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

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
--------------------
WHAT??
No WARC band capability with this little gem? Thats a shame...You would think
that with their obvious attention to detail they would have thought of that
capability.I'm sure the next model will have WARC. Once they start cranking
these precision engineered masterpieces off the assembly lines, and they catch
on with the ham community they will no doubt have it. But the obvious research
and development costs, and the cutting edge technology used to create the amp
itself probably drained their available resources .... at least for the time
being anyway.....Just another example of a company that was probably
undercapitalized and didnt have the funds to "go the extra mile" and make this
"dream amp" a reality......
What a damn shame........

"MGALUVR" wrote in message
...
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
--------------------
WHAT??
No WARC band capability with this little gem? Thats a shame...You would
think
that with their obvious attention to detail they would have thought of
that
capability.I'm sure the next model will have WARC. Once they start
cranking
these precision engineered masterpieces off the assembly lines, and they
catch
on with the ham community they will no doubt have it. But the obvious
research
and development costs, and the cutting edge technology used to create the
amp
itself probably drained their available resources .... at least for the
time
being anyway.....Just another example of a company that was probably
undercapitalized and didnt have the funds to "go the extra mile" and make
this
"dream amp" a reality......
What a damn shame........

WTF....all it need is a little spray paint :-)

Well, it may be a little rough, but it's metered, cooled, shielded, labeled,
and inexpensive. It may have even worked, after a fashion. And it's lasted
for several decades too.

I'd rather have it than some of the sleek-looking but useless stuff made
nowdays....

I think MFJ should take notice, they may produce better looking amps but not
necessarily better performing. If this thing lasted a couple of years it
was way better engineered and yes, better constructed than their Mirage
crap...


"George R. Gonzalez" wrote in message
...
Well, it may be a little rough, but it's metered, cooled, shielded,
labeled,
and inexpensive. It may have even worked, after a fashion. And it's
lasted
for several decades too.

I'd rather have it than some of the sleek-looking but useless stuff made
nowdays....