[MRCA] BC-611

[Tim]

Yep, it was Spectronics...Was there many times, seemed they had a back door
to Moto dealerships for surplus/scrap.  It was the place to get started in
land mobile FM on 2 meters.  I bought a H-23 handy talkie and also a
narrow-banded T43 (GGV?) there and also the transistor HVPS strip to
replace the vibrator strip, it worked great.  Ran it in the Bronco on
146.940 for many years..6146 on 2 meters !  haha  Do you remember the "Red
Wire Special" inside the front door?   Some lump hanging there for a
special price...Remember these?  2 meters FM!
<http://www.n6cc.com/wp-content/uploads/IMG_0039-e1457315379905.jpg> I
still have the H23, still works.

I bought a TCS trans and receiver from them, don't know why they had it,
but since it wasn't FM I got it cheap. (Actually used it today on 7050 CW
with a buddy..)  DIY ACPS but it works great.

Motorola also had an internal quarterly(?) surplus sale for employees.  I
tried to get a beat up service monitor but they went fast...Lots of hams
worked there.  They also had a policy that employees could requisition
discrete components from the engineering storeroom to take home for
"educational" purposes.  Twas a good place to work.  Lotsa smart people who
trained me..

When I was there Moto got into the CB radio business (apparently briefly)
It was the "MOCAT" I recall.  They had a production line with automated
test equipment designed by HP that tuned up the main circuit board.
Motorized tweaker tools etc.  Red or Green light at the end.  If the board
failed final test it went to the techs to analyse.  If it took them more
than 1 minute to find the problem it went into a shredder.

Magnavox:  You probably made all the SSQ-41 and 53 sonobuoys that we
littered the Pacific ocean floor while monitoring the Ruskies..!  hihi
Good times!
Tim
N6CC

On Sat, Oct 5, 2024 at 6:40 PM Mike Feher <n4fs at eozinc.com> wrote:

> That is interesting Tim that you worked for Motorola. I lived in Ft. Wayne
> at the time and the HT-220 was every hams dream. There was a store in
> Chicago whose name I believe was Spectronics or something like that. They
> used to sell Motorola floor sweepings as well as complete boards for the
> 220. The deal was that they would have to break the board in half before
> they sold it. Being clever hams we put many of them together. Once I even
> got an unpopulated board, but was able to populate it with the parts from
> the floor sweep bags. I still may have that 220 somewhere. I worked for
> Magnavox at the time and we made the URC-68 radios and I had tons of them.
> I built a lot of 220s into URC-68 cases. Thanks for the memories. 73 – Mike
>
>
>
> Mike B. Feher, N4FS
>
> 89 Arnold Blvd.
>
> Howell NJ 07731
>
> 908-902-3831
>
>
>
> *From:* mrca-bounces at mailman.qth.net <mrca-bounces at mailman.qth.net> *On
> Behalf Of *Tim
> *Sent:* Saturday, October 5, 2024 5:53 PM
> *To:* Jeep Platt <jeepcomms at outlook.com>
> *Cc:* mrca at mailman.qth.net
> *Subject:* Re: [MRCA] BC-611
>
>
>
> Hi Jeep - fun stuff! Finding the batteries in USAF "Stock" in those days
> is interesting!  Whatszis for?  LOL
>
> I used to work for Motorola Communications in Schaumberg Ill (1970's) and
> there was a BC-611 proudly displayed in a glass case in the lobby of the
> manufacturing plant.  Even then, employees marvelled at it...
>
> The standing joke was:   "Joe ain't old but he aligned that set in 1942..."
>
> Tim
>
> N6CC
>
>
>
>
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