[Milsurplus] Beginning of use of UHF aero radios

[William Donzelli]

> Anyone know when the aircraft started getting UHF sets?

I am sure someone has a more definite date, but I would guess about 1951.

> What were the 
> AN/ARC numbers?

The first to see any real usage was probably the good old
AN/ARC-27. AN/ARC-12 (not the ARC type 12) was quite a bit earlier, but
not many were made. They are a bit like the AN/ARC-1 VHF set - just a big
black box. Few survive.

> Were there any models pre JAN series?

As far as I know, no. 

I recently saw an ad in a 1953 issue of Electronics, with one of the
surplus dealer proudly selling AN/ARC-12s, and one AN/ARC-27 (one has to
wonder how it got out!). Expensive items - the /ARC-27s price was over
$2000. 

William Donzelli
aw288 at osfn.org