Author Archives: Eric

Boat Anchors at Voice of Aladdin ARC Columbus Hamfest

A guest post by Eric McFadden, WD8RIF

I had the pleasure of attending the annual Voice of Aladdin Amateur Radio Club’s Columbus Hamfest this past weekend, on Saturday, August 4, 2018. The Columbus Hamfest is a smaller, local or regional hamfest but every year when I attend I’m pleasantly surprised by the presence of a really nice variety of fine used gear available at the event. This year was no exception.

I made snaps of some of the fine old “boat anchors” and some of the not-so-old stuff available at the hamfest. (And I must apologize for the flaring evident in some of the photos. It seems the lens in my MotoE4 smartphone is prone to flaring in direct sunlight—somehow, up this point I had not managed to discover this.)

Realistic DX-160

Central Electronics “Multiphase Exciter Model 20-A” transmitter

Yaesu FT-101EX transceiver and accessories

Collins R-388/URR receiver

Drake R8 receiver

Johnson Viking Ranger transmitter

A selection of MFJ single-band QRP (low power) CW-only transceivers and a vintage Heathkit SWR bridge

At the event, I hadn’t noticed how many of the vintage receivers were made by Hallicrafters.

Hallicrafters “Sky Buddy”

Hallicrafters HT-32A transmitter

Hallicrafters SX-101 receiver

Hallicrafters SX-111 receiver

Hallicrafters SX-99 receiver

Heathkit DX-100 (bottom) and Hallicrafters HT-37 transmitters

And while not a radio, this is certainly vintage and is very pretty—and it was for sale.

1966 Chevrolet pickup-truck (it was for sale)

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Photos of a B-17G Radio Operator Position

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I had the pleasure of visiting the Champaign Aviation Museum recently and examining their under-restoration B-17G, “Champaign Lady”. Actually, the term “under-restoration” is incorrect. In actuality, the Champaign Aviation Museum is effectively building their B-17G nearly from scratch—quite an undertaking but one that the volunteers are performing skillfully and enthusiastically.

Being an amateur radio operator, shortwave listener, and would-be WWII-radio restorer, I was was pleased to see that Champaign Lady already has a nearly-complete radio-operator position installed, between the bomb-bay and the waist-gun section of the airplane. As a B-17G would have had during the war, Champaign Lady features a BC-348 liaison receiver and morse-code key mounted on a desk on the port (left) side of the bomber and a stack of AM/CW Command Set transmitters and receivers racked on the starboard (right) side of the bomber. In the photos, the top Command Set boxes are the transmitters and the bottom three Command Set boxes are the receivers. Of course, the BC-348 and the Command Set transmitters and receivers are fully tube-type, semiconductors having not yet been invented. During the war speedometer-type cables would connect the Command Set receivers to controls in the cockpit, allowing the pilot and co-pilot to control the Command Set receiver frequencies; electrical cables would have carried the receivers’ audio to the pilot and co-pilot and would have allowed them to change volume-level. The radio operator could transmit using the Command Set transmitters and could also switch the pilot or co-pilot intercom microphones to any of the Command Set transmitters to allow the pilot or co-pilot to broadcast to other bombers in the formation.

B-17G “Champaign Lady” radio operator position; BC-348 liaison receiver on the port (left) side and Command Set transmitters and receivers on the starboard (right) side.

B-17G “Champaign Lady” BC-348 liaison receiver and morse-code key.

B-17G “Champaign Lady” Command Set transmitters and receivers on the starboard side of the radio room

During the war, the B-17G radio operator was an enlisted man, typically a sergeant or higher in rank. If in an earlier version of the B-17G, the radio operator was also responsible for manning a .50 caliber machine gun located in his section of the airplane. In all versions of the B-17G, the radio operator assisted the navigator by providing position reports based on radio fixes of beacons or radio stations. Additional information about the role of the B-17G radio operator can be found on the B-17 Queen of the Sky website.

And, for those interested, here is what Champaign Lady’s nose-art looks like:

B-17G “Champaign Lady” nose-art, starboard side; the port side features a mirror-image version of the same design

The Champaign Aviation Museum has a beautifully restored B-25J, “Champaign Gal”, in flying condition. Unfortunately, I’ve not been able to see if Champaign Gal features a restored radio operator position.

I have a BC-224, which is the 12-volt version of the BC-348 liaison receiver to put back into service as well as a BC-696A Command Set transmitter that I hope to eventually put back onto the air in the 80-meter amateur band. It would be wonderful if I had a B-17G in which to install these items—or even just room to build a replica B-17G radio operator position!

73,

Eric McFadden, WD8RIF
http://wd8rif.com/radio.htm

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A Replacement Whip Antenna for Sony ICF-SW7600G

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The Sony ICF-SW7600G (Photo: Universal Radio)

This is a guest-post by Eric, WD8RIF.

I’ve had my Sony ICF-SW7600G for almost twenty years. Early on, my very young son broke the receiver’s telescoping whip antenna and it was a simple and inexpensive matter to order a replacement whip assembly from Universal Radio, the Sony dealer from whom I had purchased the radio.

Recently, the receiver’s antenna failed at the pivot-point. First, the factory-supplied countersunk screw’s Phillips-head stripped out through repeated attempts to tighten the pivot over the years until finally I had to replace the screw. The best replacement screw I could find was a 2mm x 6 Allen-head screw from an R/C hobby shop that appeared to work fine until I managed to strip the antenna’s threads through over-tightening this screw. (Perhaps the Allen wrench simply provided too much torque for such a small screw.)

Clearly, it was time to actually buy a replacement antenna. This turned out to be easier said than done. Universal Radio is no longer a Sony distributor and has no access to parts for Sony products. A visit to the Sony website disclosed that service-parts are handled by two other companies, neither of which could provide the antenna—a surprising thing to discover since I think the antenna used in the ICF-SW7600G is the same part which is used in the current-model ICF-SW7600GR. A search on Amazon disclosed a seller offering the part for over $52, far more than I wanted to pay. Perhaps belatedly, I thought to check eBay where I found several listings, some offering the genuine Sony part shipped directly from Japan. I was intrigued, however, in the listing by stone_deng (link) who offered a non-OEM replacement antenna, shipped from Virginia, for $16.80 with free shipping. The description claimed the antenna was a perfect-fit replacement. Figuring the price would make this a good gamble, and because I wouldn’t have to wait weeks for delivery from Japan, I placed an order for one on a Monday evening and the postman delivered the antenna to my mailbox the following Friday. (I noticed as I was composing this post that stone_deng has raised the price for this antenna to $19.90 with free shipping.)

In comparing the replacement antenna with my original Sony part, the only difference I could see is that the metal tip of the replacement antenna is of a different style. Dimension-wise, the two antennas appeared to be identical.

Installation of the new antenna was simple. A single screw secures the antenna to the radio.

Remove this screw and pull the antenna straight out of the receiver.

It should be possible to slip the new antenna into the hole, twisting it to properly line up the mounting-flange, and run the screw back into place. In my case, the new antenna insisted on snagging on something inside the radio and I ended up removing the rear-panel entirely to install the new antenna rather than try to force the antenna into place. Fortunately, the rear panel is easily removed.

Remove the battery-cover and the four AA cells. Remove the five black Phillips-head screws that are marked on the rear panel with arrows. The rear panel will then lift straight up. Insert the new antenna into its hole, lining up the mounting flange with the screw-hole, and insert and tighten the screw. Carefully place the rear panel into place, lining up the four screw holes, and insert and tighten the five screws. Re-insert the AA cells and replace the battery cover.

I’m hopeful that this non-OEM antenna will prove to be rugged but time will tell. If this antenna proves to be inferior than the original in some way, I will post a follow-up to this post.

Obligatory disclaimer: I don’t know stone_deng, and I don’t have any financial interest in his company or products.

Eric McFadden (WD8RIF) is the author of this post and a regular contributor to the SWLing Post. Click here to visit Eric’s website which features QRP operation. Eric is based in Athens, Ohio.

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