“A Real Pioneering Radio”
The 2016 Telephone Pioneer QSO Party reflected the iniation of a new schedule and mode of operation. We moved off the weekend schedule to avoid other operating events such as he various state QSO parties. The third Monday in October presented us with a unique opportunity to operate in relativly quiet bands. Conditions were only fair considering that we were on the downward slope of the Sunspot Cycle 24. However as always we persisted in making many enjoyable contacts with other Telephone Pioneers plus non pioneers as well. The bonus points for working non-pioneers and spreading the word about pioneering showed up in the scores.
Here are a few of the changes we made in 2016. We discarded the old four session CW and Phone formats. The CW and Phone sessions now ran concurrently for 8 hours. Operators could switch back and forth between both mdoes. This made it simpler to remember when to get on the air in your favorite mode of operation.
The final score equaled the qso and chapter totals i.e. CW and Phones QSOs added together multiplied by the CW and Phone Chapters added together. Then we tightend up the spread in the suggested frequencies.
The general consensus was the changes were for the better particularly getting away from the weekend QRM. Congratulations to John W4BXI for being the overall winner.
| CALL | NAMES | CHAPTER | CW Points | PH Points | Bonus | Final Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AF6F | DICK SCHEPLER | DE ANZA | 0 | 656 | 70 | 726 |
| K0HQW | TORT ISAACSON | THEODORE GARRY | 6 | 0 | 0 | 6 |
| K0OHB | WAYNE ASHWELL | MISSOURI | 0 | 30 | 10 | 40 |
| K0SFV | LARRY CANNON | KANSAS | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| KA7L | DON WEBB | VERIZON WEST | 0 | 144 | 0 | 144 |
| KB0BH | LARRY WHITE | SOUTH | 0 | 187 | 20 | 207 |
| KB0JIT | PAUL SIPES | IOWA | 0 | 275 | 10 | 285 |
| KB4LWT | LARRY ANDRUS | SOUTHERN STATES NEW OUTLOOK | 0 | 200 | 0 | 200 |
| KK7IB | GEORGE WITTE | ARIZONA | 0 | 70 | 0 | 70 |
| N6TP | JIM MUITER | GOLDEN GATE | 44 | 705 | 10 | 1112 |
| W4AXO | JIM ROEBUCK | ALABAMA | 6 | 405 | 20 | 510 |
| W4BXI | JOHN DRUM | SOUTH | 36 | 1044 | 100 | 1574 |
| W4FEB | RANDY DORE | WILLIAM DENVER | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| W6GPM | JIM MCWHORTER | GOLDEN BEAR | 0 | 377 | 0 | 377 |
| W7DAJ | ALLEN JAMESON | MISSISSIPPI | 0 | 42 | 0 | 42 |
| W7DEB | DENNIS BRADFORD | VERIZON WEST | 0 | 120 | 0 | 120 |
| WA5MLF | JOHN KRUPSKY | LOUISIANA | 0 | 63 | 0 | 63 |
| Totals | 92 | 4320 | 240 | 5478 |
Speculation on the Pioneering Radio
“A Real Pioneering Radio”
The picture is from Word images. It looks like a one-tube transmitter on the top deck and the power supply on the bottom. The swinging link varies the coupling to the antenna. I estimate the power input to be about 6 watts, perhaps 200 volts at 30 mils. The power output would be about 3 to 4 watts! The signal no doubt had a chirp, perhaps even a click, but was still a signal on the air! Signal reports use C for chirp (RST 559C). The tank coil was high Q with very low loss. The oscillator circuit may have been a “Colpitts” which has a set of series capacitors for feedback. A “Hartley” oscillator would have required a taped coil. Changing a few components with the means to control the positive feedback, you could convert the rig to a regenerative receiver!
Needless to say the construction was a work of art.
73 and see you on the air,
Jim N6TP