[Milsurplus] Re: Beginning of use of UHF aero radios

[WA5CAB at cs.com]

Group,

Oops.  The inconsistancy of the QTH.NET lists as to where something goes when 
you hit the REPLY button got me again.  Meant to send this to the list 
instead of just to Hank.

Earliest UHF aircraft set manual that I can find that I have a date on is AN 
16-30ARC12-3, Handbook of Maintenance Instruction Radio Set AN/ARC-12 dated 01 
September 1947. 

TDZ/RDZ and TED/RED are listed in NAVSHIPS 900,116, Catalogue of Naval 
Electronic Equipment - 15 April 1946. FWIW, TED/RED (under different nomenclature 
but still basically the same sets) were still in service past 1968!

Earliest portable ground UHF set manual that I can find in my database is 
NAVSHIPS 91392 on the Navy/MC MAY close air support radio dated 10 November 1950. 
I don't have the actual manual so don't know whether it superceded an earlier 
manual or not. Strangely, MAY doesn't seem to have ever made it into NAVSHIPS 
900,116 (last revised 01 October 1952). Earliest MAW manual appears to have 
been dated 01 March 1946. It was also in April 1946 edition of NAVSHIPS 
900,116. I've never found an aircraft radio equivalent to SHIPS 275/NAVSHIPS 900,116 
covering this period.

AN/ARC-12 was direct adaptation of AN/ARC-1, using many of the same 
components. MAY bore approximately the same relationship to MAW. FWIW, the Marines 
hauled MAW-1's to Chosen and back, to talk to the Corsairs. Not sure whether they 
had MAY's as well or not but the only reference I've come across mentioning 
close air support radios (not just close air support) only mentions the MAW-1.


Robert & Susan Downs - Houston
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