RadioBanter - View Single Post

Dave Heil[_2_] · March 9th 08, 09:10 PM posted to rec.radio.amateur.moderated

wrote:
On Mar 5, 3:20� pm, Dave Heil wrote:
wrote:
On Mar 3, 2:40�pm, Michael Coslo wrote:

Agreed - but in the Triple-F aesthetic (hereafter referred to as
� "The Southgate School" or TSS), not defeating function isn't enoug
h.
All choices must enhance or support functionality.
Gotcha, Jug!

Marcellus? Is that you?

Complete with insignia!

IOW, "found objects".
If you're willing to get dirty and are patient, it is possible to save a
bundle by using other people's castoffs.

Not only that, but make a dent in the enormous waste stream.

There's no one who can reduce a waste stream like West Africans. The
seams in Coke cans are opened after the tops and bottoms are removed and
the cans are rolled flat. The become roofing material or house siding.
Black trash bags are washed and recycled. Pop bottles become water
bottles and used 55-gallon drums (previous contents unknown) are used
for making palm or cashew wine.

I'm going to use an old computer tower for a chassis/cabinet for

[the power supply of]

a pair
of 4-400's I plan to build.

You want a Southgate type number for it?

I think that'd be appropriate.

The upright case has a full metal cover, space for a cooling fan and a
shelf which can hold the rectifier board and electrolytic caps. The
bottles aren't U.S. types, they're Phillips equivalents with graphite
plates. They should hold up for a long time. I'll use Chinese
Coleman-type lantern chimneys.

If you're building something small, try hobby shops. � They often have

bins of both brass, copper and aluminum sheet in various thicknesses
along with round and square tubing and rod of the same materials.

Yes, but they want you to *buy* the stuff! My adapters were made from
scraps.

Some of us would have to buy stuff in order to have scraps. I've found
that the hobby shop stuff is not terribly expensive. They also have
round, square and sheet plastic stock. Some is clear and some is
translucent--ideal for making dial scales.

Wood with a thin sheet of flashing aluminum is one way to get the shieldin
g.

BTDT, except used old litho plates turned print-side-in.

Heck, I wouldn't even know where to find an old lithographic plate these
days. I have leftover aluminum flashing stock from, well--flashing.

TSS is about simplicity and functionality, not minimalism. If staining
or finishing improves the functionality, it is done. For example, the
shack tabletop consists of a layer of oriented strandboard (for
strength) topped by a layer of masonite (for a smooth hard surface).
This combination (actually a composite) was chosen because it was the
least expensive at the time. The masonite was given a couple of coats
of varnish because doing so improved the functionality.

The tempered Masonite, no doubt. � The front panel of W4JBP's 1941
homebrew transmitter is of that stuff, painted black.

Exactly. Wood prices have changed, though; today a tabletop might be
AC plywood.

Depends what's on the cull cart.

I don't have a place with a cull cart. I've sometimes bought
ugly-looking plywood and topped a desk with vinyl floor tile. If you
want to fancy one up, hardwood veneer isn't too pricey.

Possibly. I've had some experience building speaker cabinets (clones
of the Altec A-7 "Voice of the Theater", JBL folded horns, for
example) and the trick is to build solid from the beginning.
I've shared the experience and still remember all of the kerfing that
went into getting those curves right. � Add a 15" Electrovoice SRO
speaker (which was about 3db better than anything else on the market at
the time), top is with some massive horn tweeters and you had something.

The ones I helped build in the 1960s are still in service.

I'm pretty sure the ones we did in 1973 are still in use in Cincinnati.
I had a big Jensen folded horn cabinet in Tanzania. It had a dual
voice coil 12" subwoofer in it. That's still in Africa.

I've always wondered what the fascination with "antiques" is. I can
understand the fascination with craftsmanship, design, practicality
and materials, though.
I think there a couple of classes of antique furniture items. � There
are
those things which can only be viewed and those things which can be
used. � A small, antique ladies chair might not be something you could

use, but an antique dining room suite or an antique sideboard can be
quite utilitarian.

The former belongs in a museum, the latter in a home.

Not everyone lives like us, Jim. Some folks have houses large enough to
be homes *and* museums and the wherewithal to populate the place with
both types of antiques. I can appreciate antiques as art but we don't
have enough room for antiques we can't put to use unless they happen to
be art for the wall or items which can sit on a table for the most part.

The term I would use is "classic" or "timeless". Look at some Mission
or Shaker furniture - it does not appear "antique" or dated. That's
what TSS is all about, applied to Amateur Radio (and a limited
budget!)

I had to grin. � I believe that 2x4's, 4x4's, plywood or hollow core
doors will never go out of style.

I rip 2x4s in half lengthwise; they're all you need for most shack
furniture. Also do an offset cut that gives one piece 1-1/2" square
and another that's 2x1-1/2" from a single 2x4. Table saw makes it
easy.

You're a lightweight! My main operating position is representative of
overkill. The frame is 2x4's; the legs are 4x4's and the top is a
hollow core door. There's a two shelf console with two angled wings,
with enough roof under the first shelf for solid-state brick VHF/UHF
amps, keyers, paddles, DVK and the like.

Did I mention the six foot rack to my right?

I did one table with a hollow core door many years ago (it was free)
but they are too flimsy and too expensive for TSS approval now.

They hold up well with the 2x4 frame and 2x4 bracing.

The shack table in the website picture was designed for Field Day use,
25 years ago. The top was the maximum size that would fit in the back
of a VW Rabbit with the rear seat taken out. All the legs and braces
are bolted on in such a way that the whole thing breaks down into one
package. Does the job for now but a replacement is in the works.

Mine will break down too, but I don't think it'll fit in a Rabbit. :-)

Maybe.

� There's no "Captain Nemo walking into
his cabin on the Nautilus" look here, but the place is attractive and
utilitarian.

IMHO the true art of a hamshack is having things set up in such a way
that you just want to sit down and start operating as soon as you see
the place.

That's how it is here--unless I get sidetracked by the internet.

Dave K8MN