MILITARY COLLECTOR GROUP POST, MAR.19/98 INDEX: MEMBERS WRITE; Delco 5300 modules, BB-490 batteries, Delco/PRC-88? NEW MEMBER; Tom Norris ON THE COMMERCIAL FRONT; HUMOR; *********************************************** MEMBERS WRITE; Delco 5300 modules: While looking through Keith Melton's book "CIA Special Weapons and Equipment", I noticed that the "Miniature Radio Station" on page 50 is made up of Delco 5300 modules. Look at the style and layout of the knobs, and the specs - just like a 5300 (but with some added options). Along the same line, the "Attache Case Radio" is made of RS-6A modules. More trivia: The RR/D-11 (page 49) has a nomenclature style that matches that "oddball RT-3" that I got recently: RT-3 --> RT/A-3 RR-11 --> RR/D-11 Here's a guess on this numbering system: - For improving the existing functionality (bug fixes), add a letter on the end of the name (example: RR-2 vs RR-2B). - For *changing* the functionality in some way, add a slash-letter in the middle of the name (example: RT-3 vs RT/A-3). This implies that there is an "RR-11" receiver out there somewhere... Pete mccollum@ssdevo.ENET.dec.com --------------------------------------------------------------------------------- AN ANSWER TO JOSEPH PINNERS QUESTION ABOUT THE BB-490: CONCERNING THE QUESTION OF THE BB-490 BATTERIES: AFTER SEEING A LARGE NUMBER OF THESE BATTERIES AT DAYTON LAST YEAR, I ASKED A CUSTOMER OF MINE IF HE KNEW ANYTHING ABOUT THESE PARTICULAIR BATTERIES. I WOULD RATHER NOT STATE WHO THE INFORMATION CAME FROM, BUT HE IS GENERALLY REALABLE, USES THE BB-590 AND ITS DERIVATIVES IN HIS COMPANY PRODUCTS, AND KEEPS UP WITH THE BATTERY INDUSTRY. WHAT HE TOLD ME AT THE TIME, IS THAT THE BB-490 WERE MANUFACTURED BY AN OUTFIT NOW OUT OF BUSINESS, MOSTLY DUE TO POOR MANAGEMENT AND POOR QUALITY CONTROL. THESE BATTERIES WERE BUILT OUT OF A NAME BRAND JAPANESE CELL, WHICH ARE VERY GOOD, BUT IN THE PROCESS OF BUILDING UP THE CELLS INTO BATTERIES THERE WAS A PROBLEM, INVOLING THE PRESURIZATION OF THE CELLS. THE CHEMISTRY OF THESE CELLS REQUIRES A CERTIAN INTERNAL PRESURE TO WORK PROPERLY AND SOME OF THE CELLS VENT AND THEREFORE FAIL. I DONT RECALL IF THIS IS AN IMMEDIATE THING OR A LONG TERM EFFECT. MY IMPRESSION AT THE TIME WAS THAT THE PROBLEM EXISTED IN ONLY A PART OF THE CONTRACT OF BATTERIES, BUT THE COMPANY WAS OUT OF BUSINESS AND SO THERE WAS NOBODY TO TAKE THEM BACK, AND THE DOD DUMPED THEM ON THE SURPLUS MARKET. ALSO, MY SOURCE INDICATED THAT HE DIDNT THINK THEY WOULD BE DANGEROUS TO USE, FROM WHAT HE KNEW. I WOULD LIKE TO HEAR OF PEOPLES EXPERIANCE WITH THE BB-490'S THAT CAME FROM THIS SAME LOT, AND IN THE LONG RUN THAT IS GOING TO BE THE ONLY WAY TO JUDGE. THE ONES I HAVE SEEN HAVE BEEN PRICED LOW, AND SO MAY BE WORTH A GAMBLE. I HAVE A COUPLE I BOUGHT AT DAYTON, NEVER CHARGED OR USED, BUT DONT HAVE ANY TO SELL, SO IT IS OF NO ECONOMICAL BENIFIT TO ME ONE WAY ANOTHER. STEVE HANEY, HANEY ELECTRONICS --------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Delco/PRC-88? Dennis - I may actually have had the unit you describe as the PRC-88. After graduating from college, I went to work for Delco Radio in 1977, shortly afterwords they were disbanding their military radio group and I picked up several items. One item was a unit without a tag on it but containing a PRT 4a transmitter circuit board and a PRR-11 receiver circuit board. the unit had outside dimensions about the size of a BC-611. It had no built in mike or speaker unit. The unit had a clip on battery box on the bottom, which I believe contained 2 PRT-4 batteries. These batteries would operate both the receiver and transmitter. On the top, the unit had 2 PRR-11 antennas mounted diagonally across from each other, one was for transmit and the other receive. The unit also had a military handset connector on the top. The only switch was also mounted on the top and it was marked off-on-retrans. The operating frequency was 51.0 Mhz crystal controlled. The second transmit channel was not accessable by the operator. The unit would work as a standalone 2 way radio with a handset. I was told that the radio could be bound to the side if a PRC-25/77 to provide retransmit capability. I remember that the radio was as tall as a PRC-25/77 but only 1/4th as wide. The case had the appropriate indents on one side to conform to the side of the PRC-25/77 case. With no label on it, I never was sure what it was. I used it on 51.0 for awhile and later either traded it or sold it at a hamfest in Indiana. I sold the unit about 15 years ago and don't remember who got it. My guess is that it still exists in someone's basement somewhere. By the way I also had a Delco 6800, which was an updated version of the PRC-64. This unit had a tuneable receiver and a small 2-10 MHz synthesized transmitter. It was mounted in a box just slightly larger than the PRC-64 box. All the best, Jim Karlow ed)The thing you had sounds like it was more intended for use as a portable repeater. Motorola built some prototypes along that line, one had everything in a single PRC-25 cabinet. Was that a PRR-11, or PRR-9 that was inside the unit you had? Don't know what a PRR-11 is. *********************************************** NEW MEMBER; Tom Norris My current interests are in most things military and electronic. I first got started in the mid seventies aquiring various military gear for use on the ham bands. I then just started collection for collections sake. Got rid of most all my military gear except for a nice NIB GRC-19 set back in the mid 80's. Never did really lose interest, just ran out of room. :-) I started the mil list back in 1996 by picking up where others at the time had left off. Still try to maintain a decent up to date web page of info on military electronics gear. ( see URL in sig... ) Would like to include more ( actualy ANY ) info on ECM and radar gear if am able to find such. Please visit The Mil List for info on military communications gear: HTTP://www.telalink.net/~badger/millist/mi.html This is a non-comercial endeavor strictly for providing info for those who have a need for it - and intertainment for those who dont.... ANY and ALL Contributions Welcome. Tom Norris KA4RKT badger@telalink.net Nashville, Tennessee, USA ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Here is my revised wants list. Dont have any trades at the moment, need to sit down and see what I can do without SOMEDAY.... Wanted: PRC-47 stuff, specifically a pair of backpack frames and the rucksack. The appropriate straps, etc would be nice as well. :-) Have the antenna and leg bags already... SRR-11 stuff. Recently traded for an AN/SRR-11 LF receiver. Needs a 1st IF module or at least the output transformer for the 1st IF/mixer. Anyone else with spares for the SRR-11 drop me line. I will eventually have access to several SRR-13 receivers and few other things. This "eventually" has taken about a year so far, so will let folks know if it ever pans out. Thanks all *********************************************** ON THE COMMERCIAL FRONT; Haney Electronic Company: J-45, leg iron CW keys, Correct for BC-1306, GRC-9, GRC-109, and PRC-47. These are new old stock units most still in original packaging, several contract dates from 1968 to 1980's. They include cord CD-201A with PJ-055B connector. The member price is $20.00ea, plus shipping. AS-2975, PRC-70 dipole antenna kit. Unused Similar to that use with the PRC-74 differing mainly in the balun it uses. The member price is $25.00ea, plus shipping H-250 handsets, new, latest issue. $17.50 ea U-229 audio connectors, $1.00ea U-77 audio connectors, $2.00ea PRC-25 or 77 battery connectors, removed from battery, with white plastic spacer. $1.00ea A list of available manuals is available on request. Quoted prices are good to group members only. To place an order contact Steve Haney at , If you have trouble with this address, call 817-496-3346. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Hi: I am looking for a complete (as possible), working GRC-9 or PRC-47 Radio Set, a;so need table/shock mount. Any help. This is for a German UNIMOG restoration project. Thanks, Shep Shepard shep@northlink.com ed) don't know this guy from Adam, he's not a group member,yet. *********************************************** HUMOR; Subject: EuroEnglish The European Commission has just announced an agreement that English will be the official language of the European Community (EU) - > rather than German (the other possibility). As part of the negotiations, Her Majesty's Government conceded that English spelling had some room for improvement, and has accepted a 5-year phase-in of new rules that would apply to the language and reclassify it as EuroEnglish. The agreed plan is as follows: In year 1 the soft 'c' would be replaced by 's'. Sertainly, this will make the sivil servants jump with joy. The hard 'c' will be replased by 'k'. This should klear up konfusion and keyboards kan now have one less letter. In the sekond year there will be growing publik enthusiasm when the troublesome 'ph' is replased by 'f'. This will reduse "fotograf' by 20%. In the 3rd year, publik akseptance of the new spelling kan be expekted to reach the stage where more komplikated changes are possible. Governments will enkourage the removal of double letters, which have always ben a deterent to akurate speling. Also, al wil agre that the horible mes of the silent 'e's in the language is disgrasful, and they should eliminat them. By year 4, peopl wil be reseptiv to lingwistik korektions such as replasing 'th' with 'z' and 'w' with 'v' (saving mor keyboard spas). During ze fifz year, ze unesesary 'o' kan be dropd from vords kontaining 'ou' and similar changes vud of kors be aplid to ozer kombinations of leters. After zis fifz year, ve vil hav a reli sensibil riten styl. Zer vil be no mor trubls or difikultis and evrivun vil find it ezi to understand ech ozer. ZE DREM VIL FINALI KUM TRU!!! ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Seems like a slow mail day, so here's something you might have heard on your BA receiver: This is the transcript of an ACTUAL radio conversation of a US naval ship with Canadian authorities off the coast of Newfoundland in October, 1995. **** Radio conversation released by the Chief of Naval Operations 10-10-95. Americans: Please divert your course 15 degrees to the North to avoid a collision. Canadians: Recommend you divert YOUR course 15 degrees to the South to avoid a collision. Americans: This is the Captain of a US Navy ship. I say again, divert YOUR course. Canadians: No. I say again, you divert YOUR course. Americans: THIS IS THE AIRCRAFT CARRIER USS LINCOLN, THE SECOND LARGEST SHIP IN THE UNITED STATES' ALANTIC FLEET. WE ARE ACCOMPANIED BY THREE DESTROYERS, THREE CRUISERS AND NUMEROUS SUPPORT VESSELS. I DEMAND THAT YOU CHANGE YOUR COURSE 15 DEGREES NORTH, THAT'S ONE FIVE DEGREES NORTH, OR COUNTER-MEASURES WILL BE UNDERTAKEN TO ENSURE THE SAFETY OF THIS SHIP. Canadians: This is a lighthouse. Your call. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Bumper Stickers to Ponder * A closed mouth gathers no feet. * A journey of a thousand miles begins with a cash advance. * A penny saved is ridiculous. * All that glitters has a high refractive index. * Ambition is a poor excuse for not having enough sense to be lazy. * Anarchy is better than no government at all. * Any small object when dropped will hide under a larger object. * Be moderate where pleasure is concerned, avoid fatigue. * Death is life's way of telling you you've been fired. * Death is Nature's way of saying 'slow down'. * Don't force it, get a larger hammer. * Earn cash in your spare time...blackmail friends. * Entropy isn't what it used to be. * Fairy tales: horror stories for children to get them used to reality. * God did not create the world in 7 days. He pulled an all-nighter on the 6th. * Going the speed of light is bad for your age. * Health is merely the slowest possible rate at which one can die. * Herblock's Law: If it's good, they will stop making it. * History does not repeat itself, historians merely repeat each other. * It is a miracle that curiosity survives formal education. * It works better if you plug it in. * It's not hard to meet expenses, they're everywhere. * Jury: Twelve people who determine which client has the better lawyer. * Let not the sands of time get in your lunch. * Mediocrity thrives on standardization. * Reality is the only obstacle to happiness. * The only difference between a rut and a grave is the depth. * The 2 most common elements in the universe are hydrogen and stupidity. * Back Up My Hard Drive? How do I Put it in Reverse? * I just got lost in thought. It was unfamiliar territory. * Everyone has a photographic memory. Some don't have film. * When the chips are down, the buffalo is empty. * Seen it all, done it all, can't remember most of it. * Those who live by the sword get shot by those who don't. * I feel like I'm diagonally parked in a parallel universe. * He's not dead, he's electroencephalographically challenged. * She's always late. Her ancestors arrived on the Juneflower. * You have the right to remain silent....Anything you say will be misquoted, then used against you. * I wonder how much deeper the ocean would be without sponges. * Honk if you love peace and quiet. * Pardon my driving; I am reloading. * Nothing is fool-proof to a sufficiently talented fool. * A day without sunshine is like, you know, night. * Atheism is a non-prophet organization. * On the other hand, you have different fingers. *********************************************** (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 are included. For more information conserning this group contact Dennis Starks at, military-radio-guy@juno.com) *********************************************** --------- End forwarded message ----------