[ARC5] Unknown Antenna - UHF Connectors

[Mike Morrow]

> I too was thinking of the ZB-2 and ZB-3 homing receiver, but as KK5F
> observed, that seems to be closer to 1942.  The first aircraft
> radio that I can recall having them was the prewar Western Electric
> WE-233 sold to the commercial aircraft industry, and which was later
> picked up by the Navy and nomenclatured AN/ARC-4.  Bell Labs
> designed the set,..
> 73,
> Mike  KC4TOS

Interesting information, Mike.  I had failed to recognize Bell Labs as developer the WE-233.  (Too bad they did not develop an RF stage on the P-G and P-P front ends.)  I guess Bell Labs was naturally going to be in the loop for any Western Electric product.

Do you have anything showing the WE-233 being available for commercial sale before 1942?  I've never been able to find any WE-233 date-of-introduction information, but it seems likely it was around 1942 that  the USN acquired the WE-233.  It was never assigned a Navy type number, and the JAN nomenclature system did not start up until February 1943...so the AN/ARC-4 arrived no earlier. 

WRT the 1942 ZB-2 and ZB-3, the only real change from the 1940/41 ZB and ZB-1 seems to be use of nt-49194 (SO-239) family RF connectors.  IMO, that lends support to 1942 being the first year that UHF connectors showed up on US military sets.  But for the commercial WE-233, who knows?  It is doubtless earlier than ZB-2 and ZB-3.  It is likely everything including RF connectors came from the commercial source, not the naval supply system.  It wouldn't matter if there were no nt-49195 plugs in the supply system yet to attach to the WE-233, if that plug was supplied by Western Electric with the WE-233,

Mike / KK5F

On 5/13/2018 1:21 PM, Tim wrote:
> Speaking of "UHF" connectors, anyone know which was the
> first (US?) equipment that used an SO-239 "UHF" type
> connector?
> Tim
> N6CC