Ok, so it's a AN/ALA-2 or 10 that I want. Thanks for the information. While we are on the subject when was the APR-4Y interduce? Looks something like the old 4 but uses all miniature tubes and has the FM detector that makes it way more fun than the regular 4

Ray F/KA3EKH


From: Michael Hanz <[email protected]>
Sent: Wednesday, September 27, 2023 4:25 PM
To: Ray Fantini <[email protected]>; [email protected] <[email protected]>; [email protected] <[email protected]>; MMRCG <[email protected]>
Subject: Re: [Milsurplus] AN/APA-38 Panadaptor
 
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The AN/APA-38 was more associated with the APR-1 and earlier APR-4 series, Ray - thought they all worked with the 30MHz output of the receivers.  The mate to the APR-4Y was also the AN/ALA-2 (and AN/ALA-10, like the one below).  These last two were identical except for the addition of a small "look-through" module that allowed seeing through momentary gaps in the associated jamming transmitter to see if the enemy radar was still pinging.  They all used 400Hz power.

- Mike


On 9/27/2023 3:50 PM, Ray Fantini wrote:

Is doing something completely pointless sane? I was recently so impressed by some of the aircraft radio dioramas at Gilbert that I have decided that I would like to try to attempt one myself.  First let me start by saying that one of the tools I use at work almost all the time is a spectrum analyzer, everyone knows that much has been rolled out in the past years from companies like Rigol with a line of spectrum analyzers with internal tracking generators for under one thousand dollars or the little Nano VNA vector network analyzers so today anyone can have a spectrum analyzer or VNA that would have easily cost five or ten grand ten years ago, and brand name analyzers like the HP ESA family and not out of the range of most people, but I want to take a giant leap backwards and build up my EW/ECM warfare “primitive” analyzer by kitting out my APR-4Y with a AN/APA-38 panadaptor.  The old APR-1 and 4 all worked with a larger display, the APA-10 but never warmed to those old receivers being the 4Y had just one head for covering all four bands and had enough sensitivity to almost be called a receiver along with an added FM demodulator.  I have a APR-4Y with head and rack but lack the AN/APA-38 scope and think if I can come up with one that would be the good basis for a complete search receiver from the old days, a primitive spectrum analyzer.

So if anyone has one that can be talked out of please let me know.

Have already seen where a ARC-21 has shown up so there must still be more unicorns out there.

 

Ray F/KA3EKH