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Rfman100
| | Posted on Tuesday, September 16, 2003 - 2:22 am: | 
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I feel in love with Shortwave radio when I first learn about it.
Many years ago, my parents had a big stereo (a long piece of furiture with a record [45,33,78 speeds] player on one side & a solid State am/fm/sw1/sw2 radio on the other. Two big speakers on the ends & in the middle a bar cabinette with wine glasses) made out of maghagany wood.
In fact many radios for the general public came with sw1/sw2. At first I did not understand what that meant.
Until one day I was playing around with an old hand-held radio and turnned it to sw1 which was the 49 meter (I think) and I picked up the BBC, for the first time.
Buy the time I went out to buy a radio, at the apliance store, most radio where then called boom boxes -a fad in the 1980's. But these new radio did not have sw1 or sw2. And the AM wasn't that good. Most people were interested in FM stereo loud music! -At least they often came with tape recorders and they still had metal casing. And a analog needle. -Which you don't see that often these days.
It wasn't until I discover radio shack, that I was then able to buy my first shotwave radio. It was made by radio shack, I do not remember the model number, but it had a DX as part of the model. I think the radio was a copy of a Sagan. It cost me almost $300. It had some good features to it and it was my first digital radio. Beside the beeper. LOL!
I hope that shortwave radio grows & never disapears.
My favorite station is WBCQ.
SAM SMITH/CEF#200/NYC |
Bruce
| | Posted on Tuesday, September 16, 2003 - 11:09 am: |
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Sam..
I started in the mid 50's bulding crystal sets and had my first shortwave in the late 50's.
Popular electronics has a shortwave monitor regesteration program which as a kid sounded good to me and i became WPE2LJN ( this is not a radio call )Somewhere i have photos back into the early 60's of my shortwave / ham / cb stations. As for crystal sets well nothing beats hearing a station in thoes 50 year old earphones.....low tech at its best.
http://www.midnightscience.com/
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mikefromms
| | Posted on Tuesday, September 16, 2003 - 11:09 am: |
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Shortwave radio is great. Lots of future Hams get their start listening to shortwave radio. If you know where to tune in you can hear all sorts of things.
mikefromms |
ryan
| | Posted on Tuesday, September 16, 2003 - 1:44 pm: |
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check around 6925 on ssb to hear a net of broadcasters called the f***** slohb net. no joke. pirate radio on SW rules
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Scrapiron63
| | Posted on Tuesday, September 16, 2003 - 2:27 pm: |
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We had an old Philco floor model AM radio when I was a kid in the 1940s, it had the SW bands, I believe 2 bands. That thing had a big old speaker, and with the wire antenna dad had installed under the eves of the roof all around the house, it would get stations all over the country. You didn't have all the electrical noises from other things then, all the country people had was 'lights' and maybe a frig. That old radio is what got me interested in those far away stations.
My old hallicrafters 99 receiver is a 1955 model, and still works great, I've replaced the tubes in the last few years. It has the big old matching external metal speaker cabinet, the speaker itself is about a 12 inch, 4 ohms. You can look in the radio after listening for a while and the audio tube will be glowing a pretty blue tint. Really nice sound for an old rig.
1955 was a good year, I got married and bought a new 1955 chevy 2 door hardtop. The marriage has lasted well, wish I had kept that chevy too. haha, scrapiron |
RCI 2990
| | Posted on Tuesday, September 16, 2003 - 2:37 pm: |
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I useed to have a yaseu shortwave rig that was awesome!! It was from the late 1970s very early 1980s (i think the radio was built in 1980 not sure now) but i bought it off a ham guy and had it like 6 mo and the very same guy bought it back again... I never should have sold it.. I miss it now! |
Bruce
| | Posted on Tuesday, September 16, 2003 - 7:42 pm: |
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my hq-140 still works fine as soon as my shack is done it will be back on line the photo is too big to post or i would... |
Lowpowerhal
| | Posted on Tuesday, September 16, 2003 - 9:44 pm: |
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Hey Bruce what was those kits that you could buy to make your own radio reciver. Rock quartz radio, Make it yourself and clamp it to a ground ??? I remeber building them. It was in a small box 1" x 2" x 3" . Had fun putting them them to a test, after they was built.They worked. Also they didint need a battery. I remember going to sleep at night with that little ear plug in my ear.I bought them in a back of a comic book advertisement. Remember them? 73's my freinds |
Bruce
| | Posted on Tuesday, September 16, 2003 - 10:10 pm: |
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crystal radios .... philmore? |
RCI 2990
| | Posted on Wednesday, September 17, 2003 - 1:09 am: |
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RFman100
Those "Boom boxes" you speak of from the 1980s are actually getting popular again!! This time as a collectors item and some are bringing BIG time $$$ and the market is VERY HOT!!!
Check this website out!!!!www.pocketcalculatorshow.com/boombox
Neato!!!!! :-) |
Tech833
| | Posted on Wednesday, September 17, 2003 - 1:26 pm: |
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My involvment in radio as a hobby is, and has been listening to SW. My main radio is a Zenith M660 and my secondary is a Hallicrafters S53A. Both of them are tube sets, and both look and work like brand new. I also own a few restored Crosley radios from the 30's and 40's with SW.
I use a tower with an AM broadcast like ground system under it for antenna.
I could never quite make myself enjoy talking to people on the radio. Listening is much more fun for me. |
Scrapiron63
| | Posted on Wednesday, September 17, 2003 - 2:50 pm: |
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833, you use the whole tower for an antenna, right? I do that also sometimes, just hook to one of the uninsulated guy wires, that makes the tower and guys all antenna. But I have one guy that is insulated at the top and bottom that I use most of the time. I don't see a lot of difference in the two.
That S53A has been around awhile also, I just looked it up, it sold in 1957, and it has the extra band up to 54 mc. My SX-99 doesn't have that band. The Hallicrafters SX-88 was the cream of the crop, it sold for 500 bucks in 1953. I saw one that looked like new a while back that brought over 10,000 dollars on e-bay. Those collectors know no limit. |
Lowpowerhal
| | Posted on Wednesday, September 17, 2003 - 7:58 pm: |
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Bruce I think your right ( Philmore ), Kept thinking philco. Im not shur but didint stewart- warner have one of those little kits? At any rate still have my Hallicrafter sx-99 works great.I put new caps and tubes in it 4 or 5 years ago . I enjoy it better than my Realistc dx-200 or my Yaseu frog 7700. The sound of the old tube radio is a lot better- recive or transmit.Also im rebuilding a lafayette he-40 now. Thanks for the info. Hal |
Rfman100
| | Posted on Wednesday, September 17, 2003 - 11:01 pm: |
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You know it really makes me happy to know that here at Copper, there are still people into Shortwave.
I realize that these radio ares only receivers. No talk back. (No TX.). A newbie may turn one on & play with the dail & my think the darn thing does not work at first. (It happend to me.)
This would of course would not be in the interest of a younger person. However, I find it very exciting to pick up any country right from a radio & for free. Even if I do not understand the languge.
I hope that satalight radio (XM) doesn't take over shortwave.
Shortwave has been around for a while, I wonder if people had make recordings of shortwave broadcast or transmittions over the years? And where could you get this?
Also I want to mention that shortwave is a HF receiver very much like the 11 meter. And I has seen radios made from Philco. I wonder it the company is still around.
And as for boomboxes, yes I see them at stores all over Times Square. One thing I notice: Many of them or maybe all of them do not have the rec. hole. LOL! And aux connection.
The old radio had everthing!
73 to SW
Yesterday I went to Barnes & Noble looking to buy my favorite magazine: Monitoring Times. I bought the Aug. issue. On page 14, you could read about:
Parade of the Boat Anchors.
A whole article on old boat radios.
73/Sam Smith |
RCI 2990
| | Posted on Thursday, September 18, 2003 - 1:22 am: |
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I wish i would have kept my Yaesu reciver that i had! It was in PERFECT shape had the box, wrapping plastic, book, receipt and foam!!!!! I think the radio was made in about late 1979 early 1980 or so.. If i can find a similar receiver id get one!!! |
Tech833
| | Posted on Thursday, September 18, 2003 - 2:04 pm: |
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I agree, the tube receivers do sound better. It took some careful alignment and a few small under-chassis modifications to get the selectivity and sensitivity of my SS rig.
Once in a while, I undertake a restoration for the challenge. I usually take one one or two restorations per Winter.
If someone wants to experience tube TX/RX audio, let me know. Year before last, I restored a Pearce Simpson Guardian 23 CB radio. It works better than new and looks pretty good (except for a few scratches on the top lid). Since I will probably never get on CB with it, I am selling it.
Last year's restoration was to redo my Zenith. It is NOT for sale. I also did a 1946 Crosley model 20AP. It is not for sale either. |
707
| | Posted on Thursday, September 18, 2003 - 2:38 pm: |
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I love my HQ-100 |
Skilletlicker
| | Posted on Friday, September 19, 2003 - 6:08 am: |
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in the early 60s i bought a short wave kit from
allied radio.and after sending it back for a few corrections(meaning it didnt work} tthey corrected it and it worked real well.wish i still had it
skilletlicker |
Bruce
| | Posted on Friday, September 19, 2003 - 9:26 am: |
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i built a star roamer kit in 63 the old knight kits were cool like heath |
Czar
| | Posted on Saturday, September 20, 2003 - 1:22 pm: |
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Hey Bruce ,Man the star roamer kit brought back memories !!!! I built one of the last Ocean Hopper radio kits from knight.Those kits were great !! |
Rfman100
| | Posted on Saturday, September 20, 2003 - 1:35 pm: |
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I wonder if I could ever built a tube shortwave radio? Where would I get material from? And what does the word:
Regenerative mean?
73 |
Bruce
| | Posted on Saturday, September 20, 2003 - 9:06 pm: |
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regen receivers are simple radios and here are several sourses that could help you
http://www.midnightscience.com/
http://www.techlib.com/electronics/regen.html
http://www.tubesandmore.com
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