On Sat, 29 Dec 2007 16:18:40 -0500, "Eisboch" wrote:


"Larry" wrote in message
.. .
"Eisboch" wrote in
:

Those DE's had three old AN/FRT-39 transmitters plus a pair of newer
and smaller transmitters with auto tuning that I can't remember the
name of. UCC something, I think.

AN/URT-23(A). The transmitter was a low powered lookalike for the R-1051
receiver and had a 400-cycle, 3-phase 480VAC powered pair of 4CX1500
ceramic tetrodes feeding a giant turrent of 1 Mhz tuning circuits that
was motor driven. Typical military operation, 5000 watts in, 500 watts
out. It was tied to the tuning in the little transmitter. Navy and CG
is still using it.

I got paid big money from a Navy Benny Sugg I submitted. The 400 Hz
cooling fan in the AM-2123 amp sounded like a 747 with all 4 engines wide
open for heavy takeoff just deafening radiomen. CG had a solution with
this little plastic right-angled cover that had soft foam to muffle the
sound inside it some contractor got rich off of. My Sugg was for the
Navy to buy it, making Radio LOTS quieter. NAVSEA agreed as the solution
was not too technical for their bureaucrats to understand. I don't
remember what the check was, but it was thousands...(c;


The first DE I was on, USS VanVoorhis (DE-2028) also became a test
bed for "Sat Nav", the early version of GPS. I think this would have
been in 1969 or '70, but my brain doesn't remember all the details any
more.


That would have been Omega, I believe, a GPS predecessor. It worked, but
GPS was much improved.

I was on Everglades from 66 to 69, finally transferred off to MINELANT,
CHARLESTON to start a new Qualification Lab with one other cal tech at
Mine Force Support Group, Atlantic on the S end of the Navy Base
Charleston by the MINELANT HQ and MSO piers.

MSO HF transmitters had a "grounditis" problem on the wooden ships.
Everything, of course, had to have these huge ground straps to all metal
rails and anything else they could ground tied to the bilges. They were
GREAT HF antennas! One sailor was nearly killed when someone keyed the
URC-32's 500W HF RTTY mode because he was between two differently-
grounded handrails. At this frequency, one handrail had several hundred
volts DIFFERENCE with the other one because of the different ground paths
making HF antennas, open on the top as far as HF was concerned. IT fried
his hands! The ham in the shop, I was called on to help figure out why.
After looking at the stupid grounding system meant to keep 60 Hz
grounded, it was easy to spot. I added an RF choke across a gap in each
ground strap right at the handrail and it vanished.....another benny sugg
submitted...another fine check of the taxpayer's money quickly cashed...
(c;

They sent me to the MED on an MSO just to get rid of me for a while.
Chow lines are short on MSOs offshore! They only have a 6-7' draft, you
know! No stabilizing mainsail, either! God that thing could get rid of
diesel fuel quickly in those twin Packard monsters....

I think I know you. Or someone just like you. Us common, lowly ET types
don't quickly forget the Navy's "SuperTechs".

Sounds like Larry was the Navy's go to guy for tough problems.