In 1962 I built Lew McCoy’s “Novice Gallon” or General 150 Watter”.
I used parts removed from old T sets from Bob’s TV in Sioux City, Iowa. I even
got my power transformer from a TV set.
A really nice man from Friend Sheet Metal made my chassis for me at no cost.
I could not afford a plate meter so I used a small incandescent light bulb in
series with the plate lead to tune for minimum brightness. Not the best
practice, but it was what I had.
I took this over to John, K0AAR (SK), and he politely gave me a “D” for the
assembly work and made me do it over again. The next timeI got a “B+” and it
actually worked. i used it for many years, nd added a controlled carrier
modulator to it, copied from a Heath DX-40.
This transmitter taught me everything I needed to know about high voltage
safety. My electrolytics, all metal cans, were in series for the high voltage.
I did forget, once, that one of those cans was HOT! and picked up the
transmitter by the electrolytic cans while powered. Of course, I lived through
it but learned respect in a very vivid way. I never told my mom about this
incident, not to her dying day...
My receiver was among the very worst in this thread, a Hallicrafters -20R, but
it was all I could afford at the time.
My full-length dipole ran 2 feet from the house but 30 feet in the air, and
about 10 feet from my neighbor’s bathroom.
My father was chatting with my neighbor one day, and the neighbor, a very
bright man, told my father how strange things were the previous night. His
bathroom fluorescent light began flashing on and off fairly quickly (about 20
wpm, I would guess). He was stupefied but my father knew EXACTLY what caused
this but never “fessed up”. He got quite a few chuckles out of it even time he
thought about it.
Gary
W0DVN
> On Aug 19, 2016, at 10:33 PM, Wes Attaway (N5WA) <wesattaway@bellsouth.net>
> wrote:
>
> Yes
>
> -------------------
> Wes Attaway (N5WA)
> (318) 393-3289 - Shreveport, LA
> Computer/Cellphone Forensics
> AttawayForensics.com
> -------------------
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: TenTec [mailto:tentec-bounces@contesting.com] On Behalf Of Joe
> Papworth via TenTec
> Sent: Friday, August 19, 2016 10:10 PM
> To: tentec@contesting.com; clayton_n4ev@yahoo.com
> Cc: k8mp@aol.com
> Subject: Re: [TenTec] Fw: Re [Ten Tec}OT - Entry Level for Boys
>
> Hi Wes,
> I'll add yours to to the rest. Do you a copy?
> Seeya, Joe, K8MP
>
> Sent from AOL Mobile Mail
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Wes Attaway (N5WA) <wesattaway@bellsouth.net>
> To: 'Discussion of Ten-Tec Equipment' <tentec@contesting.com>; clayton_n4ev
> <clayton_n4ev@yahoo.com>
> Cc: k8mp <k8mp@aol.com>
> Sent: Fri, Aug 19, 2016 10:07 PM
> Subject: Re: [TenTec] Fw: Re [Ten Tec}OT - Entry Level for Boys
>
>
> I will have to chime in.
>
> I got my novice license (KN5DGI) in 1955 and built the "6146 Oscillator" TX
> that was described in QST by Lew McCoy. I had an SX99 RX. Antenna was a
> 40-meter dipole fed with some really tiny 72-ohm twin lead that ran through
> the trees and in through a window with no thought of matching or lightning
> protection. I later built a little antenna tuner, also described in QST.
>
> Everything was paid for with saved-up paper route money.
>
> I had 2 or 3 XTALs and my first QSO was with a fellow in El Campo Texas.
>
> If anyone wants pictures of my early setup, I have them.
>
> -------------------
> Wes Attaway (N5WA)
> (318) 393-3289 - Shreveport, LA
> Computer/Cellphone Forensics
> AttawayForensics.com
> -------------------
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: TenTec [<a
> href="mailto:tentec-bounces@contesting.com?";>mailto:tentec-bounces@contestin
> g.com</a>] On Behalf Of Joe
> Papworth via TenTec
> Sent: Friday, August 19, 2016 8:13 PM
> To: <a href="mailto:clayton_n4ev@yahoo.com";>clayton_n4ev@yahoo.com</a>; <a
> href="mailto:tentec@contesting.com";>tentec@contesting.com</a>
> Cc: <a href="mailto:k8mp@aol.com";>k8mp@aol.com</a>
> Subject: Re: [TenTec] Fw: Re [Ten Tec}OT - Entry Level for Boys
>
> Hi Clayton,
> I'll add yours to the document. Do you want a copy of the finished product?
> Later, Joe
>
> Sent from AOL Mobile Mail
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Clayton Brantley via TenTec <<a
> href="mailto:tentec@contesting.com";>tentec@contesting.com</a>>
> To: tentec <<a
> href="mailto:tentec@contesting.com";>tentec@contesting.com</a>>
> Cc: Clayton Brantley <<a
> href="mailto:clayton_n4ev@yahoo.com";>clayton_n4ev@yahoo.com</a>>
> Sent: Fri, Aug 19, 2016 08:53 PM
> Subject: [TenTec] Fw: Re [Ten Tec}OT - Entry Level for Boys
>
>
>
>
> Joe: My first station was a surplus ARC5 station on 40 meters. My
> uncle helped me get on the airand did manage to get the transmitter xtal
> controlled. I used that station for quite a long time andworked quite a
> list of stations. I was later able to get the VFO going after upgrading.
> 73 Clayton N4EV
> ----- Forwarded Message -----
> From: Joe Papworth via TenTec <<a
> href="<a
> href="mailto:tentec@contesting.com";>tentec@contesting.com</a?">mailto:tentec
> @contesting.com">tentec@contesting.com</a</a>>>
> To: <a href="<a
> href="mailto:tentec@contesting.com";>tentec@contesting.com</a?">mailto:tentec
> @contesting.com">tentec@contesting.com</a</a>>
> Cc: <a href="<a
> href="mailto:K8mp@aol.com";>K8mp@aol.com</a?">mailto:K8mp@aol.com";>K8mp@aol.c
> om</a</a>>
> Sent: Friday, August 19, 2016 8:11 PM
> Subject: Re: [TenTec] Re [Ten Tec}OT - Entry Level for Boys
>
>
> I built a GR-91 too Duane. Yep, it was horrible, but I guess you get what
> you pay for. HI HI
> I used mine as an outboard BFO for the floor model Zenith.
> Joe, K8MP
>
>
> In a message dated 8/19/2016 5:37:55 P.M. Eastern Daylight Time,
> <a href="<a
> href="mailto:ac5aa1@gmail.com";>ac5aa1@gmail.com</a?">mailto:ac5aa1@gmail.com
> ">ac5aa1@gmail.com</a</a>> writes:
>
> OK, one more. When I started out as WN2HDS in 1963, I was using a Heath
> GR-91 (terrible RX), and a built-from the Handbook 30W 6DQ6B oscillator.
> QSO's were very few and far between. Worked all summer mowing lawns to
> purchase and build a Knight-Kit R-100A with Q-Multiplier and S-Meter. Now
> THAT was a receiver (compared to the Heath).... It didn't help that I
> ordered a 7175 kc 40m crystal - yep, right on top of Radio Moscow. Ouch!
>
> 73, Duane
>
>
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