[Milsurplus] TBW for sale - Collector Philosophy

[Mike Morrow]

Robert wrote:

>...so what if it doesn't cover any ham bands.  Neither does the BC-453, and
>it covers about the same range as the 52238.  Neither do IFF transponders, 
>gunfire or blind bombing control radars, glide slope receivers or radio altimeters.  
>But a bunch of people on this list collect one or more of those items.  So 
>anyway, if all you want to do is get on and jabber, go buy a rice box.  :-)

And what self-respecting AN/ART-13 fan wouldn't install an O-16 or O-17 LF/MF oscillator, if only to replace that blank MX-128 panel!  If I had a TBW, I'd want both transmitter RF sections.

I'm definitely in the collector group you mention.  In addition to MF/HF/VHF/UHF comm gear, I collect stuff that one whose main interest is chatting with other hams would find completely useless:   Obsolete IFFs like SCR-515, -595, -695, ABA, ABK, APX-6 and -25.  Obsolete homing sets like the ZB and ARR-2.  Obsolete DF sets like the DU, DZ, SCR-269, ARN-6, -7, -59.  Instrument landing systems like the RC-103, ARN-5, and RC-93.  Tail warning sets like the APS-13.  Altimeters like the APN-1.  Useless LORAN A sets like the APN-4 and -9.  Countermeasures gear like the ARQ-1 and APT-5.  Old commercial light aircraft sets with beacon/BCB receivers and 3105 kc transmitters.  SCR-578 500 kc emergency transmitters.  Then there's all that SCR-508 and RT-67 "armor band" 20 to 28 mc FM comm gear, even the popular SCR-300, plus the 243 mc pilot SAR radios, none of which are usable legally on any ham band without unacceptable modification.  I love this stuff for the technology, the engineering, the people, and the times that it represents.  I don't give a damn that I can't BS on 80 meters with any of it!

>...if all you want to do is get on and jabber, go buy a rice box.  :-)

Agreed!  Most of us have modern solid state CW and SSB gear whose performance beats the heck out of ANY old gear, especially in AM.  When I'm carrying HF CW capability on a backpack trip, I'm very happy that out in the boonies I can put out a better signal, listen through a better receiver, and do it far longer with a 1.5 lbm solid-state QRP rig and a handful of AA-cells than anyone could ever do with a SCR-288, -694, GRC-9, GRC-109, or RS-6 (as much as I like those sets too)!

73,
Mike / KK5F