[600MRG] RAKs and such - ballast tube.

[Bill Cromwell]

Hi,

That was a fear during the wars. I wonder just how far we can DF an 
oscillating regen detector. Every time this comes up I ask for citations 
of ship logs or action reports stating that first contact with an enemy 
was by detection of their receiver. None have ever been offered. 
Probably never happened. We know that transmitters were DF'ed. On the 
sea we might DF a transmitter or hear machinery noises well before any 
oscillating detector could be DF'ed. Radars and better sonars make all 
of that a moot point today.

One of the reason those rf amps were added (and have a look at the 
shielding) was to prevent this. On  war ships there may be more than one 
radio in use - we don't want them interfering with each other. I cannot 
hear the detector of my RAK with an LM nor a superhet inches away from 
the RAK. I have intentionally coupled antenna wires from the LM or 
superhets near the antenna on the RAK and even put the end of that wire 
into vent holes in the RAK cabinet. NADA. The RAK can certainly hear the 
superhets and the LMs. During the wars when regens were in vogue there 
were many straight (cheaper) regens in use, especially on merchant 
ships. Those can be heard up close. Still no battle reports of regens 
being first contact. Not even a mention of "heard their regen while 
closing". It may be that some regens gave away the location of some 
'resistance' radio users ashore. That may or may not show up in logs and 
reports - but I haven't seen those either. Many of them were listening 
for AM signals and the detector need not oscillate for that. We know 
their transmitters were routinely DF'ed. Rumors and bad dreams don't count.

So, once again. Does anybody have citations that I can verify 
(Smithsonian, etc) that clearly state first contact was via an 
oscillating regen?

Regens really are "great".

73,

Bill  KU8H


On 11/04/2014 12:39 AM, D.J.J. Ring, Jr. wrote:
> Neat.  Great idea!
>
> TRF receivers with regerative detectors were great.  I hope these receivers
> did not radiate on 500 kc/s, many regens did -- they were death beacons in
> wartime as RDF got a fix on you with the radiation from your receiver.
>
> 73
>
>