Second rig was a nice Swan 700cx that I wish I still had. I was disappointed
that it did not live up to the Swan hype about being a driftbox, it was much
too stable. I eventually shed the tube rigs after I acquired a used TR-7 from
Al W0JJK at H-I in the mid 80s, and never looked back. The C-Line I lusted
after as a broke teenager eventually surfaced, along with a TR-6 and the rest
of the Drake collection later.
I've added a few other non-Drake rigs to the stable since, and all have their
individual charm. But if I had to trim down to one or two, the Drake 7 twins
and C twins would be the ones I keep. I've used more "modern" rigs at Field Day
and SS operations, but keep coming back to my Drakes.
And yes, my TR-7 has been invited back to do Field Day again from K0KKV on the
big 4-el 20 Meter beam. And they do have "modern" rigs that they COULD use....
:)
I don't think I would do anything differently, other than keeping that 700cx.
The HW-101 was a great starter rig, and each step beyond that was arguably a
step up to something better or more sophisticated
A side note on Collins, I've never operated one (although I do own a Motorola
R-390A awaitng refurb). A buddy has an S-Line in the closet. What does he use?
He has, I think, four TR-7s at last count, three NCX-5s, and various
Hallicrafters, B&W, and who knows what else that he plays with.
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://incolor.inetnebr.com/jshorney
http://www.nebraskaghosts.org
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