[Milsurplus] Springfield '03 A3 (was: Ham mods)

[Wammes Witkop]

Group,

After sitting on them hands for what feels like ages I *do* jump in. 
'Cause Eric does make some valuable remarks here...
Me, I am a pacifist. I hate the army. I got out of it too, being too 
tall. Nope, they did not draft me. No way - I'd have gone for Section 
Five, the local - Dutch - Loony Bin, if I had not been just too tall to 
fit them uniforms. Great word actually, uniform, if you are over two 
meters...

And still I do collect and restore Mil Comms. Why?
'Cause I do like technical stuff. Engineering, where cost was not the 
first frontier. Ever looked at the Old Family with a technical eye? 
Great stuff alltogether! Fot it's timeframe.

That is my personal fascination and the reason I will argue with my 
beloved mate, who does not agree in the least with my personal 
collection stressing the attic beams. We Dutch do not do cellars, 
mostly. For a good reason too.

Just good engineering where cost is not the first measure did it for me. 
Then, I became a collector. Like stamps, only somewhat heavier. I want 
every part of every setup ever thought up - within my field of 
expertise. And I *do* hate guns...

Grtz. Wammes

Eric Jones schreef:
> de N4TGC Eric
> 
> Good discussion (argument? cussing?) re: mods.  My nickel's worth: 
> revisionists = correctionists; the true liars are the Court Historians; 
> or in effect, they themselves are the "revisionists", if you want to use 
> it as a derogatory term as they do.
> 
> The military use of gear is relatively unimportant: sorry, Mike, but 
> most soldiers haven't a clue what rigs were inflicted on them; fewer 
> still even care.  They were not put to any valid use til AFTER the war, 
> by Hamguys who sliced and diced them into something that didn't kill, in 
> a war that shouldn't have been fought against people who weren't our 
> enemies.  Like now, in Iraq, et al.
> 
> If not for Hams, the stuff would have been scrapped and/or land-filled 
> long ago.  We are the caretakers/curators, and if we want anything to be 
> saved, it's up to us.  So, take Tauson's ARC-guide, flesh it out with 
> "perversion" info to help ID hacked units and how to restore/re-use 
> them, and hope somebody eventually cares besides us.  Like the rock-band 
> in the basement example: the brat hated his father for using Ham radio 
> as an escape and neglecting his familial duties.  Do we do that?  While 
> VP of the local Ham (repeater) Club and thus publisher of the 
> Newsletter, I profiled a member every month, and encountered family 
> resentment nearly every time!
> 
> As a hobby gunsmith, if I didn't have info on the hacking/conversions 
> for the '03A3 ad infinitum, I would have a much harder time knowing what 
> to do about it. For example, my favorite .30'06 is an Eddystone Model 
> 17, on which someone whacked off the sight wings and dropped it in a 
> Herter's stock. Still one of the sweetest-shooting rifles I've ever 
> handled, and just as good, to me, as an original M-17 (if not better!  
> It was a dang sight cheaper!)
> 
> Whenver someone wants to get into Ham radio, gunsmithing, or any kind of 
> collecting field especially, my advice is always to spend your first 
> $100 on books:  you'll still wind up buying unsuitable stuff you'll want 
> to sell later, but at least you'll be making more informed decisions 
> along the way. Or if you buy a few pieces and realize you don't know 
> enough about it, having the collector's info out there on CD, internet, 
> or for us old farts, in print, is veddy veddy useful.
>    e
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