Greetings, and welcome to the world of RF. First things first - you will need a
General Class license to operate the equipment you describe, as it is designed
for the HF bands. You can start with a no-code Technician license and upgrade
as you learn. In all liklihood, within a year the code requirement for the
General will also be dropped.

You can find question pools on the ARRL website. (www.arrl.com) As you already
have some background in electronics, I highly recommend you purchase or borrow
a copy of the Radio Amateurs Handbook, (just about any year will do) and review
the theory in the beginning chapters. Much of it will be familiar. It is far
better to know the theory than to just memorize all the possible answers to the
questions.

Right now, you are simply restoring gear which it is assumed once worked, and
this is a good place to start with RF. You already know about tubes and high
voltages, so I don't have to tell you to be careful. When you get to the design
phase, if you want to go there, it is just a different art - the science is the
same. Things like skin effect are very real, not just a subject for theoretical
debate. :-)

Just as you no doubt did with audio amplifiers, start with some simple projects
and gain experience at RF design. Layout is a matter of thinking in terms of
signal paths and keeping lead lengths short. Study the designs in the Handbook
for ideas.

Oh yes, and the "oversize 2E26" if it's just a little oversize is a 6146, and
if it's a LOT oversized it's an 813. (6146's make good audio tubes too, but NOT
ultra linear, and frankly I like 807's better.)

Feel free to write if you have more questions.

Doug Moore KB9TMY (Formerly K6HWY)

Don't buy a Radio Amateurs Handbook.

If you work on audio electronics you already know the basics. The RF part is
actually pretty simple. Forget about the amp. You can get that going later
when you have experience in how the Tempo One operates. Get that working
now. As for a dummy - been using a 100w light bulb for years. Works good
enough for tube radios - not so good for the new solid state stuff. The
dummy you have is good enough.

What you need NOW is a ham ticket!

Almost all radioamateurs begin their ham career as a "Tech."Â*The privileges
of a Technician Class operator license include operating stations while
transmitting on channels in any of 17 frequency bands above 50 MHz with up
to 1,500 watts power.Â*Â* It also allows access to the two most popular ham
bands, 2 meters and 70 cm ...otherwise known as "450" (MHz.).Â*

To pass the Technician Class examination, at least 26 multiple choice
questions from a 35 question written examination must be answered correctly.

There are a total of 384 possible questions in the pool from which these 35
questions are drawn.Â*

All questions in the various question banks are known and widely published.Â*
There are no secret questions.Â* The Technician Class is the most popular
license with about one-third of all radioamateurs holding this license
class.
-----------------------------------------------
The General Class operator license carries all mode privileges in at least
portions of all 27 bands.Â* Of particular importance is access to the
world-wide 20 and 40 meter ham bands.

In addition to the above (Element 2 Technician) written examination element
and Element 1 ( -5- wpm Morse code), the examinee must pass another 35
question examination (General Element 3).Â* Twenty-six correctly answered
questions is the minimum passing score.

-----------------------------------------------

Fastest and cheapest way is to go to this web site:

http://www.w5yi.org/AmRadio.htm#GENERAL

....and buy just the Tech and General booklets only. Go through them four or
five times and try memorizing as much as you can. All the exact questions
that could be asked will be right there. Pay attention to Frequencies and to
FCC Laws (particularly punishments).


You still need to pass the 5 WPM code test.

" In all liklihood, within a year the code requirement for the General will
also be dropped."

They have been saying that for 100 years since Marconi attached a telegraph
key to a spark transmitter. You could wait....for a year or forever...
but...

When you ready and serious - email me and I will teach you the code in five
minutes good enough so you can past the test. Relax, it's free.

-Biz WDØHCO

"Biz WDØHCO" wrote in message
...
Don't buy a Radio Amateurs Handbook.

How can anyone advocate ignorance? Buy the book, read it, get something,
anything, out of it. You will go back to various parts time & time again.
Each time, you will gain a bit of knowledge. Once you get to the point where
you can start to challenge some of its points, you will really be starting
to learn electronics.

If you work on audio electronics you already know the basics. The RF part
is
actually pretty simple.

This comment deserves to be archived on the all-time stupid declarations
list.

Forget about the amp. You can get that going later
when you have experience in how the Tempo One operates. Get that working
now. As for a dummy - been using a 100w light bulb for years. Works good
enough for tube radios - not so good for the new solid state stuff. The
dummy you have is good enough.

Yeah, those 100 W light bulbs are the industry standard for a 50 or 72 ohm
resistive load. And those big, bulky forward / return power meters are so
expensive, and hard to use.

What you need NOW is a ham ticket!

Almost all radioamateurs begin their ham career as a "Tech." The
privileges
of a Technician Class operator license include operating stations while
transmitting on channels in any of 17 frequency bands above 50 MHz with up
to 1,500 watts power. It also allows access to the two most popular ham
bands, 2 meters and 70 cm ...otherwise known as "450" (MHz.).

Gee, good buddy, I never knew the amateur frequency bands above 50 MHz were
channelized.

SNIP

" In all liklihood, within a year the code requirement for the General
will
also be dropped."

They have been saying that for 100 years since Marconi attached a
telegraph
key to a spark transmitter. You could wait....for a year or
forever...but...

Well, hasn't the code for HF operation already been dropped at the
international level? And haven't a number of other countries already dropped
the code requirement? The USA has never been closer to dropping the code
requirement. Still, I agree with WD0HC0 here; don't let the current modest
code requirement delay you.


When you ready and serious - email me and I will teach you the code in
five
minutes good enough so you can past the test. Relax, it's free.

5 minutes!!!! Could you teach my dog too? She's got an attention span of at
least 5 minutes, and in dog-years, that's 35 minutes! Should be easy.


Ed
WB6WSN

On Thu, 20 Nov 2003 10:36:09 UTC, "Ed Price" wrote:


"Biz WD?HCO" wrote in message
...
Don't buy a Radio Amateurs Handbook.

How can anyone advocate ignorance? Buy the book, read it, get something,
anything, out of it. You will go back to various parts time & time again.
Each time, you will gain a bit of knowledge. Once you get to the point where
you can start to challenge some of its points, you will really be starting
to learn electronics.

Concur here. I wish I had bought *one* handbook every ten
years. I also wish the fellow who ran off with my "West Coast
Handbook" would return it.

If you work on audio electronics you already know the basics. The RF part
is
actually pretty simple.

This comment deserves to be archived on the all-time stupid declarations
list.

There is some odd stuff in this thread, like comparing Antenna
Theory with the chronic witchcraft of the audio world, speakers or
maybe de-oxygenated Monster Cable.

There are too many Loch Ness Monsters and Crop Circles in the audio
world. The tube mania, cables, analog vice digital, did I
mention cables.

The closest thing to that in Ham Radio is the converse concept, the
idea that modern computerized radios "hear" and "punch though"
better than the old stuff.

I "think" most hams realize that band conditions count most. Next
it's QTH (height, topology, ground conductivity), then there's the
antenna itself, you can't argue with measured gain and you can never
exceed the theoretical gain of the antenna. RG-213 is plenty good
for 100+ foot runs at HF, the cheapest CB-grade RG-58 will work but
will need replacing sooner and won't take the pounding of an SB-220.

Forget about the amp. You can get that going later
when you have experience in how the Tempo One operates. Get that working
now. As for a dummy - been using a 100w light bulb for years. Works good
enough for tube radios - not so good for the new solid state stuff. The
dummy you have is good enough.

Yeah, those 100 W light bulbs are the industry standard for a 50 or 72 ohm
resistive load. And those big, bulky forward / return power meters are so
expensive, and hard to use.

Well, there's getting it working and there's getting it working
exactly to spec.

What you need NOW is a ham ticket!

Almost all radioamateurs begin their ham career as a "Tech." The
privileges
of a Technician Class operator license include operating stations while
transmitting on channels in any of 17 frequency bands above 50 MHz with up
to 1,500 watts power. It also allows access to the two most popular ham
bands, 2 meters and 70 cm ...otherwise known as "450" (MHz.).

Gee, good buddy, I never knew the amateur frequency bands above 50 MHz were
channelized.


Most of my peers started with Novice and went from Novice to
General. In the 1960's, the Tech was a dead-end, without the 40 and
15 meter novice bands, you couldn't get enough CW practice to pass
13 WPM in front of the steely eyed FCC examiner.

The best advice I got was, take the Novice and get on the air on 40
as soon as possible and operate as much as possible. The fellow
told me to get my station set up so that the minute my license
arrived, I could fire it up.

I was surprised to find that most QSOs were with Generals and Extras
(and a few Class-A's) who would line up to work Novices at 5-10 WPM.

Then I got a 15 meter crystal and worked a dozen countries on 15
meter CW. This was straight-key operation at about 10-15 WPM.

Again, the stations were lined up to "give the Novice a little
practice". I was in high school and spent many Saturday mornings
on 40 CW. Was that fun! The QSL cards poured in.

I never operated on 80 but 40 and 15 were great bands. This was in
1963.

SNIP

" In all liklihood, within a year the code requirement for the General
will
also be dropped."

They have been saying that for 100 years since Marconi attached a
telegraph
key to a spark transmitter. You could wait....for a year or
forever...but...

Well, hasn't the code for HF operation already been dropped at the
international level? And haven't a number of other countries already dropped
the code requirement? The USA has never been closer to dropping the code
requirement. Still, I agree with WD0HC0 here; don't let the current modest
code requirement delay you.

I don't operate much except on CB, ah, I mean 2 meters. I do listen
to HF, about half the time, I'll copy CW just for the practice. I
was surprised to discover that I can't send CW with the keyer in my
Signal/One. The timing, spacing, or something is different from my
TTL keyer. They're both IAMBIC but something is very different.

I think the TTL keyer queues the inputs. Q = dahdahdidah. I think
on the TTL keyer, I can tap the di-side anytime during the second
dah and the keyer caches it. The Signal/One demands that I tap the
di after the second dah completes.

It's something like that.


When you ready and serious - email me and I will teach you the code in
five
minutes good enough so you can past the test. Relax, it's free.

5 minutes!!!! Could you teach my dog too? She's got an attention span of at
least 5 minutes, and in dog-years, that's 35 minutes! Should be easy.


Ed
WB6WSN

Yeah, the five minute thing doesn't sound right. I'd argue that a
person could pass the 5 WPM after a week 1 hour a night.

Biz WDØHCO wrote:

Don't buy a Radio Amateurs Handbook.


This gets the worst advice of the year award.