[Milsurplus] Bill Godbout. RIP

[Mike Morrow]

Mark wrote:

> Used to prowl through Bill Godbout’s  cluttered store at Oakland
> Airport’s North Field in the 1970s.

Do you remember a military radio surplus store near downtown Oakland that was in business at least to the mid-1970s?  They carried all the good classic surplus stuff, mostly new condition, from R-390s to PRC-6s, but no "command set" gear that I recall.  I made several visits to it in 1974 while I was stationed at Mare Island.  I still have the TBY-2 and AN/PRC-9 that I purchased there, 44 years ago.  But I have no recall of the business name.

> I once asked if he had any CK 722s, the first commercial transistor.

The CK 722 was the first hobbyist-market (i.e., low cost, only about $60 in 2018 dollars when first introduced) junction transistor.  There were a good number of commercial-market junction transistors before the CK 722, which was a reject from Raytheon's CK 718 and CK 721 commercial production.  Western Electric and others even made some commercial-market point-contact transistors...all surviving PC transistors are very rare and desirable relics today.  Some think the CK 722 is PC, but it is not.

It's sad to hear of Bill Godbout's death.  I thought he would have been much older than 79.  I respect his affection and concern for his pets which caused him to remain in danger too long.

Mike / KK5F