BC-610 Antenna

[wb1aij]

Does anyone out there know what were the model numbers of the antennas used with the BC-610 antenna tuner? (BC-639) They used dipoles, long wires, and whips and I am wondering if they were commercially made units or if they were (homebrewed) in the field.

[WA1GFZ]

It has a single lead output so suspect a wire. The mobile set ups must have driven a wip.

[Vortex Joe - N3IBX]

I'm not sure of the length of the dipole that was used with the BC-610, but you can bet it was shortened to something like 50' or so. I think the mobile whip used with the SCR-299 (BC-610+BC-342+BC-939 antenna tuna) was on the order of 15ft. The BC-939 could literally load up a wet noodle on 2MHZ. The roller inductors and fixed value vacuum caps inside of the BC-939 have been coveted by antenna tuna builders for years. The problem with using a BC-939 with a full sized dipole is that they're not that efficent. They (BC-939) were designed to work into a shortened whip. Efficiencies aren't that good.

Regards,
            Joe Cro N3IBX

[Herb K2VH]

Bob,

Those antennas weren't usually made in the field.  They were commercially made, and are listed in
the 1953 Technical Manual 11-624 of the US Army, on pages 47,48 and 49.

K2VH

[wb1aij]

Well, as usual, no matter what the question, someone on this site knows the answer. Thanks for the info. I use my BC-610 with a full 80 meter dipole but wanted to know exactly what it was used to seeing. I got my BC-610 20 years ago when an ex MARS operator put it out at the curb for the trash pickup along with extra tuning modules and tank coils. This was thanks to Larry, WA1LGQ, who called me & let me know where it was. I found the BC-639 antenna tuner at a hamfest about a year later & picked it up for $95.00. Guess overall I got a good deal. I don't have the audio & control unit but made my own. Same for the ARIAL.