[Milsurplus] Working on my ART-13's

[Todd, KA1KAQ]

On Tue, Feb 14, 2012 at 12:11 PM, Meir WF2U <wf2u at ws19ops.com> wrote:

> Further smoke tests suspended until I acquire replacement chokes and replace
> the bypass caps. Now I have to dig out the almost new-looking DY-17A from
> under the pile of junk in the garage, before I can blow up more things.
>
> I hate the thought that I may be forced to build an AC power supply for the
> ART-13, because I like to run military gear the way the original system is
> set up. I don't mind the whir/whine of a well-lubed dynamotor  :-) .

That makes two of us, Meir. Saw my first one in action years ago at an
old Hosstraders hamfest, courtesy of Big Al K1JCL, who had one set up
in a military shelter there. Every time he keyed the mic, the
dynamotor spun up and was just amazing. That and the autotune.
Declined an AC supply some years back just to force myself to set it
up properly.

I have the Navy ATC version which is in nice shape and was on the air
in the last 4-6 years. It came with a DY-17/ART-13A dynamotor with an
Air Ministry crown stamp on it, though I've never seen another one
like it. Looks almost like an old fire truck siren with fins all
around the outside edge on one side. No screened opening. No idea of
its condition electrically since the fellow used the transmitter on a
AC supply.

It also came with none of the needed connectors, but I've done well in
the last few years finding them at hamfests and elsewhere. Most
recently, I found the U-9/U in a box at Frostfest for a whopping $1.
Paid $2 for the U-7/U at one of the last Hosstraders and $4 for the
U-6 U-8 pair from a fellow on one of the radio forums. All I have left
to locate is the U-10/U and I can start my journey as well. It'll
eventually be paired with the RAX triplets from Tony's estate like the
PB4-Y manual shot on Mike's site.

Curious to know how you power the DY-17. I'm guessing with a 24-28VDC
source and a couple deep cycle marine batteries for start up? I don't
yet have the space to set mine up, but the day is fast approaching.

Thanks to your experiences and observations, I will pay close
attention to the areas you mention before firing it up and also keep
an eye on it for a while if/when it comes online, before proceeding
further. There are always some gremlins to deal with when you bring
something back to life, but it's always good to minimize them whenever
you can.

Congrats on your progress so far. Looking forward to the next installment.

~ Todd,  KA1KAQ/4