Help identifying next project

[WQ9E]

Pictured is a homebrew receiver I picked up that is next up for the bench.  It covers 150 Khz. to 15 Mhz in 6 bands.  I have seen the coils inside in a military set but I am drawing a blank on identifying them now.  If anyone can point me in the right direction I would appreciate the help.  The set came with no information so I will have to trace this one out.

And since we have a group with varied interests, is there a bird (not watt meter!) expert on here?  The little blue bird pictured was hanging out near the creek and I am curious what he/she is.

[Ed/KB1HYS]

Can't help with the radio, but the bird is a male Indigo Bunting (Passerina cyanea) in his finest mating regalia. He'll be a less bright come mid summer, nice job catching that one in his prime.

[WQ9E]

Thanks Ed!

[w3jn]

I saw that radio on eBay, Rodger, and I was sorely tempted.  It seems we're attracted to the same radios ;DI  Anyway, 'm very glad it's gone to a great home!

How bout a pic of the underside when you get a chance?

This project would be an outstanding subject for a step by step photoessay to put in the Handbook section here if you're willing.  Homebrew RXs of this quality are far and few between, and this one is really deserving of preservation.

[vincent]

Hi, the RF tuner and probably the IF transformers seems to came from the Bendix RA-1B Aircraft receiver. Have a look here:  www.vk2bv.org/museum/ra1b.htm
Regards.
Vincent.

[WQ9E]

JN,
Thanks and I will post more pictures soon.  It looks like rain all day here and since I did the mowing yesterday I can stay inside and work on a radio today.  

It looks like this one got stored in a damp area at some point and I will probably have to removes some surface rust and respray the chassis but I will know for sure once I take it apart and do some cleanup.  The coil boxes look similar to those in my RBM receiver but the ones in this receiver are 6 band and cover a different range.  Once I go back and figure out which company made the RBM that should give me a clue for this one.

I will document the restoration of this one and I am planning to do the same for my Howard 490 since it is going to require relabeling the front panel.

[WQ9E]

Hi, the RF tuner and probably the IF transformers seems to came from the Bendix RA-1B Aircraft receiver. Have a look here:  www.vk2bv.org/museum/ra1b.htm
Regards.
Vincent.

Thanks Vincent!  I knew I had seen those before but it has been 5 years since I restored my RA-1B.  You have solved the mystery.

[W1PMC]

Rodger, your bird is either an indigo bunting or perhaps a blue grosbeak. Do a Google image search and you can compare pics.

[KM1H]

Rodger, your bird is either an indigo bunting or perhaps a blue grosbeak. Do a Google image search and you can compare pics.

Great cat food in either case 

[Opcom]

Can't help with the radio, but the bird is a male Indigo Bunting (Passerina cyanea) in his finest mating regalia. He'll be a less bright come mid summer, nice job catching that one in his prime.

Is that the hen next to him?

[WQ9E]

I took the receiver apart to do some additional checking and cleaning and what I thought was rust on top turned out to be desert dust.  There is a little rust on the bottom of the chassis but it cleaned up nicely.  The National dial mechanism also needed cleaning and "de-gunking".  Quite a few capacitors will need replacing but it looks like a pretty neat job.

Vincent properly identified the front end as coming from a Bendix RA-1B receiver and as I have traced it so far it has nearly intact circuitry from a RA-1B with an added regulated power supply, push/pull 6V6 output stage, noise limiter, and BFO amplifier.  I also have a RA-1B and in its stock form the audio stage runs at full output and is attenuated in the control box-this is probably fine in a noisy aircraft but in the radio room the output transformer is loud enough you don't need a speaker.

Further pictures are below.  The "real" RA-1B is on top of the R-45/ARR-7 on the top shelf.  Big receivers below are the RAK/RAL late 30's regen pair.

Patrick, as far as the bird I think that is an unrelated species that happened to be nearby but I am no bird expert.  If I were a bird I think I would want to be a red winged blackbird:  http://identify.whatbird.com/obj/144/_/Red-winged_Blackbird.aspx   Those little guys are very territorial and have no fear.  Every time I go running I will see one or more of them running hawks out of their claimed area; it looks sort of like a little armed F-4 phantom escorting a 747

[w3jn]

Wow, there's another one on eBay.  Same seller, Rodger?

http://cgi.ebay.com/COMMUNICATIONS-TUBE-RADIO-RECEIVER-PARTS-JS-SZEWZUK-/260602979538?cmd=ViewItem&pt=Shortwave_Radios&hash=item3cad25e4d2

[WQ9E]

JN,

Very odd!  Same seller AND same photos.

[w3jn]

Spooky.  You oughta buy that one too fer, uh, parts 

[WQ9E]

Bookends to hold my collection of old handbooks perhaps?   

[Ralph W3GL]

    Geez,  I wonder how many copies of thet thing were made?

    I did a check on the sellers fedback listing and under the original feedback you gave him
    it shows the listing.  It states he relisted that or another copy...I see your ebay name
    in there as well.  (k***r)

    Thats one way to see who was bidding agin you (and sniped you) on items you really
    wanted...

    I queried the seller as to how many copies of this receiver he has...  Perhaps
    JN and some others can secure a copy... Hey, it starts 5 bux cheaper this goround!

    Yeah, bookends; great idea...

    PS:  What's with all the nixies?

[WQ9E]

I will contact the seller for curiosity to see if there is more than one (NO!  I am not buying a second copy if it does exist).  If he does have a second one it would be nice to show pictures of the actual unit to avoid buyer surprise.

Ralph,  I have several projects involving Nixies coming up and I also have some older Heath stuff and some test gear that uses Nixie displays so I imagine in coming year I will be doing some substitution.  I priced a replacement Nixie for a Heath clock (it uses 3 2 digit displays) and the price was $65 plus shipping per 2 digits. 

I have found out the hard way more than once that reasonable prices often don't last.  About 10 years ago I discovered a small hardwood dealer about 25 miles from my home with the nicest black walnut I have ever found.  He had long FAS boards in widths from 8 to 16 inches that were absolutely perfect and I bought enough for making a reproduction corner china cabinet for me and a dining room table for a family member.  Six months later I went back and no more nice black walnut.  They still sell it but it is nowhere near the quality of what I first found and I should have bought a lot more given the low price.  I built an amplifier when 4CX800 tubes were dirt cheap and luckily I did buy a spare set.  At that time I bought 6 tubes and 4 sockets for $200 shipped and now a single tube is around that with shipping.  I realized I have enough stuff around using Nixies that I want to have some spares before the price on them becomes ridiculous-like 6B4G, 6HS6 and 1L6 tubes  

[Ralph W3GL]

   

      Fine on the Nixie collection.  I was just curious and you know what happened
      to the curious cat ...

      I just made a quick check and the second listing for that radio was canceled
      at around 5AM eastern time this morning.  Re-listing must have been a slip of
      the fingers...  

      No reply to my query to the seller...  

[WQ9E]

  
      No reply to my query to the seller...  

None to mine either and I am sure it was an accidental re-list.  I got this receiver and a Howard 450 from the seller and both were well packed and shipped promptly so he doesn't seem the sort to engage in chicanery.  His shipping prices were very fair for these fairly heavy receivers. 

I was trying to find a Hallicrafters R-44 speaker to go with an SX-43 that Anna (my 6 year old daughter) wants for her room and I found one but the shipping was about what you would expect to ship a fairly heavy transmitter.  Luckily a friend found one for me at Dayton so Anna and I will commence work on her "new" receiver.