[Milsurplus] USN: ARB receiver used with ATD

[W7QHO at aol.com]

My "Preliminary" ATD manual dated 20 May 1940 says:

"Four tuning units are normally provided with each transmitter as follows: One 540-1500 Kcs; one 1500-3000Kcs; two 3000-9050 Kcs.  Tuning units having frequency ranges of 9050-15,800 Kcs and 200-540 Kcs are available.  An antenna tuning unit, external to the transmitter, is required whenever the 200-540 Kcs tuning unit is used."

I've never seen a 9050-15,800 TU either.  Heard somewhere they were never produced but can't cite an authority.  Agree they would probably be flakey in this frequency range.

Walt Hutchens, KJ4KV, wrote an excellent article on the ATD, see ER #35, March 1992.  Walt cites the ATD as being the Bendix  submission to a Navy competition for a new liaison transmitter that was ultimately won by Collins with their ATC.     Westinghouse also submitted an upgraded version of their GP series.                  

The ATC is far superior to the ATD, of course, but probably cost two or three times as much to produce.  This may be why the Navy placed an order for the "2nd  place" equipment  too.

-- 
Dennis D.  W7QHO
Glendale, CA