On Nov 28, 12:20*am, Lostgallifreyan wrote:
K7ITM wrote in news:158d982c-afaa-4d24-bec7-
:

Just gave them (ICE) a call on their US toll-free number and they
answered immediately. *The fellow said the 180A is a stock item that
can ship immediately. *They don't currently take pay-pal but expect to
in the near future. *He said air shipping across the pond would be
about $22 for the 1-lb package. *Finally, he gave me another email
that he said should work well: . *(Took me way
less time to make the call than to write too many words here... *;-)

Cheers,
Tom

That's great, thanks for that. I'll also look into a European or ideally UK
source too, but that 180A was recommended by someone whose postings lead me
to think they were right to do so, and unless I find better nearer to me,
I'll buy it. If that thing has been a stock item for at least 14 years I
think I can assume that it's right for a lot of people.

I'm still holding out for a way to reach John Doty (whose posts I read), or
at least a copy of his plans for winding our own matching transformers and
baluns. Got to be good to learn from those...

Lastly, I'm still wondering why Richard was so insistent on the 'grief' that
comes from mentioning a stock commercial item. Surely the whole point of
standardising impedance values is so that it IS reasonable to assume that a
'stock' item, chosen fopr a specific purpose, is acceptable. As this one has
several choices of impedance built into it, even more so, no? Can every buyer
in 14+ years also be wrong? And if so, what should they be doing instead.
I've already said I also want to see John Doty's plans to understand this
better. Is this also wrong?

As one who designs all sorts of RF filters and then builds one-off
versions (if as an aid for my own bench-testing of things like
distortion in receiver circuits) or specifies parts for ones put into
production, I'd probably elect to wind my own such transformer if I
needed one, but I can certainly see the appeal of buying one.
Considering the packaging alone, it's worth it to go that way. But I
also think it's great that you're looking into postings of folk who
have words of wisdom to offer. I have the strong feeling that you're
plenty bright enough to not simply accept those postings on faith, but
will test what you learn from them against your own experiences, and
thus build your knowledge on a firm foundation.

Technical (and semi-technical) books are generally safer sources than
postings, but even they are not infallible. I'm thinking here in
particular about one popular book about design and winding of RF
transformers on ferrite toroidal cores. You can learn a lot from the
book, but it's not 100% accurate.

Best wishes for success in improving your (RF) reception -- and in
learning!

Cheers,
Tom