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Reviews For: Multi Elmac AF-68 Trans-citer

Category: Transmitters: Amateur radio

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Review Summary For : Multi Elmac AF-68 Trans-citer
Reviews: 2MSRP: ?
Description:
9 tube Ham Transmitter covering 80-6 meter bands. Runs a single 6146 modulated by a pair of 6L6 tubes. Modes AM and CW. Was designed to pair up with the PMR-8 receiver.
Product is not in production
More Info: http://
# last 180 days Avg. Rating last 180 days Total reviews Avg. overall rating
0023.5
KG8LB Rating: 2012-02-14
Ranger ? No thanks... Time Owned: more than 12 months.
This is a very well made vintage transmitter. The fact that it uses a separate power supply is actually a plus . The remote supply allows for taking up far less space at the actual operating position and keeps the lion's share of waste heat out of the transmitter .There are many supplies that will work and home brew is a viable option. When the power supply is PROPERLY interfaced with the transmitter, the grid drive is off during standby and spoting is facilitated VIA the switch provided at the front panel ..pretty simple ! The AF-68 also has a good PTT system built in at the factory, not an add on (with various degrees of success) as is the case with most Ranger transmitters. The VFOs in every one I have owned wwere every bit as stable as the VFO in the typical Johnson of the same era . The pre-dating AF-67 is quite similar in operation and performance so the same comments generally apply . The Elmacs were all very nicely built and wired by skilled professionals, not always the case with the kit built Rangers .
N6TLU Rating: 2011-05-04
Fun but quirky transmitter Time Owned: more than 12 months.
I purchased this transmitter from a fellow Ham out of interest due to features close to the Johnson Ranger. First issue, finding a proper power supply to run it. Most I found out there for sale were twice the cost I paid for the TX! Next, the crazy 22 volt battery. Didn't they have the technology to generate negative bias back then? Seems odd and can damage the audio circuit if not caught. I ended up using a modified Drake AC4 to run it, utilizing the negative bias built in and eliminated the battery. The major issue was VFO instability. The VFO cage is simply screwed to the chassis with NO ground straps or direct negative power supply connections. Plus the VFO/Xtal switch was very sloppy. The VFO would dance around a good 3 KCs. I worked on it for about 10 hours before it was useable. Another strange thing is, the grid current is always operating, so unless you use the PMR-8 receiver, you will always have an irritating squeal in your receiver. In this case, I was using a Drake R-4B. I made many modifications, which I will publish soon in case you need some update info. After I resolved the issues, the TX is a real joy to operate. I get some nice tone reports on the air. AM works very well and needs no modifications that I can tell so far. These appear to be a bit rare. I see quite a few AF-67's but the 68's don't pop their head up for sale. If you run across a clean one, they are well worth playing with. Just try to get a power supply in the deal!