=  NOW 40 WPM  =  

COMPETE WITH THE JOHNSON VALIANT IN THE 250 W AM MARKET AND THE
GLOBE KING, A 500 W, 300 POUND RACK MOUNT RADIO TO COMPETE WITH THE
JOHNSON 500.  IN THE LATE 60S AND EARLY 70S, THE MARKET CHANGED FROM
SEPARATE TRANSMITTERS AND RECEIVERS TO A SINGLE BOX IDEA, THE
TRANSCEIVER, WHICH WAS LESS EXPENSIVE THAN BUYING SEPARATE UNITS.
COLLINS AND SWAN WERE THE LEADING MANUFACTURERS WITH THESE RADIOS.
WRL TRIED TO COMPETE IN THAT MARKET WITH THEIR GALAXY BRAND OF
TRANSCEIVERS, BUT CLASSIC RADIO THE WRL GLOBE SCOUT WORLD RADIO
LABORATORIES WRL WAS FOUNDED BY LEO MEYERSON, W0GFQ SK, IN COUNCIL
BLUFFS, IOWA, IN THE LATE 1940S.  IN DIRECT COMPETITION WITH THE E.
F. JOHNSON COMPANY AND A FEW OTHERS, WRL PRODUCED AMATEUR RADIO
EQUIPMENT IN BOTH FACTORY WIRED AND KIT FORM UNDER THE GLOBE AND
GALAXY BRAND NAMES.  THE GLOBE SCOUT THE WRL GLOBE SCOUT WAS THE
ENTRY POINT FOR MANY HAMS IN THE 1950S.  WHILE WRL MADE A FEW
TRANSMITTERS IN THE LATE 1940S WITH PLUG IN COILS, THE MOST
RECOGNIZABLE GLOBE SCOUTS TOOK SHAPE AROUND 1953, STARTING WITH THE
50 W CW AND 40 W AM BAND SWITCHED MODEL 40A SEE FIGURE 1.  THEY ALL
USED THE 6146 FINAL TUBE, WHICH WAS A BIGGER, MORE ROBUST VERSION OF
THE 2E26.  THE 6146 TUBE HAD HIGH PLATE DISSIPATION 25 W AND HIGH
USABLE FREQUENCY.  IT WAS COMPACT, AND INEXPENSIVE FOR ITS DAY, AT
ONLY 4R95.  GLOBE SCOUT MODULATORS ALL OF THE GLOBE SCOUT MODELS
WERE CRYSTAL CONTROLLED SEE FIGURE 2.  THEY ESPECIALLY APPEALED TO
THE NOVICE CLASS OPERATORS, WHOSE TRANSMITTERS WERE RESTRICTED BY
THE FCC TO 75 W WITH CRYSTAL CONTROL.  WRL MADE A COMPANION MODEL
755 VARIABLE FREQUENCY OSCILLATOR VFO, WHICH WOULD ADEQUATELY DRIVE
THE SCOUT.  THE GLOBE VFO ALSO HAD THE ADVANTAGE OF HAVING ITS OWN
POWER SUPPLY, WHICH DIDNT CHANGE VOLTAGE WHEN THE TRANSMITTER WAS
KEYED.  AMPLITUDE MODULATION AM WAS THE MOST POPULAR TYPE OF HF
PHONE OPERATION IN THE 1950S, AS OPPOSED TO FM OR SSB.  THE GLOBE
SCOUT USED A TECHNIQUE CALLED HEISING MODULATION, WHICH INVOLVED
USING AN ORDINARY IRON POWER SUPPLY TYPE CHOKE TO DECOUPLE THE DC
POWER SUPPLY FROM THE MODULATOR, THEREBY FEEDING THE FINAL TUBE WITH
MODULATED PLATE VOLTAGE SEE FIGURE 3.  THIS WORKED, BUT YOU COULD
NEVER ACHIEVE FULL MODULATION, AND BECAUSE HEISING MODULATION WAS
GENERALLY USED FOR ECONOMIC REASONS, THE REST OF THE AUDIO CHAIN WAS
GENERALLY COMPROMISED AS WELL.  OTHER RADIOS OF THE TIME USED SCREEN
MODULATION, WHICH GENERATED AM BY MODULATING THE SCREEN GRID OF THE
FINAL AMPLIFIER.  WHILE SCREEN MODULATION WORKED AND WAS CERTAINLY
COST EFFECTIVE, THE JOHNSON RANGER WAS BY FAR THE BEST SOUNDING WITH
ITS PUSH PULL 6L6S AS THE AUDIO MODULATOR AND A REAL MODULATION
TRANSFORMER, BUT IT COST THREE TIMES MORE THAN THE GLOBE SCOUT.
GLOBE SCOUTS WERE ALSO CATHODE KEYED, WHICH WAS AN EASY AND
PRACTICAL METHOD OF KEYING THE RADIO IN CW.  HOWEVER, IT COULD BE
DANGEROUS, AS IT PUT SEVERAL HUNDRED VOLTS ACROSS THE KEY TERMINALS.
I LEARNED THIS THE HARD WAY, DURING MY FIRST CONTACT USING A USED
GLOBE SCOUT.  OTHER RADIOS, SUCH AS THE JOHNSON RANGER, HAD GRID
BLOCK KEYING,
=  END OF 40 WPM TEXT  =  QST DE W1AW  <