[ARC5] Help needed: PT boat restoration.

Sat Jun 29 18:37:06 EDT 2013

A very fair point, IMO.

"You always have to make do with third best:

The first best never comes
Second best comes too late"

-John

=============

> I hesitate to speak up here as just about everyone on this list has better
> knowlege of WW2 electronics than i do but I observe many American WW2
> observers view the war from a post war perspective.  If you take a pre-war
> point of view, the united states having endured ten years of severe
> economic depression, a really dominant isolationist main stream political
> position ( 90% plus in public opinion polls pre Dec 7th if I remember
> correctly), the US armed forces being 7th largest (also if i remember
> correctly) in the world, severe treaty limitations on the size of the
> navy, extremely tight Army, Navy budgets for the last decade while
> technology- electronics- aircraft- armored vehicles- naval vessel- were
> undergoing huge conceptual shifts and very rapid, technological
> development,  well  I am surprised the American armed forces had anything
> worthwhile to fight with.
>
>
> It seems to me a lot of stuff not worth saving from the trash in 1950 was
> worth it's price in gold in 1941
>
> From this point of view a PT boat or other WW2 vehcile loaded with period
> "junk" equipment, is a very valuable indication of how much was
> accomplished in the four years of war and how difficult the first  year or
> two really was.
>
> On a similar note a few years ago I had occasion to visit the museum in
> Christchurch NZ and see the equipment used by the Scott expedition in
> Antarctica.  Talk about junk! ( the cooker pots and the wooden sleds were
> exceptions)  Still to think of what they did while so poorly equipped even
> by contemporary standards
>
>
> Who said you go to war with what you have not what you wish you have.
>
> bruce  KJ3Z
>
>
>
>
> ________________________________
>  From: "millerke6f at aol.com" <millerke6f at aol.com>
> To: jcoward5452 at aol.com; kgordon2006 at frontier.com; ARC5 at mailman.qth.net
> Sent: Friday, June 28, 2013 9:08 PM
> Subject: Re: [ARC5] Help needed: PT boat restoration.
>
>
> Commentaries on WWII Communications Equipment be it junk or jewel or even
> a really bad design seems to bring out the vitriol among some list
> members.  From a purely emotional standpoint the best that could be said
> about most of the equipment produced and fielded during the first year or
> so of WWII is that it kept our forces together and somewhat functional
> until  better designed and manufactured stuff could make it to the armed
> forces.  Even though the BC-191 was a really archaic design, it along with
> its airborne BC-375 did well and saw service in all theaters of
> operation.  That it was overproduced in the 1000's is surely illustrated
> in all the surplus adverts after the war.  Was a BC-375 a piece of junk in
> 1950.  Yes indeed (even though it was a good looking piece of gear). 
> Oddly the SCR-274N series were a much better design and easier to use,but
> some AAF planners said that the preference was for the VHF am rigs like
> the SCR-522 of British
>  design. Armored units wanted FM
> rigs even if they were converted Fred Link civilian land mobile sets.
> I had by chance caught the film "A Bridge Too Far" based on Montgomery's
> Market Garden Fiasco and by far the inability to communicate due to lack
> of frequency coordination (crystals) was a critical failure of bad radio
> design coupled with the British Military's inability to even tie its shoes
> without a standing order.  By WWII's end technology and the industry were
> fielding advanced designs like the ART-13, The R-105/ARR15 and a host of
> other radios that made earlier systems look like Tin Can Phones.  But all
> this junk has kept us hams busy for well over 60 years and is fodder for
> an infinite number of arguments, tirades, and often comical but sometimes
> vitriolic rants.... smile folks
> 73
> Bob, KE6F
>
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Jay Coward <jcoward5452 at aol.com>
> To: kgordon2006 <kgordon2006 at frontier.com>; ARC5 <ARC5 at mailman.qth.net>
> Sent: Thu, Jun 27, 2013 4:13 pm
> Subject: Re: [ARC5] Help needed: PT boat restoration.
>
>
>
> And how is the term "junk" justified ?  By "hams" or by it's service
> record ?
> Inquiring minds would like to know since I have one with various bits to
> make a
> working display.
> With p-p 6L6 modulator the audio should be adequate. Originally a civilian
> set
> pressed into service like many other equipments at WWII outbreak.
>
> Jay KE6PPF
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Kenneth G. Gordon <kgordon2006 at frontier.com>
> To: ARC5 <ARC5 at mailman.qth.net>
> Sent: Thu, Jun 27, 2013 3:17 pm
> Subject: [ARC5] Help needed: PT boat restoration.
>
>
> Gents:
>
> I have been contacted by a friend of the team near Portland, Oregon which
> is
> restoring a WWII PT boat. They want it to be complete as possible.
>
> They have a TCS-13, but need some parts, and possibly a manual. The part
> they are needing at the moment (there may be more later) is the antenna
> knife switch.
>
> The other piece of equipment they need is an ARC-4. I told their
> intermediary
> that the ARC-4 was a total piece of garbage, but, apparently, they insist
> that
> is what they want.
>
> They have, at last report, made up the interconnect cables for the ARC-4,
> but need the unit itself and any supporting bits. They also may need a
> complete manual.
>
> I have pointed them to Robert Downs for the manuals.
>
> I will know more later this week, but in the meantime, could any of you
> please advise about the above needs? I will gladly pass on any suggestions
> you care to make.
>
> Might there be another resource I should contact?
>
> Thanks, and vy 73,
>
> Kenneth G. Gordon W7EKB
>
> "Courage is being scared to death but saddling up anyway."--- John   Wayne
>
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