[Milsurplus] NEM Warehouse Sale(Friday)

[Ray Fantini]

I was at the National Electronics Museum Friday morning. They were not letting anyone into the sale site until 1000 local; they have always been serious about maintaining a tight schedule and not allowing any exception or under the table deals. The posted time of the event was 1000 to 1400, with additional time provided for load out.

The sale was held in one of Northrop Grumman warehouses. A large section in the back had been provided for this.

Think there were twenty of us who were trying to get in early, but they did not allow the group access untill ten. Was something like a miniature version of what happens at the Hamvention when they open that to the public.

Upon entering the first thing you see are the big items, a huge pre war LF transmitter and several big items including Electronic Warfare pods, Towed Sonar fish and other huge items including first generation satellite equipment the size of refrigerators, primitive airborne radar equipment and what I wanted a seven hundred and fifty pound TBK transmitter. Past the big items were three or four tables stacked with radios, radar and test equipment. And finally along the back wall were several more tables. Items were not individually priced but tables had prices posted for each item on the table. There were five, ten , twenty dollar tables and then many more expensive item that were priced separately located on the back two or three tables. In addition to this there were tri wall containers with items in them, the majority being five to twenty dollars per item.

Items I saw sell. National HRO-500 receiver $150, National HRO-60 with coil set $60, BC-348 with mount $30, ARC-5 receivers/ transmitters some with dynamotors assorted bands  $15/$20 I picked up a forty meter one with Dynamotor for $15, RU receivers with coil $15, RAL/RAK receivers and power supplies $20 each, three (pallet) WS-19 sets with mounts, cables and accessories $200, BC-620 set with power supply $40,a large amount of radar stuff from WW2 vintage to modern including displays, radios and antenna assemblies $20 and up. If you wanted radar stuff from the old tube WW2 stuff up to relatively modern stuff this was the place to be.

I purchased a Canadian WS-52 receiver, without case and a WS-9 receiver, transmitter and power supply for $200, saw a cardmatic tube tester sell for $150, a number of old tube type oscilloscopes that were all available for best offer including a lot of the old five hundred series with scope mobiles, along with a number of items that I cannot identify.

I would like to have bought the TBK transmitter, it was dirty from storage but still had all the huge “fish bowl” tubes installed but have no idea how I would have unloaded it and fit it into the shack, and then there was the other issue that it’s a CW only transmitter and my CW skill suck. But that transmitter would look great next to my 1938 HRO/RAS

One unidentified box that I got uncovered was some component of the Navy SU-1 shipboard radar system and once discovered the staff covered it back up being they have a museum ship that had requested any of those components so its good to know that it will be going that way along with a number of items they withdrew from the sale that were going to other museums. I would say that maybe a quarter of the items on the master list were withdrawn so they can be passed on to other museums.

The group I was with departed around 1430 with two truck loads of equipment, around seven pallets of hardware.

In addition to the radios, I also purchased several aircraft computer systems including a lot of F-16 prototype hardware and a couple navigation computers. Only wish I was able to work out something on the TBK.

Thanks to the Managment, Employees and Volunteers of the NEM for providing this opportunity for many of us being allowed partake in this event.


Ray F/KA3EKH
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