I want to make it clear to everyone that aside from poor communications, I
do not suspect Vollie Redd of doing anything wrong. I think the money order I
sent to Vollie was either lost in the mail or stolen and I do not think Vollie was involved
in any way.

When I advised prospective buyers to be careful and protect yourselves, I was
referring to the use of money orders. With a money order, if something goes wrong, there
is little, if anything which can be done to save your money. At least with Paypal or a credit card,
or even a money transfer, you can stop the transaction and determine where the money
ended up.

Steve ... KE7RTV

Should have said that I believe Vollie is telling the truth about not having
received the money order. I only wanted to relate my experience with him.

Steve KE7RTV

Buyers Beware of Vollie Redd, N5WHT!!

On March 12, I sent Vollie Redd $125.00 for an antenna tuner.
Initial communications were cordial and I notified him that payment was in the mail.

After nine days without receipt of the tuner and no communication from Vollie,
I wrote a friendly note asking for a tracking number. In an angry reply, Vollie
stated that he had not mailed the tuner and suggested I was lying about
having sent the money. When I asked him why he hadn't let me know there was
a problem, Vollie stated that it wasn't his responsibility.

Having misunderstood my callsign, and without asking me for clarification, he notified
another ham and the FCC that I was using another person's callsign. He also claimed
that I've been doing business under a false name.

Vollie perceived the following from me as a threat : "You best hope it turns up", and became
outraged, resulting in another very angry email.

I've lost $125.00.  Buyers, Protect yourself!!

 
Frank,

I should have taken your advice and used the interface. In retrospect, it seems like it was the
obvious solution. But with the price of an interface being between $40 and $70, I was trying
to make certain it was what I needed before I spent the money. Now that I have a better understanding
of what an interface does, I'd recommend that everyone use one. The money saved isn't worth the
risk.

Thanks again for your help.

73,

Steve

I want to express my thanks to everyone who helped me with this problem.

After trying everything I could think of, including all the suggestions made on this forum,
I placed a relay buffer between the amp and the Icom 718, and that did the trick. The
relay buffer now seems like an obvious solution but the symptoms were weird and even
Ameritron didn't think a buffer would help.

Many thanks to Ron, K4POZ, who made the relay buffer and provided invaluable
support. I'm all the way across the country from Ron but I had the buffer within
48 hours of placing my order. If you need a relay buffer then you can't do better than
Ron.

Thanks again to everyone!!

73,

Steve  KE7RTV

Thanks once more for all the help and suggestions.

As for my station ground; I have a buss to which the transmitter and amplifier are
connected. The buss is connected by solid copper wire to a rod which is five feet into
the ground. The distance from the buss to the rod is approximately 15 feet. I live in
the desert where the soil is dry and sandy.

I've ordered new RG8X coax for use with the amplifer and as soon as it arrives, I'll try
all the suggestions.

I really appreciate all the help.

Steve KE7RTV

Thanks to everyone for your suggestions.

My antenna is a inverted V dipole. It's about 25 feet above the ground. Fed with RG8x coax.
At the time, I wasn't using a choke balun which, to my understanding, isn't necessary when
in the inverted vee config. I've been testing the amp on the 40 meter band.

The distortion only occurs when I'm using the Al-80A. I've discussed this problem with Ameritron
and they agree that the intermittent distortion is somewhere in the transceiver.

I have ordered new RG8X coax because I was using the very cheap stuff from Ebay. I'm waiting
for this to arrive before I attempt another test. I'll also make a choke balun.

Thanks again to everyone for your help and as soon as possible I'll try your suggestions and report
back with the results. ..................    Steve KE7RTV

Hi,

Thanks for the reply. In answer to your quesion; the distortion only happens when the
amp is being used.  SWR  was between 1.5 and 2. 

73 and thanks again,

Steve

Hi,

I'm new to amplifiers. I just bought an Al-80A. My radio is an Icom 718. The problem is that when
I transmit using the Al-80A, my transmission works but every incoming signal after it
is distorted to the point that I'm unable to understand what's being said. If I turn the radio off and
back on, the distortion goes away.
Sometimes, I've had to turn the radio off and on several times before the distortion clears up.

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks,  Steve KE7RTV

Thanks to all for your help and for the manual.......Steven

Many thanks for the responses.

Not sure how to explain garbled except to say it's intelligible. Some of it is SSB but the problem
also affects SW . AM is very loud and clear.

Since the original post, I've spent more time with the radio and have heard CW on 15 and
someplace a little higher, as well as on 40 meters. The SSB is on 40.

For a radio with as many years on it as this one, I think it's in pretty good shape.

I haven't had the time to look inside at the caps because they are on the underside of
the circuit panel and not easy to get to.

I'm puzzled about the purpose of the adjustment screw which I described in the original
post but it's probably best I don't attempt to turn it. It's about 1.5 inches long, is threaded,
with a screw type slot in its top. It protrudes thru the topside of the circuit panel
and resides alongside the tubes.

Thanks again,

Steve

Hello,

My Hallicrafters s-53A  powers up ok. The volume is loud with very little hum. It receives  the
AM band pretty well but the audio on the shortwave is garbled and difficult to understand. I've
heard some CW on the lower portion of 40 meters but nothing on any of the other amateur
bands.

Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

Also, if I lift up the top portion of the cabinet I can see a slotted component which
apparently is meant for some type of adjustment. Could someone tell me its purpose?


Thanks,
Steve 

The gentleman is sharing his experiences as they relate to his intial expectations.
 
Why shouldn't we listen to him and examine our own behaviour towards new hams?
Just dismissing him as a guy who doesn't know how to communicate doesn't seem to me to be the correct response.
After all, it is possible that he has a point.

This is crazy.  Nowhere in life, with the possible exception of church, are you going to be unconditionally accepted just by showing up.  The supposed rudeness that gets reported and complained about on forums like this seem to be from people who themselves have trouble communicating, and who seem to enjoy being a victim.  If you don't like a particular club or group, get over it and move on.


----------------------------

When the ARRL sells the myth that amateur radio is a group
of people just waiting for new friends to come along and join them then
it's hardly crazy when someone actually believes it and is disappointed when it doesn't
happen.
KE7RTV

It can be difficult to break into the hobby. People don't mean to be rude but some amateurs
have been in the hobby for so long that they've forgotten what it was like to be a newcomer.
During my time in radio I've met a few people whom I'd  just as soon not talk to again but
that's life, and for the most part, everyone has been very nice to me and understanding of my
newcomer's clumsiness on the air.

As for getting technical help you're best learning it on your own. I asked four different people
for help and got ignored four times. That's just the way it is, but each time I needed help I
went back to the bench and figured out what I needed to learn and I'm better off for having
done it on my myself. It's not and easy hobby but the rewards are great. You just have to
keep trying.

Amateur radio is truly a great hobby filled with nice and interesting people. Just hang in there
and keep trying and you'll get the hang of it.
Ke7RTV