From: military-radio-guy Full-Name: Dennis R Starks To: military radio collectors#1 Fcc: Sent Date: Mon, 29 Dec 1997 06:41:39 Subject: Military Collector Group Post, Dec.29/97 Message-ID: <19971229.064044.10047.11.military-radio-guy@juno.com> X-Status: Sent X-Mailer: Juno 1.38 Military Collector Group Post, Dec.29/97 Index: Chinese Type 139 A Radio Receiver; by Bill Howard RALPH H's WANT LIST; JOE'S WANT LIST; DANNY CAHN'S WANT/TRADES; SAM'S WANT & TRADE LIST; HUMOR; ********************************************* Chinese Type 139 A Radio Receiver; by Bill Howard General description of the set. The Chinese Type 139 A Radio Receiver is also late Vietnam war, if in fact it was part of the conflict. It is probably the replacement for the Type 139 Radio Receiver which was a tube set and was powered by a 90 volt dry cell and 1.5 volt dry cells. As of September 1968, none of the R 139A sets had been captured by US forces to the best of my knowledge. This particular set had a serial number of 70 1917. It was speculated that it was made in 1970 and was really set number 1917. This has not been confirmed by any source. If in fact it was made in 1970, it would have entered the Vietnam Conflict in 1971 or 1972, just as the U.S was pulling out and the Techjnical Intelligence effort ceased to function. Physical Description : The set is 10 inches wide, 3 and 1/2 inches deep and 5 inches high.The battery box and four rubber feet add another two inches to the set, making the overall height 7 inches. The weight, with out batteries is approximatly___ lbs, more with all 7 batteries in place. There are sling swivels on either side, indicating that it was designed to be carried over the shoulder, similar to a Ladies handbag. Spring loaded snap catches (4) hold the front panel cover on the set. An additional; four snap catches hold the battery box on the bottom. The battery box is hinged and can not be completly separated from the radio. This set is all solid state and is powered by 7 D cells, providing 9 volts and 1 1/2 volts. The radio is removed from the case by unscrewing four captive screws and then sliding the radio out of the case. Difficult to do as there are no real handles, only one knob for pulling. The set tends to stick to the rubber gasket and the power plug is a tight fit in the connecting socket. This is probably due to age. Once out of the case, there is an extension of the power cable and plug which plugs into the set and allows it to be used with the batteries in the battery case while the set is being worked on. This was no doubt inspired from looking at the Japanese radios of WW II. There are provisions on the front and the side for a pair of headphones to be used. The plug sockets are smaller than the standard 1/4 inche and larger than the standard min plugs available in the USA, which means the original headphones must be obtained or a means of rewiring developed for use with US style plugs. The headphone jack on the side panel is encased in a plastic shield which makes the set water tight. It also makes re-wiring almost impossiblewith out damaging the seals. Front Panel Controls: On the bottom laft are three controls. The far left control is marked in Chinese and has the number 0 in the center. It is connected to a potentiometer. The center control indicated volume. Turning it clockwise increases the volume. It too was a potentiometer. The control on the right rotates through 360 degrees but has markings on the case through 180 degrees. It is connected to a small variable capacitor and is probably for adjusting the antenna. Above these controls is the main tuning control. It has a screw down clamp to hold the dial fast however this did not seem to be working. Above this control are two smaller controls which are connected to switches. They are 3/8 inch in diameter and not that easy to turn. One switch is connected to the dial light and derives power from the 1 1/2 volt battery.(On this set, the dial light was burned out) To the right is the main tuning dial and window. The window is lighted, as mentioned. Three scales are visible in the window. On the upper right side is a 3 position switch marked 1, 2 and 3 which is probably the band switch. Below this is another control, a 5 position rotary switch. This seems to be a sort of function control, Off and whatever else. Below this is one of the two jacks for the head phone connection. Two more items are on the front panel, screw terminals with the symbols for antenna and ground. Another screw terminal is located on the top of the set. At first I thought it might be for an antenna connection for when the set was installed in a vehicle. It was not, however, connected electrically to either the ground or the antenna terminal. A second jack socket was located on the side which was for a second set of headphones. Interior Construction: The set is modular in construction and is made up of circuit boards which can be replaced if one is found to be defective. All controls are mounted on the front panel and the modules are mounted on a metal frame, similar to the Japanese sets of WW II. Were it not for the transistors, one would think one was looking at a late war Japanese set. The center area of the set contains the three gang tuning capacitor. A worm gear meshes with a gear that turns the capacitor. At the other end is another gear train which turns the tuning dial. Very rugged construction and probably capable of withstanding rough handling. There are three tuning modules mounted on top of the set. Another control, the band selector switch, is mechanically linked to three rotary switches, one per tuning module. Each of the three modules had three coils, the rotary switches and assorted capacitors, resistors and other items, believed to be capacitors, which appeared to be adjustable through access ports on the top of the module covers. These appeared to have been set at the factory and were not really designed for field repairmen to work on. There are two other modules, one on the side which had three IF transformers but were not adjustable as the tops had been sealed with solder at the factory. This module also had a plug in crystal which was marked 500 KHZ. There were three transistors, 10 capacitors and 23 resistors. The capacitors were in metal cans and were the PC board mountig type. The resistors were 1/4 watt resistors. There were two other items, both in metal cans, one of which had two leads so I assume was a capacitor. This module was electrically connected to the potentiometer on the front panel which was also connected to ground. The second module was on the bottom and had two interstage transformers, 15 capacitors that I could see, at least one transistor and numerous resistors. This module was in such a position that the parts could not easily be seen. There were at least 6 resistors. There was evidence of corrosion on some of the parts. Most of the capacitors had insulated sleeves over them to shield them from one another. The final component was a square metal can that plugged in to a socket. Contact was made by two screws that fit into sockets. This did not seem to be the best method of plugging something in but presumably it worked. Operating Characteristics: The tuning dial was graduated in three scales, one from 1.5 to 3.6, the second from 3.6 to 8.5 and the third from 8.5 to 18.0. I assume these are megacycles Other characteristics are not currently available. Tactical Employment: The Chinese military is not as dependent on radio communication as the American army is. In many cases, the subordinate units have a receiver only so they can listen for instructions but can not ask questions. This set can be used in a weather warning role as well as listening for coded messages. Strengths and weaknesses: Principle strength of the set is it?s compact size, rugged construction and it?s ability to run on flash light D cells, found in most every hardware store. Major weakness is the fact that it is not easily repaired. Removal of either of the two lower modules would require considerable labor. Replacement of one or more of the tuning modules would require removal of all three so that the shaft for the rotary switches can be withdrawn. It is my opinion that this set is basically a throw away set. If anything breaks down, throw it away and get a new one. Collector Value Difficult to place a value on this set. It is not readily identifible as part of the North Vietnamese or Viet Cong arsenal during the period of the U.S. effort during the Vietnam War. Probably worth about $150 to $200.00 to a serious collector. Would be worth more if the headset were included as well as antenna, technical manual and a schematic. An interesting piece of Radio History of the Chinese Armed Forces. It is also one of the first Chinese military sets to use transistors, a step forward for the Chinese Radio industry THE WILLIAM L. HOWARD ORDNANCE TECHNICAL INTELLIGENCE MUSEUM e-mail wlhoward@gte.net Telephone AC 813 585-7756 --------------------------------------------------------------------------- ed) Jane's 1988 does list the type 139, & 139B sets, but not the 139A. The Type 139B is described as tuning 1.5-18mc in 3 bands, AM/CW, and includes a xtal calibrator. Size is 192mmH x 278mmW x 102mmD, 3.8kg. All other parameters appear to be the same as Bill's description of the 139A. ********************************************* RALPH H's WANT LIST; Ralph Hogan, WB4TUR email: ralph.hogan@vmic.com 12/97 Interest: Portable/Manpack PRC FM and HF CW/SSB equipment Want List: GRC-109: R-1004, G-43 Generator, GRA-71 Code Burst Keyer Have a miss-matched set of GRC-109 components, will swap around with members to get a matching set. PRC-74B: AC/DC PP-4514, CW-836 bag, AB-955 spring base PRC-9/10: AM-598 Amplifier/Pwr Sup GRC-106A: Depot Maint Manual TRC-77: CASE, Battery box, acces. XTALS: Ham band FT243 type Manuals for TEK 547, TEK 465/475 o'scopes TEK TM500 series: RACK, PLUGINS and any manuals ********************************************* JOE'S WANT LIST; WANT: Two 2N2876 RF power transistors to repair a receiver multicoupler. Original manuals for; BC-222, BC-721, PRC-75 (TM-06828A), PRC-127, PRC-277 (Tadiran), PRC-40(AX) (Manual Amendment" printed by Dixon Industries marked "AN/PRC-40, Repair, Modification,& Redesign") Equipment: BC-721 - BC-722 Contr box, MC-365 Contr shaft, FT-295 Mnt TBX-2 - Want radio with any accessories TBY - cal xtal and canvas case AN/PRC-21 - AT-486 Ant CPRC-26 - Canvas Case AN/PRC-34 or 36 - Any parts / acc / radios AN/PRC-66 - AS-2117 Whip ant AN/PRC-68B - Want bravo model only AN/PRC-74 - CW-836 Acc bag AN/PRC-75 - CY-6729 Case, ST-162 Harness, LS-549 Spkr PRR-9/PRT-4 - Xtal kit AB-1241/PRC-104A ant mnt (found in TM 11-5820-919-12). Grnd mntd base for the AS-2259 when used with the PRC-104A. FOR TRADE: EE-8 field phones (pair) - exc cond, canvas, 50's vint. SG-1144 - sig gen - 50 kc - 90 Mc, CW/AM/FM (FM above 30 Mc). 70's vint. working (will sell for $ 150) PP-112/GR - 24 V power supply f/RT-68, etc. Like new Joseph W Pinner EMail: kc5ijd@sprintmail.com Joseph W Pinner Lafayette, LA KC5IJD EMail: kc5ijd@sprintmail.com ********************************************* DANNY CAHN'S WANT/TRADES; Daniel Cahn 3444 Greenwood Ave Los Angeles, CA. 90066-2257 email: DanielC411@aol.com Phone: 310-398-3840 Fax 310-398-7159 - SURVIVAL RADIOS/ TECH.MANUALS FOR ANY SURVIVAL RADIO. I am especially interested in any Pre-1965 Survival or Life boat radios. Navy radios particularily. Any Self-Power Generating Life boat radios(via cranks) like Mackay Lifeboat radios. Astronaut Survival Radios 60's-90's.Anything unusual or out of the ordinary even it it is not listed. Interested in all historical/reference material related to survival radios and related items, including accessories,parts, batteries, etc. AN/PRC-112 AN/SSQ-83 Search and Rescue Bouy AN/PRT-5 Transmitter URT 27 URT 33, A,B.C ,C/M AN/PRT-3 Sarah Transmitter Beacon Battery or comp. unit - FOREIGN MADE SURVIVAL RADIOS WANTED: BRITISH MADE: BE 375 SARBE 5 SAR BEACON BE 499 TACBE SAR BEACON BE 515 SARBE 6 SAR Beacon. BE 549 SARBE 7 SAR BEACON CANADIAN MADE: PRQ-501 Personal Locator Beacon. SRS( Survival Radio Set). FRENCH MADE: ER-PX-1A Emergency Transciever Beacon RUSSIAN MADE: ARB-PK EMERGENCY POSITION LOCATING BEACON TYPE 855 SURVIVAL RADIOS w/BATTERIES ( R-855U, R-855UM, R-855A1, KOMAR-2MP) MILITARY RADIO WANT LIST -PRC-64 Also Delco 5300 radio. -PRC-117 MANPACK RADIO -PSC-3 MANPACK RADIO -PRC-113 MANPACK TRANSCIEVER -PRC-112 MULTI MISSION TRANSCIEVER -GPS -112 TRANSCIEVER HST-4A Parts and accessories wanted: - Battery Box Z-A1J. - Operators Manuals - Antenna AS-3566/G Low Gain whip antenna base and antenna SRC-6 ( RCA RADIOMARINE) AND SRC-6A (MACKAY 401 LIFE BOAT RADIO PARTS -Multi-sectional antenna mast assembly,( approx. 10 1' rods) -40' Long wire antenna with insulators -Antenna guy assemblies URC-68 ACCESSORIES: URC-68 Earphone H-281 Test Set TS-2688/URC-68 URC-68 Battery BA-112/U URC-68 External antenna Parachute adapter kit BAG BG 109-A ACCESSORY CONTAINER for CRT-3/ SCR-578 "GIBSON GIRL" ANTENNAES - Dorne and Margolin DM C125 Miniature UHF Satellite antenna - Antenna AS-3566/G Low Gain whip antenna base. TRADES: Will trade for Survival items only as listed above. PRC-75 Comp w/ transit case PRC-66B Comp. w/ transit case PRC-25 NIB PRC-68 w/ accs. PRC-126 w/accs PRC-6 and PRC-6/6 TRC-77 w/ accs. ********************************************* SAM'S WANT & TRADE LIST; 205 825-7305 stimber@lakemartin.net Sam Timberlake KF4TXQ P.O. Box 161, Dadeville, AL 36853. 12/27/97 Wanted: manual or info on USCG transmitter T-408/URT-12 (1955) FT-243 crystals: 3675-3725 KC & 7100-7150 KC Will trade for: Collins, cabinets, Drake, TMC, Hallicrafters, Hammarlund, National. WWII fixed station gear. Other vintage stuff. I have for trade: Collins: 51J-3, 51J-4, 75A-2, 75A-3, 75A-4 receivers. TCS-12 xmtr. 18S-4 xcvr, 618S-1 xcvr. Some ARC-5/SCR-274N rcvrs & xmtrs. BC-221 freq meter. R-208(Wilcox CW-3) fixed freq rcvr. BC-AR-232 contr box. BC-348-Q rcvr w/AC. Hammarlund HQ-110 VHF (160-2M) rcvr. ME-26D/U VTVM, TS-297/U multimeter, TS-585D/U test set OS-8E oscilloscope, AN/USM-24-C oscilloscope. 250TL triode NOS TCS modulation transformer. Hallicrafters: S-77 rcvr. National: NC-300 ham rcvr, NC-183R(.5-30) rcvr, NC-100 rcvr. Heath: HW-16 CW xcvr, HW-101(80-10) SSB/CW xcvr, Lab scope. Johnson: Challenger(80-6) xmtr, Viking I (160-10) xmtr. Knight: R-100 rcvr, 50W xmtr, KG-625 VTVM, KG-2000 Scope. "The more corrupt the state, the more it legislates." [Corruptissima republica plurimae leges.] -- Tacitus ********************************************* HUMOR; THE NIGHT BEFORE CHRISTMAS 'Twas the night before Christmas all over the place, When I saw, for the first time, that old flying ace. There was icing reported and turbulent air, He said, "File me a flight plan, I jus' gotta' get there". Outside sat the aircraft, quite ready to run The old man walked slowly toward that P-51. "Bad weather's no problem," he silently mumbled, As prop came to life and that big Allison rumbled. He eased in the throttle; the roar shook the ground, He taxied on out and he turned it around. He went through the run-up; he seemed satisfied, He said quietly to himself, "I'm in for a ride." He lined it up straight then he poured on the coal, The tailwheel came up as he started to roll. Just off the runway he sucked up the gear, And that mighty V-12 was all we could hear. He screamed overhead with a deafening crack Big blue flames belching from each shiny stack. He pulled up the nose and he started to climb, (No ice on that airframe: it didn't have time.) On top of the weather with the levers all set, He looked up above him and saw a Lear Jet. "With jet fuel and turbines there just ain't no class, Gimmee pistons, gimmee props and gimmee lots of avgas!" Now he's approaching where he wants to go But the weather has covered the runway with snow. How will he land it? We just have to guess, Can that grizzled old codger do a full I L S? Then over the marker, he started his run, The ceiling was zero, visibility: none. Airspeed's was three hundred when he felt the need For an overhead break to diminish his speed. Over the numbers he zoomed like a flash, Pulled into his break, we just knew he will crash. Oh, why do they do it on these kind of nights?? Then over the threshold, we see: LANDING LIGHTS! The unicom gurgles, "I've three in the green, And I see enough runway to land this machine!". Then he tied down that Mustang, we all heard him say, "Next year for sure I'll take reindeer and sleigh. ------------------------------------------------------------------------- A drunk that smelled like a brewery got on a bus one day. He sat down next to a priest. The drunk's shirt was stained, his face was full of bright red lipstick & he had a half empty bottle of wine sticking out of his pocket. He opened his newspaper & started reading -- a couple of minutes later he asked the priest, "Father, what causes arthritis?" "Mister, it's caused by loose living, being with cheap wicked women, too much alcohol & contempt for your fellow man." "Well," the drunk muttered & returned to reading his paper. $ The priest, thinking about what he said, turned to the man & apologized. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to come on so strong -- how long have you had arthritis?" "I don't, father, I was just reading in the paper that the Pope has it." --------- End forwarded message ---------- When finished reading use browser back button or go to http://www.prc68.com/MCGP/MCGP.html