[ARC5] Re: BC-616 Relay Box Oddity

[Mike]

Michael Hanz wrote:

> Lenox Carruth wrote:
> >
> > Also, if you find a surplus of Contactor Units BC-608-A, I need one.
> 
> I hear that one needs to be considered by the select group of RC-96
> owners to obtain one, and be nominated and voted on for membership,
> before being eligible to look for a BC-608.  :-)  More seriously, I 
> have seen a number of them on ebay.  I think they normally get listed
> as a contactor.

I found both my BC-616 and my BC-608-A on ebay.  I used to think that
the BC-608 was rare, but maybe it isn't.  There was only one other
half-hearted bid so it went cheap after dangling for a week on ebay.

It may be worth noting that the RC-96 system selected a specific
transmitter in the SCR-274-N rack, regardless of the transmitter
selected on the BC-451 control box, and keyed it for 14 seconds out of
each minute.  That would allow pip-squeak operation without tying up the
HF channel being used for command communication between the elements of
the formation (except of course, for any aircraft actually transmitting
a pip-squeak signal).  With the SCR-522, the BC-616 wasn't used.  Only
the BC-608 was needed to cause a certain channel of the SCR-522 to be
selected and keyed 14 seconds each minute.  IIRC, early versions of the
SCR-522 were wired such that a specific channel was selected for BC-608
keying, regardless of the channel selected on the BC-602 control box for
the SCR-522.  I think later SCR-522 units were modified such that the
BC-608 keyed whatever channel was selected on the BC-602.  That would
seem to interfere with command comms, but maybe by then the pip-squeak
system was out of use anyway.

I wonder if the BC-608 timing contactor was ever used with any sets
other than the SCR-274-N and the SCR-522.  I would guess the system to
have been dropped by the time the AN/ARC-3 appeared in the ETO.

Mike / KK5F