New Old Guy

[rhardman]

It would be fun to get some of us TAG hams together on the air. I have a modest station up & running on 15, 20, and 40 meters. But I don't get on the air much any more either unless I have a reason to. Maybe this would be a good reason.

getting my call back is on my bucket list…retiring soon.

[Phil_S]

Welcome! You're not that old. You might bring the average age here up or down by no more than a year. That's my guess.

[Aurora]

CQ CQ de LA5YS k
Welcome on board. I'm 60, - haven't yet built a guitar amp, but loads of other stuff over the years...

[Jack Hester]

It would be fun to get some of us TAG hams together on the air. I have a modest station up & running on 15, 20, and 40 meters. But I don't get on the air much any more either unless I have a reason to. Maybe this would be a good reason.

The last time I tried to tune up my Icom 745, I pressed the key and it stuck on transmit. I have other rigs. You may inspire me to drag one out, dust it off, and hook it up in place of this one. I'll have to re-learn the lingo.

I've got a variety of small fixed antennas, but my choice was an 80 meter half-wave dipole. It needs some attention, but it may be ok for re-starters.

Jack

[boots]

Well guys, if you want to give it a shot, let me know and we can pick a frequency and time. I have been hearing Europeans in the mornings on 10 and 15 meters. And stateside contacts should be good on 40 meters if we pick the right time.

BTW I'm 52 but I feel older than that!

[HeeBGB]

My brother are into Ham radio. One still operates but I don't know his call numbers. The other brother has a Jahnson Viking Valiant transmitter. It has two (I think) Mercury vapor rectifiers. They are some badass tubes! As I remember the quality of the audio from that thing is just incredible but I haven't heard it since I was a kid.

[boots]

Those old Johnson transmitters are still highly regarded AM rigs, even though AM has fallen by the wayside. It is only used by a handful of old hams who are trying to keep it alive.

The audio quality of the AM signal from those old rigs is beautiful - broadcast quality. They don't make em like that anymore.

[ampmike]

Hey Bro,Welcome aboard,You gonna like this place, getting old too.My bones ache in the morning and I allways make some coffee,take my meds and sit here at the Garage for an hour.This is a great forum and some really cool people are here,Have Fun,Settle In.start reading and you will start laughing for sure,Mikey

[sepulchre]

This is not a picture of mine. It's still in the attic. But this is about all that's left of my rig, my good ole 104 chicken choker.

[rhardman]

love the D104.

I had an EV727

[Structo]

In high school we tried to get a HAM radio club going.
The new electronics teacher was cool and also a HAM.

Not enough interest and this was in 1973.

I used to love reading those QST ARRL magazines.

But back then to get your novice license you had to know code.
I sucked at it majorly.
I wanted to skip that and go to Phone.

But then computers happened and you could process Morse code into text.

I think things have changed since then but I am way out of touch.

I made some illegal type low power transmitters and me and my buddy who lived about a 1/4 mile away would talk.

[rhardman]

already started searching for a transmitter. Thinkin a Heatkit with 6146s

[skyboltone]

AL7RU here. Advanced class not active. I built up an AM rig in the '90s using a kilowatt Gates BC1-J broadcast transmitter that used to be on 870 in Seattle. I moved it to 3870KC in the AM window on 75 meters. It was a wild rig man. I used a Urei LA4 comp/limiter with a Shure 57 ahead of it. Pretty spicy audio for the Ham bands.

5 acres in the country back then. Mountain top.

I fed a double extended Zep cut to frequency through a Johnson Kilowatt Matchbox. I had a lot of fun. I may do it again someday but only on AM. Sideband doesn't do it for me except maybe once in a great while on 10 meters when the band is hot.

I have a little Gonset HF plate modulated AM rig with a couple of 6146s in the attic someplace. I forget what the modulator tubes are. Maybe 6AQ5s pp. I may heat that up one of these days but it won't be here. My HOA would run me off. Couple of Hamsticks maybe stuck together butt to butt in the attic and tuned for frequency. I might get away with it in the wee hours of the morning. For awhile.

[boots]

Hi AL7RU, that call sounds vaguely familiar. I have heard that group of AMer's on 75.

I still have my old Heath DX-60 stored away. I'll re-cap it and get it on the air again one of these days. I currently have a solid-state Icom rig that works fine, but it lacks the mojo....

[M Fowler]

What a bunch of old farts

Not sure if my brother still have his Ham gear but he was big into this. I never got past playing guitar to give it a try.