As a collector of vintage Amateur Radio equipment I also collect and restore/repair, where necessary, some 11 meter transceivers.
Prior to obtaining my first Amateur Radio Novice license, I was on the 11 meter CB band. My first CB radio was a Lafayette HE-20C I purchased from a high school friend for $25. The microphone I used was a Lafayette PA-17 dual crystal desk microphone sold in 1962 for $4.95. Today that same microphone is being sold for $165, way more then it is worth.
I don’t operate on the 11 meter band I simply collect 11 meter radios I like that I use to have and operate in my high school days on the 11 meter band. A few of those vintage 11 meter radios are shown in the pictures below. I also have a few Johnson Messenger One (White Face), Johnson Messenger II (Black Face), and a Johnson Messenger 223 in my collection. I’ve converted a DDS VFO controlled Johnson Messenger 223 to 10 meter AM (29Mhz).
I have converted a Johnson Messenger One (White Face) to crystal control on 10 meter AM (29Mhz). I’ve worked quite a few stations with only “5 watts” and an inverted vee for 10 meters up 25 feet at the center. Many stations can’t believe I’m using a converted CB radio with only 5 watts output and an inverted vee antenna.
The following pictures show a few of my vintage 11 meter transceivers. They are Lafayette 1023, 924, HE-20, HE-20C, and HE-90. The newest addition to my 11 meter radio connection is a Lafayette Telsat 1023.
The original 5 pin microphone plug used in the HE-20 and HE-90 series radios was difficult to find. A ham on a Yahoo ham group provided the actual Amphenol part number which then lead me to an eBay seller who had more than 10 NOS plugs available so I purchased a few.
The original hand microphone is difficult to find in working condition so I used a few of my non-amplified Astatic D-104 desk microphone. They all work very well for being over 50+ years old.
The HE-20 had a bad 6VAC DPDT T/R relay and a previous owner had painted the cabinet, mobile mounting bracket, and rear panel Brown. I was able to find a few NOS 6VAC DPDT relays on eBay that fit and worked perfectly in the space occupied by the original relay. I stripped the paint from the cabinet, rear panel, and mobile mounting bracket and painted them the original Gray color.
The Lafayette 924 had a low audio problem that was fixed by replacing a filter capacitor in the power supply. It works on most of the channels (3 of the synthesizer crystals have failed causing loss of 6 channels). The 924 produces a solid 4 watts output into a 50 ohm dummy load. I have a second Lafayette Telsat 924 and a Lafayette Telsat 23, both not shown in the pictures below. Both have audio problems. I suspect the modulation transformer in both radios is blown, most likely due to a previous owner who applied excessive levels of audio so they would “sound loud” at the distant end.
The Lafayette 1023 came without a power cord and without a microphone. I studied the Sam Photofact CB78 to see how the 5 pin DIN socket is wired. I didn’t have a 5 pin male DIN plug but I did have some 7 pin male DIN plugs. I modified one 7 pin plug by cutting off 2 of the male pins to make a 5 pin male DIN plug. I wired an amplified Astatic D-104-M6B hand microphone to the DIN plug according to the wiring diagram and it works perfectly. I tested the radio into a 50 ohm dummy load and it transmits on all 23 channels. I kept the microphone volume level set to a low level to prevent distortion in the transmit signal. The inside was perfect, no corrosion, no dust, and no modifications.
