Re: [drakelist] First Steps
I prefer to tune for minimum SWR rather than maximum forward power.? As the SWR goes up, the power reading becomes inaccurate on many meters/tuners.? Not sure this is for all meters though.? Too, minimum SWR serves to reduce the chances of the rig going into power foldback. -Original Message- From: David Chris Drake [EMAIL PROTECTED] To: drakelist@zerobeat.net Sent: Sun, 27 Jul 2008 9:45 pm Subject: Re: [drakelist] First Steps David Chris Drake [EMAIL PROTECTED] made an utterance to the drakelist gang? --? Hi Jason, and welcome back to the bands. Its difficult to tell where to start and I'm sure others out there will have separate opinions. I'd give it a try on 40 first. Without a dummy load, you'll have to look for a spot on the band that is inactive. Again, since this is the first time, set the resist, and reactance knobs mid way on the tuner. Then try to load up the t4x for max output or use the instructions in the manual. Once you get the t4 idling along, you can adjust the tuner for min. swr, or, as some do, maximum output on a wattmeter. Go back and forth until you are seeing the maximum output it will do. Best advise is to just give it a try, with very short tune up times, and tweaking as you go. You may have to go back and forth several times, so be patient until you get everything in resonance.? ? Also, you'll not find much action like you were used to a few years back. The noise you are hearing is common. We are at or very near the absolute low for the sunspot cycle, and you have to be pretty dedicated to make contacts these days. Its likely your rigs are fine, and just a victim of the times. It will get better, hopefully soon.? ? Its best to get a dummy load. Then you know you have a 50 ohm match, and then only have to worry about one thing at a time.? ? As for working on the rigs, you'll find lots of help here when you need it. Also refer to www.wb4hfn.com for lots of information and how to's. You'll also find links to others websites as well.? David? ? - Original Message - From: Jason Bonnough [EMAIL PROTECTED]? To: drakelist@zerobeat.net? Sent: Saturday, July 26, 2008 9:23 PM? Subject: [drakelist] First Steps? ? Jason Bonnough [EMAIL PROTECTED] made an utterance to the drakelist gang? --? Hello all,? I have been watching the list-serv for about a month now and I have a question for all that can help.? ? I have been an amateur radio operator for a number of years but mostly active on 2M. Never on HF... I bought a R-4B and T-4BX a number of years ago in hopes that I would start to explore HF more than just the random perhaps yearly scan through SWL. But then I joined the Navy, (Became an ET whose primary duty was the URT-23Ds on a ship, HF Transmitters ironically...) and put my Drakes pretty much into storage. Also, in this time became an inactive ham due to my command being in Japan and I had no place to operate.? Well, I am back in the states, have my own place and pretty much the first thing I did was pull the Drakes out of storage, set them up on a cheap coffee table (I have no furniture now and am slowly buying more.. no desk!! gonna build one soon...) and attached a ~75' wire as an antenna through a MFJ-16010 Random Wire Tuner. And to save space because I have no room in an apartment that doesn't like things hanging out of their apartments (even on the 2nd floor) I spun the wire in a somewhat diamond shape using supports from a cardboard box that I cut up so the cardboard supports look like an X with an inward spiraling wire.? Anywho, after that detailed setup, here is my situation. I can hear some stations just fine, I even got a SWL QSL card from the Canadian Time Standard station CAN. but I'm afraid to test TX, especially without a dummy load. A hamfest will be coming up in September in my area and I plan on getting one there unless I can get one that I bought that is in storage in Oklahoma sent to me. (Rargh, I digress again.) I would like to try to make this system back into full operation both TX and RX. I have no test equipment other than a pocket mulitmeter from Radio Shack and well, on very limited budget. I have seen comments here about replacing caps and such... how can one tell when that is needed exactly? I have so much RF noise in the area, I cannot tell if its just ambient noise or bad equipment... Working on this stuff is no where near as easy as working on the modular designs of the URT-23D and really without an o-scope.. I feel lost... I like to see? signals...? Any suggestions on how to test and if necessary replace components on this stuff would be greatly appreciated. I really want to learn my system inside and out and am willing to do everything it takes to get the Drakes 100%, budget
Re: [drakelist] First Steps
David Chris Drake [EMAIL PROTECTED] made an utterance to the drakelist gang -- Hi Jason, and welcome back to the bands. Its difficult to tell where to start and I'm sure others out there will have separate opinions. I'd give it a try on 40 first. Without a dummy load, you'll have to look for a spot on the band that is inactive. Again, since this is the first time, set the resist, and reactance knobs mid way on the tuner. Then try to load up the t4x for max output or use the instructions in the manual. Once you get the t4 idling along, you can adjust the tuner for min. swr, or, as some do, maximum output on a wattmeter. Go back and forth until you are seeing the maximum output it will do. Best advise is to just give it a try, with very short tune up times, and tweaking as you go. You may have to go back and forth several times, so be patient until you get everything in resonance. Also, you'll not find much action like you were used to a few years back. The noise you are hearing is common. We are at or very near the absolute low for the sunspot cycle, and you have to be pretty dedicated to make contacts these days. Its likely your rigs are fine, and just a victim of the times. It will get better, hopefully soon. Its best to get a dummy load. Then you know you have a 50 ohm match, and then only have to worry about one thing at a time. As for working on the rigs, you'll find lots of help here when you need it. Also refer to www.wb4hfn.com for lots of information and how to's. You'll also find links to others websites as well. David - Original Message - From: Jason Bonnough [EMAIL PROTECTED] To: drakelist@zerobeat.net Sent: Saturday, July 26, 2008 9:23 PM Subject: [drakelist] First Steps Jason Bonnough [EMAIL PROTECTED] made an utterance to the drakelist gang -- Hello all, I have been watching the list-serv for about a month now and I have a question for all that can help. I have been an amateur radio operator for a number of years but mostly active on 2M. Never on HF... I bought a R-4B and T-4BX a number of years ago in hopes that I would start to explore HF more than just the random perhaps yearly scan through SWL. But then I joined the Navy, (Became an ET whose primary duty was the URT-23Ds on a ship, HF Transmitters ironically...) and put my Drakes pretty much into storage. Also, in this time became an inactive ham due to my command being in Japan and I had no place to operate. Well, I am back in the states, have my own place and pretty much the first thing I did was pull the Drakes out of storage, set them up on a cheap coffee table (I have no furniture now and am slowly buying more.. no desk!! gonna build one soon...) and attached a ~75' wire as an antenna through a MFJ-16010 Random Wire Tuner. And to save space because I have no room in an apartment that doesn't like things hanging out of their apartments (even on the 2nd floor) I spun the wire in a somewhat diamond shape using supports from a cardboard box that I cut up so the cardboard supports look like an X with an inward spiraling wire. Anywho, after that detailed setup, here is my situation. I can hear some stations just fine, I even got a SWL QSL card from the Canadian Time Standard station CAN. but I'm afraid to test TX, especially without a dummy load. A hamfest will be coming up in September in my area and I plan on getting one there unless I can get one that I bought that is in storage in Oklahoma sent to me. (Rargh, I digress again.) I would like to try to make this system back into full operation both TX and RX. I have no test equipment other than a pocket mulitmeter from Radio Shack and well, on very limited budget. I have seen comments here about replacing caps and such... how can one tell when that is needed exactly? I have so much RF noise in the area, I cannot tell if its just ambient noise or bad equipment... Working on this stuff is no where near as easy as working on the modular designs of the URT-23D and really without an o-scope.. I feel lost... I like to see signals... Any suggestions on how to test and if necessary replace components on this stuff would be greatly appreciated. I really want to learn my system inside and out and am willing to do everything it takes to get the Drakes 100%, budget willing... Thanks!!! 73s Jason Bonnough AD5IY -- Submissions:drakelist@zerobeat.net Unsubscribe:[EMAIL PROTECTED] - unsubscribe drakelist in body Hopelessly Lost:[EMAIL PROTECTED] - help in body of message Zerobeat Web Page: www.zerobeat.net - sponsored by www.tlchost.net
Re: [drakelist] First Steps
Don Cunningham [EMAIL PROTECTED] made an utterance to the drakelist gang -- Jason, David is right, but I'll add, stronger than he did, that I would NEVER load a tube rig for the first time into an unknown antenna situation. You really need that dummy load, especially since you have a random wire (with likely a poor ground in an apartment), and it will exhibit strange impedances/reactances. If the rigs have been stored for a long time, I would also recommend rebuilding the AC4 supply before you even start using it. Listening to the receiver, you have been using its internal supply and have not fired up the AC4 yet. The capacitors are old enough now that they WILL fail, even if they don't initially, and will cause more problems than you will want to trace, hi. The bias capacitor itself can/will wipe out the final tubes if it goes bad. That would be my starting point for transmitting. Buy the AC4R kit from the Heathkit shop (no connection, just love the kit) and rebuild the power supply while someone ships the dummy load to you. If you are NOT comfortable with high voltage in your daily ET duties, arrange with Mike at the Heathkit shop and he'll rebuild it for a fee. Good investment, then with the dummy load, you will have a firm foundation. Good luck!! 73, Don, WB5HAK -- Submissions:drakelist@zerobeat.net Unsubscribe:[EMAIL PROTECTED] - unsubscribe drakelist in body Hopelessly Lost:[EMAIL PROTECTED] - help in body of message Zerobeat Web Page: www.zerobeat.net - sponsored by www.tlchost.net --
[drakelist] First Steps
Jason Bonnough [EMAIL PROTECTED] made an utterance to the drakelist gang -- Hello all, I have been watching the list-serv for about a month now and I have a question for all that can help. I have been an amateur radio operator for a number of years but mostly active on 2M. Never on HF... I bought a R-4B and T-4BX a number of years ago in hopes that I would start to explore HF more than just the random perhaps yearly scan through SWL. But then I joined the Navy, (Became an ET whose primary duty was the URT-23Ds on a ship, HF Transmitters ironically...) and put my Drakes pretty much into storage. Also, in this time became an inactive ham due to my command being in Japan and I had no place to operate. Well, I am back in the states, have my own place and pretty much the first thing I did was pull the Drakes out of storage, set them up on a cheap coffee table (I have no furniture now and am slowly buying more.. no desk!! gonna build one soon...) and attached a ~75' wire as an antenna through a MFJ-16010 Random Wire Tuner. And to save space because I have no room in an apartment that doesn't like things hanging out of their apartments (even on the 2nd floor) I spun the wire in a somewhat diamond shape using supports from a cardboard box that I cut up so the cardboard supports look like an X with an inward spiraling wire. Anywho, after that detailed setup, here is my situation. I can hear some stations just fine, I even got a SWL QSL card from the Canadian Time Standard station CAN. but I'm afraid to test TX, especially without a dummy load. A hamfest will be coming up in September in my area and I plan on getting one there unless I can get one that I bought that is in storage in Oklahoma sent to me. (Rargh, I digress again.) I would like to try to make this system back into full operation both TX and RX. I have no test equipment other than a pocket mulitmeter from Radio Shack and well, on very limited budget. I have seen comments here about replacing caps and such... how can one tell when that is needed exactly? I have so much RF noise in the area, I cannot tell if its just ambient noise or bad equipment... Working on this stuff is no where near as easy as working on the modular designs of the URT-23D and really without an o-scope.. I feel lost... I like to see signals... Any suggestions on how to test and if necessary replace components on this stuff would be greatly appreciated. I really want to learn my system inside and out and am willing to do everything it takes to get the Drakes 100%, budget willing... Thanks!!! 73s Jason Bonnough AD5IY -- Submissions:drakelist@zerobeat.net Unsubscribe:[EMAIL PROTECTED] - unsubscribe drakelist in body Hopelessly Lost:[EMAIL PROTECTED] - help in body of message Zerobeat Web Page: www.zerobeat.net - sponsored by www.tlchost.net --
