[David G4EBT]

Hi Ash,

Nice meeting you and Cathy at Hornsea Rally yesterday.

Great news that the set is working now!

If the voltages (screens, anodes etc), look OK on the set, I guess the two most likely things causing lower volume than you would expect would be the lack of an aerial and/or low emission from the output valve. If you wanted to bring the radio to my place, I have an amplified magnetic loop aerial (as featured in the Autumn BVWS Bulletin) which performs really well in terms of both signal strength and low noise, and also have a 60ft wire aerial at low level for comparison, so you could see how your set (or should I say 'Cathy's set'!), performs on each of those. I can also test the valves here for you if you wish.

Drop me a PM if that's helpful. (I won't be around from 13 - 20 October).

The magnetic loop aerial is well within your capabilities to build, at a fraction of the cost of a commercial one, and is compact. My loop consists of a 2 M x 2 M square of 15mm copper tube with the amplifier fixed at the feed point at the top, with the loop mounted on stand-off plastic pipe brackets on the outside of the gable end of the workshop. The DC to power the amplifier being fed via the coax, rather like a TV masthead amplifier. It works a treat. (I didn't make it - it was a prototype supplied to me by Gary Tempest, the designer and developer).