Sunday morning, Oct. 18, 2020
I recruited my son to help me out in the attic early Saturday … I had some things I wanted to excavate and do a little rearranging.
IC-756PROIII. I finally got enough boxes and bins out of the way to reach my Icom IC-756PROIII that I bought new but boxed up some years ago when I made my Yaesu FT-2000 my main station rig. I moved the PROIII closer to the attic door. I also found the original boxes for the FT-2000 and the matching DMU in the event I want to box them up when I move my new FTDX-101MP in the main shack. The DMU actually was packed in another box, and its on the same shelf with the PROIII. I quit using the DMU when I bought an aftermarket bandscope doggle thingie that I never could get to work.
DX-100-something RIG. Honestly I got a little excited once we were deep into the attic excavation Saturday … I saw a box still sealed that was marked “DX-1__” The first thought that hit me was that I just unearthed a Heathkit DX-100, a monster transmitter to be sure! On closer inspection, the letter said “DX-160”, not DX-100.
Sigh.
The DX-160 was purchased early in 2004, and was still sealed in the box. Not expecting a lot, I carried it out of the attic to the shack to unbox. The seller had done a fantastic job packing the receiver; using foam in place in the bottom and top, to create a foam encapsulation to protect the radio.
I wasn’t expecting much, given my luck with some of my latest “excavations.” But the DX-160 came out of the box looking nearly mint; the front panel was perfect; the only mars on the cabinet is some sticky tape residue on the top of the case. I attached a few feet of wire, got out the headphones and plugged it in. Without tubes to warm up, the rig instantly came to life on the AM band. The radio has a built in AM band ferrite antenna so it was ready to rock on AM.
Once I had the bandspread properly set, the dial was spot-on on AM as well as the shortwave bands. I copied SSB stations on 40 and 20 meters just fine. I operated the rig for about an hour, and frankly, I was surprised at just how nice the rig operated. I shot photos of the radio and then once I was done, I boxed the radio back up in the original box. I couldn’t do a better job boxing it.
WWII LIGHTNING BUG. I also came across a WWII-era Vibroplex Lightning Bug that is a mint as any original 78-year-old bug could be. The key has been in the attic for at least a dozen years, probably more. The key is a standard finish key with black base; the key is earlier in the war because it does not have the tin ID plate. The chrome looks absolutely mint. The only wear I could find was on the finger and thumb piece, which both show that they key was used. As clean as the key is, it must have been kept most of the time in a carrying case.
THIS ‘N’ THAT. I also unearthed another Heathkit HP-23 power supply, and a Hallicrafters PS-150 power supply — to go along with one that’s not boxed up sitting near it in the attic.
NEXT ON THE BENCH. The SB-102 I recovered from the basement is the next rig on the bench; I bought the thing many years ago and did nothing with it. I suspect it needs new “O” rings at least. This SB-102 has had a 120v muffin fan mounted over the finals to help cool them. If this SB-102 doesn’t work out, I’ll “donate” the radio’s CW filter and the CW filter paddle knob to the SB-102 I’m operating now.
SPEAKING OF SB-102…. I hadn’t checked the contest calendar and was not prepared for the cacophony of CW signals spread across 80 CW this evening ahead of net time. I flipped on my 12vdc power supply to supply power to my MFJ ssb/cw filter. I think I’m getting the hang of the filter’s adjustments. Anyway, RF was getting into the supply, messing up my keying too. I ended up having to use the brain-power CW filter. Signals were good, the band wasn’t broken this evening.
73 es CUL … de KY4Z … SK … SK …. (dit dit) …