[Milsurplus] The RAS question

[Ray Fantini]

Have been following the thread on the RAL/RAK with much interest, and
can see the logical progression from the old TRF series RAK/AL series to
the much-improved RBA/BB/BC series. Looking at both series you can see
they are about the same size, have heavy RF shielding for use in high RF
environments and accessories like 600 ohm balanced audio for feeding
remote systems. The question I have is about the RAS series radio. After
playing around with the military version of the HRO receiver for several
years now have learned that it's a good receiver, epically once you
install the field option noise limiter kit but it appears to in no way
to share any of the chemistries of the larger well shielded RA/RB
family. My question is if the RAS was ever intended for use in a
shipboard environment? There is evidence of it being used as a shore
biased receiver, you can see several at Albro Lake
(http://iproc.ca/rrp/albro_lake.html)  and what looks like the entire
production of the HRO M series radios used throughout Britain. But I
have not seen any pictures of a US Navy installation. Was the RAS series
an attempt to use a civilian radio until the RBA/B/C series was in
place? I know that the RAK/L predates the RAS, when did the RBA/B/C
series show up? And I know its purely antidotal but for all the time I
have been doing this I have only seen about four or five RAS series
radios and several dozen of all the other RA/RB series so would assume
not many were produced. The RAS I have has a contract date of April 30
1942 (RAS-4), also have seen contract dates of Jan 7 1943 (RAS-5) and
have some really old coils NOs-70176, dated 12-7-39 (RAS-1). And a last
footnote, if you look at the last page of almost all the QST magazines
from the war years you will see a National Radio advertisement touting
that three out of every four Navy ships have a national radio installed
onboard, often depicting a HRO radio in the background, maybe this was
more wartime disinformation?
Ray Fantini KA3EKH