Dec. 1, 2012 — A little bit ago I had to abort a QSO on 40 CW with K4JYS, a ham who apparently enjoys classic/homebrew gear, and does more than talk the talk but also walks the walk.
I prowl 7-7.125 frequently looking for ragchewing CW ops and the characteristic chirp of classic or homebrew gear. I have some older gear I enjoy using on CW, but I have not fired it up in quite some time. I was using my Yaesu FT-2000 at the time I heard his sigs.
His signal had quite a bit of chirp and drift; on the second go around I was unable to copy the station equipment, but the CW note sounded like a Hartley oscillator or other early single tube oscillator keyed directly. The signal was weak; I’m sure he was running QRP. The amount of chirp was substantial, but one could still copy. I originally ran across his sigs with the CW filter on, and that had to go — at times his signal would chirp outside the bandpass. I’m not ragging on his transmitter, in fact, I would love to have a homebrewed “old school” transmitter like the one he was using.
The oscillator unkeyed would run at a higher frequency; when keyed, the note would drop. On CW characters that closed the key a lot (like 4s, 5s, and other characters), the CW note would stay at the lower tone. When the keying paused, it would rise back to the higher frequency.
Local QRN coupled with a fade in his signal made his second transmission impossible to copy; rather than ask for a complete repeat, I explained and told him I would listen for him again. One of my favorite things is working guys running homebrew/classic ham gear, which is one reason that Straight Key Night is one of my favorite operating events. Seems like part of the SKN tradition is to bring out the old gear along with the old straight key or bug. I also enjoy copying the mail and hearing some of those classic transmitters that sound as clear and crisp as any modern rig — its a true testimony to the engineering of the day.
SPEED-X MODEL 515 SAVES THE DAY. I haven’t operated CW in quite a while, and I wasn’t sure which key at the operating position was wired for use. I have a 100th Anniversary Vibroplex, three Speed-X model 500 “t-bar” bugs; a McElroy 1936B and a McElroy S-600 Super Streamkey. The only key wired for use was a rather plain Speed-X Model 515. While it isn’t nearly as sexy as any of the other keys on the desk, the old workhorse provided flawless service, just like it always has. This Model 515 is a Les Logan one, probably from the late 1930s. Amazing to think a key in its 70s can continue to provide excellent service.
SKN PLANS. I won’t have to worry about keys for SKN, but I need to plan the rigs I’m going to use. I have my HW-16 that would be a good one … my Tempo 2020 is a superb CW rig, though not that old. My Hallicrafters SR-150 is available … I also have the old Hallicrafters HT-18 transmitter/exciter that I can fire up this year. I would like to put ‘er on the air, see how many OO notices I can attract, hi hi!
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