[ARC5] SCR-274N Contracts

[David Stinson]

The SCR-274N sets, accessories and boxes that followed the early runs
(1490-NY-41, 1509-NY-41, 6375-NY-41, 293-PHILA-42)
provide very little information to date exactly when
a certain contract/order would be available for installation.
While most (not all) of the AN/ARC-5 and ATA/ARA 
equipments have acceptance test dates that fix their 
availability, the best I've been able to find for later 274N
is equipment removal tags, photos and some documents.
If those can be trusted, a unit was available for install 
the later half of the year in the order number.
For example, Colonial 595-WF-43 would have been available
for install after mid-1943.  

Other types of equipment and some earlier runs of 274N appear
to have been available the year before that in the order number.
For example: A J-36 key with order number 1730-NY-43 is documented
as having been built in 1942.  That's understandable, since
the orders were often submitted under the next year's 
budget.  But it appears from the sparse data and also from
accounts about the rush to produce and delays in production
of aircraft radio equipment 
meant they became available later.

We just don't have enough data points to say definitively
when a certain SCR-274N order number became available for install
in aircraft.  If you have any information that would associate
a certain contract/order number with a date of install
(install/removal tags, dated stamps etc.), please share them.
If we don't have any better information, the database will 
just go with what we have.

TNX ES 73 DE Dave Stinson AB5S.