[Milsurplus] MD-7

[Mike Morrow]

John asked:

>Was it black or al? What did it sell for?

It's black...I've never seen any natural aluminum finish AN/ARC-5 components except the F-5, MT-78, MT-80, MT-98, and the R-28, T-23, and T-126 VHF components.  I have seen some AN/ARC-5 components that had lost most of the original paint (but the ATA/ARA sets seem to be the absolute worst for paint loss).

The item I "won" appears almost new, and includes both the MD-7 and the DY-8.  IMHO, the $180 bid cost is very reasonable for such an item today.  I've seen junkers go for a lot more, and I had expected that my bid, made five hours before auction end, wouldn't come close to standing.  Still, 40 years ago MD-7 units typically cost about $7, or about  $45 when adjusted for inflation to 2006.

The best deal I ever found on ebay was a working, almost like-new R-1134B/WRR-3 14 to 600 kc receiver.  We had one on board the ballistic missile submarine that I served on more than 30 years ago, and several on the carrier USS Intrepid (my first ship) in 1971 (years before she became a museum ship in NYC).  At $103 auction price, plus about $95 shipping, it was still a fantastic deal, even if it did take two months for the guy to actually ship it.  Great nostalgia value too.  I love collecting gear that I observed in service when I was on active duty, the list of which also includes such vintage gear as AN/ARC-8 (BC-348 and T-47A/ART-13), AN/ARC-2, AN/ARC-27, AN/APX-25, AN/ARN-6, R-23/ARC-5, AN/PRC-6, AN/PRC-9, and AN/GRC-7.  Now if only I could get that AM-3007/URC and other hardware to go with my RT-618A/URC to complete a AN/URC-35, or the PP-3701 I need for my AN/ARC-102!

Mike / KK5F