The radio that you see here is fully operational and virtually all original. It was manufactured in 1944 by the Mackay Radio division of Federal Telephone and Radio as model FT-106.

It is divided into three sections, the middle being the main transmitter (Mackay 155-AY), operating from 400 to 500 kc, and battery charger controls; the right panel houses the main receiver (Mackay 128-AV) at the bottom right, covering 15 to 650 kc, with the Mackay 101B Auto Alarm receiver and selector in the upper portion. At the upper left of the right panel are the antenna selector and grounding switches; just below that is the radio room clock with special markings for the silent period and auto alarm attention signal. The area just below the clock and auto alarm equipment contains battery selector and charging controls for the receiver and auto alarm. Below the clock and to the left of the receiver is the emergency crystal radio (Mackay 123BX). The left panel houses the short-wave transmitter (Mackay 167-AY) in the upper portion and receiver (E.F. Scott SLR-F) in the lower portion. Short-wave operation is from 2-24 mc. While the equipment in the original console can receive both voice and morse code transmissions, it can only transmit in morse. All of the equipment in the console (except for the Scott HF receiver, which is AC powered) operates from 115 volt DC current. Power output for each transmitter is about 200 watts.

The radio battery room is through the doorway visible to the left of the console. The small unit on the left wall is a radiotelephone transceiver added during the Vietnam era, and below it an additional receiver for monitoring, also from the Vietnam era. Scrolling to the left of that radio, we come upon the DC power supply Normal-Emergency switch. The motor units on the floor in the corner are spare motor-alternator units (main and emergency) being refurbished for use in the console. On the back wall we see the speaking tube to the wheelhouse and the start control for the emergency diesel generator. To the right of the main radio, we see the doorway to the radioman's bunk, and above it the call letters of the Red Oak Victory, KYVM.
Steve Hawes, ROV Radio Room Department