[ARC5] T-126?

[Mike Morrow]

>If you want your book to be strictly about A.R.C.'s products,
>the AN/ARC-5 crystal VHF sets should be no more than an aside,
>since A.R.C. didn't design them.

It would be a significant omission to only address A.R.C.-made command set items.  Others played a big part in production, such as Stromberg-Carlson and Colonial.  But without doubt, no manufacturer contributed as much over such a wide range of equipment as Western Electric.

I consider the ZB and AN/ARR-1 (most made by Zenith), plus the AN/ARR-2 (Western Electric) to be an integral part of the ARA, SCR-274-N, and AN/ARC-5.  

Especially important is Western Electric gear to the AN/ARC-5, where there is considerable evidence that typical installations often included the T-23, R-28, and R-4/ARR-2.

A good clue that racks containing only A.R.C. or S-C made command set receivers and transmitters were non-existent or very rare is shown circumstantially by the fact that the most common AN/ARC-5 transmitter control BY FAR is the MF/HF and VHF transmitter control box C-30A/ARC-5.  The same is true for the receivers in the form of the MF/HF, VHF, and AN/ARR-2 control box C-38/ARC-5.  The MF/HF-only transmitter control C-29/ARC-5 is very very rare. 

>They are a Western Electric creation.
>I've heard rumors that A.R.C. had a hand in them,
>but I've seen no documentation.  I'd kinda doubt it.

I do too.  The W.E. designs are too modern and efficient to be a late-war A.R.C. product.

>A.R.C. didn't conceive or create ugly radios ;-).

They did create some pretty but impractical and non-competative VHF units like the T-89 and R-112.  Fortunately for the sake of our servicemen these never came close to use in a military environment.  I'd rather sacrifice mention of these prototype and unaccepted VHF sets, rather than omit W.E. VHF command set components that saw significant wartime service. 

To war's end, A.R.C. built great late-1930s-technology equipment.  It built beautiful gear that's a joy to behold today.  But in terms of avionics state of the art and production and diversity of output supporting the war effort, it was way behind the competition (most notably W.E., but including Colonial, RCA, Bendix, and even Collins and Stewart Warner) by 1943.

Mike / KK5F
PS:  I thank greatly list member Max Cotton for the corrected T-126/ARC-5 information and the copy of the associated page from AN 08-10-195, May 1945.