Ham radios with Nixies?

[Jonathan Peakall]

Hi All,

Having finally gotten my ham ticket a while back I now need to find an
HF transceiver with a Nixie display! I already have a Heathkit with a
panplex type display but the shack needs more neon!

So, does anyone have a list of radios that had nixie displays? I've been
poking around and have found a couple.

Thanks!

Jonathan

[Adam Jacobs]

I would be more tempted to find a user radio and add a digital nixie frequency display.  Any old user Swan, for example.
-W7QI

---

From: Jonathan Peakall
Sent: ‎5/‎31/‎2015 1:26 PM
To: neoni...@googlegroups.com
Subject: [neonixie-l] Ham radios with Nixies?

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[Dennis]

I would be very concerned about the noise I might be introducing to an HF receiver. Switching PSUs can cause lots of RFI problems. Lots of grounding and isolation would be needed.

Dennis

 

KB7DV

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[Dennis]

Congrats on your ticket.

73's

 

KB7DV

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[Charles MacDonald]

On 15-05-31 08:49 PM, 'Dennis' via neonixie-l wrote:
> I would be very concerned about the noise I might be introducing to an
> HF receiver. Switching PSUs can cause lots of RFI problems. Lots of
> grounding and isolation would be needed.

on the other hand if you have a Ham transceiver, it likely has a lot of
different voltages inside so adding 180V for a nixie may not require
adding a switcher. Some Transmitting transistors run with that sort of
voltage on them.

--
Charles MacDonald Stittsville Ontario
cm...@zeusprune.ca Just Beyond the Fringe
http://Charles.MacDonald.org/tubes
No Microsoft Products were used in sending this e-mail.

[Dennis]

Very true.Voltage should be very easy to find for nixies just check out the amperage. As we all know there might not be enough extra. That would be sweet not needing a switcher.

 

KB7DV

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[Dennis]

Just found this on eBay. 191589712959
Dennis

[marta_kson]

Congratulations to Your licence!

The only factory built trx I'm aware of with a nixie display was the Signal/One CX-7.  As I remember the later revisions of it got a LED display. The Signal/One was a very advanced radio of it's time, but not general coverage so the WARC-bands will be missing. It was all transistor except for the final stage. They are very rare as they was quite expensive at over USD2000 back in the 70's... If You are lucky to find one for sale it will still cost quite a lot as they are quite sought after.

Colins also had some radios with tube displays, but those was VFD's with TungSol Digivac's.

[Jonathan Peakall]

Pretty cool! They must have made radios with the nixies built in however. I want one, dead or alive!

 

Not having much luck finding any so far though.

 

Jonathan

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[Jonathan Peakall]

Thanks! That is something to look for. I was told that Collins made one, but I haven't seen one so far.

 

Jonathan

----- Original Message -----

From: 'marta_kson' via neonixie-l

To: neoni...@googlegroups.com

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[Dan Harboe Burer]

Not a radio but here's a couple of Yeasu counters with nixies - I also
happen to have one in my collection ;)

Ebay item: 191588629781 and 171810710750

I have a swedish built HF receiver -with Nixie Tubes - hidden in my stash. I
will dig it up during the week and post a picure of it..

Dan



-----Oprindelig meddelelse-----
From: Jonathan Peakall
Sent: Sunday, May 31, 2015 10:26 PM
To: neoni...@googlegroups.com
Subject: [neonixie-l] Ham radios with Nixies?

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[Jonathan Peakall]

Great! I'd love to see the pics. Looks like I'm going to have to keep my eye
out and scour. My ideal would be a tube rig with nixies but I'll take
anything with nixies.

What bands is yours good for? Does it play? Have you ever run it?

Jonathan

> Not a radio but here's a couple of Yeasu counters with nixies - I also
> happen to have one in my collection ;)
>
> Ebay item: 191588629781 and 171810710750
>
> I have a swedish built HF receiver -with Nixie Tubes - hidden in my stash.
> I will dig it up during the week and post a picure of it..
>
> Dan
>
>


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[Dan Harboe Burer]

When I last powered it up a couple of years ago it worked just fine.. :) A
Ham radio friend in Copenhagen (approx. 120km away from me) transmitted 1kW
in my direction and I heard him just fine - on a few metres of wire in my
living room - so it worked :p

The same type of receiver has been use in the Danish Navy in the Cold War
era warships.. I happened to locate a picture of a rack full of them from
"Peder Skram" (now a museum ship in Copenhagen) ..but I did not save the
picture :p

I will post further details when I dig it up - it is hiding behind (and
beneath) some other large-ish stuff in my hallway so it might first be
during the weekend I am able to"unearth" it.

I think it is time to reawaken the beast :)

Dan

-----Oprindelig meddelelse-----
From: Jonathan Peakall

Sent: Tuesday, June 02, 2015 5:31 AM
To: neoni...@googlegroups.com
Subject: Re: [neonixie-l] Ham radios with Nixies?

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[Ross H]

SBE made a transceiver with nixie tube frequency readout, SB-36 in the 70's. It was also sold under the name of Robyn. I remember seeing it in QST and I wanted one but at 15 I didn't have the money for a new rig. I believe the Signal/One CX-7 also had a nixie readout and in later versions was upgraded to LED. Back in the late 70's I worked at R.L. Drake and did final test on the MSR-2 receiver. It used nixies for readouts.

 

[Jonathan Peakall]

Ross,

Thanks! Two more to look for. Great pictures. Are those transistor or tube rigs?

Jonathan

On 6/4/2015 5:18 AM, Ross H wrote:

SBE made a transceiver with nixie tube frequency readout, SB-36 in the 70's. It was also sold under the name of Robyn. I remember seeing it in QST and I wanted one but at 15 I didn't have the money for a new rig. I believe the Signal/One CX-7 also had a nixie readout and in later versions was upgraded to LED. Back in the late 70's I worked at R.L. Drake and did final test on the MSR-2 receiver. It used nixies for readouts.

[Ross H]

The SBE has tubes in the final, 6KD6 sweep tubes I think is what thwy spec sheet said. The Drake receiver is solid state, FET's IC's and transistors. I guess you could also count the nixies as tubes....

[Dan Harboe Burer]

Hi Jonathan - and everyone else who's curious :)

I dug deep into the stash in my hallway and behold: the SRT CR302b HF
receiver with nixies.
I even powered it up - just so You guys can see it in action :)

And here is a (Danish) link to the battleship I mentioned:

http://www.pederskramsvenner.dk/radiodivisionen/ABOUT_RADIOSTATION/about_radiostation.htm

It describes the Ham radio station onboard the museum ship - but also states
that the equipment is identcial with what was onboard when the ship was in
active duty :)
A bit about the ship if anyone is interested: (English!)
http://www.navalhistory.dk/English/TheShips/P/PederSkram(1966).htm
The ship became (in)famous when they by accident decided to kill a lot of
summer/weekend cottages in Denmark by launching a live Harpoon missile -
http://www.navalhistory.dk/English/History/1945_1989/Missile%20Incident.htm
(No people were hurt!)


BR

Dan





-----Oprindelig meddelelse-----
From: Jonathan Peakall

Sent: Tuesday, June 02, 2015 5:31 AM
To: neoni...@googlegroups.com

Subject: Re: [neonixie-l] Ham radios with Nixies?

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[Jonathan Peakall]

Dan,

Awesome radio! Many thanks for dragging it out and taking pictures.

I imagine my chances of running into one around where I live are just
about nil. If you happen to run onto one that needs work, let me know.
On my budget it will have to need a bunch of work!

We should see about trying to make a QSO on that beast! What is your
QTH? I'm guessing my dipole is pointed more or less in your general
direction. Send me a message if you'd like to try to play radios!

Anyone else? Any other Nixie radios?

Jonathan - KK6RPX

[Dan Harboe Burer]

Jonathan,

No problem - it was a pleasure to share it with you!

If I should stumble upon one I will let you know. Sometimes I get hold of
the wierdest stuff.. :)

They seem to be quite rare, but I have seen them for sale here in Denmark -
even on Ham markets. That's where I bought mine. If I recall correctly I
haggled it down to DKKr 900 (approx USD 140). It was the closing day, the
seller had TWO of these receivers, and he was tired of bringing them back
and forth. (I had spied on his receivers for two years in a row before I
struck!)
..but I have seen them for sale up to DKKr 3000.. (approx USD 500) :p

I haven't got a Ham license so - nope, I have no transmitters. (I "only"
have a lot of wild parts & tubes that could be turned into PAs which
probably could punch a hole in the Moon. LOL. )
I have some nice strange vintage receivers though - E.g. The Siemens
745E-310a "Rainbow" (No Nixies in this.. it is just a beautiful piece of
engineering)

Oh, by the way there exists a Yaesu / Sommerkamp FT-501 with "VFD Nixies"
too :)

Dan


-----Oprindelig meddelelse-----
From: Jonathan Peakall

Sent: Friday, June 05, 2015 5:55 PM

To: neoni...@googlegroups.com
Subject: Re: [neonixie-l] Ham radios with Nixies?

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[Jonathan Peakall]

Dan,

I could pay somewhere around what you paid. Non-working would be fine,
although we like working ones! Shipping would be a bear. I'll file it
under "hopeful fantasy". :-)

I have seen the Yaesu ft-501. Cool looking radio but I'm holding out for
neon!

Get yer license! Easy and entertaining. Or find a ham in your area, I
bet you anything they would love to fire up that thing and make it play!
Have you tried listening on it and see what you hear?

Jonathan = KK6RPX

[Paul Parry]

Probably slightly OT

I've got a Racal  9839 UHF Frequency Counter - 8 digit Nixie and a Racal 9521 computing Counter, 5 Digit Nixie.

As far as I know they both work, I was going to scrap them off for the tubes but would let them go if someone can use as is, I would just ask for half a dozen Nixies in exchange.

Let me know if any use?

Paul

[Jonathan Peakall]

Paul,

Hmm, fascinating possibility. Off to work for a few days, I'll be back.

What frequency range is the UHF?

Jonathan

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[GastonP]

From the photo it looks like 40-600MHz. The upper range is blurry so it can also be 560 MHz.