Vintage Radio Stations
Operated By Paul Bock - K4MSG
Reported and photographed by Paul Bock - K4MSG - September 2006
Click here for other articles by Paul posted to the LARG Internet Site

     One of the "standard" Novice rigs of the 1950s - a Johnson Viking Adventurer 50w crystal-controlled CW transmitter and a Hallicrafters S-38D shortwave receiver, with a surplus J-38 telegraph key. Station in the photo belonged to John Buck, KN4RBQ, high school buddy of Paul Bock (no relation), then-KN4MSG (who had an identical rig but no photos of it). Both lived in Powhatan, VA.
Photo circa 1957, courtesy of K4MSG.

      In 1960, four young sailors at the U.S. Naval Electronics Technician "A" School, Great Lakes, IL, decided that it was too much trouble to walk over to the base ham club through the winter snow - so they set up a "clandestine" HF rig in a locker in the barracks. A random wire antenna using Coke-bottle insulators was hung out after dark and the rig fired up and used. The names of two of the four perpetrators have been forgotten, but all were General-class hams and students at ET school. Seated at the rig is Ken Butcher (callsign forgotten) and standing to Ken's right is Paul, K4MSG. The receiver is a National SW-54, but the transmitter above it isn't familiar - can anyone help?        

The 1963 station of Paul, K4MSG, in Raleigh, NC. The transmitter is a Johnson Viking II, receiver is a BC-348-H. Just to the left of the receiver is a homebrew power control panel with a homebrew VFO sitting on top. The "bug" is a Vibroplex Presentation (which Paul still owns). The booze in the background is Canadian Club <grin>.