[Milsurplus] History and The Experience of History

[Hue Miller]

> There is also a certain charm to restoring surplus radio gear which
has seen real military service. I restored an ARN 7 ADF rcvr that had
been through the SAAMA depot for rework and had most recently flown on a
USAF C 47. According to the green UNSERVICEABLE? the radio was "beyond
economical repair". It gave me?considerable pride to get it working
again after being sent to its grave by the military.
>
> I like to fantasize that my BC 348 flew on a B 17 over Berlin in WW 2
even though I haven't a shred of evidence that it did. If it were"mint",
however, I could not induldge that fantasy. MY ARR 15 fantasy involves a
sonobuoy dropping P2V7 Neptune pinpointing a Russian sub lurking inside
US waters off of San Francisco in the 1950s. The exciting news is
relayed back to NAS Moffett Field on an ART 13 and the acknowledgement
is received on my ARR 15.
> 73
> AF6IM

Hear, hear! Rather than the history of its development, and history of
such
type's use, this is the history of the piece's actual use: its real
life. Each
approach is totally valid, just a different focus. But for strictly
myself, an
interesting provenance trail is SO much more interesting than condition.
Like AF6IM, these are "instruments of magic" for me; ajduncts to time
travel. I have a trans-receiver removed from a strafed Japanese fighter
plane; I know where, and the time frame it was destroyed. and the path
it took to reach me. I have not had the time yet to trace out the
circuit
before checking it and powering it up, but i'm sure that will be some
happy
occasion, when it returns to 40 meters after lo these many years. That
experience with  a cup of green tea, that's way up there on peak
experiences, I tell you.
-Hue Miller