[ARC5] Another Rare Xmtr: 1st Gen BC-696

[David Stinson]

When the pre-WWII U.S. Army Air Corps ordered
copies of the Navy ATA/ARA from Aircraft Radio
Corp., they did so without including a 3-4 MC xmtr.
The Navy got the big money (pols are always fighting
the last war) and the Army got the scraps, so they 
pinched pennies, believing the 4.4 MC Army Airways 
freqs would take care of their needs.  

They ordered 1470-NY-41 from A.R.C.,
which produced a number of sets and then passed
the contract to Western Electric on order 
1509-NY-41.  (Aside:  SCR-287 was ordered
at the same time, order number 1508-NY-41).
These sets were built with the ATA plans, 
right down to placing the large, black-and-silver
nomenclature plates on the top.  This practice 
continued through the 293-PHILA-42 order.
http://home.netcom.com/~arc5/ARC5/274earlytag.JPG
Up to this point, there was no BC-696 3-4 MC 
transmitter. 

An Air Corps at war discovered that they were 
often going to need to land in places like 
Scratchyabottom, Montana which listened only
on 3105 KC and transmitted on 286 KC.
So they ordered a 3-4 MC transmitter, which was
nomenclatured BC-696.  By this time, W.E. had
started making some minor changes to save on 
materials and costs.  This is when the small brass
nomen plates mounted on the sides began to be
produced.   However, the BC-696 was being 
built like the -41 and -42 sets were speced, so
the assembliers at first mounted the new, small
plates on top of the 696s.  They were moved to
the side on later runs.  They also have unique 
markings on the rear of the chassis.
If you have a BC-696, painted and with the small 
plate mounted on top and the correct rear markings,
you have an authentically rare 1st Run BC-696.
I know of only one in captivity.  Would like
to know of any others?

Many years ago, a dear friend and I were in
the basement of a private college in south Texas 
which was selling-off a bunch of stuff  
it had in storage for decades.  
One wooden crate contained what was probably 
the last remaining stash of legs for the BC-474;
there must have been 100 sets in there.

In a dusty corner, looking haggard from hard
use and long, musty storage, was the only 
1st-Run BC-696 I've ever seen:

https://goo.gl/photos/G8pVRATz4MzNoR6eA
https://goo.gl/photos/7pzFQS9qARebNJMK8
https://goo.gl/photos/akBtQYdJYGnaew8b6

It was among several Command Set transmitters 
which had been converted for use as 
"Power Oscillators" in the school's Physics lab. 
It's been awaiting its turn at resurrection long, long.
I opened it for the first time today in order
to make a measurement for another project.
Inside the bottom cover is an envelope which
contains faded but still readable documentation
on the modification they made.  "Blessed are
those who document, for they shall join 
Scotty in Heaven."  The sheets are very faded
memeographs, but still fairly readable:
https://goo.gl/photos/yQEWXmrMdE5PdGqi6
https://goo.gl/photos/LuzCHSzuCQScZRPr7

Now, unlike the HeeHaw barber, who said:
        "I once thought I was wrong but 
         discovered that I was merely mistaken," 
I can certainly be wrong.  I do have, thanks to
the great kindness of Gordon White, a copy of
the original 1470-NY-41 A.R.C. order for 
SCR-274N and can say with certainty that it
did not include a 3-4 MC transmitter.  
But if you have seen a painted -696 with a 
large, black-and-silver nomen tag on the top
with one of the -41 or -42 order numbers, 
I and many others would be grateful to see it.
I don't think they exist but then, I remember when
several of us didn't believe the AMA existed.
"Never say never" ;-)

GL OM ES 73 DE Dave AB5S