I collect and repair Johnson Messenger transceivers. Here are a few Johnson Messenger radios in my collection.
A few of my Johnson CB radios have been modified to operate on 10 meter AM at 29Mhz. Except for my Messenger III, all have had their electrolytic and paper capacitors below the chassis’s replaced with new capacitors. They all work, some on 11 meters and the other on 10 meter AM at 29Mhz.
Johnson Messenger One (White Face)
Johnson Messenger II (Black Face)
Johnson Messenger 223
Modified Johnson Messenger 223 for DDS VFO controlled on 10 meter AM (DDS VFO mounted in a Heathkit HD-1410 CW keyer cabinet). Power for the DDS VFO is provided by a 12VDC Regulated CCTV Camera Brick. Internal 23 Channel selector is disabled. Power output is 5 watts into a 50 ohm dummy load.
The Johnson Messenger One (White Face) shown in the picture below is actually modified to operate on 10 meter AM at 29Mhz crystal control.
Modified Johnson Messenger II (Black Face) on 29Mhz 10 Meter AM Crystal Controlled. Power output is 5 watts into a 50 ohm dummy load. Crystals were purchased from International Crystals in Oklahoma City, OK prior to their closing shop. Initial problem was “Motor Boating” noise in the transmit signal. The source of the Motor Boating was how a previous owner wired the 4 pin microphone connector on the left side of the radio. The wiring placed the “Input” right over the “output” creating “feedback” when the PTT button was pressed. Rewired the microphone, placing the wiring on either side flush with the chassis fixed the problem.
The video link below shows me working K1GUP on 29Mhz crystal control. Jerry is in Carmel Maine. The antenna I used was a simple 10 meter inverted vee up 20 feet!! Shows that you don’t need high power and a huge multi element beam up 50 to 100 feet to work stations on 10 meters when the band’s open. My 5 watts output into the 10 meter inverted vee up 20 feet worked just fine!!!
https://w5rkl.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/K1GUP-and-W5RKL-1.wmv
Modified Johnson Messenger III on 29Mhz 10 Meter AM. Power output is 4 watts into a 50 ohm dummy load. It has one crystal for 10 meter AM, 29.0Mhz in crystal selector position “A”. International Crystals in Oklahoma City OK closed down before I could order additional crystals. The original microphone didn’t work. I swapped it out for a Lafayette CB hand microphone.
Johnson Messenger 202 single channel Business Band Radio. This radio was originally on 32Mhz Business Band. I moved it down to 29Mhz 10 Meter AM. The Messenger 202 has a single crystal for receive and a single crystal for transmit. The chassis is the same as the Johnson Messenger One (White Face) but without the 5 channel crystal select switch. I had to modified the front end as it was wired with 30Mhz to 35Mhz components. I obtained the necessary parts from a Johnson White Face parts radio. The “Selective Call” box shown on the right side of the Messenger 202 has since been removed and mounted to my Johnson Messenger II (Black Face). The 11 pin “jumper plug” was removed from the Johnson Black Face and plugged into the 202’s 11 pin rear socket. Power output is 5 watts into a 50 ohm dummy load.
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