What is it?

[Dr Doran]

Ladies and Gentlemen,

Anon` and I found this in an antique shop in Vancouver, Washington. Can anyone help me to identify it?

I include this photo as well not to show how damn handsome I am, but only for a sense of the scale of the item:

 

[LizzieMaine]

That's a 1940s-era radio direction finder -- sailors used them to navigate using radio broadcast signals. You still find them on board old fishing boats.

 

[Dr Doran]

That's a 1940s-era radio direction finder -- sailors used them to navigate using radio broadcast signals. You still find them on board old fishing boats.

Wow.

assuming its wiring is intact, what might I use it now for, besides as a conversation piece?

 

[LizzieMaine]

You could wire it into your car as a retro GPS system -- what it does is home in on radio signals and translates them into compass bearings. The FCC used to mount them in the back of vans and use them to track down pirate radio stations.

 

[Dr Doran]

You could wire it into your car as a retro GPS system -- what it does is home in on radio signals and translates them into compass bearings.

A tempting suggestion. Can I listen to radio broadcasts at home on it?

 

[LizzieMaine]

I don't think it has an audio section, but I bet you could if you could find a way to connect it to an audio amplifier and speaker. Probably have to dig inside it, though, to do that.

 

[in/y]

Ran into this site on old direction finding equipment...unfortunately yours isn't included. http://www.angelfire.com/space/proto57/rdf.html