[ARC5] US Military Aircraft Radios - Opinions
richard
richardschumann at comcast.net
Sat Apr 4 19:35:58 EDT 2009
So Mike, do you have a website so we can see your stuff?
You sound like an interesting individual.
Regards,
Richard kn7sfz in Orygun (who hypocritically needs to set up a website.....)
----- Original Message -----
From: "Mike Morrow" <kk5f at earthlink.net>
To: <ARC5 at mailman.qth.net>
Sent: Saturday, April 04, 2009 2:35 PM
Subject: [ARC5] US Military Aircraft Radios - Opinions
> >Although this may not be the forum on which to ask this, I
>>would like the collective opinions of the various gear
>>mentioned above
>
> I can't think of any place better for such discussions. I often
> regret that the ARC5 and MILSURPLUS lists have such little traffic.
> My postings are usually deliberately long-winded and tangential,
> made with the hope that something from them might trigger some
> interesting traffic.
>
>>The ARC-1 seems to be the best of that type (VHF-AM) of
>>rig, but the ARC-3 and its later variants seem to be amost
>>as good or perhaps even better (they certainly were
>>capable of far more channels), while the ARC-4 was a
>>piece of junk. I don't know anything about the -4A.
>
> The AN/ARC-4A used the same RT-19, a simplified C-54 control box,
> J-16 or -22 jack boxes, a different rack, and a simplified external
> wiring harness. In other words, no significant change from the -4.
>
> My opinions are:
>
> A. VHF and UHF Sets
> (1) SCR-522-A - The most important "command set" of the ETO, and
> a historically important step into VHF-AM. But
> it is large, only four channels, time-consuming
> to re-channel, and reportedly subject to channel
> drift due to temperature changes. Employed a complex
> British-style pushbutton control box (also bad).
> (2) AN/ARC-1 - Overall the best VHF-AM set of the era. Provides
> nine channels plus a guard channel (one crystal per
> channel!). Only one unit plus control box/panel.
> Not too difficult to re-channel. Not used by USAAF.
> (3) AN/ARC-3 - Used by USAAF/USAF. Replaced SCR-522-A. When
> working properly, it is simple to re-channel because
> it tunes itself automatically. Gives the USN AN/ARC-1
> competition except for being larger (three units),
> requires two crystals per channel, has no guard channel.
> Early system used horrible British-style pushbutton
> control box (C-118), but later an improved panel (C-404A).
> Saw long service, with 16-channel version (AN/ARC-36)
> and 48-channel version (AN/ARC-49).
> (4) AN/ARC-4 - USN's stop-gap VHF-AM set. Only four channels between
> 140 to 148 MHz. Terrible receiver, but it pioneered
> the guard channel. Probably would have been much more
> servicable in its limited range if an RF stage been
> provided for the main and guard channel front-ends.
> (5) AN/ARC-5 - Only four-channel VHF, two crystals per channel, rather
> awkward to re-channel. But it was servicable in allowing
> the three-receiver rack/two-transmitter rack AN/ARC-5 and
> AN/ARR-2 combo to provide six-channel VHF (246 MHz)
> homing,
> four-channel VHF-AM comms, and one-channel MF or HF comms.
> This was an impressive advance in capability over the
> same-sized original ARA/ATA system. USN use only.
> (6) AN/ARC-12 - USN's early successful UHF-AM nine-channel plus guard
> channel replacement of the AN/ARC-1 VHF-AM system. Only
> requires installation of the RT-58/ARC-12 in place of the
> RT-18/ARC-1 in existing AN/ARC-1 systems, plus antenna
> change.
> Replaced by AN/ARC-27.
> (7) AN/ARC-27 - One of the most important command sets of all time:
> UHF-AM,
> 1750 channels at 0.1 MHz intervals from 225 to 400 MHz.
> Used by all U.S. military services from early 1950s to
> 1970s.
> Pressurized, but AN/ARC-55 was lighter unpressurized
> version.
>
> B. MF/HF Sets
> (1) ARA/ATA and SCR-274-N - Innovative and compact MF/HF commands sets
> introduced
> in the years just before VHF-AM was demonstrated by our UK
> partners
> to be significantly superior.
> (2) AN/ARC-2 - An impressive Collins design for the USN. Apparently
> intended to fill a
> liason function for which its AM-mode and low power were
> less than
> satisfactory. It had long life in some USN backwaters,
> and could still
> be found in service on USN training aircraft in the early
> 1970s. I prefer
> the RT-91/ARC-2 rather than the RT-298/ARC-2A. The RT-91
> has an RF ampmeter
> function that was removed from the RT-298, and build
> quality is better. I
> suppose the closest thing in the way of a replacement was
> the AN/ARC-39.
> (3) AN/ARC-5 - These USN MF/HF sets were the ultimate enhancement of the
> rapidly
> obsolete HF command set. The LF/MF receiver had long life
> into the 1970s.
> These A.R.C.- and Stromberg-Carlson-made sets are
> beautiful, but when
> I see them I think about how fortunate it was that there
> were outfits
> like Western Electric that could trim costs and produce
> gear in the
> massive quantities that were needed 65 years ago.
> (4) AN/ARC-8 - This USAAF/USAF set (combo of the AN/ART-13A and the
> AN/ARR-11 (BC-348-*) is
> my favorite aircraft radio set. Some were still in active
> USAF service in
> the early 1970s. It was replaced in the 1950s by the
> AN/ARC-21, whose RT
> was the 130-pound RT-128A/ARC-21, pressurized in an
> 18-inch diameter drum.
> It's hard to warm up to something that large, shaped like
> that.
> (5) AN/ARC-25 - This USN set (combo of the AN/ART-13 and the AN/ARR-15)
> is the first system
> in which the USN finally paired up an appropriate receiver
> to the excellent
> AN/ART-13. (I hate those kludges like the ARB, the RAX-1,
> or the R-26 and
> R-27/ARC-5 units with those C-131 contraptions that the
> USN had been using
> with the ATC or T-47.) I dislike the fact that the USN
> ATC or T-47 does not
> generally have the VFO dial B vernier scale that allows
> the USAF T-47A
> frequency to be set more precisely. This set was replaced
> in the 1950s
> by the AN/ARC-38.
>
> Mike / KK5F
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