Forwarded from glowbugs FYI - A glowbugging transmitter kit review
Mike N5JKY
>Date: Tue, 11 Mar 1997 11:28:11 GMT
>Reply-To: bry@mail1.mnsinc.com
>Originator: glowbugs@sco.theporch.com
>Sender: glowbugs@sco.theporch.com
>Precedence: bulk
>From: "Brian Carling" <bry@mail1.mnsinc.com>
>To: Multiple recipients of list <glowbugs@sco.theporch.com>
>Subject: CPCW-5 First Impressions
>X-Comment: Please send list server requests to listproc@sco.theporch.com
>
>Someone please copy this mini-review to QRP-L
>
>Here is a "First Impression" of the new CAKE PAN CW-5 transmitter
>that arrived today.
>
>It is a new TUBE product on the market for hams! What a great way for
>all of those new NO CODE TECHS and other beginners to get their feet
>wet with a REAL RADIO!
>
>The radio can be bought assembled or as a kit. It comes with a really
>good manual and plenty of helpful instructions. Mine was already
>assembled and worked great right out of the box. I was on the air
>within 10 minutes.
>
>This CW transmitting device uses a specially designed
>tranformer that is made just for this rig, plus a 6C4 - 6AQ5 tube
>line-up, plug-in coils and a PI-NET output. There is plenty of room
>on the chassis for your own mods or add-ons, and later this month
>they will begin offering an AM version of the rig, or a modification
>kit to add modulation to existing rigs.
>
>I can see adding a semi-break-in circuit, maybe a relay for keying
>from my memory keyer etc, later. For tonight I just used the straight
>key.
>
>This rig is destined to become a classic!
>Once I figured out which tube went where and got the 6C4 and 6AQ5
>tubes plugged in OK, I realized that the OTHER 7 pin tube socket
>is for the crystals to plug in! A novel approach. I had seen
>something like this done with FT-243 crystals in Octal tube sockets plenty
>of times.
>
>I plugged it in and
>connected an antenna (G5RV and MFJ-949D tuner) and plugged in the
>crystal for 3640 kHz that came with it. No one around so I tried a
>CQ. It only has ONE tuning control (plate variable) - the PI-NET has
>a fixed cap on the antenna side. No problem getting a full 5 watts
>out right away (according the notoriously inaccurate wattmeter used
>in tuners of this type) - but certainly in the ballpark of 5-6 watts
>out all of the time. The rig tunes nicely and has a good note.
>
>Some RTTY signal is hogging the frequency and I get no replies to my
>CQs, so I plug in the 3700 kHz rock and move up the band.
>
>SO at 0042 UTC I put out my first CQ on 3700 and got a reply from
>W8TMS in TROY, MI - DX!! AND he gave me RST 599! Not bad for a
>maiden viyage on the CPCW-5.
>Later on I heard K3JO nearby calling CQ and gave 81 year-old Jules a
>call. He came right back and chatted with me for 35 enjoyable
>minutes. My report was RST 579 From Narberth, PA up near Philly
>using his homebrew 2-tube rig with a 6DQ6 final pumping 25 watts to
>an end-fed wire.
>
>Later at 0135 UTC I tried a CQ again, and got a call from KR4LE. THe band was
>getting noisier now, but Emery got me RST 599 in Richmond, VA
>
>My last QSO of the evening came at 0211 UTC, again on 3700 kHz
>with KB1MJ up in Dedham, MA running a Heath HW-9 QRP rig.
>Conditions were awful but Paul and I toughed it out!
>
>I hope to work many of you soon with my delightful new glowbug here!
>I will be QRV evenings on 3640 and 3700 kHz with the CPCW5 rig from
>VINTAGE RADIO KIT COMPANY.
>
>If you are interested - contact Carl, WB1EYE who supplies these kits
>at:
>
>427 N. Main Street
>Sharon, MA 02067
>
>or you can read more about it on my web pages at:
>
>http://www.mnsinc.com/bry/hamfiles.htm
>
>I have no financial interest in this company - just a happy user of
>their product.
>
>Anyone else using one - please contact me via e-mail at:
>
>bry@mnsinc.com
>
>72 to all - Bry, AF4K in Gaithersburg, MD
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