[Milsurplus] Using Old Radios

[howard holden]

One point of interest has been sort of missed in this thread. While we decry 
the "butchering" of so many surplus radios by hams, the modifications done 
over the years is also a part of the surplus radio history! Many a ham got 
on the air by doctoring up a war surplus relic, one which might have ended 
up in a dumpster instead of on the air if he/she had not bought it. A case 
in point: My dad, who passed away three years ago, bought a BC-348Q probably 
around the time I was born. He did some mods, installing an AC supply, 
adding an octal socket on the front with operating voltages available, and a 
couple of internal mods to the audio circuit. I learned to copy code on this 
radio, as did my dad and brother. We all used it to make our first Novice 
QSOs, and the radio did yeomans duty for a number of years. Then better 
radios were acquired, and the '348 sat idle, collecting dust and sufering 
from non-use. Shortly after Dad passed on, I was bitten by the emotional 
bug, and decided to bring her back to life. One choice I faced was whether 
to try and restore it to original shape (or at least as close as possible) 
or to restore operation as it had been left by Dad. I opted for the latter, 
primarily because this radio, yes once a warbird in its own right, was also 
a part of MY radio history! After cleaning up a few horrible soldering 
joints and potential shorts - this was obviously his first attempt at radio 
work -  replacing the .01 uF caps, and a few broken resistors, the set came 
to life much as I remember it, and is now a part of my regular station 
operations, coupled with a nearly perfect BC-458A.

Obviously, a surplus radio in original or nearly so condition should be 
preserved as such, but radios, like Strads, are as far as I am concerned, 
meant to be played, under watchful eyes and ears, for signs of trouble.

At the USS Ling (SS-297, Hackensack NJ) we have a number of original radios 
and other electrical systems which have been brought to life, the few mods 
done being the "reversible" kind. And certainly a working, on-the-air radio 
sparks much more interest than one sitting on a shelf collecting cobwebs. We 
do use those radios, again carefully and only under watchful eyes, and only 
for a few hours a month or so. Seeing kids talking on sound-powered phones 
from one end of the boat to the other, or ringing compartments on the call 
system, or seeing someone who has never done so putting on a set of old 
military cans, tuning and tweaking the dials on a totally original (except 
for tubes) and functioning  RAL, trying to manipulate the Regen control 
along with the main tuning is a sight to behold, and to be sure the 
impression is much more lasting than just ogling this behind a glass panel.

History alive is history remembered. Done carefully, thoughtfully, this is 
the best way.

My two cents. Good thread.

Howie WB2AWQ