Old Motorola Desktop Dispatch Radio

Mikey · Post by **Mikey** » Thu Nov 09, 2006 7:04 pm

I ran across an old Motorola Desktop Dispatch radio and after a little work and about 20 minutes of letting the tubes warm up, it was receiving clear as a bell. I don't know much about it other than it was one of the first dispatch radio our local sheriffs dept. had. The date stamp on the internal mainframe is March 25 1955. Below is the Model number and Serial number; just wondering if anybody else remembers these as it is about 20 years older than me.

Model # FSTRU140BYC2CDWD1A
Trans Type PA8492
Serial # 1042

Mikey

phrawg · Post by **phrawg** » Thu Nov 09, 2006 9:42 pm

I absolutely remember the "BY" series. It has a round speaker
in the front center and the knobs mounted along the strip at
the bottom edge of the front. Some had a meter off to one side
that you could switch to meter different functions with one of
those knobs. We usually left them on 3 or 4 to monitor the
first and second limiter stages for sig strength. The case was
sloped to the back and the whole case would also tip up at an
angle to service the thing from the bottom front edge.
Havent seen a "BY" in years. can you snap a digital photo
and post for everyones enjoyment ?
I used to have a hi band one moved to 146 Mhz and a lo band
one moved to 52 Mhz for ham use. Oh yeah, the mic of the era
was basicaly a mobile mic casting on a base and a vertical tube.

NOW, how good was my memory ? Phrawg

Mikey · Post by **Mikey** » Fri Nov 10, 2006 8:33 am

Phrawg, You hit it right on the Nose! I sent Alex a PM with a pic to see if he would post it on here as i cannot figure out how to do it. Its kind of neat watching the glow of the tubes and listening to the old radio as it bellows out Audio. I'll see if Alex gets back ahold of me to host the pic I have Of it.

Mikey

kb0nly · Post by **kb0nly** » Fri Nov 10, 2006 8:40 am

If Alex doesn't send the pic to me and i can host it also.

Old tube radios are always neat, and keep you warm in the winter.. lol

Lake Effect · Post by **Lake Effect** » Fri Nov 10, 2006 9:38 am

That sure brings back memories! Now if you can only find the part number for the narrowband conversion kit.

L.E.

transistor747 · Post by **transistor747** » Fri Nov 10, 2006 11:25 am

Most BY cabinets also had the old mechanical digital clock.

If it's VHF it will have either the Sensicon A or Sensacon G receiver. The G model was gangbusters for sensitivity and selectivity.

A lot of them had a transmit switch on the front that could operated with either foot you had up on the desk... and the microphone had it's gain turned WAY up so the dispatcher sounded like a voice from God!

Inside the BY is 19" rack rails... I have one with a Micor installed in it.

Post by **xmo** » Fri Nov 10, 2006 1:41 pm

L.E.: "Now if you can only find the part number for the narrowband conversion kit."

---------------------------

I don't think you can get these through MOL...

wa2zdy · Post by **wa2zdy** » Fri Nov 10, 2006 2:29 pm

I sure am looking forward to seeing that pic. When I was a tyke in the mid 1960's my mother was a cab driver and my grandmother was a dispatcher for the same company. That BY station was sitting there hogging up the whole darn desk!

Memories . . .

kb0nly · Post by **kb0nly** » Fri Nov 10, 2006 3:12 pm

For your viewing pleasure..

WA3VJB · Post by **WA3VJB** » Fri Nov 10, 2006 4:17 pm

AW !!! TOO COOL !!!

wb0qqk · Post by **wb0qqk** » Sat Nov 11, 2006 12:28 pm

A General Electric microphone on a Motorola radio ??!!??

Blasphemy !!

Mikey · Post by **Mikey** » Sat Nov 11, 2006 3:47 pm

Thats not a General Electric Mic, you can't see it that clear but it says Motorola on it and on the bottom were it is cast it says it was made bu Shure Corp.

PETNRDX · Post by **PETNRDX** » Sat Nov 11, 2006 4:07 pm

I built my first two meter repeater from one of those.
The SO that I worked for (my whole life) had a bunch of those in their old backup EOC.
Kind of a bomb shelter in a sub-basement.
I even used the UHF desktop version to make my first 440 repeater.
The UHF used a pair of 2C39's I think.
The "portable" to for that era/setup would be something like FHTRU-1DL, mobile maybe a T43G-2 or T43GGB if you were lucky enuf to have T-power instead of vibrator.
Ah the days of "steam" radio...
Somewhere here I probably even have the manuals for that stuff.

wb0qqk · Post by **wb0qqk** » Sat Nov 11, 2006 4:37 pm

Forgot that the Shure CR88 was used by both companies.
I mostly remembered the TU532A and TMN6017A "snakehead"
mics on a desk stand.

http://i129.photobucket.com/albums/p221 ... reMoto.jpg

http://i129.photobucket.com/albums/p221 ... hureGE.jpg

wb0qqk · Post by **wb0qqk** » Sat Nov 11, 2006 4:46 pm

The UHF used a pair of 2C39's I think.

One of my first repeaters was a B44AAY. It used a TTE1000AA
transmitter strip and a pair of 2C39's which required a TK192
blower and motor to keep the driver and final cool.

wa2zdy · Post by **wa2zdy** » Mon Nov 13, 2006 6:49 am

Ahhhhhhhhhhh fond memories, thanks!

ki4cye · Post by **ki4cye** » Mon Nov 13, 2006 5:48 pm

Cool pics, thanks. I love the old tube equipment, even if it was before my time.

wb0qqk · Post by **wb0qqk** » Mon Nov 13, 2006 6:57 pm

Here's some more fond memories from the August 1971
Spectronics Buyer's Guide:

http://i129.photobucket.com/albums/p221 ... c71-01.jpg

http://i129.photobucket.com/albums/p221 ... c71-02.jpg

http://i129.photobucket.com/albums/p221 ... c71-03.jpg

http://i129.photobucket.com/albums/p221 ... c71-04.jpg

http://i129.photobucket.com/albums/p221 ... c71-05.jpg

http://i129.photobucket.com/albums/p221 ... c71-06.jpg

boomboy64 · Post by **boomboy64** » Mon Nov 13, 2006 9:40 pm

Can anyone ID item B on -03 and Item V on the last page (same thing...)? My dad used to have one of these in his company car in the early 70s and try as I might, I haven't been able to ID it. The only difference I can see is that ours only had two knobs (vol/sq), so I'm assuming that the third was for channel number (ours was single channel). Man that was a beast, installed on the front hump of the old Polara, but I was fascinated by it and that's what got me hooked.

Any help or pix appreciated.

Cheers,

Dan
VE4EOD

PETNRDX · Post by **PETNRDX** » Mon Nov 13, 2006 9:53 pm

Depends a little.
It can be either a Mocom 30 or Business "Dispatcher".
I had one of those in my SO patrol truck on the USFS channels in the late 70's.
It was a pretty good radio.
I am pretty sure it was a four freq.
Still see a lot of those at Hamfests in Wa. and Or.

wb0qqk · Post by **wb0qqk** » Wed Nov 15, 2006 5:58 am

boomboy64:

Any help or pix appreciated.

http://i129.photobucket.com/albums/p221 ... 3100AK.jpg

From the inside page of the Mocom 30 manual (69P81025A80-E)

I still have one in operating condition on 34/94 and 22/82. Used to
be mounted under the dash of my 1958 Willys CJ3B. It was a very
reliable radio and served me well during the Omaha Blizzard of January 1975.

boomboy64 · Post by **boomboy64** » Wed Nov 15, 2006 7:07 am

Wow, exactly what I was looking for... I'm still having flashbacks...

Thanks to both PETNRDX and wb0qqk for the quick info. Especially wb0qqk for the picture

.

Just a question though... I'm pretty familiar with the general MOT lineage, but where in it did the MOCOM line sit? Was it based on a previous model line or was it new?

Cheers,

Dan
VE4EOD

KitN1MCC · Post by **KitN1MCC** » Wed Nov 15, 2006 2:12 pm

on propertyroom.com they had a bunch for sale

wb0qqk · Post by **wb0qqk** » Wed Nov 15, 2006 2:59 pm

Just a question though... I'm pretty familiar with the general
MOT lineage, but where in it did the MOCOM line sit? Was it based
on a previous model line or was it new?

I don't claim to be the authority on Motorola history, but I'll try
to answer your question.

The Mocom series were lower in cost than the products which
were aimed at the heavy-duty industrial and public safety market.
For example, the Mocom 30 (whch also came in a trunk-mount
version) was popular with transportation carriers, taxi companes,
etc; while the Motrac/Motran series were tailored to meet the
demands of police, fire, and rescue services. Some of the early
Mocom, solid state "Dispatcher," and motorcycle radios were
constructed of portable radio components with a higher output PA.
One such example is the Motorcycle and Industrial Dispatcher
which used the transmitter and receiver from the HT200 portable.

In later years, the Mocom 70 (front or trunk-mount) was introduced
as an all solid state radio for business users while the Micor was
the favorite among public safety entities. It shoud be noted that
the Mocom 70 was a very universal radio which was capable of
serving the needs of public safety too. It did not receive any
lineage from other Motorola products and was unique because the
transmitter and receiver were on a common "motherboard" and not
constructd in the form of individual strips or modules.

The M70 was available in VHF-Low, VHF-High and UHF ranges; 25
to 100 watt output and up to eight channels. The eight channel
radio used a four channel cable and a BCD decoder controlled by a
rotary switch. The Micor used a separate wire for each channel.

Someone could write volumes about Motorola radios and although
I've been a Motorola enthusiast for 35 years, I still learn something
new about the history, products, etc. several times a month; most
of which comes from contributors on this forum.

Hope I helped to answer your question.

boomboy64 · Post by **boomboy64** » Thu Nov 16, 2006 7:26 am

Thanks a lot for that info. It gives me a good idea of where they come from. I'd just always found it suspicious that while there was a lot of info out there on the PS side of Motorola, I couldn't, for the life of me, find any info on these particular beasts. There were always a lot of mentions of MOCOM 70s, but very little before them. Everyone seemed focused on the PS side of the house. Now I am at peace. OK, not really... My curiosity has been *really* piqued and I am going to continue looking for stuff on this radio, maybe even a radio itself for the nostalgia purposes...

At least I can confirm that these were pretty rugged. During a strike in the early 70s, my dad's company car was flipped off the road down a 40 ft embankment by the picketers and written off (he wasn't in it at the time). Amazingly, the radio was just re-installed in his new one and it worked great.

Again, thanks a lot for the good info,

Dan
VE4EOD

abbylind · Post by **abbylind** » Thu Nov 16, 2006 8:03 am

I can remember a VHF Motrac that was mounted in the trunk of a PD car. A semi ran over the trunk and quashed it flat. They pried the trunk open and retrieved the radio. The final tube was cracked but the radio still worked. Replaced the tube and installed the radio in a new vehicle, 100 watts no problem on TX. The radio was still in use in the 80s when I left the radio shop. They used to make them tough!

Fowler

wb0qqk · Post by **wb0qqk** » Thu Nov 16, 2006 8:38 am

Back in 1980, Nebraska State Patrol and Omaha Police were
involved in a pursuit with a stolen three-quarter ton Chevy
pickup truck. At 36th & 'L' Street, the driver of the stolen
truck rammed the side of a 4 door 1979 Dodge Monaco police
cruiser being used at a roadblock. (Only the driver of the truck
was injured and required mdical attention.)

The collision tore the cruiser in half which dislodged the
Motorola Motran from the trunk, cutting the control cable
and sending the drawer unit sliding eastbound on 'L' Street
for a distance of one-hundred feet. The radio was taken to
the Motorola MSS and was found to be in perfect operating
condition and it still met specifications.

Will · Post by **Will** » Thu Nov 16, 2006 2:25 pm

The photo in B is the early, second generation, Business Dispatcher.
The first Business dispatchers with the dicast front pannel used walki talkie receivers. The DxxAAB series were penut tube receivers and tube transmitter. The DxxBAB had a solide state HT200 receiver (The BRICK)and the tube transmitter.

Then came the Mocom 30, same case, but more like the Motrac RX, and tube driver and final. The trunk mount Mocom 30 used the Motrac/Motran cable and heads. About 1965.

They had 5 watt audio!

wb0qqk · Post by **wb0qqk** » Thu Nov 16, 2006 3:01 pm

Some of the Mocom 30's (and early Motracs for that matter)
had a switch on the control head that reduced battery
consumption (when the engine was not running) by allowing
the user to turn the transmitter filament voltage on and off.

Will · Post by **Will** » Thu Nov 16, 2006 7:06 pm

I think I still have an esscutcheon for the 2 chann Motrac with the "Standby" switch.

WB6NVH · Post by **WB6NVH** » Thu Nov 16, 2006 11:35 pm

Just to clarify things, the Business Dispatcher was what later became the Mocom 30. The BD used the receiver section from a Transistorized Dispatcher, which was a motorcycle and forklift radio. When it became the Mocom 30, the receiver became more of a Motrac design and featured a helical resonator front end. Examples of model numbers would be, for a VHF high band dash mount radio, D33BMT for the BD and D33CMT for the Mocom 30. The trunk mount versions were unpopular and rare and I believe the BD was never offered in that configuration, just the Mocom 30.

The D33BAT "Transistorized Dispatcher" did not use HT-200 boards. It used a solid state version of the D33AAT style receiver, which was itself transistorized other than two subminiature wire-lead 5678 tubes. The earlier AAT series were initially tagged "Industrial Dispatcher." These are the same chassis which were used in the metal pack sets with the two tone paint jobs, such as the P33BAM and H23BAC etc..

The radio which made use of HT200 boards was actually the Solid State Dispatcher, which in motorcycle form was in a blue-gray plastic case but was also available in a dash mount configuration. None of the equipment using HT200 style boards employed any tubes in any section. There was also a UHF dash mount version which was called the "Airport Dispatcher."

The "Standby" switch on Motracs was only sold on the ones supplied for 6 volt operation, to reduce current drain.

Alex663 · Post by **Alex663** » Mon Nov 20, 2006 12:01 pm

I want to know where the serial/rib cable port is on that thing, I can't see one anywhere

P.S. What version of RSS would be used to program it too?

transistor747 · Post by **transistor747** » Tue Nov 21, 2006 6:22 am

I'm not sure about the version, but it runs under CP/M.

Actually, remember when we waited 6 weeks to get in crystals and reeds we ordered incorrectly?
Now we can make mistakes at the speed of light!

phrawg · Post by **phrawg** » Wed Nov 22, 2006 5:27 am

Well, the earliest versions of the rss were written in
fortran 86 and you entered all of the data through
a punch card reader !

Old Motorola Desktop Dispatch Radio

Old Motorola Desktop Dispatch Radio

ahh memories