[ICOM] So why does a Collins KWM 2 go for $1200?

[C.Whitaker]

de WB2CPN
Mac, they were OK, performed as well as the Collins, and weighed a bit less.
Yes, US made.
It was easy to run them on FSK RTTY.
They were laid out, and designed so much like the Collins, that it was 
said that two Collins
Engineers jumped ship.  Yes, there was a legal action.  Collins won.
Trivia, but Collins, Art Brothers, and Arthur Godfrey were close 
friends.  All hams.
And, Collins made some fine transmitters for the military.  The 32-RA 
and the big BC-400 (?), I think.
It was the first auto-tune, and led to the ART-13 later.
End of Mil Spls Trivia.
73  Clete
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

On 9/12/2013 7:11 PM, D C _Mac_ Macdonald wrote:
> The Eldicos that were similar to the Collins S-Line were US made.  The Eldico company was around for many years.
>
> I strongly suspect that the Eldico "clones" of the S-Line came about because some in the US Congress got ticked off about all the sole-source procurement from Collins and the Eldico company was in their home districts.
>
> I don't know what became of the Eldico company but suspect that Collins may have sued for patent infringement!
>
> Again, I do NOT know the history for sure.
>
> Actually, the performance of the Eldico clones was quite good.  I operated a few of them in USAF MARS use back in the 60s.  We even had a pair of them at Carswell AFB, TX (Ft Worth) in the SAC Alert Facility.  Ran them into a Mosley TA-33!
>
>   
> * * * * * * * * * * *
> * 73 - Mac, K2GKK/5 *
> * (Since 30 Nov 53) *
> * k2gkk at hotmail.com *
> * Oklahoma City, OK *
> * USAF & FAA (Ret.) *
> * * * * * * * * * * *
>   
>   
>> Date: Thu, 12 Sep 2013 12:00:11 -0700
>> From: dragon40 at shaw.ca
>> To: icom at mailman.qth.net
>> Subject: Re: [ICOM] So why does a Collins KWM 2 go for $1200?
>>
>> C.Whitaker wrote:
>>> de WB2CPN
>>> Anyone heard of the Eldico. A clone of the Collins, made for MARS?
>>> (All this is Mil Surplus)
>>> 73 Clete
>>> ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
>>> On 9
>>>
>>> Hi,
>> I believe it's made in U.K. I operated one. Had funny tubes in them.
>> Similar one is Italian Geloso units.
>>> ----
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