[Milsurplus] More questions on AN/XXX.. more

WA5CAB at cs.com WA5CAB at cs.com
Tue Apr 11 14:46:30 EDT 2006


Mike, John, Group,

In a message dated 4/11/2006 12:42:05 PM Central Daylight Time, 
kk5f at earthlink.net writes: 
> >ALSO, does anyone know if the same designations were used under both the 
> SCR and
> >AN/ systems? I'm inclined to think so, but would like confirmation. (i.e. 
> did a
> >battery stay a BA-, a dyno DY-, ...)
> 
> I think there is little or no commonality.  For example,
> 
>                                                   SCR-274  vs.  AN/ARC-5
> Mounting racks and plates             FT-xxx-A      MT-xx/ARC-5 or ARR-2
> Local receiver control                   FT-260-A       C-24/ARC-5
> Receiver remote control adapter   FT-230-A       MX-21/ARC-5
> Receiver remote tuning shaft        MC-215-A      A.R.C. 6151
> Right angle coupling                     MC-211-A      MX-22/ARR-2
> Receiver control box freq. dia       MC-212-A      ID-25/ARC-5
> Receiver Dynamotor                    DM-32-A        DY-2A/ARR-2
> Receiver control box                    BC-450-A      C-38/ARC-5
> Antenna Relay                             BC-442-A      RE-2/ARC-5
> Receiver                                     BC-453-B      R-23/ARC-5
> Transmitter                                 BC-457-A      T-20/ARC-5
> Modulator                                   BC-456-A       MD-7/ARC-5
> 
> etc. etc. etc.
> 
> Notice the SCR system component ID letters are rather multi-purpose, 
> compared to the JAN system.

Actually, that's true mainly of BC and RC which in the AN/ system were split 
out into many different component type indicators.  Most of the other 
indicators in the Signal Corps system are rather more specific.  And many of those 
were carried straight over into the AN/ system.

> 
> The equivalent in the old USN system identified the component function by 
> the first two letters of the five-character designator (Cxx-aaxyz).  A few of 
> the more common:
> 
> 10 - Racks, mounts, fittings
> 20, 21 - Power supply
> 23 - Control box
> 43 - Receiver-Transmitter
> 46 - Receiver
> 52 - Transmitter
> 60 - Metering
> 66 - Antenna
> and many others.
> 
> Thus, the USN ARA receiver for .19 to .55 mc was CBY-46129.  The similar 
> (but not identical) receiver in the earlier RAV system was the CBY-46102.  
> Oddly, the identical 1.5 to 3.0 mc receivers of the RAV and the ARA systems both, 
> I believe, bore the same designation of CBY-46104.
> 

Cases where identical USN components purchased for different sets bore 
different Navy Type Numbers would be the exception, rather than the rule.  I can't 
think of any examples but given known examples of other mistakes being made 
won't say that there aren't any.  Normally, regardless of what radio set items 
were purchased for, if they were more or less identical electrically and 
mechanically (differences due to production technique differences and component 
subcontractor manufacturing differences didn't count) they carried the same number. 
 Relatively minor changes were indicated by upper case suffix letters 
beginning with "A".  Thus all of the components of ARA, RAT, RAT-1 and RAV that were 
the same carried the same Type Number.  Another good example is TCS.  There 
were 16 "model" numbers from TCS through TCS-15.  All of the TCS component units 
carry from one to I think a maximum of three (I haven't carefully researched 
this, but can think of several with two and one with three) different Navy 
Type Numbers, most being the added suffix letter.
Robert & Susan Downs - Houston
<http://www.wa5cab.com> (Web Store)
MVPA 9480
<wa5cab at cs.com> (Primary email)
<wa5cab at houston.rr.com> (Backup email)


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