I want to try those wonderful digital modes,
too. 20 dB below the noise on receive... Man...
Oh well. One thing at a time.
Bruce
P.S. Uh... 2 more things:
I would love to have a Gonsett Communicator
and:
That 13.560 MHz AM transmitter on Carl's site
is really fun. That's the one that I built. But, again -
it is AM - so WSPR probably wouldn't work. You
should check it out anyway.
I have poor vision - so I had to build mine LARGE.
I have given up on rebuilding it into a small reasonable
sized box. So it's going to go into a box that's really big
by necessity. It is what it is. It works well.
Bruce
Thanks Carl,
I heard from Barry Mishkind (Broadcaster's Desktop Resources) http://www.thebdr.net/ and had a lead dating back to 2005, but I could not follow it up. He did include a picture of a 8S being hoisted into a dumpster, though. Hurts. Poor Ramko, I call it.
So yes, I would greatly appreciate anything you may have on the 6S, 8S or 10S - I think there was a 6S? The unit appears in pretty good shape apart from some wires that have been cut, perhaps to disable it for some reason. There are no boards missing and the power supply works, although I can't get anything on the front panel yet. There are three plugs on the front panel labled START and the four wires from each have been cut. I cannot find where they went to. All fuses are good. So I think it's probably ok. I'd hate to have to start from scratch and do a wiring diagram though.
I will look at the story behind the link to the AM transmitter with interest. Is it still operational, and from where? Probably have to be in the neighborhood to hear though. My radio interest was first kindled as boy hunting AM stations in other states from Minneapolis on those long dark cold winter nights up there. I think the first out of state station I heard was Del Rio Texas, a real power house reglious station. I have not been on AM in a while on the ham bands, but I have a Johnson Viking II waiting to be restored that I will get to. My receiver now is a R390A, all 85 lbs. of it. I actually prefer listening to talking and that's one reason I chase low power stuff.
Good luck finding an SCSI cable for that scanner. No hurry as I have plenty of other projects going, but I apprecate your thinking of me and the 'poor old Ramko'.
Jim
Bruce,
Ah, I see. The AM transmitter that Carl mentioned was a group project or like a club project where everybody builds one, I think.
I'm still in reply mode and have not gone to his link about the tranmitter. Must do that now.
I have this little widget for Craigslist that informs me whenever there is anything for sale in my area - Pittsburgh - when the keyword Ham radio of vintage radio is contained in the ad. It only cost about 15$ and it works perfectly. I see a lot of stuff out of the past come up automatically, so maybe there will be a Communicator in there soon for 6, I hope. I don't buy on eBay anymore. Prices just seem to be getting higher and it appears rigged in many cases.
I think you're lucky to a radio hobbiest and have poor vision. I have poor hearing! LOL
It's manly the highs though and I seem to do pretty well with headphones on. My wife says I don't pay attention to her when she speaks to me. At least I think that's what she said?
Heading on over to look at your AM project now.
Jim
We named the shortwave transmitter "Big Talker" and our soon to continue long wave transmitter is "Deep Voice."
Big Talker was designed by a whole group of us contributing circuit ideas and refinements until we had two versions, both of which are described in the docs.
Mine was assembled on a project cart in the corner of the room and a 17' dipole was strung through three rooms, with the thing on the air for months.
Now it's all in the basement waiting to be mounted in a permanent metal cabinet.
I am slightly behind with projects the same as anybody in radio.
The SCSI cable should be a piece of cake, there's a computer specialist shop nearby.
If the SCSI cable doesn't solve the scanning, I'll get a new scanner. I hate to say goodby to once great equipment.
Well, perhaps I can build Deep Voice too and run it through the Ramko 10S at the museum in a KDKA exhibit some day - a time probably a long way off.
I found a couple of very detailed and informative ads concerning the Ramco at the American Radio History site. They were is 1980 - 1983 issues of Broadcast Management and Engineering. They give specs, performance, features and price in two full pages with a nice color pic of the unit fired up. That site is wonderful for old radio and audio stuff. I could probably spend hours there.
BTW, decent scanners are being thrown away right and left with HP printers these days. You could probably pick one up on Craigslist in your area for nothing. The trick is to pick up a good A3 one though.
Jim
http://www.americanradiohistory.com/index.htm