classic radio
Who pulled the plug on the propagation machine?
Wednesday, Oct. 28, 2020 So far this week, I’m batting .333 for my efforts to check in on my CW traffic net. Every night the band seems to go long at 9 p.m. Eastern time, […]
ham radio
Amphenol connectors resemble Maker’s Mark bourbon: ‘Taste expensive — and is.’
Saturday, Oct. 24, 2020 I found out first-hand why so many classic radio owners switched their microphone chassis jacks from the old Amphenol 2-pin connector — as used on Hallicrafters, Collins and other vintage gear […]
ebay
Shipping classic gear an (increasingly) pricey proposition …
Friday, Oct. 23, 2020 My son and I just got back from our trip to town and the post office, where we mailed three packages — two of them large, one of them extraordinarily heavy. […]
antennae
Does your antenna improve your audio quality? Inquiring hams want to know …
Wednesday, Oct. 21, 2020 I was copying the mail while working in Studio C over the weekend, and heard something that made me pause to listen closer. Two hams were in conversation about antennas and […]
ebay
Shack excavations reveal everything but kitchen sink …
Tuesday, Oct. 20, 2020 For the past few days, eBay sales have been keeping me busy … a couple of Heil Classic mics, a National NCX-200 and a Hammarlund HQ-170. The Hammarlund is problematic; I […]
classic radio
Medium rave about a short wave (receiver) …
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 […]
ham radio
Progation foibles; attic archaelogy turns up treasures …
Thursday, Oct. 15, 2020 The 80-meter band appeared to have died again just prior to my 9 p.m. ET CW traffic net; tonight I was joined on the net by my Kentucky colleague, AD4DX. Willis […]
operating
Who turned off the 80-meter band this evening??
Wednesday, Oct. 14, 2020 I was upstairs in Studio C boxing up some items that recently sold on eBay while monitoring one of my “regular” spots on 75-meter phone when everything went to hell in […]
CW keys
Long awaited Japanese keyer arrives …. from Europe??
Sunday Oct. 11, 2020 A long-awaited arrival to my Morse key collection arrived yesterday — finally — after a lengthy trip from the Netherlands: a Dentsu Seiki DA-1 electronic keyer. The keyer is based on […]
antenna tuners
Sniping the elusive Differential T tuner ….
Saturday, Oct. 10, 2020 I finally got a good deal on my favorite antenna tuner — the MFJ-986 Differential T tuner. The MFJ-986 sells new for $419.95 from MFJ; used on eBay they command prices […]