I came across a cute little homebrew CW transmitter utilizing only a
single 6L6. Mostly made from radio and audio junkbox parts, it does
seem to work. I put it on the air briefly with its 40 meter Xtal and
monitored the signal on another antenna. Sounds kind of chirpy,
actually worse than chirpy. Needs some kind of work or upgrade or
correction. I did some web searching but could not actually come up
with a schematic for this rig, probably out of some old magazine or
something. I do not quite understand how it works without a power
supply rectifier. There is nothing under the hood which looks like a
diode or selenium rectifier. Anyone have a clue as to this circuit. I
am kind of new to this. How might I proceed to make this little rig
into a useable QRP unit. I think it probably makes something under 10
watts, and the cw sounds goofy, wimpy, and wobbly. It is someone's old
nice lay out failure, but it would be a fun challenge to convert it
into something useful. Anyone seen a circuit for a singl 6L6 rig?...who
knows maybe it has the wrong tube in there. Hmmmm....how to do the
detective work on this????

I have a certain nostalgia for simple one tube rigs, when I was a
novice in the early 50s as a kid I built this crazy rig with a single
117N7 that worked great with my very compromised end-fed random wire. I
have recently found the schematic for that one, but it seems kind of
crazy to build that one again, but who knows....the schematic for the
117N7 rig can be found on page 38 of "Radio For The Millions", 1945
Popular Science Publishing Co. Inc. This illustration has the chassis
plugged into the AC neutral/gound side. Another variation appears on
page 105 in "Ham Radio Projects" 1968 by Bert Simon, a circuit which
looks even more scarry since you only plug into the hot leg of the AC
outlet, and then ground the chassis to earth ground. I do not know how
I lived to tell you now that it was my first rig!

There is a one-tube rig on page 99 of "Ham Projects..." which uses a
6AV5 but that is not
the circuit I see in this unkown 6L6 rig. Let me know if you know of a
source for this single 6L6 transmitter. Nothing in either of the books
mentioned has one like this.

Other clues: it has three rf (air core) chokes, no other iron core
choke, uses two variable condensers, keys thru one of these chokes to
pin 8. Another choke goes from the antenna center pin to the chassis
ground. The 3 rf chokes used appear to be identical.

Bill / K6TAJ

"zeno" wrote in message ...
I came across a cute little homebrew CW transmitter utilizing only a
single 6L6. Mostly made from radio and audio junkbox parts, it does
seem to work. I put it on the air briefly with its 40 meter Xtal and
monitored the signal on another antenna. Sounds kind of chirpy,
actually worse than chirpy. Needs some kind of work or upgrade or
correction.
[snip]
Anyone seen a circuit for a singl 6L6 rig?...who
knows maybe it has the wrong tube in there. Hmmmm....how to do the
detective work on this????

[snip]

There is a one-tube rig on page 99 of "Ham Projects..." which uses a
6AV5 but that is not
the circuit I see in this unkown 6L6 rig. Let me know if you know of a
source for this single 6L6 transmitter. Nothing in either of the books
mentioned has one like this.

Other clues: it has three rf (air core) chokes, no other iron core
choke, uses two variable condensers, keys thru one of these chokes to
pin 8. Another choke goes from the antenna center pin to the chassis
ground. The 3 rf chokes used appear to be identical.

Bill / K6TAJ


Bill -

I seem to remember the ARRL Handbooks having a 6L6 based circuit.

Have you searched for the MEISSNER NOVICE TRANSMITTER ? I think it used a
6L6 oscillator

Have you seem the Ameco AC-1 web pages?
http://www.qsl.net/wb1gfh/ameco.html

If you solid state the rectifier, then its also one-tube !

Greg
w9gb

"zeno" wrote in message ...
I came across a cute little homebrew CW transmitter utilizing only a
single 6L6. Mostly made from radio and audio junkbox parts, it does
seem to work. I put it on the air briefly with its 40 meter Xtal and
monitored the signal on another antenna. Sounds kind of chirpy,
actually worse than chirpy. Needs some kind of work or upgrade or
correction.
[snip]
Anyone seen a circuit for a singl 6L6 rig?...who
knows maybe it has the wrong tube in there. Hmmmm....how to do the
detective work on this????

[snip]

There is a one-tube rig on page 99 of "Ham Projects..." which uses a
6AV5 but that is not
the circuit I see in this unkown 6L6 rig. Let me know if you know of a
source for this single 6L6 transmitter. Nothing in either of the books
mentioned has one like this.

Other clues: it has three rf (air core) chokes, no other iron core
choke, uses two variable condensers, keys thru one of these chokes to
pin 8. Another choke goes from the antenna center pin to the chassis
ground. The 3 rf chokes used appear to be identical.

Bill / K6TAJ


Bill -

I seem to remember the ARRL Handbooks having a 6L6 based circuit.

Have you searched for the MEISSNER NOVICE TRANSMITTER ? I think it used a
6L6 oscillator

Have you seem the Ameco AC-1 web pages?
http://www.qsl.net/wb1gfh/ameco.html

If you solid state the rectifier, then its also one-tube !

Greg
w9gb

Anyone seen a circuit for a singl 6L6 rig?...who
knows maybe it has the wrong tube in there. Hmmmm....how to do the
detective work on this????

Zeno ...sound like the one I built in 65 from the ham section in PE mag. I
tried to get someone to answer my CQs for 2 weeks with no reply ...then I
got a guy about 5 miles away...success then I got a card from an OO in
Oregon. I was proud of that card ...showed everyone what my 6L6 would do.

God Bless and Merry Christmas .... KI3R Tom Popovic Belle Vernon Pa.

Anyone seen a circuit for a singl 6L6 rig?...who
knows maybe it has the wrong tube in there. Hmmmm....how to do the
detective work on this????

Zeno ...sound like the one I built in 65 from the ham section in PE mag. I
tried to get someone to answer my CQs for 2 weeks with no reply ...then I
got a guy about 5 miles away...success then I got a card from an OO in
Oregon. I was proud of that card ...showed everyone what my 6L6 would do.

God Bless and Merry Christmas .... KI3R Tom Popovic Belle Vernon Pa.

"zeno" wrote in message ...
I came across a cute little homebrew CW transmitter utilizing only a
single 6L6. Mostly made from radio and audio junkbox parts, it does
seem to work. I put it on the air briefly with its 40 meter Xtal and
monitored the signal on another antenna. Sounds kind of chirpy,
actually worse than chirpy.

Bill / K6TAJ


Bill -

I just did a Google.com search for: "6L6 transmitter" and I same up with
several links and schematics. From notes, it appears several designs were
published pre-WW2 in QST.
RCA introduced the 6L6 tube in early 1936 as an audio power tube.

Are you looking at a Stancor 25-B transmitter, photo in article he
http://www.io.com/~nielw/6l6/6L6.htm

W0VLZ built the Stancor 10P, which is listed in the 1940, 5th edition of the
Stancor Hamanual
http://www.io.com/~nielw/2tube_xmtr/2tube_xmtr.htm

K4GC homebuilt 6L6
http://www.qsl.net/k4gc/6L6.html

K5DH 40 meter version built from design in "104 Ham Radio Projects for
Novice and Technician"; TAB Books, 1968
http://www.qsl.net/k5dh/6ag7_6l6.html

October 2004 issue of CQ magazine featured a 6L6 transmitter (with a
correction in the December 2004 issue under "World of Ideas")

LA6NCA Norwegian homebrew
http://www.laud.no/la6nca/homebrew/

6CL6
http://faculty.frostburg.edu/phys/la.../6cl6xmtr.html

http://www.tube.be/6l6.html

w9gb

"zeno" wrote in message ...
I came across a cute little homebrew CW transmitter utilizing only a
single 6L6. Mostly made from radio and audio junkbox parts, it does
seem to work. I put it on the air briefly with its 40 meter Xtal and
monitored the signal on another antenna. Sounds kind of chirpy,
actually worse than chirpy.

Bill / K6TAJ


Bill -

I just did a Google.com search for: "6L6 transmitter" and I same up with
several links and schematics. From notes, it appears several designs were
published pre-WW2 in QST.
RCA introduced the 6L6 tube in early 1936 as an audio power tube.

Are you looking at a Stancor 25-B transmitter, photo in article he
http://www.io.com/~nielw/6l6/6L6.htm

W0VLZ built the Stancor 10P, which is listed in the 1940, 5th edition of the
Stancor Hamanual
http://www.io.com/~nielw/2tube_xmtr/2tube_xmtr.htm

K4GC homebuilt 6L6
http://www.qsl.net/k4gc/6L6.html

K5DH 40 meter version built from design in "104 Ham Radio Projects for
Novice and Technician"; TAB Books, 1968
http://www.qsl.net/k5dh/6ag7_6l6.html

October 2004 issue of CQ magazine featured a 6L6 transmitter (with a
correction in the December 2004 issue under "World of Ideas")

LA6NCA Norwegian homebrew
http://www.laud.no/la6nca/homebrew/

6CL6
http://faculty.frostburg.edu/phys/la.../6cl6xmtr.html

http://www.tube.be/6l6.html

w9gb

Thanks for the links. What is unusual about the transmitter in question is that
it has one tube total, no rectifier, no apparent power supply section besides
the power transformer and an electrolytic can. No chokes other than the 3 rf
air wound chokes. It came with a 6L6, I cannot be sure that is what it calls
for, but it did work, although with "wobbly" goofy signal. I have not come
across a design with only one 6L6 total although I have heard that such things
exist. I did the same google search you did when I first got this thing.

Bill/ K6TAJ

w9gb wrote:

"zeno" wrote in message ...
I came across a cute little homebrew CW transmitter utilizing only a
single 6L6. Mostly made from radio and audio junkbox parts, it does
seem to work. I put it on the air briefly with its 40 meter Xtal and
monitored the signal on another antenna. Sounds kind of chirpy,
actually worse than chirpy.

Bill / K6TAJ


Bill -

I just did a Google.com search for: "6L6 transmitter" and I same up with
several links and schematics. From notes, it appears several designs were
published pre-WW2 in QST.
RCA introduced the 6L6 tube in early 1936 as an audio power tube.

Are you looking at a Stancor 25-B transmitter, photo in article he
http://www.io.com/~nielw/6l6/6L6.htm

W0VLZ built the Stancor 10P, which is listed in the 1940, 5th edition of the
Stancor Hamanual
http://www.io.com/~nielw/2tube_xmtr/2tube_xmtr.htm

K4GC homebuilt 6L6
http://www.qsl.net/k4gc/6L6.html

K5DH 40 meter version built from design in "104 Ham Radio Projects for
Novice and Technician"; TAB Books, 1968
http://www.qsl.net/k5dh/6ag7_6l6.html

October 2004 issue of CQ magazine featured a 6L6 transmitter (with a
correction in the December 2004 issue under "World of Ideas")

LA6NCA Norwegian homebrew
http://www.laud.no/la6nca/homebrew/

6CL6
http://faculty.frostburg.edu/phys/la.../6cl6xmtr.html

http://www.tube.be/6l6.html

w9gb

Thanks for the links. What is unusual about the transmitter in question is that
it has one tube total, no rectifier, no apparent power supply section besides
the power transformer and an electrolytic can. No chokes other than the 3 rf
air wound chokes. It came with a 6L6, I cannot be sure that is what it calls
for, but it did work, although with "wobbly" goofy signal. I have not come
across a design with only one 6L6 total although I have heard that such things
exist. I did the same google search you did when I first got this thing.

Bill/ K6TAJ

w9gb wrote:

"zeno" wrote in message ...
I came across a cute little homebrew CW transmitter utilizing only a
single 6L6. Mostly made from radio and audio junkbox parts, it does
seem to work. I put it on the air briefly with its 40 meter Xtal and
monitored the signal on another antenna. Sounds kind of chirpy,
actually worse than chirpy.

Bill / K6TAJ


Bill -

I just did a Google.com search for: "6L6 transmitter" and I same up with
several links and schematics. From notes, it appears several designs were
published pre-WW2 in QST.
RCA introduced the 6L6 tube in early 1936 as an audio power tube.

Are you looking at a Stancor 25-B transmitter, photo in article he
http://www.io.com/~nielw/6l6/6L6.htm

W0VLZ built the Stancor 10P, which is listed in the 1940, 5th edition of the
Stancor Hamanual
http://www.io.com/~nielw/2tube_xmtr/2tube_xmtr.htm

K4GC homebuilt 6L6
http://www.qsl.net/k4gc/6L6.html

K5DH 40 meter version built from design in "104 Ham Radio Projects for
Novice and Technician"; TAB Books, 1968
http://www.qsl.net/k5dh/6ag7_6l6.html

October 2004 issue of CQ magazine featured a 6L6 transmitter (with a
correction in the December 2004 issue under "World of Ideas")

LA6NCA Norwegian homebrew
http://www.laud.no/la6nca/homebrew/

6CL6
http://faculty.frostburg.edu/phys/la.../6cl6xmtr.html

http://www.tube.be/6l6.html

w9gb

Maybe yours was the mystery circuit. Did yours have only one 6L6 and nothing
else, I mean no power supply rectifier? This rig does not even have a diode or
selenium under the hood, how can they do that? Do I have AC for the B+? I am
not an EE. What am I missing here? What mysteries lurk in the 6L6 that we
mortals do not fathom? Beam me up.

Bill / K6TAJ

garigue wrote:

Anyone seen a circuit for a singl 6L6 rig?...who
knows maybe it has the wrong tube in there. Hmmmm....how to do the
detective work on this????

Zeno ...sound like the one I built in 65 from the ham section in PE mag. I
tried to get someone to answer my CQs for 2 weeks with no reply ...then I
got a guy about 5 miles away...success then I got a card from an OO in
Oregon. I was proud of that card ...showed everyone what my 6L6 would do.

God Bless and Merry Christmas .... KI3R Tom Popovic Belle Vernon Pa.