Not being content to be a "macro operator" on PSK, I've always wanted to be a little bit more personal and kind of memorable with the digital modes. So I explored what can be done with some of the lesser-used features with Fldigi, and in particular, the macro.
I copied this from a Facebook post from the WFD guys and am putting it here just so that it's easy to find, and searchable. -kz1o
Today I powered up the amp and made a contact on 20 meters SSB. I'm showing somewhere between 500 and 600 watts output. That is the end of the story. But here is a little more about how I got here.
Besides rattling around in my trailer, the tubes have been subject to other vibration and attitude change over the years. There is a filament inside, and it's possible that the vibrations will have caused one or more of them to detach. One easy way to tell is to measure the filament resistance with an ohmmeter. The 811 has four pins plus the anode cap. The smaller two of the four pins go to the filament.
One of the tubes was actually unseated from the socket, and the other two were partially out, maybe a millimeter or two. To extract them, you need to disconnect the anode cap.
Here is what the catalog shows for the Variac I ordered. I guess it will be handy to have around once this project is done. I don't know what for, but "never say never" in the world of ham radio.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B086SWLL1L/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_...
...continues at https://www.99hobbies.com/what-about-the-tubes
Aluminium electrolytic capacitors do degrade with time. Many electrolytics have a vent for allowing excess gasses to escape. This escape can result in the electrolyte drying out and the performance of the capacitor falling.
Also if aluminium electrolytic capacitors are left for a few years, then the oxide layer on the anode can dissipate.
source: https://www.electronics-notes.com/articles/electronic_components/capacit...
During my trip around the US in my travel trailer, I had a lot of gear in storage, waiting for whenever I dropped anchor and had the table space to set things up. And now that I have been here in Bushnell for a while, I have been able to do just that.
I have powered up just about everything I have had in mothballs, and most of the gear has some kind of problem, or maybe more accurately, has aged and requires some maintenance, calibration or other routine action.
