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 Previous: Amateur Radio Spectrum Protection Act of 2001 Introduced |  Next: The K7VVV Solar Update |
By Bruce James Howes, KG2IC
March 8, 2001
Creating something unique to present at Dayton is a challenge. To stand out from the crowd requires ingenuity. However, something old can be as unique as something new. An operating vintage AM station caught the attention of hams old and new at Dayton Hamvention 2000.
 The Dayton AM Festival Station QSL card. |
Amazing what $250 will buy you nowadays. How about a Heathkit DX-100 transmitter, and a clean National NC-300 receiver? Yes, you can find bargains out there--just don't look for them on the Internet. I found this pair, under a bench, in a fellow amateur's shack. When I bought them last March, I had no idea what to do with them. I just wanted to play around with some interesting gear. Little did I know that these two dusty boat anchors would make their way to the Dayton Hamvention.
 K4KVY and N2QLS in front of the 2000 Dayton AM Station--a Heathkit DX-100, a National NC-300 and a Heathkit tuner. A Johnson Matchbox and a Hammarlund receiver also are on the table. |
Some of you may recall the first AM Festival Station at the 1999 Rochester, New York, hamfest. It was a borrowed Collins KW-1 transmitter and an R-390A receiver. At the end of the two-day event, our group had logged several pages of contacts. Almost as important as on-air contacts was the positive impression that the station made on those people who were just walking by our tent. It introduced to many a mode forgotten by some and undiscovered by others.
You may wonder why we chose to use the name AM Festival Station rather than the more traditional Special Event Station. Tom, W2KBW, gets the credit for coining the phrase. We felt that "special event" suggested a contest atmosphere. "Festival" made one think of all that we enjoy about AM operation--the fun, good fellowship, and a pleasant atmosphere.
On to Dayton
Since seeing the first AM Festival Station at the Rochester Hamfest, it had always been in the back of my mind to host such an event at that Mecca of all hamfests, the Dayton Hamvention. Dayton, drawing some 30,000 amateurs from all over the world, would be the supreme showcase for AM operation. To my knowledge AM operation has never been featured there, even though special event stations operate from there each year.
After a few tentative inquiries to the Hamvention folks, we hatched a plan. We hoped to use the same Collins KW-1 transmitter that Tim, WA1HLR, had so graciously lent us for Rochester. But, alas, we discovered that it had been returned to its rightful owner. I considered dragging out one of my trusty T-368s, but for reasons that I will detail later that also became moot.
 Jerry, N2QLS, Bruce, KC2IC, and Dale, KW1I. |
I shared my idea for a Dayton AM station with Dale, KW1I, the president of AM International. He was enthusiastic about the project and contacted the Hamvention people. Corresponding by e-mail, Dale and I worked to develop the concept of the station--how it would sound and look. We agreed to model it after a simple 1960s-era station.
In consideration of the distance we would have to travel to get to Dayton--Dale from New Hampshire, and myself from Buffalo--we wanted to limit the size and weight of the equipment.
Salvaging a Once-in-a-Lifetime Opportunity
B&W Going Up!
Hamvention officials had given us guidelines covering the installation of our AM station. We had to limit our transmitter to 100 W. The antenna could not be attached in any way to the vendor tent structure, and we would have to shut down if we caused interference with the public address system. When I surveyed the site late on Wednesday afternoon before Hamvention, I saw several possible antenna scenarios. I had enough equipment to put up a dipole, or a center loaded vertical with ground system. I decided to set up the B&W 130-foot doublet on a grassy strip next to the flea market vehicle exit. This site was far from the public address speaker wiring and was fenced off, which would protect it from vehicle and pedestrian traffic. The major drawback was the more than 200-foot wide parking lot between the antenna and the station. I used a three-mast support arrangement so that I would have an inverted "V" configuration. I needed a strong center support to take the strain of the 230-foot run of ladder line, which would cross over the parking lot to a light pole near the vendor tent. I lashed a fourth mast, with a pulley on top, to a light pole near the tent. For the antenna center support, I used a large diameter mast with two sets of guys. I wanted the center mast to be at 35 ft, but the wind was strong and I was by myself. I battled with the wind and watched the tower go over too many times to count. The wind would take it away, but I had it close enough to a tree so the mast always had a soft landing. After it fell over it would take me 5-10 minutes to set up for the next attempt because all the guys and uphauls had to be sorted out. Finally I went with only 30 feet and got it up during a lull in the wind. The heavy-duty stakes I'd bought the day before at Fair Radio came in handy, because it was necessary to have quite a bit of tension on the guys to keep the feedline from sagging over the parking lot. Late Thursday afternoon I checked out the antenna using my Elmac AE-68 and PMR-8. The New England and Western New York AMers arrived within minutes of each other, with the rest of the equipment. Shortly after, the antenna checkout was complete. It was almost as if we had planned it! The antenna came down a lot easier than it went up, but it still took a couple of hours to pack it all in the van. This year I hope to have an improved mast-erecting arrangement that will use a small mast to pull up the larger mast. Extra height will not change the signal much, but it will make the antenna installation visible from almost everywhere in the flea market.--KW1I |
About three weeks before the event, I received an ominous e-mail from Jim Graver, KB8PSO, the chairman of the Dayton Hamvention. It seems that our contact had not cleared the station idea with Jim. He was understandably concerned about the possibility of RF interference with the other two special event stations and with the public address system.
Seeing our once in a lifetime opportunity slipping down the drain, I did my best to assure Jim that we intended to be good citizens and would not interfere with other operations. I told him that, in the event we did interfere, we would cease operation at once.
Jim was a real gentleman and not only approved the station, but became a supporter, sending Hamvention media personnel to cover the event. We did agree to limit our power to 100 W, which meant good-bye T-368 and hello DX-100.
While awaiting a space assignment, I began to work on the DX-100. I replaced its heavily damaged cabinet with a nice black crackle Bud enclosure, carried out WA1HLR's audio modifications and did some serious on-air operational testing at all hours of the night. In the process, I began to appreciate the mechanical and electronic layout of the transmitter and realized how often good design gets overlooked. With some simple audio mods--a few resistors and capacitors--an old DX-100 can sound very respectable.
Next on the list was my $125 National NC-300. I now saw why the previous owner had been so willing to part with it. Despite its great cosmetic condition, it had horribly distorted audio. A quick check of the tubes showed that at sometime during its life the previous owner had made incorrect tube substitutions. A quick call to my friend Art, KC2CAE, turned up all the tubes that I needed, and after about a half hour of bench time, the old National was purring away, cranking out audio into the matching National speaker.
Dale and I hoped to have a homebrew transmitter for the event, but finding no volunteers, we pressed the DX-100 and NC-300 into service. A Heathkit antenna tuner, modified by Jerry, N2QLS, for built-in T/R switching, and a D-104 microphone rounded out the station. The D-104 added a classic look and worked great with the DX-100.
Our last concern was the antenna. Without knowing anything about the terrain around our assigned space, Dale and I prepared for the worse. I wrote to Barker and Williamson Company requesting the donation of a wonderful folded dipole they had developed for military use some 20 years ago. Jeff Engel was kind enough to donate the antenna, and he shared with me the recent history of B&W. (Yes, they still make coil forms.)
The days slowly clicked by and finally the date was at hand. The AM Festival Station was loaded into a minivan for the trip to Dayton. When we arrived at the Hamvention late Thursday evening, I was surprised to see that Dale, KW1I, had the B&W antenna already in place. A fabulous antenna it was, a 130-foot inverted V at 30 feet, fed with 250 feet of balanced line. Dale had somehow managed to erect the antenna supports, feedline and ropes by himself, prior to our arrival. Dale relates, in his own words, the story of this strapping antenna in the sidebar, "B&W Going Up!"
On the Air from the AM Festival Station
With the antenna now in place, we hurriedly unloaded the van, and set about getting the station on the air. The NC-300 filled the tent with rich AM audio and a small crowd gathered. We fired up the DX-100 and tested our new antenna. It loaded up on 75 and 40 meters like a charm. If anyone ever needed an example of the practicality of balanced wire feed, this was the place for a demonstration. We could never have enjoyed such a wonderful antenna had we used coax in place of the balanced feedline. It was getting late, so we covered the station with tarps and called it a night.
The next morning, Jerry, N2QLS, and I, arrived on site at 6 AM to commence operations. Dale, KW1I, was already in place working the Military Radio Net. In a few moments the Dayton Hamvention AM Festival Station was open for formal operation.
Operating started out slow, but soon a mini pileup ensued and we all worked diligently to log all the stations that called. We even managed, somehow, to copy a SSB station that called us on 20 meters. Every now and then a fellow AMer would stop by and offer moral support or be pressed into service as an operator so that we could take a break.
I could tell you about the many and varied on-air QSOs I enjoyed, but I became fascinated with another facet of the operation that was occurring off the air. I received special satisfaction when an old timer sat down next to me and mentioned that he had the same lineup at home--a DX-100 and NC-300--but had not had them on the air in years. He confessed that he did not realize that anyone still operated AM.
I assured him that not only was AM alive and well, but that we would welcome him back on the air. Before he left, he put his hand and my shoulder and assured me that he would be dusting off the gear that night. There were many stories like that from both young and older hams. Something about the fine-sounding audio seemed to draw them in. A warm atmosphere permeated the station during our two days of operation, complete with a great deal of handshaking, introductions, reminiscing, and promises to be back on the air.
A Compliment, then a Visit from the FCC
I am delighted to report that, despite some initial concerns, we did not encounter a single instance of interference--nor was a harsh word spoken during the entire event. The AM community was at its best, both on and off-the-air. An operator from the W1AW special event station complimented the group on our operation.
 Joe, K2VXV, Bruce, KG2IC, Tim, WA1HLR and Riley, K4ZDH. |
One of the highlights of the event was a visit by Riley Hollingsworth, K4ZDH, the FCC Special Counsel for Amateur Radio Enforcement. Present at the station during Riley's visit was Tim, WA1HLR. I introduced Tim to Riley, and a lively conversation ensued. I was surprised to hear Riley mention that he not only was a fan of vintage gear, but in fact, owned several Hallicrafters units.
Tim and several others questioned Riley on his feelings about AM operation. Surprise again. He liked it and felt it was important that others understand and accommodate this mode. He spoke about the need to better inform the amateur community of the need for tolerance and to not make the amateur spectrum a wasteland of foul language and behavior.
 Tim, WA1HLR, and Riley, K4ZDH, share a discussion of AM operation. [Photos by the author] |
As the cliché goes, all good thing must come to an end, and the end for the first AM Festival station came at 6 PM Saturday evening. Having filled several pages of the log with AM contacts, and completing many enjoyable QSOs, both on and off the air, the sounds of the Festival station were still ringing in my ears. Dale, KW1I, was on the air Sunday morning with his Elmac, and managed to add even more contacts to our logbook. We worked nearly 175 stations throughout the eastern US, and filled seven pages in the logbook.
There are many people to thank for making this effort a success: Barry and Electric Radio for their promotion and sponsorship; Dale, KW1I, for his unwavering support and devotion to the cause; Jerry, N2QLS, for his help with the DX-100 and support gear; Bill, K2LNU, and Tom, W2KBW, for their help during many late nights of on-air testing sessions; Mike, WN3B, for being the channel master and keeping our frequency clear of QRM; Bill, WC3K, for keeping up the QSOs when pileups began to lag; Jeff Engel, from B&W, for his antenna donation and finally, thanks to the Dayton Hamvention staff, especially Jim Graver, for believing in us and allowing our efforts to go forward.
Just wait until you see the lineup we have for this year!
Editor's note: Bruce Howes, KG2IC, now lives in Portland, Maine, and has been a ham for nearly seven years. He is an ARRL member. AM International, formed in 1967, is an international organization of AMers, dedicated to the enjoyment, promotion and preservation of Amplitude Modulation.
| Previous: Amateur Radio Spectrum Protection Act of 2001 Introduced | Next: The K7VVV Solar Update |
