BoomBox.jpg
http://sugru.com/us/gallery/show/transform-a-briefcase-into-a-boombox
BoomBox.jpg
http://sugru.com/us/gallery/show/transform-a-briefcase-into-a-boombox
Briefcase spy radio:
ud76.jpg
In the Homebrew and Mods area because a bit of homebrewing and modding was required to get the thing to work.
"Everyone wants to be an AM Gangsta until it's time to start doing AM Gangsta shit."
All of the equipment was made by Cubic Communications - Oceanside, CA. They're the company which bought Swan back in the late 70s.
The transceiver is an Astro-D: 1.5-30MHz coverage, synthesized. Incorporates a TCXO. Modes are SSB, CW, AME (LSB with exalted carrier). 100w PEP output.
Homebrewing and modding came into play where the synthesizer, noise reduction and filtering circuits are concerned - and the rig (one of three such models I currently own) will now transmit and receive true AM - though I'm not happy with the AGC implementation and may redesign that portion of the receiver.
Power supply is a PSU-8; autoranging input voltage between 90 and 250VAC; 50/60Hz. Has provisions for connecting and charging a separate gel-cell battery pack, of which I have two. (They also rode in suitcases).
Antenna tuner is an ST-5 - matches coax or random wires.
Underneath the flap at the top side of the case was supplied a coax-fed antenna, mic, power cabling, straight key, Telex headphones and assorted global power-plug adapters.
Cubic also offered rack-mount versions of the equipment, for both commercial and amateur markets. This is currently sitting in my basement shack - only 20 complete ensembles were built. In the middle is the Astro-DR; the rack-mount version of the -D. I've only ever seen one of these for sale, and an Island member tipped me to it.
AstroRack.JPG
"Everyone wants to be an AM Gangsta until it's time to start doing AM Gangsta shit."
Neat! The first rig I bought,when I got re-licensed as a Novice in 1992, was a used Swan 700CX.
I worked ZL from SC using a 10 meter mobile Hamstick with 2 radials on my 2nd floor balcony on SSB.
Last edited by NY3V; 08-07-2012 at 06:49 PM.
The first one (from 'IzE) looks scarier. Especially those "Tinkerbell" speakers. ;)
Bet it sounds like crap-o-la!
"Where would we be without the agitators of the world to attach the electrodes
of knowledge to the nipples of ignorance?" ~ Professor "Dick" Soloman
Briefcase boom box, so where's the C-4?
"The universe is under no obligation to make sense to you."
Neil deGrasse Tyson
73 de Warren KB2VXA
Station powered by atomic energy, operator powered by natural gas.