[Boatanchors] ARC 5 stuff - LIST

[jeremy-ca]

I agree with Jim. They served the purpose they were built for and then found 
a new life with the ham community, especially new ones that couldnt the 
lastest Brand X kilobuck rig. Otherwise they would have been scrapped with 
no tears shed by the government.

I graduated from a home brew regen to bandspreaded BC-454 and 455's. A bit 
later a BC-453 gave my HQ-129x much needed selectivity. An ARC-3 running 90W 
to a plate modulated 3E29 got me on 2M with a nice signal.
After I got out of the Navy I hacked up a BC-458 to be a VFO for a CE10A 
which eventually found a second life as an exciter for a HB 6M transverter 
using mainly surplus components.
 Would I do it again? You bet! I'm restoring a HQ-129X right now and looking 
for another BC-453.

Carl
KM1H


----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Jim Brannigan" <jbrannig at optonline.net>
To: "Meir WF2U" <wf2u at starband.net>; <boatanchors at mailman.qth.net>
Sent: Sunday, September 23, 2007 3:35 PM
Subject: Re: [Boatanchors] ARC 5 stuff - LIST


> No Meir, they were not wasted.
>
> The Surplus radios of the 40's, 50's, 60's and even into the 70's provided 
> a boon to the radio hobby and the advancement of the electronic arts.
> This enormous supply of cheap electronics was cut up for parts, modified 
> into early SSB transmitters and performance receivers (Q-5ers),
> used to explore the VHF and UHF bands and some used as-is.
> This cheap and plentiful source made it possible for many to become 
> electronics hobbyists and start electronic careers.
> More than a few electronics firms were launched using cheap surplus 
> components.
>
> It is nice that a few are preserved in their original state, but it would 
> have been a shame if the prevailing wisdom was to preserve all of them,
> then the state of electronic development would have been frozen at VJ Day 
> 1945.
>
> Jim
>
>
>
>
>>I also did that kind of things when I was young and stupidly thought that
>> there is an infinite supply of surplus radios, so modifying/destroying a 
>> few
>> won't matter in the long run.
>> I know better now.
>> The ARC-5 type transmitters if properly matched to the antenna (bear in 
>> mind
>> the output circuit is not designed for a 50 ohm coax-fed resonant 
>> antenna,
>> so additional, external matching is necessary, with the TVI low-pass 
>> filter.
>> Also, keeping the voltages to what the original system is designed for 
>> and
>> using it at the rated power as specified, keep everything under control,
>> including TVI.
>> But in those days almost everything, including commercially manufactured 
>> ham
>> transmitters had TVI if further precautions were not taken.
>> The surplus transmitters' bad reputation as to harmonics, instability 
>> and
>> TVI spread because hams didn't use the systems as designed, at the supply
>> voltages and  power levels as specified, loaded them into antennas they 
>> were
>> not designed to work into, thereby causing all the on-the-air problems.
>> Properly used, with original voltage levels, loading and matching them
>> properly, makes them no worse than their contemporary ham transmitters.
>> Many of us still use WW2 surplus equipment on the ham bands, as close as
>> possible to the original system configuration with original power 
>> supplies,
>> racks, cabling, etc, as the radios were designed and we have no problems 
>> at
>> all.
>>
>> 73, Meir WF2U
>> Landrum, SC
>>
>>
>>
>> -----Original Message-----
>> From: boatanchors-bounces at mailman.qth.net
>> [mailto:boatanchors-bounces at mailman.qth.net] On Behalf Of Jim Brannigan
>> Sent: Sunday, September 23, 2007 11:43 AM
>> To: Meir WF2U; 'RAY FRIESS'; boatanchors at mailman.qth.net
>> Subject: Re: [Boatanchors] ARC 5 stuff - LIST
>>
>> I had an ARC-5 on 40CW that caused more TVI key-up than key-down.......
>> it had most of the parts from the MD-7 modulator on a separate Power
>> supply/modulator deck.
>>
>> Also, I modified one to use as a VFO for a Central Electronics 20A 
>> (9Mcs.?)
>>
>> Jim
>>
>
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