FA: The most HIDEOUS homebrew linear I have ever seen! Fun to see
 

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll...tem=3064839871

Even if you HATE Ebay posts - just look at this thing!

It's the most horridly constructed piece of gear I think I've ever
seen - at it runs 2KV and half an amp!! LOTS of photos and
description at the above link.

I bought it in '96 for the parts, but have kept it in my own shack
all this time just because it is SO UGLY in a very fun way - it's
like every possible example of how NOT to build something,
and come close to dying in the process. Unbelievable. This
is the definition of a 'widow maker'

I'm hoping someone will buy it to keep it together for the fun
of it, instead of gutting the parts. I am liquidating my shack
(and most of my other clutter too) and don't want it anymore,
but ya GOTTA see this thing! It really is a sight to behold.
And for GOD'S SAKE don't plug it in! I don't even want to
be in the room if you did!

Thanks for looking, and please don't take offense at my post.

"GS" wrote in message
news.com...
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll...tem=3064839871

Even if you HATE Ebay posts - just look at this thing!

It's the most horridly constructed piece of gear I think I've ever
seen - at it runs 2KV and half an amp!!

You're right! That IS the ugliest, most crudely constructed thing I have
ever seen. I built better looking AM transmitters than that when I was 19!
(FM, too). You're also right about not plugging it in.. (let alone turning
it on). That fan reminds me of a stirrer in a microwave oven.. kicking the
RF around inside the case.. ROFL..

All in all, good for entertainment purposes....

"GS" wrote in message
news.com...
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll...tem=3064839871

Even if you HATE Ebay posts - just look at this thing!

It's the most horridly constructed piece of gear I think I've ever
seen - at it runs 2KV and half an amp!! LOTS of photos and
description at the above link.

I bought it in '96 for the parts, but have kept it in my own shack
all this time just because it is SO UGLY in a very fun way - it's
like every possible example of how NOT to build something,
and come close to dying in the process. Unbelievable. This
is the definition of a 'widow maker'

I'm hoping someone will buy it to keep it together for the fun
of it, instead of gutting the parts. I am liquidating my shack
(and most of my other clutter too) and don't want it anymore,
but ya GOTTA see this thing! It really is a sight to behold.
And for GOD'S SAKE don't plug it in! I don't even want to
be in the room if you did!

Thanks for looking, and please don't take offense at my post.




Yeah, it IS crude looking.

I love the little details, like the big holes created by a chain of little
drill holes. And the fan delivers on two levels; first, the blade is
home-made, from a piece of sheet metal, and second, when the blade radius
wouldn't clear the chassis, a triangular hunk was whacked away for blade
clearance. Nice touch.

Front-panel artwork by flow-pen is also very classy.

But the funny thing is that it just might be darned reliable. True, before I
put it on the air, I would do a good smoke test, and I would check it for
spurious and microphonics. But remember, aside from that one unfortunate
mistake, Igor was a good lab assistant.

Ed
WB6WSN

On Wed, 10 Dec 2003 22:19:16 GMT, "GS"
wrote:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll...tem=3064839871

Even if you HATE Ebay posts - just look at this thing!

It's the most horridly constructed piece of gear I think I've ever
seen - at it runs 2KV and half an amp!! LOTS of photos and
description at the above link.

Wellll... Technically you are correct, but had it been a transmitter I
might have been able to have given you a run for the money.

I built my first "homebrew" transmitter using the parts from a TV
chassis. Not the chassis of today, but back when TVs were all tubes
and used a chassis about 2 foot square and 3 to 4 inches deep.
The power transformer was quite a bit bigger than the ones used in
any of today's 100 watt output rigs.
I built the old standard 6AG7 Oscillator with a pair of 6L6s in the
final. I've forgotten if it used a separate driver. At any rate it
was built in one corner of a stripped chassis. Looked kinda lonesome
in there.

It worked, easily ran the 75 watts permitted to a Novice back then and
it was *big* albeit with a center of gravity a bit off center.

Later on after moving up to a Viking Ranger, I stripped all the parts
out and used a 12AT7 as an electronic TR switch. Just one little tube
and that big transformer in one corner of that big steel chassis. I
was able to set the transmitter on the TR switch with lots of room to
spare.

Roger Halstead (K8RI & ARRL life member)
(N833R, S# CD-2 Worlds oldest Debonair?)
www.rogerhalstead.com
Return address modified due to dumb virus checkers

I bought it in '96 for the parts, but have kept it in my own shack
all this time just because it is SO UGLY in a very fun way - it's
like every possible example of how NOT to build something,
and come close to dying in the process. Unbelievable. This
is the definition of a 'widow maker'




I'm hoping someone will buy it to keep it together for the fun
of it, instead of gutting the parts. I am liquidating my shack
(and most of my other clutter too) and don't want it anymore,
but ya GOTTA see this thing! It really is a sight to behold.
And for GOD'S SAKE don't plug it in! I don't even want to
be in the room if you did!

Thanks for looking, and please don't take offense at my post.

Ed Price wrote:

Yeah, it IS crude looking.

I love the little details, like the big holes created by a chain of little
drill holes. And the fan delivers on two levels; first, the blade is
home-made, from a piece of sheet metal, and second, when the blade radius
wouldn't clear the chassis, a triangular hunk was whacked away for blade
clearance. Nice touch.

The fan is kind of scary.

But I have to admit that it's no worse than some of the equipment I built
in high school, and some of the construction techniques are very similar.
Including drilling lots of little holes when I had no Greenlee punch, and
using expanded metal from old oil filters for shielding. Admittedly, the
biggest thing I ever built at the time used a pair of 6L6es as finals, but
it was hot chassis which is even more alarming today.

But I am here and I _almost_ got a WAS with that rig, in spite of solder
joints that a plumber wouldn't have accepted.
--scott

--
"C'est un Nagra. C'est suisse, et tres, tres precis."

Roger Halstead wrote:

I built my first "homebrew" transmitter using the parts from a TV
chassis. Not the chassis of today, but back when TVs were all tubes
and used a chassis about 2 foot square and 3 to 4 inches deep.
The power transformer was quite a bit bigger than the ones used in
any of today's 100 watt output rigs.

I built the old standard 6AG7 Oscillator with a pair of 6L6s in the
final. I've forgotten if it used a separate driver. At any rate it
was built in one corner of a stripped chassis. Looked kinda lonesome
in there.

Did you keep the high voltage cage box and built as much as possible
inside it? I really miss those things... very handy for homebrew
construction and well-shielded.

It worked, easily ran the 75 watts permitted to a Novice back then and
it was *big* albeit with a center of gravity a bit off center.

Later on after moving up to a Viking Ranger, I stripped all the parts
out and used a 12AT7 as an electronic TR switch. Just one little tube
and that big transformer in one corner of that big steel chassis. I
was able to set the transmitter on the TR switch with lots of room to
spare.

The hacksaw is your friend!

What I liked were those aluminum BUD chassis boxes. Much easier to work
with than a steel TV set chassis, but by the time I got them at hamfests,
they usually had quite a few holes in them already.
--scott
--
"C'est un Nagra. C'est suisse, et tres, tres precis."

Hey, what's the problem? The thing looks great! Why, the controls are even
*labelled*!!


"GS" wrote in message
news.com...
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll...tem=3064839871

Even if you HATE Ebay posts - just look at this thing!

It's the most horridly constructed piece of gear I think I've ever
seen - at it runs 2KV and half an amp!! LOTS of photos and
description at the above link.

I bought it in '96 for the parts, but have kept it in my own shack
all this time just because it is SO UGLY in a very fun way - it's
like every possible example of how NOT to build something,
and come close to dying in the process. Unbelievable. This
is the definition of a 'widow maker'

I'm hoping someone will buy it to keep it together for the fun
of it, instead of gutting the parts. I am liquidating my shack
(and most of my other clutter too) and don't want it anymore,
but ya GOTTA see this thing! It really is a sight to behold.
And for GOD'S SAKE don't plug it in! I don't even want to
be in the room if you did!

Thanks for looking, and please don't take offense at my post.

Peter Gottlieb wrote:
Hey, what's the problem? The thing looks great! Why, the controls are even
*labelled*!!

A REAL HAM would have used a Dymo labeler.

-Bill

- - Bill - - exray@coquidotnet wrote:
Peter Gottlieb wrote:
Hey, what's the problem? The thing looks great! Why, the controls are even
*labelled*!!

A REAL HAM would have used a Dymo labeler.

A real ham would have known not to use series wound TV transformers when
you can get 1 KV magnetron transformers for free from dead microwave ovens.
And they have filament windings, even!
--scott
--
"C'est un Nagra. C'est suisse, et tres, tres precis."

GS wrote:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll...tem=3064839871

Even if you HATE Ebay posts - just look at this thing!


I would have gone for it, but there didn't appear to be
any simple way to add the WARC bands! Is there a kit available? :-)

Irv VE6BP
--------------------
Visit my very special website at http://members.shaw.ca/finkirv4/
--------------------
Irv Finkleman,
Grampa/Ex-Navy/Old Fart/Ham Radio VE6BP
Calgary, Alberta, Canada