MilitaryRadio.com Weblog

GRC-26 RTTY gear, Hallicrafters contractor.






GRC-26A RTTY gear, Hallicrafters contractor.

Iraq War Surplus

Recently acquired some supposed Iraqi military radio equipment, part of a direction finding system, supposedly captured by Special Forces, partially bombed, salvaged by unknown US contractors or quasi-military personnel. Most was scrapped for the aluminum, but some pieces were sold as parts units. Of the four units I have, all seem like commercial or military quality, built by Anritsu, Racal and others. One unit has a bent rack panel, supposedly from bombing, but unverified. Seems to have Iraq sand (very fine grit, cakes up like mud), and Arabic notes on front panels.

Pictures soon.

Listening to several communications receivers simultaneously requires a lot of cabling, both for the antenna sources and the output devices. In my listening post, I use an antenna coupler to distribute one antenna to many receivers without interference or signal attenuation to each. Currently I use a TMC-32, which is a single input, and up to 32 outputs. For antenna switching I use a patch panel with BNC connectors to allow me to select various antennas for routing to the coupler.

A mixer to handle the 600 ohm outputs of multiple receivers is desireable as well. This takes input from any military style receiver such as the R-390 and routes it to a master audio amplifier and monitor speaker. As a mixer it allows listening to more than one receiver at once, and for volume levels to be controlled separately.

A few years back, I purchased a surplus FAA rack, with some equipment installed. It turns out that one of the units in the rack is a 600 input mixer/amplifier tagged as model MAA-8/600 with 8 channels of input modules labeled MA-8/600. This rack mount unit is made by G.R.M. Corp in Medford NJ. Each module includes 5 matching transformers, 2 709C op-apms, and 4 panel mounted pots labeled SA, IT, LS, HP. I am hoping someone will recognize this description and offer a manual source or additional info. I hear it calling to be put back into service in my receiver rack.

Don,
I have a surplus Wave Meter that I would like to sell. Do you have any interest? 73-JOE, K9BH

This is a nice looking Wavemeter.

Joe has details - contact him direct.

Sample comments from visitors.

Thank you very much for your nice
Home Page of your Military Radios.

Akira Kobayashi JA1JIX
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I sure did enjoy surfing through your web pages.
I find those old radios Very interesting. I really
enjoyed seeing them. Thanks KG4HCN
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Thanks so much for all the information. Richard Kovich-KD4YOT
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Greetings, QST readers! Thanks one and all for your postive comments.

73 Don W5OR

These posts were recovered from a previous blog.

Finally, found a military generator set to rebuild. This is a 1952 CE-50-AC with a Crosely gasoline engine and a conservative 5 KW Hollingsworth generator. I need a manual, which I think is TM 5-5146. (jan 2003)


A former radio operator stationed in Laos during the VietNam conflict offered me his field radio station. This is the Army AN/GRC-109 portable station, also known as the RS-1. This station consists of three pieces, the power supply, the transmitter, and the receiver. Buttoned up in their cases they look identical, each about the size of a large brick. Nice little station and operation is simple and robust. Web references at

http://www.qsl.net/ve3bdb/grc109.html
http://www.pacificsites.com/~brooke/GRC109.shtml
http://www.militaryradio.com/spyradio/grc109.html
http://hereford.ampr.org/cgi-bin/millist?name=GRC-10
Downloadable PDF TM11-5820-474-14

(oct 2002)