[ARC5] R-23/ARC-5, etc

Mon Aug 7 18:06:20 EDT 2023

I think that was a good and constructive use of war surplus, but I will say that the reason most of the equipment was hacked was ignorance (not stupidity).
There was precious little in the way of technical data on these rigs, and even the guys that worked on the equipment typically didn't know much.  (I expect flames here, but I can take it, and I don't really care, because, as the shirt I have on today says, I am a grumpy old vet.)
For example (the best example I have)- The BC-375 has a reputation for being chirpy on CW, and in general a sloppy and poor sounding AM transmitter.   It is underserved, primarily because no one operated it properly back in the late forties and fifties.
I you have a well-regulated B+ supply (read dynamotor), and the TUs are serialized with the TX, or properly aligned and neutralized, the transmitter behaves like most other 1935 transmitters.  Ditto for the command sets, I fail to see why they were hacked to the extent they were, other than the obvious SSB mods, linear PA mods, etc.  Once the TMs/TOs started flowing in the late sixties, the surplus frenzy was confined more to the die hard weirdos (all of us), and with the FOIA, and digital copies, most everyone had the data available they needed to truly understand this equipment  It should have been a slam dunk to make a nice clean mobile installation with stock ARC-5, ARC-3, SCR-522, ARC-2, ARC-1 sets, if it weren't for the fact that a 6V 30 amp-on a-good-day electrical system could barely keep a cars head above water during the daylight hours.  Imagine today, I have a diesel truck with two 180A alternators, and not much to do with all that power!  That's almost 5 kW, compared to 180 W max for a forties or early fifties automobile.  And that 5 kW is on tap just off of idle.
Anyway, there is opportunity to run much of this unmolested gear mobile with a step-up switching inverter for the 28V, or if you have a truck, you can buy a Delco 28V 80a alternator online for less than $150.  Adding a second alternator to any manly for of transportation is relatively easy.  I use a small aircraft battery for my 28V system.  I have a n M-715 that is re-powered with a 6.0L GM LS engine, and II have two 180 A 12V DR-44 alternators in series (the upper alternator was modified by isolating the negative side from ground, and bringing the negative to a newly installed bushing), each charging a Group 27 batteries connected in series, so I have both 14V for the powertrain, and 28V for my GRC-122A shelter and truck lighting .  Clearly, this is a lifestyle, but with a little effort, one can keep history original, and have fun at the same time.  If anyone needs assistance with a project like this, I am more than willing to help.

Scott W7SVJ

-----Original Message-----
From: arc5-bounces at mailman.qth.net <arc5-bounces at mailman.qth.net> On Behalf Of Bob Camp
Sent: Monday, August 7, 2023 14:26
To: Hubert Miller <Kargo_cult at msn.com>
Cc: ARC-5 <arc5 at mailman.qth.net>
Subject: Re: [ARC5] R-23/ARC-5, etc

Hi

I’ll hop into the fire on that one ….

Things took a pretty major swing between when I started playing with this stuff and the turn of the century. Way back when, tearing into this or that was something “everybody did”. You might not make it better. You likely learned a lot in the process. 

As time went by, piles of these poor damaged radios showed up at hamfests.
It became pretty obvious that the mods typically turned a (somewhat) valuable item into something nobody really wanted. We reacted accordingly and swung over to restoration rather than modification. 

Here we are now with piles of unmodified gear. We also don’t have a lot of kids diving into this. Back when I was a kid, the modification stuff was what got me going. Restoration back then … not very exciting. 

Bob

> On Aug 7, 2023, at 5:12 PM, Hubert Miller <Kargo_cult at msn.com> wrote:
> 
> One of the more interesting videos on Command Sets. Nice job too, on the local adapter, front panel.
> I just watched yours and then another that came up. The other fellow made a nice fresh local adapter.
> With LED and 3.5 mm headphone plug. Isn't that nice? No, i don't think 
> it's nice. I think it looks like hell.
> Watching these videos, i'm thinking i went wrong and should have 
> collected a few Command Sets instead of heavy beasts like the R-808 
> and KWEa and so on. The Command Sets, you can easily put them away in 
> the closet. I am thinking of FET conversions now also, but lest your ire flare, i'm thinking of plug-ins that do not permanently afix to the radio. Just thinking, anyway.
> -Hue Miller
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