[Milsurplus] Ebay TBY now TBW and TCK

[kgordon2006 at frontier.com]

Here is my TCK-4. It is going to take me at least 100 hours of work to get it back in operable 
condition.

https://www.w7ekb.com/Personal/TCK-4/TCK4.jpg

The last owner modified it for RTTY. He also removed the AM modulator and built-in a 
complete HV power supply. It has a pair of 813s in the final amp stage. 

And 866s in the HV power supply. I really don't like 866s. I'll probably replacd those with 
solid-state...or maybe 3B28s.....

Since it has been hacked to death, I won't mind making some upgrades to it. It should make 
a fairly decent linear amp too, but I'll mainly use it on CW. I am considering adding a 3rd 813 
to the final amp stage, for the additional plate dissipation capacity.

The VFO "system" in this thing is certainy interesting.

I wish I had one of the original antenna tuning bits for it. But those are probably unobtainable.

I have all the manuals....

Ken W7EKB


On 17 Oct 2025 at 15:07, Nick England via Milsurplus wrote:

> 
> FWIW initial contract dates
> GO - Hygrade/Sylvania? - 1933
> GO-1 - Western Electric - 1934
> GO-3 - Westinghouse - 1937
> TBW - Westinghouse - March 1939
> TCK - GE - April 1941
> TDE - Westinghouse - June 1942
> 
> Nick England K4NYW
> Chapel Hill NC
> www.navy-radio.com
> 
> 
> On Fri, Oct 17, 2025 at 1:23PM howard holden <holden7471 at msn.com> wrote:
> Agreed Ray!  And yes the GO/TBW might be based on the TDE, although the TBW and GO are 
> maybe by comparison lightweights. The TDE and TCK also require a MG set.  The 803 is 
> indestructible! They should have never come out with the 813 although it's rated for higher 
> Mhz. 
> 
> 
> 
> From: Ray Fantini <RAFANTINI at salisbury.edu>
> Sent: Friday, October 17, 2025 8:12 AM
> To: howard holden <holden7471 at msn.com>; Charlie L. <mjcal79 at gmail.com>; 
> milsurplus at mailman.qth.net <milsurplus at mailman.qth.net>
> Subject: Ebay TBY now TBW
> 
> I built up and ran a TBW for some time, sold it off a long time ago. Fun transmitter. The 803 
> output tube was almost indestructible! Did a video of it back in the old SD analog days at :
>  
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sd4gPNGNYRU
>  
> The GO and the TBW always appeared to me to be a light weight version of the shipboard TDE 
> transmitter. Don´t know if that´s the case or not. For a long time wanted a TDE or TCK for 
> playing around with AM but now days all I can think of is how much that stuff weighs.
>  
> Ray F/KA3EKH
>  
> 
> 
> 
> 
>