From: military-radio-guy Full-Name: Dennis R Starks To: military radio collectors#3 Fcc: Sent Date: Thu, 11 Feb 1999 09:00:25 Subject: MILITARY COLLECTOR GROUP POST, Feb.11/99 Message-ID: <19990211.085928.11423.6.military-radio-guy@juno.com> X-Status: Sent X-Mailer: Juno 1.49 MILITARY COLLECTOR GROUP POST, Feb.11/99 Index: BOOK REPORT; The Plumber Kitchen, from Pete McCollum MEMBERS WRITE; Military Radios on 220, URR-74/Watkins-Johnson? South African TR-15? ON THE COMMERCIAL FRONT; GRC-106 Bargains, BB-35 Restoration Help Needed, HUMOR; *********************************************** BOOK REPORT; The Plumber Kitchen The Plumber Kitchen? Hi Guys, My friend Lloyd the other day gave me an original 1975 copy of "The Plumber's Kitchen". It's similar to Keith Melton's "OSS Special Weapons & Equipment", but has a lot of historical details - names, dates, etc. There are a couple of chapters dealing with radio-related projects; notably radio-operated remote triggers for explosives and such. The remote-triggers chapter is long and interesting, but the author sort of makes a mess of it - he is discussing 3 or more separate projects at the same time, and he keeps jumping around haphazardly. I think I figured out the "high points", and have added a couple of paragraphs to my paper, under the OSS chapter. The author doesn't know radio stuff real well - he shows a picture of an SSP-1 and SST-1 (2/3 of an SSTR-1), and calls it an "SSP-1 transceiver". Do you guys have an opinion as to the accuracy/reliability of the information in this book? It would "appear" to be legit, since the author gives long lists of the contractor's reports back to Division 19, etc. Plus, he's very specific about many names and dates. BTW, Lt. Col. Henry Shore is mentioned several times - he seems to have been a key person in the OSS when it comes to commo and electronics projects, not just the SSTR-x series. Pete ed) All such books, including those of Melton, suffer from various inaccuracies where they deal in areas of a technical nature. Keith himself will admit that he knows nothing about radios or radio theory & operation and this lacking has been apparent in nearly all of his projects. In this light, we can only use such documents to collaborate data that might be found elsewhere. Seldom do such books list the references by which they have based the information they depict as fact(which often pisses me off). I've not seen the particular book you mention, but I have heard some derogatory comments(and seen them in writing) about it and it's dealing with such as electronic surveillance devices, but the same is true of all of Melton's books. Some of the worst books in this category are those put out by Paladin Press(specifically those which are not reproductions of official manuals). For information on Lt. Col. Henry Shore see MCGP Backmail #39, The SSTR-1 series where his name is repeated many times.. *********************************************** MEMBERS WRITE; Military Radios on 220, Dennis, It's not so much the synthesizer that might prevent using these radios on the 220 MHz ham band, but more the method of frequency entry. The PRC-41, 66, and 75 use a wheel type of entry, and because of their arrangement, 220.00 is a directly dialable frequency. The MSD wheel goes 22 through 39. The NMSD must of necessity go 0 through 9. Of course, the set alignment will determine actual performance in this range. There are many hams using these sets to communicate with each other on 220 on an almost daily basis. The PRC-113, however, would probably be difficult to operate on 220. I assume it is microprocessor controlled with direct frequency entry. This scheme would most likely have an out of band lockout check in its routine. Alan ed) The problem with adapting such radios for use out of band does not reside with any frequency determining system or the method of frequency entry. Be it simple xtal control, xtal synthesis, or micro-processor control. Any of these can be modified with little effort, one way or another. The problem will surface with whatever method is used for band spread/tracking in the particular radio. Here, even the coverage of the radio's intended band can be a very tedious bitch. Early full-band(225-399.9mc) radios like the URC-9 family, VRC-24, and the PRC-41 use mechanical tracking with a multi-section air variable capacitor. This practice is also included in their lower frequency cousins, the RT-68, PRC-25, & PRC-10 families. Making these radios work is not much problem, but Making them work across their entire band is, and aligning them so that they work properly at either extreme of their coverage is a BITCH! So it can be seen, that if operation even within their normal band is a bitch, what can be encountered when trying to modify this original band coverage. Later model full-band radios often use varactor diodes and a variable tracking voltage developed by the VCO in the synthesizer to effect stage tuning across the band. Here, the old air variable capacitor and it's associated mechanics have simply been replaced by a solid state device and the tracking voltage, respective. The problems remain the same. Some very late model equipment types may use broad-band circuits which require no stage tuning. These are usually accompanied with some associated band pass circuits to minimize spurious emissions. In this case only modification of the synthesizer & these band pass filters will be required. The last, and simplest system to modify, are those radios with limited-band coverage, and use discrete xtals for frequency control. Most all downed airman HT's and a few backpack types(like the URC-54) use this system. Here, only the xtal/xtals need be changed, and the radio's IF/RF stages re-alined. In some extreme cases, capacitance may need be added to RF stages to lower the resonant frequency. I think we would all like more specifics in regard to the use of ANY of the UHF/AM multi freq military gear in the 220 Ham band. To include, which radios, how to get them there(without butchering), and their performance once done. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- URR-74/Watkins-Johnson? Dennis: Can you tell me what the Watkins-Johnson civilian equivalant to URR-74 is? And, it goes without saying that I need a manual for it! Thanks/73 Perry ed) Sorry, I ain't got a clue, maybe another member does. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- South African TR-15? Hello All, I am desparately looking for a manual on a South African Grinaker TR-15 HF transceiver. This may have also been sold by Milcom in the U.K. as the GRC-115 but I am not sure about that. If someone knows about this please let me know. Any other information would be appreciated. Thanks, Tom Bryan tbryan@nova.org ed) leave it to you to come up with a real bastard. I could find no data on the TR-15, GRC-115, the Grinaker company, or Milcom/UK. *********************************************** ON THE COMMERCIAL FRONT; GRC-106 Bargains, 8 EA. RT-662/GRC-106. LESS METERS, KNOBS, BUT GOOD FOR MODULES, PARTS. FOR GROUP MEMBERS $125 EA. MURPHY'S SURPLUS http://www.maxpages.com/murphyjunk ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- BB-35 Restoration Help Needed, Dennis, I was recently contacted by a volunteer working on the Battleship TEXAS (BB-35) restoration, and he is looking for some equipment and possibly info on the appropriate LORAN unit to use for the display restoration. I will just include his message below. This would be a great cause to support if you have a junker TBS remote control or DAK radio. A scanned photo (even from the manual) of the TBS control box would even be a big help, if someone could provide it. I would think that Charlie would also be interested in any other useful information that anyone could provide in support of the restoration efforts. Thanks, Sheldon KC0CW Forwarded inquiry/request follows: I am looking for radio equipment for the Battleship TEXAS, BB-35, near Houston, TX. I am a 12 year volunteer aboard the ship. An ex-Air Force officer but a historian at heart. The needed equipment: 1. TBS-5 or TBS-7 Remote Control Unit. (BB35 has the TBS-5 unit in the Radio Transmitter Room - exterior wise it is in great shape 2. Radio Direction Finder: DAK-1 3. LORAN receiver - unkown id but any WWII unit. Would consider a just post WWII unit The equipment is needed fo the Radio Room that is on the Navigation Bridge. The equipment is part of a restoration of the 4 compartments on the Nav Bridge. The equipment does not need to function. The need is for static display. If a gutted cabinet is available that is great. I will pass on any avability to the TEXAS Parks and Wildlife Dept, an agency of the state government. Money is available for the restoration e-mail me at chuckm@wt.net *********************************************** HUMOR; The latest nominees for the 1999 Darwin awards: A 34 yr. old white male found dead in the basement of his home died of suffocation, police said. He was approximately 6' 2" and 225 lb. He was wearing a pleated skirt, white bra, black and white saddle shoes, and a woman's wig. It appeared that he was trying to create a schoolgirl's uniform look. He was also wearing a military gas mask that had the filter canister removed and a rubber hose attached in its place. The other end of the hose was connected to a hollow wooden section of bedpost approximately 12 inches long and 3 inches in diameter. This bedpost was inserted into his rear end for reasons unknown, and was the cause of his suffocation. Police found the task of explaining the circumstances of his death to his family members "very awkward". Three Brazilian men were flying in a light aircraft at low altitude when another plane approached. It appears they decided to "moon" the occupants of the other plane, but lost control of the plane and crashed. They were all found dead in the wreckage with their pants around their ankles. A police officer in Ohio responded to a call that was made to 911. She had no details before arriving except that someone was reporting that his father was not breathing. Upon arrival, the officer found the man face down on the couch, naked. When she rolled him over to check for a pulse and to start CPR if necessary, she noticed burn marks around his genitals. After the ambulance arrived and removed the man (who turned out to be dead on arrival at hospital), the police made a closer inspection of the couch, and noticed that the man had made a hole between the cushions. Upon flipping the couch over they discovered what caused his death. Apparently the man had a habit of putting his penis between the cushions, down into the hole and between two electric sanders (with the sandpaper removed for obvious reasons). According to the story, after his orgasm the... ahem...discharge shorted out one of the sanders, electrocuting him to death. LOS ANGELES - Police officials would not release the name of a Pacoima man who was found dead yesterday after responding to complaints from neighbors that a bad smell was coming from his apartment. Upon entering the apartment, officers were surprised to see that every square inch of the apartment, including appliances and even the inside of the toilet, were covered with pornographic images cut from magazines. "The visual effect was very unsettling," said Officer Hradj of the Pacoima Police. "Because everything looked the same, you could not tell where one wall ended and a doorway began." The surprises did not end there, however. Police described the man as having "concocted a wire frame around his head" upon which he had taped various pornographic images, apparently so he could freely move about his apartment without ever losing his close-up view of nude bodies. Small slits had been cut into the paper so he could find his way, but according to Hradj, "He had almost no peripheral vision. He could barely see a thing." The man was found nude with this wire frame entangled in a hanging lamp. "We think he had been dusting," said another police officer, "because a feather duster was lying nearby, and his head gear had somehow become caught in the lamp, which was chained to the ceiling." The man allegedly choked to death trying to extricate himself from his predicament. According to his apartment manager, the white male in his mid-30's never left his apartment, and had food delivered weekly. Funeral services are planned for next week. His next of kin requested that his name be withheld. A young Inuit man, searching for a way of getting drunk cheaply because he had no money to buy alcohol, mixed gasoline with milk. Not surprisingly, this concoction made him ill, and he vomited into the fireplace in his house. The resulting explosion and fire burned his house down, killing both him and his sister. A 27 year-old French woman lost control over her car on a highway near Marseilles and crashed into a tree, seriously injuring her passenger and killing her. As a commonplace road accident, this would not have qualified for a Darwin nomination were it not for the fact that the driver's attention had been distracted by her Tamagotchi keyring, which had started urgently beeping for food as she drove along. In attempting to press the correct buttons to save the Tamagotchi's life, the woman lost her own. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- A drunken man staggers in to a Catholic church and wanders over to the confessional box. He opens the door, sits down and says nothing. The bewildered priest waits for a few minutes, allowing the drunken man some time to collect his thoughts. Growing impatient, the priest coughs to attract his attention, but still the man says nothing. The priest then knocks on the wall three times in a final attempt to get the man to speak. Finally, the drunk replies: "No use knockin' mate, there's no paper in this one either." ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- A man passed away and went to Heaven. Upon arriving at the pearly gates, St. Peter said, "Come on in. I'll show you around. I really think you'll like it here." Walking through the gates, the man noticed that there were clocks everywhere. It appeared that Heaven was nothing more than giant clock warehouse. Surprised at how Heaven looked, the man asked St. Peter,"What's the deal with all the clocks?" St. Peter replied, "They keep track of everybody on earth.There is one clock for each person.Every time someone tells a lie, his clock moves forward one minute. For instance, this clock belongs to Sam, a used car salesman.If you watch it closely,it will move any second." Click. The minute hand on Sam's clock moved forward one minute. Click. It moved forward another minute. "Sam must be closing on a deal right now," said St. Peter."The minute hand on his clock moves all day long." The man and St. Peter continued walking and soon came across a clock covered with cobwebs. "Whose clock is this?" asked the man. "That clock belongs to the Widow Mary. She is one of the finest persons on earth. I bet her clock hasn't moved in a year or two." They continued walking and touring Heaven. The man enjoyed watching the clocks of all his friends. When the tour was finally finished, the man said, "I've seen everyone's clock but one. Where is President Clinton's kept?" St. Peter smiled and said, "Look up there. We use his for a ceiling fan." ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- WASHINGTON, DC. Feb 10. (BS NEWS)--President Clinton returned yesterday from the funeral of King Hussein of Jordan, stating that he found one secret of the late monarch's popularity. "It was Ham Radio," said Clinton. Hussein, known to Amateurs by his call letters JY1, used his radio equipment to foster good will around the world. He often operated from his royal aircraft during trips abroad. Hoping to capture some of this popularity for himself, Clinton has filed a request with the Federal Communications Commission for the call letters K1B (King One Bill). He also has directed the Air Force to install a radio operating position for him aboard all aircraft likely to be used as Air Force One. (Sources close to the Pentegon say that "Air Force One" is not a particular airplane, but is the designation for any aircraft in which the President is flying. This will make compliance with Clinton's request difficult and expensive.) At the White House, Clinton's wife Hillary issued a statement saying, "It is well documented that Ham Radio is addictive and consumes the major portion of one's free time, to the exclusion of one's family and outside activities. Amateurs even display a preference for 'chasing DX' instead of having sex. Therefore, I fully support my husband in this matter." ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- REDNECK BIRTH CONTROL After having their 11th child, an Alabama couple decided that was enough (they could not afford a larger doublewide). So, the husband went to his doctor (who also treated mules) and told him that he and his wife/cousin didn't want to have any more children. The doctor told him that there was a procedure called a vasectomy that could fix the problem. The doctor instructed him to go home, get a cherry bomb (fireworks are legal in Alabama), light it, put it in a beer can, then hold the can up to his ear and count to 10. The Alabamian said to the doctor, "I may not be the smartest man, but I don't see how putting a cherry bomb in a beer can next to my ear is going to help me," So, the couple drove to Georgia to get a second opinion. The Georgia physician was just about to tell them about the procedure for a vasectomy when he noticed that they were from Alabama. This doctor instead told the man to go home and get a cherry bomb, light it, place it in a beer can, hold it to his ear and count to 10. Figuring that both learned physicians couldn't be wrong, the man went home lit a cherry bomb and put it in a beer can. He held the can up to his ear and began to count. "1, 2, 3, 4, 5. " at which point he paused, placed the beer can between his legs and resumed counting on his other hand. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Why did the blonde stare at frozen orange juice? Because it said 'concentrate'. *********************************************** (The preceding was a product of the"Military Collector Group Post", an international email magazine dedicated to the preservation of history and the equipment that made it. Unlimited circulation of this material is authorized so long as the proper credits to the original authors, and publisher or this group are included. For more information conserning this group contact Dennis Starks at, military-radio-guy@juno.com) ***********************************************