This video brought back so many memories.... Peter your standing directly beside what looks like my first receiver, a 1936 vintage National HRO with 5 plug in coils for 80, 40, 20, 15 & 10 meters. I remember listening to stations throughout North America & beyond while studying for my license. First licensed in 1973 at the age of 14 as VE5ZW, I paired this receiver with a Heathkit DX60B. And with a 2 element Gem Quad I did work the world with that old National HRO. I kick myself every time I think how I had to sell all my gear to go off to university, and how I would like to have it back! The warmth of the sound and the glow of the tubes.... Ah those were the days :)
Just love listening to Peter and those old radios. I was an SWL back in the 70's with a Codar CR70A, Trio 9R59DS (wish I had held onto that one) and a Yaesu FR 50B. The one thing I would have loved would have been a digital display so I could tune to a frequency and hear if it was on air. Now I am trying to get to grips with an Icom IC-9700 & IC-7300 W&S sold me a few weeks ago. So many buttons, menus, touch displays etc. I've managed to get into the local repeater GB3GN, just. Thank Heavens for TH-cam to show me {How to} master the functions. I'm a little younger than Peter being a GM4.
I began my interest in Ham Radio in the mid 70’s when the Oscar satellite was launched and a High School Science Teacher setup a satellite tracking array of stacked yagi’s. I was also given a paperback book called Tune in the World with Ham Radio and I was hooked!
Great video looking back at the good old days of amateur radio, and to see that wonderful collection of old radios. I will never forget those wonderful times in my youth, when I first discovered amateur radio while as an SWL, listening to strong AM hams on 40 and 20 Meters, using a valve Cossor melody maker, inverted L antenna and Earth stake of course. Yes it is certainly true to say that HF band conditions, were far better then, with minimal noise interference and good HF propagation. My first transceiver was a Pye 62 set, running AM on 160M, with an output power of around less than 1 Watt, running off a 12V car battery float charged with a battery charger, all in the garden shed! Listening to my voice in the headphones while transmitting, was an exciting experience from what I remember. Top band was usually always busy with QSO's, with local hams traveling to and from work during the day, using home made AM rigs and loaded whip antennas /M, and many SSB stations further afield in the evenings. I remember there was one particular AM G3 station, who always put out a massive signal on 160M in the evenings, you probably know who it was. Looking at Top Band now of course, it's a completely different scene with ADSL2 and VDSL broadband interference, SMPS QRN and all the rest of it.
@@watersstanton Yes they were most certainly happy times for sure. One of my radio amateur friends back then, Martin, had a very impressive 2 Meter VHF antenna system. He lived in a flat above a newsagents in Harefield , which was his workshop, radio station and digs. He had 2 x 10 element Tona yagi's stacked for 2 meter SSB operation, with rotator and pole bolted to the wall. That sure was quite a set up! 73 Matt
Back in 1969 as ZC4MO (Cyprus) I had a regular Sunday sked with VP8KL in the Falklands on 28.350 Mc/s (No Hz in those days) with just a 100 watt SSB KW Viceroy and a RCA AR88D Rx feeding a TA33 Junior at 60 ft. AGL. Nothing exotic. Biggest problem was the breakers who wanted 2 rare countries at once. Must have been near the peak of the sunspot cycle. With that callsign I tried to achieve DXCC in 100 days, and succeeded. Great days. Ian G4JIU Ex G8EYU,DA2GJ
Nice video. Re the band conditions. I was SWLing in the 60s. I had a Codar TRF and then a Hallicrafters SX24. I came across an old log book of mine last year (from '68) and my jaw literally dropped when I saw the exotic DX I had logged. I dropped the SWLing about '69 and forgot about ham radio until three years ago I came across my old RAE certificate. The bug bit and I got my license. I acquired a Trio Rx. The first thing I noticed was the generally appalling noise on all bands - I thought there was something wrong with the Rx. Then I got an Icom TxRx and I the farthest QSO has been Moscow. I rarely encounter DX, occasionally transatlantic stations, nothing exotic. I seriously wonder if the F2 ionised layer has deteriorated over the last 50 years? Talking of old kit, before the Codar, I bought a 19 set which I powered from a car battery using a MoD surplus inverter! John, M0IDS.
Probably a combination of factors..yes, I believe conditions were better..this last cycle has been the worst I have ever encountered. The overall noise floor, band noise, not receiver noise, was much lower..we could hear more, and hear more easily than today.. The the thing that may be the most important factor; We were younger, enthusiastic, adventurous and open to all new ideas in regard to working DX.. I still enjoy older gear..like you I lusted after an HRO..it wasn't to be..a Halli S20R had to be my RX..a MOPA 6AG7/6L6, one rock and a doublet sufficed for transmitting..minimal, but sufficient..I couldn't wait to power up and begin..ahhhhhh, to an old man's memory, those were the days😏😃 To this day, an older Ten Tec Argosy 525D is still one of my favorite rigs..not '50s vintage, but mid '80s..still very simple compared to modern gear, but it works quite well..it is my observation that it seems more immune to EMI/RFI than modern rrceivers.. Thus endeth the memory review for today..
When I was getting into ha radio via CB in the late 1970's we had one television, and NO equipment with switch mode power supplies. The first computer I owned, a sinclair ZX80 had a 3.58MHz oscillator which could be heard on the lower bands up to bout 40.The only other things that made noise was a tropical fish tank and a Deep freezer. The situation nowadays is very very different. As I sit in bed there are 7+ switch mode psu's at least in this room and the light is LED (Horrible stuff), so the only way to operate is an antenna away from home, ideally in a local park.
Great days as a SWL I used a home built TRF and later superhet (both from PW designs).....the greatest issue then (1960's) was ignition interference and TV timebases. Much worse these days from the digital hash 24/7
Hi Jeff. thanks for the input. Yes there was good and bad in those days but a great deal of fun mixed in with it. I might do another video recalling more of those days - when I get a moment! 73s. Peter.
This video brought back so many memories.... Peter your standing directly beside what looks like my first receiver, a 1936 vintage National HRO with 5 plug in coils for 80, 40, 20, 15 & 10 meters. I remember listening to stations throughout North America & beyond while studying for my license. First licensed in 1973 at the age of 14 as VE5ZW, I paired this receiver with a Heathkit DX60B. And with a 2 element Gem Quad I did work the world with that old National HRO. I kick myself every time I think how I had to sell all my gear to go off to university, and how I would like to have it back! The warmth of the sound and the glow of the tubes.... Ah those were the days :)
I came into the radio world in the later 1970s. We have come a long long way from even then in fact..Thanks Peter
Just love listening to Peter and those old radios. I was an SWL back in the 70's with a Codar CR70A, Trio 9R59DS (wish I had held onto that one) and a Yaesu FR 50B. The one thing I would have loved would have been a digital display so I could tune to a frequency and hear if it was on air. Now I am trying to get to grips with an Icom IC-9700 & IC-7300 W&S sold me a few weeks ago. So many buttons, menus, touch displays etc. I've managed to get into the local repeater GB3GN, just. Thank Heavens for TH-cam to show me {How to} master the functions. I'm a little younger than Peter being a GM4.
I use the same pair of radios. Lots to learn but an interesting joutney! 73 Peter .
more please on the old gear .
Some lovely old gear there Peter, no doubt conditions were better in those days, for a start I bet the noise level on HF was a lot less then. M0KED.
I began my interest in Ham Radio in the mid 70’s when the Oscar satellite was launched and a High School Science Teacher setup a satellite tracking array of stacked yagi’s. I was also given a paperback book called Tune in the World with Ham Radio and I was hooked!
You and many others. 73 Peter
Great video looking back at the good old days of amateur radio, and to see that wonderful collection of old radios. I will never forget those wonderful times in my youth, when I first discovered amateur radio while as an SWL, listening to strong AM hams on 40 and 20 Meters, using a valve Cossor melody maker, inverted L antenna and Earth stake of course. Yes it is certainly true to say that HF band conditions, were far better then, with minimal noise interference and good HF propagation. My first transceiver was a Pye 62 set, running AM on 160M, with an output power of around less than 1 Watt, running off a 12V car battery float charged with a battery charger, all in the garden shed! Listening to my voice in the headphones while transmitting, was an exciting experience from what I remember.
Top band was usually always busy with QSO's, with local hams traveling to and from work during the day, using home made AM rigs and loaded whip antennas /M, and many SSB stations further afield in the evenings. I remember there was one particular AM G3 station, who always put out a massive signal on 160M in the evenings, you probably know who it was. Looking at Top Band now of course, it's a completely different scene with ADSL2 and VDSL broadband interference, SMPS QRN and all the rest of it.
Matt, a very interesting input. I am sure others will enjoy reading it as well. I remember it all!! 73s Peter
@@watersstanton Yes they were most certainly happy times for sure. One of my radio amateur friends back then, Martin, had a very impressive 2 Meter VHF antenna system. He lived in a flat above a newsagents in Harefield , which was his workshop, radio station and digs. He had 2 x 10 element Tona yagi's stacked for 2 meter SSB operation, with rotator and pole bolted to the wall. That sure was quite a set up! 73 Matt
Back in 1969 as ZC4MO (Cyprus) I had a regular Sunday sked with VP8KL in the Falklands on 28.350 Mc/s (No Hz in those days) with just a 100 watt SSB KW Viceroy and a RCA AR88D Rx feeding a TA33 Junior at 60 ft. AGL. Nothing exotic. Biggest problem was the breakers who wanted 2 rare countries at once. Must have been near the peak of the sunspot cycle. With that callsign I tried to achieve DXCC in 100 days, and succeeded. Great days.
Ian G4JIU Ex G8EYU,DA2GJ
Nice video. Re the band conditions. I was SWLing in the 60s. I had a Codar TRF and then a Hallicrafters SX24. I came across an old log book of mine last year (from '68) and my jaw literally dropped when I saw the exotic DX I had logged. I dropped the SWLing about '69 and forgot about ham radio until three years ago I came across my old RAE certificate. The bug bit and I got my license. I acquired a Trio Rx. The first thing I noticed was the generally appalling noise on all bands - I thought there was something wrong with the Rx. Then I got an Icom TxRx and I the farthest QSO has been Moscow. I rarely encounter DX, occasionally transatlantic stations, nothing exotic. I seriously wonder if the F2 ionised layer has deteriorated over the last 50 years? Talking of old kit, before the Codar, I bought a 19 set which I powered from a car battery using a MoD surplus inverter! John, M0IDS.
I'm a space weather nut and it is fact that the earth has lost about 30% of its magnetic field in the past 50 years or so..
Probably a combination of factors..yes, I believe conditions were better..this last cycle has been the worst I have ever encountered.
The overall noise floor, band noise, not receiver noise, was much lower..we could hear more, and hear more easily than today..
The the thing that may be the most important factor;
We were younger, enthusiastic, adventurous and open to all new ideas in regard to working DX..
I still enjoy older gear..like you I lusted after an HRO..it wasn't to be..a Halli S20R had to be my RX..a MOPA 6AG7/6L6, one rock and a doublet sufficed for transmitting..minimal, but sufficient..I couldn't wait to power up and begin..ahhhhhh, to an old man's memory, those were the days😏😃
To this day, an older Ten Tec Argosy 525D is still one of my favorite rigs..not '50s vintage, but mid '80s..still very simple compared to modern gear, but it works quite well..it is my observation that it seems more immune to EMI/RFI than modern rrceivers..
Thus endeth the memory review for today..
Hi there. Many thanks for sharing. Happy New Year. 73 Peter
When I was getting into ha radio via CB in the late 1970's we had one television, and NO equipment with switch mode power supplies. The first computer I owned, a sinclair ZX80 had a 3.58MHz oscillator which could be heard on the lower bands up to bout 40.The only other things that made noise was a tropical fish tank and a Deep freezer.
The situation nowadays is very very different. As I sit in bed there are 7+ switch mode psu's at least in this room and the light is LED (Horrible stuff), so the only way to operate is an antenna away from home, ideally in a local park.
Yes, how things have changed. Peter
Great days as a SWL I used a home built TRF and later superhet (both from PW designs).....the greatest issue then (1960's) was ignition interference and TV timebases. Much worse these days from the digital hash 24/7
Hi Jeff. thanks for the input. Yes there was good and bad in those days but a great deal of fun mixed in with it. I might do another video recalling more of those days - when I get a moment! 73s. Peter.