[ARC5] Bare Metal USN Sets

[Mike Everette]

Something to ponder in this discussion:

You see a lot of SCR-274N pieces which are MFP treated, so they have the "yellow" tint.

Ever seen an ARC-5 or ATA/ARA item with MFP on the bare aluminum parts, like IF cans, MO shields, etc?  I can't recall that I have.

Wonder if MFP was around when the Navy spec'd their sets?  Or was it a later development?

Also, think on this:  The control boxes for both the SCR-274N and the Navy sets are all painted black; probably this was an antiglare consideration in the cockpit.  But, the Army SCR-183/283 sets with bare aluminum BC-229/429 receivers and BC-230/430 transmitters more often than not had bare aluminum control boxes.  A lot of those radios were used in trainer aircraft.  There may have been a requirement to produce those sets faster than the stuff headed for combat planes.  Painting takes longer and is expensive.

73

Mike
W4DSE


--- On Thu, 10/18/12, Mike Hanz <aaf-radio-1 at aafradio.org> wrote:

> From: Mike Hanz <aaf-radio-1 at aafradio.org>
> Subject: Re: [ARC5] Bare Metal USN Sets
> To: "Mike Morrow" <kk5f at arrl.net>
> Cc: ARC5 at mailman.qth.net, "Mike Morrow" <kk5f at earthlink.net>
> Date: Thursday, October 18, 2012, 10:09 PM
> That's an excellent question,
> Mike.  I suppose one could make the 
> argument that the Signal Corps drove the specs for the R-28
> and T-23, 
> while the ARR-2 specs were Navy in origin.  But, some
> unpainted aluminum 
> shows up in other Navy equipment as well, like the station
> boxes for the 
> RL-24 interphone system at http://aafradio.org/flightdeck/RL-24.jpg
> - 
> and a couple of other pieces of equipment that I can't
> recall at the 
> moment. To be fair, the RL-24 station boxes are heavily
> clear 
> anodized...but then they are part of an assemblage that is
> largely black 
> wrinkle.  The characteristics of other sets wander all
> over the place as 
> well, with some Signal Corps sets using black wrinkle
> control boxes with 
> bare aluminum equipment, as in the later 274N sets. 
> Very strange...
> 
> On 10/18/2012 8:48 PM, Mike Morrow wrote:
> 
> > Mike wrote:
> >> Back in the day, scratches weren't something to
> worry about too much,
> >> though it was frowned upon by the Navy Air arm with
> their concern about
> >> salt spray damage on carrier aircraft equipment.
> > But that concern didn't stop long use of the bare-metal
> WECO R-28/ARC-5
> > and T-23 and T-126/ARC-5 VHF sets.  I guess that
> the bare finish was
> > accepted as a simple fait accompli arising from the
> WECO SCR-274-N VHF
> > predecessor. :-)
> >
> > It makes one wonder why the WECO AN/ARR-2 wasn't also
> produced in bare
> > aluminum.
> >
> > 73,
> > Mike / KK5F
> 
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