TBX-8

[Hue Miller]

----- Original Message -----
From: David Hollander <n7rk at dancris.com>
To: <BOATANCHORS at LISTSERV.TEMPE.GOV>
Sent: Sunday, November 04, 2001 3:33 PM
Subject: TBX-8


> Picked up a beautiful Garod TBX-8 yesterday. Looking on the net, I
found
> next to nothing. Can anybody fill me in on this unit. Are they
rare?
> Where were they used in W.W.II? Is it a tank radio or what? It is
> missing the receiver power cable but has the transmitter power
cable.

USN Marines landing operations, WW2. Also (apparently) carried
on many Navy warships as general purpose set for landing parties?
in the way the GRC-9 was carried on destroyers, etc. in later years.

Rule for  tank radios: If you cannot stand on it, without hurting it,
it's not a tank radio.

Not rare. I don't know if the  -8 was ever actually in use. All the
photos i have seen, as late as Okinawa, seem to be the earlier
model.  Transmitter power cord is rare!

Early model:  receiver uses 1C6, 34 tubes. Transmitter uses
837 (only!). Manual break-in. White meter faces only? BFO
knob is marked "Wobbler". No radium paint!

Late model incl. most common-  -8 model: Full break-in. Octals
in receiver. Transmitter uses 3A4, 2E22. Meter faces went to
black for camouflage effect. LOTS of  radium paint, even on
thumbwheels for tuning!  HOT! ( Thumbwheel gearworks seems
to be same unit as in BC-191/375 TU's, so there *may* be a
possibility to exchange the thumbwheel off one of those for the
"hot" ones. Also, i seem to remember the round counter disks
that are geared to the thumbwheel, are also REALLY hot.
Think i'm exagerating, drag out your PDR-* and check it out.

The manual shows construction of a wooden shelf thing for using
this on "whaleboat" class boats. I have never seen/read any other
mention of such. Oh- also a later Navy compendium on equipment
faults and improvements had a mod to increase the transmitter
freq range up to 7000 kc/s (from the spec 5000~ kc/s). Oh,what
else? Gas engine generator, handcrank generator, AC supply
for early-model receive-only,  adaptor for same for use with
late model sets receiver-only, various dynamotors, and late-
production uncommon vibrator supply for transmitter.
FAIR RADIO  had these, don't remember model, complete in
trunks, around 1964. I saw another ad, said "Ideal compact
station". Maybe so- ham bands with general coverage receive,
how modern. G E White, was it he? on the other hand, in CQ
magazine,  wrote "TBX does not quite have the ideal features
for ham car-mobile use". He probably was thinking of the size/
weight for the 5 watts AM output, hi, that and the single stage
1600 kc/s IF selectivity.  (But, it does sound receiving AM.)
Hue Miller

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