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Old 23rd Apr 2009, 10:53 pm   #21
onewatt
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Default Re: Joystick VFA

Hi All
Hmm! I have 2 joysticks still in my possession whether thats a good thing to admit to is probably best discussed off the forum but, I use one stood up in the corner of the shack to hook up to the rad's on the bench when I get round to having a bash at repairing them.
I got my 1st one thrown in with my purchase of an AR88 from the local vicar, I guess around the early 70's as from memory I was 13 or 14.
I also have the documents that came with it somewhere so will try and dig those out. The tuner I'm pretty sure is what would be classed as a swl tuner , pretty basic and wouldn't take many watt's

From my recollection the construction on my purchase from the Vicar was/is a more substantial build than the later one I obtained which is now in bits somewhere around.

I to got mocked by one of our friendly mods when I took it to a rally to sell on - was advised to leave it in the truck as I recall to save putting it back later - glad I kept it now as its still a part of history and reminds me of when I was 13.

TTFN
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Old 24th Apr 2009, 7:00 pm   #22
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Default Re: Joystick VFA

Oh dear, yet more projects......
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Old 24th Apr 2009, 7:20 pm   #23
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Default Re: Joystick VFA

Quote:
Originally Posted by kenmayne View Post
On balance I think there is something to the VFA, because at that time I lived in a central London flat and the VFA enabled me to make a lot of QRP contacts that I don't think would have been possible otherwise. I am re-creating one at the moment to see how it goes, and will report results. Maybe we can even get a VFA net going...
Don't forget, the unit was mainly present in the peak of the solar cycle, and things could be worked on a bit of wet string, same as it will be in a few years time....

Geoff G4ICD
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Old 26th Apr 2009, 4:57 pm   #24
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Default Re: Joystick VFA

I just got some SWM's from Ebay and in one (October 1971) is an article by G3KHC describing a helical antenna for 160m. Interestingly it comprises a 15-20ft wooden pole, wound with 250ft of 28g wire or heavier and a small 12" rod at the top. At the base it is fed by a loading coil then by 70ohm coax to the shack. Sounds very similar ??
John
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Old 30th Apr 2009, 12:54 pm   #25
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Default Re: Joystick VFA

Quote:
Don't forget, the unit was mainly present in the peak of the solar cycle, and things could be worked on a bit of wet string, same as it will be in a few years time....

Geoff G4ICD
Well Geoff I'm using a wet string at the moment!

73 Ken GI4FLG

Last edited by Brian R Pateman; 1st May 2009 at 6:50 am. Reason: Quote fixed.
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Old 29th Jan 2011, 7:56 pm   #26
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Default Joystick VFA

Hi everyone, I would like to re-open this subject again as I received a QSL card and a request for more information from Dennis VE3UTN. He particularly would like any drawings or related info as he is trying to make one, or more accurately a Chinese Copy! Does anyone have info on copper tube lengths and diameter?, length and diameter of coil winding, number of turns and gauge of wire used?
As Dennis says in his letter, "Any help will be greatly appreciated".
Many Thanks
Les
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Old 29th Jan 2011, 8:59 pm   #27
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Default Re: Joystick VFA

Hi Les,

There's a bit of info here:

http://www.hamuniverse.com/joystickantenna.html

but it's worth remembering that (AFAIK) the Joystick was no more than an end-loading system which had to be 'fed' with a single wire (which actually did the radiating). The coil in the Joystick would be adjusted for resonance 'somewhere in the band' and then a longwire-type ATU would allow you to move it around the band.
There was nothing out of the ordinary about it, as far as I recall, but then it was a long time ago!
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Old 29th Jan 2011, 9:10 pm   #28
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Default Re: Joystick VFA

From the description given there it is clearly just an end-loading system, just like many other so-called 'compact antennas'. The coil in the middle may have the effect at higher frequencies of shortening what is, in effect, a capacity hat (by simply isolating the end part). It (plus the 'feed' wire) is, essentially, a Marconi L or T antenna with the top made mechanically smaller by using tube instead of wire.
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Old 29th Jan 2011, 9:56 pm   #29
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Default Re: Joystick VFA

Hi Les. It was me that opened this thread trying to understand the "mystery" of these devices and why there were now very few around. Was it a unique design or like those 1930's "wonder" aerials consisting of a condensor in an impressive tube? Someone recently assured me that [as Dave HQP says] users were effectively tuning up there own feeder against the "top hat" although others see it differently as technically sophisticated and many people claimed exceptional results! Either way, people always seem interested, amused or both.

A Joystick ATU was offered foc on here recently and went to someone who's name came out of the hat so those details might be available?

Dave W

Last edited by Station X; 30th Jan 2011 at 2:45 pm. Reason: Threads merged.
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Old 29th Jan 2011, 10:13 pm   #30
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Arrow Re: Joystick VFA

Quote:
Originally Posted by dave walsh View Post
A Joystick ATU was offered foc on here recently and went to someone who's name came out of the hat so those details might be available?
Dave W
I put that item for sale on this Forum; it went to BeamCurrent on January 21st.

Al. / Skywave
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Old 29th Jan 2011, 11:17 pm   #31
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Default Re: Joystick VFA

I am not sure if there were different variants of this but I had a second hand one of these when I was a SWL'er , I am sure the one I had with the matching atu was advertised for indoor SWL use ( about 1968).Certainly the atu would not have taken many watts of RF

Mike

Last edited by MichaelR; 29th Jan 2011 at 11:18 pm. Reason: grammar
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Old 30th Jan 2011, 12:58 am   #32
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Default Re: Joystick VFA

Many thanks lads for your invaluable help. I have sent links by e-mail to Dennis including this thread so hopefully it will be most useful to him.
Once again many thanks
Les
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Old 30th Jan 2011, 3:25 pm   #33
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Default Re: Joystick VFA

I have a complete setup here with what looks like a lower power version of Al's ATU.

Al
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Old 30th Jan 2011, 6:26 pm   #34
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Default Re: Joystick VFA

Hi All

I new I had this somewhere. I managed to duplicate one page and a couple need some deciphering but photocopies left a bit to be desired when this was done.
Enjoy!
Onewatt
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Old 30th Jan 2011, 8:07 pm   #35
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Thanks very much for your trouble. Really good to have a copy of this.
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Old 31st Jan 2011, 11:04 am   #36
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Default Re: Joystick VFA

Also a big thanks from me One Watt.

I love the copy of the original receipt

Regards
Mike
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Old 31st Jan 2011, 2:43 pm   #37
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Default Re: Joystick VFA

Hi All
No problem and glad others find it of interest. I bought the joymatch kit including an AR88lf from the named person on the receipt (my local Vicar) around 1975. From memory I gave £35 all in. All my pocket money and pay for cutting G6LL's grass from memory, and I still have it in my shack today! The radio that is, not 6LL's grass.

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Old 31st Jan 2011, 3:52 pm   #38
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Default Re: Joystick VFA

Fantastic Onewatt, for the first time I can see the Model C ATU I once had, alas just 10 Watts of Top Band scorched the variables
Dennis is over the moon with all the responses and his last e-mail concludes:-

"I looked on the net for months and this makes my day ,,,, thanks again,

Dennis VE3UTN"

+plus a big thanks from me too! Les
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Old 31st Jan 2011, 7:40 pm   #39
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Default Re: Joystick VFA

Oh, the joys of a simple HF aerial!

I got my ticket in 1980, and after a raid or two on the local Rally, wound up with a VFA which, in common with all, fell apart. I re-built it. 200 turns of Aluminium wire (??) on a thin broom-handle ('bout an inch), with two 1 inch, 3ft tubes attached thereto.

Whilst most of my activity then was 2m, I used to listen using the VFA on an old 9R59 Rx, with great pleasure.

Can someone say the diameter of the coil (illustrated) in the matcher ? I'd love to see if I could get this thing working again, especially QRP on 80m.
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Old 2nd Feb 2011, 2:33 am   #40
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Using the remnants of my old joystick ATU I can only offer the following. It is a very close approximation, the wire gauge comes out as around 0.04" which I think is close to 19SWG but a good alternative would be 18AWG, enamel covered of course. The solder tags were heated and plunged into the plastic. How they managed to do a neat job, what with tinning the enamel wire and using more heat to solder to the tag, must have required some nifty trickery
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