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This radio was never on my most wanted list, that is until I heard one. Here's what happened. One evening, a fellow checked into a net I was on and he was not only loud, but far more complementary to him, he sounded good. And, this was a net were most of the check-ins have really nice sounding rigs. Well, I was smitten. I had to have one. After reading up on the 100V, I learned to appreciate the engineering that went into this fine example of ham radio antiquity. This particular unit will be in really nice shape with a little cleaning. It was a smoker's rig and you know what a mess that makes of a rig. In spite of that this CE 100V looks really nice on the outside. I wish my photos did this equipment justice. |
The CE 100V is paired up with a 75A-4 and a RME-6900. To add a little power boost, the linear will be a Hallicrafters HT-33B, a nice little (120 pounds) amplifier running a PL-172 in the final. It will produce a nice 700 watts output on SSB or about 200 watts of carrier on AM. This is operating position #5 and it should be on the air shortly. I'll have photos of the entire station when it is on the air. The CE-100V is one of the most sophisticated transmitters to employ the phasing method of single sideband generation. It is capable of many modes of operation including: AM, double sideband, single sideband, phase modulation, and CW. Its PTO has two concentric knobs. The outer knob tunes at a rate of less than 2 KHz per turn, which is better than any 30 year old receiver I can think of. All interstage and output circuits are broadbanded, so there is no tuning required by the operator. Just select the band and frequency and start talking. Of course, a fairly low SWR is required, just like with a solid state rig. To provide maximum linearity the finals are 6550's, a very linear hi-fi amplifier tube. And, just to make sure you don't ruin the fine qualities of the 100V, there is a built-in monitor scope.This is a set-and-forget-it rig. Any control which does not require frequency adjustment is mounted behind the two doors located symmetrically on the lower half of the front panel. It is clean appearance and a fine addition to the boat anchors at my station. |
Drake 2B ReceiverLocated on the desk top, just under the 100V is a Drake 2B, a marvelous little receiver. It was marketed as a mid-price range product and it appears to me that you got your money's worth. Today they are a real bargain. I've seen units selling for well under $100 at hamfests this year. The 2B is a triple conversion receiver. Passband tuning and selectivity are provided by four tuned circuits at 50 KHz. This was common of many mid-price receivers of the early sixties. There was some obvious cost-cutting and the slide switches are one example. However, the circuit and mechanical engineering were sound and the 2B is sensitive and stable. Selectivity is adequate for casual use as are most the receivers with low frequency L/C filters for selectivity. Still, this simple receiver does a noteworthy job dealing with the tough QRM currently on 75 meters. Like so many of the older receivers, it's a fun radio and it sounds good, too! |
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Well, that's most of of my ham shack. There are a few interesting things I'll bring in and show you from time-to-time. You're welcome to drop by anytime and I hope you'll be back soon. Thanks for stopping by. ......Jim Oh, I forgot to mention that I have added a couple of my old shacks and some interesting views of my "shack at the shore." I'll be putting that station to gether this summer. |
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