[Milsurplus] Michael's Navy BC-348

[Hue Miller]

> My BC-348-Q has an SO-239 on the front, a modification done by the
> Navy for whatever reason.  It also came sans dynamotor.  Aside from
> the latter, it is as it came out of Navy overhaul in 1952.  According
> to the established rules, the Navy modified it away from its original
> specifications and my wanting to replace the missing dynamotor is
> further compounding the infraction.  It is therefore not worth the
> metal it's made of as far as being an authentic piece of equipment is
> concerned.
>
> Or is it?  It can't be both ways, folks.  It's either trash as the
> existing rules stated by John & Mike claim, or the work done on it
> hasn't and won't alter its value as original.  If it's the latter,
> that opens a whole Pandora's Box of what qualifies as original,
> restored and converted.
> Best regards,
>
> Michael, WH7HG

It's actually pretty simple, isn't it? If it's not visibly or
substantially
modified, and its around 50 years old or more, why do such major
modifications on it?  If it already has substantial modifications,
chose to either try to totally restore it, particularly if it's a scarce
equipment;  or use as is, or even improve on the modifications.

Michael, the Navy 348, does it have any kind of Navy markings?
I had a Bremerton Navy Shipyard modded one, with a nameplate
overlay. I still have a University of Washington BC-348. I kinda
like stuff that's been rebadged, as it were, dunno exactly why.
I suppose other examples would be the Coast Guard receiver
that the Coast Guard rejected, and became a ham hobby kit,
or some of the BC-348's I have heard were given airline
nameplates. I wonder how the Tektronix guys who built
the "Tektronix group project ARR-15s" relabeled their radios?
I think the Collins R-388 civilian equivalent was sold under
the Crosby name also, and also by some test equipment
maker whose name I cannot recall now.
Oh yeah, also, what do you suppose the Navy needed the
BC-348s for, that their standard issue receivers wouldn't do?
I mean the ground based BC-348s of course, not the ones
flying in the seaplanes.  -Hue Miller