Covid-19 and its inherent restrictions put a major dent in my hamfest activities for the past couple of years. I really missed poring over tables full of radio and electronic treasures. When the hamfests again appeared on the scene, it didn’t take long for me to join in the fray.
About eight years ago, I purchased at auction a National AC-200 power-supply, which matched the National model NCX-200 transceiver. The supply is in good condition and worked fine when brought-up on my Variac®. When the hamfests returned, it was my thought to look for a nice, hopefully working, NCX-200 or NCX-500 to mate up with my power supply.
Hamfest-Hopping
This year in early May, I attended the DeKalb Radio Amateurs Hamfest in Sandwich, Illinois. I hoped to find either an NCX-200 or perhaps a reasonably priced Collins 32S-3 transmitter to pair with my Collins 75S-1 receiver for a classic CW station. The 75S-1 has the CW offset crystal in the BFO circuit and a military 300-Hz Collins CW filter installed in it. Unfortunately, I did not find the National transceiver and “eBay pricing” had precluded my attempts to purchase a 32S-3.
Going two years back in time, I attended the Sterling
