9 May 2022

How times change!

When I was first licenced in the late 1960s, I wanted a Codar AT5 transmitter.  At the time it was the state of the art.  This was a valved 12W AM/CW transmitter. I never had one. 

I had the companion T28 RX, which was rubbish. I think the pair were really meant for mobile use, as most mobile in those days was on 160m AM. My T28 was a university prize for a VLF project on whistlers. It ended up as a 4-6 MHz IF for a VHF converter. I recall hearing USA stations on 2m via Oscar 6 and Oscar 7.

I also had an Eddystone EC10 receiver. Apart from the mechanical construction, this too was rubbish.

We have come a long way since those days. Today, you can buy a multi-mode transceiver with internal batteries covering 160m -70cm in a smaller size than the AT5!   In fact, this has been available for more than 20 years!

1 comment:

  1. My first rx as a young boy was a medium wave valve radio I tuned down to 160m band and heard the Dagenham Town Show station amateur station. When I later joined the North Kent Radio club and told a member what I had, he very kindly gave me an army no.22 set (like the old famous no.19 sets). This covered a part of 160m, 80m and 40m. I spent many happy sleepless nights swr-ing. One day. pressed the ptt button and blew the fuses in our old victorian house. My dad was not pleased!
    I got my licence in the ‘70s and my first qso was a /mobile response to my AM cq on 160m!!!

    Never heard anything either on 40mhz all day yesterday.

    73 Ken G4apb

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