[Milsurplus] Doubting the Foxhole Radio, conclusions

Fri Aug 3 12:09:27 EDT 2012

Certainly a regen w/o an RF amplifier stage could be problematic.

On another point, I don't think WW II, or any war, is fighting 24/7. I've
heard it described as minutes of panic, interspaced with weeks of boredom.

There are only so many boots to polish.

YMMV,

-John

===========

> Gentlemen,
>
> We also have to consider the situation before the low-radiation specs
> were implemented.  Merchant ships were carrying regenerative receivers,
> some without RF stages, standing watch on 500KC.
>
> I own a working IP-501.  These were still in use in the 1930's, and I
> understand they continued to be used on the Great Lakes throughout the
> war years.  A few years ago I tuned it up on 500 into a 65-foot antenna,
> oscillating so it would hear CW.  I arranged a square-wave generator and
> a relay to key the antenna terminal to ground at a 1-Hz rate.  I could
> here the thing a kilometer away by just holding the Yacht Boy 400 out
> the car window.   I wouldn't want to try sneaking past a U-boat like that.
>
> Al
>
> On 8/3/2012 11:18 AM, J. Forster wrote:
>> Without active multicouplers and coax receiver inputs, the reduction of
>> interferance with other gear does make some sense. And, not only for
>> ships
>> but for bases with many receivers.
>>
>> Certainly more than the LO DFing story, IMO.
>>
>> -John
>>
>> ============
>>
>>
>>
>>> And oh yes, the other reason I have seen for reducing LO radiation is
>>> to
>>> prevent interference with other receivers aboard ship. This sounds
>>> quite
>>> plausible for Navy gear where there might be multiple rcvrs on the same
>>> band operating in close proximity shipboard or at intercept sites
>>> (sometimes sharing a common antenna with just a 600 ohm isolating
>>> resistor). The RAO-2, for example, evidently had an extra RF stage
>>> added
>>> for this reason. But it doesn't seem as likely a reason for modifying
>>> Merchant Marine morale radios.
>>> http://www.radioblvd.com/WWII-PostWar%20Hamgear.htm
>>>
>>> Nick K4NYW
>>>
>>> On Fri, Aug 3, 2012 at 10:49 AM, Nick England<navy.radio at gmail.com>
>>> wrote:
>>>
>>>> It's still not clear to me how much of a danger DF'ing the LO actually
>>>> was, but it is certainly true that receivers were modified to reduce
>>>> LO
>>>> radiation. Evidently these modified rcvrs were given production and
>>>> procurement priority and widely used, so the purpose couldn't have
>>>> been
>>>> to
>>>> prevent anyone from getting information via other than official
>>>> channels.They were called morale receivers for a reason.
>>>> http://www.imradioha.org/images/Gear/Scott_SLR-12-A_1942_Ad.gif
>>>>
>>>> Another "cover-up" explanation I have heard is that the reduced
>>>> radiation
>>>> was a way of explaining the reduction of U-boat success rates when the
>>>> real
>>>> reason was Bletchley Park's reading the Enigma traffic. But the timing
>>>> on
>>>> that doesn't see all that good either.
>>>>
>>>> The true story can be found in that giant warehouse seen in the
>>>> Indiana
>>>> Jones movies...
>>>>
>>>> Nick K4NYW
>>>> www.navy-radio.com
>>>>
>>>> On Fri, Aug 3, 2012 at 9:14 AM, J. Forster<jfor at quikus.com>  wrote:
>>>>
>>>>> The issue of DFing LOs was, IMO, a canard. A crystal set could not be
>>>>>
>>>>> detected by any means, of course.
>>>>>
>>>>> While it is theoretically possible that LO leakage could be detected
>>>>> at
>>>>> short range, it is very doubtful that it would be of any real use to
>>>>> the
>>>>> enemy.
>>>>>
>>>>> After 70 years, the original purpose of such things is highly
>>>>> suspect.
>>>>>
>>>>> IMO, it was much more likely a cover story to prevent the troops
>>>>> getting
>>>>> information via other than official channels.
>>>>>
>>>>> Disinformation was an integral part of war. Just look at the efforts
>>>>> to
>>>>> spoof the D-Day location.
>>>>>
>>>>> Politicians are trying to do exactly the same thing today, thankfully
>>>>> with
>>>>> only limited success.
>>>>>
>>>>> YMMV,
>>>>>
>>>>> -John
>>>>>
>>>>> ============
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>
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>
> --
> Al Klase - N3FRQ
> Jersey City, NJ
> http://www.skywaves.ar88.net/
>
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