| hamelectronicsmagazine.com April 26 article being written. |
When I first got my ticket back in 1972, I was using an
old Collins 32V2 transmitter that I had bought for $200.
Back then..$200 was quite a bit. I think I was working
for something like $2.25 an hour for a retail
warehouse. My receiver was an HR10B by heathkit.
My opinion of that old receiver was not very good.
When signals would fade out..I wished I had a better
receiver with more selectivity and sensitivity.
I used to see the ads for these Atlas 210xs and the
ads really stuck out in my mind because of the front
end filtering. The ads had a very sharp deep cutoff
filter which led me to believe that this is one solid
state rig that would not have a front end which would
leak in strong local signals causing a blanket of noise
and intermod.
The Argonaut 509 with the dual gate mosfet rf amp
and the HW7 and even the FT101 were a bit prone to
front end overload. The HW7 especially so. I had one
of these.
old Collins 32V2 transmitter that I had bought for $200.
Back then..$200 was quite a bit. I think I was working
for something like $2.25 an hour for a retail
warehouse. My receiver was an HR10B by heathkit.
My opinion of that old receiver was not very good.
When signals would fade out..I wished I had a better
receiver with more selectivity and sensitivity.
I used to see the ads for these Atlas 210xs and the
ads really stuck out in my mind because of the front
end filtering. The ads had a very sharp deep cutoff
filter which led me to believe that this is one solid
state rig that would not have a front end which would
leak in strong local signals causing a blanket of noise
and intermod.
The Argonaut 509 with the dual gate mosfet rf amp
and the HW7 and even the FT101 were a bit prone to
front end overload. The HW7 especially so. I had one
of these.
Above: the back end RF output stage of the Atlas 210x. While I have many of the small
signal transistors and fets and ICs and diodes used in the Atlas 210x (and other
radios of this vintage).. I DON'T HAVE ANY EXTRA STOCK (to sell) when it comes to PA
final output transistors. They are rather expensive to buy and hams tend to hang
onto these items. Do you have any spare RF transistors (new old stock) or even good
used pulls..(matched pairs preferred)..LETS TALK. I buy parts.
signal transistors and fets and ICs and diodes used in the Atlas 210x (and other
radios of this vintage).. I DON'T HAVE ANY EXTRA STOCK (to sell) when it comes to PA
final output transistors. They are rather expensive to buy and hams tend to hang
onto these items. Do you have any spare RF transistors (new old stock) or even good
used pulls..(matched pairs preferred)..LETS TALK. I buy parts.
When the Atlas 210x came onto the market..large full page ads featuring the Atlas 210 selectivity graph (as per above) was prominently
featured in the ad. I remember it well.
featured in the ad. I remember it well.
Below is a partial screen snapshot I made from an article I found on the web. It is easy to find. Just use a search engine such as google and type in Atlas 210x
and 17 meters. I am very tempted to try this mod myself. I don't have a rig that operates 17 meters. Another good resource for information and modifications to
the Atlas 210x and other radios is YAHOO GROUPS. I belong to about 30 of these specialized groups. Once you are a member you can go into the files section
and download PDF files of manuals and modifications (just like this one pictured below).
Ham experimentation and working on radio gear....hands on ..is not a lost art. Many hams are tinkering with radios and circuits. If you "google" ham radio and
homebrew or qrp or ham radio modifications..you will get literally thousands of hits. These older rigs are simpler in design. May not have many bells and
whistles..BUT..you can work on them without having an electron microscope and a set of tweezers. The parts are generic and still widely available. I (myself)
sell the odd part here and there to hams working on these old rigs.
and 17 meters. I am very tempted to try this mod myself. I don't have a rig that operates 17 meters. Another good resource for information and modifications to
the Atlas 210x and other radios is YAHOO GROUPS. I belong to about 30 of these specialized groups. Once you are a member you can go into the files section
and download PDF files of manuals and modifications (just like this one pictured below).
Ham experimentation and working on radio gear....hands on ..is not a lost art. Many hams are tinkering with radios and circuits. If you "google" ham radio and
homebrew or qrp or ham radio modifications..you will get literally thousands of hits. These older rigs are simpler in design. May not have many bells and
whistles..BUT..you can work on them without having an electron microscope and a set of tweezers. The parts are generic and still widely available. I (myself)
sell the odd part here and there to hams working on these old rigs.
Recently..a fellow on ebay was selling some of
these relays that are compatible with the ATlas
210x. I went out and bought 10 of these relays. I
sell them for $4.50 each.
The word spread among the Atlas 210 users via
the internet! Sometimes it pays to be connected.
With the Yahoo Groups..or QRP-L or other
lists..the downside can be the amount of emails
that you get daily. However..you can set things up
for daily digests or even no email at all and you
will still have the advantages of being able to go
into the YAHOO group and fetching files and
information when you need it.
these relays that are compatible with the ATlas
210x. I went out and bought 10 of these relays. I
sell them for $4.50 each.
The word spread among the Atlas 210 users via
the internet! Sometimes it pays to be connected.
With the Yahoo Groups..or QRP-L or other
lists..the downside can be the amount of emails
that you get daily. However..you can set things up
for daily digests or even no email at all and you
will still have the advantages of being able to go
into the YAHOO group and fetching files and
information when you need it.
This article is being written (end of April 2011)..I will be adding more to it soon. 73 Earl
VE3AB..there are many more similar hands on type articles in my new ham radio on line
(FREE) magazine. LINK to HOME PAGE www.hamelectronicsmagazine.com
VE3AB..there are many more similar hands on type articles in my new ham radio on line
(FREE) magazine. LINK to HOME PAGE www.hamelectronicsmagazine.com