[ARC5] RAT, RAV, ARA, and RAX Questions and Observations

[J. Forster]

Silly question:

Could the RATs have been made (and quietly shipped to the UK) very early
on to look for the German navigation 'Beams', essentially as ELINT
receivers? The wide frequency coverage seems a bit odd for a
communications receiver, IMO.

FWIW,
-John

=============

> Dave wrote:
>
>>The Aircraft Radio Corporation RAT (12 volt) and RAT-1 (24 volt)
>>set of receivers were the first production sets built in the
>>familiar "type-K" style that has become commonly known
>>as "ARC-5."  Only 50 complete sets of RAT and 50 of RAT-1
>>were produced.
>
> The RAT/RAT-1 is an interesting set.  I'm curious about:
>
> 1.  Was there a "non-preliminary" manual issued?
> 2.  Are there manuals of any sort surviving today?
> 3.  How was the 50 set total divided between the RAT and the RAT-1?
>     (The RAT-1 appears to have been notably later than the RAT, judging
>       CBY-46xxx designations.  See below.)
> 4.  What was the year of introduction?
> 5.  Is there any documentation of actual aircraft installations?
> 6.  When did the RAV (or xRAV) appear, compared to the RAT?
> 7.  What are the production figures for the full eight-receiver RAV?
>     (less than RAT???)
>
> I seem to remember seeing a RAT or RAV in Tony Grogan's (W4SOE/SK)
> collection several years ago, which would be the only such component that
> I've ever personally seen.
>
>>and a local-tuning crank which is black anodized, rather than the later,
>>bare aluminum crank.
>
> Th early ARA/ATA and SCR-274-N manuals show a crank that is black
> anodized.
>
> It's interesting to look at the CBY-46xxx designations of all these
> "Type-K"
> derivatives.
>
> CBY-46083   RAT               13.5 to 20.0 MHz
> CBY-46084   RAT               20.0 to 27.0 MHz
> CBY-46102   RAV               0.19 to 0.55 MHz
> CBY-46103   RAV               0.52 to 1.5 MHz
> CBY-46104   RAV/ARA           1.5 to 3.0 MHz
> CBY-46105   RAV/ARA           3.0 to 6.0 MHz
> CBY-46106   RAV/ARA           6.0 to 9.1 MHz
> CBY-46107   RAV               9.1 to 13.5 MHz
> CBY-46108   RAV/RAT-1         13.5 to 20.0 MHz
> CBY-46109   RAV/RAT-1         20.0 to 27.0 MHz
> CBY-46129   ARA               0.19 to 0.55 MHz
> CBY-46145   ARA               0.52 to 1.5 MHz
> (The last two ARA units are identical to the equivalent RAV units except
> that the loop antenna connections and switch have been deleted, only
> to reappear for who knows what reason on the R-23 and -24/ARC-5.)
>
> If any significance can be attached to the sequence of these numbers, the
> RAT sets appear to be significantly earlier than any follow-on sets
> including
> the RAT-1.  The RAT-1 units share their designations with equivalent RAV
> units, just as three ARA units share their designations with the three
> exact
> equivalent RAV units.  Doubtless, ARA was assigned to three components
> after the RAV designation, but this list would seem to imply that the
> RAT-1
> designation did not appear until after the RAV designation.  If the RAT-1
> was
> earlier than the RAV, then its CBY-46xxx designations would not be in
> exact
> sequence within and identical to those assigned to RAV units.
>
> GE's RAX-1 (CG-46115, -46116, -46117) must have easily displaced any
> potential for wide use of the RAT-1 and RAV.  The CG-46117 (7.0 to 27.0
> MHz)
> alone could replace all of those odd-frequency RAV and RAT-1 units, in
> smaller
> space and weight, with better bandspread and more versatile controls.
>
> It may be questioned if a run of only 50 sets, divided between two systems
> could be accurately called a "production" set, rather than a developmental
> one.
> For example, the VHF SCR-274-N, produced in numbers at least 20 times
> greater
> than the RAT, remains in my opinion clearly a developmental set that
> didn't achieve
> actual deployment status.  But perhaps the RAT can be considered to have
> achieved production status on the same basis that even in modern times,
> specialized
> electronic equipment such as is used for intelligence collecting seems to
> have one-
> or two-digit serial numbers.  It is doubtful that these 13.5 to 27.0 MHz
> sets were
> intended for communications purposes.
>
> Mike / KK5F
> ______________________________________________________________
> ARC5 mailing list
> Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/arc5
> Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm
> Post: mailto:ARC5 at mailman.qth.net
>
> This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net
> Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html
>
>