Copper foil tape works great on windows and can be fashioned into mag loops as well as dipoles on a clean glass surface.  GL

I believe that I may have one of the few MB-6/MB-565 twins still in existance.  It is rare to see pictures of these, much less to find a pair.

These radios were revolutionary in the size and perfromance.  Kinda the IC-706 of the 1950s!

Does anyone out there have a pair of these, or know of the existance of any of these?  

Thanks in advance for your reply.

Marty,

I have a complete S-120.  The panel is a bit spotted and corroded and the dial plate is cracked.  I've found that it is good to have a complete backup, and fior $20 plus shipping how can you go wrong?

Paul, K5AF

Do you have a nice big glass window with no screen?  I've taped a copper tape magnetic loop to a window and it has worked very well.  If you have a window big enough for a 4' by 4' loop, try it.  A circular or square shape works best, but rectangles work also!  You can buy half-inch copper foil tape on eBay for only a few bucks. It will stick to the glass, but will peel off quite easily when you need to take it down.

Paul, K5AF

This morning I was rudely treated to a broadband noise ranging frrrom about 6980 to 7220 KHZ.  It seems to peak around 7005 and reads from S-7 to S-9. It seems to follow some type of HF propagation, as the signal varies in strength.  It is a hash-sounding signal, sort of like motor noise at a fairly high rate of repitition.

Any ideas out there?  If this is a well-know type of interference, please pardon the post, but this is the first I've heard it.

My thought would be to use a 17M hamstick and attach a wire (or two wires) to the tip of it that help guy it while also providing some electrical length.  Of course, you would put an insulator on the wire and attach it to opposite end of the roof of the vehicle.  This setup would look kind of like a sloper, and would be electrically loadable on 40-10M quite easily.

Mount the tuner very near the base of the antenna, feed it with a single wire and ground the tuner.

I'm quite amazed that there aren't more creative mobile antenna solutions out there.  I recall an Aussie mobile op who used an inverted U on his car, consisting of 9' whips at both ends of the vehicle connected by a loading wire between the tips.  With a tuner, it was a very effective DX antenna on several bands.

A few questions on torroids:

Why are there recommendations to use mylar tape around the torroid when most are alreadt coated with some nonconductive paint?

Why don't more tube linear designs use torroids instead of large loading coils?

Thanks, Paul

I'd like to get beam headings to various locations, is there a site where I can create a polar projection based on my QTH?

Paul, K5AF

I did a considerable amount of research here, as I wanted a no-frills rig to take with me when I travel.  I also wanted to keep the price under $500.  My search took me to the Icom 718.  It had the highest rating of almost any transceiver in the eHam reviews, and seems to have an amazing amount of sophistication for its cost.

I am still waiting for the radio to be shipped, so I will give a more thorough review after I have time to use it on the air for a while, but here is a summary of what the reviews seem to say:

The front firing speaker seems to provide better receive audio than most radios have from a top-mounted internal speaker.  The size is a bit bigger than the IC-706 or the FT-100, but the controls are easy to use.  Display is very good.  Seems well-built, well-suited to travel.  Needs the extra filtering for contesting, but OK stock for most general operating.  Very good, intuitive menu system.  Good power output on all bands.

I will keep you posted, my expectations are high for this radio.

Paul, K5AF

I have had great success with a 66' center-fed inverted vee fed with twinlead or ladderline through a tuner.  It will load well on 40-10m.  Place two or three 40-60' radials at the base, tie the conductors of the twinlead together, and, voila, you have a top loaded vertical for 80M and 160M.  If you can get the apex 30-35 feet up, you will have a very effective antenna, even on 80M and 160M.  My other recommendation would be an inverted L, with a tuner and radials at the base.  Good luck!

Those coaxial connectors are cheap and wear out.  I just drilled a seperate hole for an RCA jack.

Paul K5AF

Had a great time working 160M from Dominica as J75KG last year.  We were able to make EU QSOs even after European sunrise, and continued to work into the states until after our sunrise.  We seemed successful with the gray line paths, but also from midnight to 2 AM local time.  I think it helps to keep a receiver there to monitor the noise level and look for new multipliers all the time between sunset and sunrise.  It is a band full of surprises.

This is a great idea.  I built 12V distribution boxes in very small Radio Shack plastic enclosures to take with me to Dominica for CQWW last year.  On each box, I included a set of bananna plugs, two RCA jacks and "push" type speaker connectors for bare wire connections.  These little boxes really came in handy, especially when we didn't have the correct DC power plug for a bandpass filter and had to use hookup wire to connect it.

My recommendation would be to hang a 40M inverted vee dipole fed with ladderline off the tower.  Run the ladderline a couple of feet away from the tower and Place an L-network at the tower base.  Feed the antenna by shorting the ladderline at the base and put out four or more decent radials.  Tune the antenna at the base, it will perform well on both 80 and 160M.  By un-shorting the ladderline, you can splice an additional run of ladderline to the shack and have a very good 40-10M antenna to boot!  (Of course you will need a tuner with a balanced output.)

GL, Paul, K5AF

I just got an RT-11, and am disappointed at the performance, it seems to find a different matching solution every time I tune it, with the SWR sometimes as high as 3 to 1.  I am going to contact LDG to see what the problem is.  I have an AT-11 that I've been delighted with, so I am surprised this isn't better than that earlier model.