Hey Phil the Russians and Cubans still do have an occasional chirpand once 
in while you'll hear someone trying to operate an old boat anchor and you'll 
hear chirps and rough notes on cw. 73- pat kk3f
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Phil Scovell" <[log in to unmask]>
To: <[log in to unmask]>
Sent: Monday, February 02, 2009 8:10 PM
Subject: Re: Out Of Date


> Holy Cow that was a fun message to read.  Just like old times.  Shoot, 
> when
> I first got on the DX bands, the Russians and Cubans always drifted all 
> over
> the place and some had wonderful chirping CW notes.  Now they run 
> commercial
> made radios, keyboard and keyers, contest software, and everything else we
> have access to.  Them there old days are hard to beat.
>
> Phil.
> K0NX
>
>
>
> ----- Original Message ----- 
> From: "Louis Kim Kline" <[log in to unmask]>
> To: <[log in to unmask]>
> Sent: Monday, February 02, 2009 5:55 PM
> Subject: Re: Out Of Date
>
>
>> Hi.
>>
>> John's message made me think back to my early days, some 30 years
>> ago.  And, my activities as an SWL go back further than that--about 35
>> years.  I had all tube gear--a couple of Hallicrafters receivers (the 
>> S20R
>> Sky Champion, and a Hallicrafters S108).  I came on the air with a Heath
>> HW16 with the HG10B VFO (Ok, I ewas spoiled with the VFO!), and a little
>> while later bought a Heath DX40, a VF1 VFO, and a Heath HR10B receiver.
>>
>> The VF1 walked all over the band, and the HR10B is probably one of the
> most
>> worthless receivers I've ever owned.  I used the Hallicrafters receivers
>> because they could hear a lot better.  I took the antenna off the HR10B,
>> and set it on the bbottom shelf.  When I would work CW, I would tune it 
>> to
>> my operating frequency and use it as a rather overcomplicated side tone
>> oscillator!
>>
>> I finally graduated to the Heath TX1 Apache with the SB10 sideband
>> adapter.  Now there was a beautiful transmitter, if a little cumbersome 
>> to
>> tune.  I bought it, thinking I would like to play a little AM with it, 
>> but
>> in the end, only used it on SSB and CW.
>>
>> During that time I started buying solid state equipment, which was a 
>> dream
>> to operate, although the nuisance of having to plunk down another $100 
>> for
>> a power supply was a pain.  Also, during that time I bought a Heath HW8,
>> still in kit form.  I was going to put it together with my father, but I
>> went away to college, and he got laid off from work, and in his boredom,
> he
>> built the thing while I was at school.
>>
>> When I think about how equipment has changed since I started, it is mind
>> boggling.  Radios like the Icom 706 MkII G weren't even possible in that
>> time period.  Even the worst of the radios being produced today would
>> outperform the stuff I was using at the beginning.  My receivers had
> images
>> almost as strong as the fundamental signals, the transmitters and
> receivers
>> drifted all over the place, there were no CW filters, at least until I
>> bought a MFJ audio filter, I had to mess with crystal calibrators and
>> dials, and through all of that the message still got through.  And, I
>> enjoyed it.
>>
>> 73, de Lou K2LKK
>>
>>
>>
>> Louis Kim Kline
>> A.R.S. K2LKK
>> Home e-mail:  [log in to unmask]
>> Work e-mail:  [log in to unmask]
>> Work Telephone:  (585) 697-5740
>>
>>
>> -- 
>> No virus found in this incoming message.
>> Checked by AVG.
>> Version: 7.5.552 / Virus Database: 270.10.16/1930 - Release Date: 2/2/09
> 7:51 AM
>>
>>
>