[ARC5] "Conversion" or "Perversion" articles?

[Mike Everette]

After having played with surplus gear for many years, I am of the opinion that many of the so-called conversion articles of the late forties and early fifties weren't worth the ink they were printed with; let alone the cost of the paper.

Indeed, some of them were proof of the old adage: "Ignorance can be fixed, but STUPIDITY is forever."

I never, ever had a problem with audio from a Command receiver, SCR-522, BC-348 or BC-312/342 unless it was due to something I caused through "trying out" one of those "conversions."  My first BC-348, which I still have, was a particularly long-suffering device.  I must have tried every "conversion" written including splitting the gain controls, adding an audio stage (and then marveled that it worked no better than the original design, same volume!), making the crystal filter "variable phasing," changing the RF amp tubes for higher gain etc etc etc -- but I had the good sense, or luck, to save all the original parts in a special box.  I ultimately rebuilt the 348 as stock, and it still works very nicely -- better than with the "mods."

One mod I never tried, but wanted to, was to make the BC-348 a dual conversion receiver by wiring an IF strip using BC-453 85 KHz IF cans into the dynamotor well.  I'll bet that worked nicely.  And, I saw what I believe to be the PROTOTYPE for that conversion for sale on eBay several years ago.  Unfortunately I wasn't the Lucky Winner.  

As for whether anything we ever did with surplus gear mattered, or made a difference -- YES, it did!  One of my transmitter projects involved a Navy TBW-4.  This transmitter is, putting it mildly, a BEAST.  But, I got it working and in the process learned a great deal about transmitter design and operation.  And, about components and their parameters.  And, a HEALTHY RESPECT FOR HIGH VOLTAGE.  In fact, much of what I learned from the experience proved to be of great benefit when I began working in the broadcasting business a few years later... I was into everything from 1 KW jerkwater daytimers to 50 KW major market stations.  AM and FM.

I learned quite a bit about VHF gear with the SCR-522, which after considerable reworking of the front end, became a very hot 2-meter receiver... I even morphed it into a dual-conversion, tunable FM receiver by installing a crystal-controlled converter stage to move the 12 MHz IF down to 455 KHz and dump it into the Permakay Filter and low IF from a Motorola pack set railroad portable unit.  One thing I learned from that was about air currents in a room affecting tuning capacitors.  You had to hold your breath to keep signals in the passband.  But, it did sort-of work.  And yes, my experience with the 522, the VHF ARC-5 and other gear served me well while working in avionics and land mobile radio.

Yes, that 522 went to the Big Surplus Store In the Sky... so did several other projects.  But the important thing was, I LEARNED FROM THEM.

Those who do nothing but spend wads of money to accumulate "artifacts" and then do nothing but stare moon-eyed at them, bow before them as unto gods, and maybe occasionally dust them, learn NOTHING.  Except perhaps this:

How does one make a small fortune with a radio collection?

Start with a large fortune.

73

Mike
W4DSE