Pictures of the Swan 500 after a light cleaning

Swan 500 Update - Initial Testing

Much to my surprise the old Swan came to life with no smoke, no flame. In fact, no drama at all.  After applying power, there was a tense 30 to 40 seconds when the S-meter pegged all the way to the right.  But slowly, The needle began to move to left and the audio came up.  The old familiar smell of old transformers, warm dust, and tubes heating up filled the air.

The first order of business: test the receive and tuning circuits. Starting with the band switch in the "28" setting (10 meters), I turned the dial. Not many signals found here but everything felt ok. On down the band switch I went. It was late in the evening. When the band switch hit the 40 and 80 meter bands I hit pay dirt.  The squeal of the BFO against the strong AM shortwave broadcast stations, the familiar dah-dit-dit of Morse Code, and SSB phone - men who sounded first like the chipmunks and then like a deep baritone as I turned the dial - all came booming in. 

So far so good. The old Swan spread her wings and brought the world into my small ham shack. Feeling a sense of both relief and satisfaction, I thought that was enough for the night. I hit the power switch and turned the old girl off. I swear it looked like she winked at me as her lights went out.

Next update: Will she talk?

Why everyone needs a shortwave radio

The Senate is considering a bill that would give President Obama unprecedented new powers to control the internet in a national emergency. The bill, introduced by Sen. Joe Lieberman (I-CT) would give the White House what some have called an internet "kill switch" allowing the president to shut down specific websites or whole portions of the internet. Lieberman says this will help protect "our economic security, national security, and public safety" from cyber-threats, but commentators on both the left and right have condemned the measure as a violation of online freedom.  Read the rest of the story HERE.

This has been dubbed "The Internet Kill Switch". Will it pass? Who knows what the government will do. They are certainly not asking me for my opinion. I am no alarmist but, this is one more reason to keep your radio gear and antennas in good working order. If you can, keep a generator or batteries on hand at all times. Make a Go-Kit and keep it stocked. Put together a family emergency kit

If you are not a HAM, buy a shortwave radio.  Get one with a digital readout and an external antenna jack. You do not have to spend a fortune on this. Kaito makes one that can be had for around $70. It has been rated very highly by the Passport to World Band Radio. Grundig and C. Crane also make some very good portable shortwave receivers. Try to avoid the no-name knockoffs.

If you have a radio, you can at least hear what is going on.  A shortwave radio will let you hear around the world. An Amateur Radio transceiver will let you communicate around the world. No Internet required! Get that HAM ticket!

...no country can be well governed unless its citizens as a body keep religiously before their minds that they are the guardians of the law and that the law officers are only the machinery for its execution, nothing more.
- Mark Twain, The Gilded Age

Ah! The smell of good old vacuum tubes!

I just bought a Swan 500 from a very nice fellow on Craig's list.  I got it with the power supply and a nice D104 Mic. I am really looking forward to see if, and how well it works. I have not played with tubes since I re-cap'ed a Zenith Transoceanic receiver some 5 years ago.

It looks just like the pictures below though it is plain Jane, not the 500C. Here are the particulars on this old workhorse:

 THE SWAN 500

Introduced in 1967 as a deluxe version of the 350, the 500 offered 480 watts PEP-SSB power. The 500C, which was first sold in 1968, offered the same power output but had a 2.7 Kc bandpass for both transmit and receive, 50 db sideband suppression, and grid block CW keying. Pictured here is a deluxe version of the 500C, the SS16, complete with the 16 pole crystal filter. The 500CX was the final version of this series, and it offered the following improvements in 1970. New AGC circuit with faster attack and controlled decay, amplified automatic gain control (AAGC), 25 kc and 100 kc crystal calibrator, carrier suppression exceeding 60db, improved product detector, and increased AF gain with less distortion. A review of the 500C appears in the April 1969 issue of CQ.

Frequency Ranges

• 80 meters 3.5 to 4 mc
• 40 meters 7.0 to 7.450 mc
• 20 meters 14.0 to 14.450 mc
• 15 meters 21.0 to 21.450 mc
• 10 meters 28.0 to 29.7 mc

Power Input

• Single Sideband, Suppressed Carrier:
  520 watts PEP, minimum all bands
• CW:
  360 watts, dc input all bands
• AM: (single sideband with carrier)
  125 watts dc input all bands

Distortion

• Distortion products down more than 30db

Unwanted Sideband Suppression

• Unwanted sideband down more than 50db

Carrier Suppression

• Carrier suppression greater than 60db

Receiver Sensitivity

• Less than 0.5 microvolt at 50 ohms impedance for signal-plus-noise to noise ratio of 10db

Transmitter Output

• Wide range Pi-network output matches antennas essencially resistive from 15 to 500 ohms impedance, with coarse and fine load adjustment.

Vacuum Tube Complement

• V1 6EW6 vfo amplifier
• V2 12BE6 transmitter mixer
• V3 6GK6 driver
• V4 6LQ6 PA
• V5 6LQ6 PA
• V6 12BZ6 receiver rf amplifier
• V7 12BE6 receiver mixer
• V8 6EW6 first IF amplifier
• V9 12BA6 second IF amplifier
• V10 12AX7 product detector / receive audio
• V11 6BN8 AGC amplifier / rectifier
• V12 6GK6 audio amplifier
• V13 6JH8 balanced modulator
• V15 12AX7 mic. amplifier / transmit audio
• V17 12BA6 100kc crystal calibrator

Power Requirments

• Filiments: 12.6 volts, 5.5 amps, ac or dc
• Relay: 12 volts dc, 250 ma.
• Bias: -110 volts dc, 100ma
• Medium voltage: 275 volts dc, 150 ma
• High voltage: 800 volts dc, 550 ma. peak transmit
• Recommended supplys: 14-117 12 volt dc supply, 117X basic ac supply, 117XC matching ac supply / speaker, 14-C dc converter (for 117-X).

Dimensions and weight

• 5.5 inches high by 13 inches wide by 11 inches deep
• weight 17.25 pounds 

I really hope it looks like this when I plug it in... 

 
 and not like this...

 Fingers crossed. Updates to follow!

Why do they call it "Amateur" Radio anyway?

   There is a nasty misnomer that has circulated around for years concerning the hobby of amateur radio. It states that the "Amateur" in Amateur Radio means unskilled or unpaid. I want to correct this for anyone that might be confused because this really causes my feathers to droop.

   First of all, the word "amateur" is derived from the latin verb "amo, amas, amat".

Used in English, it means "for the love of", NOT "for the compensation of"

   To say that Amateur Radio operators are "Unskilled"  is way off base too. Throughout the history of amateur radio, amateur radio enthusiasts have made significant contributions to society. Here are just a few examples:

• Built Economies: people.smu.edu/arc/ Inventor of IC "chip", Nobel Prize Winner Jack S. Kilby Credits Amateur Radio for His Start in Electronics.
• Created industry: http://www.bliley.net/XTAL/Industry-Hams.htmlTHE INFLUENCE OF AMATEUR RADIO ON THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE COMMERCIAL MARKET FOR QUARTZ PIEZOELECTRIC RESONATORS IN THE UNITED STATES. By Patrick R. J. Brown, Hewlett Packard Company, Spokane Division
• Empowered nations: www.ari.vt.edu/internet/Impression/ICT.pdf Role of Amateur Radio in Development Communication of Bangladesh. Information & Communication Technology for Development. By Bazlur Rahman
• Saved lives: http://www.arrl.org/news/stories/2004/12/29/100/?nc=1 Amateur Radio "Saved Lives" in South Asia ARRL.org
  

    Amateur radio is a hobby and, by law, is completely non-commercial. Individual amateur "ham" radio operators pursue their hobby for personal pleasure through building their own radio stations - granted, not so much of that is going on these days - but, many still do.  They communicate with their fellow Hams globally, and most strive for self-improvement through study and practice of electronics, computers, and radio / TV RF theory. 

   Radio amateurs are, thus, "amateurs" in the true sense of the word: pursuit of an activity only for the love of it.

Please excuse me now while I climb back down off my soap box.

Ham Radio Deluxe Fixes free QRZ lookup...AGAIN!

If you are having issues with the free QRZ.com lookup feature in Ham Radio Deluxe, download the latest version 5 beta, build 2610 and it will work again.

If you have further questions the support forums for the v5.0 betas are here.

Why not click the Pay Pal logo and make a donation while you are there. This is a nice super nice software bundle for free-fifty-free!


73!

Hearing is believing, Listening is everything

Speaking of dipoles; Last night I fired up the IC-706 to try and make some more progress on the WSPR project. As the audio came up I noticed it SOUNDED a little different. I set the frequency and hit the tuner and HEARD the tuner churning differently as well.

I decided to tune over to WWV and it also SOUNDED weaker. Something did not seem right. We had some very high straight line winds a few days a go but making a cursory look at that time showed my antenna to be alright.

But still, something still did not SOUND right so, I went out to the tower and, low and behold, there was 1/2 my dipole lying on the ground - broken right at the center coupler. I use a Wilson Creek Antenna. This is a trapped dipole, made by some HAM friends of mine. It is a very strong, very good antenna. It receives better than any trapped dipole I have ever used.

The antenna is at the top of a 49' tower and can be easily lowered using a rope and pulley system I set up. I lowered the beast down, resoldered the broken leg, and raised it up again. Returning to the shack I HEARD WWV loud and clear now. I retuned down to the 20M PSK frequency and hit the tuner again. One click, no churning. I was back in business.

Part of what you learn as you gain more experience in the hobby is to LOOK, SMELL, and LISTEN. This involves your own built in test equipment and doesn't cost a dime. If used properly, these senses can save you a lot of time and trouble. If the radio or tower or waterfall display - whatever - does not look right, something probably has changed. Smell carbon in the making? Better check that out too. Electronic components never seem to work correctly after the magic smoke has been let out of them.

Finally listening, not only to your equipment, but also to your Elmers and other friends can save you a lot of grief and teach you a great deal. You do not learn much by talking all the time. I have found this out the hard way on many occasions. D.J. Kaufman once said, "Wisdom is the reward for a lifetime of listening". Boy, do I need some wisdom!

An Easier way to calculate Dipole length

How to get the RIGHT length for your dipole!

I cannot tell you how many times I have tested and cut, tested and cut, tested and cut TOO SHORT when trying to get a dipole the right length. If you have ever done the same you know how frustrating it can be.

Well, Ian Keyser, G3ROO, the Aurthur of Practical and Tested
Aerial Systems has a very easy way to get the right length for your Dipole
every single time!

>From Ian, G3ROO -
"Make dipoles too long and erect it, now measure the
length and resonant frequency (with GDO or analyzer)  and multiply them
together,   Divide this figure by the {your} required frequency and it will
give you the correct length of the aerial."

Now. How simple is that? Buy that book, by the way, if you ever get the chance.
It is awesome.

Trying my best to "Whisper"

While I should have been working yesterday I found an interesting QRP blog. I already forgot who's blog it was. Anyway, they mentioned WSPR, commonly called "Whisper".

WSPR implements a protocol designed for probing potential propagation paths with low-power transmissions. Normal transmissions carry a station's callsign, Maidenhead grid locator, and transmitter power in dBm. The program can decode signals with S/N as low as -28 dB in a 2500 Hz bandwidth. That is right down in the noise and, to me, that makes this very interesting. Stations with internet access can automatically upload their reception reports to a central database called WSPRnet.

I downloaded the software to the laptop that I use to connect to my Icom 706. You can get it from WSJT's home page, and it is free. It went in no problem but I could not, for the life of me, get it to connect via the CAT connection to the IC-706. Let me back up just a bit here. There are two connections that need to be made: 1) a radio control connection (which is optional) and, 2) the sound card connection.

I got the call to dinner - which I NEVER refuse - so I left the install configuration to a later time. More on the progress in another post soon.

I finally gave in

I finally bit the bullet and decided to try my hand a blogging. Though primarily for Ham Radio, I will probably meander down other trails and other topics as we go along. I hope it will be informative and fun - FUN being the keyword here. I hope you enjoy it.

73
George, N0JRJ