[Boatanchors] Recovered material

[Kludge]

For a change of pace, good news 
 

 

As some of you know, several boxes of parts, one of wood veneer samples and
a bottle of Tylenol were stolen from my apartment in Waianae around three
years ago.  No official report was made however I knew a few cops up there
and they put out the word that the stuff wasn’t worth a penny on the street
so it may as well come back.  We didn’t expect anything of it but it was
worth a try.  

 

One of them made an unofficial stop by my room at the “VA Hilton” yesterday
and took me on a ride back up to Waianae to identify some stuff found in an
abandoned house that had come to his attention.  What it turned out to be
was a bunch of old electronic parts, some in weatherworn large USPS priority
FRBs and the rest scattered about.  This was the missing inventory – or at
least most of it - from my peaceful abode to the North.  About half the wood
was still there but the bottle of Tylenol was nowhere to be found.  Some of
the wood had been used to make small fires but the culprits soon discovered
things like Ebony don’t burn easily.  There was also evidence of activities
we won’t go into that were of greater importance to officialdom than the
parts.

 

Overall, it would appear that around 70-80% of that which went missing has
come home undamaged except by weather.  One box I was glad to see mostly
untampered with contains the entire RF train plus the modulation and low HV
transformers for a Johnson Viking (I or II, I can’t recall) transmitter.
The Heathkit DX-100 VFO was likewise intact which means I have the major
components for an all band (including WARC using offset crystals*) AM/CW Tx.


 

* A Collins 70H-3, -4 or -9 PTO would eliminate the need for the offset
oscillator & mixer but I don’t have one of them.  Oh, well.  (I also don’t
have a 70H-13A or two that would be useful in other projects but I think
Fair may have some of these.)  OTOH, I do have the PTO from a 32V-something
that might work in place of the DX-100 VFO.

 

Anyway, I haven’t done a complete inventory yet since I put the boxes
directly into storage for the nonce but it would appear that some of the
projects halted due to the theft may be able to be put back on the hook.
The list has changed drastically due to a recent major purchasing policy
shift however I’m sure I can make something work out.  One thing what will
be entertaining will be stuffing some of the old resistors & caps that have
drifted and/or decided to leak* with modern components so the replacement
isn’t visible.  It’s easy if the repaired side can be kept toward the
chassis/breadboard but if it’s on edge or otherwise visible from both sides,
not so much.  

 

* For some reason, a quote by Data (ST:TNG) came to mind, “If you puncture
me, do I not 
 leak?”

 

The #12 DCC (or DSC, I can’t remember) wire that was supposed to become a
bifilar wound rather high current heater choke was not among the recovered
items nor was any of the other remaining DCC, SCC, DSC & SSC wire.  While
disappointing, this can be gotten around eventually.

 

Best regards,

 

Michael, WH7HG ex-K3MXO, ex-KN3MXO, WPE3ARS, BL01xh ex-Mensa A&P PP BGI 

I am me.  I’m the only one who’s qualified.

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Hiki Nô!