I have a set of the Conar 400 transmitter and 500 receiver twins which were part of a NRI training course but I had never seen this NRI transmitter which was part of an earlier training course/kit from NRI. The included manuals are copyright 1960 while the Conar twins are from the mid 1960s era.

The transmitter is a low power (about 25 watt input) CW and AM rig. The RF section is a 6CL6 oscillator and 2E26 final with a 12AU7 configured as a clamp tube.

The audio section uses a 6AN8 as the speech amp and driver for a pair of 6BQ5 modulator tubes. Power supply uses a 5U4 rectifier.

I got this from a local ham who acquired it from the estate of the builder. It is in pristine shape and was tested to operate but never put on the air and the cabinet and screws are still sealed awaiting final installation. I will have to figure out a receiver to pair it with and get it on the air.

Rodger WQ9E

Wow, Rodger, congratulations...what a great find! The perfect chassis- large, spacious and easy to work on. You have to check into the Midwest Classic Radio Net with this one.....

Todd
ka8gef

I plan to Todd once I have a chance to give it a good test first and set it up with a receiver. I will have to choose a Saturday with good conditions since the power is down a bit from my Desk KW

Rodger WQ9E

Ifn ye needs more powah, yer antler ain't big nuff!

SteveH

Nice transmitter, modulation transformer looks about same size as in the Johnson Ranger.

I took the NRI Radio & TV course back in '79/'80 time frame. It was a great means to occupy my time in the evenings and weekends. I would come home from work and sit down and study from about 7:00 to 10:00 almost every evening. It was something that I really enjoyed doing, and I called it "therapy". I built quite a few of the NRI kits that came with the course, including a transistorized volt meter and scope. The scope was almost useless, but the meter was great. The meter was my "go to" meter until I purchased my first Fluke. I still have all the books that came with the course in binders, around here somewhere. I refer to them on occasion.


I tried my hand at repairing TVs for a while, and found as long as I didn't repair too many of them, I didn't loose too much money. I didn't care for TV repair, anyway, and by that time, most people were throwing out old TVs and buying new, anyway. It wasn't a good time to consider as a part time occupation, anyway, and soon gave it up. The knowledge gained from the course, was well worth the effort, just in learning electronics. It was an advantage that I had when I picked up ham radio, some 10 years or so later. Electronics and radio repair is a pure hobby for me, today. I enjoy it more today than ever, at least partially due to NRI.

I know nothing about their ham radio course, that I assume this Conar kit came from. It would have been an interesting course to take, back in the day. I don't know if NRI even exists anymore. I enjoy looking at their ads in the old electronics magazines from the '30s and '40s. I did find an NRI signal tracer at the Peoria Hamfest, ,many years ago. I don't use it often, but it is nice to use when I need it.

Good luck with the kit, Rodger!

I think that NRI is long gone. Back in the 1960s, I studied the books from their 1948-49 course, which helped me to get started.

NRI did have courses about ham radio, but as I recall their courses about top level radiotelephone licenses included ham gear. You could get a ham license pretty easily, and then the ham equipment was legal, practical equipment for hands on learning.

I gather those correspondent courses got a boost with the US GI Bill after WWII. And while the kits probably offered some practical experience, they were also a lure. Get a tv set or whatever, on top of the course. In the sixties and seventies, the schools with the big ads never sold just courses, there were always things included. Even the NRI course about the slide rule included one.

Nice find Rodger!
Any chance you could post a pic of the other 1/2 of the schematic?

Photos of an unbuilt kit and the schematic are at
http://www.virhistory.com/ham/kits.html#conar
The photos were from an eBay listing of a partly built unit.

I have an un-built NRI broadcast radio kit. Have been pondering whether to put it together or leave it as is.
Here is a picture of the kit with a display at one of our annual Colorado Radio Collector's show.

Very cool Bill!

Rodger WQ9E

Thanks Nick.
I also had the NRI transmitter. In fact, I think the one I had had the same BW photograph.
73

The books in Bill's picture are part of the course that I studied, 55+ years ago. Never had any of the kit parts, though.