This is a really great interview. It is reminder of what a great resource Grayson is, and of how lucky we are to have him in the hobby.
Grayson mentions SolderSmoke a couple of times. He talks about a thermatron version of the 40 meter direct conversion receiver. He talks about a thermatron version of the Michigan Mighty Mite.
Grayson notes that I am sort of averse to high voltage. I plead guilty. But I have good excuses: I have done some homebrewing with thermatrons: My Mate for the Mighty Midget receiver used 6U8 thermatrons. And I have struggled (successfully) to keep my HT-37 alive in the Dominican Republic. I have built a DX-40 and a DX-60 from hamfest parts. And decades ago, I stripped an old TV of the parts needed to build a power supply for an HW-32A SSB transceiver. Somehow, I survived.
But several years ago I switched to solid state gear, and I developed some bad habits. I work on the solid state gear while energized. With it, one hand is NOT behind my back. I think it would be dangerous for me, at this point, to switch back to thermatrons. So I guess I will limit myself to vicarious thermatron adventures, through Grayson, his book, and his YouTube channel.
I really liked Grayson's confession that he is just not good at working with metal chassis. I too have mangled many of these over the years.
And wow! Fire Hydrant on the Air! As Charlied noted: hey, it's a valve! Pete Juliano would love this idea!
Thanks Grayson, and thanks Charlie.
