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Author Topic: Are there any NCX-1000 owners here?  (Read 1109 times)

N2EY

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Re: Are there any NCX-1000 owners here?
« Reply #15 on: April 06, 2021, 06:52:15 AM »

Thanks again, to all for your comments.

You're welcome!

Opinion, speculation, design/feature deficiencies and corporate environment aside, the radio simply is what it is, a somewhat rare, unique, and interesting design, that works sufficiently well to be enjoyable as is.     

It's nice to see there are a fair number of examples still in use today.   It would be interesting to know how many there actually are, but I doubt that'll ever be known.

I agree 100%.

That said, I think it's important to point out various design/feature deficiencies, as well as the historical context of any old radio, for a number of reasons:

1) Some of the deficiencies, such as the lack of warmup-time protection, can be rather easily fixed with no-holes mods. Others may require a bit more work but are often worth doing for various reasons. (And some mods are a Bad Idea from the get-go!)

2) It is good to know of such issues BEFORE deciding to invest a lot of resources into buying/restoring an old radio. In the case of the NCX-1000, for example, if someone wants a lot of power for SSB operations in a one-box vintage pre-WARC HF transceiver, it's a good choice. For serious CW operation - not so much.

3) Historical context is valuable - particularly accurate historical context. The closest competition to the NCX-1000 was probably the Hallicrafters SR-2000, which has its own pros and cons. Making such comparisons is part of our history, not an "insult" to anyone or anything.

IMHO

----

It's interesting that there are some folks who consider ANY comment on a particular rig's shortcomings to be a personal attack and insult, even though the comment is 100% accurate. It's as if the rigs of the past are sacred icons that must NEVER be spoken of in ANY way that is negative in the least. Anyone who DARES is attacked for....BLASPHEMY!

Why that is, I don't know. Makes no sense at all.


73 de Jim, N2EY
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N2MG

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Re: Are there any NCX-1000 owners here?
« Reply #16 on: April 06, 2021, 07:20:53 AM »

It's interesting that there are some folks who consider ANY comment on a particular rig's shortcomings to be a personal attack and insult, even though the comment is 100% accurate. It's as if the rigs of the past are sacred icons that must NEVER be spoken of in ANY way that is negative in the least. Anyone who DARES is attacked for....BLASPHEMY!

They are called fan boys - not pretty.
Of course there is also the opposite - folks who cannot allow nice things to be said about a product.
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Mike N2MG
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N2EY

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Re: Are there any NCX-1000 owners here?
« Reply #17 on: April 06, 2021, 08:11:51 AM »

It's interesting that there are some folks who consider ANY comment on a particular rig's shortcomings to be a personal attack and insult, even though the comment is 100% accurate. It's as if the rigs of the past are sacred icons that must NEVER be spoken of in ANY way that is negative in the least. Anyone who DARES is attacked for....BLASPHEMY!

They are called fan boys - not pretty.
Of course there is also the opposite - folks who cannot allow nice things to be said about a product.

Good observation! I can think of a certain company with wide product line. It has a three-letter name.....

73 de Jim, N2EY
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KM1H

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Re: Are there any NCX-1000 owners here?
« Reply #18 on: April 06, 2021, 09:47:15 AM »

Quote
Of course there is also the opposite - folks who cannot allow nice things to be said about a product.

Good observation Mike and those will troll repeatedly and condemn the products from that company they dont like and/or attack the poster....and have zero experience with them.
Strictly keyboard self claimed experts...not

Carl
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KM1H

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Re: Are there any NCX-1000 owners here?
« Reply #19 on: April 06, 2021, 12:48:39 PM »

Quote
Some of the deficiencies, such as the lack of warmup-time protection, can be rather easily fixed with no-holes mods. Others may require a bit more work but are often worth doing for various reasons.

It is far from a design deficiency as the warm up requirement is clearly mentioned in at least 3 places in the manual. Have you even bothered to read it??   If it was so important why was a mod not published by an owner?

Also note that I have stated several times that any reply I wrote to a customer as Service Manager had to be approved by the Sales Manager/later VP of Sales who was totally against anything negative about the company and was responsible for all of the BS including what I was "forced" to write. Thankfully he was canned for other reasons.

Maybe owners back then were better at reading the manual. BUT a new owner today may skip that step and cause short tube life. Companies back then werent planning on 50+ years service life and their products becoming collector prizes and fully functional and enjoyable to use either here in 2021.

And more negative hits from you:

Quote
Interesting rig. Note that the mechanical dial calibration is only 5 kHz while the competition (even Heathkit!) offered 1 kHz, and that CW sidetone and a crystal calibrator were extra-cost options. And of course no sharp filter for CW.

At least the VFO was consistent on all bands. Only radios with a PTO/LMO/etc offered a 1 kHz readout and those were very few in 1967 when the engineering started and National was putting very little money into product development.

Quote
That said, I think it's important to point out various design/feature deficiencies, as well as the historical context of any old radio, for a number of reasons:
 Historical context is valuable - particularly accurate historical context. The closest competition to the NCX-1000 was probably the Hallicrafters SR-2000, which has its own pros and cons. Making such comparisons is part of our history, not an "insult" to anyone or anything.

It's interesting that there are some folks who consider ANY comment on a particular rig's shortcomings to be a personal attack and insult, even though the comment is 100% accurate. It's as if the rigs of the past are sacred icons that must NEVER be spoken of in ANY way that is negative in the least. Anyone who DARES is attacked for....BLASPHEMY!

Unfortunately 100% accuracy is few and far between when it comes from those without hands on knowledge of a product, and especially of one very complicated.
Unfortunately also is someone who considers any attempt to offer a statement,  question, opinion, or disagreement is accused of a personal attack or insult....over and over and is unable to ever admit being wrong.

With any other brand those who are considered experts on those products actually own them, restore them, post repair/alignment details on them, and even have a web page dedicated to it and help others as a mentor.  You do nothing but complain about National since I worked there and you have been hateful for decades since.

You dont own a National anything, offer absolutely zero help to others trying to service them, BUT you are always ready to complain non stop when National or myself pop up on your troll alert. And its not just on eHam.

Unfortunately eHam lets you get away with it over and over.

Quote
Why that is, I don't know. Makes no sense at all.

That is a stretch even for you. One word describes you.....vindictive.....since I challenged you decades ago. Talk about a vendetta from one who is unable to stop.

Carl
National Radio 1963-69
Service Tech, Service Manager, Senior Engineering Aide
Member Of HRO-500, NCL-2000, NCX-1000 Design Teams
Still servicing most all models from the 30's
« Last Edit: April 06, 2021, 12:58:56 PM by KM1H »
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KI6NQT

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Re: Are there any NCX-1000 owners here?
« Reply #20 on: April 08, 2021, 08:18:09 PM »

Working on one, #37.  Just about good, couple more items.  RX sounds good.  Full output.  Delicate transformers.  Heavy :D

Tim
Ki6NQT
Suisun City
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KM1H

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Re: Are there any NCX-1000 owners here?
« Reply #21 on: April 09, 2021, 08:30:44 AM »

Tim, you are now appointed as the NCX-1000 expert!  Start a web page that is open for comments and it will most likely save others from the scrap pile.

Carl
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KI6NQT

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Re: Are there any NCX-1000 owners here?
« Reply #22 on: April 10, 2021, 02:52:52 PM »

Hi Carl,  thanks but I'm no expert :D. Just love to have fun with these radios of history plus I don't have to worry about having to pull out an manual just to operate after a 2 week vacation!
A web site for the NCX-1000  would be a great idea for a retirement project in a couple of months!
Take care all,

Tim
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KM1H

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Re: Are there any NCX-1000 owners here?
« Reply #23 on: April 22, 2021, 04:32:45 PM »

Working on one, #37.  Just about good, couple more items.  RX sounds good.  Full output.  Delicate transformers.  Heavy :D

Tim
Ki6NQT
Suisun City

I might have a couple of transformers, NOS populated PS boards (need new caps by now), plus 8122 sockets, also proper for the 8072, 8873, 8874, 8875, and 3CX800A7.

Carl
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K2GKK

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Re: Are there any NCX-1000 owners here?
« Reply #24 on: December 01, 2021, 01:45:54 PM »

I have two of them.  Also numerous NCX-5 and NCX-3 plus NCL-2000
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K5EF

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Re: Are there any NCX-1000 owners here?
« Reply #25 on: January 11, 2022, 07:49:47 PM »

I'd like to add S/N 46 to the list of fully operational NCX-1000s.  Checked into the 20M Vintage Sideband Net this past Sunday. 

My set was bought inoperable but complete.  Required reworking the vfo coil that had somehow gotten itself broken in transit, along with replacement of all electrolytics and most every 1/4 carbon resistor.  So many of those resistors (and those boards have bunches of them) had drifted way high in value that they all had to go.  A low drive problem turned out to be a bad 0.05uf bypass disc in the 2nd TX amplifier stage.  Rx is sensitive, quiet and the AVC is just right for me.  The vfo is remarkably stable after just a few minutes of warm up.  Tx audio reports all excellent via an Electrovoice 619 mic. 

This turned out to be a very challenging restoration (off and on during the covid experience) but it now looks great sitting next to the NCX-5/NCL-2000 combo.  There were a number of engineering changes apparently made as the first manual I sourced lacked an added emitter follower in the TX path, among others.  I have just one problem remaining and that's a receiver image only on 20M...can weakly hear some CW from the bottom end of the band folded in the sideband portion.  Will tackle it eventually but can live with it for now.

For its time, it was an interesting hybrid design with just a tube driver and 8122 final.  As a phone guy, a VOX option would have been handy.   

73  Nick K5EF
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N1IAL

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Re: Are there any NCX-1000 owners here?
« Reply #26 on: February 25, 2023, 12:53:41 PM »

Thanks again, to all for your comments.

You're welcome!

Opinion, speculation, design/feature deficiencies and corporate environment aside, the radio simply is what it is, a somewhat rare, unique, and interesting design, that works sufficiently well to be enjoyable as is.     

It's nice to see there are a fair number of examples still in use today.   It would be interesting to know how many there actually are, but I doubt that'll ever be known.

I agree 100%.

That said, I think it's important to point out various design/feature deficiencies, as well as the historical context of any old radio, for a number of reasons:

1) Some of the deficiencies, such as the lack of warmup-time protection, can be rather easily fixed with no-holes mods. Others may require a bit more work but are often worth doing for various reasons. (And some mods are a Bad Idea from the get-go!)

2) It is good to know of such issues BEFORE deciding to invest a lot of resources into buying/restoring an old radio. In the case of the NCX-1000, for example, if someone wants a lot of power for SSB operations in a one-box vintage pre-WARC HF transceiver, it's a good choice. For serious CW operation - not so much.

3) Historical context is valuable - particularly accurate historical context. The closest competition to the NCX-1000 was probably the Hallicrafters SR-2000, which has its own pros and cons. Making such comparisons is part of our history, not an "insult" to anyone or anything.

IMHO

----

It's interesting that there are some folks who consider ANY comment on a particular rig's shortcomings to be a personal attack and insult, even though the comment is 100% accurate. It's as if the rigs of the past are sacred icons that must NEVER be spoken of in ANY way that is negative in the least. Anyone who DARES is attacked for....BLASPHEMY!

Why that is, I don't know. Makes no sense at all.


73 de Jim, N2EY
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