[Milsurplus] PE-237...Collector whims!

[William Donzelli]

> The JAN component numbers assigned (RT-68, R-110, AM-65, etc.) would seem to point to late WWII when number assignments were made, but I've never seen manuals or order numbers earlier than 1949.

The final 1945 issue of the SIG5 lists these sets, and all the pieces
and parts had stock numbers, so it is safe to assume that the design
was more or less done by Sep 1945. Perhaps a few preproduction units
saw service trials, but I have never seen one (probably an XG?). I bet
the orders for the sets were ready to roll but were stopped at the
11th hour. The same is true for a number of aircraft radar sets.

> What series of US military communications gear had the long active service life of the Vietnam-era AN/VRC-12 and AN/PRC-25/77 series?

A number of Navy sets, certainly. TAJ was in production from 1929 thru
1943, and was still seeing service in the late 1960s. The TBF/TBK/TBM
family was not produced as early, but also lasted until the very late
60s (my TBK-18 was pulled out of shore use in 1969).

The winner is probably the humble EE-8. As far as production is
concerned, there is an early TS- something battery tester that was
still being produced in quantity in the 90s.

--
Will