My second rig was the Hallicrafters HT46/SX146 combo, which gave me over 30
years of trouble-free service. With this combo, which offered
either independent or transceive operation, the bird cage continued being used
as my antenna as it worked well enough for me to not only eventually work all 50
states (Delaware, altho next door to my home state, was ultimately worked
as the final(!) state I needed), but it also provided me with numerous DX
(foreign) contacts.
Here's a picture (taken about 1965) of the HT46/SX146 combo, the
bird-cage "antenna", and my homebrew tuner atop the receiver (the RX is next to
the cage). Atop the transmitter are my SWR bridge and field-strength
meter. Put your mouse pointer on the bird-cage! The solid-pine trestle desk shown in the photo (at the left) is
homebrew, with three full-length drawers (paired with "kick-blocks" to prevent
normal downward tilting when fully extended) and includes an inlaid Formica
writing surface (to avoid grooving over time).
Introductory: This site offers my experiences in Amateur
Radio, and clearly shows what can be accomplished with a really
modest set-up (viz., a 100-watt rig, a tuner, and a bird
cage!). An opportunity for offering your
comments about this presentation (which would be appreciated!) is included.
Beginning & Upgrades:
My first involvement in Amateur Radio was back in
1963 when I took a course offered at the local YMCA, which enabled me to pass
the FCC's Novice exam. Before the Novice license expired, I obtained my
General ticket. Subsequently, I upgraded to my present Advanced Class
ticket.
Rigs & Set-ups: My first rig was the Hallicrafters HT40/SX140 combo. Its
crystal-controlled transmit operation was found frustrating, so I added a Globe
VFO to it shortly afterwards, which eliminated the need for crystals. A 15-mtr homebrew dipole, hung
from our basement's rafters and using a length of ordinary lamp cord as a
transmission line, was my first antenna. It performed as if it were a
pipeline to "6-land" (California)! A roof-mounted trap vertical, with a
coax transmission line, later replaced the dipole, but a local windstorm turned
it into a hairpin after only about two months' use! The vertical's loss
of use resulted in my resorting to using an actual bird cage as an antenna,
matched to the rig with a homebrew tuner I built from an article in Electronics Illustrated.
If you'd like to see my QSL-confirmed WORKED ALL STATES list, completed with my first
two rigs, just CLICK HERE. To RETURN to
this site, just click as instructed at the bottom of that page. In October 1998 I bought my first solid-state rig, and continued
the use of my bird cage as an antenna as I found that its use with the
random-wire antenna-tuner bought with the new rig produced practically flat
SWR's on all bands (160 thru 10 mtrs). I later added an Icom IC-718. The
new rig, bought at the same cost as the rig it replaced, offers many
additional features - VOX, a direct entry keypad, SWR/PWR output displays, and
many user-selectable performance settings. Here's a photo of my present
set-up. The bird cage is about five feet away, and the antenna tuner is
down inside the magazine table.
Do modest set-ups like mine really get out? The QSL cards shown below should answer that question clearly! They each offer a "5 by 9" report! Approximate distances from my QTH are shown.
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This is the present home of K3WNX !
Conclusion: If you've pored through all of this, you certainly deserve
relief! So, I'll QRT here and say "73". If you'd like a copy of
this offering, simply click the word "Print" shown in the header above.
Before you depart, though, your comment would be much appreciated! Feel free to
get in touch! Simply CLICK HERE
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