Ah the good old days

[Shadetree Mechanic]

This Sears Kenmore window fan made the trip from Manassas Virginia to Dover Delaware in 1974, I was two years old. Twenty years ago, I found it in my parents basement and brought it home. Plugged it in and it worked fine for a while. Then one day I walked in the door and it had stalled and smoke was starting to come out and smelled like fried basement. I took it apart, and the capacitor was toast. I oiled up the motor bushing wells and replaced the capacitor. It has been going strong ever since. Three speeds forward and reverse, thermostat controlled.

Can't beat the good old days.....

 

[SuperLid]

This Sears Kenmore window fan made the trip from Manassas Virginia to Dover Delaware in 1974, I was two years old. Twenty years ago, I found it in my parents basement and brought it home. Plugged it in and it worked fine for a while. Then one day I walked in the door and it had stalled and smoke was starting to come out and smelled like fried basement. I took it apart, and the capacitor was toast. I oiled up the motor bushing wells and replaced the capacitor. It has been going strong ever since. Three speeds forward and reverse, thermostat controlled.

Can't beat the good old days.....


View attachment 69202

American quality, at its finest.

 

[SuperLid]

My first base antenna was the 1/2 wave omni-directional ground plane. It was a decent antenna, but I wanted better performance and purchased the .64 wave. The difference in performance was quite notable. The .64 was taken out of action when a lightning strike fried the tuning coil. By then, Radio Shack's CB antenna options had been significantly reduced and so I opted for the fiberglass 1/2 wave Crossbow (a Shakespeare Big Stick dyed in blue) to replace it. The latter lasted me about 40 years, but did not perform anywhere near as well as the .64.

 

[SuperLid]

The blue Crossbow, was not a Shakespeare Big Stick. I have one here that I dissected. It surprised me.... It is an end fed half wave, made by Hy-Gain I believe.

 

[Rick330man]

The blue Crossbow, was not a Shakespeare Big Stick. I have one here that I dissected. It surprised me.... It is an end fed half wave, made by Hy-Gain I believe.

Interesting. I had a Radio Shack store manager assure me years ago that it was a Shakespeare Big Stick with minor modifications made specifically for Radio Shack. And I heard the same from others.

The .64 Radio Shack sold was supposedly a High Gain Super Penetrator with minor tweaks (different matching network) made for Radio Shack.

 

[SuperLid]

Interesting. I had a Radio Shack store manager assure me years ago that it was a Shakespeare Big Stick with minor modifications made specifically for Radio Shack. And I heard the same from others.

The .64 Radio Shack sold was supposedly a High Gain Super Penetrator with minor tweaks (different matching network) made for Radio Shack.

They did have a an antenna made by Shakespeare, but it was not blue.

 

[Riverman]

It appears Crossbow was the name given to Radio Shack’s 1/4 and 1/2 wave fiberglass base antennas. (See ad in post #12 in this thread by W9CLL.) Then apparently, the name was later given to their 3-element beam.

 

[DelR]

It appears Crossbow was the name given to Radio Shack’s 1/4 and 1/2 wave fiberglass base antennas. (See ad in post #12 in this thread by W9CLL.) Then apparently, the name was later given to their 3-element beam.
View attachment 69219

I'm pretty sure that was my first 3 element beam in '77. I was 14 and we had a radio shack and my dad bought it, so it had to be.

 

[SuperLid]

Interesting. I had a Radio Shack store manager assure me years ago that it was a Shakespeare Big Stick with minor modifications made specifically for Radio Shack. And I heard the same from others.

The .64 Radio Shack sold was supposedly a High Gain Super Penetrator with minor tweaks (different matching network) made for Radio Shack.

I have dissected both the Archer blue vertical and the super big stick. They are not even closely related in design and construction. I know they did at one time have a relabeled big stick.

The blue antenna has a reverse thread for the whip with an O ring seal, a small toroid matching coil in the base, using a Hy-Gain style base mold. It has a metal pipe that runs from the bottom to the whip joint.

The Big stick is center fed, has a LC matching network at the center feed and uses litz wire for the lower element. They used a plastic tube to support the litz wire inside the fiberglass radome.

In the 80's, they sold the blue one, 90's they went to a Shakespeare, in the 2000's, they sold the Antron 99 as theirs.

 

[Rick330man]

It appears Crossbow was the name given to Radio Shack’s 1/4 and 1/2 wave fiberglass base antennas. (See ad in post #12 in this thread by W9CLL.) Then apparently, the name was later given to their 3-element beam.
View attachment 69219

The 1/2 appearing in the ad is the first CB bse station antenna I ever had. It was a decent performer, but was outperformed by their 5/8 wave and the High Gain Super Penetrator. I later bought the Radio Shack .64 omni. It was excellent!

 

[tramd]

Here's a Radio Shack ad from 1978 that shows all their base antennas are called Crossbows. And another from 1972 that shows a 5 element Crossbow beam.

 

[tramd]

The 1/2 appearing in the ad is the first CB bse station antenna I ever had. It was a decent performer, but was outperformed by their 5/8 wave and the High Gain Super Penetrator. I later bought the Radio Shack .64 omni. It was excellent!

I have been using a RS .64 for quite a few years. The coil was long gone in it when I got it, so I use the matching and beta rods from a P500 on it.

 

[Shadetree Mechanic]

Here's a Radio Shack ad from 1978 that shows all their base antennas are called Crossbows. And another from 1972 that shows a 5 element Crossbow beam.

A 5 element beam for $44, wow. But back then, for the same money you could also buy a weeks worth of groceries for a family of four.....

 

[Rick330man]

I have been using a RS .64 for quite a few years. The coil was long gone in it when I got it, so I use the matching and beta rods from a P500 on it.

My .64 took a lightning strike. The antenna was well grounded. Structurally, it survived the strike fine...except that the coil got fried.