JB30 “Frankinstein”

It’s beautiful! — My Junk box 30 meter CW transceiver. The output is approx 2.5 watts. Using a Ten-Tec box, and special calibrated dial, it features wide and narrow audio filtering as well as 90db dynamic range and low receive power consumption as well as low 1/4 watt and high 2.5 watts output. Semi QSK

You see I was in the lab one night when out of my junk box came an eerie site… Parts galore overflowing on the floor, electrons in the air, and the smell of Rosen solder was everywhere… I did a mash… I did an electronic mash… Transceiver mash… It was a junk box smash…I did the mash, and got on it with a flash… I did the mash… I did an electronic mash… The Transceiver mash…
It was a junk box smash.. Grrrrrrr GRRRRR dit dah dit dit dit dit It’s ALIVE…..

Okay… that’s what happened. You see Igor gave me an idea to bring a transceiver alive with parts in my junk box. The nice outer shell was only to protect noobs and non-electrosofiticates from the innards…I also would bring together all of my skills to bring life to this lifeless silicon and copper body… Surgery to perform was from my mind. No schematic was used and mechanical capacitors were frowned upon. Dead bug, Manhattan, thru-hole, point to point and jumpers were fair game. So Into surgery, I went… I found a SA602AN, a 2n5109, an op Amp some 2N3904’s, some varicap diodes, misc electrolytic caps, t 37-6 toroids, some 26ga? wire, a couple of 2n2222’s, an LM317, LM386, pots, and switches. Bwaaaaaaaaaahhhhh…. away I went melting, bending, and contorting until the parts came together stitch by stitch. Building little cities and changing ICs into dead bugs, I continued to build… When the time was right, a dab of adhesive, and heat sink goo, the electricity flowed into the mass… No thump, or smoke, but suddenly it came to life… dah dit dah dit dah dah dit dah… Like a proud father, a tear came to my eye… probably from the solder smoke but anyway it’s ALIVE… It’s a work of art…I proclaimed… Now, little Frankie, go send and receive distant microvolts in the Universe, I said with enthusiasm. Don’t fret Igor… It’s one of a kind. It’s got a life of its own…my son the JB30…we must let it go on…Should one of its parts cease to function back to the parts crept we will go…

With that, I pulled down the knife switch and tucked little Frankie, aka JB30 into the cave… Night, Night, little guy… THE END

Igor, don’t ask me for a schematic it was a total Frankenstein build… 2 ICs are dead bugs, VFO uses varicap diodes.. 1n914’s or maybe 1N4148’s not real sure… the Final not sure if it’s a 2N5109, 2n3866, or something else… It fit the top hat and was an NPN. I recognize some of the caps salvage from my first Tin-Tuna vintage 1976… This is for you Doug Demaw (W1CER) … I hope your are proud… Your dedication to amateur radio lives on & on & on…….. BWAAAAAAAHAAAAA…. Back to the Laboratory Igor…..