[Milsurplus] vhf frequency...early survival radios

[Mike Morrow]

Bob wrote of the AN/URC-4:

>The AN/UNC-4 was a simple regenrative receiver that was
>made to oscillate and was used as a transmitter. It was a
>pretty CRUDE radio but it was small enough to be carried
>in flight suit pockets.

It had the size and weight only a little bit less than that of a brick, especially when the large external battery pack is considered.  I don't see how one could remain in a flight suit pocket or survival vest following ejection seat activation.  Many of the URC-4s, especially the bright yellow models, were actually used in life boats and the like.

The next generation of survival radios made by the Philharmonic Radio and Telephone Corp. is much smaller (about 4"x3"x1.75") and lighter, and consists of the 243.0 mc RT-285/URC-11 (six tubes) and RT-285A/URC-11 (five tubes, two transistors), and the very similar 121.5 mc RT-350/URC-14 and RT-350A/URC-14 units.  I've never seen a URC-14 that had a military contract or order number on it, so I suspect there was little military use of the AN/URC-14.  However, Pan-Am and no doubt other commercial airliners of the 1960s carried the AN/URC-14 as a standard item.  This generation used the same battery pack as the old AN/URC-4.

73,
Mike / KK5F