[Milsurplus] BC-659 addenda

Fri, 9 Jan 2004 20:12:57 -0600

Some of the comments reminded me of the stories my father has told me (many
times) of his days in the National Guard from '48 to '63.  He was the radio
mechanic for Headquarters Battery and the unit was equipped with BC-659's.
He got to go to a school for the -659 and was always amused by the
instructor who appearantly wasn't real impressed with the rig.  Dad said
that the instructor started the class with the following opening:

"What we have here is the BC-659.  This particular radio is a fine example
of what happens when a radio designer gets drunk, goes home and builds a
radio and then takes the Army procurement personnel out, gets them drunk,
and then sells it to them." - obviously not a big fan!

Another thing that dad would tell was that they were a bear to align.  He
said that it was very easy to tune to a "false peak" and you wouldn't catch
it until you were half way through the procedure, and then you have to start
all over again.  He also recalled often one particular nite at annual
training when the order came down at 2300 hrs that all the -659's  were to
be set up on new frequencys and ready to go by 0700 the next morning.  He
was the only radio man for the battery that year and simply ended his story
by saying: "It was a sleepless night".   I remember getting a -659 in my
early teenage years, bringing it home and showing him, and hearing "What the
H#&* did ya drag that chunk of junk home for?"  Guess he wasn't a big fan,
either...

Thought I'd share the stories from one who had been there.  I certainly
heard them often enuf!
For what it's worth.......

Brian    wj0p

---- Original Message ----- 
From: "Dr. Jones" <[email protected]>
To: <[email protected]>
Sent: Friday, January 09, 2004 3:41 PM
Subject: [Milsurplus] BC-659 addenda

> de N4TGC Eric
>
> A few more tidbits about the BC-659: the article in ER #135 is an
excellant
> "how I did it", by that prime suspect, Dennis D.  Read it and weep: the
> BC-659 is one more bugger to 'boot up'.  I recently acquired a BC-1335,
> which is the BC-659 with most of it's faults corrected: the power supply
is
> internal, if you're using the 6/12v vehicle battery; it mostly uses cheap
> and plentiful miniature 7-pin tubes; it has spare tubes and xtals mounted
> inside; it has instructions and provision for tuning built in, etc.
> Negatives: two ballast tubes, the rare 6AF6 'magic eye' tube, un-braced
> VR-90 (drop the unit, and it will snap right off!), and specs are much the
> same as the BC-659, in being way too wide for 10M tx and rx, etc.
>
> I will synopsize Dennis' article, as it mentions several things of import:
> there's no squelch, (which is pretty darn noisy); receive is 100kc wide
> (sheesh!); xmit is rated 1.3w, which with a good antenna, will go 30 miles
> or better (10 times the stated distance), BUT, there's no provision for
> antenna tuning!  (it was designed for a whip and nothing else); it takes
up
> to 15uv signal for full quieting; tuning requires 16! awkward presets;
> there's an odd internal battery that has to substituted for (see article
> for Dennis' design)  BTW, the BC-1335 info  mentions an internal "bias
cell
> battery BT-1" - why?  I see where it plugs in, I think ...
>
> I'll hazard a value guess: I'd give about $35 straight up for the BC-659,
> and allow up to $50 for a trade.  I don't have NEAR the patience Dennis D.
> has ... I haven't seriously considered 'booting up' the BC-1335: the RT-67
> is easier for me to deal with, and fits with all the other GRC-type gear I
> have.  BTW, Robert W. Downs probably has the manuals and connectors for
the
> BC-659, and Dave S. has already said he has one type of p/s. e
>
>
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