Echophone EC-1B: Finally finished!

Finished - for the second time.

Let's start this post with a tale of woe:

I actually had this thing ready to go early this week, but, since it'll be a gift for my grandson and subject to abuse, I wanted to shoot a couple of coats of clear over it to give it some protection.  My idea an intention were both good, but my execution sucked wind!  Which leads to the last statement in my last post:

Don't use lacquer over enamel.

I've known this for some time, but have been successful in cheating fate through multiple test-sprays over well cured enamel base, and abandoning the thought if there was any sign of an adverse reaction.  I did that with this radio and, by all indications, it looked like it'd be OK.  It wasn't...

Within a few minutes, my previously perfect hammer-tone finish had severely wrinkled in spots.  Dammit!  Oh well, nothing else to do but strip it down and do it over - this time clearing with a compatible product.

Paint-wise, the second effort turned out better than the first, but my decal application wasn't as good.  But, it's adequate, so I'm not going to mess with it.

I can't help but be impressed by the performance that they were able to wring out of such a simple circuit.  Assuming it's intended purpose was casual shortwave broadcast listening, it's remarkably adequate.  For amateur use, though, it's challenging. 

In developing the specifications for the original Zenith Trans-Oceanic, Commander MacDonald insisted that one shouldn't need "micrometer fingers" to tune the thing.  With this set (and the S-38s), such digits definitely come in handy, especially when tuning SSB signals.

But, once you calibrate your fingers, it's completely possible to tune SSB stations.  It's not easy, but it can be done.  I did incorporate one simple modification while re-working this set to aid in CW/SSB reception:  When in "CW" mode, the original design defeats the AGC by putting the cathode of the IF tube right to ground.  This sets the gain to maximum, which causes strong signals to "override" the BFO.  Replacing the short-to-ground with a 470 ohm resistor reduces the gain just enough to where 90% of the signals can be resolved without "overriding" the BFO.  Cool!

Weak points?  Well, these were designed to be cranked-out as cheaply as possible, so they suffer from mechanical instability.  The dial resolution is vague, and, the IF filtering is quite broad.  Again, perfectly fine for casual AM SWBC listening, not so much for CW/SSB.

Other than my epic paint failure, this has been a fun project and I'm actually having a lot of fun dialing around the bands with the little fellow.  So much that, since I'll be giving this one away, I'm going to look for another one for myself!