Nevada Haul: 1950's Mil Radios, Teletype and HP Goodness

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We brought back treasures from a swap meet in Nevada, including 1950's military tube equipment and more.
I (er, mostly Mike Stewart, to be exact, thanks Mike) already scanned some of the manuals: archive.org/details/@curiousmarc
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[@geoffbarton5917]

The military teletype technician toolkit triggered a memory of a coworker I had years ago who in his previous life was in fact a military teletype technician among other things. He is the guy that showed me how a teletype worked. Great memories.

[@jdos2]

"I hope a little bit is broken so we can look into it..." What better way to describe your curious spirit, Marc? Thank you for the video- and love seeing you have fun!

[@wojciechrosciszewski]

Why go to the Gym when you can buy such beautiful *HEAVY* gear and drag to your basement. I recently moved to a 4th floor apartment - yes, without a lift. I couldn't walk for a week after carrying my lab up those stairs. Can't wait for future videos!

[@douro20]

Your website has a security problem.

[@wojciechrosciszewski]

@@douro20 Unsure what you mean my friend. I have no website, neither any link ;)

[@douro20]

@@wojciechrosciszewski Ok, I guess it must be someone else's website even though it has the same name.

[@wojciechrosciszewski]

@@douro20Send over the link and we'll see whats up :)

[@douro20]

@@wojciechrosciszewski It's basically (your name).pl. I can't post it here or it will get the whole thread deleted...

[@CuriousMarc]

Aargh, @Dumpster Fire, I accidentally removed your first comment when trying to respond to it! It was quite funny. If you see this, please repost it, I’ll recognize it and will give you your first viewer award!

[@CuriousMarc]

@Dumpster Fire never came back, but here was his comment: "I came, I saw, I left the first comment" You veni, you vidi, and you have definitely vici.

[@dwanseicheine7409]

One thing that is instantly noticeable is how clean the equipment is. That shows love and attention to detail. I'd snap everything up if I had the funds to do so.

[@skfalpink123]

I seem to remember seeing a lot of that equipment mounted in rows of 19inch racks in a massive communications room on the USS Midway in San Diego.

[@VintageElectronicsGeek]

Marc - It was nice running into you, chatting with you and showing you my haul at the end of the event, I will be posting my haul video sometime this week I believe...Johns a cool guy, I picked up a few items from him, great deals! 73's OM. ~Jack, VEG

[@CuriousMarc]

Nice meeting you too! Good luck with your new stash of goodies!

[@SubTroppo]

I could just imagine what my nearest & dearest would say if I brought that lot home in one hit. One of those huge valves would be great as an ornament; non-functioning would do me fine.

[@EyeMWing]

The asset tag on that Oscilloscope is positively menacing.

[@theafro]

Holy cow, until this moment it had never occurred to me that a 'tactical teletype' was an actual thing! perfect for field-day or a radio-teletype SOTA mission!

[@peepopalaber]

Oh my, the portable teletype is fantastic!

[@chrismofer]

every household should have one

[@petersimpson6076]

ISTR reading that they are somewhat of a challenge to repair. They are not (in the strict sense of the word,) Teletypes(TM), but were designed and made by a Connecticut company. Teletypes(TM) were made by a division of Western Electric in Skokie, IL. 5555 W Touhy Av is now a mall

[@MarcelHuguenin]

You scored another wonderful collection of equipment. Looking forward to your next video(s) !

[@rpavlik1]

"It will tune just about anything"... Totally missed the opportunity to follow up with "Can even tuna fish!"

[@Spookieham]

It suddenly occurred to me that the amount of brain power and expertise all putting that desk together was very impressive 😁. Looking forward to this RTTY series as an amateur it's going to be brilliant. 73 de VK6HIL

[@UnitSe7en]

They're all individually just a little bit overqualified. Engaging the whole group to build a desk should have rightfully turned it into a fusion reactor.

[@mariomarcelosiad3112]

fantastic, I am very envious, from here the southern cone, it would be fabulous to get pieces like this, I congratulate you for the videos, and for bringing them back to life

[@DanBowkley]

For digitizing your microfiche collection, see if you can find a retired microfiche printer. I remember seeing them in libraries back when dinosaurs roamed the earth. Print everything out and then just stick it into a sheetfed scanner. Going fiche-paper-data is an extra step but probably a lot faster than trying to do it with a flatbed transparency scanner.

[@wes11bravo]

I work for the phone company as a splicing technician and still use my microfiche plats every day. The last update we got was 2007 but they're so much better than the online facility map program. There are lots of historical information on some of these plats (several Nike missile batteries and radar sites, etc) that I'd love to scan in before I retire/fall over dead on the job, haha.

[@tekvax01]

wow! Marc! What a haul indeed! Thanks for sharing!

[@leonardochiruzzi7642]

Of course it is torture to see your videos with all this stuff and here in Italy not being able to find practically anything for my miserable collection. I'm going to hit my head at the sharpest edge I find to relieve my pain.

[@AsbestosMuffins]

on the other hand you guys have more ww2 stuff sitting around than over here

[@zh84]

2:10 I like R2-D2 casually lurking in the background there.

[@MatCatSoft]

Wow really cool, I went out to his property last year, was a blast to see everything, too bad I missed it this year would of loved to have seen you!

[@dougf94912]

The toolkit is absolutely superb! 🤓

[@wes11bravo]

I have the remote control version of that Sunair GSB-900DX. The guy I got it from had it running constantly on RTTY and I believe he said it was used on a Coast Guard cutter in the 80s-90s.

[@624Dudley]

Thanks Marc. Looking forward to the videos these devices will generate. Also, nice outro music! 👍

[@cttv90108]

That's how my early hamfests were, I'd come home with a car load of stuff. Lots of fun.

[@hymermobiler]

Excellent work! Videos for years to come we are so lucky!

[@mymessylab]

Very nice score! R-388 is a wonderful receiver, they can have problems with the ceramic trimmer capacitors and PTO range reduced, but can be managed. I’m curious to see all on the air as back in those days.

[@colinsmith6480]

The tool kit find is amazing !

[@georgestephens2593]

So much vintage awesomeness! I'm jealous of you Marc!

[@FHolloran]

I am really looking forward to what comes next!

[@joergee8051]

for me the best channel on youtube. thanks

[@fanplant]

I could never find the multimeter I had as a 3yo... until now. Thanks Marc! It's a TS-297/U, like I needed to add to my horde

[@renhansen1246]

3:19 🤣 If I'm reading the _106. Destruction of Equipment_ instructions right, existence as we know it is lucky to still be here because if one of those radios was never at risk of falling into enemy hands the troops had clear instructions to *_g. DESTROY EVERYTHING_*

[@gertebert]

I can smell all that beautiful equipement overhere!

[@JA-qi1fb]

I recently bought an old friend's radio collection. I acquired a B2 Spyset, a 122 & 123, a Mk.VII & an OP-3 which may have been made for the Special Operations Executive (SOE) in WWII. Then I left for holiday .. but chomping at the bit to begin prepping, cleaning & warming up those tubes.

[@CuriousMarc]

Good luck restoring your vintage collection!

[@JA-qi1fb]

@@CuriousMarc Thank you. The fun begins tomorrow morning!

[@wrenchposting9097]

Nice, I picked up an HP 1200B scope very similar to the one at 11:18 last year, turns out it was used by Aeronutronic

[@mikem5043]

I just recently acquired a MITE. Need to find a militarized TU for mobile installation.

[@theelmonk]

My first scope was an HP180A : seems like that 1217B is exactly the same except it has the standard plugins (1821a, 1801a iirc) built in.

[@davidalanroden]

I have a later civilian version of the Collins R388 - the 51J-4 - fantastic communications receiver.

[@jonathanallen4772]

Tnx for the great show! You mentioned "mildly radioactive power tubes." This is because adding a small amount of thorium to the tungsten filament lowers the work function. This allows higher electron emission at lower temperatures than would be the case with pure tungsten.

[@CuriousMarc]

That too, but that radioactivity is so small it does not make it through the glass. The radio activity comes from the uranium glass seals.

[@jonathanallen4772]

@@CuriousMarc You are right. When thorium decays, it emits alpha and beta particles which, unlike gamma rays, would be unable to penetrate the glass envelope. Thanks for the correction.

[@compu85]

Your wife must be very patient to let you unload a swap meet haul in the lovely entry of your house 😅

[@mike95826]

For more of this kind of stuff you may want to contact Bob KE6F. Last I knew (if he is still alive), he lived South of Sacramento and had a couple of old cargo boxes on his property full of smultz.

[@nickhuwar7920]

Kudos to your wife. Mine doesn’t let me go to those kind of places anymore. Basements full, lol

[@AsbestosMuffins]

"This one is the Swiss watch of teletype, I hope a little of it is broken" The difference in skills, I see your model 19 and think mechanical spagghetti,, you look at it and say it's the easier one to fix

[@douro20]

You need to try and find a Model 42. This was their first production electronic teleprinter, and a rather dated one at that, being introduced in 1977.

[@FJL4215]

Nice! I have that frequency counter/DVM but it needs some work - the DVM function is not working :)

[@ReneSchickbauer]

Now that the Apollo guidance computer is working and the radio stuff is nearly finished, next step could be to find and restore an Apollo ALSEP package?

[@jeremiefaucher-goulet3365]

You'll need many more lifetimes, to get to all those wonderful future projects ;)

[@MattKasdorf]

Came for the astromech 🤔 stayed for the chitchat 😊

[@LegalizeAdulthood]

Nice haul!

[@cmjones01]

The portable teletype is beautiful. Its 40lb weight brings to mind early portable computers like the Osborne-1 and Kaypro, which gave me an idea: tuck a Raspberry Pi or similar in to the back of it, develop the software and hardware to connect the two together (I presume the teletype is 5-bit, is it?) and have yourself a fully-functional portable computer with hard copy output.

[@aoverhage5181764]

Any dates on that maintenance kit? I wonder if that is like what my grandfather would have carried when he was in the service?

[@aserta]

You can digitize micro-fiches with a powerful scanner (any, really). You just need to make sure it has the option to do film. I've digitized glass in the past and it pulls all the details down to individual hairs from meters away.

[@SeanBZA]

Just needs to be capable of very high resolution scanning in monochrome. 4800dpi or better works, so kind of excludes any of the cheap scanners, though the old HP Scanjets would happily do that at highest setting, though scanning would be extremely slow. Find an old Arcus scanner, with the dual lamp option, and put new lamps in ( very cheap to do, and you can do it yourself as well, unlike the HP where the lamps are epoxied in) and it will scan these perfectly. Used them with professional film to scan artwork, and the final image could be printed up to A0, with full detail in them.

[@petersimpson6076]

There are companies that will do it for a price. Might be the fastest way to go. But then, again, building your own would be more fun.

[@68hoffman]

wow..kool great items ...

[@MLX1401]

That TTY maintenance kit is almost too perfect to be real...what a find!!! P.S. Also an item you can definitely smell by just looking at it 😄

[@jaut-76]

If you want a decent high voltage supply look at electrophoresis power supply’s. I have three 500v 400ma on my bench and the extra current has saved me many times

[@DavidSmith-zx7wz]

Can't wait!

[@chrismofer]

10:18 wow, autotune goes way back before T-pain

[@DantalionNl]

What is the outro song it sounds familiar to Yoko Shimomura's traverse town but its clearly not quite the same

[@tommajor2940]

Is it time to add encryption to the teletype transmission project? Maybe get a couple of KW-7's if possible...

[@petersimpson6076]

He'll build his own 🙂

[@F4HDK]

Plenty of new toys! What is the model of the teletype, please?

[@bitrage.]

Common guys, the manual will say 110 pounds because they have to give a number that's super safe, so they massively undershoot... I garentee that table could hold 300 pounds I'd even confidently say 400

[@MarcelHuguenin]

Hello Marc!

[@leppie]

Looks the strength is more rated for the actual top and not the lifters. With the 180lb, the top looked like it started bending a little.

[@TeslaTales59]

Be careful... you may get a visit from the north! Mr. Carlson's Lab!

[@jaut-76]

That would be a great collaboration on the valve/tube kit

[@72polara]

I have the GSR-920 RX that goes with your TX.

[@juliussokolowski4293]

20 bucks for a 8484A?!? That is a find indeed! those fetch more like 200-300 in working condition. I’m more of R&S guy so I got a NRV base unit and now I’m commited to those sensors. Kinda regret it now. the Z4 is as close as you can get to the 8484A (if you want a diode detector), less frequency but more dynamic range - they fetch north of a 1000 bucks! Might have to switch to HP...

[@JeffCowan]

Teardowns, of course, but that vintage autotuner has me curious.

[@msylvain59]

3:20 Smash, cut, burn, bend, explore, dispose, and THEN destroy everything (remaining, if any). They want a destuction down to the molecular level it seems.

[@w9gb]

Electro-Voice desk microphone !

[@hightensionlabs]

Completely jealous over the HP power sensor for 20 bucks what a bargain. 👍

[@twilliamson3]

Sure would be neat to work you on the air sometime.

[@casparberends2719]

Looks like you have to remove the white plastic at the end of the tuning fork?

[@CuriousMarc]

No, you need it, it’s an important part! Hopefully I’ll get to demonstrate it in a future video.

[@jacobdavidcunningham1440]

12:30 wth lol that's wild

[@argoneum]

It's all so sweet that my teeth hurt while watching! 😸

[@Wizardess]

If yu have teletypes there is a chance you have some slightly more modern equipment. Do you have an AN/UXC-7 facsimile? That's the one you drive a tank over in the morning to wake it up. I have a nearly pristine manual and some possibly still have some other goodies for it. Alas, I do not have the little golden piece of hardware to give it, SCSI capability. That was designed to work with large map size documents in a 36" wide scanner. {^_^}

[@KageShi]

I am looking for a mod/demod radio interface for a US Signal Corps Teletype. I really want to get it going to Rx the weather radiotext broadcast that are still in use while I can.

[@CuriousMarc]

I’m planning to cover that in a future episode. Stay tuned.

[@KageShi]

@@CuriousMarc I want to mate my teletype to a 5Band TR-4 tube radio or a modified 10m mobile radio one.

[@jlwilliams]

At any future vintage electronics show, all CuriousMarc will have to do is walk in with his micro teletype in one hand and his Signal Corps teletype toolkit in the other, and everything else is just going to come to a complete stop...

[@naikrovek]

There is so much great stuff and so many great people on the west coast (and nearby areas.) the rest of the USA kinda hates that entire swath of the country because of it. :(

[@matt0laughed]

That's the first time I've ever seen a manual that includes a subsection on how you should destroy your equipment.

[@johnopalko5223]

I once saw instructions on how to destroy the Hammond organ in the chapel if a base had to be abandoned. It always struck me as a rude thing to do. If the enemy wants to have a sing-along, let them! EDIT: I think I saw it in an issue of _The American Organist_ magazine from 2017 or 2018.

[@matt0laughed]

@@johnopalko5223 Agreed, that's very interesting. I would have to assume it was to prevent an enemy from studying any of the electronics?

[@johnopalko5223]

@@matt0laughed Hard to say. It was an electromechanical tone generator and a vacuum tube audio amplifier. I think this was from during the Vietnam conflict, so the design would have been around 30 years old by then. I don't know what they could possibly have learned from it. As an organist, and owner of a 1967 Hammond B-3 that's still going strong, I was horrified at what they said to do to the poor thing. I mean, putting sand in the tone generator's oil cups?!?

[@matt0laughed]

@@johnopalko5223 Yes I was thinking the same. It was old and well understood tech that was not mission critical. Sand in the oil cups! That's just insane. I wonder how many poor Hammond's had to be subject to that level of torture and destruction.

[@MrThomashorst]

Section II, 106. g. DESTROY EVERYTHING. ... LMAO 🤣

[@ricod9451]

WARNING! Free up your calendar! Lots of fabulous CM unboxing, repairathon and reverse engineering video’s coming this fall. (And maybe some Electrobooms?)

[@gcewing]

Master Ken has his lab coat on, is he reverse engineering the desk?

[@thesteelrodent1796]

5:00 world's first laptop?

[@neilshep50]

What you should have is a 19 set: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wireless_Set_No._19

[@jaut-76]

Don’t forget the high power amplifier as well for the sweet 100w out

[@KeritechElectronics]

He's a huge tube nut for sure. Holy bloody moly, am I envious! Joy for ever. Collins transmitter... makes me think of Paul Carlson standing in one, haha! Lack of bench space (or The Law of Eternal Discombobulation) is a common problem in electronics workshops and labs all over the world. Sure, you can try to tackle it with adding more benches, but you'll eventually reach the limit of shop space, which will force you to expand by adding buildings, which is then limited by economic boundaries. Even if this was not the case (i.e. if you had the wealths of Bezos, Musk and Gates combined), you'd eventually reach the limits of Earth space, not to mention the necessity to share it with others. So, expanding into the extra-terrestrial... ...and then you reach the speed of light limitation. Hahaha. Truth be told, I'd love to get one of them movable variable height benches... the cheaper readily available ones are adjusted with a hand crank, so I'd and hack it for electrical control. Military TTY and HV PSU are just so damn awesome.

[@jimmycrider8677]

sad news Excess Solutions will close July 16

[@CuriousMarc]

Sniff.

[@TheFleetz]

Another year of therapy! Yah! 👍 I can cancel my psycho analysis appointments! 🤪

[@charade993]

Hi!

[@collincharvat1082]

Get some old keithley equipment!!

[@rpavlik1]

At this rate, you'll need a sponsorship from a self-storage facility or real estate agent soon...

[@Allan_aka_RocKITEman]

@CuriousMarc >>> 👍👍