[Collins] Unusual 312B-5 and a question

[Dr. Gerald N. Johnson]

On Fri, 2006-03-03 at 15:12 -0500, W5vhp at aol.com wrote:
> Hello to all......
>  
> I have a question for this group:
>  
> My 312B-5 has an unusual front panel escutcheon.  The lettering is  "312-B5," 
> not the correct 312B-5.  Also, the lettering is quite a bit  smaller than the 
> lettering on all of the other escutcheons of my other Collins  pieces.  Is 
> this a factory slip-up?  Anyone have a similar  discrepancy?  The lettering 
> looks "factory done".  It might be one of  a kind!?  : )
>  
> Anyone have any thoughts on this?  I have owned this B-5 for a long  time and 
> have always wondered about it.  I would enjoy and appreciate any  input about 
> this.  I would attach a pic, but the reflector won't accept  attachments.
>  
> Thanks and 73,
>  
> Larry    W5VHP
Is there a serial number anywhere? Really low serial numbers should have
been engineering models.

I know some radios were built from surplus and engineering individual
parts purchases and those shouldn't have any serial numbers. I don't
think any of those ham employee builders wanted to build PTOs though and
by 1964 it was getting hard to buy PTOs for that type of project without
buying the whole 312B-5. There were loose escutcheons around that hadn't
yet been engraved and could have easily been engraved by some engraver
outside Collins with the B and - reversed. That shouldn't have happened
in production but making prototypes there wasn't much to prevent such
errors of detail. Like the prototype pictures for the 30L-1 that looked
like the production KWS-1 that got out.

No doubt some of the later production escutcheons were molded with
numbers rather than engraved.


-- 
73, Jerry, K0CQ, Technical Advisor to the CRA
All content copyright Dr. Gerald N. Johnson, electrical engineer