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Dream station of the 1950's: CE 100V, CE 600L, MM-2 and Collins 75A-4 (WØYVA)

New Book by Nick Tusa
"Wes Schum - Amateur Radio's Unsung Hero"

Click here to see photos of Nick Tusa's (K5EF) equipment and antennas

W9DYV Radio Symposium
October 8th-9th Slidell, Louisiana

New Venue-Expanded Topics-Boneyard/Tailgating

Interested in the full spectrum of vintage HF SSB/AM radio rig restoration, electron tubes,
homebrew rig construction? Looking for just a good hamfest/boneyard for a renewed sense of
normalcy? Or an inspirational visit to the National World War II Museum and music as only
New Orleans can offer?

Here’s a can’t-miss event, just for you.

Beginning on October 8th, two-days of technical and homebrew equipment seminars await you,
coupled with an exciting Slidell Louisiana hamfest hosted by the Ozone Amateur Radio Club.
(www.w5sla.net)

Current forums include:

AM Synchronous Detection, Rob Sherwood (Sherwood Engineering)
Transmitter Audio Processing, Bob Heil K9EID (Heil Sound)
Antennas for the New HF Ham, Ted Saba KN5O
The Pine Board Transmitter Gains an 807, Bob Heil K9EID (Heil Sound)
Collins Radio - Beginning to Now, Scott Kerr KE1RR
Current State of Amateur Rig Technology, Rob Sherwood (Sherwood Engineering)
Eldico, REL,and the “Collins Clone” Sage, David Beckler N0SAP
Care and Feeding of Receiving Tubes, David Assaf W5XU

Due in part to the Symposium’s success and your enthusiastic support, the Hamfest and
Symposium has relocated to the more expansive City of Slidell’s Municipal Auditorium.
And, there’s more! The exciting New Orleans JazzFest www.nojazzfest.com begins that same
weekend and, for history buffs there’s the National World War II Museum. See you in October!

NEW: "Applications of Techniques in the Reception of Single-Sideband Transmmitted Signals."
Final Report, Stanford Research Institute, March 30, 1951.
Highly technical and facinating. READ NOW

Dial back to Year 2003. Wes Schum and I are motoring down the highway towards the Shelby Hamfest - me at the wheel and Wes riding shotgun. Knowing that the trip would take around 3 hours, I brought along a small dictation recorder and a handful of mini cassette tapes. Soon, my plan was underway: Wes, holding the recorder steadily in-hand, began orally highlighting his life and work developing SSB products that changed Ham Radio. Listening to these tapes years later has brought back a flood of memories of our friendship - one that spanned over 45 years. Hope you enjoy W9DYV, in his own words! 73, Nick, K5EF.

Conversations with Wes Schum, W9DYV and Nick Tusa ... back in the day!

Have a comment or question? Please email.

We're always pleased to hear from you!

Dial back to Year 2003. Wes Schum and I are motoring down the highway towards the Shelby Hamfest - me
at the wheel and Wes riding shotgun. Knowing that the trip would take around 3 hours, I brought along a
small dictation recorder and a handful of mini cassette tapes. Soon, my plan was underway: Wes, holding
the recorder steadily in-hand, began orally highlighting his life and work developing SSB products that
changed Ham Radio. Listening to these tapes years later has brought back a flood of memories of our
friendship - one that spanned over 45 years. Hope you enjoy W9DYV, in his own words! 73, Nick, K5EF.

8th W9DYV's Amateur Radio Symposium; Wrap-up

This year presentations included the following;

A High Performance SDR Receiver for the Ham; Bob Nickels W9RAN	View on YouTube
HF Receiver Performance; Rob Sherwood NC0B	View on YouTube
Understanding of Human Speech Articulation; Dr. Bob Heil K9EID	View on YouTube
Wes Schum (W9DYV) and Central Electronics; Nick Tusa K5EF	View on YouTube
Drake T4XC: Low Power Output and Why; David Assaf W5XU	View on YouTube
AM and the story of the Gates BC-1T; Bob Allison WB1GCM	View on YouTube
Vintage Radio and Homebrewing Adventures; Lynn Fisk K5LYN	View on YouTube

The 8th W9DYV's Amateur Radio Symposium
January 24-25, 2020

If you boatanchor guys in the Midwest really wanted to attend the W9DYV Radio Symposium in past years but didn't relish so long of a drive, fret no longer - the Symposium is coming near you!

Next year, boatanchor/restoration enthusiasts, historian-hobbyists and those wishing to hone new skills will have two venues to choose from: Winterfest 2020 in St. Louis and our New Orleans home base.

Already we have a great cast of speakers lined up to present important topics that involve SDR design, vintage gear restoration, Rob Sherwood's latest HF rig performance observations and, for the heavy metal crowd: Bob Allison's Gates BC-1T restoration.

Pencil in January 24th and 25th. Plan new to be in St. Louis to network with fellow restoration/homebrewers and enjoy a truly fun hamfest.

Watch this space for forum schedules to be posted soon!

For more information about Winterfest visit: https://winterfest.slsrc.org/

Symposiums

A High Performance SDR Receiver for the Ham - Bob Nickels W9RAN

HF Receiver Performance - Rob Sherwood NC0B

Understanding of Human Speech Articulation - Dr. Bob Heil K9EID

The Collins S-2 Line History and Evolution - Dave Beckler N0SAP

Wes Schum (W9DYV) and Central Electronics - Nick Tusa K5EF

Drake T4XC: Low Power Output and Why - David Assaf W5XU

AM and the story of the Gates BC-1T - Bob Allison WB1GCM

Vintage Radio and Homebrewing Adventures - Lynn Fisk K5LYN

The 7th (2019) annual CE Boatanchor Event; Wrap-up Report

This year presentations included the following;

The Ellusive Collins S-2 Line - David Beckler, NØSAP	View on YouTube
The Drake TR-8 Prototype Saga Continues - David Assaf, W5XU	View on YouTube
Working 630 Meters - Rob Sherwood, NCØB	View on YouTube
High Performance HF Amp Construction - Ron Scalise, WA5ZFP	View on YouTube
SDR and the Radio Amateur - Emile Diodene, KE5QKR	View on YouTube
The How's & Whys of Buck-Boost Xfrs - David Assaf, W5XU	View on YouTube
Understanding Speech Articulation - Bob Heil, K9EID	View on YouTube
Low Band Receiving Antennas - Ted Saba, KN5O	View on YouTube
Vintage Radio Restoration - Nick Tusa, K5EF	View on YouTube
Receiver Performance - Rob Sherwood, NCØB	View on YouTube
SDR Design Ideas by Carl Fedrowisch - KG5NXY	View on YouTube
Improve your Receiver Audio - Bob Heil, K9EID	View on YouTube
Cosmophone 35 Restoration - Nick Tusa, K5EF	View on YouTube
DX-Pedition Planning - David Assaf, W5XU	View on YouTube

View ALL videos here (playlist)

W9DYV's Amateur Radio Symposium
July 19-21 Slidell, Louisiana

New Venue-Expanded Topics-Boneyard/Tailgating

Interested in the full spectrum of vintage HF SSB/AM radio rig restoration, electron tubes, homebrew rig construction and even SDR? Looking for just a good old-fashioned summertime hamfest/boneyard? Or an XYL-sanctioned opportunity to visit New Orleans and the National World War II Museum?

Here's a can't-miss event, just for you.

Beginning on July 19th,a full two-days of technical and homebrew equipment seminars await you, coupled with an exciting hamfest hosted by the Ozone Amateur Radio Club to trade and hunt for radio treasures. Do you have a new tube or solid-state rig in the works? Get it finished and tell us all about it! Lots of enthusiasts would welcome hearing your design ideas, construction insight and past experiences. By sharing ideas, this is how we can make this wonderful hobby a bit more fulfilling for old experimenters and newcomers alike.

Worried about South Louisiana's summer heat? Don't fret - this indoor hamfest is fully airconditioned as are our symposium's meeting rooms at the Slidell LaQuinta host hotel. Like the great outdoors? The fest's John Slidell Park site has plenty of room for outdoor tailgating, too! Enjoy good food? Past W9DYV events have routinely knocked the cover off the ball when it comes to night-time cuisine and libations -- electronic creativity requires proper nutrition! Getting here is a snap, too - Slidell is at the intersection of Interstate Highways 10, 12 and 59. What could be easier?

Save the dates, send your presentation topics to us now, and keep those soldering irons hot! Check this web[age and the Ozone Amateur Radio Club (www.w5sla.net) websites as event information, presentation schedules and hotel registration information will be posted soon.

Hamfest Hotel is LaQuinta Inn & Suites, 126 Holiday Blvd., Slidell, LA. For reservations call 985-649-2170 and mention 'Hamfest' so we get a tabulation on room nights. The number of booked room nights reduces the conference room cost ... down to $0 with sufficient bookings. Thank you!

Symposium Schedule - FREE to attend!

July 19th, Friday, LaQuinta

8:30 - 9:00AM	Welcome - Introduction	Nick Tusa, K5EF
9:00 - 9:30AM	The Ellusive Collins S-2 Line	David Beckler, NØSAP
9:45 - 10:30AM	The Drake TR-8 Prototype Saga Continues	David Assaf, W5XU
10:45 - 11:30AM	Working 630 Meters	Rob Sherwood, NCØB
NOON - 1:00PM	Lunch Break
1:00 - 2:00PM	High Performance HF Amp Construction	Ron Scalise, WA5ZFP
2:00 - 2:30PM	The How's & Whys of Buck-Boost Xfrs	David Assaf, W5XU
2:45- 3:45PM	Transmitter Audio Optimization	Bob Heil, K9EID
3:45 -4:45PM	Low Noise Antennas for 80/160M Dxing	Ted Saba, KN5O
4:45 - 5:30PM	Vintage Radio Restoration Hints	Nick Tusa, K5EF

July 20th, Hamfest Flea Market, John Slidell Playground
8:00 - 11:30AM

TBD	Thoughts on Audio and Improving Transmitter Speech effectiveness	Bob Heil, K9EID
TBD	SDR and the Radio Amateur	Emile Diodene, KE5QKR

Friday 20th, Saturday, LaQuinta

NOON - 1:00PM	SDR Design Ideas	Carl Fedrowisch, KG5NXY
1:15 - 2:30PM	Receiver Performance Verfification & Enhancement	Rob Sherwood, NCØB
2:45 - 3:45PM	Receiver Audio Enhancement	Bob Heil, K9EID
3:45- 4:15PM	Restoring the Cosmophone 35 Bilateral Radio	Nick Tusa, K5EF
4:15 -5:00PM	DXpedition Planning	David Assaf, W5XU

There are plenty of 'non-ham' activities in the area including;

Dr. Wagner's Honey Island Swamp Tours (honeyislandswamp.com)
Riverboad Cruises (steamboatnatchez.com)
Insta-Gator Ranch & Hatchery (insta-gatorranch.com)
National WWII Museum (nationalww2museum.org)

73 Nick K5EF

The 6th (2018) annual CE Boatanchor Event; Wrap-up Report

This year presentations included the following;

The "Mysterious" Batchelor Broadband Coupler - Nick Tusa, K5EF	VIEW
The Drake TR-8 Prototype - David, W5XU	VIEW
The National Radio Corporation - George, W1LSB	VIEW
SDR Techniques and Boatanchors - Bob, W9RAN	VIEW
The Pine Board AM Transmitter - Bob Heil, K9EID	VIEW
Heil Parametric Receive System - Bob Heil, K9EID	VIEW
Restoration Hints and Kinks - K5EF/W1LSB/WØYVA	VIEW
Collins Radio Corporation - George, W1LSB	VIEW
The Drake TR3; Remanufactured - Dave Campbell, K8BYP	VIEW
Spratley Island DXpedition - David, W5XU	VIEW

The 5th (2017) annual CE Boatanchor Event; Wrap-up Report

This year's event went off without a hitch, thanks to the hard work of the planning team and the local assistance provided by Bob Gass, N4FV. By Thursday 3PM, we had the TA-33 Yagi and the 130ft dipole antenna erected and operational. The Storybrook Farms site (Wes Schum's former QTH) is an excellent venue with respect to area to expand the bone yard and for low-noise operations on the low bands.

This year, the focus of technical and historical discussions involved both Collins and Drake in addition to the care and feeding of vintage gear. Also on deck was the actual 100V broadband transmitter prototype developed by Joe Batchelor and Wes Schum in 1956. This was the rig that got the attention of Karl Hassel, founder of Zenith Radio, and set the stage for exciting products from Central Electronics.

To encourage hoss-tradin' at this year's event, there was no fee for tailgating spaces in the boneyard. This made a positive difference and the field was filled with neat rigs…Drake, Collins, Alpha, National, Swan, Johnson, and Heath. Best of all, the prices were excellent and equipment changed hands! Growing the boneyard is the event's new priority and we welcome any suggestions or ideas for doing so. Please, don't be shy. Your input is very important, not only for the tailgating aspect but to keep us on track with finding speakers who can address the topics you see as important to the collector/restorer community.

This CE website is now being enhanced to include slides and other materials that were part of the past W9DYV events. While these materials are highly informative, they capture just a small part of the material discussed informally and, unfortunately, miss out on repair work done to specimen radios. For example, one of this year's speakers, Jeff Covelli (WA8SAJ), helped an attendee repair and make fully operational a rare Drake TR-44 rig. Its owner then had a grand time tuning the bands and making QSOs into the night!

Plans are already being made for next year's event. So, circle the July 21st weekend and plan to be in Jonesborough, Tennessee. See you next year!

This year presentations included the following; (PPT = Powerpoint file)

Collins Radio Company and the War Years, KE1ER	VIEW
Converting the Collins 20V series to Ham Operations, KE1ER	VIEW
The Central Electronics 100V Prototype Development (And the Prototype, itself!) K5EF	VIEW
DXpedition to South Georgia Island, W5XU	VIEW
How to Build Transceiver Adapters for the Central 10/20A, W9RAN/K5LYN	VIEW
History of R. L. Drake, WA8SAJ	VIEW
History of Swan Electronics, WA8SAJ	VIEW
Troubleshooting and Aligning Phasing Rigs, K5EF	VIEW
Is it time to ban the 458? (transceive with the CE 20A), W9RAN	VIEW (PPT)
A Very Special 20A, W9RAN	VIEW (PPT)

Presentations from previous years;

SSB and the US Navy, Nick England	VIEW
Restoration of Boatachors, WØYVA	VIEW
2016 CE Event	VIEW

Photos by Brad. NB9M

Jeff, WA8SAJ, Drake expert	Bob, WØYVA; Nick, K5EF and the 100V Prototype
Our hosts, Diane and John Vogt	Fleamarket
Fleamarket	Fleamarket
Lynn, K5LYN	Bob, W9RAN

Marge and Wes Schum and Nick, K5EF

Wes, W9DYV and Nick, K5EF

View a video of Wes Schum calling CQ during 2015 Field Day on CE equipment

The 4th annual (2016)CE Boatanchor Event was very sucessful with good attentance; great presentations; and
demonstrations of vintage and homebrew SSB equipment. Photos from the event can be viewed here.

Videos of the presentations at the 2016 event:

Adventure to VP8ST, South Sandwich Island - David Assif, W5XU	VIEW
Better Audio - Bob Heil, K9IED	VIEW
Building the General Electric SSB, Jr - Mark Mumaw, NU6X	VIEW
History of Single Sideband - George Maier, W1LSB	VIEW
Homebrewing SSB Equipment - Mike Bohn, KG7TR	VIEW
The History of Cosmophone - Brian Harris, WA5UEK	VIEW
The Legends of Central Electronics & Wes Schum - Nick Tusa, K5EF	VIEW
TMC Corp History - John Poulton, K4OZY	VIEW
Tucker-Tin Two and the Hallicrafters FPM-200 Story - Bob Nichols, W9RAN	VIEW
YouTube Play list of ALL the videos listed above	VIEW

Description and photos from the 1st CE Boatanchor Event

Photo of the 5th Annual SSB dinner, March, 1956. Can you spot Wes Schum?

Use the menu above or click on a photo for more info ...

Services

Repair, restorations, re-manufactured parts for all CE products

Replacement Parts

Repairing your CE equipment? We have hard to find parts available.

History

The history of the CE company is facinating. Find articles, original correspondence, photos and more here. NEW: Vintage sound recordings and videos. (THIS PAGE UPDATED 10/28/13)