Brisbane, Australia.

Welcome. I collect military and commercial radio equipment.

The aim of the collection is to present a broad spectrum of technology through the twentieth century, primarily as it has been applied to communications equipment.

Every piece in the collection is an expression of engineering expertise. Each item had a different budget and different operational requirements. The quality of engineering in the higher budget items is jaw dropping. I can also see the progression as technology developed over the years. As a professional Electronics Design Engineer I find this particularly interesting, and helpful to me in my work.

 

My Shack

Australia's Radio Mecca

The AWA building 47  York Street, Sydney. AWA (Amalgamated Wireless Australasia) was a founding  radio company, and later branched into various divisions  including AWA Marine, Defence, Traffic signalling, valve  manufacture, research and much more. During World War 2  AWA built huge amounts of radio equipment here in  Australia. Australia was strong when it came to  electronics equipment manufacturing. The PRC-F1 built in  the seventies is probably the pinnacle of AWA's  achievements with radio. The manpack was so good that  Collins bought sections of it. Today most of AWA is gone.  Most of the divisions have been sold off to foreign  interests, the factories have been demolished. No longer  are large amounts of radio equipment manufactured in  Australia like it was in the glory days.

Online Museum
 

ARMY EQUIPMENT

PRCF1 Australian HF manpack - Seventies vintage

PRC-64 American built ground radio

A510 Australian manpack - Vietnam era

GRC-106 General Dynamic Transceiver.

TT4 Teleprinter

PRC-47 Collins manpack / ground radio

Larkspur C42 and C45

PRC-6 VHF Walkie Talkie

CPRC-26 Canadian VHF manpack

PRR-9 Helmet mounted receiver

GRA-6 Remote control equipment

PP4763 50A 28V DC power supply

Generator Army battery charging generator

AIR FORCE EQUIPMENT

618T Collins HF airborne transceiver

618F-1 Collins VHF airborne  transceiver

AT5AR8 WW2 vintage used by Army, Navy and Air Force

NAVY EQUIPMENT

AT20M WW2  vintage transmitter   ****NEW****

RC8 WW2  vintage short range transmitter / receiver

URC-9 UHF transceiver

691 UHF transmitter/receiver set

A679-J WW2  vintage shipboard receiver

B40 and 62B Classic shipboard communications receivers

696 Admiralty UHF transceiver

Audio amp Admiralty audio amplifier

COMMERCIAL MARINE EQUIPMENT

Lodestar MarconiShip based automatic direction finding  receiver

RA7915 RACAL Coast station receiver

Iron Kembla Radio  Room Radio station off the  bulk carrier "Iron Kembla"

 

OTHER EQUIPMENT

CR-6B AWA HF Receiver

My Want/Trade List.

Wanted :

• Complete Radio Corporation RC8.
• Power Supply, antenna coupler,  cables for RC8.
• R390, R390A, R391, R392, R1051,  AR88, ART13, 51-J4
• TCA R5223
• AN/URT-24 transmitter for R-1051.  Consists of T-827 Exciter and AM-3007 amplifier.
• Generally anything military that I  can use on the ham bands.
• Collins equipment.
   

• I have deliberately not been aquiring things not high on my want list to avoid a worsening of "radio hoarders syndrome". Therefore at the moment I don't have many trades, but I have many contacts in Australia and overseas. Tell me want you want and I will  see if I can find it.

Visit HMAS Diamantina's W/T office

Visit me aboard the 1925 steam tug SS Forceful

Links

If I can assist you then please contact me. If you are in Brisbane then I would be happy to show you the collection.

Contact me at steve.hill@optusnet.com.au


Last updated 26 December 2001