I always had a curiosity about the Weskit BN-1 Transmitters from the 1950s. Recently I was given a schematic and while I didn't build a clone what I did build was certainly influenced by the schematic.
I used a ECC832 (12dw7) instead of a 3a5 dual triode The ECC832 is a dissimilar dual triode. One side being like a 12ax7 and one like a 12au7. This gives the light side for a good regen and the power side for a power osc. I built it as a VFO instead of a crystal osc as the Weskit was and I tuned both TX and RX wit a dual gang variable cap, using a bandspread on the regen side and a padding cap on the TX side to keep things in reach. Both circuits are based on a standard Hartley oscillator, my personal favourite. After initial fire up I added a 12aq5 simple audio amp. Despite the light parts count it works quite well. The RX can hear everything my digital Rx can and sometimes a wee bit better. The two sections track well and the station can be found if off a bit my a minor tweak on the bandspread. The TX puts out a reasonable amount for a QRP rig and is set up to operate on 40M. It has been a pleasant surprise and I find my self spending hours playing with it.
I am hanging around 7040 khz when possible and when the band is open looking for contacts. Power out seems to be in the neighbourhood of 2 and a half watts.
donVe3LYX
