Bruce, UJR

[Bill, KD0HG]

Nice article in the new ER!

[Mike/W8BAC]

I agree, nice pictures as well. Great Job

[W1UJR]

Thanks guys, it was a labor of love. 

Wonderful rig, and wonderful builder, wish you guys had the chance to meet John.
He was a 1 in a million kind of guy.

My powder coat guy was awesome, great fellow, and did very nice sheet metal work.
On the editor side, Ray did a nice job with the article.

Here is what it looks like with the HV on.


At the AWA 2008 Conference



http://www.w1ujr.net/1fpz_photo_essay.htm

[Bill, KD0HG]

Those are 866JRs?

[W1UJR]

Those are 866JRs?

Good eye Bill!
Yes, they are Taylor 886 Jrs. and man are they hard to find.
I could use some spares.
They have a nice, pretty glow, and no exposed plate cap.

[k4kyv]

Those dials look like National Type A Velvet Verniers, or are they one-piece bakelite knobs with 0-100 dial skirt?

[W1UJR]

Nice catch Don, type A National, just over 3".
Two part knobs, the dial scale is retained by three screws, the knob by a set screw.
The first photo shows the dial with the knob removed.

Its another darn hard to find item, lots of the larger National knobs about, but not so many of the smaller 3"+ size. I tried to clean and fill in the white with a paint stick, tough to make it stick.

You can see the second photo below where the right knob lettering has come out.
I think the trick may be to carefully dig out all the old paint with a toothpick, rather than just
"color" over the old paint.

1:25AM now, up late working on a regen rx project --> http://www.w1ujr.net/Bruce's%20Bench%202008/130009725_o.jpg





RF Deck Finished

[ka3zlr]

I like to think we have met the Guy Bruce....You OM...1 in a Million...

and when it's time.. it will be your turn to find the next one..and hand over the reins...

FB Piece of work OM...

73
Jack.

[Ed-VA3ES]

Bruce, I personally find those grey vinyl  patch cables (from the metering panel  to the RF deck)  distracting and anachronistic.   I have both NOS Northern Electric (WE) brown cloth-covered patch cord, and  NOS Northern Electric (WE) green patch cord.    Let me know if you're interested.   I have enough that I can send you quantities of both.  I may even have original tip-sleeve plugs.

[W1UJR]

Thanks Ed, that is a very kind offer.

May I say that I think your message is the first use of the word "anachronistic"
that I have seen on AM Fone, you guys are sure getting fancy around here. 

I agree the plastic cables and cheap phone plugs are not quite up to the rest of the rig.

The original cable Gross used was black, rubberized like you'd see on old headsets or microphone cables.
See the photo below. I'm keeping my eyes open for that, most of it is in pretty poor condition right now.
I think I'd hold out for the black rubbizered stuff, nice as the Western Electric cord you have sounds.

The phone plugs are another matter, the existing ones are, gag, Radio Shack, not even Switchcraft.
Like the wire, John made a few concessions, and used what he had on hand.
I would not mind two matching plugs, but don't go out of your way.

The photo below show my Gross transmitter, a CB-25.
You can see the cable plugs and actually cable from the 1930s.
This rig used to be belong to Bill Orr, W6SAI, of West Coast handbooks fame.
Bill read about John, and sent him the unit to restore.
The deal was that John could keep the transmitter, if he would restore it and send Bill the photos.
On the video interview that Tim W1GIG made with John last year, just before his passing, he relates
the entire story. Sharp right up to the end.




Photos at -->> http://www.w1ujr.net/my_gross_cb-25.htm