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35 years ago, I built my first DIY tube amp. I purchased 2 OPTs and 4 KT100s. I made the power transformer myself. I enjoyed that amp many years.
Edits: 05/15/25 05/16/25
Radio trunking systems have come a long way. P25 is still ubiquitous among public safety organizations and other government entities. Commercial organizations benefit from DMR including Ham Radio operators that use DMR Tier 2.
My only microcontroller experience was with the 8082AH-BASIC, a variant of the 8051 family but with a BASIC interpreter in ROM. Rather than hard coding into EPROM or EEPROM it offered a lot of flexibility under BASIC program control.
I was originally licensed as an Advanced Class Ham Radio operator in Jr.High School in the early 1970's. I've kept my radio hobby mostly separate from my career over the decades. The only close relationship was at Rockwell/Collins General Aviation and Efratom helping to develop high stability low power OCXO, Rubiduim frequency standards, and an experimental hygrogen maser. Fun stuff. After a short stint with Seiko Robotics I moved on to computer systems and data centers with Silicon Graphics, Sun Microsystems, Oracle, and then (Yippie!) Retirement.
I'm old, not abused, and still enjoying everyday. So snap out of your funk!
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"Now I am old and abused"
good luck to you, you are not the only one who went through this
That's going to be a LONG 30 years.
"Once this was all Black Plasma and Imagination" -Michael McClure
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When I moved to Austin in 1966 to start my third year of college and live in my first apartment I discovered a store named High Fidelity near campus. The year before I'd been listening to a dorm roommate's KLH portable stereo and decided, naively, that I really wanted a system of my own so I wandered in to find a room full of exotic gear. When the owner asked me if he could help I said, "I want a stereo system!" He replied, "How much money do you have?" I replied "$100". He laughed and said "Well, that won't buy you a system but can you solder?" I told him I could, having learned from my father while building high-school science fair projects.
I followed him into the back of the store where he took down a box containing a Dynaco SCA-35 kit. He said, "Take this home and build it but don't plug it in. Bring it back and let me test it first."
I went to Radio Shack, bought the cheapest soldering pen they had and spent the weekend on the kitchen table putting it together. Took it back to High Fidelity where the owner looked at it carefully before plugging it in and checking it on a scope. He declared it tested better than spec and congratulated me.
So, I told him I'd be back when I had the money for a turntable and speakers. Then he gave me a box containing a new AR turntable, and told me to bring him $100 whenever I had it, then a pair of small AR speakers that they had special ordered for a customer who then didn't like the fruitwood finish, no charge.
His generosity and encouragement led to a lifetime of enjoyment of great music and I'm incredibly grateful.
That's the type of owner (of any business really) that you
like to hear about and seems too far and between these daze.
What a guy!!!!
Thanks for landing it in the archives!
"Once this was all Black Plasma and Imagination" -Michael McClure
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reelsmith's axiom: Its going to be used equipment when I sell it, so it may as well be used equipment when I buy it.
For my first stereo system I built three Dynakits, ST-70, PAS-3, and FM-3. I was very proud when all three worked. But learning to cut a green wire 4 inches long, strip and solder it was the limit of my new knowledge.
Still, that led to a now decades long hobby of musical enjoyment. And I'm not ready to give it up yet. ;^)
"The secret of life is honesty and fair dealing, if you can fake that you've got it made." Groucho
but with FM-5 and PAT-5. After the latter was sent to Frank Van Alstine (then of Jensen's Stereo Shop), I learned the value of lower noise 1% metal film Dale RND resistors, polystyrene signal path caps, stiffer power supplies and more modern FET based op amps.
I later used some of that knowledge later modifying other electronics including an Audire power amp. Greatly stiffened power supply with an outboard cap farm along with higher current bridge. Useful information. Joules matter!
Bravo friend!
DIY is a wonderful pastime, can lead to more.
Your still here, do something to enjoy audio!
Take care
Tom
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