Plasma!

Does anyone still use CRTs?
I'm amazed at the transformation of CRT to Plasma and LED technology. Now you can mount a huge 42" plus plasma tv on your wall in High Definition, flat as a panacake!
CRTs are dead and buried, but how I remember these beasts, 25Kv on the final anode and i've had many a belt from this when changing a CRT in a television. Setting up the static and dynamic convergence, purity, scan coils ... gosh, what memories.

I was moved by the programme on TV called J.L.B. (John Logie Baird) This man was a genious, he actually used CRTs for true 3D television and nobody listened, particularly the BBC.

The CRT was a milestone in analogue technology and should never be forgotten!

23cm night!

I must admit that this project was my most frustrating ever!

The DF6QK 23cm transverter gave me highs and lows. I remember working a station in Switzerland during an opening with milliwatts of power.

Other times it just refused to tune and spent hours tweeking becoming more and more frustrated!

I built it in modular form so that I could unplug modules to test and set up. I also added a 2w PA to the system which worked well when the rest behaved.

Tonight dragged the transverter from the loft and connected the transverter to my Yaesu FT-817 in the hope of hearing local stations taking part in the 23cm contest.I heard nothing, maybe its the antenna (just the discone) but more likely the alignment of the converter part of the tranverter (1296Mhz - 28Mhz)

It was worth a try! (I still can't work out how I built this beast!)

Memories!

Here are a couple of photos I found of my shack back in the 1970's and 80's. (Click to enlarge)

The top photo shows the Hallicrafters SX24 receiver with my 2m transmitter next to it, then my 160m / 80m transverter, above is my pride and joy 70cm tranverter with it's QQVO-320 valves. I used this tranverter for transmitting television pictures! You can also see the rather crude ATU.

The lower photo was taken in the early 1980's with my FT101E (I still have it!) rotator control box, 2m transverter in the dicast box and my all band VHF receiver that I built (and still have!)

Above is my VHF Frequency counter, power meter an Z-Match.

The amazing thing about these these photos is that I am sat here in modern shack in the same room looking at the same walls!

Condomodium

Today was beautiful, almost fooled today into thinking that Spring has arrived!

Wall to wall sunshine, what a change after this horrible Winter that we are having this year.

Went for a walk around Bolton today and saw something strange...the Town Hall Clock in a condom!

What is going on behind the shrouds I wonder?

This nice weather got me thinking again about putting up some new antennas. The fittings on the side of the house are still there. Still thinking about it...

The Tuesday night contests add so much interest to the bands, loads of activity. Amateur Radio seems to be having a bit of a revival at the moment, I have certainly found more activity and more stations about now on most bands. I have even ejoyed reading RadCom again after all these years!