Noel - while your electrician is running 110/220 VAC lines to your shack you should consider having him install a "pony panel" so that you can control all the power feeds to your shack. Besides making it easy to control the power it also lets someone kill the power in case there is an emergency. I did this in my new shack and the XYL knows exactly where to go and what to do if she finds me doing the "funky chicken" by grabbing the wrong wire at the workbench!  ;-)

Once you count up the number of outlets you think you need then multiply that by 10! Separate feeds for the ring around your radio desk/workbench will ensure you never overload any one circuit.

73 - Dino KL0S

I recently built two regens, the first N1BYT's "WBR" (QST Aug '01; using FAR Circuits PCB) and Doug Hendricks' Scout. The Scout is an easy build and my only criticism is the varicon cap tuning is very critical as opposed to a much smoother action with the 365pF cap coupled to a 8:1 reduction drive I used in the WBR. The audio output stages of both rigs really needs an 8 ohm set of headphones to get a good audio output level. Both rigs can be used with a Radio Shack amplified speaker with good results. There are lots of other circuits floating around.

Pick one and enjoy!

73 - Dino KL0S

Oh boy, that brought back some memories - it was always a real treat to visit the "train station in Burlingame" in the late '60s/early 70's as a young high school ham (WN6FZN/WB6FZN at the time).  That store and the surplus stores on Market Street in San Francisco kept me in gear and parts.  HRO has been my supplier of choice ever since.

73 - Dino KL0S

Mark - I considered using my tilt base with my BigIR and as I recall the reasons I didn't/couldn't revolved around the configuration of the EHU and 80m coil.  They need to be mounted very close to the ground and I don't think the pressure exerted by the attaching U-bolts would be good for the fiberglass mast.  Don't know how you'd attach it to the BigIR for sure with the 80m coil accessory installed.  The good news is that it is VERY easy to simply loosen the cable clamp at the bottom of the EHU and lift the antenna up off the mounting pipe and just lay it over down to the ground.  Think the weight may have been an issue as well but would have to go back and check the literature.

Really like my BigIR, it's a firecracker on 80/40m and a decent performer above that.

73 - Dino KL0S

I used one of the Jameco supplies Clif mentioned for a number of years running my two Z3801A boxes but I was always uncomfortable with having the open frame style supply running without any fusing.  I got a nice Tenma variable supply from MCM Electronics that will supply up to 60VDC at a max 1.6A (#72-8240) and has a nice display, current limiting capability, etc. and use it for a dedicated supply.  Unlike the old Jameco I can always see the 48VDC setting displayed along with the current being drawn (usually about 430mA when the Z-box is sitting "idle").  Yep, pricier than the open frame supply but I feel much more comfortable with it (priceless!).

73 - Dino KL0S

Ditto for my experiences with Rex, he was great to me lately making sure my orders were filled quickly. Really like his MePADs for Manhattan style construction.

Will be a repeat buyer for a long time to come.

73 - Dino KL0S

You could build Doug DeMaw's (W1FB) "A Tester for Crystal F, Q and R" in the January 1990 issue of QST. Circuit board available from FAR Circuits as I recall. Works great.

73 - Dino KL0S

Rob - either the L-4BPS or L7PS will work just fine with your L-4B. You really should run it on 220 VAC as a 15 A 110 line just won't cut it. When you find a suitable supply the first thing to do is rebuild it with either a Harbach:

http://www.harbachelectronics.com/main/page_products_drake_l4l4bl7.html

or Heathkit Shop board

http://www.theheathkitshop.com/page10/page10.html]

(DANGER - only do this if you're comfortable working around potential high voltages as they can KILL you!). I've rebuilt three supplies and it's not that hard to do. You should also at least consider a Harbach Soft Start which is easy to install. Might be a good idea to replace the 50W bleeder resistors and 0.82 ohm in the HV line as well if they look flaky. Have had my L-4B since I bought it new in 1979 and it's still running the original 3-500Z's at full power out. There is also a 5K 7W resistor on the bottom side of the supply that lots of guys replace with at least a 10W unit 'cause if that fails it will take out the ALC pot and nowadays they are unobtanium (two 10K 10W resistors in parallel are a good substitute). A fan and a set of handles on the supply also make good accessories.

If you're going to keep the Drake gear you might want to join the two Drake groups, one on mailman:

http://mailman.zerobeat.net

and one on Yahoo Groups:

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/DrakeRadio/

Good luck!

73 - Dino KL0S

The 1500 does have a spectrum analyzer. One word of caution - the analog signal generator attenuators in the 1500 are prone to failure. I found out mine had a problem one day when doing a SINAD test on a receiver and the meter was jumping all over the place. I had (then) IFR replace the analog attenuator with the digital electronic version after talking to Weinshel, the attenuator manufacturer. They told me that IFR specified the manufacture even after Weinshel told them there would be problems.

YMMV but I wouldn't buy a 1500 again with an analog attenuator...if you do make sure you get some kind of at least short-term warranty until you can determine it's working properly (problem is that it may fail unexpectedly...not a pretty sight at all).

Also be prepared to change out the CPU memory battery which isn't hard to do. The pix on the repeater builder website are from my battery replacement:

http://www.repeater-builder.com/test-equipment/aeroflex/aeroflex-index.html

see the 1500 documentation section.

73 - Dino KL0S

During my military career we purchased four homes where I had my HyGain 52SS crank up tower with TH7DX yagi on top installed. First time I already owned the home and just put the thing up without any permits at all (yeah, dumb but it worked!). The next three homes I got smart and ALWAYS made the ability to erect amateur radio towers and antennas a part of the purchase agreement after researching the HOA covenants. One HOA, quite surprisingly, approved our request simply because there was no language in the restrictive covenants that precluded them -- even though they prohibited satellite dishes greater than 1m in diameter! Go figure. We lived there for 12 years before moving to what is hopefully our final QTH where even with 23 acres of land we had to go thru that same deal with the "Architectural Control Committee," thankfully made up of only three property owners, one of which was our seller.  But it took making a change to the covenants that (1) allowed such installations with approval vice "not permitted" at all and (2) then the actual approval of the installation. We used the Virginia state code that covers amateur radio towers and antennas as the exact verbiage in our request. End result was approval in writing and now all I have to do is figure out what new tower and antenna to erect.

YMMV, but you can't go wrong if you get it in writing.

GL - Dino KL0S

Someone taught me a trick years ago that works well to solder coax braid to the connector....you've got to use silver connectors.

--First, put the PL-259 inner connector in a vise or holder and put a cold solder blob on top of each hole leading to the braid....it don't have to be pretty, just enough to hold the solder there.
--Prep your coax using whatever method you normally use and apply solder to the braid so that it covers the circumference at the point where you'll make the cut thru the inner foam.
--Use a sharp box cutter (or a tubing cutter works as well) to cut thru the foam down to the inner conductor; be careful not to nick the center conductor.
--Simply screw the connector down onto the coax (don't forget to put the outer barrel on first -- not that I've ever done that!) to the point that the top of the braid is against the top of the cylinder it's screwing into.
--Now, here's the magic....use your iron and heat the connector in the vicinity of the cold solder blobs....once you've transferred sufficient heat to the connector the braid will "suck" the cold solder blob down into it and make a solid connection - repeat for the other three holes.

The first time I saw this done I was amazed how easy it was and what a nice connection it made.  YMMV, but I've used this procedure ever since and never had a problem with a connector.

73 - Dino KL0S

I'm kinda in the same boat...at my last QTH I had a window box on the second floor with the copper plate the cable/rotator arrestors were mounted on connected to a 8' ground rod by a wide copper strap immediately below the window/box. We've moved and I have the same issue, BUT I'm having an electrician install a sub-panel here in the shack that will control the 20A service to the outlets for the radio/work benches [you know, in case I'm found doing the "funky chicken" and a lay person could see the emergency panel and shut off all the power quickly].  As the sub panel will be directly tied to the service ground is this sufficient ground for the shack?  The arrestors will still have to be tied to a ground and I wonder if that's sufficient?

Any advice may help both of us.

Thanks in advance!

73 - Dino KL0S

Ray - I owned a 52SS for many years and had it installed at three different locations. We took it down for that last time a few months ago when we sold our home and I donated it to a local ham. Last time it was erected I had a group of workers who did walk it up to the vertical; you're going to need more than 2-3 folks though. You should consider some way of safely supporting the tower IF on the way up you're not able to continue until you get to the "break over" point.  Also, if you're using a Hy-Gain replacement base (amazing that they're still fabricating and selling these) that the tolerance is VERY tight (which is a good thing) so have some way to adjust the vertical position a little in order to put the bolts in place.  Finally, if this is a used unit you should consider replacing the cable system...you'll have to fabricate it yourself as Hy-Gain no longer makes them.  While you're at it make up one or two extra sets for the future to replace before a failure occurs.  If you're looking for a winch let me know and I'll send you the model number of the unit I replaced twice during my tower's lifetime.

Good luck!

73 - Dino KL0S (kl0s at arrl dot net)

BTW, if your better half is a ham you can purchase a life membership for them as well at a very reduced rate....no second issue of QST but I thought it was worth it to support the League.  Think it was just over $200 a couple of years ago when I found out about the program.  Been a life member since the early 1980's so I'm pretty sure I've gotten my $$ worth.

Dino KL0S

We were disappointed as well.....had a table last year and thought the new location and initial good attendance was a good sign for the future.  But when we walked in on Saturday at about 1100 the first thing we noticed was that there was a huge empty space where there had been tables last year.

WX was crummy that day so that may have had some impact on attendance.  Had high hopes for a better show....maybe next year.

Dino KL0S