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6L6 single tube transmitter
I came across a cute little homebrew CW transmitter utilizing only a
single 6L6. Mostly made from radio and audio junkbox parts, it does seem to work. I put it on the air briefly with its 40 meter Xtal and monitored the signal on another antenna. Sounds kind of chirpy, actually worse than chirpy. Needs some kind of work or upgrade or correction. I did some web searching but could not actually come up with a schematic for this rig, probably out of some old magazine or something. I do not quite understand how it works without a power supply rectifier. There is nothing under the hood which looks like a diode or selenium rectifier. Anyone have a clue as to this circuit. I am kind of new to this. How might I proceed to make this little rig into a useable QRP unit. I think it probably makes something under 10 watts, and the cw sounds goofy, wimpy, and wobbly. It is someone's old nice lay out failure, but it would be a fun challenge to convert it into something useful. Anyone seen a circuit for a singl 6L6 rig?...who knows maybe it has the wrong tube in there. Hmmmm....how to do the detective work on this???? I have a certain nostalgia for simple one tube rigs, when I was a novice in the early 50s as a kid I built this crazy rig with a single 117N7 that worked great with my very compromised end-fed random wire. I have recently found the schematic for that one, but it seems kind of crazy to build that one again, but who knows....the schematic for the 117N7 rig can be found on page 38 of "Radio For The Millions", 1945 Popular Science Publishing Co. Inc. This illustration has the chassis plugged into the AC neutral/gound side. Another variation appears on page 105 in "Ham Radio Projects" 1968 by Bert Simon, a circuit which looks even more scarry since you only plug into the hot leg of the AC outlet, and then ground the chassis to earth ground. I do not know how I lived to tell you now that it was my first rig! There is a one-tube rig on page 99 of "Ham Projects..." which uses a 6AV5 but that is not the circuit I see in this unkown 6L6 rig. Let me know if you know of a source for this single 6L6 transmitter. Nothing in either of the books mentioned has one like this. Other clues: it has three rf (air core) chokes, no other iron core choke, uses two variable condensers, keys thru one of these chokes to pin 8. Another choke goes from the antenna center pin to the chassis ground. The 3 rf chokes used appear to be identical. Bill / K6TAJ |
"zeno" wrote in message ...
I came across a cute little homebrew CW transmitter utilizing only a single 6L6. Mostly made from radio and audio junkbox parts, it does seem to work. I put it on the air briefly with its 40 meter Xtal and monitored the signal on another antenna. Sounds kind of chirpy, actually worse than chirpy. Needs some kind of work or upgrade or correction. [snip] Anyone seen a circuit for a singl 6L6 rig?...who knows maybe it has the wrong tube in there. Hmmmm....how to do the detective work on this???? [snip] There is a one-tube rig on page 99 of "Ham Projects..." which uses a 6AV5 but that is not the circuit I see in this unkown 6L6 rig. Let me know if you know of a source for this single 6L6 transmitter. Nothing in either of the books mentioned has one like this. Other clues: it has three rf (air core) chokes, no other iron core choke, uses two variable condensers, keys thru one of these chokes to pin 8. Another choke goes from the antenna center pin to the chassis ground. The 3 rf chokes used appear to be identical. Bill / K6TAJ Bill - I seem to remember the ARRL Handbooks having a 6L6 based circuit. Have you searched for the MEISSNER NOVICE TRANSMITTER ? I think it used a 6L6 oscillator Have you seem the Ameco AC-1 web pages? http://www.qsl.net/wb1gfh/ameco.html If you solid state the rectifier, then its also one-tube ! Greg w9gb |
"zeno" wrote in message ...
I came across a cute little homebrew CW transmitter utilizing only a single 6L6. Mostly made from radio and audio junkbox parts, it does seem to work. I put it on the air briefly with its 40 meter Xtal and monitored the signal on another antenna. Sounds kind of chirpy, actually worse than chirpy. Needs some kind of work or upgrade or correction. [snip] Anyone seen a circuit for a singl 6L6 rig?...who knows maybe it has the wrong tube in there. Hmmmm....how to do the detective work on this???? [snip] There is a one-tube rig on page 99 of "Ham Projects..." which uses a 6AV5 but that is not the circuit I see in this unkown 6L6 rig. Let me know if you know of a source for this single 6L6 transmitter. Nothing in either of the books mentioned has one like this. Other clues: it has three rf (air core) chokes, no other iron core choke, uses two variable condensers, keys thru one of these chokes to pin 8. Another choke goes from the antenna center pin to the chassis ground. The 3 rf chokes used appear to be identical. Bill / K6TAJ Bill - I seem to remember the ARRL Handbooks having a 6L6 based circuit. Have you searched for the MEISSNER NOVICE TRANSMITTER ? I think it used a 6L6 oscillator Have you seem the Ameco AC-1 web pages? http://www.qsl.net/wb1gfh/ameco.html If you solid state the rectifier, then its also one-tube ! Greg w9gb |
Anyone seen a circuit for a singl 6L6 rig?...who
knows maybe it has the wrong tube in there. Hmmmm....how to do the detective work on this???? Zeno ...sound like the one I built in 65 from the ham section in PE mag. I tried to get someone to answer my CQs for 2 weeks with no reply ...then I got a guy about 5 miles away...success then I got a card from an OO in Oregon. I was proud of that card ...showed everyone what my 6L6 would do. God Bless and Merry Christmas .... KI3R Tom Popovic Belle Vernon Pa. |
Anyone seen a circuit for a singl 6L6 rig?...who
knows maybe it has the wrong tube in there. Hmmmm....how to do the detective work on this???? Zeno ...sound like the one I built in 65 from the ham section in PE mag. I tried to get someone to answer my CQs for 2 weeks with no reply ...then I got a guy about 5 miles away...success then I got a card from an OO in Oregon. I was proud of that card ...showed everyone what my 6L6 would do. God Bless and Merry Christmas .... KI3R Tom Popovic Belle Vernon Pa. |
"zeno" wrote in message ...
I came across a cute little homebrew CW transmitter utilizing only a single 6L6. Mostly made from radio and audio junkbox parts, it does seem to work. I put it on the air briefly with its 40 meter Xtal and monitored the signal on another antenna. Sounds kind of chirpy, actually worse than chirpy. Bill / K6TAJ Bill - I just did a Google.com search for: "6L6 transmitter" and I same up with several links and schematics. From notes, it appears several designs were published pre-WW2 in QST. RCA introduced the 6L6 tube in early 1936 as an audio power tube. Are you looking at a Stancor 25-B transmitter, photo in article he http://www.io.com/~nielw/6l6/6L6.htm W0VLZ built the Stancor 10P, which is listed in the 1940, 5th edition of the Stancor Hamanual http://www.io.com/~nielw/2tube_xmtr/2tube_xmtr.htm K4GC homebuilt 6L6 http://www.qsl.net/k4gc/6L6.html K5DH 40 meter version built from design in "104 Ham Radio Projects for Novice and Technician"; TAB Books, 1968 http://www.qsl.net/k5dh/6ag7_6l6.html October 2004 issue of CQ magazine featured a 6L6 transmitter (with a correction in the December 2004 issue under "World of Ideas") LA6NCA Norwegian homebrew http://www.laud.no/la6nca/homebrew/ 6CL6 http://faculty.frostburg.edu/phys/la.../6cl6xmtr.html http://www.tube.be/6l6.html w9gb |
"zeno" wrote in message ...
I came across a cute little homebrew CW transmitter utilizing only a single 6L6. Mostly made from radio and audio junkbox parts, it does seem to work. I put it on the air briefly with its 40 meter Xtal and monitored the signal on another antenna. Sounds kind of chirpy, actually worse than chirpy. Bill / K6TAJ Bill - I just did a Google.com search for: "6L6 transmitter" and I same up with several links and schematics. From notes, it appears several designs were published pre-WW2 in QST. RCA introduced the 6L6 tube in early 1936 as an audio power tube. Are you looking at a Stancor 25-B transmitter, photo in article he http://www.io.com/~nielw/6l6/6L6.htm W0VLZ built the Stancor 10P, which is listed in the 1940, 5th edition of the Stancor Hamanual http://www.io.com/~nielw/2tube_xmtr/2tube_xmtr.htm K4GC homebuilt 6L6 http://www.qsl.net/k4gc/6L6.html K5DH 40 meter version built from design in "104 Ham Radio Projects for Novice and Technician"; TAB Books, 1968 http://www.qsl.net/k5dh/6ag7_6l6.html October 2004 issue of CQ magazine featured a 6L6 transmitter (with a correction in the December 2004 issue under "World of Ideas") LA6NCA Norwegian homebrew http://www.laud.no/la6nca/homebrew/ 6CL6 http://faculty.frostburg.edu/phys/la.../6cl6xmtr.html http://www.tube.be/6l6.html w9gb |
Thanks for the links. What is unusual about the transmitter in question is that
it has one tube total, no rectifier, no apparent power supply section besides the power transformer and an electrolytic can. No chokes other than the 3 rf air wound chokes. It came with a 6L6, I cannot be sure that is what it calls for, but it did work, although with "wobbly" goofy signal. I have not come across a design with only one 6L6 total although I have heard that such things exist. I did the same google search you did when I first got this thing. Bill/ K6TAJ w9gb wrote: "zeno" wrote in message ... I came across a cute little homebrew CW transmitter utilizing only a single 6L6. Mostly made from radio and audio junkbox parts, it does seem to work. I put it on the air briefly with its 40 meter Xtal and monitored the signal on another antenna. Sounds kind of chirpy, actually worse than chirpy. Bill / K6TAJ Bill - I just did a Google.com search for: "6L6 transmitter" and I same up with several links and schematics. From notes, it appears several designs were published pre-WW2 in QST. RCA introduced the 6L6 tube in early 1936 as an audio power tube. Are you looking at a Stancor 25-B transmitter, photo in article he http://www.io.com/~nielw/6l6/6L6.htm W0VLZ built the Stancor 10P, which is listed in the 1940, 5th edition of the Stancor Hamanual http://www.io.com/~nielw/2tube_xmtr/2tube_xmtr.htm K4GC homebuilt 6L6 http://www.qsl.net/k4gc/6L6.html K5DH 40 meter version built from design in "104 Ham Radio Projects for Novice and Technician"; TAB Books, 1968 http://www.qsl.net/k5dh/6ag7_6l6.html October 2004 issue of CQ magazine featured a 6L6 transmitter (with a correction in the December 2004 issue under "World of Ideas") LA6NCA Norwegian homebrew http://www.laud.no/la6nca/homebrew/ 6CL6 http://faculty.frostburg.edu/phys/la.../6cl6xmtr.html http://www.tube.be/6l6.html w9gb |
Thanks for the links. What is unusual about the transmitter in question is that
it has one tube total, no rectifier, no apparent power supply section besides the power transformer and an electrolytic can. No chokes other than the 3 rf air wound chokes. It came with a 6L6, I cannot be sure that is what it calls for, but it did work, although with "wobbly" goofy signal. I have not come across a design with only one 6L6 total although I have heard that such things exist. I did the same google search you did when I first got this thing. Bill/ K6TAJ w9gb wrote: "zeno" wrote in message ... I came across a cute little homebrew CW transmitter utilizing only a single 6L6. Mostly made from radio and audio junkbox parts, it does seem to work. I put it on the air briefly with its 40 meter Xtal and monitored the signal on another antenna. Sounds kind of chirpy, actually worse than chirpy. Bill / K6TAJ Bill - I just did a Google.com search for: "6L6 transmitter" and I same up with several links and schematics. From notes, it appears several designs were published pre-WW2 in QST. RCA introduced the 6L6 tube in early 1936 as an audio power tube. Are you looking at a Stancor 25-B transmitter, photo in article he http://www.io.com/~nielw/6l6/6L6.htm W0VLZ built the Stancor 10P, which is listed in the 1940, 5th edition of the Stancor Hamanual http://www.io.com/~nielw/2tube_xmtr/2tube_xmtr.htm K4GC homebuilt 6L6 http://www.qsl.net/k4gc/6L6.html K5DH 40 meter version built from design in "104 Ham Radio Projects for Novice and Technician"; TAB Books, 1968 http://www.qsl.net/k5dh/6ag7_6l6.html October 2004 issue of CQ magazine featured a 6L6 transmitter (with a correction in the December 2004 issue under "World of Ideas") LA6NCA Norwegian homebrew http://www.laud.no/la6nca/homebrew/ 6CL6 http://faculty.frostburg.edu/phys/la.../6cl6xmtr.html http://www.tube.be/6l6.html w9gb |
Maybe yours was the mystery circuit. Did yours have only one 6L6 and nothing
else, I mean no power supply rectifier? This rig does not even have a diode or selenium under the hood, how can they do that? Do I have AC for the B+? I am not an EE. What am I missing here? What mysteries lurk in the 6L6 that we mortals do not fathom? Beam me up. Bill / K6TAJ garigue wrote: Anyone seen a circuit for a singl 6L6 rig?...who knows maybe it has the wrong tube in there. Hmmmm....how to do the detective work on this???? Zeno ...sound like the one I built in 65 from the ham section in PE mag. I tried to get someone to answer my CQs for 2 weeks with no reply ...then I got a guy about 5 miles away...success then I got a card from an OO in Oregon. I was proud of that card ...showed everyone what my 6L6 would do. God Bless and Merry Christmas .... KI3R Tom Popovic Belle Vernon Pa. |
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