Sunday, June 22, 2014

New Operating Position

This week I had time to spend in front of the radios following a complete makeover of a room in our house--new paint, new floor, a long awaited removal of a bar that opened an alcove and a place to bring the radios into a designed for usage, real indoor shack. I wonder how many of you have a planned area for the radios or if they just find a place to land and get used there?

My dad had built a desk for my radios several years ago, but for the past 25 or so it has been used more as a bookcase and "business" desk and a place for the computer. Now its being used for which it was designed. I have my primary radios all in one place ( though if my life is any indicator, there may be some shuffling later!) sitting on a slightly elevated shelf with the knobs at the right height, accessories with their own shelf and spaces, holes for cables, good place for a desk lamp and clock. It's wonderful! And it only took 16 years to get done!
Radio Desk


For now the primary radios are a Yaesu FT-757-GX for both hamming and SWL DX with special filters for SSB and CW, my Icom R-75 with dual 250 Hz cw filters and special AM and SSB filters in a modification, an old Icom 251 all mode 2 meter rig for SSB and CW DX and an old favorite, my Hallicrafters SX-96 for SWBC and BCB-DX...all in a row. Some of my other receivers are stacked above along with a couple transmitters.  You might recognize a Heathkit DX-40, Knight VFO, Drake 2B with Q-multiplier and speaker, MacKay vintage shipboard receiver. Eico 723 transmitter and 722 VFO and a fifties vintage Montgomery Ward Airline broadcast receiver.

I wonder why this took so long! There are even good places for current logbooks and my cw keys that can be far enough back for my forearm to be comfy. And there is a great spot for the flat screen computer monitor at eye level out of the way of the radios! My late dad would be proud to see it put to its proper use. And I am amazed at the thought he put into designing the desk for best use. Anyone else designed a special shack? Or like my old ones, did it just grow on its own? Now if I just had the matching Hallicrafters speaker to go with the SX-96....

Second Op-C1AT