I obtained my licence in November 1966 and my main interests are homebrew and DXing.

My first rig was a VFO controlled TX for top band, it had three valves with a 6V6 PA. The RX at this time was an AR88LF. My first SSB rig was a homebrew transceiver for eighty metres and was mainly valves.

It used surplus 455kHz crystals for the filter. The PA used a 5B254M and produced 60W PEP. I was first interested in radio during the sixties when I used to tune around the forty metre band on a domestic valve radio.

In those days on phone it was mainly AM.

I have recently returned to AM transmissions using a KW Vanguard and

Codar AT5

My current antenna is Trap dipole for covering 40, 80 and 160M

A two element Quad is used for 10M

28MHz Transceiver 

This transceiver covers 28-29MHz in two 500kHz segments. The rig runs SSB/CW and produces an output of 20W PEP.

I use this rig for transverting to the VHF bands as well as operations on 28MHz. The tuning knob and gearbox are ex HRO.

The transceiver uses a 9MHz IF system based on the Plessey SL600 series of intergrated circuits. The Mixer VFO use a pair of switched crystals on 45.3/45.8MHz mixing with a VFO running from 7.8-8.3MHz. The 37-38 MHz output feeds a DBM with TX/RX switching from the 9MHz board. The driver board amplifies the output from the DBM to 1W PEP this then feeds the PA section to 20W PEP. The PA transistor is a RCA 2N5070, which was designed for SSB service in the 2-30MHz range. The PA runs off a 24V supply.  

Antennas

Antenna experiments have been a main focus of my interest and the photo here is of my 28/50MHz Quad. This has proved to be a good antenna with cheap construction cost.

Although quads have a 3D impact they do have a small turning circle. The boom on this example

is only 4ft long. The speaders are built with standard 8ft garden canes attached to the wooden boom with shelf brackets.    

New Project  

Work is in progress on a new home brew HF transceiver.

Based on a single 4915 KHz IF using 10 pole ladder filters for SSB/CW

The transceiver is operational on SSB, with work in prgress on the CW TX side.

December 2014 updated Mk11 Transceiver pictures in Picture Gallery.