[ARC5] dying hobby?

[frledda at att.net]

I had a BC-603 when I was about 15. I remember implementing a simple mod to narrow the IF BW.  I think it was on QST or some other similar magazine.  It consisted of two short wires connected to one of the IF transformer.  These two stubs were to be close by. If too close, the IF stage oscillated.  Like magic, it worked.

Then, I got a BC683. I did not keep it for long and sold to a CBer....

Best, Francesco K5URG 

-----Original Message-----
From: arc5-bounces at mailman.qth.net <arc5-bounces at mailman.qth.net> On Behalf Of sbjohnston--- via ARC5
Sent: Saturday, August 5, 2023 7:31 PM
To: arc5 at mailman.qth.net
Subject: Re: [ARC5] dying hobby?


The BC-603/BC-683 series of receivers were among the first military surplus units I got a chance to work with as a young ham. I remember ordering a NOS dynamotor from Fair Radio to run the receiver. I still have one on the shelf in the back room - I think it may have a power supply in place of the dynamotor.  

To your point, Hue - I have seen many surplus rigs since then, but I don't think any with as thick a coating of MFP varnish!   The matching BC-604/BC-684 transmitters had it thick as well.

When I first moved to my radio station in Pennsylvania in 1990 I was surprised to find a complete set of BC-603/683 (or maybe 683/684) receiver/transmitter on their mount in the basement of the old studio building.  The staff who'd been there since the 1960s said that they used to use that setup mounted in a jeep with the station call letters painted on the side.  That would have been in what is known in broadcasting as "remote pick-up" RPU service for remote broadcasts around town.

If they were feeding it from good mics and a mixer it probably sounded pretty good with its medium-deviation FM.  Depends on the receiver at the station end I'm sure.

In my youthful experiments the carbon mics were usually the weak link in their transmit audio quality.  Substituting a Motorola carbon-equivalent transistorized mic was a great improvement, and broadcast mics and a mixer would have been even better I suspect!

I've talked to hams who remember using these "tank radios" on CB in FM mode.  Not legal but this was CB, you know.


Steve WD8DAS

sbjohnston at aol.com
http://www.wd8das.net/
http://af4k-crystals.com/
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