From: military-radio-guy Full-Name: Dennis R Starks To: military radio collectors#1 Fcc: Sent Date: Mon, 12 Apr 1999 01:18:16 Subject: MILITARY COLLECTOR GROUP POST, Apr.12/99 Message-ID: <19990412.011722.12207.3.military-radio-guy@juno.com> X-Status: Sent X-Mailer: Juno 1.49 MILITARY COLLECTOR GROUP POST, Apr.12/99 Index: WW II GERMAN RADIO TRANSMITTER 30 W.S.a. by: LTC William L. Howard MEMBERS WRITE; Me at Dayton? DC-DC Schematics on the Web, BG-192 & BG-56A? NEW MEMBER; Conard Murry HUMOR; *********************************************** WW II GERMAN RADIO TRANSMITTER 30 W.S.a. by: LTC William L. Howard During World War II the Germans produced some of the finest military radios the world had seen. Rugged, dependable and made with the finest material, these sets have stood the test of time and most of these sets show up today 1ooking almost like they left the factory last week. Those sets which look damaged got that way in basement floods or from lack of care by current owners. To support the fast moving Panzer forces, reliable communication equipment was needed. A whole series of tank force radios were developed. These were all AM sets and the most common were the: 10 W.S. a 10 watt transmitter, the 20 W.S., a 20 watt transmitter and the 30 W.S.a, a 30 watt transmitter. The 30 W.S. started as the 30 W.S./24a-120. This set was not up to the requirements of modern combat as the Germans discovered and a new set was developed and placed in service. This set was the 30 W.S.a. This set was first identified for U.S. troops in the War Departmen Technical Bulletin TB SIG E-ll dated 10 May 1944 and again in the War Departments bulletin TM E-ll-227 dated June 1944. TB SIG Ell gave detailed instruction on how to place the set is service. Shown in the bulletin was a data plate with the date of manufacture as 1942 so that means these sets were in the field when American Forces came ashore in North Africa. The dynamotor data plate shown had a manufacture date of 1940. The 30 W.S.a covers 1,110 kc to 3,010 Kc in three overlaping bands. It is capable of both CW and voice. With a ground mounted station the set had a range of 42 miles for CW and 15 miles for voice. In a vehicular mount the ranges were 24 miles and 6 miles. According to one source the set has a range of 100 miles when used with a 30 foot antenna. It is a MOPA transmitter using 6 tubes, 5 for CW and 6 for voice. The master oscillator is a type PL12P35, the power amplifier uses 2 type RL12P35 in parallel. The modulator uses 2 type RV12P2000 in parallel (used as a tone oscillator on CW) and 1 type RL12T15 for calibration (It is also used as a suppressor-grid and grid bias rectifier in the voice mode). The transmitter is housed in a gray metal case that is 19.1”x .9" x 9.2" and weighs 41.9 Lbs. Unlike other German sets, the front cover is smaller than the outer case and fits inside the case and is held in place by studs on the front panel. Most German sets have hasp fasteners on the sides. It is assumed that this arrangement was to facilitate sliding the radio into a mounting box on the vehic1e. There is a carrying handle on theback side an when the the set is carried. the front panel is on the bottom. The power requirements for this set were supplied by a 12 volt dynamotor, the U3Ob. This provided 12 volts at 2.7 amps for the filaments and 400 volts for the plate supply, drawing 120 ma for CW and 170 ma for voice. A light cast metal case houses the dynamotor, the starting relay and the noise filter. The dynamotor is held on its mount by two wing nuts on the front and can easily be removed from the mount. The mount has a junction box at the rear and the power cable is fed in to one side. Another power cable can be fed out from the other side and connected to another dynamotor. For installations with several radios, this allows for a bank of dynamotors to be operated from one battery. With the dynamotor connected to a 12 volt battery, the power cable in place, the set is ready for operation. All that remains is to connect a key or a mike. The controls for this set are easy to operate, even with gloves on. The band switch, marked "Berichschalter", has three settings. Band I is at the top of the scale and marked with a white dial cover, band II is in the center with a red dial cover and band III is at the bottom with a yellow dial cover. At the bottom is the main tuning control, marked "Frequenzeinstellung" which moves ganged tuning capacitors. Between the main tuning control and the power input socket is the four position function switch. The first setting is "S-Aus",(transmitter off), the next setting is "Tn" for voice operation, the third setting is "SBereit, Empfang",(transmitter off, receive only), and the last setting is "Tg" (for CW operation). Three more controls are located in the upper right side and these are "Ant.Kopplung" (Antenna coupling control) which is a five position switch used to select antenna coupling capacitors, "Ant. Abst Gross" (Antenna coarse-tuning control ) which is also a five position switch used to select antenna series tuning capacitors and Ant. Abst.Fein" (the Antenna fine-tuning control) which controls a variometer for antenna series tuning Above these controls are a brass screw connection for the main antenna and a small stud for grounding the antenna lead-in shield if a vehicular set up is used. On the left side are two more screw connectors for antenna and counterpoise. The Germans used a form of knurled nut on a screw that had the tip flared so the nut could not come off completly which save a lot of nuts from getting lost, both during combat and in the post war period! The antenna lead on the left side is connected to the companion receiver and the counterpoise is grounded to the vehicle chassis or a ground counterpoise Three sockets exist, one marked "Taste” for the key, one marked "Mikrofon" for the microphone and the one at the top marked “z Empf." for connection to the companion receivers sidetone socket. If the receiver does not have a sidetone capability, a headset may be plugged in here. This set has a unique system for calibration. The cover plate marked "Frequenze-kontrolle" is swung to the left, disabling the power amplifier tubes. A headset may then be plugged in and the band switch set to one of the bands and the set tuned to a blue calibration mark. Pressing the microphone should result in a beat note being heard in the headset. To remove the set from the case, four retaining screws, usually painted red or marked in red are loosened and the entire unit slides out revealing the insides. This set, like most German sets consists of a light cast metal frame with the components mounted on the front panel or on the frame. Being a transmitter, all the circuits are shielded by aluminum panels. Repairs are thus limited to changing tubes or fuzes. There is a panel which mounts three spare fuzes for the set. Any repair requiring new capacitors or resistors, etc would require evacuation to a repair facility and removal of the various panels. The panel with the spare fuzes also has a panel with test points so that a voltmeter can be used to check the voltages with the set in various stages of operation. In operation, this set was superior to its predecessor but lacked the capability to pre-set two frequencies. The prior set had a ring with two stops which would allow rapid shifting from one frequency to another, even in the dark. The 30 W.S.a required a light to see the dial and manual turning of the dial to the proper frequency, a difficult task for an operator bouncing along in a tank going over rough terrain. This must have been a common complaint because by 1945 the sets were made with this ring mounted on the front, as can be seen in the photograph. My first acquisition for this set was a key of WW II vintage that I picked up at a gun show in 1987 and hoped that I would find a set that it would fit. I located a dynamotor in September 1991 and wondered if I would ever find the 30 W.S.a transmitter. Fortunatly one appeared on my door step and I snapped it up, so I am well on my way to a complete set. I am missing the power cable so I have not made any effort to operate the set. If anyone else has a similar set, I would recommend that they get TB SIG E-11 before they power it up as the TB has detailed instructions for connecting the componnts and the operation of the set. Fifty years have elapsed since this set was made but it looks factory new, a real tribute to the German war effort. German capacitors of WW II were generally considered to be the best so the capacitors in these sets are probably still good. Resistors are probably also still good so the only problems in placing these sets in operation is the tubes which may have bad filaments. These tubes are available from collectors in Europe. They are uually in the $25-$35 dollar price range. With a range of 100 miles, this set is practically useless for HAM radio work but as a collectors item it is a valuable set as there were not that many made as contrasted to the 10 W.S. sets and the 20 W.S. sets. Displayed along with the companion receiver, the UKw.E.c ,d or e sets, or the Torn Eb set, and with the dynamotors, cables, key and michrophone and headsets this makes a very impressive display. THE WILLIAM L. HOWARD ORDNANCE TECHNICAL INTELLIGENCE MUSEUM e-mail wlhoward@gte.net *********************************************** MEMBERS WRITE; Me at Dayton? Dennis are you going to Dayton. If enough people are going maybe we could get a group together for dinner or meet during the show. Also post space numbers Jeff Ciccone ed) no I don't go to Dayton, but many of our members do, maybe they'd like to get together. When you get there, bring something up on 51mc and give a holler to see who answers. ----------------------------------------------------------------- DC-DC Schematics on the Web, Dennis, Rx'd two request for these urls for you power supply this weekend. If you get a chance, you might post them again for the newer guys... Here are the urls for the DC-DC article and schematic for the Dennis Stark power supply: The DC-DC schematics can be found at: www.qsl.net/wb4tur/images/g1.gif www.qsl.net/wb4tur/images/g2.gif and text writeup at: www.qsl.net/wb4tur/images/dcdc.htm note: Schematic Fix: C61 (neg leg) should be tied to ground, not the +45 V line. You may use your regular internet browser to view and save these files. A graphics program may be helpful to resize the schematics to print onto a single 8 1/2 x 11 page. The files are also available by email attachment if you want me to send them to you. Ralph Hogan Huntsville, AL. ralph.hogan@vmic.com ------------------------------------------------------------------ BG-192 & BG-56A? HI DENNIS. I JUST PICKED UP A COUPLE OF CANVAS ITEMS THAT I DON'T KNOW WHAT THEY GO TO. WILL YOU TELL ME WHAT THEY ARE FOR? I WILL GIVE YOU THE NUMBERS ON THEM AND MY GUESS AS TO WHAT THEY ARE FOR NOW IF YOU NEED A MEASURED DESCRIPTION I CAN SEND THAT TOMORROW OR WHEN EVER. THE FIRST IS A BG-192 (SOME TYPE OF RADIO COVER) THE SECOND IS A BG-56-A (ANTENNA BAG) HAVE YOU EVER HEARD OF THESE NUMBERS? THANKS AND KEEP UP THE GREAT WORK. TODD HUSS KA0ZDD@JUNO.COM (PREFERRED) KA0ZDD1@AOL.COM *********************************************** NEW MEMBER; Conard Murry Hi Dennis, I would very much like to be involved with your group. Please subscribe me at cmurray@tntech.edu I am 35 years old and have been a ham for 20 years. I work for the Electrical Engineering Department at Tennessee Tech University in Cookeville, TN as the R&D Engineer. I started fooling with milsurp 20 years ago because it was cheap and interesting. Now, it's just interesting! If these radios could just tell us where they have been....... I like Navy gear, but some green stuff is lying about too. I am a user rather than a sit-and-stare-at-it collector, so if I can't get on the air with it, I don't keep it long. I have operational right now a TCS, a GRC-19 and a SRT-14 that I pair up with either a R-390A or a SRR-13A. I also have a T-4/FRT that I am restoring .. it works OK at 500 watts out on 80M, but I need to rebuild the other coilsets and I also need a better HV power supply for it. About all I feel the need to acquire at the present is a R-1051 of some variety. I like to shoot milsurp rifles too. As far as helping others, I am willing to do what I can. I have been helped by others in the past and I know that if everyone does what they can, then we all benefit. You get out what you put in. I do have a stash of a couple thousand tubes that I am willing to pass along to anyone with a need, and I have a couple of SRR-13 hulks that I can help with parts from. I hope I qualify for admission to the group. 73, Conard Murry, WS4S *********************************************** HUMOR; Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson went on a camping trip. As they lay down for the night, Holmes asked: "Watson, look up into the sky and tell me what you see". Watson said "I see millions and millions of stars". Holmes: "And what does that tell you?" Watson: "Astronomically, it tells me that there are millions of galaxies and potentially billions of planets. Theologically, it tells me that God is great and that we are small and insignificant. Meteorologically, it tells me that we will have a beautiful day tomorrow. What does it tell you?" Holmes: "Elementary, my dear Watson. Somebody stole our tent". ------------------------------------------------------------------ Questions to Ponder about Viagra - Submitted by David Flemming If a man overdoses on Viagra, how do they get the casket lid shut? If the insurance companies are going to set guidelines before approving Viagra coverage, what are they going to use? A growth chart? I dropped a Viagra in a jar of small sweet pickles last night and this morning had a jar full of big Kosher dills. If I give my computer monitor Viagra, will the screen get bigger? I would only take Viagra for intellectual purposes, so my head would swell. Before Viagra, for some people, making love was classified as "assault with a dead weapon." Viagra Falls, the new waterfall that flows upward. Viagra, medicine's version of "MIRACLE-GRO." Mix Viagra and Prozac and you have a guy who is ready to go, but doesn't really care where. Are you taking Viagra or are you just happy to see me? Submitted by By RunningonMT ---------------------------- If however you do need to take Viagra, remember to swallow them quickly otherwise you'll get a stiff neck. A shipment of Viagra was highjacked today. Police have put out an All-Points bulletin: Be on the lookout for two hardened criminals! They will face a stiff sentence when convicted and they'll surely be sent to a Penal Institution. - Submiited by L. Cannon Did you hear about Levi's new jeans for Baby Boomer men?.... They come with just a "Viagra" more room. For women not-in-the-mood, California bars now have Viagra-free zones. Scientists developed the idea for Viagra after studying President Clinton's DNA. VIAGRA CAUSES PANIC ------------------------ Submitted by Tristan Fabriani WASHINGTON, DC (DPI) -- Viagra, the new pill for impotence approved by the Food and Drug Administration on Friday, is already causing problems across the country. The FDA had said a man would need to by sexually aroused before the drug would work, but apparently failed to consider that most men walk around in a constant state of sexual arousal. Several disasters or near-disasters have already been reported: In Boise, a passenger plane skidded off the runway after the pilot's erection inadvertently hit the button that causes the landing gear to retract. In San Bernardino County, outside of Los Angeles, a 17-car pileup occurred when trucker Dirk Diggler apparently lost control of his rig, blocking his vision and causing him to also lose control of his truck. FDA Spokesperson Bonnie Thurston commented, "There's no limit to the damage that this pill could cause. We've got to make sure it doesn't fall into the wrong hands, like President Clinton's, for example, of we could have a potential nuclear mistake." And the New Viagra SMILEY FACE :---) ------------------------------------------------------------------ A MAN'S GUIDE TO THE GAME OF ROMANCE The scoring system: SIMPLE DUTIES: You go out to buy her flowers. +5 But return with beer. -5 You check out a suspicious noise at night. +5 You check out a suspicious noise and it's nothing. 0 You check out a suspicious noise and it's something. +10 You pummel it with a six iron. +20 It's her cat. -50 SOCIAL ENGAGEMENTS: You stay by her side the entire party. +5 You stay by her side for awhile, then leave to chat with a drinking buddy. -5 Named Tiffany. -10 Tiffany is a dancer. -15 Tiffany has implants. -20 SATURDAY AFTERNOONS: You visit her parents. +5 You visit her parents and actually make conversation. +10 You visit her parents and stare vacantly at the television. -10 And the television is off. -15 You spend the afternoon watching college football in your underwear. -5 And you didn't even go to college. -10 And it's not really your underwear. -15 HER BIRTHDAY: You take her out to dinner. +5 You take her out to dinner and it's not a sports bar. +10 Okay, it is a sports bar. -5 And it's all-you-can-eat night. -10 It's a sports bar, it's all-you-can-eat night, and your face is painted the colors of your favorite team. -15 You give her a gift. +5 You give her a gift and it's a small appliance. -10 You give her a gift and it's not a small appliance. +10 You give her a gift and it's chocolate. +20 You give her a gift that you'll be paying off for months. +30 You wait until the last minute and buy her a gift that day.-10 With her credit card. -50 And whatever you bought is two sizes too big. -50 THOUGHTFULNESS: You forget to pick her up at the bus station. -25 Which is in Newark, New Jersey. -35 And the pouring rain dissolves her leg cast. -50 A NIGHT OUT WITH YOUR PALS: You have a few beers. -5 For every beer after three, -5 for each. And miss curfew by an hour. -10 You get home at 3 am. -20 You get home at 3 am smelling of booze and cheap cigars. -30 And not wearing pants. -50 Is that a tattoo? -200 A NIGHT OUT, JUST THE TWO OF YOU: You go see a comedian. +5 He's crude and sexist. -10 You laugh. -20 You laugh too much. -30 She's not laughing. -40 You laugh harder. -50 DRIVING: You lose the directions on a trip. -5 You lose the directions and end up getting lost. -10 You end up getting lost in a bad part of town. -15 You get lost in a bad part of town and meet the locals. -20 She finds out you lied about having a black belt. -50 COMMUNICATION: When she wants to talk, you listen, displaying a concerned expression. +20 When she wants to talk, you listen, for over 30 minutes. +25 You listen for more than 30 minutes, without looking at the television. +30 She realizes this is because you've fallen asleep. -100 *********************************************** (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) ***********************************************