From: Dennis R Starks To: PasqualeNJ@aol.com,kg0qe@juno.com,w0nbz@juno.com,jawbrey@juno.com, lee@vtw.net,pmonroe@inwave.com,cranwill@roanoke.infi.net, ranickel@mwci.net,peterada@mindspring.com,haffner@mcs.net, eldim@worldnet.att.net,dr@cei.net,mrhro@pdq.net, kargokult@proaxis.com,ip500@roanoke.infi.net,bstrang@iac.net, jayc@hpcmrd42.sj.hp.com,AAFRadio@erols.com, jupeter@net-tech.com.au,rzelick@inetarena.com,ae4zh@juno.com, fsglong@mscomm.com,noel@mail.li.com,tactcom@rocketmail.com, davprin@gil.com.au,wa5cmi@access1.net,badger@telalink.net, smithab1@bellatlantic.net,jproc@idirect.com,marmot@core.com, torchboots@email.msn.com,adrian_heinrich@hotmail.com, wb4lzq@atl.mindspring.com,DKWkid@aol.com,TVComlGuy@aol.com, located@worldnet.att.net,tscm@jps.net,janschrader@juno.com, richwurtz@juno.com,carmelo.litrico@ctonline.it, jlbowers@planetkc.com,rbrunner@gis.net, spencer12345@classic.msn.com,d2012pn1@ozemail.com.au, dgrev@apollo.ruralnet.net.au,ae4in@webshoppe.net, peter@bergent.net,l.meulstee@wxs.nl Date: Tue, 30 Nov 1999 08:32:53 -0600 Subject: MILITARY COLLECTOR GROUP POST, Nov.30/99 Message-ID: <19991130.083255.-234213.3.military-radio-guy@juno.com> X-Mailer: Juno 3.0.13 MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Full-Name: Dennis R Starks X-Status: Sent X-Juno-Line-Breaks: 0-7,10-11,23-24,35-36,38-39,41-42,48-55,62-90,92,94-96,98,100-103,105,107-109,111,113,115,117,119-124,131,138,140,142-143,145,147,149,152-155,157,175,180,182-184,189-191,195,204-216,222-223,227-228,230-232,254,260,268,280-281,288,291-307,309,311,313,315,317-322,324-326,328-339,341,343-355,357-360,362-364,366-369,371,373-374,376-378,380-396,398-400,402,404-406,408-418,420-422,424,426-429,431,433-442,444,446-451,453-460,462-466,468-490,492-499,501,503-506,513-515 X-Juno-Att: 0 X-Juno-Fcc: Sent Items X-Juno-Size: 25589 X-Juno-RefParts: 0 MILITARY COLLECTOR GROUP POST, Nov.30/99 Index: FRENCH INVERTER POWER SUPPLIES; WEB SITE FEED BACK; MEMBERS WRITE; Enigma/Nova Program HUMOR; *********************************************** FRENCH INVERTER POWER SUPPLIES; I much enjoyed your WEB posted article on the universal DC-DC converter for military valve sets, especially portables. There is comparable military gear on the surplus market that may not be well known in the US. The French Army initially used US manufactured PRC-10 series sets and then produced the PRC-10A series, in country, under licence. Faced with active service in Indo China and North Africa and being unhappy with the bulk and inflexibility of the AM-598, they developed their own 'AQ' series of transistor converters with audio amplifiers for the PRC-10* series. The range covered 6, 12 and 24Volt DC supply. The 'AQ' series were constructed like CY-744 battery boxes and clipped below the set. There was additional, optional hardware to allow the PRC-10s to be used in motor cycle panniers, set on one side converter on the other. The converters were little better than 20% efficient and only viable if there was a large lead acid battery available. However, they performed adequately in vehicle, motor cycle and ground static roles. Later, France developed 'switching' converters for portable operation with efficiencies in the region of 80%. (These had no AF amplifiers). This was in part due to the fact that the Gendarmerie continued to use PRC-10s and -6s after they were withdrawn from army service and so created need to extend their service life. The converters included a dual converter for the PRC-10* series, called the BA-511A. This replaced the BA-279 dry battery and was still in production in the mid 1980s. There was also a smaller single converter called the BA-491A for the French 6 channel version of the PRC-6 - the TR-PP-8A (ER-38A). This replaced the BA-270 dry battery. The converters plus their batteries mounted in the existing set battery box or enclosure. The BA-511A operated on DC supplies from 30 to 22V (4 off 15V batteries in series parallel) The BA-491A operated on 9 U2 cells (BA030). 4 in parallel for the filament supply and 5 in series for the inverter. Both converter types are voltage regulated and so maintain constant transmitter output power down to battery exhaustion. They are designed to be switched ON and OFF by the existing power switch on the radio set front panel and are basically free running converters switch modulated at a relatively low control rate to achieve voltage regulation with minimal RFI. Surplus converters are currently available from Patrick Castiau: http://www.chez.com/castiaufrance They are in the 'Optiques' section of his site - items 929 and 930. I've used the converter module from the BA-491A to power the British SR A40 (CPR-26) from NiCd batteries with front panel ON/OFF control retained. By minor modification most of the early military valve portable gear can be powered from one or other of the inverters. The 'AQ' series, BA-491A and BA-511A have been written up for UK military radio societies. You are welcome to the text files of these notes but I cannot scan the schematics adequately. Best wishes, Murray McCabe *********************************************** WEB SITE FEED BACK; Our Web Site, Dennis, I am very enthiastic about the new website project. I also like the fact that it will be not entirely open. I think there really is a place for some exclusivity - i know you know how i feel about the one way flow in one particular overseas direction. BTW, and i probably am just feeling silly right now, but what will be the name of the website? Not just MCGP, i hope? Something a little more imaginative. I like the name of that east coast group, "999th Green Radio Battalion, Heavy" (or something close to that...) as a fine example of imaginative naming. BTW, as a future project, how about we doing an online TM-11-466 or 487 or whatever it was? We could even give it our own TM number. With the variety of stuff the members own, we could have one amazing online catalog. Digital cameras make it easy nowadays, you really don't have to make a project of learning photography first. regards, Hue Miller KA7LXY Dennis, Re: Web site. My concern, would be the security of the email list of members. Obviously, this would be valued info to those interested in selling military items (both legitimate and illegitimate) and as a new source of spam directed at the group. Secondly, the many great informative articles available only here, and which are contributed by those dedicating their time and knowledge to producing these invaluable historical treatise should be protected from those who would plagiarized or commercialize them destroying their value. I do not know how to maintain the great level of material you have achieved, yet make it open to the public. If made available to all, the result would be the addition of new members with more contributions. But it would also include the "undesirable element" that we as a group would not like to attract. Yes I am in favor of a web site but how to set it up would be a mystery to me. Perhaps the index of current items from the latest post with a sampling of an item in detail. To access, one would need to join the group which would provide the "Key" to open the entire sight and which could be changed periodically via the posts. In this way you could have some "control" over the site and the members. Dennis, I know whatever you come up with will be as a result of much thought and hard work on your part. I'm looking forward to the results. Ed Guzick ed) "MCGP" is an in-house abbreviation that is, or should, only be used among members that are familiar with it. I never, nor should anybody else, use it with the general public. The home page of our site will begin with a welcome, and brief description of our group, along with our credo, and the ability to click on the standard "Invitation" for more information about the group. What to call the site? I'm not sure, perhaps I could leave that all up to you. The site does exist at this time, but it's in it's experimental stage, and not yet with it's own domain. Nor does Ralph yet have access to it to begin work. I have drafted the home page which includes the "welcome", and the not yet completed cumulative index(now up to 33 pages long). What I might do is send Ralph my draft of the home page so's he can temporarily get it on there for you all to see. Then you will all be better equipped to make suggestions. Per restricted access, I can think of the following that might be included on the site, but restricted to group members only: #1, Member Introductions(all that material which you sent in when you joined) #2A, About a month or two's worth of MCGP back issues at a time. #2B, All our back issues until such time as they are dissected into Backmail files. #3, One Months worth of "Paper Trail", and Group "Want's/Trade's" at a time. #4, "On The Commercial Front" advertising of Group specials by our commercial members. I'm not sure how this selective, restricted access will be accomplished, but I'm sure that Ralph can figure it out, or enlist help from gifted members of the group. On-line TM-11-466 or 487? I'm not willing to undertake such a project for several reasons. First, there is already several sites that contain scanned military manuals, so let somebody else do it. Second, last year(or was it the year before?) I started a project that would have eventually resulted in a cumulative index of every item of equipment known to military communications. This was done by starting with TM11-227(1944) and itemizing every piece of equipment that was listed in it, along with it's page number. I had planed to do the same with each issue of TM11-487 etc This would have eventually resulted in a massive index where by information on even the most minor of accessories could have been found with a simple word search. After a couple weeks I was 2/3 done with TM11-227, and proposed that volunteers that also had copies of these selected manuals might be assigned page groups to do the same, thus speeding up the process(and reducing my work load). Even though I had previously received numerous favorable comments on the project, I didn't hear from a single volunteer. This meant one of two things, either I was the only person in the world with these manuals(highly unlikely), or the bulk of our membership was either too lazy to contribute in such a simple task, or just not interested. I figured it was the latter, so I just dropped it right there never even finishing TM11-227. Third, while we have been granted unlimited web space, I don't think it would be right to misuse this gracious trust by eating up massive amounts of memory in such a manner. Especially when hard copies of these manuals can be obtain with little effort or expense(and everybody should have a copy in their library). As-is, dependant on how we structure the site, and what we include on it, we can easily use up 11mb and more. Digital Images? Given the above amount of space we might already use, if we are fortunate enough to be able do include images, these MUST be restricted to illustrating those major articles of interest. It would be extremely frivolous to use them to advertise available equipment, and maybe even contrary to our purpose. Security/Spaming? There is very little possibility of anyone being able to abscond with e-mail addresses via our web site. In fact, it is more likely this might be done from any daily post(each member receiving the post is privy to the addresses of approximately 1/5 our membership). This is how our post currently works. Due to Juno restrictions, I can only send 50 messages at one time(regardless of which grade of Juno used). There is a corresponding limit of 50 addresses per address folder. There are currently five MCGP address folders, each containing the addresses of 50 or less members. If you display all header information on your e-mail screen, you'll see all these addresses. It's a simple task to copy them. And if you should forward a group post on to another group or person without editing it first(and I hope you never do), you pass along all those addresses. These are the steps taken to send out the post: #1A, The "Group Post" is first written, #1B, Then addresses to MCGP #1(address folder). #1C, Then copied before placing it in the "Out Box". #2A, The post is pasted to a new write screen. #2B, addressed to MCGP #2(address folder) #2C, copied, then saved as a draft. #3, Steps #1 & #2 are repeated for MCGP folders #3, #4, & #5. #4, Connection is made, and MCGP #1 is sent. #5, MCGP #2 draft is retrieved, connection made, and sent. #6, Step #5 is repeated for MCGP #3, #4, #5. Very primitive, and a complicated bunch of crap ain't it! But there is no other way, as we have no local servers, and in this area a phone call 5 miles in any direction is long distance(even those 5 connections made with Juno to send the Group Post). So it cost .50 to send out each Group Post. If I had real internet with my current server/toll call problem, the cost would be much more. Back to the subject, absconding with member address can currently be done very easily either by the method already outlined, or by any member hitting "reply to sender & all recipients". That is why the later is expressly forbidden! We have been most fortunate over these past years that only some very few instances of purely accidental spaming have ever taken place. Plagiarizing or Commercializing of Material? Believe me, I've spent months on serious thought over these two issues. The most important of which is Plagiarizing which has been of major concern ever sense we first started! I have always given every possible credit for any material that we have ever published simply because I too fear that we might inadvertently plagiarize someone else's efforts, or at least fail to recognize them(and we have come very close a couple times). One author in particular once submitted material for publication where fully 2/3 of that material was provided him by another. I nearly published that material without acknowledging the source for most of the data it contained. Luckily, just before I posted it, I found out where most of the data came from, and granted this person co-authorship in the article(unbeknown to him that submitted it. If it pissed him off, tuff shit!). There has been other occasions where one person chose to accept credit for work largely done by another(I let it slide because I was the other). My point, if someone wishes to steal the work of another, there is absolutely nothing that can be done about it. It doesn't mater if it's copywrite material, a book, magazine, paper/hard copy or Internet. The best we can hope to do is insist that all credit is given where it is due, and hope that our wishes are abided by. There has already been a statement prepared for our home page as to the conditions by which the material(or any data) it contains may be used. It expands on the one included at the end of each of our post. Commercializing? Running a close second to the above in forethought! When our group first started, I feared both these topics greatly. I resented it when members forwarded our material un to non-member persons, or groups(especially with some of said non-member groups being commercial in nature, and some of the recipient individuals being blackballed from our number). After an extreme amount of thought I came to these conclusions. Of utmost concern to our group is the preservation of history, and that equipment that serves as a reminder. It is not in any way associated with what we might gain in any other way. Even if it were that commercial, or monetary gain might be had by someone low enough to steal material, it is minimal. While our gain as a group might be substantial so long as the more important anti-Plagiarizing clause is observed. I/E we can't fight it, so lets use it to our advantage. A little story that is almost related, and did serve to help me in my dilemma. You all know of Chuck Dachis "The Hallicrafters Collector", and his relatively new book which sells for between $20-$30. Take into account the countless years spent collecting the data in his book(a virtual life time!). The countless thousands of dollars spent in collecting that data, and more years spent compiling it. Guess how much he makes from each book sold. Thirty cents! How much control does he have over it? None! It's printed in China, Chuck bitched about it, the publishes told hhin ta get lost! As can be seen then, we are far better off giving away the fruits of our labor but insisting on receiving the proper credit due, than we would be if we tried the futile task of restricting it. One thing is for sure at this time. The daily Group Post will not now, nor in the future, in total, or in part, be included on the web site without some restricted access to members only. This because of the very real danger of material be used out of context(especially as many of our articles are multi-part). And because some incentive/benefit must be maintained for participating members, and this is our only protection to insure that we remain the select group that we are. On the other hand, Ed's suggestion to include the indexs only to the Group Post is a good one. This would provide a benefit to members while also serving as bait for catching new members. Dennis *********************************************** MEMBERS WRITE; Enigma, Dennis, very good article, enjoyed it. But...while I do not doubt the contents it created an enigma for me. Some time ago, I recorded the PBS program by Nova, titled, Decoding Nazi Secrets. I was reminded of it by Jan Bury and his article on the Enigma. Last night I finally found the time to watch the program. I enjoyed the program but I can not speak for its historical accuracy. It did give the (British) code breakers at Bletchley Park the credit for the breaking of Enigma as well as the Lorenz (sp?) codes. And it did point out that the Polish contribution has been forgotten. I would like to quote the following selected sections from the Nova program. "The gifted code breaker Alan Turing had long been intrigued by the idea of building machines to automate the code breaking process. The Poles had built such a device before the war but Turing set out to improve on their idea." And later in the program, "Turning's machine was vastly more powerful than the Poles earlier device." I thought history credits Alan Turing and the British for the first computer? How can he be the father if he improved someone's device? Still later in the program, enter a telephone engineer, Thomas Flowers. The program stated it was he who built the first programmable computer called Colossus, which was used by Turning. "Colossus was a very powerful search engine. But working in a negative sense, rejecting millions and millions of possibilities, very, very quickly and arriving at the correct answer." "The world of computing and the internet stems from Allan Turning's fundamental ideas." "Roots to today's computer era trace back directly to the dazzling inventiveness of Turning, Flowers and wartime colleagues." The program gave the credit to Turning. But it did make the above statements. So my question is, if it was an idea based on a Polish invention, who built the first computer? I am not trying to make light of anyone's accomplishments. They all must have been of superior intelligence. But from the Nova program and Jan Bury's article I can't but believe that if not for the early invasion of Poland, history would credit more of these events to the Poles. Any comments from you computer nerds and/or code historians? Ed Guzick *********************************************** HUMOR; An old man and woman were married for years, even though they hated each other. When they had a confrontation, screams and yelling could be heard deep into the night. A constant statement was heard by the neighbors who feared the man the most: "When I die, I will dig my way up and out of the grave to come back and haunt you for the rest of your life!" They believed he practiced black magic and was responsible for missing cats and dogs, and strange sounds at all hours. He was feared and enjoyed the respect it garnished. He died abruptly under strange circumstances and the funeral had a closed casket. After the burial, the wife went straight to the local bar and began to party as if there was no tomorrow. The gaiety of her actions were becoming extreme while her neighbors approached in a group to ask these questions: Are you not afraid? Concerned? Worried? ... that this man who practiced black magic and stated when he died he would dig his way up and out of the grave to come back and haunt you for the rest of your life? The wife put down her drink and said, "Let him dig all he wants, I had him buried upside down." ----------------------------------------------------------------- Paradox of our times - by comedian George Carlin The paradox of our time in history is that we have taller buildings, shorter tempers; wider freeways, but narrower viewpoints. We spend more, but have less; we buy more, but enjoy it less. We have bigger houses and smaller families; more conveniences, but less time; we have more degrees, but less sense; more knowledge, but less judgment; more experts, but more problems; more medicine, but less wellness. We drink too much, smoke too much, spend too recklessly, laugh too little, drive too fast, get too angry too quickly, stay up too late, get up too tired, read too seldom, watch TV too much, and pray too seldom. We have multiplied our possessions, but reduced our values. We talk too much, love too seldom, and hate too often. We've learned how to make a living, but not a life; we've added years to life, not life to years. We've been all the way to the moon and back, but have trouble crossing the street to meet the new neighbor. We've conquered outer space, but not inner space. We've done larger things, but not better things. We've cleaned up the air, but polluted the soul. We've split the atom, but not our prejudice. We write more, but learn less. We plan more, but accomplish less. We've learned to rush, but not to wait. We build more computers to hold more information to produce more copies than ever, but have less communication. These are the times of fast foods and slow digestion; tall men, and short character; steep profits, and shallow relationships. These are the times of world peace, but domestic warfare; more leisure, but less fun; more kinds of food, but less nutrition. These are days of two incomes, but more divorce; of fancier houses, but broken homes. These are days of quick trips, disposable diapers, throwaway morality, one-night stands, overweight bodies, and pills that do everything from cheer to quiet, to kill. It is a time when there is much in the show window and nothing in the stockroom; a time when technology can bring this letter to you, and a time when you can choose either to share this insight, or to just hit delete. -George Carlin ----------------------------------------------------------------- Subject: Kids Say (and Do) the funniest things: (fwd) My friend likes to read his two young sons fairy tales at night. Having a deep-rooted sense of humor, he often ad-libs parts of the stories for fun. One day his youngest son was sitting in his first grade class as the teacher was reading the story of the Three Little Pigs. She came to the part of the story where the first pig was trying to acquire building materials for his home. She said "...And so the pig went up to the man with a wheelbarrow full of straw and said 'Pardon me sir, but might I have some of that straw to build my house with?'" Then the teacher asked the class "And what do you think that man said?" and my friend's son raised his hand and said "I know! I know! He said 'Holy smokes! A talking pig!'" The teacher was unable to teach for the next 10 minutes. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ A Sunday school teacher was discussing the Ten Commandments with her five and six year olds. After explaining the commandment to "honor thy father and thy mother," she asked "Is there a commandment that teaches us how to treat our brothers and sisters?" Without missing a beat one little boy (the oldest of a family) answered, "Thou shall not kill." ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ An honest seven-year-old admitted calmly to her parents that Billy Brown had kissed her after class. "How did that happen?" gasped her mother. "It wasn't easy," admitted the young lady, "but three girls helped me catch him." ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ One day, a little girl is sitting and watching her mother do the dishes at the kitchen sink. She suddenly notices that her mother has several strands of white hair sticking out in contrast on her brunette head. She looks at her mother and inquisitively asks, "Why are some of your hairs white, Mom?" Her mother replied, "Well, every time that you do something wrong and make me cry or unhappy, one of my hairs turns white." The little girl thought about this revelation for a while, and then said, "Momma, how come *all* of grandma's hairs are white?" ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The children had all been photographed, and the teacher was trying to persuade them each to buy a copy of the group picture. "Just think how nice it will be to look at it when you are all grown up and say, 'There's Jennifer; she's a lawyer,' or 'That's Michael, he's a doctor.'" A small voice at the back of the room rang out, "And there's the teacher; she's dead." ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ A teacher was giving a lesson on the circulation of the blood. Trying to make the matter clearer, he said, "Now, boys, if I stood on my head the blood, as you know, would run into it, and I should turn red in the face." "Yes, sir," the boys said. "Then why is it that while I am standing upright in the ordinary position the blood doesn't run into my feet?" A little fellow shouted, "Cause yer feet ain't empty." ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ For weeks, a six-year old lad kept telling his first-grade teacher about the baby brother or sister that was expected at his house. One day the mother allowed the boy to feel the movements of the unborn child. The six-year old was obviously impressed, but made no comment. Furthermore, he stopped telling his teacher about the impending event. The teacher finally sat the boy on her lap and said, "Tommy, whatever has become of that baby brother or sister you were expecting at home?" Tommy burst into tears and confessed, "I think Mommy ate it!" *********************************************** 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 concerning this group or membership contact Dennis Starks at, . A list of selected articles of interest to members can be seen at: http://www.softcom.net/users/buzz/backmail.html ***********************************************