NE7X - Phoenix Arizona USA
Vintage Radios
NE7X - Phoenix Arizona USA
Vintage Radios
The NE7X radio racks are old 1980s Telco communications racks which were obtained from a local computer surplus facility. The racks are 6ft(h)-x-23in(w)(19in(id)-x-24in(d). The racks are a "perfect" fit for the older 19in vintage radios. Each radio, transmitter or other accessory is mounted into the racks on it's own independent shelf or set of rails. Any radio can be independently removed from a rack without any need to move or disassemble any other radio or wiring in the rack. Access to all the wiring and cabling is accomplished from a 3 ft wide walkway behind the racks. Also hidden behind the racks are steel storage shelves for spare parts, books, manuals, cables, and all the other goodies required to keep the radios working.
AC voltage coming into the radio shack at the main breaker panel is between 120-123 VAC. Besides each rack having it's own separate AC power conditioner, there is also a separate AC 15 amp variac for each rack to allow the AC voltage to be adjusted down to 110 or 115 VAC. This protects the older vintage equipment from today's higher voltage.
In rack #4, antenna coax switching allows any antenna to be connect to any radio or transmitter combination. All radio and transmitter cabinets have been removed and are stored in QTH attic.
Each rack has a 12in(d)-x-19in(w) pull-out writing shelf/table. This allows an area for a microphone, CW key, notes/log writing or beverages. When not needed, the shelf can be push-in and stored out of the way. The AC power conditioners also provide downward focused lighting for the pull-out shelves.
Left to right, Racks 1, 2 & 3
Johnson Viking Ranger II, RME 6900, National NC-109, RME 4350, Hammarlund HQ-110
HP dual-trace scope, Hallicrafters HT-32B, HT32, Furman AC conditioner/light, SX-101A, SX-101, HT33A
Collins 32V-3, 75A-1, Furman AC conditioner/lights, ART Pro Channel microphone EQ, Collins 32S-3, 75S-3, 30L-1, Halllicrafters SX-110
Left to right, Racks 2, 3 & 4
HP dual-trace scope, Hallicrafters HT-32B, HT32, SX-101A, SX-101, HT33A
Collins 32V-3, 75A-1, Furman AC conditioner/light, ART Pro Channel microphone EQ, Collins 32S-3, 75S-3, 30L-1, Halllicrafters SX-110
AC power monitor meters, 13VDC/50A power supplies (2X=100Amps), R220/URR Receiver, Coax switches, ATU, 1KW Homebrew RF amp
What does my AM audio sound so good? The secret is:
Collins 32V-3 High Fidelity Modulation Modification
With
ART Pro Channel 12AX7 Microphone Preamp/Compressor/Equalizer
And
Electrovoice 630 Omni-Directional Dynamic Microphone
Rack 2 (back-ground)
Hallicarafters HT-32 (top) transmitter, SX-101 (middle) and SX-101A (bottom) receivers
Rack 3 (fore-ground)
Collins S-Line (bottom), Furman AC conditioner/lights (top), ART Pro Channel vacuum tube (12AX7s) microphone EQ with ElectroVoice 630 boom microphone, NE7X homebrew CW electronic keyer and microphone distribution switch panel
NE7X
Left to right, Racks 3, 4 & 5
Collins 32V-3, 75A-1, Furman AC conditioner/lights, ART Pro Channel microphone EQ, Collins 32S-3, 75S-3, 30L-1, Halllicrafters SX-110
AC power monitor meters, 13V/50A DC power supplies (2X=100Amps), R220 Receiver, Coax switches, ATU, 1KW Homebrew RF amp
500Watt AF Stereo amp, AF EQ, Linux and Windows XP Computers, VGA monitor, IBM work laptop
Left to right, Racks 5, 6 & 7
500Watt AF Stereo amp, AF EQ, Linux and Windows XP Computers, VGA monitor, IBM work laptop
Gonset GSB-100(3233), Hammarlund SP-600, Furman AC conditioner/light, ART Pro Channel microphone EQ, Collins R-390A & 75A-4
Hallicrafters SX-42, National NC-183D/MR, Hammarlund HQ-170A, Furman AC conditioner/light, HQ-180A, HX-50 and HXL-One
Rack 5
IBM telecommuting workstation. Remote support of high-end clustered UNIX servers running Oracle databases
Rack mount computers are: Linux Red Hat (with built in 8" VGA monitor) and Windows XP
Laptop is running Windows XP
BEHIND THE RACKS
Looking from rack 6 toward rack 1
3ft wide walkway between steel storage shelves (right in picture) and rear of racks (left in picture)
The main shack antenna coax wall field can b seen on far wall in picture
Looking from rack 1 toward rack 7
3 ft walkway between steel storage shelves (left in picture) and rear of racks (right in picture)
Rack 7
Hammarlund HQ-170 / HQ-180A
Each radio is on its own independent 'L' bracket shelf
Rack 6
Gonset GSB-100 and Hammarlund SP-600
Coax antenna switch in fore-front
Rack 3
Collins 32V3- & 75A-1
Each radio is on its own independent 'L' bracket shelf
Coax antenna switch in fore-front
Rack 2
Hallicrafters HT32B, HT32, SX-101 & SX-101A
Each radio is on its own independent 'L' bracket shelf
Rack 3
Collins 32V-3, 75A-1, S-Line, Pro Channel microphone EQ and switching
Coax antenna switch in fore-front
Rack 6
Gonset GSB-100, Hammarlund SP-600 & Collins R390A
Coax antenna switch in fore-front
Rack 7
National NC-183D/MR (Military Rack), Hammarlund HQ-170 & HQ-180A
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Where did I acquire this madness for old vintage radios?
From my father, Joseph Boza Sr - W8MPY (SK)
Mouse CLICK on the below picture to view a web site tribute to him
