[ARC5] Navy Alphabet soup

[Mike Morrow]

Robert Goff wrote:

> I can believe that story about the TDE, since I can't think
> of any other TD- transmitter other than the TDQ. Certainly
> not a whole alphabet's worth.

Don't believe it.  In fact there is a whole alphabet's worth of TDx equipments, from the 1942 TDA to the 1944 TDZ, omitting only TDI.  Then there are the 1944 TEA, TEB, and TEC.  A little later there was the TED.

> There are receivers for most of the alphabet between RAA and RAZ,
> then continuing on into the RB- series. I've never heard of an RAM
> or a RAN.

The 1935 RAM is a MF/HF aircraft liaison receiver used with the 1935 GN sircraft liaison transmitter.

The 1937 RAN is a 60 to 66 MHz receiver.  It sounds like some sort of harbor surveillance system receiver, but that's a guess.

Hue wrote:

> The only case where I think ( think ) the letters for a Navy
> equipment was the TDE transmitter, which I read in a GE book,
> was developed particularly for Destroyer Escorts, DE's.

Such stories are ALWAYS just typical ham Buttock Smoke. :-)

The SHIPS-242A document cited earlier can resolve many USN pre-JAN nomenclature questions.

Mike / KK5F