I've developed a healthy respect for plate caps.

I remember when a ham neutralized my old Hallicrafters rig with TV sweep 
tubes, i.e. probably only 600 volts on the plate cap.  He touched the tip of 
a screwdriver to the plate cap and it made a helluva an arcing noise.

When a friend brought over the AL811A I purchased and was hooking up a jack 
for my tuning aid, you could hear the caution or fear in his voice as he 
worked inside that amp, even with the power disconnected.  You never know if 
those bleeder resistors are really working and I think that thing runs 1800 
volts on the plates.

Steve, K8SP

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Jim Gammon" <[log in to unmask]>
To: <[log in to unmask]>
Sent: Friday, May 24, 2013 2:46 PM
Subject: Shocking experiences!


> Reminds me of the time another blind ham and I were "exploring"
> inside his TR-4 Drake and I got across the b plus voltage.  I
> have no idea why we were poking around in there with the power
> on.  Those rigs even had  an enclosed box containing the high
> voltage circuits but, in the case of that particular rig, it was
> open.  Man, what a shock-o-runi! Jim WA6EKS
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: Colin McDonald <[log in to unmask]
> To: [log in to unmask]
> Date sent: Fri, 24 May 2013 12:23:35 -0600
> Subject: Re: acessible radios
>
> ah yes, the swan 270A lol.
> pretty neat rig with the built in power supply and all tubes in a
> very small
> package for the time.
> I was given a 270 when I was about 14 or 15 I think so I could
> have a decent
> radio to listen on.
> Of course, I had to golden screw driver the thing...one of those
> sessions I
> found the big coil near the power tube that carried 700 volts on
> it...my
> finger touched it and I was thrown a couple feet back...little
> burn on the
> finger too.
> It wasn't transmitting thank god so it wasn't as bad as it could
> have been.
> Anyway, always liked that rig and when I sold it along with the
> SBE64? it
> was still transmitting at least 100 watts on most bands.
> I had tuned it way back then down into the 11 meter band of
> course and it
> went right down to about 26.5MHZ or so.
>
> 73
> Colin, V A6BKX
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "Buddy Brannan" <[log in to unmask]
> To: <[log in to unmask]
> Sent: Friday, May 24, 2013 9:14 AM
> Subject: Re: acessible radios
>
>
> I had a National NCX3 for a short while that I tuned the same
> way.  =
> Except the power supply hum was loud enough that I didn't have
> to put my =
> ear to it.  Or maybe my ears were young enough.  Sure wouldn't
> mind having =
> another of those, or better, an NCX5.=20
>
> Dave mentioned the Swan 270.  I have one of those, got it last
> year, but =
> no idea if it transmits.  Receives fine though.  I have a D104,
> but again, =
> no idea if it still works or if the crystal element's gone or
> what.  So, =
> two variables.=20
> --
> Buddy Brannan, KB5ELV - Erie, PA
> Phone: (814) 860-3194 or 888-75-BUDDY
>
>
>
> On May 24, 2013, at 9:30 AM, Howard Kaufman <[log in to unmask]>
> wrote:
>
> A friend of mine who is a Dr.  saw me do it, and gave me a
> stethoscope =
> to=20
> make it easier.=20