Military Collector Group Post, Nov.5/97 BASIC JAPANESE RADIO COLLECTION PART V; TYPE 94-6 RADIOS By Bill Howard Book Report, German Radio Equipment; Bill H. & Lenox C. High $$$ WW-II Radar Stuff Avail; On the state of Iraqi/Arabian Comm Gear, Desert Storm/Shield; Ed Zeranski ********************************************************** BASIC JAPANESE RADIO COLLECTION PART V; TYPE 94-6 RADIOS By: LTC William L. Howard In the period following WW I, considerable progress was made in the development of radios. The Japanese, especially the military, followed developments with a great deal of interest. In 1934, the Japanese ground forces adopted several radios as standard equipment. 1934 on the Basic Japanese calander was 2594, usually abbreviated as 94, hence the designation Type 94 - indicating it was adopted in 1934. The most commonly encountered sets are the Type 94-5 transmitters and receivers,(See Articles in the April 1994 and the Feb 1995 issues of ELECTRIC RADIO), the Type 94-3A and Type 94-3C transmitters and receivers, and the Type 94-6 transceiver. The Type 94-6 was a small compact set that used one tube, a double diode and a circuit that has been described as a "rush box". Power for reception came from a battery pack and power for transmitting came from a hand cranked generator. The earliest example found of one of these sets was manufactured in January 1935. It operated on one band, had one tuning capacitor, one filament rheostat and a regeneration control mounted on the top of the set in addition to a socket for connection of two headset/throat microphones and an RF meter. Other controls were on the side and consisted of the transmit/receive switch which was a lever switch and a toggle switch which is the voice/tone switch and the built-in CW key. Below the key was a connection for the power cable from the generator which supplied the required 3 volts and 150 volts. On the opposite side was the power plug that connected the set to the battery pack for use during reception and supplied the required 3 volts and 135 volts. On what must be considered the front of the set as it hung down around the operators neck was another socket into which a special two prong plug fit. To this plug were fastened an antenna rod and a counterpoise rod. The set was housed in a thin walled metal case with a cover that could be opened to reveal access to the controls on the top as well as two charts, one for calibration and one which had a schematic diagram and parts list. This set was then carried in a leather case and hung from the operators neck when in use. After a number of years, experience showed that the one band was not enough to provide adequate coverage and the set was modified to cover three bands. This meant three coils instead of one and a band switch to move from band to band. Rather than develop a completly new radio, the Japanese re-designed the set to make maximum use of existing manufacturing processes. The filament rheostat was moved closer to the outside cover to make room for the band selector switch. The band selector switch was not a rotary switch but more on the order of lever switches controlled by a rotary cam. The next major problem was where to put two more coils. This was solved by moving the battery pack plug socket down to the bottom of the same side. One or two other parts were moved around and now there was room for the other two coils. It is this later version that was captured in some quantity by allied forces and became the subject of a U.S. Army technical manual and a very excellent article done by Dick Rollema, PAOSE, the Netherlands titled "Japan's Hush-Hush Rushbox" which appeared in the March 1986 issue of 73 for Radio Amateurs. According to Dick, his set was manufactured in June 1940. To determine the date of manufacture, the Japanese went to a different system, this time using the year of the Showa Reign. Emperor Hirohito ascended the throne in 1925 so anything made in 1926 would have a year of manufacture of 1. 1935 manufactured sets show the year as 10 and 1940 would show a manufacture year as 15. The months in Japan are the same as the rest of the world with January being shown as 1 and December being shown as 12. Usually the Japanese is written from right to left. For further analysis of the set, one should read Dick's article or consult the U.S. Army Technical Manual on the Set. In addition to the earlier set, another item has surfaced and this is a canvas bag labled as Type 94-6 Wireless Set, Antenna Bag. All models had a leather case that housed the battery pack and also had a small pouch for the accessories, to include the headset/throat mike and power cords. Both the canvas bag and the leather accessory pack are rare items and seldom are found. When found, they are usually not with the radio. The metal and fibre board case that housed the batteries is also a rare item and I have never seen one of these. The three band version of the Type 94-6 is commonly found but very few of the earlier single band sets seem to have survived the war. If you should ever find one, try to obtain it as it is a rare set. Parts list for Japanese Type 94-6 three band set. 1 Antenna connection 17 Metal can capacitor 2 Counterpoise connector 18 250 ohm wire wound resistor 3 RF meter 19 Transformer 1:20 4 Mica capacitor 450 1500 20 Transformer 5 Coil 21 Mica capacitor 450 1500 6 Variable capacitor 22 CW key assembly 7 Mica capacitor 450 1500 23 Tone/Voice toggle switch 8 Mica Capacitor 450 1500 24 Headphones/mike socket 9 Coil 25 Generator power socket 10 Regeneration control 29K 26 Battery plugs connection 11 RFC 27 Mica capacitor 4500 1500 12 Mica capacitor 450 1500 28 Carbon resistor 13 Mica Capacitor 450 1500 29 Band switch 14 Tube socket 30 Coil 15 Transmit/receive switch 31 Coil (mounted on # 9) 16 Filament rheostat 32 Mica capacitor 450 1500 These sets came two per transport chest. The transport Chest held the following items: TRANSPORT CHEST FOR TYPE 94 - 6 RADIOS The Type 94 - 6 radios were transported in wooden chest. The chest held two complete radio sets with all accessories. The chest was organized as show below. The designations of compartments A, B, C, etc is my own designation and not the Japanese. ________________________________________________________________________ A Drawer B C _________________________________________ Compartment D Compartment E ________________________________________________________________________ Compartment F Compartment G ________________________________________________________________________ Compartment H Compartment I ________________________________________________________________________ Compartments A and C: Contained the Type 21 E Hand cranked Generator. Compartment D and E : Contained the Type 94 - 6 Radio, Mark 32 Transmitter , case and a UZ 30 Tube. one other item, believed to the the antenna and counterpoise connector. Compartment F and G: Contained the Accessory pack which held the battery box, 6 Type B-18 22 1/2 Batteries, 2 -1.5 volt filament batteries, 2 - Type J Headset/throat mikes,1- UZ 30 MC tube, 2 - items, I could not translate which I believe are the battery cables and plugs. Too big to fit in the compartments but stored on top over both compartments were the Canvas Antenna Bag with one Antenna rod (4 sections, joined) and the Counterpoise rods (2 sections, joined) Compartments H and I: These each contained 6 spare B- 18 B batteries ( 22 1/2 volts) and 2 spare 1 1/2 volt filament batteries. Drawer B: Detailed list of contents on the next page The pull out drawer contained the following items in the quantity indicated.: Unidentified item (4) * Screws (10) 3mm/25mm (5 ea) 2.6/15mm (5 ea) Generator Maintenance kits (2) Screws (10) 3mm-2.6mm (5 ea) unidentified item (2) item 10 meters long Screws (10) 3mm 2.6mm (5 ea) unknown item 2XB (1) unknown item (1) Screws (10) 3mm 2.6mm (5 ea) unknown item (1) unknown item (1) Unknown item(1) UZ 30 MC tubes (2) unknow item(1) Unknown item (4) Unknown (1) ________________________________________________________________________ The following items are known to be associated with these sets and have not been identified somewhere else. Generator brushes (4) - part of generator maintenance kit Oil Cans (2) - part of generator maintenance kit Battery cables, 2 per set Generator cable 1 per set Technical Manual(s) Antenna wires( rubber covered wires that can be used with a short bamboo stick. (2) Antenna/counterpoise connector 1 per set The following items were contained in the chest according to the photographs supplied: Small volt meter, used to check the generator (1) and two leads (2). Three documents Small paper satchel (probably contained screws) Two four pin plugs for the headset/throat mikes (2) 1 item(appears to be a wire wound rheostat) Small metal container with paper label (Could be nuts for the screws) * I have used the term screws very loosely. There are apparently two thread pitches 3 mm and 2.6 mm. Screws are also 15 mm and 25 mm in length. There are also nuts, lock washers, etc included in the generic term screws I am currently waiting for a better translation of the contents list. What is this set currently worth. Based on prices paid, prices that I have been told that people paid for items or just a general ?fel? for what things should cost, I have compiled the following list of items that make up the set and the approximate value of the items. The Japanese Type 94-6 Transceiver What is this set worth? 1998 This set is the smallest of the WW II Japanese sets that can be found even today. It was a "neat" war souvenier and was small enough that it could be easily transported in a G.I.'s duffle bag. These sets can be found in varying conditions and with varying accessories. Prices range from a low of $12.00 at an auction to $1700.00 paid by a Japanese collector. With this range, I have attempted to establish some values. Type 94-6 Transceiver with original tube in near mint condition with all accessories to include the hand-cranked generator, accessory pack $1700.00 Type 94-6 Transceiver, chassis only, no tube with broken meter $ 35.00 Type 94-6 Transceiver in case, missing T/R switch $ 50.00 Type 94-6 Transceiver in case, less data plates $ 300.00 Type 94-6 Transceiver, in case, with tube, no damage $ 500.00 Leather or rubberized canvas carrying case $ 40.00 Accessories Type 21 F Hand-cranked generator, operational, no damage and with all data plates and power cord $ 350.00 Type 21 F Hand-cranked Generator, damaged or missing parts, cables, data plates $ 200.00 Generator Maintenance kit, un-issued $ 100.00 Headset/throat mike, complete, good condition $ 365.00 Headset/throat mike in poor condition or missing any parts $ 25.00 Battery cables and plugs (Rare item) $ 50.00 Accessory pack, leather pack which holds battery box, less the battery box and accessories (Rare item) $ 125.00 Accessory Pack, with battery container, in unissued condition $ 250.00 Battery box by itself $ 50-$75 Antenna and counterpoise rods $ 150.00 Antenna/counterpoise connector (Two prong plug) $ 35.00 Antenna bag, less than perfect condition $ 20.00 TB Sig E ____ U.S. Army manual on the set(Photocopy)$ 25.00 TB Sig E ____ Original copy $ 35.00 Seldom does one find a complete set with all the accessories. The generators and the other accessories show up from time to time but they are hard to find. The set derives its value from being complete. An extremely rare set that must have been a pilot model which was built in the mid 1930's and did not have the band switch or filament rheostat and had the battery and generator sockets in a different location was recently seen so they too are out there. For those not familiar with the history of technical intelligence in WW II, there was a program called the JAPLATE Program which required that all data plates from captured equipment be sent to Washington, D.C. so that economic intelligence could ascertain who was making what and how many were being made. While economic intelligence found this useful, it rendered the technical intelligence company unable to determine what models had what changes. This accounts for the number of sets that are missing data plates. THE WILLIAM L. HOWARD ORDNANCE TECHNICAL INTELLIGENCE MUSEUM e-mail wlhoward@gte.net Telephone AC 813 585-7756 *********************************************************** Book Report, German Radio Equipment; Bill H & Lenox C. Dennis, Lennox C asked my opinion n two books on WW II German radios. Here is my opinion. Use it as you see fit. I also include Lennox's message for additional facts. Bill Howard ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- ------------ Bill, I got a reply from Paladin Press about the two books that you suggested: Communication Equipment of the German Army $40.00 Radio Equipment of the 3rd Reich $25.00 Do you recommend both of them? Do they have schematics? After getting over the "sticker shock" I thought I would ask before ordering both of them! I am old enough to remember when books were a whole lot less expensive! ;>} Lenox ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- --------------- Lenox. I recommend both books only if you are a dedicated collector of German equipment. Neither have schematics of the sets. Both have excellent photographs. Communication Equipment of the German Army is a must have as it shows all the accessories, headsets, keys, etc. The other commo of the Third Reich has a lot on the Enigma machine but it does show a lot of sets that you might encounter. Printing costs have gone up steadily over the years. These have excellent quality paper and pictures. When in the College of Engineering at USF from 1976 to 1979, I also suffered from sticker shock. Now I am immune to it! Bill Howard THE WILLIAM L. HOWARD ORDNANCE TECHNICAL INTELLIGENCE MUSEUM e-mail wlhoward@gte.net Telephone AC 813 585-7756 ***************************************************** High $$$ WW-II Radar Stuff Avail; TO: Dennis and the rest of the Post-Korean Police Action beat generation: Compass Technical Services, Inc. in Patterson, N.J. has N3B3 Radio Marine Corp. radar sets with dish and dome, probably with cables, NOS, for around $800. Also NOS T-17 plastic mikes, cords flexible, no cracking, price unknown by me cause I didn't ask. Lots of other overpriced but exotic stuff, mostly shipboard, including PPI indicators that look like top loading washing machines and fans that work on 110V DC. If interested, call Arthur Bernstein, (201)278-7777. Roland Maruska wachstockj@juno.com *********************************************************** On the state of Iraqi/Arabian Comm Gear, Desert Storm/Shield; Ed Zeranski On the state of Iraqi/Arabian comm gear and attitude toward comm in general...and a few experiences.... My involvement with Shield then Storm started in late July 1990. Our group was at CENTCOM/SOCOM, at Mac Dill AFB on the night of the attack installing a comm system that would see very heavy use in the coming war. The comm pipe into SWA was not that big at the start of the war and the scramble to get theater bandwidth never stopped. Lots of our, US and allies, bandwidth came from leased commercial sources. In fact one of the things I never see comment on when that time is discussed is just how many civilian contractors were in country supporting the 'magic' technology used by'our men and women in uniform'. From Aug 90 until Dec 90 when we went in country we were on the road to Hawaii, Korea, Germany, and US sites setting up new or upgrading existing links all in support of the CENTCOM J2 effort. In DEC 90 my partner and I deployed with the 581st MI CO from Zweibruken GE to Saudi Arabia attached directly to Shwartzkopf's J2/J6. Kinda odd being 45 and humping gear off a C5 with a bunch soldiers my kids age. I kept slipping up and calling Rhiyad 'Saigon'. As soon as we were known to be in country Tim and I started getting requests for help with comm and network problems, shortest day 20hrs and longest approx 50 Dec-March. One of the requests took us into "The Hole", Shwartzkopf's command bunker under the Saudi Ministry of Defence(MOTA). This is where we came into contact with Arabian comm and attitude toward it. Some of the allied networks ran over Saudi telcom which was in poor at best. Some lines were so noisy that comsec gear would not operate reliably. This problem had been ongoing for 4.5 months before Tim and I fixed it. The comm infrastructure throughout the country was a mess, GTE was brought in to install new and extra switches to handle the load put on the Saudi system by coalition needs. Even though I'm talking about Saudi Arabia not Iraq I think there are cultural values and attitudes common to both. These are top down societies and comms between common folk are not valued and perhaps feared amoung the ruling parts of those societies. You are close to the mark with your "If it didn't work..chuck it" analogy and it applied to more than radios. Perhaps that is related to a negative attitude toward people who do 'mechanic'types of jobs. Well, just my ideas and impressions, could be totally wrong but those were my impressions at the time. All in all we learned a lot during Shield and Storm and some of what we did still affects MI comm policy. I do have to admit that some of what was done was 'fast and filthy' not just 'quick and dirty' but it worked and time was tight. Then there were SCUDS and my transportation.."Battlecar Galactica"..but thats another story. (Thanks Walter Slezak) Ed Zeranski This is a private opinion or statement. home email: ezeran@cris.com THE WILLIAM L. HOWARD ORDNANCE TECHNICAL INTELLIGENCE MUSEUM e-mail wlhoward@gte.net Telephone AC 813 585-7756 --------- End forwarded message ---------- When finished reading use browser back button or go to http://www.prc68.com/MCGP/MCGP.html