[Milsurplus] German Freya Radar on ebay

[Todd, KA1KAQ]

On Tue, 08 Mar 2005 00:03:37 -0500, J. Forster <jfor at quik.com> wrote:

>  Part of the difference in opinion is because of collecting philosophy. To me,
> to be really collectible, the thing has to be complete, working, and unrestored.

That's a great philosophy, provided complete, working examples can
still be found (relatively easily over time). What do you do when
something was either not produced in great numbers or in this case,
the vast majority were scrapped when the war was over? Take the Jap
Zero fighter from WWII as an example: there is actually one restored
to flying condition now out in Chino, the few remaining examples are
static, incomplete, etc. Are they not worth preserving because they
aren't 100% there, or have reproduction parts, or are just a shell
used in a display? While I'd agree that the flying example is the most
'valuable' in the sense of the most accurate representation, they
others are just as important from a historical representation aspect.

> I don't go quite that far, but believe that if one is going
> to collect a Rebecca (AN/PPN-2) you really need the Tx / Rx, Display, Control
> Box, all 3 antennas, cables and mating connectors, and the test set. [BTW..
> anyone have any FT-406, 409, or 416 shock mounts available??]  Same for any
> system. Hence my comments on collecting the rest of the system.

But what if you don't find the rest of the pieces? Should the gear
that you have be disregarded, diminished or discarded for not being
complete, as issued?
 
> As to working, I like my gear to be working as originally intended (capacitors
> reformed, tubes degassed, bearings lubed, etc.). I get extremely annoyed at
> museum displays that are obviously faked. IMO, there is very little to be learnt
> from them. 

On what level? For a scholar to learn that each and every part is
present, or for a school field trip to learn that this type of radio
was used in a certain battle? Keep in mind John, that the vast
majority of folks who look at these displays aren't as
detailed-oriented or even as interested in the actual item as us. As
far as the working condition, I still hold that a radio left unused by
choice(with a few exceptions), regardless of originality or
completeness, becomes nothing more than a big, black box in future
decades when we're gone, and offers nothing special the those who see
it as a reason to preserve it.

I do agree with Dave that some items are so old or so rare that it's
not practical or sensible to apply power to them just for the sake of
getting on the Military net to impress your friends, but I disagree
that a recapped radio isn't worth bothering with. I believe that a TCS
with audio coming out of it transforms from a big, black box to a
piece of WWII working history to those who see and hear it. Same thing
applies to warbirds, they sure look pretty on the ground but nothing
like they do in flight. Most people know what an airplane is, few know
what 99% of our beloved radios are.

>The chances of getting a Freya Rx and Tx, let alone the antennas and
> other parts are slim at best, IMO.

Same could be said for the Rebecca/Eureka, will that keep you from
keeping the pieces you have and seeking the rest? I think Bill has the
right idea - work with what you have. Make a power supply, rehab the
unit to some respectable level of completeness over time, and don't be
too concerned that it's not in Concours condition. Somehow I don't
think the guys who used this stuff in the military took especially
great care of it or went around polishing it daily. When dealing with
unobtanium, you work with whatever you're lucky enough to find.
 
> As to unrestored, this is a real can of worms. Clearly depots repainted sets, so
> why should they not be repainted now? No good reason, AFAIK, but I rarely give
> such a set a second glance.

And many of us who pick up the depot dogs appreciate that and thank
you. Guess that gets down to what you choose to collect, use, and so
on. I agree with you about it being a can of worms. Probably the vast
majority of surviving R-390 type receivers have been restored since
their life in the military. Most have mixed modules, missing tags, the
list goes on. But there's nothing quite like spinning the tuning knob
and listening to signals coming through it as you fiddle with the
controls. Also a lot to be said for preserving some pieces as they
were last used. Bill Howard's Chinese radio used by the commies in
Viet Nam and riddled with bullet holes is a testament to a place and
time where an actual battle took place. Same goes for the restoration
of the Enola Gay that Mike Hanz has been working on. Still, the
numbers and types of gear available far outweigh the historical events
that the average person will remember or even find interesting.
 
> This brings up a related issue, that has been explored previously, but there has
> never been a good resolution AFAIK. The problem is, what happens to all this
> lovely stuff when we are no longer in a position to care for it. Anybody have a
> really good answer?

It's only as important to them as their ability to understand it and
their level of interest in it. If you have some of Marconi's early
equipment or documented items of historical importance, chances are
good that some museum would want it for a general 'early radio'
display or similar. If you have a bunch of green boxes with cables
snaking between them and nothing particularly recognizable about them,
I'd think the audience will be severely limited. The best idea is to
deal with it before you go, of course. And yes - we've discussed the
pros and cons of museums in the past, from how they want items to how
quickly those items fall from favor and live in a back room or get
sold/trashed over time. I don't think there's a fool-proof way to
insure that your collection is preserved outside of owning a museum
and leaving some endowment to perpetuate it. How badly will you want
it taken care of once you're no longer here to know?

I think we all get a little too self-absorbed at times with our
wonderful bits of history, to the point of forgetting the stories of
things found in dumpsters or left by the curb for the trashman.
There's a very good reason why those things ended up there: whoever
had them wasn't interested.

de Todd/'Boomer'  KA1KAQ