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!

Nostalgia time again

Since the 1960s we have come a very long way. Back then, I thought G4PJ's AT5 from Codar was amazing (see photo). This was a valve 160m/80m AM/CW TX putting out about 10-12W.  There was a companion RX, the T28, which was dreadful.

These days, you can buy a whole SDR transceiver covering 160m-70cm with all modes plus Bluetooth, WiFi and GPS in much the same size.  Mind you, the AT5 was a lot less expensive!

See https://sites.google.com/site/g3xbmqrp3/at5 .

Codar AT5 transmitter

Way back in the late 1960s, I had a G8 call and used to operate the station of the late G4PJ under supervision. 

Bill had a Codar AT5 160/80m AM/CW 12W TX which put out a good signal. I recall very well working a station about 70 miles away on 80m AM one afternoon.

Although I owned the companion RX (the T28) , I never owned an AT5. I wanted one! The photo shows the AT5 transmitter. We have come a long way since those days.

Codar AT5 TX

How times change!

When I was first interested in the hobby we had horrendous noise at the top of 160m from Loran. In recent years we have noise all over the band from switch mode PSUs and other man made noise sources.

In the late 1960s 160m was the main mobile band, using AM of course. A popular TX was the AT5 paired with a T28 RX. The AT5 covered 160m and 80m and produced about 12W output. In its day it was a good radio from the car or at the home QTH. I always wanted one.

See https://sites.google.com/site/g3xbmqrp3/at5

Codar AT5 transmitter

Image on G3XTZ's Radio Museum website

Way back when I was first licenced for VHF/UHF only in early 1967 as G8AWG, I used to operate under supervision at the HF station of Bill Honeywill G4PJ in Salcombe on 160 and 80m. Bill Had an old KW Viceroy TX and a Codar AT5, which was "state of the art" in its day.

The AT5 was a small valve TX producing around 10W on 160m and 80m. Using the AT5 we could work right up the English Channel in daylight on AM and CW over a mostly sea path.  I noticed a page about the AT5 on the W3EEE website and it took me back 45 years.

Image on G3XTZ's Radio Museum website

There was a companion RX called the T28 which I owned at one time - I got it as a university prize for writing one of the better final year theses - which was made using a couple of Mullard modules. The T28 was nothing special, but did make a useful tunable IF for my 2m converter used to copy signals from Oscar 6 and Oscar 7 amateur satellites.

Nowadays in a volume less than half that of these rigs one can have a complete multi-mode HF-VHF-UHF transceiver with performance far exceeding the AT5 and T28. We forget how much our hobby has changed.