[Milsurplus] BC-779 questions...reformatted...

Tue, 4 Nov 2003 17:34:22 EST

Clare, Ken (Don) and Group,

Deterioration of the shaft material may be the reason more recently (and 
probably is) but I used to collect Super Pros years ago but haven't had one in 
about 15 or 20 years now.  But a fair percentage of the dozen or so that I had 
also had the shaft broken.  Same thing with the BFO tuning shaft on BC-312 
family receivers.  I always assumed, since they were often broken off at or near 
the panel, that it was because they were much easier to break than a steel or 
aluminum shaft would have been.

I bought 1/4" diameter canvas based phenolic rod from McMaster when I was 
doing the repro tuning rods for the A-82's (p/o IE-17 used to tune up BC-611's).  
It would probably work on the Super Pro's and I would guess is what the 
original material was, except that the reinforcing cloth in those days might have 
been linen.

Now as to why the knobs might be AWOL, I don't know.  Unless the set screws 
didn't hold as well in the phenolic rod.  But I've had some 30+ of the BC-312 
familiy sets and don't recall the BFO tuning knob being any more likely to be 
missing than any of the others, unless the shaft was broken off, of course.

In a message dated 11/4/2003 2:08:48 PM Central Standard Time, 
[email protected] writes: 
> Concerning why all of the phasing conntrol shafts are broken, or the
> correlary of why all of the phasing control knobs are missing, it's because
> of the insulated shaft that has disintegrated sometime in the past 60
> years.  As far as I know it's insulated to help prevent hand capacity
> effects.  I just use 1/4" clear plastic rod that I can buy at craft stores
> in really pretty colors.  The knobs are another problem entirely,
> unfortunately.

73
Robert Downs - Houston
<http://www.wa5cab.com> (Web Store)
<[email protected]> (Primary email)
<[email protected]> (Backup email)

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