Comments on: The Wesco BN-1 http://www.kb6nu.com/the-wesco-bn-1/ Having fun with amateur radio Mon, 21 May 2012 20:50:53 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.2 By: John Nix KC0KBG http://www.kb6nu.com/the-wesco-bn-1/#comment-337139 John Nix KC0KBG Thu, 08 Mar 2012 09:36:21 +0000 http://kb6nu.com/?p=1798#comment-337139 I remember ads for this and similar items from that company in Popular Science, Popular Mechanics and similar magazines. The first two changes I would have made to it would be phone jacks for key and headphones and a resistor across the filament side of the T/R switch to keep the filament warm but save batteries. The price was set to appeal to the Boy Scout market. The Boy Scouts had 1 and 2 tube broadcast radio kits that came in corrigated cardboard boxes that were the radio's case. You occasionally see them on EBay. The best radio that I saw for the Boy Scout market was a 2 tube battery and earphone broadcast SUPERHET published as a plan in Popular Mechanics in the early 1950's. If I could find the parts I might build one for fun, and maybe a second for 80/40 ham use. The early novice transmitters were usually had one wire to serve as antenna lead and no PI network. The Popular Mechanics novice 80M transmitter had a PI network. The most interesting transmitter from that era was a 1 tube 80 Meter WWII Civil Defence transmitter that John W. Campbell published in Popular Science in 1942 or 1943. It was mains powered without a transformer using a 117 Volt filament Rectifier Diode-Pentode combination. Add a PI network and you would have had a first class novice transmitter if you didn't mind the shock hazard. I remember ads for this and similar items from that company in Popular Science, Popular Mechanics and similar magazines.
The first two changes I would have made to it would be phone jacks for key and headphones and a resistor across the filament side of the T/R switch to keep the filament warm but save batteries.
The price was set to appeal to the Boy Scout market.
The Boy Scouts had 1 and 2 tube broadcast radio kits that came in corrigated cardboard boxes that were the radio’s case. You occasionally see them on EBay.
The best radio that I saw for the Boy Scout market was a 2 tube battery and earphone broadcast SUPERHET published as a plan in Popular Mechanics in the early 1950′s.
If I could find the parts I might build one for fun, and maybe a second for 80/40 ham use.
The early novice transmitters were usually had one wire to serve as antenna lead and no PI network.
The Popular Mechanics novice 80M transmitter had a PI network.
The most interesting transmitter from that era was a 1 tube 80 Meter WWII Civil Defence transmitter that John W. Campbell published in Popular Science in 1942 or 1943.
It was mains powered without a transformer using a 117 Volt filament Rectifier Diode-Pentode combination. Add a PI network and you would have had a first class novice transmitter if you didn’t mind the shock hazard.

]]> By: Don Dulmage http://www.kb6nu.com/the-wesco-bn-1/#comment-333165 Don Dulmage Sun, 26 Jun 2011 03:07:19 +0000 http://kb6nu.com/?p=1798#comment-333165 The circuit alone is outstanding. I tube twi functions. Some say simple. Really ? Show me you design then. Oh I see. You have built it yet but.... I operate a single tube Cw station almost every night. I have to have a seperatesingle tube Rx . There is no goood reason . All the parts for both ar e there. I find this ingeneous. I want to make one if I cant find one. Don VE3LYX The circuit alone is outstanding. I tube twi functions. Some say simple. Really ? Show me you design then. Oh I see. You have built it yet but….
I operate a single tube Cw station almost every night. I have to have a seperatesingle tube Rx . There is no goood reason . All the parts for both ar e there. I find this ingeneous. I want to make one if I cant find one.
Don VE3LYX

]]> By: Lawrence Beshore http://www.kb6nu.com/the-wesco-bn-1/#comment-332839 Lawrence Beshore Wed, 04 May 2011 02:01:33 +0000 http://kb6nu.com/?p=1798#comment-332839 It is very interesting reading all the posts by people who have varied opinions about the BN-1. This was one of the many products designed and built by my father. He owned Western Radio of Kearney, Nebraska. His name was Paul Beshore and to me and my brothers he was a brilliant man. He had many reasons for designing the way he did. First among those was he always tried to make the product affordable. This alone allowed many people to get involved in radio and all that went along with the technology. It is very interesting reading all the posts by people who have varied opinions about the BN-1.

This was one of the many products designed and built by my father. He owned Western Radio of
Kearney, Nebraska. His name was Paul Beshore and to me and my brothers he was a brilliant man.
He had many reasons for designing the way he did. First among those was he always tried to make the product affordable.
This alone allowed many people to get involved in radio and all that went along with the technology.

]]> By: Ralph E. Taggart http://www.kb6nu.com/the-wesco-bn-1/#comment-332710 Ralph E. Taggart Thu, 21 Apr 2011 18:05:42 +0000 http://kb6nu.com/?p=1798#comment-332710 I actually had one of these as a novice back in 1957. It was a piece of junk that ate expensive batteries. Never has a QSO. Ralph WB8DQT I actually had one of these as a novice back in 1957. It was a piece of junk that ate expensive batteries. Never has a QSO.

Ralph
WB8DQT

]]> By: Tom K4OTM http://www.kb6nu.com/the-wesco-bn-1/#comment-332574 Tom K4OTM Sat, 02 Apr 2011 21:58:44 +0000 http://kb6nu.com/?p=1798#comment-332574 I have been a ham since receiving my novice license in April, 1957. If I had known about the BN-1 it might have happened a couple of years earlier. I still strongly support the "KISS" (Keep It Simple Stupid) philosophy. I can only imagine the thrill of the first contact happening with a radio like this, built by me!! I have been a ham since receiving my novice license in April, 1957. If I had known about the BN-1 it might have happened a couple of years earlier. I still strongly support the “KISS” (Keep It Simple Stupid) philosophy. I can only imagine the thrill of the first contact happening with a radio like this, built by me!!

]]> By: Dan KB6NU http://www.kb6nu.com/the-wesco-bn-1/#comment-332284 Dan KB6NU Fri, 25 Feb 2011 19:31:27 +0000 http://kb6nu.com/?p=1798#comment-332284 Great story, Rodger. Thanks for sharing! Great story, Rodger. Thanks for sharing!

]]> By: Rodger http://www.kb6nu.com/the-wesco-bn-1/#comment-332277 Rodger Fri, 25 Feb 2011 06:06:15 +0000 http://kb6nu.com/?p=1798#comment-332277 I bought a Weskit BN-1 in the late 1950s after seeing their small ad in the back of an electronics magazine, Popular Electronics if I remember right. Although I did not have my Novice license yet I got all excited when I connected the battery and an antenna wire and could hear "CHU Dominion Observatory Canada" (the time station). I remember calling to my mother, "Quick, come up stairs and listen, I can hear Canada on this thing." The excitement of that moment will be with me forever. I went on to get my Novice, and am now Extra with over 50 years as a ham. But it started with that BN-1, which I still have in the closet. Maybe I'll take it out tomorrow and fire it up? The $14.95 price wasn't all that expensive even back then. The excitement of hearing CHU for the very first time on that BN-1...PRICELESS !!! Rodger W4FM I bought a Weskit BN-1 in the late 1950s after seeing their small ad in the back of an electronics magazine, Popular Electronics if I remember right.

Although I did not have my Novice license yet I got all excited when I connected the battery and an antenna wire and could hear “CHU Dominion Observatory Canada” (the time station).

I remember calling to my mother, “Quick, come up stairs and listen, I can hear Canada on this thing.” The excitement of that moment will be with me forever. I went on to get my Novice, and am now Extra with over 50 years as a ham. But it started with that BN-1, which I still have in the closet. Maybe I’ll take it out tomorrow and fire it up?

The $14.95 price wasn’t all that expensive even back then.

The excitement of hearing CHU for the very first time on that BN-1…PRICELESS !!!

Rodger
W4FM

]]> By: Don Dulmage http://www.kb6nu.com/the-wesco-bn-1/#comment-331050 Don Dulmage Sun, 26 Dec 2010 21:33:58 +0000 http://kb6nu.com/?p=1798#comment-331050 I read the neg comments. What a clod! I found the rig interesting. in fact i have seen a scheatic of it somewhere and contemplated duplicating it. Of Couse inlike the commenter I wasnt born perfect. i sitll have a sense of adventure and curiosity. I still weara wind up watch too. Forty years old without problems and so far has never even needed a battery. I read the neg comments. What a clod! I found the rig interesting. in fact i have seen a scheatic of it somewhere and contemplated duplicating it. Of Couse inlike the commenter I wasnt born perfect. i sitll have a sense of adventure and curiosity. I still weara wind up watch too. Forty years old without problems and so far has never even needed a battery.

]]> By: David Brodbeck N8SRE http://www.kb6nu.com/the-wesco-bn-1/#comment-307749 David Brodbeck N8SRE Wed, 29 Apr 2009 00:35:09 +0000 http://kb6nu.com/?p=1798#comment-307749 Jim's comment prompted me to go visit the inflation calculator (http://www.westegg.com/inflation/) and find out how much $14.95 in 1956 would be in today's dollars. It worked out to $112.87. That does seem like a lot of money for what you get; on the other hand, I can't think of a new HF transceiver you can buy for under $120 today! Even finding a used one for that price would be tough. Jim’s comment prompted me to go visit the inflation calculator (http://www.westegg.com/inflation/) and find out how much $14.95 in 1956 would be in today’s dollars. It worked out to $112.87. That does seem like a lot of money for what you get; on the other hand, I can’t think of a new HF transceiver you can buy for under $120 today! Even finding a used one for that price would be tough.

]]> By: Jim http://www.kb6nu.com/the-wesco-bn-1/#comment-307619 Jim Fri, 24 Apr 2009 02:26:10 +0000 http://kb6nu.com/?p=1798#comment-307619 Hi Dan, One of the comments you made was it was cheap, and wouldn't matter if it didn't work too well. In 1956/57 my father was making $4200 a year. That's less than $12 per day and was as a skilled tradesman in a Ford factory. I bet that there wern't too many sold in my neighborhood. Not exactly cheap, when I was sent to the corner store to buy a loaf of bread, 2 pounds of hamburger and a bottle of ketchup with a dollar. My mother was there to collect the change when I returned. 73! Jim K8ELR Hi Dan,

One of the comments you made was it was cheap, and wouldn’t matter if it didn’t work too well. In 1956/57 my father was making $4200 a year. That’s less than $12 per day and was as a skilled tradesman in a Ford factory.

I bet that there wern’t too many sold in my neighborhood. Not exactly cheap, when I was sent to the corner store to buy a loaf of bread, 2 pounds of hamburger and a bottle of ketchup with a dollar. My mother was there to collect the change when I returned.

73!
Jim K8ELR

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