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Post by Night Ranger on Dec 10, 2012 22:25:18 GMT -5
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Sandbagger
Administrator/The Boss 
Posts: 6,247 
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Post by Sandbagger on Dec 11, 2012 7:31:38 GMT -5
I just keep missing the fun..... Hopefully it'll be a little open on Wednesday night..... |
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Post by Night Ranger on Dec 11, 2012 8:55:26 GMT -5
I just keep missing the fun..... Hopefully it'll be a little open on Wednesday night..... You must have your beam set with the Southeast in the null. I made the first PA videogate from your feed, but when I played it back your radio could only hear the locals. Night Ranger |
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Sandbagger
Administrator/The Boss
Posts: 6,247
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Post by Sandbagger on Dec 11, 2012 14:26:40 GMT -5
I just keep missing the fun..... Hopefully it'll be a little open on Wednesday night..... You must have your beam set with the Southeast in the null. I made the first PA videogate from your feed, but when I played it back your radio could only hear the locals. Night Ranger I normally keep the beam in the east-southeast direction. However, it tends to reject certain types of DX conditions. Lately, I have been having trouble hearing stations in the DX when others hear them fine, yet last summer, I had no trouble hearing the same stations. Must have something to do with take-off angle. |
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Post by "Doc"Hammer on Dec 11, 2012 18:55:16 GMT -5
More skip today...talked to 441 and Night Train briefly about 5:20cst...hopefully conditions will return this evening and tomorrow for the CRR...this is the old "Blackface" Midland 13-885 Sparky sent me, and a talker it is...great old radio...it seems to prefer one of my old Cobra handmikes....441 gave it a great audio report from the Keystone state this evening ;D She'll be live on the roundup tomorrow!   |
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Sandbagger
Administrator/The Boss
Posts: 6,247
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Post by Sandbagger on Dec 11, 2012 19:41:45 GMT -5
More skip today...talked to 441 and Night Train briefly about 5:20cst...hopefully conditions will return this evening and tomorrow for the CRR...this is the old "Blackface" Midland 13-885 Sparky sent me, and a talker it is...great old radio...it seems to prefer one of my old Cobra handmikes....441 gave it a great audio report from the Keystone state this evening ;D She'll be live on the roundup tomorrow! I have an '885, the later 1971 vintage. Was my first SSB base radio, that I got in a trade, after it got struck by lightning in 1976. I used the crap out of that radio, it was submerged in a flood, and yet still works. That radio had modulation to spare, and I was frequently known to splatter with that radio. Back then, I had stripped out any and all limiting circuits, and the audio was loud and on the tinny side with a D-104. I changed the final and driver out in it to get more power out (from 8 watts PEP to about 13 on SSB). I added crystals in it in 1977 to give me the 40 (+) channels. It was my primary station radio until I got a 40 channel PLL radio in 1981. I've recently restored it, re-installed the limiters and modified the audio circuits for a flatter audio response. I've also had to replace the S-meter and the clock (damaged no doubt from being submerged under water). Maybe I'll run mine tomorrow night.......  |
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Post by "Doc"Hammer on Dec 11, 2012 20:10:21 GMT -5
I installed a new S-meter as well, since the housing lens was cracked...my meter came from the 13-880b parts rig Sparky sent with my 885...I really like the no-nonsense look and function of the radio. It talks great, has good ears and the clock works too. SSB does around 10 PEP and AM keys 3 and goes forward a bit so thats good enough for me. I believe the Audio circuts are still intact in this one. It works good, so I'm not going to "fix" it..  Mine was made in '71 as well.. ;D  |
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Post by spitfire441 on Dec 11, 2012 20:33:54 GMT -5
More video 'gates. First is Night Ranger in SC and the second is Dr Hammer in Kansas as received in Pennsylvania on my Hallicrafters R-274D.
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Post by skeeter427 on Dec 11, 2012 20:55:56 GMT -5
Thank you Night ranger that was an awsome vidio gate,will do the same back someday.. Skeeter....
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Sandbagger
Administrator/The Boss
Posts: 6,247
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Post by Sandbagger on Dec 12, 2012 7:35:24 GMT -5
I installed a new S-meter as well, since the housing lens was cracked...my meter came from the 13-880b parts rig Sparky sent with my 885...I really like the no-nonsense look and function of the radio. It talks great, has good ears and the clock works too. SSB does around 10 PEP and AM keys 3 and goes forward a bit so thats good enough for me. I believe the Audio circuts are still intact in this one. It works good, so I'm not going to "fix" it.. Mine was made in '71 as well.. ;D Playing around with this radio was fun and I learned a bit about their lineage. The 13-880 was their first model, which had a 10 watt SSB PEP input rating. It also had a variable capacitor for a clarifier. The first version of the 13-885, had an octal powersocket on the back similar to the '880, also had the thinner power switch like the '880, and the clock was slightly different. The "later" version of the '885 upped the power rating to 15 watts PEP input, utilized a potentiometer/ diode clarifier circuit, and changed the power plug setup. When I looked at your picture, I saw the older meter scale, and the silver meter knobs and assumed it was the older model. I too have a parts rig (actually 2, an '880 and an older '885) where I got the replacement clock and meter from. But I swapped out the meter card with the original meter so as not to spoil the original looks. Right now, the clarifier had been switched out many years ago to a variable cap with a series choke, to give me a - 10 Khz slide, and the CB/PA and Noise Blanker switches control the crystals for the upper channels. I'm thinking seriously about completely restoring the radio back to 100% factory stock condition again. But I'll probably leave the crystal for channels 36 - 40 in there for SSB use. |
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Post by Night Ranger on Dec 12, 2012 8:37:03 GMT -5
I installed a new S-meter as well, since the housing lens was cracked...my meter came from the 13-880b parts rig Sparky sent with my 885...I really like the no-nonsense look and function of the radio. It talks great, has good ears and the clock works too. SSB does around 10 PEP and AM keys 3 and goes forward a bit so thats good enough for me. I believe the Audio circuts are still intact in this one. It works good, so I'm not going to "fix" it.. Mine was made in '71 as well.. ;D Playing around with this radio was fun and I learned a bit about their lineage. The 13-880 was their first model, which had a 10 watt SSB PEP input rating. It also had a variable capacitor for a clarifier. The first version of the 13-885, had an octal powersocket on the back similar to the '880, also had the thinner power switch like the '880, and the clock was slightly different. The "later" version of the '885 upped the power rating to 15 watts PEP input, utilized a potentiometer/ diode clarifier circuit, and changed the power plug setup. When I looked at your picture, I saw the older meter scale, and the silver meter knobs and assumed it was the older model. I too have a parts rig (actually 2, an '880 and an older '885) where I got the replacement clock and meter from. But I swapped out the meter card with the original meter so as not to spoil the original looks. Right now, the clarifier had been switched out many years ago to a variable cap with a series choke, to give me a - 10 Khz slide, and the CB/PA and Noise Blanker switches control the crystals for the upper channels. I'm thinking seriously about completely restoring the radio back to 100% factory stock condition again. But I'll probably leave the crystal for channels 36 - 40 in there for SSB use. I have a mint condition Midland 13-885 as well with the matching Siltronix VFO. I bought it as a homage to my deceased friend Greg (The Devil/The Phoenix). He actually had the Midland 13-880b, but the Midland 13-885 was close enough. Maybe I'll hook mine up for the Classic Radio Roundup if we have skip conditions tonight. Below is a video of my Midland 13-885 and my tan D&A Raider. www.youtube.com/watch?v=UskCD_2s-sIAs I was listening to the video above it brought back memories of 1975. The only thing missing is my portable Panasonic RF-563 AM/FM radio tuned to WROQ and playing Led Zeppelin, Yes, Emerson Lake and Palmer, and Linda Ronstadt in the back ground. Linda Ronstadt - You're No Good www.youtube.com/watch?v=_rITqN5wPwENight Ranger |
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Post by Wayne (Unit 235) on Dec 12, 2012 14:36:52 GMT -5
Night Ranger,
Thanks for the comeback when I broke for you. Maybe the skip will be right for tonight. I'll be listening.
Wayne......Unit 235
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Mine was made in '71 as well.. ;D
