[Collins] KWS-1 (Navy version) for sale

[John Thurmond]

We are selling a Collins KWS-1 transmitter to raise funds for our club
(The Comet Amateur Radio Club, at the University of Texas at Dallas).

This is a rather rare and unusual KWS-1 (s/n 497), because apparently it
was built for the US Navy Bureau of Ships.  This transmitter is
different from both the amateur version and the more familiar SAC
version that was produced around the same time.  Like the SAC version,
this radio was built for a different set of bands, and was manufactured
with a plate over the band switch to indicate the difference.  The band
switch shows 80M, 4.5MC, 5.5MC, 40M, 13.5MC, and 20M.  While the 4.5/5.5
bands were undesirable in the past, the possibility of operation on the
new 60M band make this radio more interesting today (assuming the power
limits on this band are increased in the future).

Pictures of the rig can be found here:
http://ham.utdallas.edu/gallery/collins

As far as we can tell, this radio is completely unmodified.  I would
characterize the condition as mechanically good/great, but cosmetically
fair.  A small part of the lower right front corner of the power supply
chassis has rusted, but apparently the damage is primarily cosmetic (see
the picture of the power supply with the cover removed).  The interior
looks fantastic.  We do not know the last time this radio saw power, so
we will not evaluate the condition of the internals.  I would recommend
that the radio be complete recapped, at the very least, before
attempting to power it up.

We cannot gauge the value of this radio.  Please remember that it is
being sold to raise funds for a poor college club (we are working
towards equipping our station for satellite operation).  The radio was
donated to our club a few years ago, and has been in storage in our
shack since.

We would be happy to answer any questions you have about this radio,
take additional pictures, or allow you to see it in person.  Contact
John Thurmond KB5HWS at thurmond@student.utdallas.edu for more
information.  Also, for you Collins experts out there, any additional
information you can provide about this radio would be appreciated.  I
apologize for not asking for a specific price, but it is difficult to
put a value on this rig.

-John KB5HWS
(CARC Vice President)