07-10-2013, 09:57 PM
(07-10-2013, 08:53 PM)pwdrive Wrote: . . . whatever happened to 'across the pond' with few watts out of a 6L6? Those were the days.
Lawrence.
Indeed: TXs built on the kitchen table and using c.w. or amplitude modulation. Then SSB came along and everything changed. Now I've nothing against technical advancement in Amateur Radio at all, but with SSB transmitters, it is a simple fact that they are more complicated to design, build and adjust compared to a traditional A.M. / c.w. TX. Although there were some excellent home-brew efforts at SSB in its early days, these were mainly single-band jobs. Of course, commercially-built Amateur kit had been around for a long time and when SSB transmitters - and then SSB transceivers - from such stables came along, the building of home-brew Amateur Radio gear gradually declined. The growth of solid-state electronics also had a contribution to that: valved gear is far more tolerant of electrical abuse than what semi-conductors are: we all know that.
So, to pick up on my earlier thoughts. If A.M. - in quantity - does ever return to h.f. Amateur Radio, will there still be enough 'bottles' like the 6L6 etc. around to meet that need? Should I hang on to the four brand new, unused TT21s that I have stored in the attic? What about all those 807s that are up there? Will there be enough of us 'old hands' left who understand how valves work? And, more to the point, if it does arise, will it occur in my life-time? Personally, I doubt it.
Ho Hum. I'll just carry on making hay whilst my own personal sun shines.Al. / Oct. 7, '13 //
