[Milsurplus] Wire Thoughts

[Kludge]

-----Original Message-----
From: milsurplus-bounces at mailman.qth.net
[mailto:milsurplus-bounces at mailman.qth.net] On Behalf Of David Stinson
> I can take constructive criticism- especially from a master craftsman
> like Mike Hanz- with gratitude.  I may not agree with
> or do what they suggest, but I respect what they say.

Thus far, we're good.

> Snide or snarky is different.
> Frankly- The couple of times I've had someone sneer at one of my 
> wiring harnesses and say: "That's not really authentic," my reply is:
> "Oh?  What have *you* done?"  I have yet to get a good answer.

I used to play bass guitar in a small group back in Pittsburgh.  We weren't
the Fab Five (Beatles, not Jackson), in part because there were only four of
us, but we could hold our own and got more gigs than many other local bands
no one ever heard of.  One night we were playing this hotel lounge when out
from the crowd came a voice saying for all to hear, "You guys stink!"  So, I
unplugged my canoe paddle in the middle of the set then went over to the
gentleman with the unkind opinion and handed it to him saying, "Here, you do
better and the job's yours."  He just stood there with a dumb look on his
face and everyone around him snickering including his girlfriend.
Eventually I took it back, said "Thought so," and went back to rejoin the
group.  During the break, the lead came over and said, "That took more balls
than the rest of us have put together," and one of the waitresses who
wouldn't give me a second look before gave me her phone number. :-D

This is kind of how I always reacted to that kind of statement, telling the
person to do better.  Like in your case, Dave, they never seem to be able to
produce.  

> I've got original cables that must have a dozen splices in them,
> where the techs cobbled-together bits-n-pieces to get
> enough wire to do the work.  

Don't need to do this since I can build what I need.

> Navy sets with armored cable.
> Army sets with black rubberized cable.  Both with open wire.

*chuckling* ... And now we know why I love open wire.  It's kind of
universal and easy to make.  

> The so-called "post war" white wire with the clear jacket,

Depends on what it's made of.  The postwar wire had a PVC inner insulator, a
woven fiberglass wrap and nylon over top.  The earlier wire I think used
cotton (and rubber inside?)

> the amber tubing and jute twine lacing with varnish
> on a war-time PL-64 

> (By the way- if that white wire is
> "post war," why does the original tag on the roll I have
> here show a 1935 contract date?).

See above.  :-D

> Don't get me wrong;  I want to be as "correct" as I can,
> but you gotta draw a line somewhere.

And with newly discovered resources (well, newly discovered to me), it's
within reach.

> Just for me- If I thought I'd have to thread wire
> through shoe laces, .... naaaaaah... no way.

Yeah, but you don't have a standing reservation at psych lockdown either.
It's actually not that difficult ... after the first couple hundred feet or
so.  At least it's not like trying to splice double weave rope.  I did that
exercise a few times when I lived aboard Stardancer and threading wire
through shoelaces is nothing by comparison.  

> Yes; I could go to one of
> those custom wire and harness makers we've discussed,
> but I can't spend two month's salary
> on one four-foot wiring harness, thanks.

Actually, the wire's not that expensive from one of them.  Narraganset has
very reasonable prices and custom weaves in short batches.  Actually all
their wire is custom weave.  You tell them the colors and they produce as
little as 25'.  I can afford this if I spread the purchases over several
months and do a little research first.  The bonus here is that once
everything's made that has to be made, the leftovers can be put up for
adoption by someone else making harnesses.  I'm prone to overestimate what I
need so that should be a goodly bunch.

> Nor am I going to spend more on the wires
> than I did on the radio.

*chuckling* ... Would that I could say the same but I've spent and will be
spending much more on the radios than the cabling.  Granted, the generosity
of a few has reduced this total but it's still going to be more difficult to
finance the radios and accessories (including connectors) than the cabling.
This refers mostly to the SCR-A*-183 since I have almost everything I need
for the SCR-274-N.  This is a major disadvantage to living away from the
world where real hamfests happen and there are bargains to be had but you
can't get good laulau on the mainland.  :-)

OTOH, I also need the spline ends to set up the Type 12 equipment.  Many,
many spline ends.  They won't be cheap.  I may wind up going the labor
intensive route of making them.  While I don't have a knurling tool to fit
the Unimat (It accepts 1/8" tools as built and the only one I have is for a
1/4" tool post.  I've been talking with an outfit who can fix this
problem.), I can do the rest toward making the nuts for the spline shafts as
well as the other easily fabricated parts.  

Since I know Mike H has already machined his own tuning shaft parts and
others might have or have used some Mike created, isn't this the same as
doing what one can toward making the wiring harness as close to what's in
the manuals as possible?

> One has financial obligations other than his radios.

Oh?  When did that memo come out and why didn't I get a copy?  ;-D

> There's a sensible median.

That sensible median differs between individuals.  For me, I'm using the
SCR-274-N manual and what other resources I can find with as few variances
as possible.  

The SCR-A*-183 will also be per the manuals although I already have one
piece of cable to use as my model.  It's some of the shield over armor cable
John mentioned.  The armor will be fun to manage since it's kind of like a
tight aluminum BX armor.  Fun but not impossible.  I know I've seen
something very much like it somewhere but I don't recall where.  There is an
easily duplicated ferrule at the end opposite the connector to which the end
of the braid is soldered.  Overall, if I can't find the appropriate armor, I
can still duplicate the cable sufficiently to give the practical appearance
of what ARC says is correct.

Why am I doing it this way?  Because, as you pointed out, there is a wide
variety of possibilities based on actual examples and I prefer to stick with
what I know to be accurate and, in the case of the SCR-274-N, what I know I
can readily produce.  That's my "sensible median" and it differs from that
of others but if I'm going to the trouble of making my own tuning cables,
this isn't a huge leap.  

Best regards,
 
Michael, WH7HG ex-K3MXO, ex-KN3MXO, WPE3ARS, BL01xh ex-Mensa A&P PP BGI 
I am me.  I’m the only one who’s qualified.
http://www.nationalmssociety.org/chapters/NTH/index.aspx
http://wh7hg.blogspot.com/
http://kludges-other-blog.blogspot.com
Hiki Nô!