1940's Radio Transmitter - The ART-13 Restoration Introduction! 

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My uncle tried to volunteer for the army three times in WW2. He was the sole supporter or six people and 34 years old. The army said no way we can take you. He went back the fourth time. Finally the recruiter realized he doesn’t understand what no means, he asks what line of work are you engaged in. He told them he repairs radios. Fast forward 12 months and uncle is an instructor for Bomber radio operators. After they learned code and communication principles they had a short course on in flight radio repair and testing. The school was only 30 miles or so from uncles house. He was a contractor and never officially in the army. Told me back when I was a kid in the 70’s how he enjoyed meeting all the young men from every corner of the country. But when he mentioned how many of those guys probably never made it home, he clammed up and changed the subject.

You should build a turntable for your bench to facilitate rotating the equipment you're displaying and servicing.

I used to have an ART-13 55 years ago as a 19 year old. Got it through MARS, built power supply and got it all running. An amazing transmitter in its time.

Wow...such a treat! I've never seen inside one of these before...thank you Paul :)

I've wanted an ART-13 since I was a teenager, (about 50 years ago), and never ran across one in good unmolested condition for a price I could approach. I will definitely be living vicariously through you on this restoration!

Very cool to see a piece of Collins history.

6:20 All this OLD RADIO GOODNESS!! Indeed Paul! Indeed....

Must say Mr. Carlson has the "HOTTEST Toys around. This is going to be really fun with Paul "ON THE AIR" be cool to have a vetrain be a guest Ham Opertor with Paul or make contact with some vets. Always fun stuff at Mr. Carlson"s Lab. Take care Mr. Carlson Best Kristy

What timing! I have 3 of them - 1 working, 1 possibly working and 1 to restore. :-) Now I have some incentive! ~K3FEF

As a 16 year old novice, I didn't have a dynamotor for my ART-13, so I tried to build a power supply to power it. The first part of the supply was for the motors and filaments. I had a sealed low voltage transformer with a dozen or so taps on the secondary. I would apply 120VAC to the primary, rectify the secondary and apply it to the transformer and check the voltage to make sure that under load I was supplying the 28V to the transmitter. Once I had it right I started playing with the auto-tuning. After about 10 minutes, the sealed transformer decided to give up the ghost and exploded. Imagine the sound of a 30.06 rifle indoors! All of the molten tar inside the sealed transformer blew all over the walls and ceiling of the room I used for my ham shack, and my parents weren't very happy with me. That was when I learned about the VA rating of transformers, and not exceeding it. A very valuable lesson.

Hello Mr. Carlson, I just wanted to let you know that I am excited to follow along on this, and the BC-348 restoration, I am a WWII reenactor and I portray the U.S. Army Signal Corps., so this is right up my alley! I also just received my ameteur radio liscense, and with the knowledge I have learned from you, over RU-vid and Patreon, I was able to restore a Hallicrafters S-40b and a E.F. Johnson Challenger for use as my ameteur station. In the future I will be working on WWII radios so that I can use them at events. (Right now I operate a BD-71 switchboard and run lines for EE-8 field telephones) Thanks for all the work you do in making these videos, I wouldn't have half the knowledge I do without them! -Carson G. KD9ZDD Wisconsin

Good Morning!! Saturday just got better!

The ART-13: One of the most amazing pieces of radio hardware to come out of the Second World-War. It is my favorite piece of RF from that era. The B29 Superfortress usually had two ART-13 onboard!

Wow wow wow …. My art-13 is in a storage from so many years together with the bc-348 I will follow your restoration and I want to do the same with my station… you are great!!!!!!!

When I was a kid in the 60s, Paul, Meadow Lane, in Leeds was the place to go. I was lucky enough to live close enough to visit some of the UK's best l forces surplus stores, mostly every Saturday! For me it was like entering a magic Kingdom, filled to the rafters with WWII goodies. Some of the TX/RX equipment was still boxed and brand new! I would have been 12, and my bedroom was creaking! One of my radios was the 31 Set, which used the low VHF 50 Megs band, also used by BBC TV. I blacked out the 6 PM news for my whole village! Keep the memory of such wonderful equipment alive, Paul, you are doing a fantastic job!'

I had a Collins ART-13... What a BEAST!!!

This is going to be an incredible journey back in time Thanks Mr. Carlson

I really have fun and learn a lot from your channel, thank you!

RX and now TX w/PS...true beauty. We're going to see those long wires put to use shortly, should be a fantastic time. Thanks Mr C, amazing find the transmitter for the BC-348, it looks really nice on the inside. Looking forward to some restoration candy, gonna be sweet.

Glad to hear that you will be using the dynamotor!

I used to work with military surplus radio gear back in the late 1960s and into the 1970s with a buddy while we were in high school. We were also shortwave listeners and ham radio "newbies" or "wannabes", who worked on WW-II radio gear. Those plate caps in a transmitter or some receivers were not just a HV risk, but could also cause RF burns if you didn't watch your distance and how the RF shielding was handled. Especially if you keyed up a transmitter in "tune" mode with the shielding open. You are so spot-on with the different tube indexing systems. This could be the subject of an entire video about all of the different approaches to how vacuum tubes have been indexed or connected in antique radio gear. And the pitfalls of handling such tubes. A tube with a base could be a disaster waiting to happen if the glue between the glass envelope and base has failed from heat and/or age. There were a number of dynamotor (or motor-generator) to shore power conversion kits or recommendations in the radio magazines and ARRL literature at the time. But some of the best times was just to go and absorb all that we could from some of the MARS operators in the area who were willing to be an elmer to young radio operators. These MARS and AF-MARS folks had all kinds of gear that we couldn't get from commercial military surplus companies, like weather satellite decoders, teletype units and big, portable or mobile power generators (often motor-generators that would supply AC and/or DC for emergency radio communications) that even came with their own pup-tent for "all weather" operation.

Yessss transmitters!! Much more fun than receivers!!❤

I'm so excited for the new restoration videos! I absolutely love these kinds of radios!

Looking forward to that beautiful transmitter restoration. Thank you so much for the content.

Your English voice is the best what I ever Heard, sorry - I'm not English but you are a genius person. Thank You for sharing your knowledge

I love this transmitter. I have one which I’ve restored and used on the VMARS radio net on 80m along side my wireless set 19 mk3. Greetings from the UK M7BLJ

Oh a transmitter! Now you're speaking my language!

NICE!!! I've got several of these waiting in my repair queue!

Poul…. This project just shows the specific needs of basic/advanced understanding one needs to appreciate electronics🔥You are awesome🔥

Radios of today are so much easier to use than back in my Father's day! Imagine the power consumption of all the Hams today using radios that consume that many amps for both the receiver and transmitter! If I plugged that transmitter in my house I believe the street lights would dim! Thanks Mr Carlson, your videos are the best.......Long time Ham.....

It appears someone took good care of this equipment. It was really clean inside.

Mr Carlsons lab your vintage ART 13 transmitter is awesome my friend 🎄

WOW!!! This is a treasure !!! I would love to put this transmitter in my shack! (I guess everyone here wish the same)

I love the smell of a dynamotor in the morning⚡️

Looks like you could hook up the ART-13 and power supply and fire it right up. It is a beauty and I'm looking forward to watching this series. 73 de W5EN

"Potato slicer" lol... Thanks Sir, N2QFK

Looking forward to this project. I just ended up with an ART-13 and a BC-375E from SK ham (and Korean War veteran) who I was friends with. I plan to get both on the air, as he did, and would love to see an in depth analysis and restoration in your typical style!

I like that high voltage warning, when I was 14, I built a TX for a friend and after working all night, I got to close to the output tube cap when I was tuning it and got an RF burn on my thumb, a nasty lesson. In the USAF (1963-1967), I worked on Collins equipment ARC-3 in the C-47, ARC--27 and on the F-105 and other jets that were much newer, the Marines used to fly into our base to get us to work on their radios. I think I still have the diagram for the ARC-70. That's a beautiful set you have. WA7VQR

That is the cleanest ART-13 I have ever seen! I bought one from Newark Electronics in Chicago in the late 1959s. Unfortunately, I was never able to get it to transmit, but I was only 17 and all alone. Looking forward to seeing this one come alive in your able hands. Thanks.

This is a surprise, I can't wait to see this xmiter in operation.

This thing is so clean!

You're making me feel nostalgic for my Field Communications Electronic Equipment Mechanic courses at Ft. Sill way back in 1976. After graduation I never touched anything electronic again. I was sent to Ft. Polk where I was needed for the high tech job of moving the parking lot to the other side of the street by hand instead. They needed to segregate the enlisted peasants vehicles from those of the commisioned peasants.

Mr Carlsons lab your utube videos are awesome my friend 🎄 ❤️

Wow. Now that is some beautiful engineering.

Beautiful piece of equipment..

This will be the best restoration yet. Looking so forward to all we will learn in this one. My note book is open and my pen is already smoking! I remember my uncle Bob telling me how he used radio in WW2 in the aircraft. May have been these same models.

Absolutely great that people want to learn and experience researching and repairing old RF power house equipment. The knowledge to do this is fast disappearing but there are those that want to keep this old tech alive and running. This equipment was built to last

One of my local Ham buddies has this pair, and has been working to get them perfected. He takes them to ARRL Field day, houses them in a Mil style wall tent and does his best to keep them on the air. Can't wait to see this pair YOU have get restored!

Looking forward to operation - and the dynamotor running. I always consider a dynamotor as a DC transformer.

Love these videos on military vacuum tube electronics. Not only are they well built, they are also part of our history. Looking forward to watch the restoration stage videos .

Beautiful Lab. I like the countertop especially.

A few years ago I used a Siemens E311b receiver with Hammarlund HX-Fifty in the shack. I repaired and calibrated both devices myself. A self-made frequency counter at the output of the transmitter helped to set the transmission frequency in the amateur radio band. Transmit and receive operation was switched with a coaxial relay in my antenna system. Radioing with tube technology is fun and I understand the whole thing. 73 Mr. Carlson

WOW WOW WOW!!! I'm so glad I stumbled on your channel. First for all the electronics learning info, I'm a total beginner. And now a TX/RX restoration of the exact ART13/BC348 I am hoping to restore with the knowledge I gain from your channel and Patreon membership 😁 THANK YOU, and I hope I can understand everything you are teaching us. I plan to use the dynamotor for both the ART13 and the BC348 just to be true to it originality. Let the learning begin.

ITS MR CARLSON RIGHT ON MY PHONE SCREEN !

I used to own one of these ! I was in my final year of high school when I spotted some type of "army surplus" radio transmitter going for a song in the newspaper classified. After my dad and I brought it home I plugged it in. The thing sprang to life with a lot fanfare. Loud popping and whirring but that was all normal. The transmitter was mounted on the top of a tall rack with a massive custom made PSU (no dynamotor) underneath. It had heavy transformers and pair of impressive oversized mercury vapour rectifier tubes . My favourite feature was the high speed auto tuning mechanism. Sadly I couldn't use it for amateur radio purposes as I only had a VHF license at the time . I hadn't learned the morse code which was a requirement for a full HF band license at that time here in South Africa. Some years later for personal reasons I decided to get rid of all my gear so I gave the ART-13 away to a friend with similar interests. 😢

I look forward to the restoration and you operating. Maybe we will be one of your contacts? I live in VE4 land. Cheers and 73 from Winnipeg.

Hi Paul - Just an idea but may be very useful for others who own this radio: A video about building a power supply for this radio. Most people who own this radio opt for a home brew power supply that doesn’t use the dynamotor (including myself). Would really enjoy to see how you would design a supply for this radio. Just an idea… thanks!

Many years ago, I restored a BC-348Q. Thus, I've seen a few Dyna-motors. That is one of the cleanest I have ever seen. Clearly, it wasn't just cleaned up by a previous owner. The lack of wear on the internals just screams "low hours". Congratulations on a spectacular find!

acck! I had one of these but had to get rid of it when I moved, It was long-term project. This was Collins auto-tune radio. You set the dial positions with the locking bars (by the red paint) and the system would (via the channel selector switch) spin each dial to the previously locked setting. A kick to watch. But don't ever get them out of sync if you take them out of the radio.... It looks like this one does not have the low-frequency plug that let the radio operate (been a long time, but I THINK 1mhz to 2,5mhz). Good Times, can't wait to see this resto.!

Thanks "OM" it is nice for me to see the technology involved. Greetings pe1krx.

Hi, looks like fun project. Just use 2 car batteries in series for that dynamotor, those run on 25volts no problem.

I have an ART13 and would like to see more videos on this transmitter. Great video.

I also have an AN/ARC-8 (BC-348 with ART-13) operational on 28 VDC. I enjoy the dynamotor sound from both the RX and TX. I run it off a PP-1104 PS, which provides 50 A at 28 VDC. Bill, NJ7P

I had a valve car radio back in the 60s with a rotary dana motor, I called it a rotary transformer. I am in th UK and I am a radio ham, I am a G7, got it in in 1986.

Mr. C., That was cool as can be. I've never seen inside one of those old military aircraft rigs and surely never inside a dynomotor, and probably never would have. Thank you, my friend. Regards, John

Great stuff Paul and look forward to the next step😊

This transmitter and receiver were taught in my USN "AT-A" school back in the late 50's. the mechanical one way clutches on the transmitter auto tune were amazing to watch and amazingly repetitive.

Excited to see this fixed up and in operation. It looks so clean, it kind of looks like it's ready to go. The automatic, motorized tuning on these is also unique. I bought two of these after watching the "B-29 Frozen in Time" episode on Nova, years ago. I spent some time cleaning them up, but decided I really didn't have the space to operate and display them properly, so I sold them. At the time, I had also purchased a military depot 28 volt power supply that was absolutely enormous (required a 220 volt outlet). That power supply would have easily powered that dynamo. Never got that running, either. It actually kind of scared me because of all of the amperage involved. I can't remember the model number. Maybe it started with G?

Thank you for this, and all the other videos, I will be looking forward to seeing this restored and on air. I use one regularly on our four AM nets in Brisbane AU and paired with the Stromberg Carlson BC348P .However not with the Dynamotor these days.

Very exciting, I can't wait

We watch every new video you post. This grand receiver restoration series is getting more interesting, that we get to see what real professional radio equipment was like in the good old days. You inspired me, that I recently acquired two Hallicrafters radios, a S-36A and a SX-62 run 2, definitely grand class radio receivers. The SX-62 was restored by the friend I bought it from and the S-36A needs restoration.

Oh my my....going to love this!!!!!

RF goodness bahahaha!! Love it! You could check in with us on 3885 here in the PNW in the morning! Looking forward to this build!

Looking forward to this restoration. Lots to learn. Thank you for your time and effort to make these vids. God bless.

Thanks Paul! I never had a Dynamotor, so, never saw inside one. Very cool! 73 - KF6IF

Love WW-II boat anchors had command sets and a 348, but always wanted an ART-13 and the must have DY-17 the sound of a Dynamotor when you hit the T-17 microphone is sweet. Besides in a QSO you get to answer what's that noise.

Wow, so awesome, can't wait to see it restored and running again!!

Really looking forward to this renovation. I hope to get one soon to run with my BC348s. Excellent!!!

There's not going to be much in the way of restoration work on the ART-13 she looks really clean. A quick alignment is all that may be needed these transmitters are bulletproof. Paul, what you need to do is a restoration on a GRC-106A set that will put your electronic abilities to the test.

Awesome as Always...This is so exciting Thank you

Mr Carlsons lab i wish you and your wife family and your family happy Thanksgiving and a merry Christmas 🎅 🎄 and happy new year 🤶 🎄 my friend ❤

This is the most interesting radio so far that you will work for a while, even without seeing the schematics it looks quite different for the other radios!

Can't wait till the day of this video . I've always been intrigued by the aviation communication transmitters and receivers. 🎉

Looks in nice condition… beautiful old kit. 😊

Mr Carlsons lab you are good at restoring vintage shortwave receivers and alignment of vintage shortwave receivers with ssb my friend

Great and solid model sir wow nice work. 😮 Mr Carlson sir you are awesome good video 😊thanks for sharing this video sir ❤😊

Hello Paul. This is a great restoration project you have going on and I enjoy following it. I have an off-topic question, do you have a Collins receiver with the auto tune feature? If so, that would be another great restoration so we could see how it works. Thanks.

Thanks for another really exciting video. I always wanted an ART13 but they are really rare in the UK and after seeing the full BC375 transmitter totally pristine, full kit with TU units for most bands, antennas, connecting wires and bags and webbing at Rosmalen in the Netherlands but it was too large to get in the car. Sold for 450€ and I was totally gutted as I secured some space for the trip back to the UK before Brexit and when I got back to the stall it had sold. Still looking for a decent ART13 or BC375/BC191

I had to stop the video and comment on your explanation of a motor/generator. I worked on motor/generator racks for IBM mainframes in the 80s, but they were about 1100lbs fully configured. Basically dirty line power going in and clean usable power going out. Probably not relevant but it was a fun job.

Super cool! It's a fitting tribute to 'ART-' Collins...

Very cool !

WOW!!! That is sooo cool. Especially that Dynamotor.. I'm a QRP guy but want a B&W AM transmitter one of these days. There was an excellent one for sale in Ft. Collins Co but they wouldn't ship it unfortunately.

Very nice

I think I'll just stick to my Yaesu 991a for my radio. I did have the MARS mod done on it so I can use it on 11 meters as well. Cheers & 73 from K9POW in eastern TN

I am very interested in this type and age of this equipment

It would be cool to see a TCS pair done!❤

Didn't know you are a HAM, same here PE1CKQ :) Great series! Poor soldiers needing to carry around this very heavy equipment.

Fascinating gear indeed!

Always fun to watch those art13's as the tuning dials all revolved until you got to the frequency you wanted. My brother Ron NU6F restored his ART13 and it works great. They are a really nice Transmitter from that ERA. And his is also period correct running off the Dynamotor. Should be a neat restoration for you to do Paul.