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nuckolls.bob(at)aeroelect
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 Posted: Sat Sep 03, 2011 7:28 pm Post subject: A piece of history |
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I've just uploaded the service manual for a Narco
VTR-2A Omnigator MKII (affectionately known as a
'coffee grinder') VHF Comm/VOR/LOC/MB radio to
http://www.aeroelectric.com/Installation_Data/
This is an interesting piece of history. Note how
antennas were arranged. The manual speaks of a
'full up' system with two transceivers for a
grand total of 54 transmit channels!
The underside of these radios were virtual rat's
nests of components, topside was stuffed with
HOT vacuum tubes and really clever tuning
mechanisms.
My first flying lesson was in a Ercoup with
the VTR-1 predecessor to this radio. Folks
used to go poke holes in clouds flying
behind these radios. They were quite amazing
performers for the bux.
Enjoy a little trek through the avionics of
yesteryear . . .
Bob . . .
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BobsV35B(at)aol.com
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| Posted: Sun Sep 04, 2011 2:25 am Post subject: A piece of history |
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Good Morning 'Lectric Bob,
Just happen to have one of those boxes in my shop. Remember well what a major improvement it was over the multiple little boxes with the silver and black sunbursts on them that NARCO first offered. When I was working on my Instrument rating at the University Of Illinois (1950), we had a Beta test version of those little boxes installed in our Cessna 170 instrument trainer..
While we still had to use the four course range for the flight test, it was fun to be able to shoot a localizer approach. There were no VOR stations close enough to Champaign for us to be able to try out that omni stuff.
Happy Skies,
Old Bob
Do Not Archive
In a message dated 9/3/2011 10:30:23 P.M. Central Daylight Time, nuckolls.bob(at)aeroelectric.com writes:
| Quote: | --> AeroElectric-List message posted by: "Robert L. Nuckolls, III" <nuckolls.bob(at)aeroelectric.com>
I've just uploaded the service manual for a Narco
VTR-2A Omnigator MKII (affectionately known as a
'coffee grinder') VHF Comm/VOR/LOC/MB radio to
http://www.aeroelectric.com/Installation_Data/
This is an interesting piece of history. Note how
antennas were arranged. The manual speaks of a
'full up' system with two transceivers for a
grand total of 54 transmit channels!
The underside of these radios were virtual rat's
nests of components, topside was stuffed with
HOT vacuum tubes and really clever tuning
mechanisms.
My first flying lesson was in a Ercoupe with
the VTR-1 predecessor to this radio. Folks
used to go poke holes in clouds flying
behind these radios. They were quite amazing
performers for the bux.
Enjoy a little trek through the avionics of
yesteryear . . .
Bob . . .
|
[quote][b]
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nuckolls.bob(at)aeroelect
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| Posted: Sun Sep 04, 2011 1:30 pm Post subject: A piece of history |
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At 05:21 AM 9/4/2011, you wrote:
| Quote: | Good Morning 'Lectric Bob,
Just happen to have one of those boxes in my shop. |
I've collected a few of those too. Had
to get rid of all but one. One can easily
accumulate too much 'history'!
| Quote: | | Remember well what a major improvement it was over the multiple little boxes with the silver and black sunbursts on them that NARCO first offered. |
If you run across any examples or documents
on NARCO products that pre-date the coffee
grinders, I'd appreciate pictures/access
to them.
| Quote: | When I was working on my Instrument rating at the University Of Illinois (1950), we had a Beta test version of those little boxes installed in our Cessna 170 instrument trainer..
While we still had to use the four course range for the flight test, it was fun to be able to shoot a localizer approach. There were no VOR stations close enough to Champaign for us to be able to try out that omni stuff. |
Yeah . . . when we moved into our new house
on the east side of Wichita in 1952, I was
about 5 blocks away from the ICT 4-course
station on east Pawnee, just west of the
Cessna factory.
It was EASY to hear it on my crystal set!
I've posted a bunch of pictures of older radios
on the website. Interested folks can get a peek
of radios that were one-of-a-kind, pretty quaint,
but a really big deal for the guy in a small
airplane to actually TALK to somebody on the ground!
Bob . . . [quote][b]
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