Hi,
I was sent here by some folks from RAT (rec.audio.tubes), and was attracted
by the "boatanchor" part of this NG's name - descriptive of, pretty much,
everything I'm into. From old RCA racks filled with ancient test gear &
power supplies to restoring vintage recording gear etc., etc. Restoring
vintage cameras got me interested in photography, and now...
My Mr. Know-It-All bliss came to an end when a friend gave me a (Henry?)
Tempo One transceiver & an ECI (no model name) Linear Amp (both flea finds).
I *Had* to bring them up - downloaded the operating manual & schematics for
Tempo One, cleaned the rotary switches etc, brought up the power, and
managed to align the receiver the best I could (all my test gear is mainly
audio, funct. generators only going up to 1 & 2 KHz, so had to rely on
harmonics to get the RF outs' them (triangle)... Got the transmitter
section putting out *some sort* of rf into a dummy load (once again,
followed the manual's step-by step idiot guide). The dummy load was a
*wirewound* 50Ohm resistor in a can of motor oil (i know it must be an
absurd load for RF, but i had nothing non-inductive - any hints?)
Anyhow, here are my problems & questions:
I'm pretty much RF illiterate, and don't have an operator's license. I
remember thinking of getting one as a kid, but code didn't come too easy.
Some HAM at a swap meet told me that code is no longer required - is there a
site where I could download a sample exam / list of requirements? An appy
which I could download so I could hook up to a soundcard of my computer to
encode /decode Morse code (I could build any required peripherals)? A FAQ
for this NG? Any info on NYC swaps (I just moved from Boston a while ago,
the MIT swap was amazing...) Any hints /tricks? Any info (schematics
/manual?) on the ECI linear amp (no model on the case (chrome with 2 meters
& machined aluminum knobs wgich look just like the early AKAI knobs), a
bunch of gas voltage regulators, and a single octal / top plate output toob,
can't remember the name, looks like an oversized 2e26.
Any info / feedback would be nice,
Thanks in advance,
-dim