[ARC5] WWII-Era VHF Command Set Frequencies and Crystal Information

Kenneth G. Gordon kgordon2006 at frontier.com
Thu Nov 17 17:33:26 EST 2011


Very interesting, Mike.

However, I thought the GC (Guard Channel) frequency was always set to 
121.5 MHz, the emergency frequency.

At least the ARC-1 I got from AFMARS back in the 1960s had that 
installed there...

Ken W7EKB


On 17 Nov 2011 at 0:00, Mike Morrow wrote:

> U.S. Navy - Operating Frequencies Supplied In New Sets
> 
>                                   Receiver    Transmitter
>            Channel  Freq. (MHz)     Crystal Freq. (kHz)
> 
> AN/ARC-1                               RT-18/ARC-1
>               1      116.10              5910.00
>               2      124.38              6370.00
>               3      126.18              6470.00
>               4      128.70              6610.00
>               5      142.02              7350.00
>               6      142.56              7380.00
>               7      142.74              7390.00
>               8      144.36              7480.00
>               9      146.16              7580.00
>              GC      140.58              7270.00
> Equipment Operating Frequency Range:  100 to 156 MHz
> Crystal Type:  CR-1A/AR
> Operating Frequency MHz = Crystal Frequency kHz x 18 / 1000 + 9.72
> 
> 
> AN/ARC-4                               RT-19/ARC-4
>            1 P-P     140.58       8161.25     5857.50
>            2 P-G     142.02       8251.25     5917.50
>            3 P-G     142.46       8285.00     5940.00
>            4 P-G     142.74       8296.25     5947.50
> Equipment Operating Frequency Range:  140 to 144 MHz
> Crystal Type:  WECo Type 703A (Dual Crystal Unit)
> Receiver Frequency MHz = Crystal Frequency kHz x 16 / 1000 + 10
> Transmitter Frequency MHz = Crystal Frequency kHz x 24 / 1000
> 
> 
> AN/ARC-5                         R-28/ARC-5  T-23/ARC-5
>              A       116.10       4550.00     6450.00
>              B       126.18       4970.00     7010.00
>              C       140.58       5570.00     7810.00
>              D       142.74       5660.00     7930.00
> Equipment Operating Frequency Range:  100 to 156 MHz
> Crystal Type:  Receiver - DC-31   Transmitter - CR-1A/AR (DC-30)
> Receiver Frequency MHz = Crystal Frequency kHz x 24 / 1000 + 6.9
> Transmitter Frequency MHz = Crystal Frequency kHz x 18 / 1000
>    Transmitter Channel Allowable Frequency Ranges
>       Channel    T-23/ARC-5       T-126/ARC-5
>          A       100 to 124       100 to 124
>          B       122 to 146       100 to 124
>          C       122 to 146       100 to 124
>          D       132 to 156       122 to 146
> 
> 
> U.S. Army - Operating Frequencies Supplied In New Sets
> 
>                                   Receiver    Transmitter
>            Channel  Freq. (MHz)     Crystal Freq. (kHz)
> 
> SCR-522-A                         BC-624-*    BC-625-*
>              A       Unknown
>              B       Unknown
>              C       Unknown
>              D       Unknown
> Equipment Operating Frequency Range:  100 to 156 MHz
> Crystal Type:  CR-1A/AR
> Receiver Frequency MHz = Crystal Frequency kHz x H / 1000 + 12
>    Receiver Frequency    H (Local Oscillator Harmonic)
>        100 to 108                  11
>        108 to 116                  12
>        116 to 124                  13
>        124 to 132                  14
>        132 to 140                  15
>        140 to 148                  16
>        148 to 156                  17
> Transmitter Frequency MHz = Crystal Frequency kHz x 18 / 1000
> 
> AN/ARC-3                        R-77*/ARC-5  T-67*/ARC-5
>              A       Unknown
>              B       Unknown
>              C       Unknown
>              D       Unknown
>              E       Unknown
>              F       Unknown
>              G       Unknown
>              H       Unknown
> Equipment Operating Frequency Range:  100 to 156 MHz
> Crystal Type:  CR-1A/AR
> Receiver Frequency MHz = Crystal Frequency kHz x H / 1000 + 12
>    Receiver Frequency    H (Local Oscillator Harmonic)
>        100 to 108                  11
>        108 to 116                  12
>        116 to 124                  13
>        124 to 132                  14
>        132 to 140                  15
>        140 to 148                  16
>        148 to 156                  17
> Transmitter Frequency MHz = Crystal Frequency kHz x 18 / 1000
> 
> Comment:  This is a gratuitous posting to summarize the crystal versus
> operating frequency relationships of all the common U.S. military
> aircraft VHF sets of the WWII era.  
> 
> Also listed are the frequencies supplied with new equipment for U.S.
> Navy sets.  I only recently determined the AN/ARC-1 supplied
> frequencies after I examined a NOS AN/ARC-1 (yes, it still has the
> rare auto-tune setting dial tuning device) that has an early WWII
> contract number and all identical-make crystals for the early VHF-AM
> frequencies used by the military in WWII.  I think this set may
> somehow have escaped use because the nomenclature decal that
> Westinghouse applied to it says C-45/ARC-1 rather than the correct
> RT-18/ARC-1.  Sometimes simple errors like that can alter a set's
> usage, causing it to be withheld from issue or use.
> 
> I don't have enough information on new USAAF VHF sets (except the
> 48-channel version of the AN/ARC-3 known as the AN/ARC-49) to know for
> sure if they came from the factory with crystals for some standard
> channels already installed.  (The AN/ARC-49 did.)  I'd like to hear
> from anyone who has such information. The USAAF continued use of VHF
> command sets long after WWII (while the USN quickly abandoned VHF in
> favor of UHF), so there is little chance that an SCR-522-A or AN/ARC-3
> found today with all military-use crystals still installed would
> reflect what was there when the unit left the factory.
> 
> Looking at the various formulas relating crystal frequency to
> operating frequency, and also crystal types, one finds little
> consistency between the USN's AN/ARC-1, -4, and -5 VHF sets.  The
> USAAF sets, however, used exactly the same relationships and crystal
> types for the SCR-522-A and the AN/ARC-3.
> 
> Mike / KK5F
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