[Boatanchors] A Puzzle and some meanderings

[Richard Knoppow]

      I recently obtained a copy of the military manual for 
the RCA AR-88D and F. It has a fairly complete parts list 
with manufacturers.  The puzzle is to identify one of them. 
The carbon composition pots are attributed to "The Majestic 
Radio and Telephone Company". I thought at first this must 
be a mis-print for Majestic Radio and Television Co., once a 
well known maker of domestic radio sets and the successor to 
the Grigsby-Grunow Company.  A little historical research 
indicates that Majestic had gone bankrupt sometime in the 
late 1930s and been dissolved. The handbook is dated late 
1945 and the earliest AR-88's were made C.1940, letting out 
the original Majestic co.  Another company, formed by former 
Zenith executives, was formed which resurrected the name 
"Majestic" for a time but sold out within a few years to 
Wilcox-Gay.  I search for Majestic Radio and _Telephone_ 
company does not come up with anything. So, what was the 
source of the parts used in the AR-88. Not only the pots but 
also the dials and gear mechanism and some other parts are 
attributed to Majestic.  In my AR-88 the pots are labeled 
Stackpole Carbon Co., a well known maker of carbon resistors 
of all types.  Perhaps the Majestic of the parts list was 
some sort of contractor to RCA.  Anyway, I wonder if anyone 
knows more about this.
     BTW, it is interesting to see how few of the major 
parts in these receivers were made by RCA, most seem to have 
been purchased from contractors.
     Most of the carbon comp resistors just have RCA part 
numbers so I suppose they were considered either generic or 
were supplied by several different companies, I never heard 
that RCA made its own carbon resistors.


--
Richard Knoppow
Los Angeles
WB6KBL
dickburk at ix.netcom.com