[NCDXA] [PVRC] Fwd: Top 10 Early 60's Ham Transceivers

Thu Jul 30 21:52:57 UTC 2020

I will always remember the 75S3C and KWM2's at W3AU and W3DOS because their
noise blankers were the only ones effective against the "Russian
Woodpecker" back in the 70's, at least in my experience. That signal would
be a solid S9+30db for hours when EU was open on 20M, and the Collins' NBs
would get it down to S9 without obliterating the desired signals.
Sometimes the signal would be there for just a few minutes, sometimes for
hours....  Of course, 10 megawatts ERP from Ukraine is pretty strong
compared to a typical ham signal, even those running "gas".  Thank goodness
it went silent in 1989.  Newer ops can read about it in many places,
including here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Duga_radar.

73, Dave K3ZJ

On Thu, Jul 30, 2020 at 2:49 PM Phillip Barsky via PVRC <
pvrc at mailman.qth.net> wrote:

> Tom,  Thanks for sharing your story.  Pretty first class club for a high
> school.  I was lucky to have a knight transmitter and (don't recall)
> receiver at A Lincoln HS in Brooklyn.
>
> I had a Swan 350C with me in Korea during 69-70 as HL9UZ. Had 2El, 3 Band
> Mosley Quad on top of a 50 f5 telephone pole. Installation cost me 1 large
> bottle of booze to crane operator and 1 pizza and beer fest for my
> communication platoon who assisted in getting the antenna installed. Yes it
> drifted for the first 1/2 hour and then just slightly after that- worked a
> lot of split with one vfo ( tougher than SO2R) on CW. Pretty easy to get
> back to Xmit freq- it was always set a=on a large marker on dial.
>
> At Ft Belvoir during short stint 69-69 operated the MARS station on
> amateur bands- S line, 30S1 and Hygain Tribander up 70 feet.  Sweet rig to
> operate- mostly at lunchtime breaks).
>
> Hope others chime in with their stories of these w=storied rigs.
>
> 73   Stay Well Stay Safe see everyone on the NAQP
>
> Phil K3EW
>
>
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> On Thu, Jul 30, 2020 at 10:25 AM Thomas Valenti <tomk3aj at gmail.com> wrote:
>
>> Thank you, Phil..
>>
>> You know you are getting old when you enjoy this kind of nostalgia.
>>
>> In the fall of 1967 I transferred from public schools to Calvert Hall
>> College High School in Towson, MD - a Christian Brother's school. There I
>> met my still friend and partner in operating crime Bob Venanzi, ND3D. I
>> already had my general ticket, so I was allowed to use the Hallicrafters
>> SR-150 along with a Johnson Thunderbolt amp attached to a three-element
>> tribander. I thought I had died and gone to heaven. And oh, the glow of the
>> mercury vapor rectifiers in the Thunderbolt. It was magic not
>> repeated until the first time I keyed a transmitter at W3LPL. BTW, I still
>> have a picture of Brother Gerald in my shack.
>>
>> A year later I toiled for many months slinging hamburger's at Gino's to
>> come up with the money ($325, I think) to buy a used Swan 350. Actually, I
>> didn't sling that many burgers, because I always got stuck with the job
>> everyone hated - working the register and dealing with customers.
>> Apparently, our managers figured out that I was one of the very few kids
>> who would not steal money from the register (very easy to do in those
>> days). 40% of what was then the legal limit into a low random wire fed with
>> a L-tuner. Life was good.
>>
>> Later, at Calvert Hall Brother Gerald sold the SR-150 and we got an
>> NCX-5. It was really nice, and it was amazing how accurate the
>> mechanical counter digital readout dial was. Maybe the prettiest radio
>> ever built.
>>
>> Many years later, I bought an old TR-4 and used it a bit before selling
>> it along with a bunch of other vintage gear to help buy my K3. The
>> strangest quirk about the TR4 was the microphone jack. It was something
>> non-standard as I recall. And the 6JB6 sweep tubes for this transceiver
>> have gotten scarce. The lucky buyer of my TR4 also got a complete NOS set
>> of spares that I had overpaid for on ebay.
>>
>> So, I had personal experience with 4 of the 10 transceivers featured. At
>> one time or another, I believe that I was in the shack of someone who had
>> each of these radios except for the KWM-2 (I only knew one ham with enough
>> money for one of those and I was never in his schack) and the SBE-33.
>>
>> Didn't K3ZO say that once upon time he had an SR-150 mounted in a
>> Chevrolet Corvair? I am sure there was not room for a girl in the
>> passenger seat with that radio in that car. Apparently, Fred had his
>> priorities in order.
>>
>> Tom K3AJ
>>
>> On Wed, Jul 29, 2020 at 9:04 PM Phillip Barsky via PVRC <
>> pvrc at mailman.qth.net> wrote:
>>
>>> Folks.  Well done video going over top ten xcvrs from the sixties. Great
>>> nostalgia .
>>> Recommend watching it.
>>> Passed along from old friend from sixties WA2QQH
>>>
>>> Enjoy
>>> 73 Phil K3EW
>>>
>>> Sent from my iPhone
>>>
>>> Begin forwarded message:
>>>
>>> *From:* Marty Hyman <kidpix13 at yahoo.com>
>>> *Date:* July 29, 2020 at 8:17:47 PM EDT
>>> *To:* Phil Barsky <phillipbarsky at gmail.com>, Philip Schlesinger <
>>> philham711 at gmail.com>, Phillip Barsky <phillipbarsky at yahoo.com>
>>> *Subject:* *Top 10 Early 60's Ham Transceivers*
>>>
>>> 
>>> The good old days! Watch this...
>>>
>>> https://youtu.be/doRoYeBqgHM
>>>
>>>
>>> .......
>>>
>>> ______________________________________________________________
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>>>
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>>
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