[Collins] Collins 718T

[Dr. Gerald N. Johnson]

On Mon, 2007-07-16 at 08:19 -0700, Glen Zook wrote:
> The 718T was definitely produced.  It was to be the
> basis of the KWM-3 which was not produced.

Long about 1965, I recall there came out a decree from Art that the next
Collins ham rig must be expensive, and must be remote controlled over a
simple cable. That Collins ham gear should be the elite gear of the
market affordable only by the chosen few like the owners of the "gold
dust" twins, the 75A4 and KWS-1.
> 
> The Industrial Design Group, headed by Eric Tedley,
> was attached to Process Division in the Richardson,
> Texas, "new" corporate headquarters of Collins Radio. 
> I worked in the Process Division right out of college.
>  
> 
> Sometime in late April or ealy May, 1967, within the
> first month that I was employed by Collins Radio, I
> was meeting with one of the assistant division
> directors in Building 401 at the Richardson facility. 
> That particular person was an amateur radio operator
> and he knew that I was also.  He knew that the ID
> group had produced three possible designs for the
> KWM-3 cabinet and that Art Collins was scheduled to
> approve the final design that day so he took me over
> to the department to see the designs.
> 
> Art came in while we were there and that was the first
> time that I met Art Collins.  Art spent some time
> looking at the various designs (one had a "wood grain"
> finish) but couldn't decide just which one that he
> liked best.  He "put off" making the decision and
> eventually the KWM-3 project was dropped.  The KWM-3
> was to be a slightly modified version of the 718T with
> the lower frequency range dropped to 1.8 MHz from 2.0
> MHz to allow use of the unit on the 160 meter band.

Probably only took control logic limits, the RF probably would have made
1.8 anyway.
> 
> There were many 718T units produced by Collins Radio
> over the years of production.  Considering the success
> of the 718T the KWM-3 would probably have been
> successful as well.  But, since Art Collins lost
> interest in the project that will never be known.

I saw several designs in working paper and conceptual diagrams and
proposed packaging drawings in Cedar Rapids in 1963/4. Ham gear support
and engineering was still in CID as far as I knew when I left Richardson
at the end of the summer of 1966.
> 
> Glen, K9STH
> 

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