Note
US made. Kit form only.
QST, Jun 1962, p. 159.
QST, Jan 1963, p. 167.
The Lafayette KT-390 (sold as the "Starflite" 90-Watt Transmitter) is an amateur radio transmitter kit introduced by Lafayette Radio Electronics Corp. in 1962. It was designed primarily for Novice and General class ham operators as an entry-level transmitter for CW and controlled-carrier AM phone operation on the 80, 40, 20, 15, and 10-meter amateur bands.
A rear octal socket provides system connection points, including 6.3V AC heater voltage (4A), 300V DC (50 mA), -50V DC bias for grid-block keying an external VFO, and 110V AC relay connections.
Front-panel horizontal meter with a selector switch to measure either final grid voltage/current or final cathode voltage/current (reflecting total plate, screen, and grid current).
Specifications
– Power Input: 90 watts CW and controlled-carrier AM phone (loaded to 150 mA). For Novice operation, it can be loaded down to 120 mA to keep power input under the 75-watt limit.
– Frequency Coverage: 80, 40, 20, 15, and 10 meters.
– Modes: CW (Grid-block keying) and AM (Controlled-Carrier).
– Frequency Control: 5-position crystal selector (accepts 160, 80, or 40-meter fundamental crystals depending on the operating band) or an external VFO input via a rear panel RCA phono jack.
– Output Circuit: Pi-network output matching resistive loads from 50 to 75 ohms, followed by an internal 3-section low-pass filter with a cutoff frequency around 34 MHz for TVI (television interference) suppression.
Tube Lineup (5 total)
– 6CL6 Oscillator / Buffer
– 6CL6 Driver / Frequency Multiplier
– 6146 Final Power Amplifier
– 12AX7 Speech Preamplifier
– 6DE7 Controlled-Carrier AM Modulator
Power Requirements: 117 VAC, 50/60 Hz, 225 watts.
References
Review. 73, Nov 1962, p. 50
