Some commercial grade weed whacker line - .090 to .130 ROUND (so it doesn't saw thru tree limbs when the trees sway in the wind).

I've used it for my 80M delta loops and it does a great job.

It will sag a bit under ice and snow loading but will spring back when the snow or ice melt.

My main HF rig is a Yaesu FT-102 and I am considering the purchase of the Donner Digital Interface for the RCA jacks  http://home.att.net/~n8st/yaesu.html

As to the sound card, having past experience with Creative Labs, I thought the Creative Labs Sound Blaster 16 PCI Sound Card might work (http://www.amazon.com/Creative-Labs-Sound-Blaster-Card/dp/B00000J579), but doing some additional reading suggests that a card with a higher sampling rate might be a better choice, like the Audigey SE.

Opinions/suggestions?

Howard

I betcha I know....it'll be filled with "skip shooters."

From time to time I use my old brass key, but the Heathkit HD-1410 I assembled as a novice is built for CW crusin'.

I can send code for hours and it is really enjoyable.  And, like most, I put on the headphones and get into the ZONE.

Pace made some nice 'Resistweeze' units the are desoldering tweezers.  They allow you to grab the component and apply heat to the pads at the same time.  When the solder melts you just lift up the component.

Good luck with the amp project.

KE3WD wrote

“Surface Mount is easier to work with than through hole.  Faster, too, as you don't have to access both sides of the board.  

As for "special equipment" for Surface Mount Rework, a needle tip for the good quality regulated and adjustable temperature soldering iron plus a package of ChipQwik is not expensive.  

PCB fabrication for the "one-off" can be a lot less expensive in SMT also, as you don't have to pay for all those through-holes.  

Parts are readily available.  Hams perhaps need to *change* and get away from certain paradigms that are holding many back from getting a lot done and having a lot of fun. “



I have an older PACE PC-22 rework/desoldering station.  I have repaired surface mount component boards, but I still prefer the old “plated thru” design.  While perhaps, not the most efficient method, or use of circuit board real estate, it is still widely used and is my particular preference.

The parts necessary for construction and repair are getting hard to find.  Surface mount technology, while nice, makes troubleshooting and repair difficult when one lacks the necessary skills and equipment to remove and replace those devices.  Then, if you manage to find the problem, good luck obtaining the part.  If the equipment is even a few years old, the part may be obsolete.

Add to that, many in our hobby won't even try to build a wire antenna, preferring to purchase even a simple dipole.  So, without a demand for small parts, vendors become scarce, or non-existent.

Sorry I couldn't be of more help in your parts and information quest.  But don't give up.

Dan,

The posting was merely meant to inject a bit of humor into the forum mix.  

For those so inclined to see the lighter side of this posting, it was obvious the Power Pole connectors and the wire gauge were insufficient to support the current required for the stated power output of this amp.  The number of 100 watt rated HF RF transistors were insufficient for the power output claim.  And the current requirements @ 13.8 VDC would have required a rather large battery capacity in the target vehicle.

But most of all, the seller felt he could validate his claims without so much as a by-your-leave from anyone.  That is, until a message from one of our forum members called him out.

Many of the "wall warts" are unregulated.  If your equipment does not require strict regulation then an unregulated supply should be OK as long as the unregulated voltage output of the supply is stable under the current load demand.

My suggestion would be to examine the requirements of your equipment and select a power supply that is similar in its output of voltage and AT LEAST supply as much current as the old supply.

Switching power supplies can cause interference to some equipment, especially receivers, since their design uses a small torrid core as the transformer and the circuit switches at 100Khz or higher.  Harmonics galore !

I've heard of this tube, but don't have any particular application information.

But here is a data sheet: http://www.russiantubes.com/prop.php?t=8&p=231

Looks like it would make a formidable amplifier but the power supply is gonna be a killer and the air cooling requirement is large.

The GI7B seems to have gotten a lot more play:  http://gi7b.com/

The Ameritron AL-80 series, which include the Heathkit SB-1000, are good amps and the repair parts for them are still available from Ameritron.  I just installed a new plate choke and have a new band switch for my SB-1000 which I purchased from Ameritron.  Modifcations will be needed for use on WARC bands.

The Drake L-4 and L-7 had problems with the AC Power switch burning contacts, but that can be addressed by adding a high current relay controlled by the AC Power switch or adding a step start circuit.

Keep away from sweep tube amps.  Besides design problems the tubes are getting difficult to find.  Pretty much any amp using the 3-500Z will be a good amp if it is in reasonable shape and repair parts are still available.  If you can "try before you buy" that is a real plus.

You can also do this:  http://www.w5dxp.com/notuner.htm.  An all band (almost - I don't think it works on 60M, but it might) by closely matching the feedline impedance to the dipole impedance.

If the wire elements are straight, it is commonly called a "Fan Dipole."  As a VEE it will work, too.  Just use the formula for a 1/2 wave dipole (468/FMhz) and add about 5%, which comes out to 492/FMhz.

Then the fun begins...trimming the length for each dipole because there is interaction between the wires.  I have found it is best to pull in the ends a bit and wrap the extra wire back over itself.  This pretty much eliminates the necessity of adding on later as the fine tune adjustments continue.  

You didn't think you would get it all correct in one pass?

Use a ruler and take notes on how the interactions affect the dipole as you proceed.  This will allow you to see a pattern in the changes and back track if necessary

Start with the lowest frequency band dipole and work toward the higher frequencies in step.  A 4 or 5 band Fan is quite doable.  More than that gets frustrating as the interactions become more complex.

80, 40, 20, 17, 15 and ? (12 or 10 M) (15 works off of the 40 M dipole, being 3 quarter waves.

The non resonant dipole sections will appear as a high to very high impedance at the feed-point, effectively "disconnecting" them from the array.  However, there still remains some interaction and the lobe pattern will become something different than what you would expect from a single, resonant Vee antenna.

If you are tempted to cut the wrapped ends when you are done, remember that action will cause some shift on one or more of the dipoles.  Just avoid the urge and use a ty wrap or some electrical tape to secure the wrapped ends.

Use a 1:1 choke balun at the feedpoint if feeding with coax cable.  Either one fashioned out of turns of coax or a toroid core.

The old ARRL handbooks had a great pictorial of the Western Union splice procedure.

This link has a good step-by-step pictorial:  http://www.saskschools.ca/curr_content/paasurvey/elec/lesson5/lesson5.html