From: military-radio-guy Full-Name: Dennis R Starks To: military radio collectors#2 Fcc: Sent Date: Wed, 17 Dec 1997 10:52:00 Subject: Military Collector Group Post, Dec.17/97 Message-ID: <19971217.105056.13919.5.military-radio-guy@juno.com> X-Status: Forwarded X-Mailer: Juno 1.38 Military Collector Group Post, Dec.17/97 Index: MYSTERY RADIO; The Navy RBZ, by Dennis Starks WHATSIT? M2 Compass? Now We Know! DAVID W.'s Wants & Got's; HUMOR; ************************************ MYSTERY RADIO; The Navy RBZ O Joy, the Mystery Begins, One of the first military radios I ever acquired, after my RT-70, & from the same source, the late Bob Boller N0RB, was an RBZ. Bob was a retired Collins engineer from Dallas, and long time MARS member. First licensed as an Advanced Ham, and commercial CW operator at the age of 15 in 1938. He was never one to throw anything away, or allow anyone else to. Forty years of digging through the electronics grave yards at Collins, & numerous military bases(along side Tucker, of Tucker Electronics fame), had yielded him the finest assortment of neat junk I've ever seen in one spot in my life. Even though we were competitors in the electronics repair business, we often collaborated on medium to large size jobs. He was my mentor, and more like a father than my own ever was. Because of his years of scrounging, Bob had many, MANY tons of the most oddball connectors in the world. I would often take off a day to go digging through them to find what I was in need of for some project, a full day was needed! On one of these Search & Sort missions, I walked into Bob's shop to find him playing with this tiny receiver. I couldn't believe how small it was, nor that Bob even had it without my knowledge. I normally knew more about his stuff than he did, do to my intense snooping. He had taken a bunch of used camera film, the old defunct Polaroid stuff that had built in batteries for the flash(like I said, he never threw anything away), taped them all together, stuffed them in the case, thus had it operational. It took a good full day of whining, but he finally gave it to me. It had the scull cap, & original antenna lead, but no canvas bag. Too Many Questions, It Just Don't Make Sense! Immediately, questions filled my head. What was it used for? Who used it? For what? Did it have a matching transmitter?(this was a long time ago). After I'd had it for awhile, I found a manual, this just added to the questions. The manual was for an RBZ(Special), as most are. It contains an error in that it states that the radio operates from 12vdc, when a minimum of 67.5 volts B+ is needed. Also the "Special" tuned from 5-13mc vice 2-6. The tactical frequency range of the day was approx 3-6mc for radios of this type. Then why an obviously tactical radio with a none tactical frequency range? The supplement contained in the RBZ(Special) manual was obviously printed by the Signal Corps, not the Navy, or Emerson. Then what was the Signal Corps doing with it? Why didn't they correct the 12vdc error? We all know how sticky the military is about error corrections in their manuals, hell the first couple pages in each is devoted to the subject, then there's at least one form in the back for this purpose, yet no corrections were EVER made! What's An RBZ, You Ask? Built by Emerson, the RBZ is an ultra small five tube superhet receiver, smaller than a carton of non-filter cigarettes, it's size would still put Sony to shame 30 years later. All permeability tuned with sliding slugs like an old AM car radio, It tunes 2-5.8mc(for the RBZ), or 5-13mc(for the RBZ"Special"). The receiver itself is housed in a plastic(phenolic) water tight case, while the batteries and audio interconnections are housed in an identical, and interchangeable case. Together, the two are carried in a canvas bag, worn on the chest by the user. Antenna connection is made via a miniature banana jack on the front panel. The antenna itself consist of a piece of wire about 2ft long with thumb screws on it's extreme end for attachment to the soldiers tin pot helmet. Believe it or not, it works! The headset used is the common combination CUP type elements contained in a nylon scull cap, same as that used on the MAB, and DAV among others. Controls are the minimum volume/power/on/off, and the frequency tuning. The later is a marvel of mechanical design, it must be pushed in & turned at the same time to engage the internal skunk works, thus tune the thing, also preventing accidental de-tuning. The dial is the good old Radium illuminated drum type, and is very useful in testing & calibrating your PDR-27 radiacs. It's impressive that even with this radio's extremely small size, this dial actually gives you some degree of resolution. There is absolutely no difference between the RBZ, and the RBZ"Special", either physically, or electronically. The later is a simple field modification that involved pasting a paper frequency scale over the existing dial face for the new tuning range, and a re-alinement of the radio. No circuit changes at all are made. Tube line up includes 2ea 1T4's for the RF and IF amps, 1R5 for the mixer, a 1S5 detector, and a 1L4 audio amp. Power was derived from a standard commercially available 67.5 volt battery (BA-51)for the B+, and 2ea "D" cells(BA-30) for the heaters. The Printed Matter Didn't Help! Several years of searching didn't turn up any info on the little radio at all. It's manual didn't help, printed by Emerson, it had no dates at all , & very little other info, the Signal Corps supplement dated 27 March 1945, simply added to the mystery. It was not contained in Ships 275, nor any of the TM11-487 series up to 1958. No magazine/conversion articles were ever written, nothin! Then finally, something, not much, & it didn't help, but it was somethin, the June 1944 issue of QST had a report on the "Raider" receiver. It was just one paragraph, and a picture. Obviously just Emerson promotional hype it stated "Marine Corps raiders and paratroopers now receive their orders over (Raider) receivers", along with the credit for the photo as "Official Marine Corps Photograph". The Photo was straight out of the RBZ manual! The only value of this tidbit of info was that it proved the radio existed in early 1944. The RBZ does not appear in any Para-Marine, or Raider documents found to date. The only eye witness account, and not from a very reliable source, places it in use by the shore patrol, Pacific theater, late 1945. The next time the RBZ would appear in print was 14 years later, in the 1958 edition of TM11-487, remember that one? It's 2300 pages long. This issue also marks the first appearance, and descriptions of the PRC-1, & PRC-5 as they were then declassified, both being classic suite case radios. Coincidence? Here the RBZ is listed in the PRR "Type" section of the handbook, having a unit cast with spares of $70.00. It All Comes Together. Everything I had learned, or couldn't learned about the RBZ told me one thing, we weren't suppose to know! I had my suspicions, enhanced by the fact that a tactical receiver was supplied covering a frequency range that wouldn't allow it's use in a tactical/combat role. But I didn't have the proof. Then one day while reading a borrowed book, totally unrelated to radio. I found the following lines, [The most important time of the day was when they listened to the BBC broadcast from London that announced their next supply drop. The signals came on three successive days. Their first warning would be a cryptic message: "Suzette has hung her washing out to dry". (The operation will take place Saturday at the designated dropping point.) The following day BBC would announce "There are red flowers in the forest". (the drop will be made tomorrow night as planned.) On the third day, as they crowded around the tiny RBZ set on their mess table, they would here the final message: "Snow will fall in early December this year".] The name of the book was Cloak and Dagger, The Secret Story of OSS, by LT.COL. Corey Ford, and MAJ. Alastair MacBain. The events here described are those of a Maquis (French resistance unit) receiving instructions for their next supply drop. The radio they are using is the RBZ"Special", it's frequency range covering that of the BBC broadcast. One Mystery Solved, Another Begins While the above pretty much solves the mystery of the RBZ"Special", it doesn't do much for the standard RBZ. Most of the questions for it still remain. We at least now know why the set was kept hush hush for so many years. What did the Navy use it for? One of the sets in my collection has a PMS(Preventive Maintenance Schedule) tag on it dating up to 1964. What could they have been using it for at that late date? Recently one of our group has sent me info on his 110vac RBZ power supply, the only one known to exist, and until now completely unknown. Housed in exactly the same case as the receiver, and battery box, it will operate from either 110 or 220 volts AC or DC. Designated RBZ POWER PACK MODEL 2, it also has a headphone jack rather than the standard in line connector. So we continue our search for answers. Conclusion, The RBZ is not at all a rare or particulary valueable radio, they are just slighty harder to find than a BC-611, and well worth having. The RBZ"Special" on the other hand is pretty scarce. For some reason they seem to be more common on the American east coast, and several have recently turned up in Europe. Most likely those in Europe have been there ever sence their clandestine days of WW-II. We need more information, and historical documentation on them both. By the way, the missing canvas bag for my first RBZ surfaced a couple months later. While Bob and I were on an antenna job together, I noticed the canvas bag over his shoulder, he had been carrying his staple gun around in it for over twenty years. Strangely, it took three times the whimpering, and whining to get the canvas bag than was required to get the radio. The next two radios to be featured as Mystery sets will be the Navy AMA, and Marine Corps PRR-15, so if you have any info, please send it in. Dennis Starks; MILITARY RADIO COLLECTOR/HISTORIAN military-radio-guy@juno.com ************************************ WHATSIT? M2 Compass? Now We Know! Does anyone have information on a compass marked "M2" that was made by Brunton Mfg. It is about 50% larger than the military lensatic compass and appears to be graduated in mils as opposed to degrees and I would assume it to be used for artillery. My friend has one that has sentimental value and would like more information on it. I own a similar one that was made for commercial purposes (graduatd in degrees) and is grey as opposed to green. Mine was used for forestry surveying about 30 years ago. Ken Sakamoto kenscom@juno.com -------------------------------------------------------------------- Ken A couple years ago we found at the State Agency for Surplus Property a bunch of really neat wrist worn military compasses. Thinking these would be really great for search a rescue when we had hundreds of people in the woods, we got a bunch of them. After returning home, and inspection of our prize, we found that the things were all backwards, seems they had been meant for artillery spotters. Don't know why Cannon Cockers needed backwards compasses, but they didn't do us any good. We took them back. Got nothin ta do with what you have, just some trivia. Dennis --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Hi Ken, I saw your question on Dennis's group and I hope I can help. I used to collect compasses as a hobby as they were very cheap 20 years ago. I had a large collection and had compasses that were over 200 years old to the newest 1978 model . The compass you make reference to is a general purpose high quality pocket transit . The M-2 Brunton was used by Engineers for mapping and sketching as well as measuring angles . The artillery used them for surveying in the aiming stakes quickly and also for checking the angle of the barrel of the piece in comparison to the angle that was indicated on the elevation scale on it. The compass is scribed in mils as to be consistent with military practice . The compass was also used by any other arm of the military that need to have accurate surveying capabilities .The signal Corps used them for laying ot antennas and measuring tree heights for antenna supports . I would be glad to answer any other question you have on the compass . I used to have a manual for the M-2 , I looked for it but I seem to have lost it or loaned it out .A engineering supply house could get a new manual for you as they still make the same compass. Best Wishes , Lee Lee Orsborn N7YRU Spokane Wa. e-mail leeo@ieway.com ---------------------------------------------------------------- Ken: The M2 Compass was and probably still is the compass used by Artillery and Mortar people. When I was in (the Reagan Banana Wars), it was the issue compass for those people. The use of mils rather than degrees is standard for gunnery, artillery, and mortars because the resolution is much finer than the degree scale, hence inhancing accuracy of correction. Dennis: I have seen the"backwards" wrist compass; still got one. I wore a wrist compass on the same band as the Hamilton watch I was issued. The combination is used for calling counter battery fires, mostly at night. If you time the differance between the flash of a gun and the sound of the report, you can calculate the distance between the gun and you (differance between the speed of sound and the speed of light). If you then take an azimuth to the flash, you get a direction from you to the gun. If you know where you are on a map, you can determine the location of the gun from that information. Then, all you do is call fire in on that point and screw up thier evening. It works surprisingly well. We got some of these things where the dial is printed correctly, but the magnet is on the wrong side of the thing so it had a South seeking arrow instead of a North seeking one. I assume these are what you encountered as well. We rejected them (there was apparently an entire contract's worth in the system like this) and they were quickly replaced with good ones. Sounds like the bad ones got surplused out and you had the oppurtunity to reject them also. I kept one just for the laugh. Brian Scace --------------------------------------------------------------------------- ************************************ DAVID W.'s Wants & Got's; Hi Dennis, I'm looking for: PRC-10's & accessories RT-68 & accessories VRC-19 (lo-band parts, I have the hi-band, help, etc.) I saved this VRC-19 from the land-fill... Trade goodies: Not much actually, some WWII german/french radio meters, WWII german crt's, and a various tube or two. I work with Brian and will try to infuence him to write the USMC article... Thanks again for all your effort on this list! 73, David, N3XRW david.ward@nist.gov ************************************************* HUMOR; A man was one of the lucky passengers on board a Northwest Airlines flight to Boston during "Hurricane Bob". The captain did his best to skirt the edge of the storm, but it was a pretty rough ride just the same - rough enough that the flight attendants were ordered to strap themselves into their seats for about half an hour, and many of the passengers were putting the little plastic bags in their seat pockets to good use. When the turbulence finally abated, the captains voice came over the intercom, "Well folks, that was quite some ride, wasn't it? But we came through it fine just theway we always do, and I'm happy to report that it looks like the remainder of our trip should be much calmer. On behalf of myself and todays flight crew, like to thank you very much for your clamness and cooperation, and extend our best wishes for a pleasant stay in Boston." After a short pause and several clicks the following was heard, "Jesus Christ - whatta bitchin' ride! Boy - I sure could use a cup of good strong coffee and a blow job right about now! As a stricken stewardess dashed up the aisle to the cabin to inform the captain that his intercom was still on, one of the passengers called after her, "Don't forget the coffee!" --------------------------------------------------------------------------- A young woman went to her doctor complaining of pain. "Where are you hurting?" asked the doctor. "You have to help me, I hurt all over", said the woman. "What do you mean, all over?" asked the doctor, "be a little more specific." The woman touched her right knee with her index finger and yelled, "Ouch, that hurts." Then she touched her left cheek and again yelled, "Ouch! That hurts, too." Then she touched her right earlobe, "Ouch, even THAT hurts", she cried. The doctor looked at her thoughtfully for a moment and asked, "Are you a natural blonde?" "Why, yes," she said. "I thought so," said the doctor, "You have a broken finger." When finished reading use browser back button or go to http://www.prc68.com/MCGP/MCGP.html