More on K0EOO's Amazing Homebrew SSB Rig

Hello Bill,

The rig was my own design based on an article by Guy Gillet, ON5FE, published in QST, Jan 1970. (Editor's Note:  ON5FE's article also appears in the 1970 edition of the ARRL's book "Single Sideband for the Radio Amateur.") His article had some features I wanted and became the guts of the transceiver I finally came up with…  The rig took me some 2-4 years to complete mainly because I keep changing circuits and improving performance.  For example, I started with a 4 digit counter using nixie tubes and ended up with 7 digit 7 segment LED counter summing the BFO, VFO and HFO.  I also later added the keyer and CW audio filter and so on…..

Other than the outer cabinet from LMB, I did all the metal work complements of the metal shop at our lab at CDC’s advanced design lab.

Pictures show bottom with RF bottom plate installed and bottom view of RF section with plate removed.  Front panel and picture of top cover open showing the plugin PCB’s.  Cannot see the digital counter display board in any of the pictures.

Here are a couple pictures of the old girl.  I’ve added a description of the rigs features:

Features:

• Dual conversion, first IF tunable, second IF fixed
• RF clipping
• 7 digit readout of exact operating frequency (digital summation of BFO, VFO and HFO)
• All solid state except for 6146 and 12BY7 driver.
• RF gain is 0-60dB step attenuator on input
• Dual VFO’s for separate receive/transmit or transceiver A/B
• Modes are USB/LSB/CW
• Auto zeroing S-Meter
• Built in VOX and PTT
• Built in CW keyer and sidetone generator
• Built in CW audio bandwidth filter
• Built in Tune mode
• Built in RF Clipping lever control
• Built in keying to PTT external amplifier
• Output signals for SB-610 scope receive signal monitoring
• Output signal for SB-620 Scanalyzer panadapter
• Diode T/R switching through out the radio, no relays, totally silent TR switching

Well Bill, you opened Pandora’s box when you asked me for more details, hi, hi…  You can almost see the buttons popping off my vest as I reminisced the feature list…

Regards, Dennis, K0EOO

K0EOO: Homebrew SSB in 1974

It is not everyday that you get on 40 meters and run into a guy who has actually built a single sideband transceiver.  But that is what happened to me today.   I spoke to Dennis, K0EOO.  He  showed an unusual interest in my BITX DIGI-TIA.  He went on to explain that he had done some homebewing himself.  In the picture (from 1974), right next to his Vibroplex bug we see his homebrew,  80-10 meter,  dual conversion,  solid state (except for the 6146 final) SSB transceiver with digital readout.  Wow.  That's a beautiful rig.  

Off his right shoulder is a homebrew 700 watt amplifier using dual 4CX250s. And behind his left shoulder we see a homebrew tube-type receiver.

Note the look of pride and determination in OM's eyes.  You can just hear him saying it: "Rig here is homebrew."

More pictures of Dennis and his rigs (including some amazing vintage gear)  here:

https://qrz.com/db/K0EOO

http://www.isquare.com/millen/members/k0eoo.htm

http://www.vintagessb.net/k0eoo.htm

Thermatrons Al Fresco: W4GON's FB HB AM Rig

I was listening to 7290 kHz with my BITX this morning and I heard W4GON say his AM rig is homebrew.  So of course I fired up the DX-100 and the HQ-100 and gave Joel a call.  Conditions were terrible but we had some support from the radio gods.  

From Joel's QRZ.com page: "It uses a pair of 6L6s in Push-Pull Class AB1 high level plate and screen modulating a 6146. I still have a lot of work to do on this rig, like building an enclosure, but it works and I just couldn't help but getting on the air with it!"  

I think it is a thing of beauty. 

Let's Give Jason NT7S Some Support!

Most of us are using Jason's code and his Arduino Si5351 libraries.   We now have an opportunity to help him continue to come up with the innovations that keep things moving forward on our workbenches.  

Consider becoming a patron.   Learn more here:  

https://www.patreon.com/NT7S

Thanks for all you do Jason!  

"So You Want To Build?" Words of Wisdom from Pete Juliano

Everything on Pete's blog is worth reading, but this article was so good that I could not resist posting a link to it here. 

Tribal knowledge from a leader of the homebrew tribe: 

http://n6qw.blogspot.com/2017/08/a-new-line-of-transceivers-difx.html

AE7KI (VK2APG), FT8, and WAS on a BITX20

I've had several very nice conversations with Gerry AE7KI (aka VK2APG).  His Australian accent sets him apart from the other Tennessee stations.  Last time we talked Gerry mentioned having competed Worked All States with his BITX20 (below). Very cool.

Gerry also alerted me to a new digital mode created by Joe Taylor.  This one is called FT8.  Gerry is using it to good effect on the 6 meter band. Here is Peter Marks' initial reaction to FT8:

http://blog.marxy.org/2017/07/new-weak-signal-mode-ft8.html

As I type, there are 252 stations monitoring 6 meters for FT8 signals.   You can see a map displaying these stations here: 

https://pskreporter.info/pskmap.html

Yellow Fever! The Cold War Origins of Juliello

How could you miss them?  That yellow was bright!  Apparently you needed high visibility to cope with the looming danger of nuclear annihilation.  The operator in the ad is obviously calm in the face of Armageddon -- note the cigarette dangling from his lips. In this 1956 Gonset ad we can see the inspiration behind what -- many decades later -- has emerged as the avant-garde ham radio color scheme known as Juliello.  The roots of this aesthetic are clearly not in the psychedelic "Mellow Yellow" hippie era.  No, this color has harder, more flinty origins.

Pete Juliano is not the only one to embrace this look.   Podcast #198 elicited this response from our friend Armand WA1UQO: 

Pete:
Don't let that Meara guy give you a hard time over the yellow Rigs.  The last three of mine have been yellow and I'm happy to see I'm not the only one with good taste.  In the picture they are from top to bottom a 30M One Watter, a 20M One Watter and of course the BITX 40.  The 20M does have a Juliano Blue cover though to give it an extra bit of class!  As always, enjoyed the podcast.
Bill,  see you at Berryville?
73, Armand WA1UQO