[Milsurplus] FW: Mac's Surplus, Seattle

[Hubert Miller]

25 April 2026: 
I wonder if any reader knows more about anything touched in the following emails.
I kind of doubt that Australia would have any kind of radio contracted here, at the date era indicated.
Australia had its own radio  industry. No need to farm out a lowly Forestry type walkie talkie overseas.
Sounds to me more like something 'PAR', Pan American Radio, Bremerton WA, would produce. 
thanks-
Hue Miller
Newport, Oregon 

>-----Original Message-----
From: JOHN NELSON 
Sent: Monday, January 11, 2021 6:35 AM
To: Hubert Miller 
Subject: Re: Mac's Surplus

The sets that I saw were mostly identical.  They were a U shaped chassis that must have been intended for some sort of cabinet, about 6" long and maybe 4" wide, so fairly small.  You could see all of the components, but I don't recall what frequency the crystals were on.
There was no speaker, instead a black rubber headset and separate microphone, plus a battery cable. Those parts were pretty ratty and may be one reason they went surplus.  So my guess is that these were depot junkers, or there was a shift to a different band and they
became obsolete.   Plus solid state would be coming into play at that
>time.


>
> Do you remember Mac's Surplus store in Kirkland, circa 1970's?
>
> I ask because Electric Radio published a neat article about an Australian forest radio this month, and it reminded me of the fire jumper radios that Mac sold.
>
> They were the battery tube variety, and some sets were complete while others were beat up junkers.  I never bought one, and regret that.
> Some electronics minded friends did buy some and had a good time bootlegging.
>
> Did you ever see those?