You might be an old time if you can answer the following, with out diving
into your library.

Which of the following is NOT a rectifier?
a. 3B24
b. 80
c. 3C24
d. 6H6

Steel wool was once touted as a good material to make which of the
following?

a. Choke Balun
b. AF shielding
c. Linear capacitors
d. Radials for short virticals

Feel free to add your own favorite...

On Sat, 13 Aug 2005 18:00:21 -0400, "Fred W4JLE"
wrote:

You might be an old time if you can answer the following, with out diving
into your library.

Which of the following is NOT a rectifier?
a. 3B24
b. 80
c. 3C24
d. 6H6

Steel wool was once touted as a good material to make which of the
following?

a. Choke Balun
b. AF shielding
c. Linear capacitors
d. Radials for short virticals

Feel free to add your own favorite...


Good ones, Fred, 3B24 and 3C24 are not rectifiers.

However, some moron claimed in QST that steel wool was just as good as
ferrite for making choke baluns, but I've forgotten who the lunkhead
at the League was who believed him, and allowed stupid idea to be
published.

I complained to the League editors, who unbelieveably said 'Prove It'.
So I bought some steel wool and made two back to back baluns with it
and made measurements of common mode currents. The measurements proved
that the steel wool had absolutely no choking effect.

I reported the results of the measurements to the editors at the
League, but I can't remember whether they did anything about refuting
the original incorrect material. Perhaps your memory is better than
mine on this issue.

Walt, W2DU

Close Walt, only the 3C24 was not a rectifier. Sit back, light up the pipe,
and remember the purple glow of the 3B24. You were right on about the steel
wool. I was wondering how many would remember the dufus that was trying to
tell us that steel wool and a paper towel roll was as good as ferrites.

I also wrote a letter to editor. I was a bit more sarcastic requesting the
B/H curves of steel wool.

"Walter Maxwell" wrote in message
...
On Sat, 13 Aug 2005 18:00:21 -0400, "Fred W4JLE"
wrote:

You might be an old time if you can answer the following, with out diving
into your library.

Which of the following is NOT a rectifier?
a. 3B24
b. 80
c. 3C24
d. 6H6

Steel wool was once touted as a good material to make which of the
following?

a. Choke Balun
b. AF shielding
c. Linear capacitors
d. Radials for short virticals

Feel free to add your own favorite...


Good ones, Fred, 3B24 and 3C24 are not rectifiers.

However, some moron claimed in QST that steel wool was just as good as
ferrite for making choke baluns, but I've forgotten who the lunkhead
at the League was who believed him, and allowed stupid idea to be
published.

I complained to the League editors, who unbelieveably said 'Prove It'.
So I bought some steel wool and made two back to back baluns with it
and made measurements of common mode currents. The measurements proved
that the steel wool had absolutely no choking effect.

I reported the results of the measurements to the editors at the
League, but I can't remember whether they did anything about refuting
the original incorrect material. Perhaps your memory is better than
mine on this issue.

Walt, W2DU

Fascinating.
Steel wool is mostly empty space.
73
H.


"Fred W4JLE" wrote in message
...
Close Walt, only the 3C24 was not a rectifier. Sit back, light up the
pipe,
and remember the purple glow of the 3B24. You were right on about the
steel
wool. I was wondering how many would remember the dufus that was trying to
tell us that steel wool and a paper towel roll was as good as ferrites.

I also wrote a letter to editor. I was a bit more sarcastic requesting the
B/H curves of steel wool.

"Walter Maxwell" wrote in message
...
On Sat, 13 Aug 2005 18:00:21 -0400, "Fred W4JLE"
wrote:

You might be an old time if you can answer the following, with out
diving
into your library.

Which of the following is NOT a rectifier?
a. 3B24
b. 80
c. 3C24
d. 6H6

Steel wool was once touted as a good material to make which of the
following?

a. Choke Balun
b. AF shielding
c. Linear capacitors
d. Radials for short virticals

Feel free to add your own favorite...


Good ones, Fred, 3B24 and 3C24 are not rectifiers.

However, some moron claimed in QST that steel wool was just as good as
ferrite for making choke baluns, but I've forgotten who the lunkhead
at the League was who believed him, and allowed stupid idea to be
published.

I complained to the League editors, who unbelieveably said 'Prove It'.
So I bought some steel wool and made two back to back baluns with it
and made measurements of common mode currents. The measurements proved
that the steel wool had absolutely no choking effect.

I reported the results of the measurements to the editors at the
League, but I can't remember whether they did anything about refuting
the original incorrect material. Perhaps your memory is better than
mine on this issue.

Walt, W2DU

"H. Adam Stevens, NQ5H" wrote in message
...
Fascinating.
Steel wool is mostly empty space.
73
H.


Even more empty after the first spark!
--
Ed
WB6WSN
El Cajon, CA USA

Works real good when mixed with black powder gun powder, home made
fireworks, Real colourful. Opps I think i aged myself.

Seems to me some one tried to make a capacitor with it too, if my memory is
working, again.

Al
VE7AGW
Port Alberni, BC
Canada


"Ed Price" wrote in message
news:qGALe.1696$Us5.1459@fed1read02...

"H. Adam Stevens, NQ5H" wrote in message
...
Fascinating.
Steel wool is mostly empty space.
73
H.


Even more empty after the first spark!
--
Ed
WB6WSN
El Cajon, CA USA

Interesting, Fred, I wasn't aware that the 3B24 was a gas-filled
rectifier. However, I used the 80, the 81 (a half-wave rectifier with
greater current capability than the 80), the 83 (a full-wave mercury
vapor rectifier) The 5Y3 was a later version of the 80, with octal
pin basing. I also used a whole bunch of 866's before SSB came along.
They powered a 203-A in one of my early rigs, a 250-TH in a later rig
in 1935, and a pair of HK-54's in another in 1937. (Or were they
HK-354's, I can't remember, yeah, 354's)

On Sat, 13 Aug 2005 19:58:14 -0400, "Fred W4JLE"
wrote:

Close Walt, only the 3C24 was not a rectifier. Sit back, light up the pipe,
and remember the purple glow of the 3B24. You were right on about the steel
wool. I was wondering how many would remember the dufus that was trying to
tell us that steel wool and a paper towel roll was as good as ferrites.

I also wrote a letter to editor. I was a bit more sarcastic requesting the
B/H curves of steel wool.

Do you still have a copy of that letter? I'd like to see a copy if you
do.

Walt,W2DU

Sorry, never made a copy of any letters of that type. I do now with e-mail,
but in those days carbon paper had to be located manually :)

"Walter Maxwell" wrote in message
news
I also wrote a letter to editor. I was a bit more sarcastic requesting
the
B/H curves of steel wool.

Do you still have a copy of that letter? I'd like to see a copy if you
do.

Walt,W2DU

Walter Maxwell wrote:
. . .
However, some moron claimed in QST that steel wool was just as good as
ferrite for making choke baluns, but I've forgotten who the lunkhead
at the League was who believed him, and allowed stupid idea to be
published.

I complained to the League editors, who unbelieveably said 'Prove It'.
So I bought some steel wool and made two back to back baluns with it
and made measurements of common mode currents. The measurements proved
that the steel wool had absolutely no choking effect.

I reported the results of the measurements to the editors at the
League, but I can't remember whether they did anything about refuting
the original incorrect material. Perhaps your memory is better than
mine on this issue.

Walt, W2DU

The results of your measurements were published in "Hints & Kinks" in
September 1993 QST. According to the editorial comment accompanying it,
you were prompted to make the measurements by Tom Rauch, W8JI, who had
done some measurements which indicated that the steel wool balun was
ineffective. The Hints & Kinks editor at the time, who had accepted both
the original contribution by Curt Wilson, W0KKQ and yours, was Dave
Newkirk, WJ1Z. Anyone interested in learning more about it should read
the Hints & Kinks submissions and note Dave's added editiorial comments.

Roy Lewallen, W7EL

I believe the "steel wool" balun showed up in one of the handbooks as well.

"Roy Lewallen" wrote in message
...
Walter Maxwell wrote:
. . .
However, some moron claimed in QST that steel wool was just as good as
ferrite for making choke baluns, but I've forgotten who the lunkhead
at the League was who believed him, and allowed stupid idea to be
published.

I complained to the League editors, who unbelieveably said 'Prove It'.
So I bought some steel wool and made two back to back baluns with it
and made measurements of common mode currents. The measurements proved
that the steel wool had absolutely no choking effect.

I reported the results of the measurements to the editors at the
League, but I can't remember whether they did anything about refuting
the original incorrect material. Perhaps your memory is better than
mine on this issue.

Walt, W2DU

The results of your measurements were published in "Hints & Kinks" in
September 1993 QST. According to the editorial comment accompanying it,
you were prompted to make the measurements by Tom Rauch, W8JI, who had
done some measurements which indicated that the steel wool balun was
ineffective. The Hints & Kinks editor at the time, who had accepted both
the original contribution by Curt Wilson, W0KKQ and yours, was Dave
Newkirk, WJ1Z. Anyone interested in learning more about it should read
the Hints & Kinks submissions and note Dave's added editiorial comments.

Roy Lewallen, W7EL