[ARC5] FW: "Top Ten"

[Lenox Carruth]

Here's my "Top Twenty:"

1.  Overall modularity.  Any receiver plugs into any receiver rack, any
transmitter plugs into any transmitter rack.
2.  Plug-in if coils - easy repair.
3.  Plug-in tuning coils - easy repair.
4.  Capacitor cans easy to replace.
5.  Receiver resistors easy to replace since they are mounted on pins.
6.  BFO can easy to replace.
7.  Dynamotors easy to replace.
8.  Rugged construction.
9.  Accuracy of tuning dial.
10. Pretty decent power output compared to the size of the transmitters.
11. Versatility.  Local or remote control of the receivers.
12. Easy to replace tubes.
13. Transmitters can be tuned with no frequency meter needed.
14. No external tuner needed for typical aircraft installation.
15. Individual transmitters and receivers made installations with custom
frequency requirements easy.
16. Individual transmitters and receivers provided redundancy in the event
of failure of one unit as long as alternate frequencies were available that
fell into the ranges of other, available, units.
17. Plug-in transmitters and receivers meant that replacement was quick and
service could be done in the shop.
18. The manuals were great.
19. Transmitter and receiver racks could be plugged into similar racks to
increase the number of transmitters and receivers in special installations.
20. Small size for their time.  If a BC-348 had been built by the guys that
designed the ARC-5, it would be about half the size it is now!  It's for
sure that the guys that designed the BC-375 never met the guys that designed
the ARC-5!  (Yeah, I know, the BC-375 was a considerably older design.)

Lenox
WA5OVG


-----Original Message-----
From: arc5-bounces at mailman.qth.net [mailto:arc5-bounces at mailman.qth.net] On
Behalf Of Robert Nickels

But your original comment about the "genius of the ARC-5" is intriguing 
to me, at least.  As one who has spent a lot of time working with them, 
what in your opinion are the most impressive or noteworthy aspects of 
the ARC-5 series design?    Maybe your personal "top 10" list?

I think it would be interesting, especially in light of how well the 
design met the requirements of the customer initially.
If others care to chime in,  please do so.

73, Bob W9RAN
______________________________________________________________