[Milsurplus] Marine band conversions

[Hue Miller]

>Ralph Williams of the 'Williams Radio Company' in San Diego built 
>transmitters, DFs, etc for the fishing fleet back in the '50s and '60s. He 
>used a lot if Mil-surplus parts and conversions. When he became SK I hauled 
>away lots of xfmrs, chokes, and manuals from his shop the day before it all 
>went to the dumpster. Somebody had cherry picked the tubes etc but left the 
>iron and paper goods. There was an SCR-269 manual in the heap..so..he might 
>have modded them for the Tuna Fleet.
<73! Ed Zeranski

Ed, do you have photos of any of that conversion gear? Do you know if any of 
it used the original cabinet, and just modified and stuffed more parts in 
it?
( I think 'commercial conversions' are a whole separate and no less 
interesting branch of the tree. )
Up in Seattle, there was a 1950s company, "PAR" ( "Pan American Radio" ). 
They used 'Command Sets' and BC-375 parts to build their marine
transceivers. I have seen a few of their ads, pretty neat too, in 1950s 
issues of 'Pacific Fisherman' magazine - altho at antique mall prices,
the mag is most often overpriced.
One intriguing ad for a PAR radio mentioned a special, new band that their 
radio offered as a feature. I don't know if this anticipated CB or exactly 
what.
They also built what was probably the chintziest marine radio ever: the 
receiver was tunable 1000-3000 kc/s, and to use it, you press the transmit
lever and speak into the speaker.  When I shopped 'Pacific Surplus' on what 
was then Skid Road in the early 1960s, the surplus store had numerous
of this radio in unfinished state, so I assume that maybe a few years 
earlier, bookends the history of that company.  One local fellow told me the
who has worked there, KW era, that the owner had run it into the ground, 
maybe the familiar story of a drinking problem?
One surprising thing about the Pacific Fisherman mags, Northern Radio ( of 
Seattle ), a big hitter in the Northwest and Alaska business, NEVER
advertised in the mag.
( Other Washington manufacturers of short lifespan:  Intervox ( 1937 ? - 
1943 ? ); Brelonix ( 1970s ? ); Northwest Instrument Company ( 1970s).
Say- anyone south know anything about "Side Band Associates", SBA ? ( NOT 
SBE! )
-Hue Miller