75A-4 and KWS-1

Debut

The KWS-1 transmitter along with the 75A-4 receiver, together, cost over $2500 when new (equivalent to over $20,000 in 2012 dollars). Collins products at the time were considered 'top of the line'. Ham radio enthusiasts nicknamed the pair the "Gold Dust Twins", since they were unaffordable for most amateur radio enthusiasts when first introduced.

Both radios used vacuum tubes and employed Collins innovations including mechanical filters and permeability tuned oscillators. The KWS-1 final amplifier use a pair of 4X150 power tubes and operated at a power input of one kilowatt, the maximum allowed under Federal Communications Commission (FCC) regulations at the time. The transmitter appearance matched the receiver, but its high voltage power supply was packaged in a separate pedestal.{{cite book

Persistent favor

In a 2006 review of the half-century-old 75A-4 Stu Cohen wrote "Performance under all but extremely crowded band conditions is still excellent, and a 75A-4 will hold its own against almost any receiver. Under less crowded band conditions, the performance is superb."

Footnotes

References

References

1. McElroy, Gil. (January 2003 ). "Amateur radio and the rise of SSB".
2. (April 2012). "Collins 75A4 KWS-1 receiver".
3. "The Care and Feeding".
4. Cohen, Stu. (January 2006). "75A4 Product review".