S-38 vs. HW-16

[Sandy Blaize]

-----Original Message-----
From: Bradley S. Stone <nb9m at RELIABLE-NET.NET>
To: HEATH at LISTSERV.TEMPE.GOV <HEATH at LISTSERV.TEMPE.GOV>
Date: Tuesday, May 04, 1999 21:18
Subject: Re: S-38 vs. HW-16


>Wow! Respecting Bob & Sandy's opinions as I do, I stand
corrected.  The RA-7
>must truly be an phenomenal  regenerative.  I wonder how it must
have been
>in the pre-war days before the RCA RBB/RBC, where the enemy
could home in on
>the emissions from those regens?
>
>Sorry for the topical excursion...
>    73 all,
>    Brad, NB9M


The RAL-7 is PRE- RBA/RBB/RBC.  It is early/mid 30's design.
Although a regen-
erative receiver, you can't hear it even on a nearby receiver
without extreme difficulty!
The radiation is lower than most superhets I've seen!  An
engineer I know, who was a radio operator on submarines, relates
the many hours he spent listening to an RAL on the HF bands.
Every surface ship during WW2 had at least one RAL aboard,
excluding "boats" like the tugs and PT boats etc.  The old salts
swore by them.
As a kid, I looked at them with comtempt, as they were big,
bulky, and had no calibration!  What teen age ham wanted that?
Some 45 years later, I found out WHY
they made such a fuss!  I put my stubborness and arrogance aside
and found a VERY
excellent regenerative receiver, with excellent re-setability,
stability and sensitivity.
Mine does take a minute or two to settle down on the highest
bands when the screen voltage on the detector is changed quite a
bit (regeneration level) after a new band is selected.  There is
NOTHING that the RAL won't hear that any other set I have hears,
usually with an inferior antenna on the RAL!  (I don't use "beam"
antennas, so these
are not included in the former statement.  All my antennas are
"wire" antennas
or verticals).
    Don't ever sell a PROPERLY DESIGNED regenerative receiver
short!  I also tell everyone who attempts to build one that they
can be extrememely difficult to get going
PROPERLY, and possibly the most cantankerous circuit one ever
fools with!
    As this is "off topic", I rest my case with the above
comments.
73,
Sandy W5TVW
Sandy W5TVW

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