The Radio History Page

of WC5WC

A while back, I got to thinking of all the different radios and accessories that I have owned over the years and started looking for pictures of those radios.  The following is a list with pictures and approximate chronological order of when I owned them.  There are a number of radios on HF and VHF/UHF that I could not find photos of or I have just flat forgotten that I owned over the years.  This list does cover a period of 45 years as a licensed amateur operator!

 

2018

 

My main radio is now a Yaesu FTdx-3000, Heathkit SB200 Amplifier and MFJ -989D tuner.  I use as FT7900r for 146-442MHz.  My mobile is a Yaesu FT857d, and a FT-8900r.

 

 

2014 to 2017

My present fixed station is a Yaesu FT-1000D transceiver with a Yaesu MD-100 microphone.  I obtained this particular radio in an estate purchase.  It has been hit by an EMP induced by lightning.  I finally found someone to repair this radio and it is now my main rig.  I use the SP-5/LL5 with it.  I have not been able to locate original Yaesu cables for the LL-5.  Guess I'll probably make some alnog the way.  I also have a Vibroplex Iambic key for the keyer in the FT-1000d.  The FT-650 was purchased in August after a long period of looking.  Produced at the same time as my FT1000d, is uses the same receiver design as my FT1000d, and has an output of 100 watts.  I have an SP-6 Speaker (not pictured) for this radio.  For 2m/440 I have an old Alinco dr-600t, an Anytone 5888, and for GMRS, I have a Maxon 4450.  A  Uniden BC350C scans the county VFD and SO frequencies.  Most of my accessories such as external tuners, mics, antenna switches, 13.5 vdc power supplies, etc are made by MFJ.  I use a Dell laptop for logging, etc. 

 

                 

                          

  

My present mobile equipment in my Titan, the vehicle I use for camping, travel, every day on my rural property, and weather chasing and is a Yaesu FT-857d, remote mounted with an ATAS-120A antenna for HF thru 6 meters, and as an additional 146 Mhz and 432/440 Mhz transceiver.  A Yaesu FT-7900r hooked to a MFJ dual band mobile antenna is the primary VHF/UHF radio.  My Any Tone AT-5888 UV transceiver is for GMRS, commercial land mobile, and a mobile amateur radio cross band repeater for when I am on foot in a rural area.  I have two Wouxon KG-UV6D 2.5's for VFD, SO, GMRS, and amateur in one hand held radio.

 

                   

In my Quest, I am using Yaesu FT7900R For 144/442 MHz.  The Yaesu FT-690 r11 and the Ranger  are installed in my Quest.

 

      

 

My wife's Chevy Uplander has a Yaesu FT-7900r with an MFJ mobile antenna.

          

 

 

Now for my radio history prior to my present station

 

1963: 1st Novice station:

Hallicrafters S-108 rcvr        Johnson Adventurer xmtr

      

Early 1964: 2nd Novice station

Hammarlund HQ-110C rcvr      Hallicrafters HT-40 xmtr]

     

1966/1967: 1st Technician/General station

Hallicrafters SR-146 6m AM transceiver with HA26 VFO 

 

1967:  My first HF SSB station. 

    

National NC-303 Receiver                   Gonset GSB-100 transmitter

I added a an Ameco 6M converter to the receiver and a Heathkit HX-10 6m Phasing SSB xmtr in 1968.

1969:

I traded HF transmitters for a Hammarlund HX-50.  I also purchased a WRL DuoBander 84 for 75m and 40m mobile with a home brew Texas Bug catcher that was apx 12ft long.

HX-50                        DuoBander 84

    

1969 also saw the first use of 2m FM when I purchased an old Motorola 80D single channel VHF mobile.  Over the years, I converted a number of Motorola Low and High Band Land Mobile remote mount transceivers to 6m and 2m repeaters.

circa 1971

Purchased a Regency HR-2A for mobile and a Swan 12 channel mobile for the the fixed station. 

I also traded off my trusty NC-303 (one of the really big mistakes I ever made!) and Hammarlund HX-50 for an SBE-34 xcvr.  This transceiver was a good performing transceiver but it lacked CW, both in its mode selection and its VFO.  That eventually played a part in trading it off on a Hallicrafters transmitter and receiver. 

1973

I purchased a Hallicrafters SX-146 and HT-46 HF SSB/CW station.  This was a very good operating radio pair, probably much better than most people thought! 

    

1974

I added to my station with a Swan MB-40A.  This was another big mistake I made.  This particular radio came in with no serial number attached or etched on it.  I had to send it back to the factory several times and on one trip back it came back with a serial number tag on it of 00001.  This radio, when it worked right, was a great little radio, but it could be a bit fickle at times!  I traded this radio and my Hallicrafters on a Yaesu FT-101E!  I wish I had kept this radio!

1978

I started collecting my Yaesu FT-101E line and eventually had the full line of equipment except for the scope and the phone patch/speaker!

I owned my Yaesu equipment for about 14 years or so until it was fried by lightening along with my computer network!

circa 1993

I ended up selling the entire Yaesu station after it was fried by lightening for a down payment on my TS-690S Kenwood transceiver.  This was my HF and 6m SSB station until the lightening hit again in July of 2007 and the transmitter suffered damage that was not repairable at a reasonable price!  The receiver was not damaged and the radio now is a general coverage receiver for 1Mhz - 54Mhz.  I would like to purchase a TS-690s that has a non-working receiver with a working transmitter so that I can make a receiver/transmitter station of the two radios.  if you have one of the radios with a non-working receiver and working transmitter and want to sell it a a reasonable price, please send me and email.

FALL 2007

I started collecting the Drake station in the Fall of 2007.  My antennas and house took a direct lightening hit in July of 2007.  The total bill came to over $13000 in damage to my computer network, amateur radio equipment, and house.  When I started collecting my present station, I had a really strong desire to go back to older equipment that had old fashioned tubes, meters, and analog tuning.  The old desire to own the radio station I had wanted since I first laid my hands on the receiver at a local ham outlet came out and I ended up purchasing that equipment over EBAY.

I also purchased a AC-3, AC-4, and MS-4 speaker.  The microphone I still owned from 40 years ago is a Turner S-33D.  It still works great. I now have somewhere around $1100 tied up in 30 year old equipment.  It's been more expensive that I had planned --BUT-- in a rough comparison between my FT-857d, my TS-690S, and the Drake R-4C, I think the Drake out performs the Yaesu and Kenwood receivers, and I really love the analog VFO verses the digital VFO's!  The R4C also has a much better sounding audio on its MS-4 speaker verse the FT-857d and TS-690S on a GE MasterProg mobile speakers that is very efficient mobile speakers.

Dec, 2009

 

In Dec, 2009, I added a Kenwood TS-520s to my station.  It had sat on a fellow employee's closet shelf for more than 10 years after his father passed away and he sold it to me at a very reasonable price.  It looked brand new on the outside, and when I opened it up, after blowing a little dust out, looked brand new on the inside!  When I hooked it up to an antenna, it performed brand new!  I sold this equipment on Ebay in early 2011 after I purchased my present FT-1000D in 2010 in an estate purchase.

 

 

VHF and UHF FM

There were a number of other radios in between for mostly mobile use on 10m SSB, 2m FM, and 440 FM.  A few are pictured below:

 

My First 2 Meter handheld transceiver had 2 channels and about 2 watts output!  I had the smaller version of the two Motorola transceivers shown below.