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Reviews For: AN/GRC-9/Y

Category: Transmitters: non-amateur adaptable for ham use

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Review Summary For : AN/GRC-9/Y
Reviews: 1MSRP:
Description:
RT-77/GRC-9 Backpack or Vehicular Transceiver aka "Angry Nine" The AN/GRC-9 Radio Station is a low-power radio transmitter and receiver that was used in either ground or vehicles applications. Made in USA or under license in Germany and France. Used in the Korean and Vietnam wars. Receiver Section, covers 2-3.6, 3.6-6.6, and 6.6-12 MHz continuously tuneable in 3 bands AM-CW, 456 KHz IF, 200 KHz Calibration Points. AF and RF Gain Controls and Headset jacks. Tubes 2* 1L4, 3* 1R5, 1* 1S5, 1* 3Q4. Requires 1.4 VDC @450ma and 105 V @20ma. Transmitter Section, covers 2-3.6, 3.6-6.6, and 6.6-12 MHz continuously tuneable, or two pre-set channels, AM-CW, Hi-Lo Out-puts 7 or 1 Watt AM, 15 or 5 Watt CW. Uses 2E22 tubes in power amp. With tubes 2* 1L4, 3* 1R5, 1* 1S5, 3* 3A4, and 1* 3Q4. Requires 580 VDC @100ma, 6.6 VDC @2 Amps, 120 VDC @45ma, 1.5 VDC @500ma, and 6.9 VDC @575ma.
Product is not in production
More Info: https://radionerds.com/index.php/AN~GRC-9
# last 180 days Avg. Rating last 180 days Total reviews Avg. overall rating
0014
AA4OO Rating: 2021-02-23
Heavy QRP Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
I'm fascinated by the weirdest stuff. I first read about these a few years ago and set out to find one in decent shape along with power supplies.

Briefly, it's a blast to operate. It takes a lot of patience and a strong back to haul it and the power supplies around.

The radio covers 80m, 60m, 40m and 10m bands for CW and also has AM. I've worked a number of stations using CW on 40m and 80m. There is some chirp on CW, although signal reports say it's "charming" rather than canary like. The passband is very wide, somewhere around 9 kHz which is great for AM but makes working CW in a crowded band a challenge. I have an outboard audio filter that helps.

It has a built-in antenna tuner, of sorts. Basically, separate antenna switch positions for operating a vertical, end-fed or doublet. The Doublet position expects 50-75 ohm so it will work with most amateur antennas. It has a neon bulb that gives you an indication of antenna resonance as you tune. Very cool for an old 1940s design like this.

The transmitter and receiver operate independently so you will need to zero beat the transmitter using the "NET" function on the receiver then tune off a bit to hear the BFO from the other station.

Power is supplied by a number of different ex-military supplies; from AC operated units to those that accept 24vdc, 12vdc or even 6 VDC. There's even a hand crank power supply if you have a friend willing to crank while you transmit. The receiver can run off a battery rebuilt with 9v and D cells with a bit of ingenuity.

When using the Dynamotor power supply during transmit, it employs 3 phase power to the radio with not a lot of filtering so there is some ripple present on the signal, both on the CW note and your AM transmission. When in receive mode a Vibrator power supply is switched in that draws relatively little current (about 1A @12vdc). During transmit the dynamotor pulls over 12A @12vdc so prepare to keep your deep cycle battery charged.

The CW is full break-in, and while the relay may be a little noisy it's nothing compared to the whine of the Dynamotor generator that's powering the radio.

It supports a mode called MCW which is modulated CW, allowing CW to be received by radios without a BFO. Freak out your AM-Fone buddies and send CW to them. Speaking of AM, the oscillator tube doesn't light until you press the PTT in Phone mode, so you have to wait a few seconds before you begin speaking after pressing PTT. No quick break-in there.

Output impedance is switchable from 250 - 4000 ohms. I have the original WW2 speaker and some General Electric manufactured high-impedance headphones. It sounds great with both.

All-in-all, it's a totally quirky and fun radio to mess with and get question marks back from operators who you send the model number to during QSOs. There's absolutely no logical reason to own and operate one unless you are strange, like me, or want to feel the weight of lugging the radio, power supplies and all the accessories up and down hills like our brave troops did so long ago. OTOH, it's one of the few radios I'm aware of that came standard with a hand-crank generator to power it. So, if another Carrington Event occurs you may wish you had an EMP resistant, hand-crank radio. Probably not the #1 thing to worry about following such an event.

You can read the specifications at the radio-nerds link above or see lots of photos at
https://www.hamradioqrp.com/2021/01/angrc-9-aka-angry-nine.html