Subj : Kits
To : PETER COGGON
From : Richard Webb
Date : Tue May 08 2007 01:50 pm
PETER COGGON wrote in a message to RICHARD WEBB:
PC> Unfortunately, with little cash in those days, and now as
PC> medically retired, and other issues, I never got to see the 303, nor
PC> the new toys of today.
the 303 was a decent unit, sounded good. I don't think there were many
differences between it and the 301. IT had the 15 mhz bc band, at least the
one I owned for awhile had that one. Got my 303/401 setup on a combination of a
trade and for consideration of money owed me.
In fact, about that time I got rid of an old HEath hr-10 which kept coming back
to me over the years. I gave that radio to a friend and a few years later when
I had gotten completely out of anything radio a friend of mine gave it to me to
listen to refresh myself on the code. I noticed a couple of characteristics of
it, asked where he got it. I got a rat shack general coverage receiver then
and gave it to somebody else. I think it bounced in and out of my hands one
other time too. NOt that I was ever impressed with the hr-10 even as an entry
level receiver. No AGC and the most unstable vfo I've ever seen.
RW> I had the 303 with the 401. I liked the 303. dIdn't quite compete
RW> with my old Hamarlund receiver, but few do. Also had a lot of fun with
RW> a hw-100 and hw-12 transceivers back in the day.
PC> Aaah the Hammarlunds ...saw and tried a dew of them, and found
PC> them to be in some cases better then the new stuff. The HW-12 was
PC> the main stay of many rigs for the white caners I helped out.
I resemble that last. That's where I first saw one was at the school for the
blind in IOwa. THey had a COllins m-2 as well, thanks to their proximity to
the COllins plant in Cedar rapids Iowa.
I think a young lady there owned the hw-12 and had it on the operating bench
for awhile when the COllins returned to C.r. for repairs.
RW> Until my house fire after Katrina I was using an old heathkit phone
RW> patch too, interfacing it with an Icom 740.
RW>
PC> I see you have had your share of home disasters. Me too, but not
PC> as much as you, as we dodged a twister, or a few of them, but we had
PC> a house fire caused by a Zenith TV bursting into flames. Seems the
PC> "bomb goes in before the name goes on" , so no more Zeniths for our
PC> family < 2 bombs later>.
The two were related. My xyl and I weren't allowed to return home when we left
the hospital after Katrina, we operated radios all week keeping the hospital in
food water and diesel fuel as well as helped arrange a couple patient
evacuations. the air force flew us to SAn Antonio and the authorities wouldn't
let us back in until we had equipment and paperwork together as emergency
communicators. SInce I didn't have any working vhf/uhf gear except an old
motorolla uhf handheld we were awaiting two new rigs for those freqs at the
local ham radio dealers. they were supposed to come in that next MOnday and
we'd have the paperwork faxed to us then at the motel. wELl while waiting we
were contacted and told that when they turned on the power grid to our
neighborhood our damaged house went up in flames, but the old Rottweiler
chained to the front porch survived. the good folks at K-comm in SAn ANtone
were trying to get KEnwood moving as quickly as possible to get those two
dual-band portables to us quickly so we could get home, but other factors
conspired against us.
I got the Icom back, it had been taken into the hospital as a backup as the 746
pro they had there had just gone to the shop for warranty repair and just
returned a few days before the storm. Along with it I kept my Heil mic and
boom stand. These days primary rig is a KEnwood ts-440 and the companion phone
patch, mc-50 desk mic and a beefy AStron supply I bought from the estate of a
local ham. IN fact, the AStron powers everything that needs 13.8 vdc around
here when not on battery power.
73 de nf5b
Regards,
Richard
--- timEd 1.10.y2k+
* Origin: Radio REscue on fidonet (1:116/901)
