[MRCA] BC-342 and end of displays

[mkdorney at aol.com]

We're going to keep trying, and see what we can work out.  The BC-654 was used to communicate ship to shore on landing beaches (albeit at a much shorter range), but we'll just give it a go.  Long wire is the only way to to as far as an antenna is concerned in this effort - the vehicle mast on the MP-48 is just not enough.  USS Slater was talking to Buffalo NY and Boston MA on 3885 from Albany NY using their stuff ( granted, their radios are more powerful, and their antennas are far superior to mine) but the distance they were able to reach on 3885 during the day was impressive.
 
Mark
WW2RDO
 
In a message dated 10/11/2017 1:07:43 PM Eastern Standard Time, RAFANTINI at salisbury.edu writes:

 
Wow, that s tough one for WW2 period equipment in a small vehicle.  The SCR-188 that consist of a BC-191 and BC-342 may be possible but that almost falls into the realm of the SCR-299 in its truck mounted shelter and the BC-610 and all that goes with it. Daytime operation on eighty are going to be somewhat limited to ground wave so would think the BC-654 going to keep you down to five to ten mile range at best using AM.
Wonder if anyone has a transportable functioning  SCR-299? I have not seen one or a jeep mounted SCR-188 or  SCR-245 and had thought of doing a SCR-245 that has the little BC-223 transmitter paired with a BC-342 receiver but don’t have the old vehicle to install it in.
You may be forced to do the unthinkable, build a wooden box and install a modern 100 watt transceiver in it with a cover that can conceal the radio when anyone looks too close.
I do all Vietnam era stuff so have the benefit of running both high power and SSB so its not that big of an issue with that stuff but to be able to do that path reliably with WW2 stuff requires you to be Hardcore!
 
Ray F/KA3EKH 
 
From: mrca-bounces at mailman.qth.net [mailto:mrca-bounces at mailman.qth.net] On Behalf Of WW2RDO via MRCA
Sent: Wednesday, October 11, 2017 12:29 PM
To: Ray Fantini <RAFANTINI at salisbury.edu>
Cc:mrca at mailman.qth.net
Subject: Re: [MRCA] BC-342 and end of displays
 
Oops, wait a minute, the BC-654 didn't have an issue long wire antenna - you had to make one.  We use an extra long wire antenna I have from a BC-1306.
 
Mark
WW2RDO
 
In a message dated 10/11/2017 10:50:26 AM Eastern Standard Time, RAFANTINI at salisbury.edu writes:
 
What type of events are you trying to cover distances of eighty miles? One of the larger events is MRCA Gilbert where we use channel 3 on sixty meters, 5357 USB and radios along the lines of PRC-47 and GRC-106 sets but we generally only try to work in a zone of maybe forty miles with size and type of antennas being a limiting factor. Lot of work has been done with NVIS systems being this is all in the mountains of PA.  the longest paths we have done with things like VRC-12 sets is maybe twenty miles and this is all relatively modern equipment compared to the WW2 stuff.
Until you get into the high powered HF AM stuff like the SCR-299 with external long wire antennas you’re not going to get reliable long range communications, epically with vehicle mounted antennas. 
When M & S Net runs during the week or on Saturdays it’s common for many stations to work within a zone of three to four hundred miles but that’s most often with inverted V or dipole antennas. I will often run my 106 down here in Maryland and on occasion make the net just using the seventeen foot whip and counter pose but more often than not have to run an inverted V for any type of reliability.
Let me know what the event is and maybe next year I can drag up the M151 with the 106 on board if the event is open to newer vehicles.
 
Ray F/KA3EKH
 
From: mrca-bounces at mailman.qth.net [mailto:mrca-bounces at mailman.qth.net] On Behalf Of WW2RDO via MRCA
Sent: Wednesday, October 11, 2017 10:04 AM
To:WA5CAB at cs.com
Cc:mrca at mailman.qth.net
Subject: Re: [MRCA] BC-342 and end of displays
 
If you're not going to talk to anybody, what's the point?    The only thing that just listening proves is that the receiver section works.  At vehicle and radio meets. that's no fun.
 
At a couple of our events, we do try to talk long distance (  80 miles , so far to no avail - radio problems on either my end or the distant station end, but we'll keep trying).  We also set up a local net (0 to 2 miles distance) that we've had better luck with.
 
Mark
WW2RDO
 
 
" In matters of style, swim with the current.  In matters of principle, stand like a rock." - Thomas Jefferson
 
 
Sent from  AOL Desktop
 
In a message dated 10/11/2017 2:22:32 AM Eastern Standard Time, WA5CAB at cs.com writes:
 
I didn't say that it worked great, just that it worked.  And I didn't necessarily mean that you had to be in 2-way communication with the SSB stations.  What I said was that there is always something to listen to, if for no other reason than to show that the radio actually works to people walking by.  For actual 2-way communications with an SSB station on the other end of the circuit, you will with the BC-654 have to switch back and forth between AM and CW.  If just listening, you can always turn off the breakers in the PE-103.  Enforcing radio silence is one of their functions.

 Plus, the BC-654 is the only common HF set I can think of where the receiver and transmitter share a common mode switch.

 Robert Downs - Houston
 wa5cab dot com (Web Store)
 MVPA 9480

 In a message dated 10/10/2017 21:15:31 PM Central Daylight Time, mkdorney at aol.com writes: 
Well that's great for monitoring, I suppose, but it's not so good if you want to transmit voice ( it's impossible to do in CW mode).  Not to mention the constant operation of the PE-103 when the BC-654 is operating in CW-mode.


 Mark
 WW2RDO 
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://mailman.qth.net/pipermail/mrca/attachments/20171011/3a70932a/attachment.html>