Making some decisions is not as simple as flipping a coin and acquiescing to some basic paradigm. If it's heads, I will do this and if tails I do that.
The critical decision is to stop ever again from buying some run-down boat anchor in hopes of making a score on a resale and only concentrate my efforts on new construction. The 3rd dimension is my age, as the time horizon for new projects is growing much smaller. Sounds like I have made that decision in just trying to frame the scope of the issue.
This may be the one last project, so it best be good. Yesterday I fired up two rigs, the first being the Transcom SBT3 and the second my homebrew Hybrid Wireless with the JF3HZB dial. Side by side and switching only the antenna between the rigs, the Hybrid Wireless won by a huge margin.
A Homebrew Tube SSB Transceiver from Isreal
[Several years ago, I spotted this rig from a ham in Isreal, and he was kind enough to respond to my email. His finished rig is a work of art. Note the Styrofoam thermal insulation around the VFO Box. The IF Transformers are made from ARC-5 parts. I have three such transformer cans, where two are for the IF and one for the Balanced Modulator. These cans were a gift from N2CQR. The Filter is an 8 pole 9 MHz unit from KVG... Yep, have one of those too.]
Looking in the junk box, I have more than enough parts to build a 2nd Hybrid Wireless only this one on 20M. Needless to say, this one will also have the JF3HZB dial. Time to dust off those Greenlee chassis punches!
This immediately raises the specter of why Hybrid versus all solid state. In part, the answer is that vacuum tube rigs is the place where I started and perhaps only fitting that tubes would be one of the final projects. I might even be able to fit in the 8042 finals I bought for the Transcom SBT3.
I located a local source for aluminum plate that has small cut-off pieces for sale and so that is another incentive for some metal bashing and chassis builds.
Bottom line: Stick to well-known topologies and concentrate on performance.
73's
Pete N6QW