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- TAKEN FROM THE KEIGHLEY ARS NEWSLETTER
-
- EARLY DAYS WITH AN FDK
- ----------------------
-
- Have you ever owned an FDK? They arn't exactly the sort of thing
- that sets the world on fire, nobody that has owned one has ever
- been known to brag the way that yasoo (or yeasoo depending on
- your taste) owners do, but they are quite good really, no
- honest! I own and FDK MULTI 750E and at least I've never been
- stuck for something to do. Shortly after I got it, (within a
- couple of hours or so) the audio went duff. It received ok, so
- the amp must have been working, but there was no modulation on
- transmit. Nervously I took the lid off to have a quick gander
- and I almost took it back there and then. The view of the boards
- was all but obscured by a tangle of wires held together by diddy
- little tie wraps. Great gobs of solder hung suspended from every
- available connection like minature stalagtites waiting to drop
- on some unexpecting component in order to do the most possible
- damage at the most inconveinient time. And that was just the
- component side of the boards! I'd got a pretty good assortment
- of paperwork when I bought the thing, Instruction manual,
- circuit diagrams, service sheets, and a half a ream of foolscap
- with meaningless bits of circuit scribbled on them. Armed with
- such a wealth of knowlege I felt sure I could trace the fault so
- I pluged the iron in and sat back to have a good ponder as is my
- wont. Sometimes I just sits and thinks, and other times I just
- sits, but on this occasion I left it so long that it was bedtime
- before I started. I poked and prodded, and fiddled and twiddled
- until I was sure I didn't have any chance of fixing the thing
- then went to bed happy in the knowlege that at least I'd had a
- go. The following day I sat down to have another bash and
- thought it might help if it was turned on while I was thinking
- so I tuned in to S20 and heard a couple of old timers having a
- right good yarn. I remember one was G3MUM, and the other was a
- chap called George.I suppose I'd better explain something at
- this point, I'm a touch mike shy, in fact it was almost a relief
- to find the thing was bust once I'd got used to the idea.
- Anyway, I picked up the mike, waited for a suitable juncture,
- and gave out my call sign knowing fine well that I was the only
- one that could here it, and the flipping thing worked! I was too
- terrified to be frightened as G3MUM called back and asked me to
- join in. I grabbed the log book, (the last time I saw it
- actually) and keyed the mike again. I didn't remember much at
- the time, but my log book told me that G3MUM had been at it for
- 32 years and was on his 33rd. log book, and George had been
- going even longer. Ten minutes later it was all over. My very
- first QSO, with two of the most experienced chaps I've ever come
- across. Anyway, I discovered that my FDK worked great as long as
- the lid is off, as soon as I put it back on, nothing!
-
- Even now I find keying the mike a bit of an effort,
- PAKET is SO MUCH more civilised.
-
- -----------------------------------------------------------------
- For info on Keighley ARS call Cath on Bfd. 496222
- Address messages for Keighley ARS to G0KRS @ GB7YHF
- Address newsletter articles to G6WHL @ GB7YHF
- Best wishes, from Colin, G6WHL @ GB7YHF