David Macnaughton and his Fascinating World of Amateur Radio
DAVID VK2BA - THE SHACK AND OTHER INFORMATION
CONTENTS
Please Scroll (16 items)
|
The VK2BA shack in March 2011 Well, a part of it at least. Beside me is the BA320 transmitter, while on the table is the "new" ART13, "Arty". On the top shelf are the 400V and 1200V supplies for "Arty". The middle shelf contains the VFO for the BA320, while the valves and coil formers belong to a strange device which multiplies the VFO to 29MHz and drives a counter so I know where I am on 10 M. It also divides the VFO by two to drive the BA320 on 3.5MHz when it is running on 40M. I is never a good idea to drive a transmitter on the frequency it is outputting. That is a sure fire way to have a self oscillation.
|
|
The VK2BA Shack in January 2008 
Click images to view full size This is a composite of six photographs, in a matrix of three above three, stitched together by Photoshop.. The shack is almost impossible to photograph because the room is long and narrow (6 M x 2 1/2 M). The main operating position (Studio A) is on the left. Here we find on the bottom shelf L to R: an IC575, FT847 and the home brew valve receiver, the BA16. Continuing along on the same level is the TA12C transmitter, the 7MHz VFO, HRO 50T1 receiver. The tall transmitter on the right is the home brew BA320, an AM unit for 7 and 29MHz. It looks if it is falling off the table but that is distortion from the 6x stitch! Going back to the left hand side we have on the second shelf up: FT757, FT920, Home brew multi band, dual selectivity receiver, the BA22. On the little shelf in the middle is an antenna current meter and a CB set for communication with the main house. On the right of that and also on a little shelf is a bunch of chassis related to my AM operation, 29MHz preamp and power supply. Back again to the left hand side and on the third shelf up: My main HF linear, an Emtron DX1B. an antenna rotator then my fully restored AR7 receiver, an Australian built version of the HRO, produced during WW2. Continuing right is my BC348 receiver then my Viking 2 transmitter, provided by Smitty KD4AF. Next is a CRO for looking at AM modulation envelopes, something that more stations should do. Above the DX1B and on the 4th shelf up is my 6 metre linear and to the right of that is its power supply. To the right of that is a power supply for the AR7 and then my Eddystone 840A, something I can get going when I get a few UAF42 tubes. Along the new top shelf are a bunch of domestic broadcast receivers.Right on the bottom and to the right of the table is a rack of auxillary equipment to run the Bendix TA12C transmitter. This is not quite finished. At the extreme right and on the floor are two AM17A amplifiers, originally used for ground to air aircraft communication. I use one for 400W output on 144 MHz. To continue my operations I am looking for some UAF42 pentodes to repair the Eddystone 840A Please contact me if you have these tubes for disposal.
|
| A Tail of a Technical Rodent ! Here are some photo's of the flex to our office fax machine. The rodent that did this was clearly quite technical because it managed to eat its way right through the insulation to expose the bare copper in at least four places without killing itself! We don't know how long the flex was like this but although it did short circuit at one stage (look at the little globules of melted copper) it never stopped the fax machine or blew the mains fuse. Quite a technical feat I would say!
Click images to view full size |
