[ARC5] ATA/ARA Acceptance Date Anomaly

[David L. Stinson]

I'm compiling a list of known contracts, orders and 
acceptance dates for our favorite equipment,
which I will post as soon as it's done, with credit for
contributors.  There's something odd in the data
that bears both on the ATA/ARA and the 
1st run of SCR-274N.

The contracts for ATA/ARA sets were let and 
the first run of the sets were dated 1940.  
The very earliest acceptance test date I've found 
on these sets is Feb. 1942.
We can document that the first run of SCR-274N, 
a direct decendent of ARA/ATA, was ordered in 1940 
and going into the line in 1941, 
so why the delay in the production of ATA/ARA?

Did the Signal Corps order have production priority,
taking up A.R.C.s small production line until
Western Electric subcontracted for the rest of -274N?
This might explain the superior quality of 
the first run A.R.C 1470-NY-41 over the later W.E. runs.
I know some folks are of the opinion that
A.R.C. didn't build any of the 274 runs,
but I'll put an A.R.C. 1470-NY-41 next to a W.E. 1509-NY-41
and argue with you (the 1509 is still excellent).
Besides- If they weren't building the 1940 ATA/ARA,
and they weren't building the 1470 274N, 
what were they doing all of 1941?
They finished with their GF/RU production in 1939.

I propose that A.R.C. was in fact busy during early 1941
building the first run of SCR-274N, which delayed
the production of ATA/ARA until late 1941/early 1942.

Opinions?