Radio Society of Greater Bixby

Last year at Green Country, I thought there were a lot of books, old Radio Amateur’s Handbooks and Callbooks etc. This year I noticed quite a few Kenwood 520 HF rigs (plain 5 band 520, the 6 b 520S, and economy model 520SE without 12V capability and lacking plugs for the 10 Watt 6M or 2M trans verters. The one above is 6 band 520 SE with matching tuner and speaker. You’ll never find the two transverters (bc they didn’t make very many). No price on this one. The others varied up to $250, but you might’ve gotten the one from Earl WB5UUW for a hundred or less. Estate sale, and no condition stated. I did see one Kenw 820, the eight hundred dollar expensive alternative, worth it at the time bc it was single conversion (to 9 Mc) versus double conversion (600 kc wide at 9, and then crystal filter at 3395) which made the 820 noticeably quieter on 10M (without so much conversion/mixing noise).

A Yaesu 101B was there also, same vintage as the 520 but with Sweep Tubes in the final, an 11M band, and AM mode available (only one reason for that – CB). Sweep tubes bring the plate out through the pins on the base, so there’s a little capacitance there which reduces gain on 10M – less of a problem on the Kenwoods bc they use S-2001 tubes (like the 6146A) with a plate cap that makes them usable up through 2M freqs. It was marked $100 and the LandLiner phone patch another $50. Oh, on the tables selling tubes you could buy 6146 types for ten ($10) bucks.

You always need a spare power supply and there was an Astron 20 marked $100 and a more capable Astron 35M (with meters) for $150. I liked the MFJ 4035 with meters going to 35 Amps marked $10.

I know the bad part is in here somewhere. I’ll just keep replacing parts until it starts working.

This is why you go to a Hamfest. Say you’re thinking about a Coax Switch for your station. , Go to the Fest and you’ve got your choice of dozens, 2 position, 4 position, 5 (one for ground).