[ARC5] responsibility to our posterity

[Bob Macklin]

When I was in the USAF in the 50's I was in AF MARS. We were encouraged to 
drag home as much WWII surplus as we could and modify it or just use the 
parts for other projects.

Things were much different then. This stuff was just war surplus junk.

Bob Macklin
K5MYJ
Seattle, Wa.
"Real Radios Glow In The Dark"
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Kludge" <wh7hg.hi at gmail.com>
To: "'Discussion of AN/ARC-5 military radio equipment.'" 
<arc5 at mailman.qth.net>
Cc: <milsurplus at mailman.qth.net>
Sent: Tuesday, September 14, 2010 7:25 PM
Subject: Re: [ARC5] responsibility to our posterity


-----Original Message-----
From: arc5-bounces at mailman.qth.net [mailto:arc5-bounces at mailman.qth.net] On
Behalf Of J. Forster
> I believe in the judgment of the market place:
> Ham-hacked ARC-5 stuff goes for next to nothing, even if well done.
> Unmolested gear goes for easily 10 times as much.

This is very true and is as it should be.  I would never claim otherwise.
The increased rarity of the GF/RU and ARA/ATA equipment are part of what is
making it difficult for me to complete these systems, in part because that
drives the price up further and my income simply can't handle it.

OTOH, I have a better chance of finding hacked or otherwise "ugly" equipment
that can be restored.  Will it be original?  No, not in the slightest.  Will
it be as close to original as I can get it?  Oh, yeah.  Being able to do
metalwork - specifically with aluminum - is a big help here even though I'm
now lacking some of the tools I once had when I was an A&P mechanic.

The Grade-B SCR-274-N is such a rig although it's mostly as-built with only
a couple common mods to two of the receivers plus the modulator shock mount
is home made.  Even so, it won't quite be original since the Rx control box
will be directly above the receivers and electrically connected while the
receivers will be locally tuned.  I don't have mounts for the Rx & Tx
control boxes and I'll have to improvise there so, again, it won't *quite*
be original but it will be as close as I can make it while still allowing it
to be a practical rig for on-air use.

>From another email:

> It might be worth documenting a few of the most spectacular failures as
examples of what
> not to do, but certainly not all.

I have a couple in mind for that but, at the same time, it may be worth
commenting on some of the more creative ones.  One of my favorites of these
is the DSB conversion of command transmitters.  It is elegant in its
simplicity and it was a way that many hams got on sideband who couldn't have
afforded to otherwise.  One of my non-restorable "pervert or parts" rigs
will be made into a DSB amplifier using an external signal source if I can't
get the oscillator to work again.

OTOH, one of the ugliest, aside from the "first strip the chassis" ones, was
a de-TVIing article that did everything but what it should have done,
operate the Tx within design specs.  None of my stock command transmitters
caused TVI while the couple that got perverted before the WW II radio types
sat on me were miserable about that and other things.

The best Rx "conversion" is running them at reduced voltage to give the
original caps a chance.  Yes, sometimes they're good without this precaution
but eventually they will become problems at full voltage.  The Grade-B
SCR-274-N will be getting this although the transmitter dynamotor will be
left alone and the Tx caps repaired/replaced as needed.

All of this will go into a separate chapter with a warning about doing evil
to virgin equipment.

Best regards,

Michael, WH7HG BL01xh
http://www.nationalmssociety.org/chapters/NTH/index.aspx
http://wh7hg.blogspot.com/
http://kludges-other-blog.blogspot.com
Hiki Nô!

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