(1) A fellow named Jim Poitivient in New Jersey makes a battery-pack cum
power supply for TransOceanics.  Takes 10 D-cells and on alkalines can
run the radio for something like 47 hours -- pretty respectable albeit
not quite the two hundred hours of the original packs -- but then 10
D-cells cost a lot less.  The power supply is *extremely* quiet with no
RF from the switching transistors -- it really feels and sounds like you
have an original TO pack in there.  And for a nominal additional price,
he'll throw in a battery box you can put the supply in that looks and
feels like the original To Z985X (or whatever the number was) battery
pack.  The pack runs about $90; I have several powering TOs.  It's great
to hear them working as originally intended.  You may reach Jim at:

[log in to unmask]

(2) Antique Electronics Supply has a plethora of 1.5-volt-filament tubes
including 1L6's and although the latter are expensive, most of the tubes
are still *very* reasonable -- $4 or so.  Look at

http://www.tubesandmore.com

Great stuff!

Mike Freeman

On Tue, 13 Jan 2004, John McCann wrote:

> Mike Freeman writes:
>
> "Now you're talking.  But ballgames just aren't quite the same unless
> they're listened to on a tube TransOceanic -- especially on batteries
> outside."
>
> Amen, amen brother!
>
> And Mike continues:
>
> "One definitely gets questions about the radio."
>
> Though probably not such probing questions as these: (1) where the heck can
> you get batteries for those precious old clunkers, and (2) ditto for tubes,
> though I think I know of a few possible sources for those. I must confess
> that my tube trans-oceanic has been in mothballs for a few years; haven't
> looked for any 1L5's lately!
>
> John McCann
> KW4U
> Echolink node number: 1789
>