[Boatanchors] Partially Off Topic Question

[Bill Stewart]

In the mid '60s I had a MGB and the electrical system was positive ground. The batteries (may have had two six volters in series) were located in the rear jump seat area (actually no seat, just a small space). I remember having to jump off the MGB and running the jumper cables to a '56 chevy (with our norman neg. ground system). The cars were close together so the cables would reach. The MGB door and the chevy door touched and welded together...lots of sparks and smoke. I had to kick the doors to disconnect. Nice 'groove' left in the MGB door...hard lesson learned.

Boatanchor content: I later ran a HW-12 mobile and had to raise everything above ground...what a mess, but it worked. I had to look in the rear view mirror to tune up and work the rcvr. And you think cell phone operation is dangerous.....73, Bill K4JYS
   
----- Original Message -----
From: "rbethman" <rbethman at comcast.net>
To: boatanchors at mailman.qth.net
Cc: "Jack Antonio" <scr287 at sbcglobal.net>
Sent: Sunday, August 9, 2009 2:46:35 PM GMT -05:00 US/Canada Eastern
Subject: Re: [Boatanchors] Partially Off Topic Question

Jack,

It was most likely an evolutionary thing.  You start adding things to a 
"system", you make bigger engines that take more torque to turn over, 
and you finally hit a point where a change is made.

Like you, I remember "some" 6V systems.  I remember one having the 
battery under the back seat!  Then we moved to 12V, I do not remember it 
being all at once, but what the heck!  I'm only staring at the 60 coming 
at me!

By the time I came back across the pond and got married I think it was 
all a done deal!

Your project may work out better IF you can replace the 6V vibrator with 
a 12V one.

Bob - N0DGN

Jack Antonio wrote:
> When did American automobiles go from a 6 Volt system
> to a 12 V system?
>
> I have a 52 Ford car radio which is 6 V, and I know
> that by the time I was aware of such things in high school
> in the mid 60s, all the family's cars were 12V, but when
> did the change occur?
>
> Was it an all at once starting with a given model year?
>
> Were 12V systems optional, becoming standard at some point?
>
> This was prompted by some idle thinking about using the 52 Ford
> car radio as a basis for a simple cheap ham receiver, by adding
> a BFO and a converter front end, a project that I may explore one
> of these decades.
>
> Thanks
>
> Jack Antonio WA7DIA
>   

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