[Milsurplus] Praise for Australia's WWII Engineers

[David Stinson]

I am having a good time working on some "new to me" equipment
built by Australia's Amalgamated Wireless (Australasia) Ltd (AWA).
Through the kindness of some of our members and trades, working
on an AWA AT-5 transmitter / AR-8 receiver "general purpose wireless set,"
which saw service in many ways but mostly in aircraft.
I'm very impressed with these radios, especially the components.
The designs are not unique; the circuits are fairly standard 1930s stuff.
It's the forethought that went into the construction and the quality
of the components that impress.  The engineers designed
this set to be serviced in the field by a private with a screwdriver,
a cigarette lighter and a forked stick.  Components are mounted
to be easily and quickly changed.  The radios can be disassembled 
into modules for quick repair or replacement.
But I'm betting they didn't need much repair beyond that caused
by physical abuse.  For example:  The majority of the AWA-made capacitors 
look like "black beauties."  I thought I'd have a world of them to 
change in the receiver (which was working when I received it).
I tested nearly every cap in it.  I found exactly *one* that needed
changing, and the leakage in it was microamps at full rated voltage;
I may put it back, since I'm running at reduced B+.  
All the rest of them tested within tolerance.  I stopped checking the 
resistors after about a third, since none was more than 10 % off.
The receiver runs very well on reduced B+, so I don't expect any
of these original parts to fail any time soon.

Our U.S. designs may have been more "cutting edge," but the
engineers gave little (sometimes no) thought to the poor guy
in the trenches who has to fix the thing- a problem I still 
cuss about today, by the way.  

Just wanted to give our Australian friends a "five-star" rating
on this AWA wireless set.

You can see photos/background on this very cool set at:
http://www.qsl.net/vk4czt/at5ar8.htm

73 Dave S.