Crosley BC-654 Radio Introduction - SCR-284 Part 1
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- Опубліковано 28 чер 2024
- This is the first in a series of videos covering the repair and restoration of a WWII-era SCR-284 radio set. In this video, I review the basic features of the main component of the set, a Crosley BC-654 transmitter and receiver. I also complete the initial teardown, and a few minor repairs.
Subscribe to keep up to date on historical military restoration projects, with a focus on the Second World War. New videos are always in development, including more amateur radios, field gear, and other military technology. If you have an idea/request, you are welcome to leave it in the comments!
CORRECTIONS:
The page of TM 11-275 containing section 29 "Alignment of the Receiver" is incorrectly cited in-video as TM 11-275 SUPPLEMENT No. 1. In fact, the page shown is not part of a supplement; it appears in the actual TM 11-275 manual.
Special thanks to these sites:
K4CHE's Website - www.k4che.com/SCR-284/SCR-284%...
N6CC's Website - www.n6cc.com/scr-284-radio-set
G503 Military Vehicle Forum - forums.g503.com/
Radionerds SCR-284 entry - radionerds.com/index.php/SCR-284
Scanned user manuals - www.radiomanual.info/
Carl's M37 Website - web.archive.org/web/202105132...
[EDIT: Carl has updated his website to include a reference to the channel. Thank you so much, Carl, for your kind words and involvement in the community!]
00:00 - Intro
00:50 - Technical/Historical Background
02:29 - Disassembly
02:47 - Internals
03:39 - Radio Condition
04:35 - Replacing Missing Components
05:50 - Low Voltage Supply Options
06:50 - High Voltage Supply Options
07:31 - Acknowledgements and Closing Remarks
Made in 2020 by Wartime Workshop. - Наука та технологія
N6CC is a friend of mine, his website has a wealth of information about these radios, and he's quite knowledgable about the SCR-284. Tim takes his out in the field all the time and operates it.
I am enjoying this and I know the future videos. My father was a ww2 radio operator in New guinea. What he described to me sounded like he could have been lugging one of these sets around. Thanks!
We want part 2!!! Looking forward!
It is well on its way! The studio is serving double duty as a work-from-home space at the moment, but production continues...
@@WartimeWorkshop now we want part 3 on the vehicle power source.
This is a heavy duty set made with top quality components. It contrasts with the wireless # 19 which used more available, less custom built, components. This makes sense. After Dunkirk the British Army had nothing. The Wireless # 19 was quickly designed and made to fill a time critical need. This Crosley Set was built far from the battle front with beautiful components and high quality assembly. By comparison it was a luxury product. In the end both radio's served the magnificent efforts of the greatest generation. Military radio's remind us of the sacrifices of our parents and grandparents generation both at home and on the battle front. Unlike a M4 Sherman Tank or a P-51D Mustang military radios are more within our reach. We can touch them, fix them, and relate to them. They remind us of an allied effort to defend and preserve democracy. Now it is our job to fight for democracy/truth at home and throughout the world.
Thanks for preserving this radio receiver transmitter, the first time you crank the generator it seems easy until someone keys up transmitter, then it becomes exercise.
The great quality of this transceiver, and this video, speak for themselves. I will most certainly share it with others in the radio restoration community.
Saw your "Membership Spotlight" in QST Magazine 11/2020....looking forward to tuning into your channel...I'm interested in radio restoration too...starting with old AM Broadcast and ham rigs I have. Keep up the good work!
Hello Bill, I really liked your video. It took me back 60 yrs. when I tried to restore some old WWII radios but was not successful due to a lack of knowledge and Elmer's. I love to read about WWII and recently finished a book titled "A Woman of No Importance" by Sonia Purnell. This is a true story about an amazing American agent working for the British SOE named Virginia Hall who spent most of her agent life in Southern France during WWII. Now, more specific to your interest, these agents used a radio called Type 3 Mark II. There were various upgrades to the basic radio over the course of the war and it was unique from other war time radios as it was housed (for the purpose of security and camouflage and clandestine work ) in a suitcase common to many civilians moving and traveling about Europe during these perilous times. To my knowledge, it was operated HF CW with an output of 20 watts using the most basic wire antennas many times inside buildings or old barns to reach HQ in England.
So, my question Bill, have you ever restored any of these old Type 3 Mk II radios?
I have not, but it would be an amazing project! The "clandestine" radios tend to be much rarer and more valuable to collectors. If you want to learn more about the Type 3 Mk II though, you can check out the page on Cryptomuseum, as they've got a great breakdown of the device: www.cryptomuseum.com/spy/b2/index.htm
Absolutely fascinating! Can't wait for the next episode. Cheers!
The reason why the shelves are always missing is that people built AC power supplies and mounted them in there in place of the shelf and supply assembly. The PE-104 is not all that scary and if the vibrator makes you nervous, Antique Electronics Supply has solid state replacements for the vibrators which are a good bit quieter. There are a whole lot of QST articles from the fifties about these things and modifying them; they were very popular in spite of only covering part of one ham band at the time. When I was a kid, they were $20 each at shops on Radio Row in NYC, twice as much as an ARC-5.
I really like the mechanical assembly of that radio. The exterior is kind of ho-hum looking, it is military after all, but the internals are wonderful.
There is a book titled "Power Up", by Dave Strom that provides rebuild instructions for all sorts of military battery packs. Unfortunately, this radio is too old for that book.
Looking forward to part two.
Part two is available here: ua-cam.com/video/cOgTw6Ebw80/v-deo.html
Hope you could post more videos~ you are so knowledgable!
This is interesting indeed! My husband has the British designed Wireless # 19 made in Montreal, Canada. They were exported to Russia during WW2.
Very nice rig subbed
Excellent!!! You failed to mention the wonderful smell of the fungus proof coating. It is one of my favorite factors when opening old military electronics. A few years ago I restored a couple of late WWII flying bomb video cameras. The technology of that era is astounding. I have subscribed and will follow your projects with gusto. 73. KJ6RNL
What a great vid !
The SCR-284 was probably the least popular of all the US WW2 tactical radios. That's both from the users and the Signal Corps. Heavy and bulky, it proved a flop in the mountainous no-road terrain of Central Italy. 'Like carrying an air conditioner on your back..' said some troops. In the absence of mule transport (about the only way to move it any distance). US 5th Army had to resurrect obsolete 'Cavalry' sets for their mountain comms. SCR-284 wasn't a hit with the Signal Corps in PTO, CBTO or SEATO either. It proved very hard to prevent damaging moisture ingress to this particular radio type and, in jungle use, it seemed vulnerable to all sorts of niggling mechanical failures too. All this is well documented in the monthly USASC newsletter briefings - the only way to get a hype free opinion on US military radios. My particular interest is in comparative study of US vs British military radios as well as the different signals and comms doctrines of the two countries in WW2. The SCR-284 certainly isn:t the US Army's finest hour.
Oh yeah, I forgot. This beast had a fairly high output for a tac set - some 20 watts on high power (I'll go check the figures). With vacuum tubes that's a DC input of some.90 watts which made hand crank power a real big effort to keep going for any length of time even with set on 'receive'. It's about the maximum that can be hand cranked - beyond human endurance said quite a few GIs.
Just stumbled across this as suggested by UA-cam. As an amateur it's an instant subscribe. 73s de VK6HIL
Very cool....pretty damned amazing for its time
The programs to make radios and radar resistant to moisture and fungus gave us a large advantage. Japan never got it properly implemented in their equipment.
Fantástico proyecto, muy bueno, 73 de Tony EA5HYW.
My only foray into WWII radios is an ongoing restoration of a BC-348. It's one of the early RCA units, and it was heavily modified. My impression of the build was a mix of expensive mechanical parts married to cheap components. Kind of strange...
wonderfull... cx3et-uruguay...
Super!
Hi, this is great. I have one of these and I intend to sell it
👏👏👏👏👏 + 👍 & 73!
Can you e mail directions to make the batteri?
Are the bodies of these radios made of steel or aluminium?
@WartimeWorkshop >>> 👍👍