[ARC5] Pre-ARC-5 rigs.

[Mike Hanz]

On 8/3/2014 5:52 PM, AKLDGUY . wrote:
> I understand that the SCR-183/283 (aka BC-229/BC-230) was Western Electric
> designed and was assembled by no other maker.

Well, actually, no.  It, and the original RU/GF, were designed by the 
Aircraft Radio Corporation, who later brought you that set we all know 
and love.  The various letter pairs between the SCR and 183 refer to 
different contracts.  I believe the first Western Electric contract (and 
the only one with a white transmitter RF current meter face) was the 
SCR-AF-183 contract.  My personal set is an SCR-AE-183 - at 
http://aafradio.org/flightdeck/1935/SCR-AE-183.html - you can see it 
ain't no Western Electric model.

> Somewhere I heard that Amelia Earhart used a W.E. radio for her final 1937
> flight.
> After a change of frequency to the 6 Mc/s band, the Coast Guard cutter
> "Itasca" was able to hear Earhart but she apparently was unable to hear it.
> Plugin coil sets allowed the possibility of the wrong band being set for
> her receiver.
> Setting of frequency by reading a chart and setting the dial to a number
> (rather than direct frequency readout) leaves open the possibility of
> wrongly set frequency within the correct band.
>
> I'm interested in whether her flight carried SCR-183/283 or not.
> She probably didn't carry radio equipment of the very newest model, but
> would have taken something well proven and known to be reliable. The
> SCR-183/283 went into production in 1932 and would have been mature in
> development, bug fixing, and documentation by 1937.

Neil, the most helpful suggestion I can give you is to go to the Tighar 
website at http://tighar.org/ and rummage around - you will fill many 
happy hours reading the debates on equipment, procedures, lack of 
proficiency, the whole ball of wax.  Wear a fireproof suit... :-)

  - Mike