[Milsurplus] Obscure commentary on Navy CMS

[Hue Miller]

Was looking at a Western Electronics "Sky Scout" receiver today, ca.
1955-1965 approx,
and the looking called to mind the US Navy's pre-WW2 CMS radio.

Scout, 1L4  1U4  3V4  0.5-42 Mcs. controls "REGENERATION-VOLUME'  'TUNING'
'ANTENNA COUPLING'.   "A good way for boys to learn about amateur radio and
electronics". Altho i suspect using this above 10 Mcs., with NO bandspread
control, would
be a tuff task for boys young and old.

The CMS:  3S4 3S4 3S4, controls TUNING and REGENERATION. Range about 3-15
Mcs. Neither set has vol. control, which to me says you maybe adjusted your
headset
often. The case for the CMS is varnished wood, looking like a tool kit for
dental or
jeweler tools maybe. No camo, no black finish to the case. Schematic
supplied looks
home drawn, not up to commercial factory standards, even for home
entertainment
equipment, or Knight Kits even.

I am thinking the CMS, rather than being any kind of "clandestine" radio, as
some have
surmised, mainly due to the lack of information and the small construction
of the
equipment, i am thinking this was merely a training device, cooked up and
built by
some local Navy "activity"  (= installation, base ). I have thought before,
maybe the
serial number, like for example 96H, might refer to the actual number and
the individual
who assembled it. No, i wasn't really thinking of a kit, i'm thinking the
construction is too
uniform for that, but perhaps a limited number of Navy personnel built
these. This rig,
and some batteries, would do for a training set, maybe built up quick to
fill an urgent
need for material, like in the early pre-Pearl months and extending after
Pearl, til the
military got geared up. The CMS is not really up to warfront design and
construction
standards of other US military gear. Also, i saw it listed right in a Navy
equipment
catalog, where it was right in with other 'RESTRICTED' gear, not
'CLASSIFIED' or
whatever term they used for higher classified gear. ( cannot recall the term
right now,
but it wasn't "CLASSIFIED" actually. This RESTRICTED classification would
rule
out it being any kind of secret or clandestine type radio.

BTW, article on RS-6 i have, from Air Classics magazine, states Motorola was
maker, but no information available from Motorola. I wonder if Motorola
still
retains anything in their archives, or if any designers/ constructors still
check in
to some Motorola retirees organization?
-Hue Miller  KA7LXY