[ARC5] [Milsurplus] ARC-5 Receiver Question

[Bob Macklin]

I'd like to make a comment about WWII and Korean vintage radios.

I was in the USAF in Korea in 1953. We had some SCR-274 equipment in service 
at that time. Plain finish. No paint. The ARC-5 VHF units never did have 
paint. In our F-84s and F-86s we were using ARC-3 units. They also were 
plain aluminum.

When I returned\  to the states in 54 we had ARC-27 and ARC-33 command 
radios. We also had APX-6 IFF and ARN-6 radio compass units. All of these 
units were black wrinkle.

My job was Radar/Gunsight. Almost all of this equipment was black wrinkle. I 
don't know what happened after 1958, but in that year the only plain 
aluminum electronics was the SCR-274 stuff and the ARC-3 stuff.

Bob Macklin
K5MYJ
Seattle, Wa.
"Real Radios Glow In The Dark"
----- Original Message ----- 
From: <match at ece.utah.edu>
To: <arc5 at mailman.qth.net>; <milsurplus at mailman.qth.net>
Sent: Thursday, February 18, 2010 2:26 PM
Subject: Re: [ARC5] [Milsurplus] ARC-5 Receiver Question


> On 18 Feb 2010 at 10:35, Mike Morrow wrote:
>
>>
>> I'm not a subscriber to the protective paint theory, at least
>> as it applies to the aluminum which comprised most of the
>> structure of almost all aircraft radio sets (connectors often
>> being a notable exception).
>
> I don't either, nor do I believe the paint was applied to make them look 
> pretty.
>
> If I had to guess, (which I am doing now!) I would suggest that they were
> painted for useability reasons, that being that the black wrinkle paint is 
> non-
> reflective, mostly, and the white-on-black lettering is easy on the eyes 
> in a
> darkened aircraft.
>
> So, why were some plain aluminum? If I had to guess (again!) I would
> suggest that some were left unpainted so that the contract could be filled 
> in a
> more timely manner. A "G.I. Joe needs his radios, and if we can convice 
> the
> govmint to take 'em without paint, we can get them out a week earlier, AND
> we make an extra half a buck on each one" sorta thing.
>
> All pure conjecture, I know NOTHING about this, just trying to work 
> through a
> "what would I do if..." scenario.
>
> Marvin
> KA7TPH
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