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Military Collector Group Post Backmail #60 (11 pages) Index: JAPANESE TUBE INFO; from Ray Robinson CONNECTORS SOURCE;
MORE ON PERRY CONNECTORS; MAKING CONNECTIONS; Power Connectors In a Pinch,
by Dennis Starks MAKING CONNECTIONS; More Ideas From Lenox, Pete, & The
Group MAKING THOSE RUSSIAN BATTERIES WORK; by Mark Gluch DEVELOPMENT OF
THE RUSSIAN A7 RADIOS; by V.Sosunov & Sergey Ansimov ***********************************************
JAPANESE TUBE INFO; from Ray Robinson Hi Dennis, Here is some info for
Nick Broline, unless someone has already answered his question about the
origins of Japanese valve technology. I'll quote 2 paragraphs from an
article. I have spoken to the author, and have gained his permission.
He has no plans to put these into a book yet, but has been approached
by the Antique Wireless Association to use this material. Fin is a lamp
and valve collector and has written a couple of books and has 2 more on
the way. He also said there is info in Gerald Tyne's book SAGA OF THE
VACUUM TUBE. "The Japanese Valve Industry. It is understood that as early
as 1915, envoys from the Japnese Mitsui Company had been visiting radio
equipment and valve manufacturing concerns and obtaining samples. These
were taken back to Japan and copied. Several valves were made by some
companies in Japan before 1920 and include British types as the Q and
R types made by Ediswan and the Osram Lamp Works. The Annaka AAB-5 at
right in illustration 7 is a copy of the de Forest or Cunningham Audiotron
and several of these have turned up in Australia. An AAB-7 with a mesh
anode once belonged to a leading valve collector in Redwood City in California
and two Annaka Detectron valves were also in American collections. All
of these valves were double ended with wire leads. While similar to the
Audiotron, the tubular bulb was about one quarter of an inch wider and
the valves were usually three inches long. The latter two valves mentioned
above have different paper labels on them but both say 'Annaka Wireless
Works, Tokyo'. Gerald Tyne made extensive enquiries into the history of
the company but was unable to locate anything. The two labeled valves
are a departure from the accepted style of these valves as one has a very
fine wire anode wound on a glass former and the other valve has a disc
for an anode. The grid is zig-zagged and the valve has two V-shaped filaments.
A single-ended valve with wire leads was made by the Tokyo Electric Company
around 1920. One of these fitted with a Shaw Marconi-de Forest base is
shown at left in illustration 7. Howard Schrader of Princeton, New Jersey,
owned a baseless type of this valve. Illustration 8 shows a Cymotron UX201A,
UX199 and a 101F (Western Electric equivalent) also made in Japan. The
UX199 has a naval anchor stamped on it and this could well indicate that
the valve was made at the time of the Second World War, possibly for use
in some early equipment. Toshiba also made many valves, starting with
equivalents of some of the American battery types, such as the UX199 and
UX201-A types. The company was prominent in valve manufacture during World
War 2. Toshiba valves could be identified by a type of lightning bolt
symbol within a circle, stamped on the bulb, as a logo. Japanese valves
are relatively common and many copies of American and some British types
have been made. Some of these are quite collectable." 2 photographs. VALVE
BOX PART 13: EUROPEAN VALVE MAKERS, by Fin Stewart, Radio Waves, The Quarterly
Publication of the Historical Radio Society of Australia, P24-27 I can
make a copy and post this to anyone interested. From my own (unreliable)
memory, I recall reading somewhere that the Axis Blockade runners were
used to share technology between Germany and Japan. I recall that submarine
technology and optics were sent to Japan. This is how Japan gained a camera
industry. Germany lost their optics technology and knowledge in the bombing.
Hope this is not too long or off topic. 73s Ray VK2ILV robinson@srsuna.shlrc.mq.edu.au
ed) I'd sooner think the Germany's Optical Technology was hauled off by
the Russians than losing it to bombing. History has shown that strategic
bombing had little of the desired effect on the German industrial machine.
Yet postwar Russian technology in every field showed very strong German
influence, including optics. The Japanese already had a reputation for
optics prior to WW-II. Official accounts derived from intercepted Japanese
diplomatic correspondence showed their pre-occupation with German radar,
aircraft, and rocket technologies. Followed closely by their ambassadorial
spy's observations of generally more advanced armor, artillery, and electronics.
Indeed it was these correspondences between the Japanese diplomatic mission
in Germany and the home island that gave the Allies their most valued
information on German technological advances, and superiority. This for
two reasons, the first was that the Japanese diplomatic code was the first
one broken during WW-II. The second because these Japanese correspondences
typically compared this German technology in great detail with their own,
and that of the Allies. In effect, these Japanese diplomats were among
our most valued spies during the war. ***********************************************
CONNECTORS SOURCE; A new source for oddball military connectors has come
to light. This from Jack Johnson in Frederickburg TX.(Someday he'll get
some email capabilities and be a worthy addition to our group). The William
Perry Company deals exclusively with military connectors both new & used.
Their prices have been reported as quite reasonable. Phone 502-893-8724(it
would be nice to have a FAX number, & email address) We need a good source
for crystals used in later model equipment (50-60's). Non FT series, like
HC-6, 16, 18, 24 etc. Jan & Crystec are overpriced junk! International
Crystal's are good but too expensive. Boman's are excellent but they will
only make them for landmobile equipment. Any ideas? Dennis ***********************************************
MORE ON PERRY CONNECTORS; Dennis: Re: William Perry Connectors -- Fax
Is (502) 893 9220. No email that I know of . Suggest if you call him,
ask for him. The kids there don't know squat about connectors that aren't
common. He seems to be very knowledgable about the connectors for mil
stuff. Dave Sundheimer W0NBZ w0nbz@juno.com Burnsville (near Minneapolis)
Minnesota *********************************************** MAKING CONNECTIONS;
Power Connectors In a Pinch, by Dennis Starks Lately I've seen numerous
request for the connectors needed to power up our old favorites. Also
I've seen a lot of equipment, that came from knowledgable people that
have had wires tack-soldered to their connector's. Don't do this, please.
Though it is often times reversible, it still looks like shit. There's
always a way that we can make expedient connectors for our radios until
the real thing comes along, heres a couple examples. OLD TUBE SOCKETS,
are our most valued source for expedient connectors. Their common and
dirt cheap, you can get junk boxes full for a couple dollars at most any
hamfest. Be careful what you tear up for your needs though, as some are
rare, and in demand by other old radio affectionate's. For the most part,
all you'll need to do is collect up some various sizes, Octals(most useful),
7 and 9 pin miniatures, and vibrator sockets for the larger pins. The
individual pins are removed from the tube sockets, then used to slip over
the pins of your project connector. If you want, you can use some heat
shrink over each connection for added safety, or make a board using the
dummy method of PC board making to support the pins in your new connector.
Even the smaller tube sockets will be useful. If your making up a battery
for a PRC-6, your in luck, this is just a standard 7 pin miniature tube
socket. But believe it or not, we've had several members include in their
want list old BA-270's so they could rob the connector from it. My first
PRC-47 connector was made from miniature tube sockets, and they will work
in many other applications. Other useable materials include old defunct
batteries, finishing nails, telescoping antennas from portable radios
or TVs, junk radios, tube bases from bad tubes, Your limited only by your
imagination. Some specific examples: PRC-8,9,10, connectors can be made
from old batteries(but these are getting pretty scarce), alternately octal
tube sockets can be dissected. The best come from junk radios, the chassis
to cabinet mating connector is the same as the battery connector. PRT-4,
& PRR-9, use defunct batteries, or dissected miniature, and octal tube
sockets to make your connections. The receiver may need parts from an
old vibrator socket for one pin. CPRC-26, one of the harder connectors
to make, it will need a bunch of old vibrator tube socket parts due to
it's larger pin size. You can also drag out your Dremel tool, and slice
off the appropriate size of an old telescoping TV antenna. Then cut a
slit down one or two sides of you little piece of tubing to allow a friction
fit. If you don't have a Dremel, get one! And stock up on the cut off
wheels, you'll use a lot of them. BC-1000, another of the harder connector
to make. But you can use the same method for it, as the PRC-10. GRR-5,
easy, just two pin sockets from an octal tube socket. If it's for a 110vac
cord, use some heat shrink over them. PRC-25/77, defunct and good batteries
are still very common. The sockets from these can be scavenged, and used
again on the PRC-25, or dissected them for use elsewhere. PRC-68, 126
etc. These use a snap connector like those on a 9volt transistor radio
battery but larger. It was a common type connection for "B" batteries
in the 50's. They can be had from several sources. The first, Radio Shack
once stocked them. The second, and best, PDR-27 batteries from Fair Radio,
their only about $12.00 a dozen, and are 67.5 volt. You steel the connectors
for your PRC-68, then use the cells to make batteries for your other project
radios, like the PRC-6 or BC-611. BTW the battery as-is will also operate
your RBZ with the addition of a foam spacer. TCS, miniature tube sockets,
and finishing nails can be used. Or you can keep an eye out at Hamfest.
Both Motorola, and GE used the same connectors on their motorcycle radios
in the 60's and 70's. Buy the whole radio set to get them, their power
supplies can later be used to operate other radios. GRC-9, and BC-1306,
use the smaller banana jacks usually of Oriental origin, or the sliced
up TV antenna. RT-70, 68, R-109, 110 etc, Finishing nails, and the dummy
method of PC board making. For the Aux connector on a PP-1175, use an
octal tube base with the center, and all unused pins broken off. For 50's
generation equipment like the GRR-5, R-392, T-195, RT-70 etc. These radios
use a common type connector housing with interchangeable inserts. You
can often times rob the inserts or odd hardware from one connector, for
use on another thus making the one you need. TBY mic connectors, this
is a very old style Amphenol connector, variants of it lived on into the
mid 70's, though reversed. Connectors can be made from mic connectors
of old Motorola, and GE business band equipment. Use the housing from
the mic connector, and the insert from the mating connector on the control
head. The battery connector for this radio, and the BC-222/322 is a standard
tube socket. PRC-47 coaxial antenna connector, get one of those CB type
antenna mounts usually used as part of mirror mounts on trucks, the one
with an SO-239 base. The thread of these is the standard 3/8 x 24, just
chuck it in a vice and run a 3/8 x 20 die over the original threads. This
make a fine SO-239 adapter for your radio, and mimics the original government
type which is an "N" connection. For the ground, use a copper clip removed
from an old buse fuse holder, snap this over the PL-259 once attached.
With a ground wire to the radios nearby ground post. Another hint for
users of this radio, I carry in my Hill Billy RV(a military 1963 Dodge
Power Wagon Ambulance), a universal antenna kit composed of standard AB,
and MS mast sections, along with home brew adapters to allow these to
be used with about anything that comes along. A nice adapter for the PRC-47
can be made from an old AB-15 spring. Their very common, and cheep, often
found with the porcelain insulator broken. Just remove the spring, cut
off all the but what's needed of it's end, then run your 3/8 x 20 die
over it, works great. You might need to turn down the end of this spring
before cutting it off, and re-threading. If so, use your poor boy's lathe,
and a file. I/E stick the spring in a 1/2" drill and hold a file against
it while turning, then cut it off, and re-thread. BC-611, expedient connections
can be made to this radio's battery connections without soldering to them
for the purpose of testing with an external power supply. Just get a couple
of the clips from a standard fuse holder. I've also used these as quiky's
with home made batteries, but the results were not all that reliable.
Need to duplicate a cable? Used the control cables from old trunk mount
business band radio equipment if you need a lot of wires. If you don't
need a lot of wires, use 5 or 8 conductor rotor control wire slipped inside
a length of automotive vacuum hose, or rubber fuel line, this will look
pretty much like the real thing. If there are markings on the hose that
give it away, give it the magic marker treatment. Dennis Starks; MILITARY
RADIO COLLECTOR/HISTORIAN military-radio-guy@juno.com Related topics:
Backmail #28, PC board makeing for dummies. Backmail #27, So Now You Have
a PRC-47 Backmail #32, Alternate Power Sources ***********************************************
MAKING CONNECTIONS; More Ideas From Lenox & Pete Hobby shops and decent
hardware stores have stocks of brass, copper and aluminum in tubes, rods
and sheets. Rods and tubes are one foot long and come in many sizes up
to about 1/2 inch. The brass tubing can be used either as male or female
parts of connnectors or as both since the tubing sizes are such that they
are slip fits inside of each other. Brass comes as soft, hard or chrome
plated. Don't get the soft as it really is! This tubing also works well
as inserts for knobs when you have a knob with a large hole and and oddball
small shaft. It can also be used as shaft extensions. Many odd metal replacement
parts and shims can be made from the sheet brass. I agree with Dennis
about the Dremel "Moto Tool." Gotta have it! The little wire brushes (which
they seem to think are made of gold-plate platinum) are great for removing
corrosion from small places. Don't expect replacement bits, brushes or
grindstones to be cheap! Ain't nuthin' cheap about the Dremel! Lenox -----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Another idea: Molex pins come in various sizes, male and female. Radio
Shack still carries a couple of connectors (with pins) - they are the
right size to use with the mini-bananas found on a lot of ARC stuff. Pete
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Dennis -- I buy male and female MS connectors at the hamfests - the larger
the better. Disassemble them, and use the pins to connect with. With a
piece of heat shrink over them they make good long term connectors. I
find most connectors have pins of 2 or 3 sizes, so a small collection
of connector pins will fit a large number of connectors. Keep up the good
work........ 73's Dave Great ideas for replacement connectors!! I had
never thought about many of those. I have found that a Dremel works best
if the speed control box is added to slow it down and not eat the wire
brushes so fast. Dremel accessories have been available at discount prices
from American Science and Surplus (can't find their address at the moment)
I don't seem to get their catalog on a regular basis so I don't know if
they currently have any now. A local surplus outlet had lot of the old
large (b battery) snap connectors and I'll check to see if they still
have them. GREAT JOB DENNIS Ken Sakamoto ED) A speed control is a must
when useing a Dremel for buffing or polishing. If you use one at it's
full 30,000 plus RPM with a wire wheel , most of the bristles will end
up stuck in your hide. Don't bother to buy a tool that has a built in
speed control, the cost is excessive, and they never last very long. Just
use a standard tool with either a light dimmer control, or variac. ***********************************************
MAKING THOSE RUSSIAN BATTERIES WORK; by Mark Gluch For those of you who
have acquired just about any of the Russian radios that have been filtering
into the country in the last few years, Mark has the following info. Warning!
These things are nasty! If you value your marriage, do not do this in
the kitchen, nor use any of you wife's utensils. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Mark, Tom B. tells me you've done some experimenting with Russian batteries
and activating them with Drano. You might write us up something on the
process and your success with them/it. What the hell else has been goin
on up there? Dennis ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Dennis: The Drano story is true, and so far so good, the battery still
works. The electrolyte for the Russian battery for the R-126 is supposed
to be potassium hydroxide, but I couldn't find any to buy "over the counter".
A co-worker who used to do alot of battery research work suggested Drano
dissolved in water, which produces sodium hydroxide. He was telling me
it is the "hydroxide" part that does the actual work, and that on a chemical
basis, sodium and potassium are very similar. All you do is slowly add
drano crystals to water and stir. Keep adding the crystals until they
wont dissolve any more. I used a glass mixing bowl, and watch out- it
gets hot when you do it, and it will irritate skin. Then I used an eye-drop
syringe to fill up the battery. Lo and behold, it worked. I have no idea
if it will last as long as with proper electrolyte, or any other scientific
details. I recharged the battery by putting 3.5V across it overnight.
Otherwise, I've been doing a few odds and ends. I built a solid state
vibrator for Bill Howard's German Torn E.b set. So far so good on that
too..... I'll send you a schematic if you'd like. Mark ***********************************************
DEVELOPMENT OF THE RUSSIAN A7 RADIOS; by V.Sosunov & Sergey Ansimov Foreword:
The below is an article on the develpment of the Russian A7 radio set.
this was the only FM set that the Russians built during WW II. The article
was translated for me by Sergey Ansimov and I have edited it for grammar.
Do not think I have changed any of the meaning, just re worded some sentences.
Long on Rusian heroism and short on technical details but still interesting.
Bill Howard ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The fifth story in the ARadio@ journal series of the editorÌs Around table@
meeting called ARear Units - for the Front@, designated to commemorate
the 30-years anniversary of our Peoples victory in Great Patriotic War.
Guests of the editor told about the contribution to the victory that was
made by the rear units workers - radio factories employers, signallers,
and radio designers. Our readers, as the editor=s mail shows, have a vivid
interest in this subject, and want to know in more details the history
of radiomen=s combat Aweapons@ creation. Today we publish an article which
tells about the creation of the mobile USW (Ultra-short waves) A-7 radio
station in the hardestyears of the war, which became a step forward in
the realization of radio communication without search and tuning in the
smooth ÍdiapasonÎ of frequencies principle. The history of the development
and mass production of this radio station shows the rise and great responsibility
with which the designers, engineers, and workers worked in a rare answer
to the party call - Aeverything is for the Front, everything is for the
victory!@. The author of the article - the docent, PhD in technical sciences,
Vasiliy Nikolaevich Sosunov. In the war years he participated in the mastering
and mass production of the SW (short wave) and USW radio stations which
played an important role in the control of the troops in combat. At the
first months of the Great Patriotic War the main radio factories of our
country had been evacuated to the East, where in the winter of 1941, despite
shortages and unpracticality of facilities, communications, and equipment,
the new plants were created. They started production during the first
half of 1942. However, the requirements for communication means, and especially
in mobile short wave radio stations was extremely high. In order to ease
the hard situation of a shortage mobile radio stations at least to some
degree, they had to develop and organize the mass production of such stations
from the details of the 6H1 common radio-recievers. In shortest time,
just a few months the radio plant of the USSR People's Commissariat of
Defense [PCD] was created. The machine-tools of this factory were evacuated
from Leningrad. By the middle of 1942 the radio plant of the PCD started
to produce hundreds of 13 P radio stations a month, and later increased
the production up to 1,000 of sets a month. It became possible because
of the care and devotion of the People=s Commissar=s aide, the Chief of
the Red Army Main Board of the Communications Comrade I.T.Peresipkin ,
and the organizational talents of the RA MBC's [Red Army Main Board of
Communications] Board of Armament Chief K.H.Muraviev, and selfless work
of our plant=s small collective. The 13 R radiostation (and Leningrad
RL6) were primitive, assembled in veneer boxes, covered by the glued tarpaulin.[
Must be canvas covered plywood -WLH] In Picture 1 the front of the 13R
radio stations is shown, with the rents[dents or vents] in the lid. By
the middle of 1942 the mobile radio stations of the pre-war type RB and
modernized RBM , which were to become well liked in army were started
in production in a rather large series. But it still wasn=t enough to
cover needs of the active army and the production of the Asurrogate@ stations
13R and RL6 still had to be pushed. Already it was clear that for the
radio-telephone communication of regiments, battalions, and artillery
batteries, USW radio stations were necessary. One of our most talented
radio engineers G.T.Shitikov had been transferred to the radio plant of
the PCD for the urgent creation and production of the reliable mobile
USW radio station. He was a man, in whom the qualities of the investigator,
designer and kind person were luckily combined.. He could teach and lead
the collective in its work. Shitikov came to the plant with a small group
of young engineers. They brought a model of the ultra-short semi-duplex
telephone radio station which operated with frequency modulation (it was
a new then!). The radio station could be smoothly retuned in all working
ÍdiapasonÎ of frequencies, and the receiver was highly sensitive. In the
receiver and transmitter the so called non-quartz frequency stabilization
was used. Ideas, included in the scheme and construction of the receiver-transmitter
were original in solution and were rather well looked into. The creation
of the experimental plant models which could be easily constructed and
were technologically acceptable for mass production became necessary.
The country at this time was in the hardest period of the War with fascist
hordes thirsting for Volga. The historic Stalingrad Battle had been launched.
Every engineer, every worker understood: that at any price the production
of USW radio stations for the front must be initiated in the shortest
possible time. We worked 16-18 hours a day. We even slept at the plant.
As a result - the development and production of two experimental radio
station types A 7 (script A-7),were completed in few weeks for laboratory
and field trials . However, in those conditions the development of the
radio station wasn=t easy, and an even harder task was to adjust it=s
serial production. Besides technical drawings, the manufacturing of multiple
stampings, press-forms and devices had to be managed to create the sets
and also the special test tools (even USW generators of standard signals),
test stands for regulation and control. The production of special radio-ceramics,
ferromagnetic core, intermediate frequency filter screens, vacuum termopair
miniature milliampermeters, etc. had to be organized in other plants.
The regular provision of necessary materials, and completion of products
had to be performed. The assemblers, regulators, controllers had to be
trained. Its difficult to believe now that all that was done in three
months. Soon after the production of the A-7 radio stations started, the
first part of USA-made lend-lease portable-in-car radio stations, the
SCR-610 arrived, and it also was a USW FM, with similar capacity and work
radius( Transmission Range). Certainly, the SCR-610 had a prettier make-up,
had light telescopic antenna, dynamic(???), etc. But in fact it had only
two working frequencies (equal to the number of quartz crystals). Our
radio station, however, had 120 fixed working frequencies, it used considerably
less energy than SCR-610, had less weight and had better interference-protection.
By the way, one fact connected with the A-7 station estimation comes to
my memory. On the second or third day after the liberation of Vienna by
our forces I was there in the radio plant of ANikolan and Company. After
looking around the plant, the talk on the science-technical politics of
the fighting countries started. The science consultant of the plant said
that he was convinced of the high level of the Soviet radio technology
after talking with Soviet radio operators/soldiers. The Austrian professor
had been amused that the portable radio station the soldier carried was
the ultra-short-wave one, with modulation of frequencies. The radioman,
as a consultant said, reasonably explained the advantages of the frequencies
modulation on USW. At the end of 1943 the plant of PCD produced 1,000-1,200
sets of the A-7 radio stations each month. The complete A-7 set is shown
in Photo 2. Soon the production of A-7 and its modifications, which worked
in some different diapason of frequencies have begun in other plants.
The production of this radio station was more than 4,000 sets per month.
Many radio specialists, workers in radio production facilities, military
radio-men fought selflessly on the fronts of the Great Patriotic war.
But those, who worked in the rear also made their own contribution to
the Victory. They showed an example of selfless devotion to the Motherland
and real labor heroism. V.Sosunov Leningrad ---------------------------------------------------------------
MEMBERS WRITE; Russian FM A7, Dennis, Regarding the write up on the Russian
VHF FM set. "diapazon" means band, frequency range. RGDS George Wallner |
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