Village radio HT-1A Hallicrafters CIA radio NOS unissued pristine Vietnam war
Description
Up for sale is the HT-1A “Village” radio, a US made rugged walkie-talkie produced by Hallicrafters in the second half of the Sixties and possibly early Seventies. The HT-1A radio offered here is New Old Stock (NOS), never issued. The radio is pristine inside and out, see the photos.
The single-channel HT-1A was designed to work in the frequency range 30 MHz to 40 MHz. It is AM modulated. The whole concept is reminiscent of the BC-611 walkie talkie, see the photos.
The HT-1A radio is all solid-state and produces half a watt from 8 standard “D” cells. The receiver is a dual-conversion type with an RF stage and 3 ceramic (US made) resonators in the second (455kHz) IF. First IF is 14.4 MHz. It has a long, very robust telescopic antenna that is reminiscent of the military BC-659 and BC-728 antenna; probably made by the same manufacturer. No Japanese components were used in this one, it is all US made.
The radio also has an SO-239 RF connector in case an external antenna is used.
Microphone and speaker are built-in, but an external telemike also can be used. The radio is equipped with a volume control and a squelch adjust, that is where it differs from the BC-611 radio on which it was based.
Lots has been written about this radio which you can all find on the internet. It has quite a story; the HT-1A is truly a piece of Vietnam war history. It was handed out to civilians by the CIA during the Vietnam war in Laos and Cambodia. (And Vietnam itself). This was part of a clandestine CIA program to have ordinary civilians spy on VC movements (Ho Chi Minh trail) and report this back to CIA agents. The radio was deliberately AM modulated, not FM, to make interception by the enemy more difficult (the enemy used Chinese and Russian FM transceivers like the Russian R-105M “Parus-3” (search the web for this if you want to know more)
Due to the clandestine nature, the HR-1A radio does not have any identification markers. For many years it was actually unknown that Hallicrafters produced these, although it would have been easy for the enemy to recognize the insides as US made, given the components and construction techniques used.
The manual (including the schematic) for this radio can be downloaded from “Radio Nerds”, just go to the HT-1A Village radio section on that web site.
The radio being sold here does not have crystals (there are never crystals mounted in unissued radios for logistical reasons), but given the fact that the first IF frequency of this radio is 14.4 MHz, I found crystals on eBay that will work and that won’t break the bank:
38.4 MHz (TX crystal HC25U)
https://www.ebay.com/itm/162481148931
24.0 MHz (RX crystal low profile)
https://www.ebay.com/itm/174772691089
24.0 MHz (RX crystal HC25U)
https://www.ebay.com/itm/186163618728
This crystal pair will allow the HT-1A to operate on a frequency of 38.400 MHz.
Of course, you can use any crystal pair that has a frequency difference of 14.4 MHz between them, and operates between 30 MHz and 40 MHz.
The radio being sold here is NOS, never used and never issued, but it is more than 50 years old. We are unable to test it, and as such we cannot guarantee its function. Therefore, we are selling it here for parts or repair.
This is your chance to own a genuine piece of US war history, in immaculate condition. Don’t let it slip away now by waiting too long!
Shipment will be UPS. I’ll include a USPS shipping option for those areas where that is cheaper or if you need to have it shipped to a P.O. Box. Please make sure you select the right shipping method.
The unit will be shipped well packed with sufficient bubble wrap padding and fully insured.
In the unlikely case that damage occurs during transport we require the buyer to document this properly by immediately taking detailed pictures of the damage of both the item and the shipping box and keep the box for further inspection before a claim can be made. Without submitting these pictures there will not be reimbursement for the damaged shipment.
International buyers are welcome but email me for a shipping quote first before you buy. The item will be insured and declared for the full amount.
Payment is through PayPal only and needs to be completed within two days after the listing ends.
Thanks for watching!