[ARC5] C-48/ARC-5

[Mike Morrow]

>OTOH, I am still missing a few items from the AN/ARC-5 lists, older
>bits not found in the new manuals.  For example, I can't find the
>AN/ARC-5 equivalents to the BC-496 and BC-450 control boxes, including
>the A.R.C. part numbers.  Also, was the C-570* from the SCR-274-N
>adapted into the AN/ARC-5 system or was it strictly AAF/USAF?

There was never an AN/ARC-5 equivalent to the BC-496-A (two-receiver) or
BC-450-A (three-receiver) control boxes.

The AN/ARC-5 design concept had simplified to the point of minimizing
controls available to the pilot.  In the unlikely event that two
AN/ARC-5 receivers were required to be pilot-tuned, then two individual
C-26/ARC-5 control boxes or two individual C-125/ARC-5 control panels
would be used.  But the most common multi-receiver control box is the
C-38 or -38A/ARC-5, which provided ONLY audio controls for two AN/ARC-5
receivers, full controls for a R-4/ARR-2 homing receiver, and optional
audio-only controls for an ARB or similar.  I've seen pictures of such
receiver installations that also had a C-26/ARC-5 single-receiver
control box present that was unused unless a R-23/ARC-5 was installed
in the MT-65/ARC-5 three-receiver rack in place of the lock-tuned
R-26 to -27 that was normally installed there.

There is an odd-ball VHF AN/ARC-5 control box called the C-43/ARC-5
in the same form-factor as the BC-450-A that controlled two remote-tuned
receivers plus the R-28/ARC-5 VHF receiver.  This unit was rarely utilized.

The closest USN AN/ARC-5 equivalent to the USAF C-570A/A control panel
is the C-125/ARC-5.  These both fit the early six-inch aircraft control
panel fixtures, though many later were modified to fit the current
standard aircraft control panel fixtures.  The USAF came up with similar
designs with open backs and wire terminal connections such as the 
C-405A/A for the AN/ART-13A, the C-404A/A for the AN/ARC-3, and the
C-403A/A for the AN/ARN-6.  The C-570A/A provides a power and CW/MCW
control switch that is lacking on the C-125/ARC-5.

The USN later used a modern-style control panel for the R-23/ARC-5
called the C-744/ARC-5.  Unlike the earlier control panels, the frequency
dial could not be changed to that of another receiver, but by the time
the C-744 was out, doubtless the only command receivers still flying
were the R-23 and -23A/ARC-5.  This panel is contemporary to the modern
style C-733A/ARR-15A and the C-740/ART-13 control panels for the AN/ARC-25
system, and the C-732A/ARC-2 for the AN/ARC-2 and -2A.

Mike / KK5F