[Johnson] Viking II PTT - Civil Defense version questions

[Todd, KA1KAQ]

On 8/25/06, k2gtm at usadatanet.net <k2gtm at usadatanet.net> wrote:
> Hi everyone,
>   I'm new to the world of Johnson equipment (but I've worked with a lot of Heath
> and Drake tube equipment).  I recently purchased a Viking II and the front
> panel has a CD (civil defense) sticker on it.

Hi Greg -

Can't answer your component-specific questions, but I can tell you
that the CD models I've seen actually had a different front panel,
with a silkscreened emblem and appropriate nomenclature. They did have
different band coverage, more in line with general coverage but I
can't remember the precise range. These were produced specifically for
the Civil Defense/RACES stations to use (hence the out-of-band
coverage).

I actually have a Hallicrafters S-40B given to me back when the state
was clearing out their old storage space. It also has a CD sticker,
but is no different than a stock S-40B. The folks that I've worked and
talked with in this field said that they just bought whatever they
could to fill the need, and slapped CD stickers on them more as
property labels than anything else. So having the sticker on your
transmitters means it was likely used by Civil Defense, but not the
specific 'CD' model.

BTW, I've also seen a lot of early Gonset Communicators (Gooney Boxes)
in their civilian gray hammertone paint sporting CD stickers, while
the later models were painted bright yellow with decals and CD-labeled
canvas covers. So this would seem to support that manufacturers came
around to making specific models once they recognized the need or were
contracted to do so by the gov't.

Enjoy the new rig, and welcome to the world of Johnson gear.

~ Todd/'Boomer'  KA1KAQ