[ARC5] Ask And Ye Shall Receiver-- SCR-183

[Mike Morrow]

Dave referenced:

> A BC-AS-229:  160582993160

Notice that it has an older (non AS-model) receiver coil set.

More than ten years ago I acquired a SCR-AS-183 new in unopened
wooden crate.  The set was complete except for receiver tuning
units, which were NOT on the packing list.  I've never seen a
BC-AS-183 with an AS-model coil set.  Usually they are AR-model
coil sets, with the most common being the C-379 dual coil set.
In ten years of searching, I've only found one AS-model coil set.

All of the individual components of a new USN RU/GF set will have
identical serial numbers.  In contrast, NONE of the component serial
numbers matched in my "new" SCR-AS-183.  However, all of the
transmitter coil sets were stamped in red paint with the serial
number of the transmitter.   

The SCR-AS-183 was the last in the long line of this series.  AFAIK,
the Philco AS-model is identical to the WECo AR-model except for
coil set nomenclature numbers.  In all the time that these sets were
developed and manufactured, the receivers in this series did not advance
much beyond the design used by the USN's original 1932 GF (not RU-2)
receiver CBY-46006, after which the USN RU-2 and later copied CW, and
the RU-3 and later had AGC.  The transmitters did not advance much beyond
the design used by the USN's 1934 GF-1 transmitter CBY-52027, after which
the USN GF-2 and later used push-pull grid-modulated PA stages.

Mike / KK5F