On the top shelf the first black box is a Collins AN-ART-13 transmitter operating on CW because the modulation transformer was missing when acquired. A bread board power supply constructed 30 odd years ago from the junk box got it on the air.  It worked, but the 19" X 25" breadboard was heavy. The new supply is in two sections for the sake of the back!  The low voltage/autotune supply can barely be seen in the top section of the far base cabinet, the one with an aluminum panel. A high voltage supply is in a tall rack, which cannot be seen, just to the left of the operating desk.  The next, smaller black box is a BC-348R receiver operating with tubes, but it also has a set of solid state "tubes" built on tube bases.  The oscillator/mixer module needs more buffer but the reversable solid-state modification improves it.  Next is the Kenwood 520 VFO and 520S tranceiver. A pair of Heathkit Indians occupies the second shelf.  The receiver is unmodified and the transmitter has a  solid state VFO/buffer and a transistor keys the rig for a more harmonious note.  Behind the microphone is a homebrew roller inductor antenna coupler. Hiding in the nook beyond the coupler is a Heath HW-22 for 40 meter sideband, which has been modified for CW also.

    Since the picture was taken and the website started, an upcoming move to Louisiana has seen everything except the Kenwood being boxed or being given a new home. New rigs and all-new furniture is drawn up for the new shack.

                                                      History

    The operator's interest in ham radio began in the sixth grade from reading a book in the school library, "The Wireless Man" written, as recalled about 1914 or so.  (It was an old school)  To a sixth grader unaware of technical progress, it never occured that the information was out of date, so in the eighth grade a friend and I began code practice with our "ham" radios consisting of neon transformers with a spark gap connected to an antenna and ground!  We were unaware of licensing rquirements, after all they were not mentioned in the book. A ham career lasted only until we realized that our signals were able to be copied not only on a quiet spot on our AM broadcast receivers, but everywhere for miles, on any kind of receiver, including television, and the signals were LOUD to not to mention UGLY!

    Subsequently, a novice license was earned but the equipment was not a giant step for hamkind.  A homebrew 6L6 VFO coupled via a pi-network to an antenna was remarkable for it's glizzando note and drift.  Receiving was by the BC-348 with a homebrew supply.  A choice of two available transformers, one at 520 vac and the other at 55 vac resulted in a supply of about 78 volts, knowing that the 520 would be a real gut smoker.  Seventy-eight volts works in a starved circuit with extra audio amplification, but the reciever was on the same branch circuit as the clothes iron.  When went it on, it was lights out BC-348. The local oscillator couldn't make it on a starvation diet. Remarkably, contacts were made, and a good time was had by all.

   Here an ART-13 at 75 watts replaces the one-tuber and the BC-348R retains it's position as station reciver with company in the person on a Hallicrafters "Sky Buddy".  The BC-348's puny, pesky power supply is next to the ART-13 and sitting on top of the Sky Buddy is a broadcast receiver whose audio is a hearing aid. A Heathkit on the crooked shelf allowed 15 meter reception via a shielded cable from the oscillator/mixer to the BC-348 LF input. tuned to 456kc. It worked!    This shack was in a room built in a detached garage and had insulation, sheetrock, suspended ceiling, a fan and electric heater. Relatively classy in those days.

    A Johnson "Ranger" on loan from K5SVS improved contacts and later the Heath "Apache" with a new face replaced it. In preperation for the move this heavy, behemoth was delivered to KB5MD, 10 or more years my junior.  A new receiver, was the smallish gray box to the left on the workbench, remembered as a Collins AR-15.  Looks can be deceiving.  It was about 2 feet long and suprisingly heavy.  It was given to KE5RWE. The box to the left of the Ranger was my first attempt at an antenna tuner.  The cabinet was aluminum made with a homebrew brake. Even the knobs were homebrew and the aluminum case was fitted into a magogany exterior; it looked better than it worked but sparked an interest in antenna matching devices.

    Between this and the present station there were others for which pictures could not be found.  One had a heathkit transmitter and receiver shown in the present shack and in the 1980's the Kenwood 520S courtesy of the XYL.                                                            

    A few Projects

    In the 1980's the Heath "Apache"  was made to work and  tested against the Ranger and ART-13 but a third key was necessary, so one was thrown together from scrap, its only expectation being that it worked.  Little time or care was lavished which turned out to be a shame because it feels and works better than any of our commercial keys.

  Old Ugly - But a real smoothie from yellow brass bar stock  shaped  with  a hack saw and file on a 1/16" aluminum scrap base.     Contacts are  brass screws matched head to head with hard silver on the contact surfaces.  What a knob.  It's solid ivory from a 1929 pipe organ stop knob. (We make pipe organs for a living)

Not Ivory - One of the 1980's homebrew walnut knobs for the antenna tuner which has since served in a gazillion projects  and has become pretty beaten up.  Yes, there is a brass sleve inside with set screws.

  Homebrew cabinet intended for a new tuner.  Although it was planned for extra room, the actual parts when laid out are cramped so that the tuner may go into a larger cabinet while this one can house a keyer/keying shaper audio expander/audio filter/ampifier combination project in progress. The front panel is 3/16" aluminum to be engraved. Finish is Kenwood grey even though the pix  doesn't show it. This, as with all of our cases, is made with a homebrew brake and used scrap aluminum. The brake for this one was a couple of scraps of 3/4" birch plywood connected with door hinges. Sand the aluminum with 500 water paper and wash in the sink with dishwashing soap just prior to painting.

   First attempt at an amp.  One-half kilowatt with an 8000 triode in grounded grid configuration. This was an experiment and a new, full kilowatt amp with two 8000 triodes is under construction which is a lot neater

Kilowatt Amp:

  Okay, it's just another case and it needs a lot of tweaking and polishing, but it's in progress and represents a lot of work without proper tools. The innards are fine.

DON'T DO IT LIKE THIS!    

     You  may have been here sometime.  Move into a new house, put up a new wire antenna for all bands, the old coax is too short, all you have is 300 ohm TV lead-in. It's Sunday afternoon and you throw a tuner  together in a hurry to get on the air and  this is what you wind up with, swearing to heaven that you will build a new, better one soon.

  Ill-fitting  flashing top, nick in plexiglass face covering, no feet, and the only beauty comes from a Kenwood color match.

     ARC-5 roller inductor, broadcast receiver variables and a surplus turns counter.

   Less than perfect bends from an improvised wooden brake and hand lettering on the back.

   And now for the kicker - IT WORKS SLICKER THAN A BANANA PEEL  and doesn't leak RF into the shack.  

NEW PROJECT

   After 40 years of hamming it seems time for a homebrew SSB tranceiver. One has been started. Here is the block diagram. As usual it will probably not wind up exsactly like this. Comments will be welcome and pix will follow. (The speaker at the end of the receiver did not all show up. I love computers but the feeling is not mutual.)

Elmers

   The operator had two great Elmers, Phil K5SVS and Roy KB5MD.  These two guys answered questions, loaned or gave equipment and helped in many ways.  Be an Elmer, someone will remember you fondly.

Manuals & Schematics

   Manuals and schematics for the BC-348 R are beginning to be hard to find on the internet.  We will e-mail a copy of the BC-348 R Manual,  AN ART-13, or SCR-221 if you would request one at: ka5ian@zoomshare.com.  The manuals are a big file and will not always able to be sent without flooding the sender or receiver's mail box, but  we will be glad to try or compress it. (FILES LOST, but I have a backup on a CD) 

    My site link to BC-348 Manual in PDR is:   http://www.box.net/shared/ngmf4jr70g (If this doesn't work, copy and paste to youe adress bar.)

                             de KA5IAN 73