[Milsurplus] AN/ARC-9

[Morrow, Michael A.]

Hello all.

I just received an interesting military manual (AN 08-30ARC9-3) for the =
AN/ARC-9.  That's a WWII-era HF "all in one box" (except remote control) =
ten-channel 50-watt receiver-transmitter.  The manual is dated 25 =
November 1944.

The unit is a commercial-use set made by Bendix.  The component numbers =
are all commercial Bendix model numbers.  The main unit is the RTA-1B.  =
The name plate on the unit pictured even says "Aeronautical Radio Inc." =
on it.

This seems to be one of the first of the commercial equipments which =
were assigned JAN nomenclatures on paper, but not on the equipment =
nomenclature plates.  I believe the same thing happened with the Bendix =
MN-26 radio compass, which was given an official JAN nomenclature of =
AN/ARN-11, IIRC.  Then, there were the Stetchell-Carlson Model 524 (?) =
range receiver, but at least it had a painted stamp on the radio name =
plate of R-76/ARR-13.

The other interesting thing about the AN/ARC-9 is that the manual lists =
the frequencies of the ten channels:  3105, 4220, 4495, 4575, 4917.5 (or =
4465), 5588, 5662, 6210, 6440, 6500 kcs.  I suppose those frequencies =
must have represented the ten most commonly used at the time the set was =
ordered.

The set does not have CW capability.

I'd sort of like to find one of these sets someday.  I'd heard of the =
RTA-1B before, but I hadn't realized that it had a JAN nomenclature.

73,
Mike / KK5F