[ARC5] RME As Aircraft Radio (?!?)

[D. Platt]

Gents (and others),

It is possible that an RME or two actually got into aviation use back in 
those days.  When I worked for the NOAA-DOC in the 1970's (til 
retirement), I was privy to a number of very old books, manuals, and 
papers dating back into the 1930's.  When CAA (now DOT/FAA) was part of 
the Department of Commerce, there was not nearly the standardization of 
equipment that exists today.  I found DOC/CAA books that listed 
National, Hallicrafters, Collins, and yes one particular RME receiver.  
Heck, the NWS used a number of Heath DX-100 transmitters for the 
Southern Region Hurricane Nets when they were in their heyday. (The NWS 
had lots of hams in the HQ Engineering Div., back then.) What I do not 
recall are receivers that covered the LF bands which were in vast use in 
those days. Recall that, in those days, there were not hundreds of 
channels and no VHF, whatever, of course in use.  In fact, most control 
towers in the late 30's and 40's were on but one frequency between 3 and 
5 MHz*.... err pardon me 3 and 5 MC....  Additionally, most airlines ran 
their own ground-to-air nets.  They some degree they still do today, 
although often via ARINC services, both HF and VHF.  The thing is, at 
any specific airdrome in days of yore, you could well find any sort of 
"decent" HF receiver in use in the tower or at some airline's line-shack.

* The ground station would primarily transmit on a designated LF 
frequency and receive on a standardized HF frequency.  The aircraft 
would either use HF simplex or (more typically) transmit on HF and 
receive on LF.

Jeep K3HVG