[Milsurplus] Re: [Collins] Re: [Hallicrafters] Byron has a Manson, Bob has a different Manson

Thu, 15 Jan 2004 08:45:22 +0100

Hi friends,
           I have had here in Italy some MANSON synthesizers and an 
HALLICRAFTER receiver/exciter (thre chassis receiver / sinthesizer / exciter) 
that was done for SHAPE (Supreme Headquarter Allied Power Europe). I 
published an article about this system here in Italy some years ago. If some 
like photos I can search and add to my website. Let me know.

Federico IZ1FID

On Wed, 14 Jan 2004 19:19:15 -0500, Joel R. Hallas wrote
> I encountered Manson receivers twice. Once when working for Manson 
> Labs in Wilton, CT in 1965, before they were absorbed into 
> Hallicrafters in Chicago (I went elsewhere being a die-hard CT type!)
> . Few knew what they were for.
> 
> When I left CT for Raytheon in MA as a new EE I found them again! 
> They were used as receivers in an HF over-the-horizon radar system. 
> Each receive site had 20 sets, receiver and synthesizer. The receive 
> sites were up and down Europe and the transmit sites were in Asia. 
> You can probably figure out what they were looking at!
> 
> The receivers were good, but the synthisizers were the best 
> available at that time in terms of phase noise. I was involved in 
> the development of test equipment to measure them and it was pushing 
> the state of the art.
> 
> So one chassis is the HF receiver. complete except for HFO. The 
> other chassis is the synthesized HFO. The receiver can use another 
> signal source as HFO. The synthesizer can be used separately as an 
> acurate signal source, but the indicated frequency is the receive 
> frequency, not the output frequency. After all these years I don't 
> remember the IF offset (or even my phone number <g>).
> 
> I hope that helps.
> 
> GL and 73,
> Joel Hallas, W1ZR
> 
> WF2U wrote:
> 
> > Bob's Manson is an ISB receiver (independent sideband - LSB and USB can be
> > received at the same time on separate channels on the same frequency) with
> > synthesizer control and what looks like a tunable preselector/input 
filter.
> > It doesn't have a military tag on it.
> >
> > Byron's Manson is  part of the military GRC-129 system which was a dual
> > diversity system including 2 R-1247/GRC-129 receivers (Manson modified
> > R-390A's with relays enabling to switch the receiver from the internal
> > local oscillators to the external synthesizers) and modified T-368
> > transmitters (synthesizer input instead of the local VFO, AM modulator
> > removed and SSB exciter installed instead.
> >
> > I had the set of the synthesizers and the receiver sideband adaptors a few
> > years ago, which I sold to someone who was restoring a GRC-129 system.
> >
> > 73, Meir WF2U
> > Gowensville, SC
> >
> > -----Original Message-----
> > From: [email protected]
> > [mailto:[email protected]]On Behalf Of [email protected]
> > Sent: Wednesday, January 14, 2004 1:19 PM
> > To: [email protected]
> > Cc: [email protected]; [email protected];
> > [email protected]
> > Subject: [Hallicrafters] Byron has a Manson, Bob has a different Manson
> >
> > Bob was told his Manson came from a missle silo but is skeptical.
> > Byron's Manson needs a R390(A?) to make it work.
> > Bob's Manson appears to be capable of working without any external help.
> > But, he doesn't really have a clue what he has, so have a look.
> >
> > http://www.edebris.com/catalog2/item/1080
> >
> > and please tell me what you know about it.
> >
> > It uses vacuum tubes in both units.
> >
> > 73,
> > -bob
> > ah7i
> >
> > _______________________________________________
> > List Administrator: Duane Fischer, W8DBF **for assistance**
> > [email protected]
> > ----
> > Hallicrafters Collectors International: http://www.w9wze.org
> > ----
> > http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/hallicrafters
> >
> > _______________________________________________
> > List Administrator: Duane Fischer, W8DBF **for assistance**
> > [email protected]
> > ----
> > Hallicrafters Collectors International: http://www.w9wze.org
> > ----
> > http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/hallicrafters

Visit my webspace voted to military surplus radio and aircraft clocks :

www.dottorbaldi.it/militaryradio

See also :

http://www.geocities.com/pa0jta2/hamshacks.html