[ARC5] Unusual Navy receiver - Boonton Radio Type 185

[Mike Morrow]

This is the Boonton Radio Type 185 beacon band receiver.  The large box is the Type 186 Battery Box.

The set that I own is serial 33 on a USN order for N3N-3 training biplanes.  My receiver has a paper tag bearing the date 12-03-1944.

The earlier RFL B-3 beacon band receiver was built by Radio Frequency Labs in Boonton.  It has a brass post at the rear that must be filed away to remove the cover and access the tubes.  Repair by non-RFL parties was explicitly discouraged.  Mine already had that brass seal filed away.

The concept of a light aircraft carrying only a dry-battery-powered beacon band receiver was very popular in general aviation until the late 1950s.  One small set like the Motorola Airboy and many others sold for about $30 and allowed airways aural navigation using directional Adcock beacons plus airfield info usually on 278 kHz with weather info as well. 

Mike / KK5F

-----Original Message-----
From: <raydio862 at verizon.net>
Sent: Aug 23, 2021 2:26 PM
To: 'Al Klase' <ark at ar88.net>, <arc5 at mailman.qth.net>
Subject: Re: [ARC5] Unusual Navy receiver

Not so different, another innovative product from the 1930 &ldquo;Vacuum Tube Valley&rdquo; of Boonton, NJ.  Your going on a hop in a light plane but no radio.  Not a problem, this combo with a shoulder strap can be clamped in various ways to the cockpit frame and you&rsquo;re good to go with a beacon radio.  Not sure what you do for an antenna, maybe just trail a wire.  I had two of them NOS, still have one.  Here&rsquo;s another variant, the Model B-3.  Both are compact five tubers using 6 volt metal tubes.  Innovative packaging.
Ray

From: arc5-bounces at mailman.qth.net <arc5-bounces at mailman.qth.net> On Behalf Of Al Klase
Sent: Monday, August 23, 2021 2:21 PM
To: arc5 at mailman.qth.net
Subject: Re: [ARC5] Unusual Navy receiver



Well, That's different:




Ebay Link

Al
On 8/23/2021 2:00 PM, Hubert Miller wrote:

Boonton 185



-- Al Klase - N3FRQJersey City, NJhttp://www.skywaves.ar88.net