Warbird Information Exchange

A friend of mine from work (whose father was the top turret gunner in a B-17 in WWII) has a non-functioning but aesthetically nice BC-348 radio he would like to donate. He originally intended to restore it, but it never made it to the top spot on his project list.





I'm not a radio guy - please don't ridicule me if these are a dime-a-dozen. I see a ratty-looking one on E-Bay for $169 and a nicer one for $475. Wikipedia says that they were "Designed as LF/MF/HF receivers for use in larger aircraft (B-17, B-24, B-25, B-26, B-29, C-47, etc.)"

His first choice is to donate to a flying restoration, but if you have an interest, send me a PM and I will hook you up.

Merry Christmas/Happy Holidays to all!

Chris

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Chris

These are becoming harder to find. Even just 10 years ago it was common to see several BC-348s at any ham radio swap meet. The only ones I have seen all year were at the big Hamvention at Dayton, OH.

Whichever museum ends up with this radio, if they would like it working send me a PM. I have a friend who specializes in these old military radios and would be glad to refer them to him.

This one appears to have been modified with an internal AC-operated power supply, replacing the dynamotor assembly. The toggle switch at the lower left corner is not original and the headphone jack above it is a modern replacement. It's usually not hard to remove the supply and undo the electrical mods. Cabinets without holes drilled in them can still be found at swap meets and on the internet. Same for the incorrect knobs. Any Phillips-head screws you see are also not original, but they're standard #4 and #6 threads so they can be corrected. The toggle switch is the problem here. The hole had to be enlarged to accommodate the switch, and now an original 1/4" headphone jack will not fit without either using adaptor rings or doing some bodywork and paint. (yes, the BC-348 had two headphone jacks). The hole could be filled and re-drilled, but matching the original paint is "challenging". At least the rest of the front panel is in decent shape and hasn't been hacked up. This receiver could still be used in a restoration, as long as perfect accuracy is not the goal (which is fine in the majority of cases). The really difficult thing is finding a working DM-28 dynamotor assembly. They sell for more than the receivers because they are very, very scarce. The FT-154 shockmount trays come up for sale from time to time, but they are usually missing the power connector which mates to the receiver. Complete FT-154s usually sell for more than a restored receiver, and I've seen the connectors selling for $50 each!

If no one steps up to claim it, I'll take, fix it up the best I can, and put it on display at VFM. We have 2 or 3 scattered around the Museum already, but I'll find a place for it.

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Dean Hemphill, K5DH
Port Charlotte, Florida

Am passing all responses on to the owner. Will be his call and I will keep the group posted. Thanks!

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Chris