Hawes Mechanical Television Archive by James T. Hawes, AA9DT
Redesign Germanium Transistor Circuits, Part 5


Project Vendor Links

  • Allied Electronics. A huge, online catalog of parts. Fast service. Wholesale prices. Online, phone or mail orders. I miss the retail stores of long ago. In 1971 or so, Radio Shack bought them all. But the wholesale warehouse stocks many more parts than the store ever had. As for Allied's famous Knight Kits, they're a piece of history.

  • Antique Electronic Supply. Source for radio, amplifier, guitar effect and prototyping parts.

  • ARRL Interactive Hamfest Schedule. Want to find a part that's not in a catalog? Then you want to attend a hamfest. Click the link and find a hamfest in your area. Admission is only a few bucks. Hamfest vendors cover most purchases with this famous guarantee: "Five minutes or five feet from the table."

  • Computer Controlled Automation. Despite its computer-related name, this is a source of radio parts. Some of these parts are very hard to get. For example: Variable capacitors, crystal (germanium) diodes, high-impedance, ceramic earphones, Fahnestock clips. Also kits and RF amplifiers.

  • Crystal Set Society. Books on radio projects with modern or old parts. Club newsletter.

  • Dayton: Largest hamfest in the world! There's only one. See the YouTube!

  • Digi-Key. Dependable source of wholesale parts. Huge inventory. (You can barely read the catalog's fine print.) Swift delivery. Online, phone or mail orders.

  • Far Circuits. Looking for a circuit board for that favorite project? Far will sell you the board, plus a copy of the original article! The projects cover ham radio, audio and miscellaneous, such as model rocket launchers. The complexity level ranges from simple (no active devices) to complex (microcontrollers). This vendor also stocks carbide drills for PC boards. The builder must provide most parts. In some cases, the articles are several years old. The original author might not support your project anymore. If you need a programmed EPROM, it might be unavailable. Before buying the PC board, check for obsolete part requirements. You must be adept at making part substitutions. (Most hams are. As Far Circuits knows, adaptation is part of the hobby.) To fit your enclosure, some projects require trimming small PC boards. Prices are reasonable, and range from about $5 to $25. These are well-chosen and quite fascinating projects.

  • Lindsay Books. Reprints of classics on tube radio projects, Tesla coils, photography, machine shop tools, inventing, etc.

  • Midnight Science. Variable capacitors, loopsticks and other radio parts.

  • Mouser Electronics. Wholesale electronics parts. No minimum order. Transistors, FETs, capacitors, trimmers, volume controls, crystals, ceramic filters... and more. Handles online, phone and mail orders. Huge printed catalog.

  • NTE cross-reference. Look up your old transistor and find an NTE replacement. A link takes you to an NTE, online vendor. An NTE "replacement part" isn't necessarily equivalent to the OEM part. Sometimes you'll need to alter the circuit. Also the "replacement part" often costs more than an OEM part. (NTE pricing is closer to retail than wholesale.) For new construction, an NTE part is just fine. The quality is excellent.

  • Ocean State Electronics. Source for AM radio loopsticks and RF chokes.

  • Surplus Sales of Nebraska. A fixture at the larger hamfests. Stocks chokes, capacitors, connectors, coil forms and more rare parts. The prices can be high, but the quality is superb.

  • Tower Electronics. If you need a connector, adapter, patchcord, or alligator clip, find it here! The prices are reasonable. Look for Tower at the better hamfests, such as CFMC Radio Expo.


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WARNING. The author assumes no responsibility for your success or failure in using methods on these pages. Further, the author neither makes nor implies any warranty or guarantee as to the accuracy or effectiveness of these methods. Proceed at your own risk.

Copyright © 2007 by James T. Hawes. All rights reserved.

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