One of the features in QST that I read every month is “75, 50, and 25 Years Ago in QST.” There really are some gems in old issues of QST, and now that all of these back issues are online, they are readily accessible—if you’re an ARRL member, anyway. Here are some articles that were published in December 1939, 1964, and 1989:
The Portable Five (December 1939) by Fred Sutter, W8QBW. This little five-watt transmitter uses two tubes: a 25Z6GT and a 25L6GT. These tubes have 50V filaments which allows one to connect two of them in series directly to 110 VAC. The transmitter’s chassis (the article includes an assembly drawing) measure only 3 in. x 3-1/2 in. x 2-3/4 in, and the article includes a template for fabricating the chassis from a piece of sheet metal. Parts cost is $6.43, which translates to over $100 in 2014 dollars.
The Antalo (December 1964) by Bob Banta, K8PBA. This antenna uses multiple elements to get some gain from the halo antenna. I wish I’d known about this article when I was operating 2m AM as a Novice back in 1971.
Keys, Keyers, and Keyboards by Bruce Hale, KB1MW (December 1989). This is part of QST’s Novice Notes series. It’s a good introduction to the different types of keys and keying methods out there. It’s general enough, so that it’s still relevant 25 years later.
Leave a Reply