MyGMRS Members Museum

[PastorGary]

Thought that it might be fun to see vintage radio equipment and accessories that members here still use or have in storage. This would include older equipment or accessories for GMRS, Amateur, Business, Commercial, CB Class A, CB Class D, SWL and any other unique equipment not falling into these categories.

 

The photo below is one of 3 of my 1963-64 model year E F Johnson Messenger 215, low band VHF, AM, 15 watt base/mobile business radios that is still fully operational and still type accepted.  We use these as backup on occasion where temporary base to base station interoperability between two command posts is required without tying up a VHF high band or UHF frequency. The E F Johnson 250-888-2 "Dispatcher" desk mic is original to this radio and has a crystal voice element that provides 85 to 90 percent modulation at one foot from the mic without a preamp. This radio shares some common chassis components and case with the vintage Johnson Messenger I and Messenger II CB radios from the early 1960's.  However, the transmitter section uses a 7868 output tube.

 

http://i1165.photobucket.com/albums/q584/PaducahLuke/1963EFJohnsonMessenger215andDispatchMic_zps86b3e8ec.jpg

[JohnE]

those crystal mics have a great sound to them clean and crisp. man I miss those.

[PastorGary]

+1000

[PastorGary]

Anyone have any personal photos of your vintage radio equipment?

[JohnE]

will have to post pics of what I have in my office. mostly 70's 80's

[PastorGary]

Thanks, John - When we see vintage equipment, especially equipment that is still in service, it shows us the step by step changes in technology over the years. From the early electromagnetic experiments from the 1880's to the first Marconi telegraphy system in 1894, we can see that in the past 135 years, there have been huge strides in communications progress.

 

Think of the 1920's when amateur radio first started on 80/75 meters and how those pioneers started shrinking the world with long distance communications. That equipment, if it has been taken care of, still does the same job today to a high degree.

 

Thanks to any members who place photos and stories here for members to look over and to be taken back in time for awhile......

[JohnE]

http://i1105.photobucket.com/albums/h358/erscom/Other/DSCN0027_zpsa621272c.jpg

[PastorGary]

VERY COOL !!!!!!   Thanks so much, John, for adding to the interest here in this section.

 

Here are two 1960's CB Base Stations... tube type, crystal controlled.

Left one is a Halicrafter CB3A 6 channel all original and still works.

 

The one on the right is a Robyn T-123B 23 channel tube type and fully operational.

 

The little mobile in the center is a rare Cobra 19M  23 channel first generation solid state and fully functional.

 

Bottom left is a mid 70's Cobra 21 23 channel - also operational.

 

http://i1165.photobucket.com/albums/q584/PaducahLuke/60sCBbasestations_zps78c6f735.jpg

[PastorGary]

Just bumping this thread in case anyone else would like to add...

[Billy]

 

 

My Ritron Patriot HT's, a little big by todays standards but true 5 Watt radios with excellent audio, great battery life and are true FCC Part 95 Type Accepted.  This one is late 80's vintage.

 

My two CB's in the garage from my youth.  I like to listen to skip while working outside.  I have a Hamstick Dipole mounted in the attic that does a great job pulling in the stations.  One is a Midland and the other is a Lafayette with Power Supply/External Speaker combo.  Both work great. 

[PastorGary]

Thanks, Billy - nice additions to our Museum Thread !!

[TimChgo9]

Love old radios.  Nice photos.

 

I used to have a Realistic TRC -212 40 channel CB radio, that I purchased way back in 1983 or 1984.  It was a great radio.  Also my father had an old RCA shortwave, probably from the 1950's that we used to play with as kids.  I used to love listening to it, and hearing stuff from all over the world. 

 

Been kind of a radio nut since I was a kid. I love old radio equipment. 

[PastorGary]

Hey, Tim - if you have any pictures of the old equipment to share, save it at a place like Photobucket and place the link here in a new post.

 

Thanks and Welcome...

[zap]

Where should I begin? At last count I had 5 Micor stations (1 low band, 1 VHF high, and 3 UHF) with most of the parts to another.

 

This a 12W UHF Micor that is going to be torn apart in the near future.

http://i1245.photobucket.com/albums/gg586/zap_uh_lack/Mobile%20Uploads/FFABBC0E-30FE-4535-BB2F-558D1B297B96_zpstvp1x4g5.jpg

 

R100's (One is actually a MCR100)

http://i1245.photobucket.com/albums/gg586/zap_uh_lack/Mobile%20Uploads/DBB7C590-C3CA-4E9A-A83F-9F18FD69A209_zpsdofiqf3n.jpg

http://i1245.photobucket.com/albums/gg586/zap_uh_lack/Mobile%20Uploads/1270C507-ADB4-48AC-874A-5CCB16E6F611_zpsk9yrpp02.jpg

 

GE Mastr II (VHF, in a Micor cabinet)

http://i1245.photobucket.com/albums/gg586/zap_uh_lack/Mobile%20Uploads/CB240EF4-4302-4A55-AEBF-B66559710CF3_zpsijkcjiqd.jpg

 

GE Mastr II Exec (UHF, the one in the case tried to play submarine in when the car it was in took a dive, I'm saving it to pull the harmonic filter)

http://i1245.photobucket.com/albums/gg586/zap_uh_lack/Mobile%20Uploads/8282129B-AC5F-45FC-B68B-6074C089479C_zpsdmgs3fkw.jpg

 

GE Custom MVP (Most of these were pulled from service around 1995, going into repeater service)

http://i1245.photobucket.com/albums/gg586/zap_uh_lack/Mobile%20Uploads/7D0A1BC2-0CC1-4A2C-B1EC-573082A94F2F_zpsnadqzkhi.jpg

 

Need some speakers?

http://i1245.photobucket.com/albums/gg586/zap_uh_lack/Mobile%20Uploads/C2F6A53E-1EB2-4D6C-9920-1791E70510A9_zps82k5ofv4.jpg

[PastorGary]

First cruiser I was assigned in 1970 had a GE two channel radio in it very similar to the ones in your second from the last photo.  Repeater Ch1 - Car to Car Ch2.  Those were the days when a 600 watt ERP VHF highband repeater could be heard daily 140 miles away.  No cell and pager harmonics destroying the receiver sensitivity.

[zap]

First cruiser I was assigned in 1970 had a GE two channel radio in it very similar to the ones in your second from the last photo. Repeater Ch1 - Car to Car Ch2. Those were the days when a 600 watt ERP VHF highband repeater could be heard daily 140 miles away. No cell and pager harmonics destroying the receiver sensitivity.

I've got a couple off single channel, two channel, and 6 channel. Most of them are VHF 7-25W models (backup repeaters is how I'll probably repose them) and then I have a couple of 7-25W UHF and one 21-35W UHF. They make great little repeaters. The 7-25W radios have a 29% transmitter efficiency...higher than almost anything I've seen to date.

[PastorGary]

Pinned this Radio Museum thread to the top of the posting area where new members may see it more easily and participate.

[mainehazmt]

Now I gotta dig out a few I have.. great idea for a post

[WQWI871]

The oldest I have is a couple Uniden GMR-325's and a Cobra 19 Plus with an unknown mag-mount antenna. Anyone know?

 

 

http://i66.tinypic.com/2qi7pt1.jpg

http://i67.tinypic.com/2mgtttv.jpg

http://i63.tinypic.com/atr15.jpg

Edit: Sorry, the images weren't initially rotated like that.

[jimndfw]

Here is some of the radios, MDT I had in my squad car back in my LEO days.

 

BTW this was one first MDT placed in to service in the US.

[jimndfw]

Some of the scanner I had.

 

Yes back late 70s early 80s even had a 8 track scanner.

[PastorGary]

James, those bring back memories - The Regency and Bearcat scanners were very good in their day and are still being used by some persons 30 to 50 years later.  As I understand it, wideband scanners actually work fairly well on narrowband frequencies as long as the adjacent channels are not being used. However, trying to locate crystals for these vintage scanners these days may be a challenge. But, seeing a 50 year old piece of domestic equipment in operation can be rewarding - especially when showing young people these days how things were "back then".

[mcallahan]

Not "old" old, but here's a weird scanner from the 90s I still have laying around - a Sony Wavehawk ICF-SC1 which I bought around 1999 or 2000.  I remember not being able to afford the PC-programmable version of this radio, but it was my first 800 MHz scanner (upgraded from a Radio Shack Pro-71) and I could finally listen to the local county sheriff at the time.  I also remember performing a mod that I read about on a Yahoo Groups forum which would open the frequency range up to 200 KHz - 1300 MHz which was really awesome. 

 

[mainehazmt]

I have one of those Wilson’s in vhf. Good little radio if it could still keep its programming. Mine looses it often. Oh well...may have to dig it out again..

[PastorGary]

Anyone remember these from the late 1960's ?

Tompkins Radio Products - Tuneaverter -

 

Made any AM car radio into a VHF monitor radio.  Car radio antenna plugged in to the back of the converter and a jumper from the converter plugged into the antenna jack on the AM car radio.  Ran off one 9 volt battery, has tune range of 150 to 170 mhz and one crystal position. If using the crystal, the tuning dial then became a peaking control.  Mine still works on the test bench... however, since this was mainly a tuneable wideband device, MANY different signals are all received at once because it was not very selective.