[ARC5] "Junk" M y Foot (Was: PT boat....)

[Richard Knoppow]

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Todd, KA1KAQ" <ka1kaq at gmail.com>
To: "David Stinson" <arc5 at ix.netcom.com>
Cc: "ARC-5 Mail List" <ARC5 at mailman.qth.net>
Sent: Saturday, June 29, 2013 7:20 PM
Subject: Re: [ARC5] "Junk" M y Foot (Was: PT boat....)


> On Sat, Jun 29, 2013 at 5:17 PM, David Stinson 
> <arc5 at ix.netcom.com> wrote:
>
>>
>> But I'll tell you this- You take your pick of 1950
>> and 1960s mid-range commercial "ham" gear- 
>> Halliscappers, Hammer-on,
>> Greasekit, Swan, Johnson etc. and compare any of the 
>> above radios
>> *run as they were designed*,
>> watt-for-watt and frequency-for-frequency,
>> by stability, audio quality, reliability and durability 
>> and these early
>> Mil rigs will run rings around the commericial "ham " 
>> stuff available in
>> 1950.
>>
>
> Not to take away from your point Dave, which is a valid 
> one, but let's at
> least compare apples and apples. It bears mentioning at 
> least that the
> military thought enough of Hammarlund, Hallicrafters, and 
> National to buy
> thousands of their ham receivers and transmitters right 
> off the shelf.
> Super Pros, SX-28s, HROs and HT-4s served throughout the 
> war around the
> world. Many of them (especially the Super Pros) were 
> equally dumped on and
> called junk due to either a tired surplus set in need of a 
> rework or a ham
> that expect it to perform like a newer design.
>
> No doubt about it, we were caught flat-footed at the 
> outset of war and
> needed to utilize whatever we could get our mitts on. Some 
> of it might not
> have been too great even at that time, but it was much 
> better than the
> alternative: nothing!
>
> As to Heathkit aka Griefkit, WRL, and other moderately 
> priced gear of the
> postwar area, many of those manufacturers utilized surplus 
> components to
> build their businesses upon. Again - they weren't on 
> Collins, National, or
> Hammarlund's level of quality but they sure did provide a 
> lot of
> opportunities to hams who couldn't afford the others. And 
> likely saved some
> surplus from being hacked.
>
> ~ Todd,  KA1KAQ/4

     Probably many on this list are aware of the 
Hallicrafters promotional film "The Voice of Victory" which 
shows the construction of the SCR-299, mostly the 
development of the BC-610 from the HT-4.  Most of the 
changes were to ruggedize the rig to make it suitable as a 
transportable. The amount of hand work is amazing, some 
scenes look like an automobile assembly line.  The film is 
available to view or download at http://www.archive.org 
search for the title.  I understand its also on u-tube 
perhaps a clearer print.


--
Richard Knoppow
Los Angeles
WB6KBL
dickburk at ix.netcom.com