MILITARY COLLECTOR GROUP POST, JAN.14/98 INDEX: MYSTERY RADIO; BC-745/SCR-511, PART I, by Bill Howard GRC-9/TA-12 CONNECTORS NEEDED; HUMOR; ******************************************** MYSTERY RADIO; BC-745/SCR-511, PART I, by Bill Howard Dennis, Here is my contribution to the SCR 511 article. Bill Howard SCR 511/ BC 749* “Pogo Stick Radio” My first contact with the pogo stick radio was back in 1948 or 49 when visiting a Bry’s surplus store in Asbury Park, New Jersey. They had the TG 5 Telegraph sets and the BC 746 Tuning units. Had no idea what the tuning unit was for but it had some neat parts in it. I convinced my parents to buy the TG 5 which sold at the time for $4.95 and the tuning unit for $3.95. Intrestingly enough the last time I saw a TG 5 advertised for sale was for $125.00 and the tuning units were still about $3.95!! My next contact with the set was almost 40 years later when a local wildlife rescue service/ marine outboard mechanic/ Relic collector called me up and said he had some radio stuff was I interested. I went down and looked at a Morse Code trainer with a chest of paper tapes, a coverless power supply for what turned out to be a Type 19 set, all for about $30.00 As I was about to leave, he said he had some sort of radio antenna did I want it for another $5.00. He got it down from the rafters and when I got it home, it turned out to be the BC 749. When I got home I got out my TM 11-487 and looked It up. It turned out to be the SCR 511. The radio, as first conceived was made up of the BC 749 and the T 39 Chest Unit. There was also the PE 157 Power Supply and the FT 338 mount. I then went to the three volume series on the Signal Corps in WW II to find out a little of it’s history and background. The set was originally developed for the Horse Cavalry and by the start of WW II, Horse Cavalry had been phased out. It was designed to be carried mounted on horseback, like a Guidon* and was called the guidon Radio. It was supposed to be used by sticking the spike post into the ground and then transmitting*. The set was connected to a T 39 chest unit which housed the batteries and a microphone that came out in a sort of rubber horn. The horse was replaced by the 4 x 4 Jeep so these radios were “re-designed” for use in the jeep. A special power supply unit the PE 157 was developed which mounted on the firewall of the jeep. This allowed the set to be conected to the power supply and then either a mike and headphones could be used or the telephone hand set could be used by plugging them into the PE 157. Presumably the jeep could be stopped and the set stuck in the ground or possibly the vehicle metal frame could be used as a ground. The power supply ran from a 2 volt storage battery, the BB 54 which could be recharged from the 6 or 12 volt vehicle battery. I then began the hunt for the rest of the set. I was fortunate to get the chest unit in almost brand new condition which led me to the conclusion that these were not issued in any great numbers as the firewall power supply was probably a better set up. I also picked up the PE 157 and the firewall power supply mounting base, the FT 338. Both showed a great deal of wear and tear. The radio itself, does look like a antenna with a really big loading coil. It is, however, the complete transmitter and receiver. The little plug in unit which I dismanteld for parts back in 1949 was the tuning unit. It consists of two crystals, a capacitor, a coil and several other components. These were marked with the frequency and you could also see the freq on the crystal through the window. To make it easier to change the frequency in the dark, these tuning units were marked with bumps which could be read by finger touch in the dark, sort of like braille for a blind person. The set covered 2 to 6 MC and spare tuning units were kept in a chest that came with the radio. It had a range of 5 miles and was designed for use by the signal corps, the Engineers, the Cavalry and the Infantry. These sets were made by Galvin and for the most part, my experience has been they did a lousy job of painting them. Most that I have seen had most of the paint chipped or flaked off, mute testimony to hard useage and/or a poor paint job*. Accessories that are known to be part of this set are the PE 157, the FT 338 mount, the microphone, the headset and Case CS 131, which contained spare vibrators, VB 8 and VB 9, Cord CD 618 and the spare tube kit. This is a re-tubing kit, which I was lucky to find in mint contition. The final item was the TM for the set. TM 11- 245 on this set provides a list of all the available tuning units which could be used, some of which are still available from FAIR RADIO. The TM dated July 30, 1943 lists 30 different firms as being involved in the manufacture of components for this set. Even their addresses are given. As of July 1943 there were at least two versions of this set, the SCR 511 A and the SCR 511 B and SCR 511(*) Which shows they were possibly planning for a third or fourth version*. There is a supplament to the TM which indicates that certain sets are wired differently than other sets. The SCR 511 A Sets in contract Order No. 2658-CHI-42 and with certain serial numbers are wired in one way while those with other serial numbers are wired another way. The highest serial number listed was 2436, so we can speculate that there were at least that many in the A series and probably double that number in the B Series. An interesting thing about the tuning units for these sets was discussed in an article in Electric Radio. It was called “IVO’s FLEAPOWER TRANSMITTER” He had taken the tuning unit, removed the RF coil and added a tube socket and replaced the two crystal holders with one. With careful rewiring, it was made into a transmitter about the size of a pack and a half of cigarettes. Would fit in your coat pocket! I was inspired and built one and surprisingly it worked quite well. William L. Howard THE WILLIAM L. HOWARD ORDNANCE TECHNICAL INTELLIGENCE MUSEUM e-mail wlhoward@gte.net Telephone AC 813 585-7756 -------------------------------------------------------------------------- *Ed), * BC 749 should be BC-745 * A Guide on, for you dummies, is a Flag or banner. * The SCR-511 was NEVER meant to be stuck in the ground for operation, many surviving examples will show damage from this practice. The testimony of WW-II Signals Instructor's, and field service personnel stress their dismay at their inability to get this across to their students, or troops. The physical design of the set, including it's pointed base, was to allow it's use with pre-existing horse TACK, I/E the leather guidon straps, and foot stirrup. None the less, this was done, and in part, along with it's appearance, contributed to one of the radio's nick names,"Pogo Stick". The PE-157 was indeed an attempt to update the set for use by a modern mechanized cavalry. * The lousy paint job found on components of the SCR-511 was not the fault of either the paint or the job. Rather it is the result of trying to make paint stick to Galvanized metal, an art still studied today. * It is common practice in all military equipment manuals to use (*) in the text to denote all variants of given item when the text applies to all the variants inclusive. This is usually outlined in the forward of each manual. In the next chapter of MYSTERY RADIO, the SCR-511, we will delve more into the intended purpose of the set, what it was actually used for, the long standing impact it made on history, and ask the question, What happened to them? More input is still needed as related to the set's airborne use, and postwar fate. Dennis ******************************************** GRC-9/TA-12 CONNECTORS NEEDED; Dennis, could you put out the word to the list, or to whoever you think may be able to help? I forward the following, with the authors permission.... Thanks and happy new year! /John ---------------------------------------------- ed) John, I normaly do not like to post the needs of no-group members, but what the hell! Here it is. >Return-Path: >Date: Tue, 13 Jan 1998 08:44:36 +0000 >From: Dave Bullock >Organization: MRC Institute of Hearing Research >To: johnmb@mindspring.com >Subject: Angry-9 and Bendix TA12 > >Hi John, >I hope you will not mind me mailing you but I am trying to find a >source of power plugs for a GRC-9 transmitter and a Bendix TA12 >transmitter. I am trying to get them going especially the TA12 which >is a true boatanchor and absolutely gorgeous inside!! >Please help if you can... >Thanks Dave Bullock G6UWO >daveb@ihr.mrc.ac.uk **************************************************** HUMOR; From an actual newspaper contest where entrants ages 4 to 15 were asked to imitate "Deep Thoughts by Jack Handey." I believe you should live each day as if it is your last, which is why I don't have any clean laundry because, come on, who wants to wash clothes on the last day of their life? --Age 15 Give me the strength to change the things I can, the grace to accept the things I cannot, and a great big bag of money. --Age 13 It sure would be nice if we got a day off for the president's birthday, like they do for the queen's. Of course, then we would have a lot of people voting for a candidate born on July 3 or December 26, just for the long weekends. --Age 8 Democracy is a beautiful thing, except for that part about letting just any old yokel vote. --Age 10 Home is where the house is. --Age 6 I bet living in a nudist colony takes all the fun out of Halloween. --Age 13 I often wonder how come John Tesh isn't as popular a singer as some people think he should be. Then, I remember it's because he sucks. --Age 15 For centuries, people thought the moon was made of green cheese. Then the astronauts found that the moon is really a big hard rock. That's what happens to cheese when you leave it out. --Age 6 My younger brother asked me what happens after we die. I told him we get buried under a bunch of dirt and worms eat our bodies. I guess I should have told him the truth--that most of us go to hell and burn eternally-- but I didn't want to upset him. --Age 10 I gaze at the brilliant full moon. The same one, I think to myself, at which Socrates, Aristotle, and Plato gazed. Suddenly, I imagine they appear beside me. I tell Socrates about the national debate over one's right to die and wonder at the constancy of the human condition. I tell Plato that I live in the country that has come the closest to Utopia, and I show him a copy of the Constitution. I tell Aristotle that we have found many more than four basic elements and I show him a periodic table. I get a box of kitchen matches and strike one. They gasp with wonder. We spend the rest of the night lighting farts. --Age 15 When I go to heaven, I want to see my grandpa again. But he better have lost the nose hair and the old-man smell. --Age 5 I once heard the voice of God. It said "Vrrrrmmmmm." Unless it was just a lawn mower. --Age 11 I don't know about you, but I enjoy watching paint dry. I imagine that the wet paint is a big fresh water lake that is the only source of water for some tiny cities by the lake. As the lake gets drier, the population gets more desperate, and sometimes there are water riots. Once there was a big fire and everyone died. --Age 13 I like to go down to the dog pound and pretend that I've found my dog. Then I tell them to kill it anyway because I already gave away all of his stuff. Dog people sure don't have a sense of humor. --Age 14 As you make your way through this hectic world of ours, set aside a few minutes each day. At the end of the year, you'll have a couple of days saved up. --Age 7 Often, when I am reading a good book, I stop and thank my teacher. That is, I used to, until she got an unlisted number. --Age 15 It would be terrible if the Red Cross Bloodmobile got into an accident. No, wait. That would be good because if anyone needed it, the blood would be right there. --Age 5 Think of the biggest number you can. Now add five. Then, imagine if you had that many Twinkies. Wow, that's five more than the biggest number you could come up with! --Age 6 The only stupid question is the one that is never asked, except maybe "Don't you think it is about time you audited my return?" or "Isn't it morally wrong to give me a warning when, in fact, I was speeding?" --Age 15 Once, I wept for I had no shoes. Then I came upon a man who had no feet. So I took his shoes. I mean, it's not like he really needed them, right? --Age 15 If we could just get everyone to close their eyes and visualize world peace for an hour, imagine how serene and quiet it would be until the looting started. --Age 15 ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- What Your Car Says About You... Acura Integra- I have always wanted to own the Buick of sports cars Acura Legend- I'm too bland for German cars Acura NSX- I am impotent Audi 90- I enjoy putting out engine fires Buick Park Avenue- I am older than 34 of the 50 states Cadillac Eldorado- I am a very good Mary Kay salesman Cadillac Seville- I am a pimp Chevrolet Camaro- I enjoy beating up people Chevrolet Chevette- I like seeing people's reactions when I tell them I have a 'Vette Chevrolet Corvette- I'm in a mid-life crisis Chevrolet El Camino- I am leading a militia to overthrow the government. Chrysler Cordoba- I dig the rich Corinthian leather Datsun 280Z- I have a kilo of cocaine in my wheel well Dodge Dart-I teach third grade special education and I voted for Eisenhower Dodge Daytona- I delivered pizza for four years to get this car Ford Escort - I'm a red-headed nanny Ford Fairmont- (See Dodge Dart) Ford Mustang- I slow down to 85 in school zones Ford Crown Victoria- I enjoy having people slow to 55mph & change lanes when I pull up behind them Geo Storm- I will start the 11th grade in the Fall. Geo Tracker- I will start the 12th grade in the Fall. Honda del Sol- I have always said, half a convertible is better than no convertible at all Honda Civic- I have just graduated and have no credit Honda Accord- I lack any originality and am basically a lemming. Infiniti Q45- I am a physician with 17 malpractice suits pending. Isuzu Impulse-I do not give a rip about J.D. Power or his reports. Jaguar XJ6-I am so rich I will pay 60K for a car that is in the shop 280 days per year. Kia Sephia- I learned nothing from the failure of Diahatsu Corp. Lincoln Town Car- I live for bingo and covered dish suppers Mercury Grand Marquis- (See above) Mercedes 500SL- I will beat you up if you ask me for an autograph. Mercedes 560SEL- I have a daughter named Bitsy and a son named Cole. Mazda Miata- I do not fear being decapitated by an 18-wheeler MGB- I am dating a mechanic Mitsubishi Diamante- I don't know what it means either Nissan 300ZX- I have yet to complete my divorce proceedings. Oldsmobile Cutlass- I just stole this car and I'm going to make a.... Peugeot 505 Diesel- I am on the EPA's Ten Most Wanted List Plymouth Neon- I sincerely enjoy doing the Macarena Pontiac Trans AM- I have a switchblade in my sock Porsche 944- I am dating big haired women that otherwise would be inaccessible to me Rolls Royce Silver Shadow- I think Pat Buchannon is a tad bit too liberal Saturn SC2- (See Honda Civic) Subaru Legacy- I have always wanted a Japanese car even more Toyota Camry- I am still in the closet Volkswagon Beetle- I still watch Partridge Family reruns Volkswagon Cabriolet- I am out of the closet Volkswagon Microbus- I am tripping right now Volvo 740 Wagon- I am frightened of my wife ed) lucky for me, there was no listing for 1968 Dodge Vans, 1963 Dodge Power Wagons, 1965 CJ-6's, or 1967 Scouts! ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- A man was sitting at a bar enjoying an after-work cocktail when an exceptionally gorgeous & sexy young woman entered. She was so striking that the man could not take his eyes away from her. The young woman noticed his overly-attentive stare & walked directly toward him. Before he could offer his apologies for being so rude, the young woman said to him, 'I'll do anything, absolutely anything, that you want me to do, no matter how kinky, for $100 on one condition.' Flabbergasted, the man asked what the condition was. The young woman replied, 'You have to tell me what you want me to do in just three words.' The man considered her proposition for a moment, withdrew his wallet from his pocket & slowly counted out five $20 bills, which he pressed into the young woman's hand. He looked deeply into her eyes & slowly, meaningfully said, 'Paint my house.' **************************************************** EDITOR; Dennis Starks; MILITARY RADIO COLLECTOR/HISTORIAN military-radio-guy@juno.com